Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Dec 28, 2009
2009: A YEARLY REVIEW
Every end of the year, bloggers would reflect on the passing year and highlight their favourite moments of the year. I can't fly and I don't have super powers, hence, like other bloggers, I jump on this egoistic wagon too, for what good is a blog if you can't write whatever you want without caring what other people think, once in a while?
I cried a lot this year.
I cried when Susan Boyle first sang on stage and wowed everyone including Simon Cowell.
I cried when I watched the four-minute montage of Carl and Ellie (from Pixar's animated movie UP) getting married and growing old together.
I balled my eyes out when I was watching 99 balloons, the heart-breaking video made by a couple showing their short 99 days with their baby (I'm already tearing up now) who succumbed to Trisomy 18.
I cried when Yasmin Ahmad died of a stroke in July and in the car when I heard this lovely song Pergi on the radio; the song was showcased in one of Yasmin's last works Talentime.
There are also a lot of other occasions where tears were the only consolation to the soul but who can dwell only on sadness all year long? There had to moments were this little ol' blogger was excited, happy and so darn proud of someone or something, right?
Of course, there are. One of which was the 15Malaysia project which features Pete Teo's efforts in showcasing the works of talented Malaysian film makers and taking them onto the world stage. Stories like Meter featuring Khairy Jamaluddin and the always humorous (and bloody talented) Baki Zainal, Halal featuring Adibah Noor and Man in Chicken Suit, and Potong Saga featuring Namewee who also just recently caused a media frenzy when he posted a video online showing him giving TNB Muar a piece of his mind in the middle of a blackout back in his hometown. He should visit Tawau sometimes, I'm sure the citizens there would welcome him on a red carpet. with flowers. and a live band.
News from home: there was my uncle Soo Wei who participated and came in runner up in the Astro's Classic Golden Melodies Singing competition 2009. When he reached the semifinals, my daughter Eva C, came along. And just in time for me to be reunited with a long lost Aunt of mine who is all the way in Canada now through the powers of the Internet.
Speaking of which, there were plenty going on in Malaysian news as well, things like the change in teaching medium from English back to Malay. Being an opinionated loud-mouth, you can be sure I said something about it. They went ahead and switch it anyways, if you didn't already know. Apart from that, there is the MCA issue ending in a half-hearted unity plan and no end in sight. Plus, the MACC vs Teoh Beng Hock saga, the billion-dollar Port Klang Free Zone issue which ended(?) in the arrest of several project directors. Sigh.. I wonder how many other corruption stories are left to be unearthed.
Speaking of money, one of biggest consequences from the 2009 budget was the credit card tax of RM50 to be charged for every card and for every year used. It wasn't just me who said something about it, sharing some of the same sentiments as HHTan's. LTM, Karl Heinz, KFSee, Cheng Poh among others like ME P.Gunasegaram also shared their opinions on the credit card issue. A noisy lot yes, but at least we said something about it and as we reach the end of the year, at least some good came of it.
Internationally, the year has also been filled with much tragedy and loss. There were many high- and low-profile deaths like those of Michael Jackson (foulplay?), David Carradine (bedroom-antics went wrong), Natasha Richardson (ski accident), Stephan Gately of Boyzone (natural death), Jane Goody, Patrick Swayze and Farah Fawcett (cancers), Brittany Murphy (stroke?), and Kim Peek (heart attack).
2009 was also the year of Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, Madoff, Chris Brown vs Rihanna, the pandemic of H1N1, a record number of police reports lodged by Malaysian politicians not to mention so many by-elections that will keep you busy until 2012.
Let's hope for a 2010 to be better but no less as interesting as 2009. Or else, what would we blog about?
Oct 20, 2009
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHILE DRIVING
I hate driving behind people with the P (probation) sign stuck the rear window of their cars. I am also afraid of them. They swerve, turn, brake and accelerate without reason and at the worst possible time they can. Although it is said that practice makes perfect, the longer these people stay on the road, more people will get hurt, or at the very least, agitated.
Hence, the idea for this list of five things drivers need to know while driving:
1 Lights are guides, not commandments.
I’ve had several friends who almost got into accidents because “the lights on the car in front of mine was not working.”
What?
“If I don’t get to see the brake lights on, how will I know that they are braking?”
Er, one, the car gets bigger and bigger and a scary rate because you are still moving and they are slowing down. Two, you should keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, not kiss the rear end whenever you can (or like). Three, telling the insurance agent that you banged the car in front of you because his lights are out may not be a good idea.
The same goes for traffic lights. Do not take them for granted and think that they are working all the time. “Ooh, it’s green, I’ll accelerate”, say the driver on the north road and on the east road as they have green lights on their lanes.
Use your eyes on the roads at ALL times.
2 The blind spot
“The car appeared out of nowhere.”
Yes, a 2-tonne car magically appeared out of nowhere behind you and so it is not your fault if you rammed into it.
Perhaps it is a good time to introduce to you the blind spot. cue music *jeng jeng jenggggg…*
Some people don’t believe in it. “Where got such a thing? I think it’s a lousy excuse for bad driving.”
Partly true, and the other part would be the bad adjustments of the rear view mirror and the side mirrors of your car.
We depend on reflections on our rear view mirrors and side mirrors on our cars to see the areas behind us. So it is crucial that we (can) see all. Badly adjusted mirrors will produce a blind spot, an area that is not within the scope of our vision.
If you only check your mirrors once, then make your move quickly and sharply, an accident may occur.
It is always better to check your mirrors once, wait a second or two, check again, then slowly move into that lane. That way if there is a car there and you did not see it before you made your move, you still have time to slow down your lane change or move back into your lane to get out of the way.
3 Turning corners
Please people. Please.
Check to see if there are cars coming from the right when you want to turn left in that intersection. If you’re not from Malaysia, you’ll be surprised to know that many people here just turn into the lane without stopping at intersections.
We have road signs that say STOP at intersections but apparently these people can’t read. Nor do they understand that it takes longer for a car going straight to brake than a car that is taking a turn.
Slow down to see if there are cars going in the direction of your lane, then only make your turn. You should do it more if it is a quiet intersection. Don’t take this for granted. If you can’t do this, please don’t drive.
Note: there is a town here where everyone drives like that. I can’t remember where it is so I’m not naming names. Don’t wanna name the wrong town.
4 Keep your hands and focus on the wheel
Mini list: 5 don’ts while driving.
Do not text.
You are down one hand and two eyes and half of your concentration on the road.
Do not talk on the phone.
I don’t think many people get it. When you drive, you should stay focus. Talking on the phone while holding it, with a hands-free kit or even on Bluetooth keeps you off focus. You may not react to a situation on the roads in time if you’re trying to remember where you keep your bank statements because your wife prefer to call and ask you than ask you before bed last night.
Do not eat a whole meal.
Besides the loss of concentration, you will dirty the car with crumbs and sauce.
Do not apply makeup.
Women are not built for driving 2-tonne things. Women are not built for driving even. Well, some do a really good job at it but generally, no, women are not built for driving. Ever seen one try to parallel park? And women are NOT built for driving while applying their makeup on. Period.
Do not rummage around for small items.
Prepare the small change for your tolls before you set off for work. Place your prepaid cards at an easily reachable place. In fact, place everything you may need at a reachable place so you need not go under the dashboard at 70 miles per hour.
5 Indicate
No, do not indicate two seconds before you arrive at your turn. Too late.
No, do not indicate two or three turns before your turn. Too soon.
Remember to switch of your indicator after you’ve made your turn.
Give way when someone indicate. This way you will encourage more people to use their indicators.
Lastly, always check to see that your indicator lights are working.
---
You can choose to read this list then ignore it, or you can choose to practise it to make for safer roads. Don’t worry. These instructions will not self destruct in n seconds should you choose to not accept it.
Just be safe on the road. That’s all I’m asking.
Hence, the idea for this list of five things drivers need to know while driving:
1 Lights are guides, not commandments.
I’ve had several friends who almost got into accidents because “the lights on the car in front of mine was not working.”
What?
“If I don’t get to see the brake lights on, how will I know that they are braking?”
Er, one, the car gets bigger and bigger and a scary rate because you are still moving and they are slowing down. Two, you should keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, not kiss the rear end whenever you can (or like). Three, telling the insurance agent that you banged the car in front of you because his lights are out may not be a good idea.
The same goes for traffic lights. Do not take them for granted and think that they are working all the time. “Ooh, it’s green, I’ll accelerate”, say the driver on the north road and on the east road as they have green lights on their lanes.
Use your eyes on the roads at ALL times.
2 The blind spot
“The car appeared out of nowhere.”
Yes, a 2-tonne car magically appeared out of nowhere behind you and so it is not your fault if you rammed into it.
Perhaps it is a good time to introduce to you the blind spot. cue music *jeng jeng jenggggg…*
Some people don’t believe in it. “Where got such a thing? I think it’s a lousy excuse for bad driving.”
Partly true, and the other part would be the bad adjustments of the rear view mirror and the side mirrors of your car.
We depend on reflections on our rear view mirrors and side mirrors on our cars to see the areas behind us. So it is crucial that we (can) see all. Badly adjusted mirrors will produce a blind spot, an area that is not within the scope of our vision.
If you only check your mirrors once, then make your move quickly and sharply, an accident may occur.
It is always better to check your mirrors once, wait a second or two, check again, then slowly move into that lane. That way if there is a car there and you did not see it before you made your move, you still have time to slow down your lane change or move back into your lane to get out of the way.
3 Turning corners
Please people. Please.
Check to see if there are cars coming from the right when you want to turn left in that intersection. If you’re not from Malaysia, you’ll be surprised to know that many people here just turn into the lane without stopping at intersections.
We have road signs that say STOP at intersections but apparently these people can’t read. Nor do they understand that it takes longer for a car going straight to brake than a car that is taking a turn.
Slow down to see if there are cars going in the direction of your lane, then only make your turn. You should do it more if it is a quiet intersection. Don’t take this for granted. If you can’t do this, please don’t drive.
Note: there is a town here where everyone drives like that. I can’t remember where it is so I’m not naming names. Don’t wanna name the wrong town.
4 Keep your hands and focus on the wheel
Mini list: 5 don’ts while driving.
Do not text.
You are down one hand and two eyes and half of your concentration on the road.
Do not talk on the phone.
I don’t think many people get it. When you drive, you should stay focus. Talking on the phone while holding it, with a hands-free kit or even on Bluetooth keeps you off focus. You may not react to a situation on the roads in time if you’re trying to remember where you keep your bank statements because your wife prefer to call and ask you than ask you before bed last night.
Do not eat a whole meal.
Besides the loss of concentration, you will dirty the car with crumbs and sauce.
Do not apply makeup.
Women are not built for driving 2-tonne things. Women are not built for driving even. Well, some do a really good job at it but generally, no, women are not built for driving. Ever seen one try to parallel park? And women are NOT built for driving while applying their makeup on. Period.
Do not rummage around for small items.
Prepare the small change for your tolls before you set off for work. Place your prepaid cards at an easily reachable place. In fact, place everything you may need at a reachable place so you need not go under the dashboard at 70 miles per hour.
5 Indicate
No, do not indicate two seconds before you arrive at your turn. Too late.
No, do not indicate two or three turns before your turn. Too soon.
Remember to switch of your indicator after you’ve made your turn.
Give way when someone indicate. This way you will encourage more people to use their indicators.
Lastly, always check to see that your indicator lights are working.
---
You can choose to read this list then ignore it, or you can choose to practise it to make for safer roads. Don’t worry. These instructions will not self destruct in n seconds should you choose to not accept it.
Just be safe on the road. That’s all I’m asking.
Aug 22, 2009
7 emotions you never knew until you're a parent.
For something to be considered a Science, it has to: be backed by evidence; be retestable by others; and all come to the same conclusion. Crud... now that I think of it.. I think that is the definition of a hypothesis.
But.. who cares?
The point I'm driving home today is the evidence of that bond which exist between mother and child.
Love can hardly be called a Science. So many conclusions could come from the same initial point: You may marry him and live happily together forever with him, or You may divorce him within the next three years. You may cheat on him or be cheated on by him and still stick together as a couple "for the sake of the children". You may find out he is a closeted gay. You may tell him that you are a closeted lesbian or bisexual on your 5th wedding anniversary. You may even find him divorcing you to be with your mother (sick I know... but it happens).
So why then do experts insist on mothers breastfeeding their babies to 'strengthen that bond between mother and newborn' hours after she has just given birth?
No, it's not because they are sadistic maniacs.
It's because this bond, you can see and feel it: the evidence of love.
*jeng.. jeng... JENG*
7 emotions you never knew until you're a parent.
Once you've become a mother, you will feel the following 'new (undiscovered until now)' emotions:
1. When your child cries nonstop in the first week or two, you will feel helpless and will begin crying along with it.
2. When you partner shouts or 'pats' your newborn to make it stop crying, you feel a slice into your already delicate heart and will be compelled to 'protect' your child.
3. When you hold your child against your bosom (that's chest, for the rest of you modern peoples), you will feel that nothing wrong could ever and will ever happen to your child.
4. When you are able to calm your newborn down and make it stop crying by holding it or speaking softly to it, you will feel like you've won the Nobel prize.
5. When you are able to make your newborn stop crying by 'hitting' her puny little backside, the guilt you feel afterwards makes you feel willing to face the firing squad.
6. The first time you see your newborn smile at you, you'd be as excited as the day you bought your first car.
7. When your newborn grabs your finger and would not let go, you'd let it hold your finger for just one more second (and another, and another)... even if the building is on fire.
There's actually a whole lot more than just seven.. and these aren't exactly 'emotions' but to be fair, you seriously will not understand them until you've become a parent yourself. Seriously.
But.. who cares?
The point I'm driving home today is the evidence of that bond which exist between mother and child.
Love can hardly be called a Science. So many conclusions could come from the same initial point: You may marry him and live happily together forever with him, or You may divorce him within the next three years. You may cheat on him or be cheated on by him and still stick together as a couple "for the sake of the children". You may find out he is a closeted gay. You may tell him that you are a closeted lesbian or bisexual on your 5th wedding anniversary. You may even find him divorcing you to be with your mother (sick I know... but it happens).
So why then do experts insist on mothers breastfeeding their babies to 'strengthen that bond between mother and newborn' hours after she has just given birth?
No, it's not because they are sadistic maniacs.
It's because this bond, you can see and feel it: the evidence of love.
*jeng.. jeng... JENG*
7 emotions you never knew until you're a parent.
Once you've become a mother, you will feel the following 'new (undiscovered until now)' emotions:
1. When your child cries nonstop in the first week or two, you will feel helpless and will begin crying along with it.
2. When you partner shouts or 'pats' your newborn to make it stop crying, you feel a slice into your already delicate heart and will be compelled to 'protect' your child.
3. When you hold your child against your bosom (that's chest, for the rest of you modern peoples), you will feel that nothing wrong could ever and will ever happen to your child.
4. When you are able to calm your newborn down and make it stop crying by holding it or speaking softly to it, you will feel like you've won the Nobel prize.
5. When you are able to make your newborn stop crying by 'hitting' her puny little backside, the guilt you feel afterwards makes you feel willing to face the firing squad.
6. The first time you see your newborn smile at you, you'd be as excited as the day you bought your first car.
7. When your newborn grabs your finger and would not let go, you'd let it hold your finger for just one more second (and another, and another)... even if the building is on fire.
There's actually a whole lot more than just seven.. and these aren't exactly 'emotions' but to be fair, you seriously will not understand them until you've become a parent yourself. Seriously.
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