A British doctor says "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a brain out of one man, put it in another and have him looking for work in six weeks."
A German doctor says, "That's nothing, we can take a brain out of one person, put it in another and have him preparing for war in four weeks.
The American doctor, not to be outdone, says, "You guys are way behind, we just took a man with no brain
out of Texas, put him in the White House, and now half the country is looking for work, and the other half preparing for war!!!"
Amusing SMS from dear Kelvin, whose course ends tomorrow:
Remember when u need a FUCK
I will always b there 4 U
bcos
FUCK stands 4 "Friend U Can Keep"
So promise ME
We Will FUCK Forever!!!
Yeah we're all male. So? :)
When you can't live without bananas
Thursday, February 20, 2003
I've been taking turns with Sinsiang to do fatigue at the Nee Soon 500m range this week. It is really quite good to be attached there - you get stayout the night before, it's brainless, easy and not too tiring work, you can spend the time reading, they buy Roti Prata for us sometimes, every weekend is a long weekend, you may get off days here and there and barring any unforseen circumstances, you can fall out before 5 pm. However, you have to report at 7:30am (at least on paper), and it is a good 20 min walk in from the bus stop, it is boring, dreary work and worst of all, you only get the wretched Malay food, which has copious amounts of chili in it and which is similar everyday. I've always maintained that chili is used to disguise food that is bad - in both senses of the word: un-fresh and un-palatable - by overwhelming and destroying your tastebuds.
I was asked by the range RSM to hop on to his 1 1/2 tonner while he was ferrying supplies. Heh, I must hitch a ride from passing Army vehicles in the future to save time.
Andrew, Mark, Frank and I were outside McDonalds, and Frank was sitting on the seat of one of the Kiddie Ride Machines - those that start moving and playing a song when you insert some coins. While he was busy chattering away, I took out 2 20 cent coins and inserted them into the slot... whereupon the machine came to life, blaring - horror - English versions of Chinese New Year songs, and Frank jumped out of the seat. Despite the cajoling of Andrew and I, he refused to sit on the seat. Luckily, Mark rose to the challenge, but when he sat on the seat, the seat refused to continue in its circular motion.
Incidentally, McDonalds' breakfast sucks. It's overpriced, tastes underwhelming, is not filling and has very little variety.
I've got some camp mates hooked on Pringles Salt And Vinegar crisps. Heh heh. In other news, my department just noticed that I roll my socks down, and someone claimed that only Primary School and RJC girls did that, whereupon I corrected him - RJ girls wear Hot Socks!
As everyone knows, entrance to the Island of Doom is procured by letting the barrier machines at the ferry terminal scan the barcode on your Identity Card. However, these machines apparently are too stupid to distinguish between a proper IC number and a normal barcode - I hear someone scanned a Snickers bar, and the gate opened!
My electric toothbrush ran out of juice because the power switch had accidentally been switched on due to a bump, and I hadn't noticed in time, so I was reduced to using my backup manual toothbrush for one night. It's been so long since I last used a manual toothbrush!
Dead Poets' Society was screened at the last Movie Night :) Though I wasn't there to view it, I applaud the change from the usual War Movies (bleah).
I met Kai Leung at the 172 bus stop one night. He's at Lim Chu Kang camp 1. Yet another soul lost in the wilderness :)
My 855 was passing by MacRitchie, and there was a Cross-Country event going on. A few were running, but most were walking lazily :) Some boys were in their school uniform, and one had the front of his unbuttoned :0
Later, while I was taking the lift back to my unit, there was a boy of about Upper Primary level asking his maid what the outfit I was wearing was called. His maid suggested that he ask me, and ask me he did, and I replied that it was an Army Uniform. After exiting the lift, he was querying his maid further on details about the Army, no doubt having been well indoctrinated during Moral Education classes about "dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" [Ed: Yes, this phrase is grossly over-used. So sue me.], and I was inclined to tell him, mournfully, that his turn would come in 10 years or so when he would be enslaved for the putative Greater Good of the Fatherland [Ed: There is a reason why I didn't use "Motherland". Ahem], but I decided to be nice and let him enjoy his childhood without being tormented in his restless sleep by nightmares ending in his waking up with a jolt in cold sweat, screaming his lungs out for fear for his life, his freedom, his dignity and his sanity.
Amusing Economist table on who in the United Kingdom is against the War on Iraq, and why. The two funniest rows:
What?
Anti-Zionism
Why?
Attack Ariel Sharon instead
For Example?
Muslims
What?
Anti-Americanism
Why?
America too brutal and Bush too stupid
For Example?
The BBC
Thoughts on Books:
A Life Worth Reliving by Victor Seah Tiong Hin
Like most writers reminiscing nostalgically, the author falls into the trap of romanticising Old Singapore and some of the time, especially in recounting his childhood, he presents a sanitised image of the Old Singapore. As I always maintain, it's all very well and good to have a bowl of noodles costing a cent, but not when you earn 10 cents a month and the noodles have cockroaches floating around in them.
More pedantically, the language used is rather stilted and halting. Sentence connectors aren't used very much, with the result being that sentences are very short and end abruptly. Also, the amount of errors in the manuscript seems to be above the average for published books, perhaps a sign of inadequate editing. In various places, the author inserts odd interjections - praise for the PAP Government's various social engineering projects, tiresome and puzzling moralising and choice National Education ideas and concepts.
Nevertheless, I learnt quite a few things. Like why Jesudason was the Headmaster of Raffles Institution for such a short time - something Wijeysingha doesn't write about in The Eagle Breeds A Gryphon. Or maybe I missed that part because the book was too boring. (Aside: I wonder if they're still making hapless Sec 1 students buy it, and how much in royalties he's earnt so far)
Ray Bradbury - The Illustrated Man
This book was first published in 1952, and it shows. Most of the short stories in the book are rather pessimistic, and their themes and content are very much a reflection of that era - censorship, space, faith, nuclear holocaust, extra-terrestrial life, technology, its running amok, over-reliance on it, its unintended consequences and the like.
I'm rather upset with the whole premise of the "Illustrated Man". It's all nothing more than a cheapskate framework for Bradbury to tell his short stories. Hell - he could do away with the whole Illustrated Man jazz and do an equally good, if not better job. If he'd developed the whole idea of the Illustrated Man further, there would've been a lot of potential, but as it is it is an unresolved element in the book.
Excerpt from the blurb on the back of the Heinemann New Mindmills edition: "But the illustrated man would like to burn off his illustrations. For in the dark each illustration quivers and comes to life. And each illustration gives us a chilling picture of the future and a disturbing glimpse into the minds of those who live there..."
I actually got pissed off enough by the incessantly annoying announcements at MRT stations that I sketched a draft of a letter to be submitted to the Straits Times Forum, which actively encourages a Civil Society by publishing mostly letters "dedicated to trivial chicken shit issues", rejecting potentially contentious ones of more import (See Example) and censoring and editing some letters that do get through (Example from Streats). However, with the passage of time, my apathy has overcome me, and so I shall withold sending in the letter, which would (rightly) make me look like one of those idiots who complain about relatively inconsequential things with an unearthly fervour. At least until I am unfortunate to face the barrage of announcements at Boon Lay MRT Station that prompted my original decision.
For my easy reference (and possibly, the amusement of some of you), here are some of the points of my putative letter:
- I was subjected to the message, "May we have your attention please. The train that is approaching Platform A is not for passenger service. Please do not board it. Thank you" 6 times, and as if that wasn't enough, I had to endure the message, "May we have your attention please. The train that is approaching Platform A is not for passenger service. Please do not board it. Please wait for the next available train. Thank you" 4 times. By the time the last message played, I was contemplating the relative merits of hurling myself onto the track to be electrocuted to a crisp or jumping in front of the train to be smashed to a pulp
- The woman featured in the recorded announcements manages to find a most ingratiating and unctous tone of voice to make them in
- Even with the wealth of LCD displays, SMRT feels compelled to play a message telling us which station the trains at Platform A on the East-West line are heading to. Other countries get by with massively more complex train systems and noticeably fewer announcements
- Sometimes, less is more. Fewer announcements = happier passengers. If, after the announcement is played 2-3 times, the person still boards the wrong train, he deserves it and playing the announcements isn't likely to make a difference
- Some platitudes and praise to make my letter fairer, and to soften its impact
I was also thinking of complaining about the "Circle" line's name and the confusion of the Red line going both North and South, but I think that would be too tiresome and would make the letter unfocused.
Quotes:
Oh yah hor. There's no 'Q' in Hercules. H-E-R-C-U-L-E-S
[On my rolling my socks down] What, like that more fun, like that more kinky? (It's more fun and kinky that way?)
[On Dead Poets' Society at Movie Night] Alright, all get seated. The movie is going to start soon. Remember that there's going to be a test after this, on the story.
I was asked by the range RSM to hop on to his 1 1/2 tonner while he was ferrying supplies. Heh, I must hitch a ride from passing Army vehicles in the future to save time.
Andrew, Mark, Frank and I were outside McDonalds, and Frank was sitting on the seat of one of the Kiddie Ride Machines - those that start moving and playing a song when you insert some coins. While he was busy chattering away, I took out 2 20 cent coins and inserted them into the slot... whereupon the machine came to life, blaring - horror - English versions of Chinese New Year songs, and Frank jumped out of the seat. Despite the cajoling of Andrew and I, he refused to sit on the seat. Luckily, Mark rose to the challenge, but when he sat on the seat, the seat refused to continue in its circular motion.
Incidentally, McDonalds' breakfast sucks. It's overpriced, tastes underwhelming, is not filling and has very little variety.
I've got some camp mates hooked on Pringles Salt And Vinegar crisps. Heh heh. In other news, my department just noticed that I roll my socks down, and someone claimed that only Primary School and RJC girls did that, whereupon I corrected him - RJ girls wear Hot Socks!
As everyone knows, entrance to the Island of Doom is procured by letting the barrier machines at the ferry terminal scan the barcode on your Identity Card. However, these machines apparently are too stupid to distinguish between a proper IC number and a normal barcode - I hear someone scanned a Snickers bar, and the gate opened!
My electric toothbrush ran out of juice because the power switch had accidentally been switched on due to a bump, and I hadn't noticed in time, so I was reduced to using my backup manual toothbrush for one night. It's been so long since I last used a manual toothbrush!
Dead Poets' Society was screened at the last Movie Night :) Though I wasn't there to view it, I applaud the change from the usual War Movies (bleah).
I met Kai Leung at the 172 bus stop one night. He's at Lim Chu Kang camp 1. Yet another soul lost in the wilderness :)
My 855 was passing by MacRitchie, and there was a Cross-Country event going on. A few were running, but most were walking lazily :) Some boys were in their school uniform, and one had the front of his unbuttoned :0
Later, while I was taking the lift back to my unit, there was a boy of about Upper Primary level asking his maid what the outfit I was wearing was called. His maid suggested that he ask me, and ask me he did, and I replied that it was an Army Uniform. After exiting the lift, he was querying his maid further on details about the Army, no doubt having been well indoctrinated during Moral Education classes about "dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" [Ed: Yes, this phrase is grossly over-used. So sue me.], and I was inclined to tell him, mournfully, that his turn would come in 10 years or so when he would be enslaved for the putative Greater Good of the Fatherland [Ed: There is a reason why I didn't use "Motherland". Ahem], but I decided to be nice and let him enjoy his childhood without being tormented in his restless sleep by nightmares ending in his waking up with a jolt in cold sweat, screaming his lungs out for fear for his life, his freedom, his dignity and his sanity.
Amusing Economist table on who in the United Kingdom is against the War on Iraq, and why. The two funniest rows:
What?
Anti-Zionism
Why?
Attack Ariel Sharon instead
For Example?
Muslims
What?
Anti-Americanism
Why?
America too brutal and Bush too stupid
For Example?
The BBC
Thoughts on Books:
A Life Worth Reliving by Victor Seah Tiong Hin
Like most writers reminiscing nostalgically, the author falls into the trap of romanticising Old Singapore and some of the time, especially in recounting his childhood, he presents a sanitised image of the Old Singapore. As I always maintain, it's all very well and good to have a bowl of noodles costing a cent, but not when you earn 10 cents a month and the noodles have cockroaches floating around in them.
More pedantically, the language used is rather stilted and halting. Sentence connectors aren't used very much, with the result being that sentences are very short and end abruptly. Also, the amount of errors in the manuscript seems to be above the average for published books, perhaps a sign of inadequate editing. In various places, the author inserts odd interjections - praise for the PAP Government's various social engineering projects, tiresome and puzzling moralising and choice National Education ideas and concepts.
Nevertheless, I learnt quite a few things. Like why Jesudason was the Headmaster of Raffles Institution for such a short time - something Wijeysingha doesn't write about in The Eagle Breeds A Gryphon. Or maybe I missed that part because the book was too boring. (Aside: I wonder if they're still making hapless Sec 1 students buy it, and how much in royalties he's earnt so far)
Ray Bradbury - The Illustrated Man
This book was first published in 1952, and it shows. Most of the short stories in the book are rather pessimistic, and their themes and content are very much a reflection of that era - censorship, space, faith, nuclear holocaust, extra-terrestrial life, technology, its running amok, over-reliance on it, its unintended consequences and the like.
I'm rather upset with the whole premise of the "Illustrated Man". It's all nothing more than a cheapskate framework for Bradbury to tell his short stories. Hell - he could do away with the whole Illustrated Man jazz and do an equally good, if not better job. If he'd developed the whole idea of the Illustrated Man further, there would've been a lot of potential, but as it is it is an unresolved element in the book.
Excerpt from the blurb on the back of the Heinemann New Mindmills edition: "But the illustrated man would like to burn off his illustrations. For in the dark each illustration quivers and comes to life. And each illustration gives us a chilling picture of the future and a disturbing glimpse into the minds of those who live there..."
I actually got pissed off enough by the incessantly annoying announcements at MRT stations that I sketched a draft of a letter to be submitted to the Straits Times Forum, which actively encourages a Civil Society by publishing mostly letters "dedicated to trivial chicken shit issues", rejecting potentially contentious ones of more import (See Example) and censoring and editing some letters that do get through (Example from Streats). However, with the passage of time, my apathy has overcome me, and so I shall withold sending in the letter, which would (rightly) make me look like one of those idiots who complain about relatively inconsequential things with an unearthly fervour. At least until I am unfortunate to face the barrage of announcements at Boon Lay MRT Station that prompted my original decision.
For my easy reference (and possibly, the amusement of some of you), here are some of the points of my putative letter:
- I was subjected to the message, "May we have your attention please. The train that is approaching Platform A is not for passenger service. Please do not board it. Thank you" 6 times, and as if that wasn't enough, I had to endure the message, "May we have your attention please. The train that is approaching Platform A is not for passenger service. Please do not board it. Please wait for the next available train. Thank you" 4 times. By the time the last message played, I was contemplating the relative merits of hurling myself onto the track to be electrocuted to a crisp or jumping in front of the train to be smashed to a pulp
- The woman featured in the recorded announcements manages to find a most ingratiating and unctous tone of voice to make them in
- Even with the wealth of LCD displays, SMRT feels compelled to play a message telling us which station the trains at Platform A on the East-West line are heading to. Other countries get by with massively more complex train systems and noticeably fewer announcements
- Sometimes, less is more. Fewer announcements = happier passengers. If, after the announcement is played 2-3 times, the person still boards the wrong train, he deserves it and playing the announcements isn't likely to make a difference
- Some platitudes and praise to make my letter fairer, and to soften its impact
I was also thinking of complaining about the "Circle" line's name and the confusion of the Red line going both North and South, but I think that would be too tiresome and would make the letter unfocused.
Quotes:
Oh yah hor. There's no 'Q' in Hercules. H-E-R-C-U-L-E-S
[On my rolling my socks down] What, like that more fun, like that more kinky? (It's more fun and kinky that way?)
[On Dead Poets' Society at Movie Night] Alright, all get seated. The movie is going to start soon. Remember that there's going to be a test after this, on the story.
Post ID: 89429940
To He Who Must Not Be Named:
I think almost all sane people (I don't know about you) would consider North Korea to be a country with more paradoxes and contradictions than, say, the USA. North Korea is supposed to be a Communist state, where there is the dictatorship of the proletariat. However, individual people have almost NO say over the running of the country, and the proletariat is oppressed and is reduced to scavenging for bark to boil into bitter and possibly poisonous soups while soldiers and The Dear Leader (did I get his title correct?) eat Premium Buckwheat Noodles.
However, across the Pacific Ocean, we find a country which espouses free trade, but has an elaborate and Byzantine system of anti-dumping and "fair trade" laws, coupled with the practice of generously doling out lots of pork for constituents. Incumbents stay in office, by and large, thanks to bizzare gerrymandering. And so on.
With apologies to you, I can say that, "In each state, we can find numerous, shitloads of inconsistencie and absurdities and cruelties. To the point where it's impossible to quantify which has 'more'."
I trust that this example will be enough for you to comprehend my point. So, I ask, wherefore argue anything if nothing can be quantified? Most people can be said to refuse even to debate on "obvious" issues because they (to paraphrase), "feel that, intuitively, (let's face it, it's pure intuition, that their way of life, their way of doing things, their beliefs al, are superior to others'."
I think almost all sane people (I don't know about you) would consider North Korea to be a country with more paradoxes and contradictions than, say, the USA. North Korea is supposed to be a Communist state, where there is the dictatorship of the proletariat. However, individual people have almost NO say over the running of the country, and the proletariat is oppressed and is reduced to scavenging for bark to boil into bitter and possibly poisonous soups while soldiers and The Dear Leader (did I get his title correct?) eat Premium Buckwheat Noodles.
However, across the Pacific Ocean, we find a country which espouses free trade, but has an elaborate and Byzantine system of anti-dumping and "fair trade" laws, coupled with the practice of generously doling out lots of pork for constituents. Incumbents stay in office, by and large, thanks to bizzare gerrymandering. And so on.
With apologies to you, I can say that, "In each state, we can find numerous, shitloads of inconsistencie and absurdities and cruelties. To the point where it's impossible to quantify which has 'more'."
I trust that this example will be enough for you to comprehend my point. So, I ask, wherefore argue anything if nothing can be quantified? Most people can be said to refuse even to debate on "obvious" issues because they (to paraphrase), "feel that, intuitively, (let's face it, it's pure intuition, that their way of life, their way of doing things, their beliefs al, are superior to others'."
Post ID: 89426199
Latest batch of referrals:
raffles girls school fuck
nude raffles girls
"rgs nude"
rgs sluts - Raffles Guys' School finally comes into its own, not content to be defeated by CHIJ and SCGS. Bleah.
PJC + BANGKOK + POTATO
Depressing Suicidal Cynical Satanic Poetry Unhappy
males in togas Roman shorts
obscene smilies for icq
nanyang girl rifle
poetic reviews about Jurong Bird Park
mmm melbourne marching boys
sexy kosovo gurls - Wha?
pictures of anna nicole smith gaining weight - Someone is jealous.
nutella haram, ketchup song haram - Isn't the former vegetarian? And the latter is just a song with nonsensical lyrics. Screw it, everything is haram. Go live on astronaut pills.
NS smm medic, smm medics - Medics of the Field and Medics of the Medical Centre. Ho ho. There are a few pages on this - almost all of which complain about the 16g needles :( Perhaps I'll quote one: "Well, I probably shouldn't talk too much about this because of all the secrecy and confidentiality etc. The annoying thing, though, is that you are told this and that is 'secret', and then you find out that not only is it commonly/publicly known... sometimes it is even published in the newspapers." (NB: SMM has a spanking new page now, made with Macromedia Flash.) Anyhow, I've lost interest in writing about most army stuff now. I scribble much less on my ubiquitous piece of paper. Perhaps it's a subconscious aversion. Once bitten, twice shy indeed. In other news, it seems more and more people from my unit are visiting my humble cyber-abode. Hell, half my unit has probably been here by now. Maybe next month my CO will give me his comments on this site.
hermione hentai - Erm. Harry Potter is British. And it isn't a cartoon.
+"mao zedong" +"pc game" - ?! So Mao Zedong appears in Tropico. So?
girls singapore "fbt" - Everyone knows about Hot Shorts, it seems.
pantyhose tudung - I didn't know it could be used for that purpose.
fluffy bunny killer animations - Ironic sadism!
pictures of singaporeans having sex - Haven't they heard of Sammyboy? Shoo!
girls uncircumcised guys filthy - girls circumcised guys mutilated
"shut up. you try to confuse" - Just because I am paki doesn't mean I stink!
NSmen propaganda - I think Reservists should be immune from the debilitating and mind numbing effects of National Propaganda
ng_boon_kiat - Apparently he's in Dunman High now.
does having handphone turn singapore into a better society - For the life of me, I cannot see WHY anyone would, in his right mind, think up such a proposition.
"herodotus" lecture notes "Book 5" - I'm still stuck somewhere in the middle of Book 4.
transformers yaoi pictures - Dammit. They're robots. I'm not sure there's even a word for inter-robot carnal relations.
Singapore CTE congestion picture - This guy didn't seriously expect people to have pictures of this, did he?
kwek mean luck - He's famous!
halal meat unethical - My sister showed me an extreme right wing publication that accused the Blair government of being hypocritical for trying to ban fox hunting because animals slaughtered the Halal way aren't stunned before having their throats cut, being hung upside down and bleeding to death. To put it another, way, "A chap says some kind prayer and then the cow's throat is slit, while fully conscious, and it bleeds to death. It may be a full three minutes before the heart pumps its last." Some research is actually rather enlightening:
http://www.warmwell.com/dec23bryn.html
"In a 22-page booklet on farm animal welfare, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals described shechitah, the kosher method of slaughter -- as well as halal, the Islamic code of animal slaughter -- as painful and distressing to animals. "It is a fundamental right of religious groups to practice their beliefs without hindrance," the booklet stated. "But where those beliefs are directly responsible for animal suffering, that right has to be challenged." "Surely it is not unreasonable to suggest that, in the light of new scientific knowledge and society's more caring attitudes to animals, religious traditions might be changed," it added. "
On the other hand, Muslim sources claim that the Halal butchers slit the veins in a way such that they bleed to death quickly. They don't say anything about stunning the animal, though. I'm not an authority on this issue, but I still think it would be more humane to stun the animal first or even just behead it. And the reason why Sikhs don't eat Halal meat: "Mind you some cultures/ religion do not eat meat that is halal e.g. Sikhism they believe in "Jhatka" cut meat, i.e. straight cut with minimal torture to the animal e.g. not slow release bleeding to death and some Sikhs I have seen refuse halal meat even in Malaysia.". Yet another reason to try to eat non-Halal meat, then.
To end off, a thought offered by someone: "Arguing over which methods of killing are more humane seems a bit pointless since the only ones who could tell you are dead." Heh.
raffles girls school fuck
nude raffles girls
"rgs nude"
rgs sluts - Raffles Guys' School finally comes into its own, not content to be defeated by CHIJ and SCGS. Bleah.
PJC + BANGKOK + POTATO
Depressing Suicidal Cynical Satanic Poetry Unhappy
males in togas Roman shorts
obscene smilies for icq
nanyang girl rifle
poetic reviews about Jurong Bird Park
mmm melbourne marching boys
sexy kosovo gurls - Wha?
pictures of anna nicole smith gaining weight - Someone is jealous.
nutella haram, ketchup song haram - Isn't the former vegetarian? And the latter is just a song with nonsensical lyrics. Screw it, everything is haram. Go live on astronaut pills.
NS smm medic, smm medics - Medics of the Field and Medics of the Medical Centre. Ho ho. There are a few pages on this - almost all of which complain about the 16g needles :( Perhaps I'll quote one: "Well, I probably shouldn't talk too much about this because of all the secrecy and confidentiality etc. The annoying thing, though, is that you are told this and that is 'secret', and then you find out that not only is it commonly/publicly known... sometimes it is even published in the newspapers." (NB: SMM has a spanking new page now, made with Macromedia Flash.) Anyhow, I've lost interest in writing about most army stuff now. I scribble much less on my ubiquitous piece of paper. Perhaps it's a subconscious aversion. Once bitten, twice shy indeed. In other news, it seems more and more people from my unit are visiting my humble cyber-abode. Hell, half my unit has probably been here by now. Maybe next month my CO will give me his comments on this site.
hermione hentai - Erm. Harry Potter is British. And it isn't a cartoon.
+"mao zedong" +"pc game" - ?! So Mao Zedong appears in Tropico. So?
girls singapore "fbt" - Everyone knows about Hot Shorts, it seems.
pantyhose tudung - I didn't know it could be used for that purpose.
fluffy bunny killer animations - Ironic sadism!
pictures of singaporeans having sex - Haven't they heard of Sammyboy? Shoo!
girls uncircumcised guys filthy - girls circumcised guys mutilated
"shut up. you try to confuse" - Just because I am paki doesn't mean I stink!
NSmen propaganda - I think Reservists should be immune from the debilitating and mind numbing effects of National Propaganda
ng_boon_kiat - Apparently he's in Dunman High now.
does having handphone turn singapore into a better society - For the life of me, I cannot see WHY anyone would, in his right mind, think up such a proposition.
"herodotus" lecture notes "Book 5" - I'm still stuck somewhere in the middle of Book 4.
transformers yaoi pictures - Dammit. They're robots. I'm not sure there's even a word for inter-robot carnal relations.
Singapore CTE congestion picture - This guy didn't seriously expect people to have pictures of this, did he?
kwek mean luck - He's famous!
halal meat unethical - My sister showed me an extreme right wing publication that accused the Blair government of being hypocritical for trying to ban fox hunting because animals slaughtered the Halal way aren't stunned before having their throats cut, being hung upside down and bleeding to death. To put it another, way, "A chap says some kind prayer and then the cow's throat is slit, while fully conscious, and it bleeds to death. It may be a full three minutes before the heart pumps its last." Some research is actually rather enlightening:
http://www.warmwell.com/dec23bryn.html
"In a 22-page booklet on farm animal welfare, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals described shechitah, the kosher method of slaughter -- as well as halal, the Islamic code of animal slaughter -- as painful and distressing to animals. "It is a fundamental right of religious groups to practice their beliefs without hindrance," the booklet stated. "But where those beliefs are directly responsible for animal suffering, that right has to be challenged." "Surely it is not unreasonable to suggest that, in the light of new scientific knowledge and society's more caring attitudes to animals, religious traditions might be changed," it added. "
On the other hand, Muslim sources claim that the Halal butchers slit the veins in a way such that they bleed to death quickly. They don't say anything about stunning the animal, though. I'm not an authority on this issue, but I still think it would be more humane to stun the animal first or even just behead it. And the reason why Sikhs don't eat Halal meat: "Mind you some cultures/ religion do not eat meat that is halal e.g. Sikhism they believe in "Jhatka" cut meat, i.e. straight cut with minimal torture to the animal e.g. not slow release bleeding to death and some Sikhs I have seen refuse halal meat even in Malaysia.". Yet another reason to try to eat non-Halal meat, then.
To end off, a thought offered by someone: "Arguing over which methods of killing are more humane seems a bit pointless since the only ones who could tell you are dead." Heh.
Post ID: 89423911
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
The Problem With Paypal
On racial profiling:
Security researcher Robert Ferrell:
"Applying the most stringent security measures without regard to the likelihood of criminal intent is both ludicrous and monstrously inefficient. 80-year-old women from Dubuque do not hijack aircraft. 20-year-old Pakistani males with questionable passports do hijack aircraft. It's really not a complex equation to factor."
On racial profiling:
Security researcher Robert Ferrell:
"Applying the most stringent security measures without regard to the likelihood of criminal intent is both ludicrous and monstrously inefficient. 80-year-old women from Dubuque do not hijack aircraft. 20-year-old Pakistani males with questionable passports do hijack aircraft. It's really not a complex equation to factor."
Post ID: 89370581
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Lifted from the Melody for Tomorrow:
Just got this email from an acquaintance at church.
A prominent American's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?"
(Regarding the attacks on September 11)
Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is,I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc, I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school...the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.
And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.
And we said OK.
Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued (there's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.)
And we said OK.
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said OK.
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said OK.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.
Then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body.
And we said OK.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the Internet.
And we said OK, they're entitled to free speech.
Then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
yaddah yaddah yaddah why is discussion of God suppressed in the workplace, but crude jokes pass through so freely etcetcetc...are you thinking? [end of email]
Yes, that got me thinking. The first thing that popped into my mind was "What does this have to do with September 11? America didn't bomb herself...[relevance: 0 marks]". Sorry about the cynical attitude, but it happened, and I couldn't do anything about it.
And then I asked, "what does God have to do with all of this? Terrorists bombed the US, the epitome of democracy, and Jane Clayson blames it on God? The non-Christians out there would probably laugh this off." But the email is right. If you removed all the religious undertones America probably doesn't deserve the September 11 event, but it certainly deserves the moral degradation it is facing today.
Though the way Anne Graham describes it is totally out of whack. She makes it sound like we're all rejecting God. In fact American democracy is just trying to ensure that the non-Christians don't get their right to freedom from preaching trampled upon. And also a rather lame attempt to impose religious equality - i.e. to show that they're not favouring any one religion.
And the part about spanking just made me laugh really really hard. People don't spank their kids not because this Dr. Spock (get Star Trek out of your mind please) said it's not good, they don't do it because it is now possible for one to be sued for child abuse. Dr. Spock probably had nuts to play in such a development.
I could go on, but I think I'd better just summarise the rest of what I'd say. America's moral values are degenerating, not because they rejected God (is Anne Graham claiming that the Muslims and other religions/cultures are inferior because they reject God too?), but because this new craze about democracy has made people uphold their newfound rights to do everything imaginable (and unimaginable) under the sun, just be cause they can. And in the process, trample all over the values their ancestors worked so hard to build up.
The Christian point of view would be so much more credible if they wouldn't use that "God stepped aside because we asked him to so it's our fault" line to justify everything they preach or to explain all the disasters that happen. Because in doing so they are in fact blaming these disasters on God - September 11 happened because God didn't prevent it from happening. Oh pul-leez. God doesn't kill people, terrorists kill people.
Don't get me wrong. I do believe in the existence of a God. It's just that at a certain phase on my life something happened that made me wake up and realise that linking everything to God is just plain stupid, because there is stuff that is a direct consequence of our own actions.
How would you feel if someone claimed you caused the death of your 2 fighting fish because they were in the same water tank and you did nothing to prevent them from fighting? And thus witness the logically flawed reasoning of the Christian faith. (yes, yes, the "your ways/thoughts are not those of God, but those of Man" argument. I know that too) If they'll actually bother to inject some form of logic into their preaching I think they'll be more successful in their evangelising.
I see the flaws in the logic too. Following this logic, before the Americans "asked him... to get out of [their] lives", they had his blessing and protection. Anne Graham hearkens back to the halcyon days of the 50s, I assume. However, even in those times, America wasn't spared the depredations of world and domestic events.
I admit some people are over-zealous in separating Church from State in the USA, but equally, many are keen to integrate the two. Freedom of Religion also means Freedom -from- Religion. I just read a story in This Is True (Premium) that really pissed me off. A student in Union, Tennessee, India Tracy, has just filed a lawsuit against her school because, among other things:
- She was repeatedly called "Satan worshipper," "witch" and other derogatory names. She was accused of eating babies and of being a lesbian because she wasn't a Christian
- She was forced to attend regular Bible study classes during the school day, and urged to lead the school and her class in prayer.
- Derogatory names were written on her locker in permanent ink and the school refused to paint over the graffiti or move her locker.
- She was repeatedly attacked as she knelt in front of her bottom-row locker. Her head was bashed at least 10 times, cutting her lip, above her eyes and bloodying her nose.
- A teacher told her to "keep quiet because you'll get in trouble" after she wrote a paper about religious freedom.
Like Kureshi, I don't see what Dr Spock, parenting and a lot of other things Anne Graham mentioned have to do with God too. I don't agree with many of her points too, but that's another story for another day.
Just got this email from an acquaintance at church.
A prominent American's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?"
(Regarding the attacks on September 11)
Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is,I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc, I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school...the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.
And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.
And we said OK.
Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued (there's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.)
And we said OK.
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said OK.
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said OK.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.
Then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body.
And we said OK.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the Internet.
And we said OK, they're entitled to free speech.
Then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
yaddah yaddah yaddah why is discussion of God suppressed in the workplace, but crude jokes pass through so freely etcetcetc...are you thinking? [end of email]
Yes, that got me thinking. The first thing that popped into my mind was "What does this have to do with September 11? America didn't bomb herself...[relevance: 0 marks]". Sorry about the cynical attitude, but it happened, and I couldn't do anything about it.
And then I asked, "what does God have to do with all of this? Terrorists bombed the US, the epitome of democracy, and Jane Clayson blames it on God? The non-Christians out there would probably laugh this off." But the email is right. If you removed all the religious undertones America probably doesn't deserve the September 11 event, but it certainly deserves the moral degradation it is facing today.
Though the way Anne Graham describes it is totally out of whack. She makes it sound like we're all rejecting God. In fact American democracy is just trying to ensure that the non-Christians don't get their right to freedom from preaching trampled upon. And also a rather lame attempt to impose religious equality - i.e. to show that they're not favouring any one religion.
And the part about spanking just made me laugh really really hard. People don't spank their kids not because this Dr. Spock (get Star Trek out of your mind please) said it's not good, they don't do it because it is now possible for one to be sued for child abuse. Dr. Spock probably had nuts to play in such a development.
I could go on, but I think I'd better just summarise the rest of what I'd say. America's moral values are degenerating, not because they rejected God (is Anne Graham claiming that the Muslims and other religions/cultures are inferior because they reject God too?), but because this new craze about democracy has made people uphold their newfound rights to do everything imaginable (and unimaginable) under the sun, just be cause they can. And in the process, trample all over the values their ancestors worked so hard to build up.
The Christian point of view would be so much more credible if they wouldn't use that "God stepped aside because we asked him to so it's our fault" line to justify everything they preach or to explain all the disasters that happen. Because in doing so they are in fact blaming these disasters on God - September 11 happened because God didn't prevent it from happening. Oh pul-leez. God doesn't kill people, terrorists kill people.
Don't get me wrong. I do believe in the existence of a God. It's just that at a certain phase on my life something happened that made me wake up and realise that linking everything to God is just plain stupid, because there is stuff that is a direct consequence of our own actions.
How would you feel if someone claimed you caused the death of your 2 fighting fish because they were in the same water tank and you did nothing to prevent them from fighting? And thus witness the logically flawed reasoning of the Christian faith. (yes, yes, the "your ways/thoughts are not those of God, but those of Man" argument. I know that too) If they'll actually bother to inject some form of logic into their preaching I think they'll be more successful in their evangelising.
I see the flaws in the logic too. Following this logic, before the Americans "asked him... to get out of [their] lives", they had his blessing and protection. Anne Graham hearkens back to the halcyon days of the 50s, I assume. However, even in those times, America wasn't spared the depredations of world and domestic events.
I admit some people are over-zealous in separating Church from State in the USA, but equally, many are keen to integrate the two. Freedom of Religion also means Freedom -from- Religion. I just read a story in This Is True (Premium) that really pissed me off. A student in Union, Tennessee, India Tracy, has just filed a lawsuit against her school because, among other things:
- She was repeatedly called "Satan worshipper," "witch" and other derogatory names. She was accused of eating babies and of being a lesbian because she wasn't a Christian
- She was forced to attend regular Bible study classes during the school day, and urged to lead the school and her class in prayer.
- Derogatory names were written on her locker in permanent ink and the school refused to paint over the graffiti or move her locker.
- She was repeatedly attacked as she knelt in front of her bottom-row locker. Her head was bashed at least 10 times, cutting her lip, above her eyes and bloodying her nose.
- A teacher told her to "keep quiet because you'll get in trouble" after she wrote a paper about religious freedom.
Like Kureshi, I don't see what Dr Spock, parenting and a lot of other things Anne Graham mentioned have to do with God too. I don't agree with many of her points too, but that's another story for another day.
Post ID: 89299622
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Up to 10 million people around the world marched in protest of a war against Iraq today.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, 6 people protested in front of the American Embassy in Napier Road but were stopped by the police before they could even wave their placards, and taken to Tanglin Police Station for questioning.
Evidently they had no permit. Maybe they'll be charged for Unlawful Assembly. Whee.
'I feel embarrassed that while people around the world are making a statement about peace, Singaporeans are sitting back and munching peanuts in front of their TV sets.' - Mr Latiff, an Engineer, 33
Maybe it's because protests (without a permit, of course) are illegal here, no?
The whole thing about the war on Saddam is that while it is good in principle, realpolitik butts in (as always), to complicate matters.
I think most people would agree that Saddam is bad. Most Iraqis hate him, and definitely all Kurds. Hell, even his fellow Arabs dislike him. Maybe only Osama gives him moral support (thus providing solid 'evidence' of a link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda).
Saddam is evil. He's the bully of Baghdad. - Yortsin.
But then, where do you draw the line? Let's invade Ma-laysia because PAS will one day invade Singapore! Oh gee.
This issue has been discussed endless to death. Isn't everyone sick and tired of hearing the same old points dragged out again and again? Neither faction is going to convince the other side, now that both sides have become so polarised.
Dubya Speak!
This is dedicated to Yaoi Girl. The picture is cute btw.
Most people don't like yaoi. I guess this is
normal.
Are you a yaoi fangirl?
brought to you by Quizilla
Meanwhile, in Singapore, 6 people protested in front of the American Embassy in Napier Road but were stopped by the police before they could even wave their placards, and taken to Tanglin Police Station for questioning.
Evidently they had no permit. Maybe they'll be charged for Unlawful Assembly. Whee.
'I feel embarrassed that while people around the world are making a statement about peace, Singaporeans are sitting back and munching peanuts in front of their TV sets.' - Mr Latiff, an Engineer, 33
Maybe it's because protests (without a permit, of course) are illegal here, no?
The whole thing about the war on Saddam is that while it is good in principle, realpolitik butts in (as always), to complicate matters.
I think most people would agree that Saddam is bad. Most Iraqis hate him, and definitely all Kurds. Hell, even his fellow Arabs dislike him. Maybe only Osama gives him moral support (thus providing solid 'evidence' of a link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda).
Saddam is evil. He's the bully of Baghdad. - Yortsin.
But then, where do you draw the line? Let's invade Ma-laysia because PAS will one day invade Singapore! Oh gee.
This issue has been discussed endless to death. Isn't everyone sick and tired of hearing the same old points dragged out again and again? Neither faction is going to convince the other side, now that both sides have become so polarised.
Dubya Speak!
This is dedicated to Yaoi Girl. The picture is cute btw.
Most people don't like yaoi. I guess this is
normal.
Are you a yaoi fangirl?
brought to you by Quizilla
Post ID: 89180658
I left my computer on overnight to let Spinrite work its magic on one of my hard disks, and put a Channel NewsAsia Post-it note on the main power switch reminding my mother not to turn it off, and she did so anyway. I hope no damage was done. Maybe I should plaster notes all over the room next time. After so long, she still can't get it into her head that whenever I leave it on, it's on for a purpose.
On a larger scale, it's just part of her compulsive obsessive disorder, which also involves her turning off all heaters when she sees them (even if they've only been on for 2 minutes), and yelling that the water is boiling when it's not even tepid, opening all doors when there's a reason why they are shut, and then securing them open with bicycle hooks or reused underwear bands and sweeping/mopping floors 5 times a day, locking the main door with 2 separate locks and many more which my sister could probably expound on at length much more fluently than I could.
On a larger scale, it's just part of her compulsive obsessive disorder, which also involves her turning off all heaters when she sees them (even if they've only been on for 2 minutes), and yelling that the water is boiling when it's not even tepid, opening all doors when there's a reason why they are shut, and then securing them open with bicycle hooks or reused underwear bands and sweeping/mopping floors 5 times a day, locking the main door with 2 separate locks and many more which my sister could probably expound on at length much more fluently than I could.
Post ID: 89166393
Being attached to Nee Soon range to do fatigue for SAFISAM (Singapore Armed Forces Individual
Small Arms Meet) was fun. For one, it was stayout. Also, taking the 855 in the morning with all the schoolgoers was refreshing - something I haven't done since the first half of 2000. In addition, doing saikang once in a while - carpentry, hammering nails, doing decor and the like - breaks the monotony of my routine. Though I'm not very good at it.
One OOC from Guards was complaining to me and the other 42SAR attached personnel that he had been there for a week and was bored already, but was attached till November. :0 Good luck to him.
The RJ bears are very soft, but they shed fur horribly. Argh!
Why do people like to throw bottles of (cheap) mineral water in bathtubs? I saw this being done at Marche, but I'm quite sure I remember other places doing the same.
I saw a picture of one of those classes conducted by the Thais to help women enhance their busts naturally. In it, the women are, erm, squeezing their breasts. It looks damn funny.
---------------------------
Giving push-ups a new meaning, volunteers follow their instructor in an effort aimed at doing away with unnecessary cosmetic surgery. -- AP
Thai push to beat breast jobs
BANGKOK - Thai public health officials are pushing bust exercises as an alternative to silicone implants and cosmetic surgery for women.
The Health Ministry is training a team to perform the workouts - a combination of aerobic moves and traditional Thai exercise - which will be taught to the public, the Bangkok Post reported.
During the two-day course, the women practise the moves, have a traditional Thai massage and end with a bracing splash of cold water on their chests.
Dr Pennapha Subcharoen, Deputy Director General of the Institute for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, which is conducting the training, said the women also learn how to detect signs of breast cancer.
'We're trying to promote this exercise so that Thai women who have small and floppy breasts do not have to undergo unnecessary treatment,' he said.
Here's to edging all those bust enhancement companies out of business!
---------------------------
Quotes:
[On convent girls] They're sluts (Ed: People seem either to have unreasoning bias for or prejudice against them. They incite strong reactions.)
Small Arms Meet) was fun. For one, it was stayout. Also, taking the 855 in the morning with all the schoolgoers was refreshing - something I haven't done since the first half of 2000. In addition, doing saikang once in a while - carpentry, hammering nails, doing decor and the like - breaks the monotony of my routine. Though I'm not very good at it.
One OOC from Guards was complaining to me and the other 42SAR attached personnel that he had been there for a week and was bored already, but was attached till November. :0 Good luck to him.
The RJ bears are very soft, but they shed fur horribly. Argh!
Why do people like to throw bottles of (cheap) mineral water in bathtubs? I saw this being done at Marche, but I'm quite sure I remember other places doing the same.
I saw a picture of one of those classes conducted by the Thais to help women enhance their busts naturally. In it, the women are, erm, squeezing their breasts. It looks damn funny.
---------------------------
Giving push-ups a new meaning, volunteers follow their instructor in an effort aimed at doing away with unnecessary cosmetic surgery. -- AP
Thai push to beat breast jobs
BANGKOK - Thai public health officials are pushing bust exercises as an alternative to silicone implants and cosmetic surgery for women.
The Health Ministry is training a team to perform the workouts - a combination of aerobic moves and traditional Thai exercise - which will be taught to the public, the Bangkok Post reported.
During the two-day course, the women practise the moves, have a traditional Thai massage and end with a bracing splash of cold water on their chests.
Dr Pennapha Subcharoen, Deputy Director General of the Institute for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, which is conducting the training, said the women also learn how to detect signs of breast cancer.
'We're trying to promote this exercise so that Thai women who have small and floppy breasts do not have to undergo unnecessary treatment,' he said.
Here's to edging all those bust enhancement companies out of business!
---------------------------
Quotes:
[On convent girls] They're sluts (Ed: People seem either to have unreasoning bias for or prejudice against them. They incite strong reactions.)
Post ID: 89149991
Bah.
My father reads my blog. Government agents read my blog. Islamic fundamentalists, zaogeng and Queen Rania nude picture lovers and people with weird fetishes who look pictures visit me.
Probably Lee Kuan Yew himself visits quarterly to see if I write anything bad about him.
"but isn't goh chok tong watching you good?
he may mention you in his next pm speech..:)"
Yeah then Blogspot will crash.
The whole world visits me. !@#$%^&*()
My father reads my blog. Government agents read my blog. Islamic fundamentalists, zaogeng and Queen Rania nude picture lovers and people with weird fetishes who look pictures visit me.
Probably Lee Kuan Yew himself visits quarterly to see if I write anything bad about him.
"but isn't goh chok tong watching you good?
he may mention you in his next pm speech..:)"
Yeah then Blogspot will crash.
The whole world visits me. !@#$%^&*()
Post ID: 89148982
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