Running in the Dark

有時候就該小題大作

2010-09-04T19:39:00.004+08:00

新聞應該把焦點聚集在真正需要討論的議題上，而不只是完全執著於八卦，醜聞，與政治角力的垃圾話題。
在一個週末晚上，我難得看到一則值得探索與討論的事件，卻被媒體草率地帶過。

如果你沒有看新聞(即使我覺得，任何不注意社會大事的成年人實在不值得被任何人認真對待)，今晚有媒體報導位於台北市敦化南路的環宇通商大樓管委會在主委，住戶，與警方的率領下強制位於其大樓頂層的印度神廟立刻遷離。可惜，呈現出來的新聞報導並沒有深入得探討背後的議題，而觀眾只看到一群異國人士被驅離他們追求信仰的場所。老實說，這畫面讓我很憤怒，因為我們自己對文化與信仰的包容性，應該比這報導所表現出來的更好。

等等，真的是這樣嗎? 還是台灣人民掛在嘴邊的多元性與包容性，只是一個空虛的原則，就像小學生都知道被問到:玩耍前是不是該把功課先做完? 相信每個小孩，就算做不到，也都知道回答{是}。

不過我並非完全否認大廈委員會想要遷離印度神廟的權利。只是委員會的理由絕對不可以，更不應該是因為印度教徒的習俗與穿著。請參考UDN的引據:

管委會召開區分所有權人會議，決議禁止住戶在大樓從事宗教活動，但神壇不理會，管委會才提告要求強制遷離(http://udn.com/NEWS/SOCIETY/SOC6/5767078.shtml)。

的確，根據公寓大廈管理條例，管委會有權制定住戶在大樓內需遵守的相關規定，如有違反規定者，由管理負責人或管理委員會促請其改善，於三個月內仍未改善者，管理負責人或管理委員會得依區分所有權人會議之決議，訴請法院強制其遷離(內政部營建署:http://www.cpami.gov.tw/chinese/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10472&Itemid=57)。

但是前提是不可違反憲法，否則無效。而仔細想一想，如果就{轄區}而言，還有比憲法更清楚，更直接保障人民權益的嗎?

中華民國憲法第十三條清楚寫著{人民有信仰宗教之自由}。第十四條{人民有集會及結社之自由}。中華民國行政院新聞局:http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=13370&CtNode=904&mp=1#14

而如果你認為中華民國憲法只保障中華民國公民的話，那麼請設想，如果今天一個信仰一貫道的台灣人到美國居住，但並沒有公民身分，但是他卻還是固定的跟隨當地的華人一起去康乃狄克州參加道教聚會，那麼他該被遣返嗎?順道一提，我的確認是這個人。

答案是否定的，因為就算美國憲法第一條例就明文規定"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," 但是美國政府以及大多數人民都有足夠的認知去容忍在美國的領土上，任何"人"的信仰與言論自由是需受尊重的，不管有多怪異，只要不危害到他人安全。

所以，如果大廈管委會要將印度神廟遷離，那麼前提只能是因為該神廟已對社區居住品質(如空氣污染，噪音汙染等)或居民安全(如竊盜，騷擾等)。而不只是因為一個悲哀的理由，{每天來來去去都是印度人，一天來拜拜的人至少在二、三十人，若遇到辦大型法會，人數更超過上百人，住戶十分不習慣，老弱婦孺看了也很害怕)。參考UDN連結閱讀原文

更不應該讓露出的畫面只是一個求好心切，但無知的管委拿著區區的大樓公約當法律，在警方的仗勢之下，驅逐這群印度人。

不過，剝去法律的責任，我想或許這裡最敏感的一根神經應該是恐懼。更清楚的說，是人民對自己不懂的人事物，所產生的恐懼。

但是，不爭的事實是世界太小太小了。金錢，物資，訊息，文化，都以前所未見的速度跟頻率相互交集與碰撞。所以如果台北，甚至台灣自認是個國際化的地方，那麼首都的人民與全國的人民也應該勇於理解與包容不同的文化(自己國內的原住民文化就是個好的起點)。我們可以不認同，但是我們不應該因為恐懼而排斥，更不能因為這個悲哀的理由而歧視。

今天這只是一間大廈的糾紛，但是如果台北因為國際化而有著越來越多外國居民，如果台北出現越來越多的猶太教，摩門教，回教信徒，那我們該怎麼回應? 把所有人趕出去，讓寶島成為永遠的孤島嗎? 如果我們每天吵著要加入聯合國，成為國際社會的一份子，那我們也應該培養世界公民需有的基本素質。

如果，今天那棟大樓的頂層是個傳統的台灣神壇呢? 我們還會有著一樣的反應嗎?

Happy Birthday

2010-08-21T00:05:00.007+08:00

Dad went through gastrectomy and had half of his stomach removed.

But believe it or not, this has been a birthday to remember, in a good way.

For all the presents in the world, for all the fame and fortune, I'd trade it all in a heartbeat just to keep my loved ones healthy and happy.

Watching my dad recover every day, I'm happy to say "thank you" to whom ever answered my prayer.

This birthday, I've come to understand the true meaning of "birthdays;" celebrate those who gives your life meaning.

Thank you, all my dear friends who took the time to let me know I'm on your thoughts today. I'm touched and humbled.

Thank you, Dad, for putting up a good fight and winning, this birthday's for you. I'm not just proud of you, I'm proud to be your son.

What's Cookin'?

2010-08-13T16:09:00.005+08:00

Well, you learn something new everyday.

So recently, I've been reading up on an article about the 2013 solar storm my friend Jason posted on his Facebook page.

Nope, there wasn't a typo. It really is "2013." Unlike what most of the debate surrounding the 2012 global disaster, NASA scientist have issued a mild, but nonetheless, cautious warning about a more likely scenario that needs our attention. Basically, if I understood correctly, the sun will vent out its solar energy in a solar flare when the next solar cycle peaks, that would be during 2013. When that happens, radiation and solar particles and lots of other things with long confusing names will be coughed right onto the face of mother Earth.

Since, well, ALL of civilization depends on computers and satellites, there will definitely be a huge unavoidable effect. But is it Armageddon? Well NASA is saying no, but that's never going to stop the doomsday-sayers is it?

So I thought it'd be interesting to learn a bit about our long-time neighbor, the sun. With that, I share with you the transcript on NASA's public discussion session , hosted in June, about everything related to the Sun. Mind you, it's long and text-heavy, so I'll just paste the first segment, if you want the whole tuna, follow the link.

On another note, if you aren't following NASA's Tweets or Facebook, you really should. It's full of unbelievable stuff. I'm not Stephen Hawkins, but I don't want to be Fred Flintstone either, you know? Have fun learning!

Ask an Expert: Our Powerful Sun06.17.10

Eight planets and their moons, tens of thousands of asteroids, and trillions of comets revolve around the sun. One of these is our Earth, orbiting the sun at an average distance of about 92,960,000 miles (149,600,000 kilometers). The sun is a huge, glowing ball that provides light, heat, and other energy to our Earth. But our beneficial space neighbor is also capable of some stellar "temper tantrums."

On Thursday, June 17, Dr. David Hathaway, a solar scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, answered your questions about how our sun works and produces phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares, and solar storms -- "hot' topics that have communication and health implications for everyone on Earth.

Check back on this page on Monday for a complete transcript of today's chat.

More About Chat Expert David Hathaway

Dr. Hathaway received his doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO in 1979. He worked for two years as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Advanced Study Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research before taking a 3-year position as an Assistant Astronomer at the National Solar Observatory site in Sunspot, NM. He came to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL in 1984 where he has been a member of the solar physics group and served as its team leader from 1996 to 2010. He has written over 150 articles on the Sun and solar physics and has received three US patents. He has been the recipient of dozens of awards from within NASA and from the broader scientific community. Hathaway has served on numerous advisory committees as well as elected positions within scientific organizations.

Dr. Hathaway’s primary research interests include the nature and origin of the sunspot cycle and the fluid dynamics of the Sun’s interior. His research includes constructing computer models for flows on the surface of the Sun and analysis programs for extracting those flows from satellite observations. He maintains a database on sunspots, including their sizes and positions, that extends back to the year 1874. This database is widely used by the solar physics community. Data plots, images, and animations produced by Dr. Hathaway are also widely used in many publications by both his scientific colleagues and the scientific press.

Chat Transcript

(Moderator) Jason: Today's Chat is Scheduled to Begin at 3pm ET. Please begin to ask your questions by typing them into the box at the bottom of the screen and clicking the 'Ask' button on the right. We'll begin answering them in twenty minutes. Thanks for your patience.

(Moderator) Jason: Hello everyone. Our chat will begin momentarily. Please begin to ask your questions by typing them into the box at the bottom of the screen and clicking the 'Ask' button on the right. We'll begin answering them in a few minutes. Thanks for your patience.

Abishek: Can suns rays reach how more long than Pluto?

David: The sun's rays can reach 4.5 billion light years. Pluto is only three light hours from the sun.

Akarsh_Valsan: Sir, can you explain the major composition of the Sun?

David: The sun is composed of 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, and 2% carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. This is the composition it was born with from the cloud of gas that it came from long ago.

chaosx: What truly is going to happen during our next solar cycle in 2013. Will it knock out much of the electronics in certain areas of the world?

David: The next solar cycle by most indications will be the weakest in 100 years. We also have satellites and other technology that can help us mitigate the problems associated with flares. However, so much of our technology is sensitive to space weather. We need better predictions and radiation-hardened electronic components.

abishek: Can aurora borealis seen from the earth?

David: Aurora borealis are formed when energetic particles from the sun stream down the Earth's magnetic field lines into the polar regions. It can be seen after many significant solar flares. We just had one last weekend.

g00nne: Hello, I wrote today, the message is probably lost somewhere. Can you tell me some information about the galactic Wednesday and consequent eruption of the Sun 2013? Thank you for your reply.

David: The next solar cycle should reach its peak in mid-2013. Again, we're expecting the weakest solar cycle in 100 years, so the effects should be less than what we've seen in the last few solar cycles.

nomaanakhtar: Do solar flares produce solar winds?

David: Solar flares are huge explosions on the surface of the sun. They typically last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and can blast a billion tons of matter off of the sun. The solar wind is something altogether different. The solar wind blows off of the sun at all times, with typical speeds of about 1 million mph. We still don't know exactly what causes the solar wind, but we know that it's related to the sun's 1 million degree corona, or outer atmosphere.

Feign: Does the increase of solar flares happen approximately once a decade, and is this increase in flares any different from previous times?

David: The frequency of solar flares rises and falls with the sunspot cycle, which is about 11 years long. The bigger cycles have more flares than the smaller cycles. Nonetheless, a small cycle can produce a really nasty flare!

Feign: Is a large solar flare capable of destroying life on Earth?

David: No. :) The sun has been producing solar flares for 4.5 billion years, and we're still here.

prat: I read that earth's magnetic field is protection us from solar flares. Is it true? ANd how does it protect? What is the actual phenomena?

David: Yes, that's true. The energetic particles produced by solar flares are electrically charged particles that are diverted by magnetic fields. We're also protected by our atmosphere which blocks all but the most energetic particles.

Adam: Hello Jason and David. My question related to solar variability. I'm interested to hear David Hathaway's opinion on the effect that solar variability has on the climate here on Earth. There is a school of thought amongst climate change skeptics that the warming experienced on Earth over the last 150/200 years can be attributed to an increase in solar activity and I am wondering whether David believes that this idea fits the data. Thanks for your time.

David: There do appear to be connections between solar activity and climate. The sun is actually 0.1 % brighter at sunspot cycle maximum than at minimum, but this should only produce about 1/10 degree C change in temperature. The apparent effect is larger than this, but we don't know the exact connection. One possibility is that the sun's ultraviolet light, which varies by 3-4% at sunspot cycle maximum, might influence the Earth's upper atmosphere. Another possibility is cosmic rays, which have higher fluxes at sunspot cycle minimum might produce clouds. We still don't know the full answer on this, but our best estimates are that the sun's contribution to global warming plays a minor role.

nomaan: What are solar flares?

David: Solar flares are explosions produced by twisted magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. They produce the energy equivalent of about 1 million megatons of TNT.

nyswimmer: How hot is the sun?

David: The sun is 5,770 degree Kelvin or about 10,000 degrees F at the surface, but it has temperatures of tens of millions of degrees in its core where hydrogen is being converted into helium.

(Moderator) Jason: We're working to get through all of the great questions you've asked us. Keep them coming! To submit your own question, please type it in the box at the bottom of the window and click the 'Ask' button on the right side of the box. Thanks for your patience as we answer your questions.

當世界短兵相接

2010-08-06T08:18:00.004+08:00

武器的演變，往往有著比實際破壞力更大的政治牽動力。

核武就是最鮮明的例子之一；從伊朗到北韓，這些政權之所以在國際間能夠引起憂慮，能夠以武力威脅換取談判籌碼，就是因為擁有核武的嚇阻，或是開發核武的意圖，甚至光是研發核能的動作就足以讓世界大國之間弩張劍拔。也因此，再貧瘠，落後的國家只要有能力，便會把握這條登上世界牌局，與強國平起同坐的捷徑，進而實現愛因斯坦的夢靨。

而並不受到國際公約所限制研發的航空母艦，乍聽之下沒有核武那麼具有威脅性，但是其戰略與政治價值卻不分上下，也是美國之所以能成為世界強國的要素之一。航空母艦象徵的是海上的堡壘，而誰擁有這個堡壘，或是最多最強大的堡壘，也理所當然的將稱霸汪洋大海。或許大家會認為飛彈的存在已取代這樣的武器運用，但事實卻相反。航母往往不會單獨行動，畢竟保壘也有護城河，它往往是搭配著戰艦的護航，形成一個海上坦克。在第一次世界大戰的戰場上，坦克的出現與運用永久改變了戰場上的戰術，而航空母艦對海上戰役的影響也如此深遠。

擁有最強大的航母群的美國海軍也因此是美軍最壯碩的肌肉。如兩次進攻波斯灣的例子就可看出，美軍致命的攻勢往往分為三波；第一波為導彈轟炸，第二波為戰機轟炸，第三波為地面部隊進攻並地毯式殲滅敵人。而前兩波攻勢，往往都需要航母及其艦隊的支援。

但是，而這是個語重心長的【但是】，近日中國所研發的東風-21D導彈已成功的對航空母艦造成威脅，進而嚴重撼動到美軍在海上的龍頭地位。當東風在未來一兩年完成最後的修改，其所帶來的危脅，將與航母不分上下。它不但有能力嚇阻美軍進入或接近中國台灣附近的海域，更可能因為中東其他國家開始與日俱增的向北京購買武器而廣泛被使用，在其他地區構成更大的威脅。而政治力量，也因此在這時成為軍事的真正作用。

不管是反美還是挺美的人都不能，也不該否認美國是這個不完美的世界所能擁有的最接近完美的世界警察。因此，當警察的公權力或是嚇阻力受到質疑與化解時，混亂的狀態可想而知，我想這個台灣人是最清楚不過的。

台灣自古處在戰略優勢位置，也因此在美中台三角關係中握有一絲絲的心理屏障，但是台海的保護早已被瓦解(還記得台海危機嗎?)，因此台灣的領導者，不分藍綠，勢必需要更宏觀的策略來面對這樣的威脅。

世界的薄冰從此更多了一點，台灣不再需要為了民主而爭吵，而更該為了永續生存而團結，不要讓中華民國的主權跟北極熊一樣面臨絕種。

盡在不言中

2010-08-03T23:56:00.017+08:00

一個難忘的畫面，勝過千言萬語。

這是我們都懂的道理，更是從事創意行銷這個行業的人，常常所追求的黃金片段。但是我想，沒有看到那令人停止呼吸的畫面前，是無法體會的。

今天在新聞上，看到大連外海漏油的報導，雖然這場災害已發生一段時間，但是看到攝影師捕捉到罹難工作人員全身被石油覆著的屍體，頓時感觸良多。因此，在此跟大家分享一些我認為非常有意義的圖片。我不是攝影內行，但我想欣賞，憐憫與感動是人的本性。而一個好圖片的價值，更在於它是否牽動人心。希望有所啟發。

1. 這個眾所皆知的科學家，無需多做介紹。不過，與其說他是數理天才，從他的眼神就可看出他其實更是個熱愛生命的好奇頑童。

2. 1985年國家地理雜誌封面照。當時外界對於飽受戰亂折磨的阿富汗一無所知。圖中少女名為Sharbat Gula，當時12歲，是個難民營中的學生。她美麗的雙眸，充滿著無奈與絕望。

3. 2008年普立茲攝影獎作品。圖為居住在約旦河西岸的一民猶太婦女，單獨抵擋以色列部隊強制驅逐的畫面。還認為一個人的力量是薄弱的嗎?

4. 1995年普立茲攝影獎作品。一名飢餓的蘇丹兒童正爬向位於一公里外的聯合國糧食發放區。沒錯，後方的確是虎視眈眈的禿鷹。攝影師Kevin Carter三個月後因憂鬱症而自殺。

5. 蘇聯士兵在1945年攻陷柏林後象徵性的在德意志國會大樓頂端搖著國旗。當時聯軍從西方推進，蘇聯從東方夾擊反攻德國。

6. 2001年911攻擊事件後，救難人員在曾經是世貿雙塔的廢墟中升起美國國旗。縱使美國人有時霸道，有時傲慢與無知，但正也是美國人的勇敢與永不放棄的精神使他們成為今日的世界強權。

7. 1945年普立茲獎得獎作品。圖中為1945年美軍陸戰隊在硫磺島擊退日軍，登上Suribachi山頂豎立國旗的歷史畫面。這張照片訴說著美軍的光榮與犧牲，但是也證實了戰爭是人性醜陋的極致。國旗象徵，不只是主權，而是民族的精神與榮耀，因為自由與民主不是先天賦予每個人的，而是前人用犧牲為我們所換取的。

面對鏡頭微笑容每個人都會，但是要捕捉赤裸的眼神，紀錄真實的故事，何其可貴。

公眾人物的無辜與無知

2010-04-19T14:37:00.004+08:00

週日在吃飯時看到看到TVBS在播"台灣第一名嘴"小S與周玉蔻火藥味濃厚的對話時, 頓時覺得反胃. 但是今天看到一篇文章覺得很有道理.

原文: http://blog.udn.com/powerecho/3955061

我想起先黑人被控透過做公益自肥時, 新聞都沒有這麼關注, 而是在小S與周玉蔻的對罵之後, 這個話題似乎才成了真正的熱門話題. 首先該記取教訓的就是說話遊走在刻薄與犀利之間遊走的小S. 原本這個話題, 可以因為黑人飽受委屈掉下的眼淚, 讓公眾以一個同情的眼光看待, 而給予諒解的空間也相對多一點. 但是卻在小S的電話之後, 轉為一個實際的角度, 用一個現實的尺度去衡量黑人的出發點與動機, 而能容忍的空間也理所當然的大大減少. 這就是所謂的"越描越黑".

這不是在欺負黑人, 而是現實就是如此. 這就是公眾人物必須承受, 也應該承受的壓力. 從政客到演藝明星, 身為公眾人物有著許多藉由知名度而獲取的利益, 但是相對的也有一定的責任. 其中一樣就是必須接受大眾用顯微鏡的方式觀察自己的生活.

你可以說這是人類為滿足最原始的偷窺慾望而捏造的藉口, 但是卻也是因為公眾人物本身就賦予著某種程度的公信力, 號召力, 因此大眾理所當然的有權利透徹的了解他們. 這是遊戲的規則, 畢竟無論是政客或是明星, 造就他們的人然是成千上萬,默默無名的"大眾".

如果完全歸咎於台灣的媒體生態, 那也不"完全"正確. 我絕非法律專家, 但是在美國, 在蓄意毀謗的相關案件上, 法庭衡量一般民眾與公眾人物, 有著鮮明且極大的差距. 除非有著明顯以及實質的證據指出公眾人物被蓄意及充滿惡意的謠言攻擊, 否則留給公眾自由討論的空間是很大的.

更何況, 今天黑人的Love Life潮T爭議最大的問題其實不是被懷疑自肥, 而是這個慈善行動的背後沒有一個清楚透明資金流向架構與機制來讓大眾了解自己的愛心是如何分配的. 就像王尚智的文章所述, 黑人的確"無辜", 但他的無辜源自於"無知".

透過大眾募集而來的慈善基金, 去向與內容理應公開給大眾知道, 而不是單純地認為不提錢就保持清白的想法. 相反的, 正因為這是黑人所發起的公益行動, 所以他更應該比誰都清楚款項的用途. 再加上, 當吸引大家行善的媒介是個商品, 這其中必然會變的複雜一些, 而募集的款項分配更應該清楚. 前幾年, Nike跟Live Strong基金會曾經轟動一時的黃色手環就是相似的例子, 正因為販售手環而得取的基金有著透明妥善的管理與分配, 所以沒有類似Love Life的爭議.

除此之外, 當小S充滿江湖味的為黑人挺身而出, 大戰"邪惡"的周玉蔻時, 演藝圈似乎令人感動的凝聚起來, 為自己的一份子打抱不平, 為想做善事就飽受委屈的黑人大喊不平. 這時, 該慚愧的是我們...

是嗎? 真是如此嗎? 這群"可憐"的明星們似乎網了演藝圈的真性. 虛實難辨, 是非不明, 這就是演藝人吸引眼光的地方, 也是令大眾存以疑慮的地方. 能怪我們嗎? 國內外有多少明星建立了自己的慈善基金會, 卻又不了了之? 章子怡的賑災基金便是個好例子. 難免要懷疑, 在慈善可以抵稅的前提下, 有多少的慈善基金真正的, 屹立不搖的在持續下去. 或許這對黑人不公平, 更似乎是提前斷定了他的罪, 但是身為滿資深的演藝圈人士, 他不應該天真的認為自己會不一樣. "天在做, 人在看"絕對不適合演藝圈.

我其實並非懷疑黑人的出發點, 他有能力也有意願, 已經比許多人偉大. 爭議的根本從來不是黑人私吞款項, 而是在於Love Life的透明性與經營. 所以黑人也不必用委屈的眼淚來博取同情, 小S也不用自以為是的伸張正義, 明星們也不用在自認不平.

黑人的出發點令人欽佩, 但方式卻草率, 面對公益這種依賴人性的善良的行為, 自然必須面對輿論的審判. 現在黑人能做的, 就是第一時間收起眼淚, 像個男人一樣坦承自己的愛心有餘, 經驗不足. 只要能立刻透明化, 不在躲在眼淚後面, 才能真正的化解這場信用危機.

危機處理的原則判定留給輿論去發酵的時間越長, 對形象信用的傷害就越難以挽回. 黑人還要哭多久?

幸福的無奈

2010-04-15T23:02:00.006+08:00

愛情是場戰爭.

兩個"相愛"的人, 在你一句我一句"我愛你"之間, 爭奪著誰到底愛誰多一點的地位. 其實沒有人願意被愛得少一點, 即使再怎麼願意為那個人付出所有. 人都是自私的, 遇到愛情這樣的相處模式, 等號兩邊更不可能會是平等的.

屬老虎, 又是獅子座的我, 有著比天高的自信與尊嚴, 在工作與人生的戰場上總是給我許多勇氣去克服種種障礙. 偏偏在愛情這一關輸得落花流水. 我愛的女孩, 明明比我矮小, 卻怎麼就是打不倒.

女人是傲慢高貴的貓, 因為你們總是愛理不理我們, 卻又讓我們沒辦法不理你們. 只有在心血來潮或是大發慈悲的時候才會撒嬌一下.好男人像隻笨笨的鬥牛犬, 頭腦簡單得我們總是天真的認為我們才是老大, 裝出一副萬夫莫敵的樣子, 卻又敗給那隻嬌小傲慢的貓. 叫的再怎麼兇, 碰到她, 什麼都沒用.

在這裡我奉勸所有男人三個字, "算了吧"! 想要追求愛情的平等的話, 那麼你只能滿足於假象了, 你可以盡情的想像要怎麼理直氣壯的大聲告訴她: 女人, 還我尊嚴! 但是只要她一笑, 只要她眼睛一泛紅, 鐵打的都會變成豆腐心. 所以呢, 當你牽著她的時候提醒一下自己. 要幸福, 就別計較太多了.

女人呢, 切記切記. 男人只要你哄一哄, 不要戳破我們大男人的美夢, 那麼我們就會一輩子做個忠實的笨狗, 永遠守護你. 我們竟然把你們當成皇后, 那也請把我們當成國王.

這是一場永不停息的戰爭, 有時候她讓我抓狂, 氣到炸, 火到要把我的拳頭吞下去. 但是她只要對我笑一笑, 我卻又覺得是全世界最幸福的笨蛋. 自信的我告訴自己, 她也一樣想我, 一樣掛念我. 但是想想現在在家無牽無掛看電視的是她, 再看看現在對著電腦掏心掏肺的我, 你覺得這場戰爭到底誰會勝出?

算了吧, 誰叫我愛她?

我一定

2010-04-14T23:43:00.002+08:00

這個周末外公要正式入殮了, 之前的哀傷雖然慢慢退去了, 也慢慢開始開懷了, 但是今晚卻突然想到接下來的過程將會是視覺上與精神上最具打擊的一刻. 至今我仍然不敢想像失去爸爸媽媽的痛苦, 也因此不敢去想像媽媽的哀傷. 這時突然發現最令我擔心的還是媽媽的情緒, 希望她已有心理準備, 豁達地看待這痛苦但自然的過程.

我想要謝謝外公, 因為即使他的離去使全家多了許多哀傷, 但是也讓我重新領悟到家人的重要. 這幾天, 我看著爸媽, 不知何時他們頭上的白髮似乎多得不可思議, 讓我覺得,這些年彷彿因為自私的追逐理想而忽略了這兩位我今生最大的恩人. 我錯過了好多...

好在, 人生永遠是個不停的輪迴, 由把握住與錯失的機會交錯編織而成. 上週日, 坐在教堂裡, 陪著爸媽做彌薩, 我突然覺得我好慶幸自己在這個時候回來了. 陪著爸媽, 我很快樂.

小時候, 因為爸爸經常不在家, 所以幾乎都是我跟媽媽兩個人生活著. 記得那時還會天真的跟媽媽說: 媽媽, 以後我不要結婚, 要賺大錢買BMW帶你去菜市場買菜. 媽媽只會啼笑皆非的說: 傻瓜, 以後長大怎麼可能不結婚. 而且你有錢為什麼還要我買菜? 後來大了一點, 就對媽媽說: 媽, 以後長大我要買一棟大房子, 我結婚以後還要跟你還有爸爸住在一起. 媽媽又好氣又好笑地說: 二百五, 都結婚了還想煩我!

現在我如果再要跟她說我的願望, 我只能告訴她: 媽, 請你一定要快樂健康, 讓我有機會照顧你跟爸. 或許成長, 有時候是明白我們一生中最想要的是什麼, 而不只是當下要的. 我要的不再是一個幾位數的銀行存款, 而是"那一天". 那一天, 我的寶貝會跟媽媽在一起嘰哩瓜拉的說一大堆我聽不懂的八卦, 而我會跟爸爸還有弟弟經營著自己的小咖啡店. 雖然不知道咖啡店生意好不好, 但肯定的是, 只要這些人全部都能團聚在一起, 那天起我就會是全世界最富有的人.

所以, 謝謝外公. 因為你, 讓我知道我該把握住這幸福的時光. 也讓我體會到媽媽一輩子的幸福, 不只是爸爸的責任.

媽, 或許沒有BMW, 或許我買沒辦法買豪宅給你. 但是謝謝你的辛苦, 今晚, 想起外公, 再想到你. 我的眼淚會多流一點, 希望你到時可以多一點笑容. 我不知道要怎麼做, 但是我一定要, 也一定會讓你幸福.

錶

2010-04-12T00:30:00.002+08:00

生命, 有時像隻錶. 有些是老舊的懷錶, 有些是華麗的金錶, 有些是實用的腕錶.

小時候, 耐不住性子的我們老是不停的盯著自己的錶, 恨不得下一秒鐘就會長大, 放心去過著那看似毫無拘束的生活. 可是, 長得越大, 夢想越多, 責任越多, 就發現時間越來越不夠用, 那時錶的秒鐘似乎每跳動一下都會變得更快. 而當我們更年長了一點, 瞭解到生命的有限與脆弱時, 我們就因此而不想再看見錶, 深怕一不小心看見時, 分針與秒針就會殘酷的告訴我們流逝的生命. 也因為這樣, 時間似乎開始越走越快, 每一天我們都再跟它賽跑著, 而每一天我們都感到望塵莫及.

但是正因為此, 人的生命是最寶貴的. 我記得聽過有人說, 萬物都有著有限的生命, 但是唯有人類對自己的生命的有限有著認知, 也因此, 人類才會盡力地用有限的生命去創造無限的價值.

外公

2010-04-08T23:54:00.002+08:00

外公走了, 聽爸媽說他走得很安祥, 這使我鬆了一大口氣.
聽到外公的消息時, 在當下, 我沒有很難過, 只是擔心媽媽的心情. 可是最後在公車上時, 才忍不防地滴下眼淚. 令我鼻酸的, 我想大概不是傷痛, 而是遺憾.

生前的外公, 給我的印象是端莊的, 傳統的, 卻也是慈祥的. 想到外公我就想到小時候四點起床與外公外婆爬壽山, 想到外公我就想到暑假時每天一定要買的汽水, 想到外公我就想到吃飯時喝的高粱, 飯後下的跳棋. 想到外公, 我想到的是外公與外婆給我的那份窩心.

晚年的外公, 變的脾氣捉模不定. 大家也因此漸漸疏遠於他. 雖然我不怪所有人會因為這樣或多或少對外公改觀, 但是我深信, 這只是他內心恐懼不安所致. 我熟悉的外公, 是個端正嚴謹, 卻也溫柔和藹. 而他偷偷讓我在下棋時贏過他, 以及他親吻我的臉頰時的模樣, 將會是我牢記外公的畫面.

外公: 你走的那一天, 天氣很舒服, 就像你與外婆給我的回憶, 它將會是我一生最寶貴的財富. 歷經上一代背景離鄉, 顛坡流離的日子, 希望你現在能夠在這好好休息. 我會帶著你給的回憶, 你教的道理, 知足感恩的好好走下去.

Andy in the Real World

2009-04-11T22:38:00.004+08:00

It's been a long long time since I last posted.

I've realized that my probation is over and my performance review is due.
Not that I'm nervous, but I find myself amazed at how much older I feel than I started out six months ago.

Six months with the agency, six months with a client that has demanded more of me than I've ever thought I could give. Six months, in a city that's sometimes beautiful and sometimes exhausting. Six months in the real world.

I know that there are countless blogs out there for professionals of every industry. Men and women sharing their knowledge and experience through their everyday work. I strive to have a blog of my own experience but realized that it's still a dumpster of my emotions that the victories and defeats I've gone through at work.

Sometimes I feel blessed and fueled for the drive I have to keep going. Yet other times I feel tired having my passion and creativity bounced off the walls endlessly without every going anywhere.

Perhaps this is my tuition. Life seems to be a school that's never "out" and everyone must keep paying their dues to learn what it has to offer.

I realized, you really can't keep your foot on the gas all the time. You can try, but you're just going to get burnt out. So I've learned to pick my battles. Learn to conceive and learn to have a short memory. Whether you win or lose in the office, tomorrow you're going back there and do it all over again.

China is bizarre. Sometimes in a beautifully optimistic way and sometimes twisted and disgusting. But I think as a journeyman, I've adapted quite well and I think I deserve a slight pat on the back for sticking in there when the going got tough and down right dirty.

When people ask me. "Why China?" I find myself speechless. I still have no answer, but I do have a gut feeling that it will do me good in the future. Moving half way around the world was no piece of cake but I'm glad and proud that I didn't quit during that first week when I left at 3 in the morning only to get back at the office at 10. I've been molded. Not completely, but I'm thankful for it because I hate to lose myself in the end.

I'm not out here saving the world. Not yet, anyway. But as tired as I get sometimes, I think I've still got the legs to chase the sun. Not too fast though, because I've found out that this is a long race.

Here's to the next six months, hope I find my own crib and hope I stay on track for my own dreams.

James Morrison-Fix the World Up for You

2009-03-05T16:59:00.000+08:00

I can tell you now
When I'm here to listen
To what I've got to say
All my words unplanned
Just like us they are waiting
To come together
I don't know if we're ready to take our train

But I, oh I, I'm gonna fix this world up for you
I'll try, I'll try to build it all around you
You'll never gonna have to be alone
You'll always know you got someone
To fix the world up for you

Well I'll bet I'll get it wrong
More times that I get it right
And I won't even realize it
But I've been doing all I can
To stop you falling
Even now I'm holding my breath for you

But you don't know, you don't know
That I'm ready to hold you now, hold you now

I, oh I, I'm gonna fix this world up for you
I'll try, I'll try to build it all around you
You'll never gonna have to be alone
Yeah you'll alway now you got someone
To fix the world up for you

Gonna fix the world up, up for you
Gonna fix the world up, up for you
Gonna fix the world up, up for you

Fuck You Very Much

2009-02-21T01:22:00.004+08:00

I'm wound up way too tight,
walking the fine line between the unexpected and unreasonable.
Some days i just want to walk away from it all.
Start over again.
Or is it really a right of passage to be baptized by fire?
To reach heaven, must you first crawl through hell?
Either way I won't bend and break and I won't throw in the towel.
This is still my show and I will get my own ending with my own script.
They'll never take away my smile.
So here's to everyone who decide on a whim to take every hard-earned night and every precious weekend away from me.
Thank you and fuck you very freakin' much.
Because of you, I am fueled. To take on this world with the courage to say no
and keep looking until I find my dream under neath some rock tucked away somewhere.
Some day, I will get to the top and change the world in my own little way and it will be because of you. I will always remember you because without you I will be complacent. I would have forgotten that I should shoot for the moon, but when the moon isn't all that nice to have, I will keep shooting until i get the sun.
I have no idea how I will get there, but when that day comes, when I'm on top, when people I never knew know about me, when that beautiful day comes. I will say thank you, but mostly, fuck you.

He is a little bit naive

2009-02-07T20:01:00.001+08:00

Either he's one dumb SOB or he's just how we should all act, tolerant and always unafraid to learn.

Startled Iraqis welcome,sort of, their first tourist
By Stephen Farrell and Alissa J. Rubin
Published: February 6, 2009

BAGHDAD: "I am a tourist" were his first words. The telephone line from Falluja was bad, but there could be no mistake. Possibly Iraq's, and certainly Falluja's, first Western leisure visitor was in town.

Not for long though. A guard at a checkpoint caught sight of Luca Marchio among the Iraqi passengers on a bus that was heading from Baghdad to the once-notorious - and still tense - western city and alerted his superiors.

Marchio, 33, a native of Como, Italy, soon found himself in the Falluja police headquarters surrounded by bewildered officers trying to make out why a Westerner would wander around their city without a translator or guards. Marchio may have worried the police, but his main concern was saving money.

In two telephone conversations with journalists, he brushed away concerns for his safety and offers of help. "I am a tourist," he said. "I want to see the most important cities in the country. That is the reason why I am here now.

"I want to see and understand the reality, because I have never been here before and I think every country in the world must be seen. I was looking for cheap accommodation here in Falluja, but the authorities explained to me that it was impossible because there are not any hotels here. They suggested a short tour and then go back to Baghdad."BAGHDAD: "I am a tourist" were his first words. The telephone line from Falluja was bad, but there could be no mistake. Possibly Iraq's, and certainly Falluja's, first Western leisure visitor was in town.

Not for long though. A guard at a checkpoint caught sight of Luca Marchio among the Iraqi passengers on a bus that was heading from Baghdad to the once-notorious - and still tense - western city and alerted his superiors.

Marchio, 33, a native of Como, Italy, soon found himself in the Falluja police headquarters surrounded by bewildered officers trying to make out why a Westerner would wander around their city without a translator or guards. Marchio may have worried the police, but his main concern was saving money.

In two telephone conversations with journalists, he brushed away concerns for his safety and offers of help. "I am a tourist," he said. "I want to see the most important cities in the country. That is the reason why I am here now.

"I want to see and understand the reality, because I have never been here before and I think every country in the world must be seen. I was looking for cheap accommodation here in Falluja, but the authorities explained to me that it was impossible because there are not any hotels here. They suggested a short tour and then go back to Baghdad."

Full Article at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/06/mideast/falluja.4-424637.php

Big Brother

2009-02-01T18:47:00.002+08:00

News like these really make us think about the by-products of technology, are we really free? Or are we just plugged into the wall somewhere (I know I already am because all day I've been staring at a 15' window that I call the world)

MILWAUKEE - Watch an advertisement on a video screen in a mall, health club or grocery store and there's a slim — but growing — chance the ad is watching you too.

Small cameras can now be embedded in the screen or hidden around it, tracking who looks at the screen and for how long. The makers of the tracking systems say the software can determine the viewer's gender, approximate age range and, in some cases, ethnicity — and can change the ads accordingly.

That could mean razor ads for men, cosmetics ads for women and video-game ads for teens.

And even if the ads don't shift based on which people are watching, the technology's ability to determine the viewers' demographics is golden for advertisers who want to know how effectively they're reaching their target audience.

While the technology remains in limited use for now, advertising industry analysts say it is finally beginning to live up to its promise. The manufacturers say their systems can accurately determine gender 85 to 90 percent of the time, while accuracy for the other measures continues to be refined.

The concept is reminiscent of the science-fiction movie "Minority Report," in which Tom Cruise's character enters a mall and finds that retinal scanners identify him and prompt personalized ads that greet him by name.

But this technology doesn't go nearly that far. It doesn't identify people individually — it simply categorizes them by outward appearances.

So a video screen might show a motorcycle ad for a group of men, but switch to a minivan ad when women and children join them, said Vicki Rabenou, the chief measurement officer of Tampa, Fla.-based TruMedia Technologies Inc., one of the leaders in developing the technology.

"This is proactive merchandising," Rabenou said. "You're targeting people with smart ads."

Because the tracking industry is still in its infancy, there isn't yet consensus on how to refer to the technology. Some call it face reading, face counting, gaze tracking or, more generally, face-based audience measurement.

Whatever it's called, advertisers are finally ready to try it, said advertising consultant Jack Sullivan, a senior vice president of Starcom USA in Chicago. "I think you're going to see a lot of movement toward it by the end of this year in the top 10 markets," he said.

Because face tracking might feel reminiscent of Big Brother, manufacturers are racing to offer reassurances. When the systems capture an image of who's watching the screen, a computer instantly analyzes it. The systems' manufacturers insist, however, that nothing is ever stored and no identifying information is ever associated with the pictures. That makes the system less intrusive than a surveillance camera that records what it sees, the developers say.

Full article at: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090131/ap_on_hi_te/tec_nosy_ads

I'm Yours-Jason Mraz

2009-01-23T07:29:00.002+08:00

I know it's not new or anything, but I'm loving this song right now more than ever before.

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment babay sing with me
We're just one big family
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

Scooch on over closer dear
And i will nibble your ear

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
Please don't, please don't, please don't
There's no need to complicate
Cause our time is short
This oh this this is out fate, I'm yours!

Simpsonize Yourself

2009-01-17T22:51:00.004+08:00

Woohoo I finally have my own Simpsons avatar. You may think it's sad but I'm weirdly excited about this. I don't know if it looks like me but oh well. If they made a Simpsons version of The Sims I would so buy it. I can't wait to live in Springfield lol...

You can make your own at http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html

Now all that's left is think of my occupation and a catch phrase. Maybe I'll be Ned Flanders' curiously Asian and atheist nephew who is an underachiever that drinks beer all day and works at the dry cleaner's across form Apu's Kwik-E-Mart.

Beautiful Blues

2009-01-14T22:19:00.000+08:00

She gives me the beautiful blues.
Damn her picture-perfect smile and her tender lips,
the way she walks away and her hair between my finger tips.
She is my angel, who brings me light and death all in one kiss.
Now she's gone, wondered on, and she tells me boy don't reminisce.

She gives me the beautiful blues.
The kind that hurts and yet you keeping hanging on.
For your dear life, for the day you take the queen with the pawn.
After all this time, my ship never really sailed out of her dock.
Hers is gone, into the sunset, swiftly with the destiny winds that hold no bound.

She give me the beautiful blues.

The Follow

2009-01-11T00:23:00.004+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIHGT8vWleQ

Some time ago, BMW made a series of short films with famous directors around the world. Some were cool, some were funny and some were beautiful. The series is called "The Hire" starring Clive Owen. This one is one of my favorite.

I really like the narrative. Maybe because it puts things in perspective for me. "If you lose them, just keep moving and hope for the best." Perhaps that's true on different levels. We all have something we're following or chasing. Be it our dreams, our goals, or...Well, I'll leave it all to you to fill in the blanks. It's important to keep the faith even when it seems that you have all but steered away from the path that you want to be on. I've kept moving and I'm hoping for the best. It's a new year and it looks like the road ahead might get a bit bumpy, but here's hopign all of you have the strength to keep believing.

$50 Billion Ponzi

2009-01-06T14:03:00.007+08:00

I've been reading some of the articles about Madoff and I must admit it's quite fascinating how far people are willing to go and how smart they can be in the name of greed. Not only until today that I learned what a "Ponzi" is. It just goes to show there really is no shortcut to success. Article from Wikipedia.

The "Ponzi"
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to investors out of the money paid by subsequent investors rather than from profit. The term "Ponzi scheme" is used primarily in the United States, while other English-speaking countries do not distinguish colloquially between this scheme and other pyramid schemes.
The Ponzi scheme usually offers abnormally high short-term returns in order to entice new investors. The perpetuation of the high returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors in order to keep the scheme going.
The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments. Usually, the scheme is interrupted by legal authorities before it collapses because a Ponzi scheme is suspected or because the promoter is selling unregistered securities. As more investors become involved, the likelihood of the scheme coming to the attention of authorities increases.
The scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, who became notorious for using the technique after emigrating from Italy to the United States in 1903. Ponzi did not invent the scheme, but his operation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout the United States. His original scheme was in theory based on arbitraging international reply coupons for postage stamps, but soon diverted investors' money to support payments to earlier investors and Ponzi's personal wealth.
Knowingly entering a Ponzi scheme can be rational, in the economic sense, even at the last round of the scheme if a government will likely bail out those participating in the Ponzi scheme.

Bernard Madoff Scandal:
On December 11, 2008, former chairman of the NASDAQ Stock Market Bernard Madoff was arrested and charged with a single count of securities fraud, but one which, if proved, may rank among the biggest frauds ever - totaling $50 billion of fraudulent losses. If these figures are accurate, this would be the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.[4] It is alleged that one of Madoff's biggest investors, René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, of Access International Advisors, committed suicide around December 23, 2008, following the disclosure of the scheme.[5] At the time of this writing, it is unclear to what extent Access International's funds were involved in the scheme. Villehuchet is alleged to have lost as much as $1.4 billion in Madoff's scheme.[6]

While the scheme was typical of a Ponzi in its structure, it differed in its pace and its marketing. Rather than offer (suspiciously) high returns to all comers, Madoff instead offered modest, but steady returns to an exclusive clientele, returns produced in both up and down markets. The investment method was stated to be through a combination of stock purchases tracking some index and related puts and calls (contrary "bets" on the index's direction), but with the exact details a proprietary secret. Madoff exploited social networks to promote it among a largely upper class Jewish clientele, with significant funds invested from educational and social charity funds directed by the clients. The slow pace and "insider" marketing enabled the scheme to survive for an unusually long time and also to grow far larger than would be expected of a common Ponzi. All worked well for Madoff until the general market downturn of 2008 motivated a larger than usual number of investors to cash out their positions. With little actual liquidity, the scheme collapsed. In fact, the stated methodology was not possible, since the existing markets in puts and calls were not large enough to support the claimed activities, an observation noted by several critics prior to the collapse.[7] The scheme also differed in that even some hedge funds invested in Madoff's funds, with some investors unknowingly exposed through multiple fund investments that they believed to be diversified.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme

Raheem Devaughn-Butterflies

2009-01-06T13:54:00.000+08:00

Kiss me like when I dream of you
Notice me, act like you have a clue
Flirt with me, act like I interest you
Like my eyes do, wish I could undress you
So I try to find the words
But I only suffocate
Then my palms, they start to sweat
And my shirt is soakin' wet

You give me the butterflies
You give me the nervous side of life
Don't walk by just say "hello" baby
You are my day dreams when I'm awake

Let's sleep like I pretend we do
Convince me that day dreams do come true
Picture as where I picture you
And I just panic when you're in bird's eye view
And I try to say "hello" and the words don't come out right
Wish I could find myself but it's a losing fight

You give me the butterflies
You give me the nervous side of life
Don't walk by just say "hello" baby
You are my day dreams when I'm awake

I go dreamin' you go wakin' me
You won't catch me and I keep fallin' girl
You only notice me in a perfect world
But the world is so imperfect so...

You give me the butterflies
You give me the nervous side of life
Don't walk by just say "hello" baby
You are my day dreams when I'm awake
You are my day dreams when I'm awake
You are my day dreams when I'm awake

Newton Faulkner-Aging Superhero

2009-01-04T02:26:00.003+08:00

Every time I think of growing up I find out that I just slipped back,
I got it all wrong you know I,
Feel younger than I did when I was younger on a backwards track
I thought by now I could have figured it all out instead I'm further back,
Feels kinda stupid but I,
Feel 16 in my head but I guess it's only 5 years back

But I won't see the signs
it took so long but you were always on my mind, yeah,

For all the times I've tried to take a little time out for myself,
I'm just growing all alone again
But I find in my mind that I'm not.
Time is running out and I just want to say I'm sorry now,
Before I'm all alone again, and I'm broken and cold
The ageing superhero in me is tired
Because he's lived too fast for too long
and he still longs to be inspired

I feel old, feel broke feel cold and I can't fight back,
It sounds so stupid I,
But it's gone, this train won't run,
Guess it must be the track

But I won't see the signs
it took so long but you were always on my mind, yeah,

For all the times I've tried to take a little time out for myself,
I'm just growing all alone again
But I find in my mind that I'm not
Time is running out and I just want to say I'm sorry now,
Before I'm all alone again, and I'm broken and cold-

But I won't see the signs;
it took so long but you were always on my mind, yeah,

For all the times I've tried to take a little time out for myself,
I'm just growing all alone again
But I find in my mind that I'm not.
Time is running out and I just want to say I'm sorry now,
Before I'm all alone again, and I'm broken and cold
The ageing superhero in me is tired
Because he's lived too fast for too long
and he still longs to be inspired

2009-01-02T15:36:00.001+08:00

Awww look at the chubby love-sick fella...

LONDON (AFP) – There's a gnawing problem in the countryside -- a giant beaver on the loose, wreaking havoc in southwest England.

And his owner reckons there's only one thing that can lure the lovelorn rodent back into captivity: the scent of female beaver.

The six-stone (84-pound, 38-kilogramme) animal escaped from the Upcott Grange Farm in the county of Devon back in October, along with two females who were recovered soon after from a nearby lake.

But the one beaver still on the run is thought to be the culprit felling trees some 20 miles (32 kilometres) down the River Tamar at Gunnislake.

Conservationist Derek Gow, who owns 24 of the animals under licence, reckons the runaway is hunting for female beaver. He is planning to catch the escapee using honey traps: boxes that smell of females.

"I know where he is, but he's occupying a territory of probably a kilometre in length," Gow said.

"We've got traps being made up at the moment.

"Using the scent from one of the female beavers, we'll be able to catch the male beaver fairly quickly."

The furry escapee and his trail of destruction were widely covered in Wednesday's national newspapers.

Gow suspects the electric fence surrounding his beaver pen failed during a flood.

"We've checked the fence, we can't find any holes at all. We can't think of any other way they might have got out."

Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century.

However, in a controversial project, four families of beavers have been shipped in from Norway and will be released in western Scotland early next year.

Under the Gun-The Killers

2009-01-02T10:49:00.000+08:00

She's got her halo and wings
Hidden under his eyes
But she's an angel for sure
She just can't stop telling lies
But it's too late for his love
Already caught in a trap
His angel's kiss was a joke
And she is not coming back

Because heaven sends and heaven takes
Crashing cars in his brain
Keep him tied to a dream
And only she can set him free
And then he says to me

Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now
Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now

Yeah she's got a criminal mind
He's got a reason to pray
His life is under the gun
He's got to hold every day

Now he just wants to wake up
Yeah, just to prove it's a dream
Cause she's an angel for sure
But that remains to be seen

Because heaven sends and heaven takes
Crashing cars in his brain
Keep him tied to a dream
And only she can set him free
And then he says to me

Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now
Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now

Stupid on the streets of London
James Dean in the rain
Without her it's not the same
but it's alright

Because heaven sends and heaven takes
Crashing cars in his brain
Keep him tied up to a dream
And only she can set him free
And then he says to me

Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now
Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now
Again and again

Mean Machine

2008-12-31T17:40:00.005+08:00

I saw this article on Yahoo and it just reminded me of that British remake of the Longest Yard. I just couldn't help but laugh after reading the last paragraph.

Player sets unwanted record with three-second dismissal

Dec 29, 9:35 am EST
By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - A player with English minor league club Chippenham Town has set a record for the fastest-red card in senior soccer when he was sent off for a wild tackle three seconds after kickoff, British media reported on Monday.

Striker David Pratt, 21, was dismissed in a Southern Premier League game against Bashley on Saturday.

The previous fastest sending-off is generally accepted to be 10 seconds for Bologna’s Giuseppe Lorenzo after he struck an opponent in a 1990 Italian league game.

English soccer’s previous “best” was 13 seconds when Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Kevin Pressman handled outside his box in a game in 2000.

Also in 2000 an English amateur player, Lee Todd, was sent off after two seconds when he responded to the referee’s whistle to start the game by saying “xxxx me, that was loud” and was dismissed for foul and abusive language.

Amos Lee-Skipping Stone

2008-12-28T14:42:00.002+08:00

I don't know if I can do this alone
Oh after all our sweet love is flown
I've been a running
I've been skipping like a stone
And I don't know if I
I can do this all alone

When I met her she was standing by a door
I ain't never seen a light like that before
Now she's left me for something more sure
And I don't know if I
I can do this anymore

'Cause lovers will come, lovers will go
This rare seed are from which true love might grow
If you see her, won't you please say hello
'Cause I don't know if I can do this alone

Adele-Make You Feel My Love

2008-12-28T12:39:00.001+08:00

I'm not sure but I think it's originally sang by Bob Dylan. In any case, I like this version better. Simple and nice.

When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong

I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
No, there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change
Are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet

I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love

Von Trapps Are Reunited, Without the Singing

2008-12-27T13:52:00.004+08:00

I think this is a very interesting article. Is it always enjoyable to live with the last name that comes from a line of well-known legacy or heritage? I'm not so sure, you decide. But this article gives a great look into the real world that's not alwyas full of singing and story-book endings.

Full article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/business/25vontrapp.html?no_interstitial

Johannes von Trapp with his mother, Maria, in 1984. The von Trapp family was depicted in the movie “The Sound of Music,” in which Julie Andrews portrayed Mrs. von Trapp.

STOWE, Vt. — When Sam von Trapp, the grandson of Maria, the singing nun made famous by “The Sound of Music,” graduated from college, his father offered him a deal: Sam could do whatever he wanted for 10 years before he had to return home here to run the family’s ski lodge.

His father started calling him to come home after six years.

When Mr. von Trapp finally returned to take over from his father, Johannes, he had had quite a decade: teaching skiing in Aspen, modeling for Ralph Lauren, surfing in Chile and even making People magazine’s America’s Top 50 Bachelors list in 2001. Recently, he sat in a dark office at the Trapp Family Lodge, the inn his grandmother started, trying to decide what to do with some old curtains.

It is hard for anyone to untangle family history and allegiances during the holidays. When your last name is von Trapp, and Americans claim you as part of their own legacy, that task is just that much harder.

That legacy weighs on Mr. von Trapp even as he considers something as mundane as curtains.

In “The Sound of Music,” the beloved 1965 movie, Maria, the governess played by Julie Andrews, turned old curtains into play clothes for the seven von Trapp children, just as the real Maria had done. Mr. von Trapp figured that if he sold von Trapp draperies on eBay, he might turn a nice little profit.

“Nobody has the level of commitment I do,” said Mr. von Trapp, now 36, but with the energy and earnestness of a teenager. “Nobody has as much to gain.”

Despite the nostalgic mist around “The Sound of Music," Mr. von Trapp is taking over a business for a family that has had its share of ups and downs and disagreements.

When the von Trapps arrived in the United States in 1938, they settled in Pennsylvania and made money by singing baroque and folk music. By 1942, the family had bought a farm in Stowe. Maria rented out rooms in the house when the von Trapps were on tour singing.

Still, Johannes von Trapp, the 10th and youngest child, remembers growing up relatively anonymously in a quiet, strict home. That began to shift after the 1959 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” and when the movie opened, everything changed.

“You could no longer give your name anywhere without people saying ‘Oh, are you ... ?’ ” said the elder Mr. von Trapp, now 69. “The film, for better or for worse, made us a mass market commodity.”

Donavon Frankenreiter-Swing On Down

2008-12-24T01:18:00.001+08:00

in the morning when the sun still shines
the last star lingers in the pale blue sky
that's when i know you're around
said that's when i know you're around

and in the evenin' when the light comes through the trees
the birds sing a song as if they're singin' to me
that's when i know you're around
said that's when i know you're around

i'm dreamin' if you could, swing on down, swing on down to me
i wanna know if you would swing on down, swing on down to me
every time i see somethin' like that... (swing on down, swing on down to me)
i want you to ... (swing on down, swing on down to me)
baby, won't you just ... (swing on down to me)

every time the rain comes out but the sun still wants to shout
that's when i know you're around
i said that's when i know you're around
ya know all the colors, they just speak to me
tell me stories of how it used to be when you were still around
i wish you were still around

cause i want you to swing on down
swing on down to me
from the clouds won't you just, swing on down to me
baby won't you just swing on down to me
i wanna see you today
i want you to swing on down to me
it's gonna feel so good

and all the colors they tell me things
the birds in the trees
and the stars in the sky

Strong-Willed Pig

2008-12-22T19:38:00.002+08:00

The world has lately been a little bit blue. Toyota will lose money for the first time in 70 years; Bernard Madoff embezzled billions while kids in Zimbabwe scrape corns on the road for food; and a journalist tortured in jail for throwing a lousy shoe. I think perhaps we all need a little break from the heartbreak.

Full article at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/22/asia/pig.php

HONG KONG-A pig that survived on charcoal and rainwater for 36 days while trapped under earthquake debris has been voted China's most inspirational animal for 2008, according to state media.

The 7.9-magnitude quake that struck Sichuan Province on May 12 collapsed schools, bridges, dams, houses - and a farm shed that trapped the pig. When it was finally rescued June 17, the animal was a mere slip of a thing at 50 kilograms, or 110 pounds, down from its pre-quake weight of 150 kilograms.

The farmers who owned the pig sold him for $430 to Fan Jianchuan, the owner of a private museum in the ancient town of Anren, near the city of Chengdu. Fan put the plucky survivor into a livestock exhibit at the museum and gave him a new name - Zhu Jianqiang, meaning Strong-Willed Pig. Fan also took out a 10-year life insurance policy on the pig, who became a nationwide media sensation.

Mee You There

2008-12-20T22:49:00.000+08:00

Death is full of irony.

It makes us understand the real beauty of life. That is, it puts life in a neat and clear perspective; seize every moment and give all the love you have. At the same time, this beautiful moment of clarity comes at the prize of a loss, something or someone that we may never get back.

Perhaps even that notion, the yearning to get someone back and the pain of losing that person is also the root of our predicament. We can't seem to get over our mental obstacle and make peace with ourselves to grasp this cruel and natural circle of life.

I pour whatever feelings I have onto this little space the size of a 15-inch screen to empty out my heart and soul. Because perhaps I hope the person I'm thinking of might be on the other side reading my very word. Not this time though.

Grandma, I'm not a religious person but I do hope and believe you're in a better place. Not because of any other reason but simply that you deserve it. Lately I've been getting flashbacks of those summers I spent with you; those early morning hikes to the closeby hill and those quite summer noons when the world seemed to stop and nap.

Dad said you would understand why I can't be with you. But somehow I can't shake the feeling of regret. Four years ago I promised you to graduate in front of your eyes and you gleefully agreed and looked forward to the day when I would take the diploma in front of your eyes. That day came and went and I assured you again that I would visit you soon. Apparently not soon enough.

So here I am, hoping heaven has internet access because I don't know any other way to do this. Thank you for loving me so much the way you did. I've always felt proud and safe with you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you passed but I carry you in my thoughts everyday. I'm sorry for not being there and I hope you know how much I think of you.

This Christmas will be a bit colder without you, but I still like to thank you for making me realize life is not determined by possession. The love you give is the only thing that makes you rich. I will remember you always as I strive to make my own prints in the world.

To my family. Mom and dad, thank you not only for everything you have given me; but also being there to give me the strength to carry on and be strong when I feel alone with no one in sight. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize that I need to tell you how I feel. Alan, I see you grow into a better person than I am; you just have remember to keep trying.

To that special someone. I'm sorry it never dawned on me to tell you this; but I'm sorry you weren't always treated as special as you meant to me. Not that I didn't try, it's just that when you get so comfortable with someone it becomes, well, natural. But I forgot even those closest to you need to be shown how much you love them. So perhaps this is my lesson. As much as it hurts me to think of you and...Well, let's just say I've realized after trying to move on I still feel very much the same way about you. I just hope you haven't completely forgotten about what we had.

This Christmas is sure to get a bit lonely and empty. But I will keep all of you with me as I try to make something of myself. Life is full of drama and I believe if you cant' see that, then you might take a lot of things for granted. I've been guilty of that and every night I pay my price.

Seasons greetings and all my love, wherever I am I'll always be thinking of all of you.

Newton Faulkner-Dream Catch Me

2008-12-17T14:09:00.000+08:00

Every time I close my eyes
It’s you and I know now
Who I am

Yea yea yea and I know now

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

You do so much
That you don’t know
It’s true
And I know now
Who I am

Yea yea yea
And I know now

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

See you as a mountain
A fountain of God
See you as as a descant soul
in the setting sun
You as the sound

I’m young
There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

Frank Sinatra-The Things We Did Last Summer

2008-12-12T23:28:00.000+08:00

The boat rides we would take, the moonlight on the lake
The way we danced and hummed our favorite song
The things we did last summer I'll remember all winter long

The midway and the fun, the kewpie dolls we won
The bell I rang to prove that I was strong
The things we did last summer I'll remember all winter long

The early morning hike, the rented tandem bike
The lunches that we used to pack
We never could explain that sudden summer rain
The looks we got when we got back

The leaves began to fade like promises we made
How could a love that seemed so right go wrong?
The things we did last summer I'll remember all winter long

Ive tried so to forget, at times I do, and yet
The memory of you lingers like our song
The things we did last summer, I'll remember all winter long

The Jumping Urinal

2008-12-07T20:33:00.002+08:00

people come, people go
they never notice walking out the door
nobody's listening,
even when the water's running
once again you're left all alone

all you want is to be seen
at least to be heard, i know what you mean
tired of always trying and trying
you keep dancing and clowning hoping that maybe
someone would see, all that you could really be

day after day, night after night
all you've been flushing is what you hold inside
one day, some day, maybe it's today, you try
not to hope for much and still dream under the light
in the marble,
singing I'm a lonely jumping urinal

Oh I know what it's like, when it all feels the same
keep singing your song, I'll sit here til they call my name

Brett Dennen- She's Mine

2008-12-07T12:22:00.001+08:00

well the witches stare with their limbs akimbo
silhouettes of statues up in the window
call me to come here with a crooked crescendo
but i don't

devotees dance among the pantomime on the promenade
into a tabernacle on the lawn
but i don't follow

because she's mine, she's mine, she's mine, all mine
yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm

midnight moved across the people's park
and i fled the fire like a spinning spark
up onto a porch in the dark
she was waiting right there for me

she knows that my hands are empty
as i go past the mothers of envy
and i don't have to fumble in the dark for my keys

i believe she's mine, she's mine, she's mine, all mine
yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm

the pupils gather in the yard
around the pulpit made of cards
and waited for their leader's words
but his words didn't make much sense

his mouth spat out a fist of daggers
and his tongue swirled in a southern swagger
and i looked at all the people gathered
but they were all in a trance

and she's mine, she's mine, she's mine, all mine
yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm

i was thrown before the court of canes
tossed my soul to the furnace flames
where all my heros had been slain, exiled, or put in prison

because they rose above the mess
and because their power posed a threat
and because they spoke of something else
when everybody else didn't

the music fills the space between
the deities and the prophecies
of our bodies pressed seamlessly
silent in the shade

she looks at me so fearlessly
and i take it all too seriously
but it all becomes so clear to me
and makes me understand

that she's mine, she's mine, she's mine, all mine
yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm

yeah she's mine, all mine, all mine, all mine
yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm

yeah she's mine, mine, mine, mmm
yeah she's mine

Matt Costa-Cold December

2008-12-07T00:49:00.001+08:00

I've been waiting, pacing along the halls ever since you left here
I've been cleaning, scrubbing the plates and weeding out the garden dear
I can't fall asleep to your mystery slowly blowing from the shore
I have not failed to be what you'd expect of me
Swallowing glass just to stay pure

All the birds are heading down south but you're staying up north you say
I've got jackets blankets and sheets, its going to be a cold december

It could be warm you see, a statue next to me
Swimming away from the ice and snow
Could I have failed to see the signs in front of me
Warning and flashing symbols, subtle and simple I couldn't see
I couldnt see

If only time could slow down, maybe I could come up
It's such a cold december
It's such a cold december
Its so cold

I cant fall asleep to your mystery slowly blowing from the shore
I have not failed to be what you'd expect of me
Swallowing glass just to stay pure

Summers come and summer has gone
Your christmas cards cant comfort me
You've found new friends and tied all the ends
It's freezing in the loneliest winter

It could be warm you see, a statue next to me
Swimming away from the ice and snow
Could I have failed to see the signs in front of me
Warning and flashing symbols, subtle and simple I couldnt see
I couldnt see

If only time could slow down, then maybe I could come up
It's such a cold december
It's such a cold december
It's so cold

James Morrison-Wonderful World

2008-12-02T14:07:00.001+08:00

I've been down so low
People look at me and they know
They can tell something is wrong
Like I don't belong, well

Staring through a window
Standing outside, they're just too happy to care tonight
I want to be like them
But I'll mess it up again

I tripped on my way in
And got kicked outside, everybody saw...

And I know that it's a wonderful world
But I can't feel it right now
Well I thought that I was doing well
But I just wanna cry now
Well I know that it's a wonderful world
From the sky down to the sea
But I can only see it when you're here, here with me, mmm

Sometimes I feel so full of love
It just comes spilling out
It's uncomfortable to see
I give it away so easily
But if I had someone I would do anything
I'd never, never, ever let you feel alone
I won't, I won't leave you, on your own

But who am I to dream?
Dreams are for fools, they let you down...

And I know that it's a wonderful world
But I can't feel it right now
Well I thought that I was doing well
But I just want to cry now
Well I know that it's a wonderful world
From the sky down to the sea
But I can only see it when you're here, here with me, mmm

And I wish that I could make it better
I'd give anything for you to call me, maybe just a little letter
Oh, it could start again, oh oh

Well I know that it's a wonderful world
But I can't feel it right now
Well I thought that I was doing well
But I just want to cry now
Well I know that it's a wonderful world
From the sky down to the sea
But I can only see it when you're here, here with me, oh

And I know that it's a wonderful world
I can't feel it right now
I got all the right clothes to wear
I just want to cry now, cry now
Well I know that it's a wonderful world
From the sky down to the sea
But I can only see it when you're here, here with me, mmm

And I know that it's a wonderful world
When you're with me

Face Down

2008-12-01T12:04:00.003+08:00

You look beautiful smiling,
Sitting there waiting with me.
You look so right, sitting there next to me,
For the plane that takes us to the Iberian sun,
the best days of my life...

"Thanks for the memories," you wrote,
I should have known, sensed the tone,
the finality...

I want to know how you've been, how you are
and I wonder always where you are.
Are you happier now?

So I put down the photograph,
Faced it down and hid it under my bed.
Twisted for a while in my sheets,
I wish you weren't just in my head.

It's true you won't miss something until it's gone away,
No more sorries, but I do have regrets,
Are you so glad now that I'm away?

For now, I try to carry on with your picture down,
Maybe it's just me who still holds on,
And maybe I found, all this time, you are the one.
Are you relieved that I am gone?

Matt Costa-Mr.Pitiful

2008-12-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

This is quickly becomign one of my favorite songs.

Oh Mr. pit
Oh Mr. pit
Mr. pitiful
Who let you down?
Who let you down?
Who let you down?

You still don’t believe
You don’t believe
You don’t believe
That greed’s for a show
Your soap box unfolds

But, please come down from that cloud
You see at all I don’t expect you to admit that you were wrong
Just wanna know how you’ve been
Don’t make me feel bad that we’re still friends
Started it all over in my bed

I hope that you see through your picket
I hope that you see through your big yard and white picket fence
To make amends, to still be friends, to still be my friend

So where did you go?
Where did you go?
Where did you go?
While I was out
While I was out
While I was out

Well I don’t believe
I don’t believe
I don’t believe
Everything was seen
And if you don’t like the movie then quit at me

But, please come down from that cloud
You see at all I don’t expect you to admit that you were wrong
Just wanna know how you’ve been
Don?t make me feel bad that we’re still friends
Started it all over in my bed

I hope that you see through your picket
I hope that you see through your big yard and white picket fence
To make amends, still be friends, still be friends, to still be my friend, still be my friend, still be my friend

Ominous

2008-11-29T22:22:00.012+08:00

This is a picture I found from AFP captured outside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. I've been following the siege closely during the past few days and I must say the attack echoes the ominous feeling I had when I saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center live in on CNN. Below are some pictures from AP. It should give you a glimpse at the raw emotion and chaos.

They are the relatives of a 16 year old boy, Haresh Gohil, who was killed by the gunmen during the attack. What more can you say? (Picture from AP)

The sad truth is, as genuine as their plea might be, these kind of images are so often-seen that it's almost sarcastic. (Picture from AP)

I'm no saint and I tend to hold grudges, sometimes too much for my own good. But her expression makes me really wish "as long as you're okay," even to the ones who have hurt me the most. They are relatives of the Oberoi Trident hotel manager, reacting as his body arrives at his hometown. (Picture from AP)

Indian Muslims release pigeons during their anti-terrorist protest in Mumbai with a sign saying, "kill terror not terrorist." (Picture from AP)

Although a group has already claimed responsibility for the attack, it seems unlikely that the real culprits and their motives will be uncovered any time soon. As the authorities try to figure out which way to point their fingers and their blame, I'm reminded, oddly enough, of what Alfred, played by the great Michael Caine, said in The Dark Knight, "Some men aren't looking for anything logical. He can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

I really do hope we haven't crossed that point of no return where we have finally given up on trying to understand each other and just let the guns start blazing. With the economy and the environment already in troubled water, I feel like chaos is hitting our shores in waves. It feels like we're on a slippery slope to our own Armageddon and I hope for our own sake that we will hang on and not let the hate and pain sweep us away.

Jason Mraz ft. James Morrison: Details in the Fabric

2008-11-28T11:33:00.001+08:00

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads and
Breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
But, if it's a broken arm then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your own name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine
Everything will be fine
mmmhmm

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Yeah everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
And go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
Hell no reason go on and scream
If you’re shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

Dashboard Confessional: This Ruined Puzzle

2008-11-26T11:35:00.003+08:00

This ruined puzzle is beige with the pieces all face down
so the placing goes slowly.
The picture's of anything other than it's mean to be.
But the hours they creep,
the patterns repeat.
Don't be concerned, you know I'll be fine on my own.
I never said "don't go."
I've hidden a note,
it's pressed between pages that you've marked to find your way back.
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"
But what if the pages stay pressed,
the chapters unfinished,
the storied too dull to unfold?
Does he ever get the girl?

This basement's a coffin.
I'm buried alive.
I'll die in here just to be safe.
I'll die in here just to be safe.
'Cause you're gone.
I get nothing
and you're off with barely a sigh.
I never said, "Goodbye."

but i've hidden a note,
it's pressed between pages that you've marked to find your way back.
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"

but i've hidden a note,
it's pressed between pages that you'll read if you're so incline.
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"

But the hours they creep,
the patterns repeat.
Don't be concerned, you know I'll be fine on my own.
I never said "don't go."

Does he ever get the girl?

Why the fuck...

2008-11-24T18:09:00.003+08:00

Why am I thinking about it again?
Seriously, I'm trying hard to be better, I move on and I keep busy...
and I make sure I change the channel in my fucked up head...
So why do I still feel every bit the same after all this time?
I can't help but think it's not fair,
What happens when you let go but the memories just won't leave?
No use apologizing, but it's suppose to be my story and I should get
to write the ending...
Not like this...
I realized how fucking useless I am,
let me forget or shoot me in the head cuz I've decided
the fuck with it all...

Not Again

2008-11-23T23:37:00.002+08:00

Not again, you creep into my head
there's nothing familiar about this place,
so howcome when the rain starts to pour I still see your face?
not again, I thought I was done
on my way, on my own but still I realized you had won
long time ago when I decided I'd give you all I had
along with the will to hate
it was never much, but I suppose
this is why we're a world away

I was never a singer, maybe that would have been better
sing my heart our for you and make you love no other
I was never a painter, I'm sure that would have been better
draw the way you hide in your coat like that lovely winter
I was never too good a lover, maybe that's what really mattered
sorry for all the times I made you cry you deserved better

so is it too late to say goodbye?
what's the point anyway when you're not by my side
so is it too late to apologize?
somewhere down the line I hope you can still be mine

Not again tonight, I remembered how you are not mine
but that's fine, cuz someday you will still be mine
at least that's what I tell myself when I lie
not again tonight...

Transient ordered to pay $101M for setting fires

2008-11-18T22:34:00.003+08:00

So, you sentence a HOMELESS guy who started two fires to prison where he gets free food and shelter and probably even makes a couple bucks an hour making license plates. AND THEN you order him to pay the state millions of dollar which he never had...Really, California?

LOS ANGELES – A homeless man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison and ordered to pay more than $101 million for starting two fires, including one that burned more than 163,000 acres in California two years ago.

Fifty-year-old Steven Emory Butcher was convicted in February of starting blazes in the Los Padres National Forest in 2002 and 2006.

The 2006 fire raged for more than a month and cost more than $78 million to suppress. It injured 18 people, destroyed 11 structures and was the fifth-largest fire in California history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The 2002 blaze burned 70 acres.

Suing the gang next door: Yakuza dragged to court

2008-11-17T14:19:00.001+08:00

I thought this was a very interesting article that depicts a very peculiar balance of societal norms in Japan and to a large extent, places like Hong Kong, Korean and Taiwan.

In these regions, "syndicates" are not always viewed in terms of black and white, good and evil. They sometimes operate just like any other businesses without little harrassment.

KURUME, Japan: Just like any other business, the Dojinkai was always attentive to the needs of the residents surrounding its headquarters here. Its members adhered to the sacred rules of living in a Japanese neighborhood by handing out small moving-in gifts, exchanging greetings with the neighbors and, needless to say, properly sorting out their trash.

Never mind that the Dojinkai has long been one of Japan's top organized crime syndicates, or yakuza. When it came to the all-important social rules governing Japanese neighborhoods, the Dojinkai was neighborly enough that a young hairstylist did not hesitate to open a fashionable salon, complete with music by Enya, a stone's throw away from the headquarters.

But residents began worrying two years ago after factional fighting spilled out onto the streets, one time with machine-gun fire and explosions.

More than 600 residents recently went to court to oust the Dojinkai from its six-story headquarters, located in a prominent commercial area near the main train station in this medium-size city in western Japan.

The lawsuit was the first of its kind in Japan, where the yakuza's offices tend to be out in the open. It shined a spotlight on how the yakuza - long considered a necessary evil, tolerated by, and sometimes politically allied with, the authorities - occupy a place much closer to society's mainstream than its American counterparts do. But it has also challenged that seemingly secure position...

Full Article at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/16/asia/yakuza.php

James Morrison- This Boy

2008-11-16T23:12:00.000+08:00

This boy wants to play
There's no time left today
It's a shame coz he has to go home
This boy's got to work, got to sweat
Just to pay what he gets to get left all alone

Let's step outside
Let's go for a ride just for a while
No we won't get caught
Well that's what I thought until we cried

I'm still here
But it hasn't been easy
I'm sure
That you had your reasons
I'm scared
Of all this emotion
For years I've been holding it down
For years I've been holding it down

This girl tries her best every day
But it's all gone to waste
Coz there's no one around
This girl she can draw she can paint
Likes to dance she can skate
Now she don't make a sound

We'll play in the park until it's too dark for us to see
Well we'll make our way home
With mud on our clothes
She won't be pleased

For years I've been holding it down
And I'd love to forgive and forget
So I'll try to put all this behind us
Just know that my arms are wide open
The older I get the more than I know
Well it's time to let this go

I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go

James Blunt- Same Mistake

2008-11-16T21:53:00.000+08:00

If I could do it all again, I'd do it in a heartbeat

Saw the world turning in my sheets and once again I cannot sleep.
Walk out the door and up the street; look at the stars beneath my feet.
Remember rights that I did wrong, so here I go.
Hello, hello. There is no place I cannot go.
My mind is muddy but my heart is heavy. Does it show?
I lose the track that loses me, so here I go.
And so I sent some men to fight, and one came back at dead of night.
Said he'd seen my enemy. Said he looked just like me,
So I set out to cut myself and here I go.
I'm not calling for a second chance,
I'm screaming at the top of my voice.
Give me reason but don't give me choice.
'Cause I'll just make the same mistake again.
And maybe someday we will meet, and maybe talk and not just speak.
Don't buy the promises 'cause, there are no promises I keep.
And my reflection troubles me, so here I go.
I'm not calling for a second chance,
I'm screaming at the top of my voice.
Give me reason but don't give me choice.
'Cause I'll just make the same mistake,
I'm not calling for a second chance,
I'm screaming at the top of my voice.
Give me reason but don't give me choice.
'Cause I'll just make the same mistake again.
Saw the world turning in my sheets and once again I cannot sleep.
Walk out the door and up the street; look at the stars.
Look at the stars fall down.
And wonder where did I go wrong.

Semisonic: Closing Time

2008-11-16T12:25:00.001+08:00

Closing time - time for you to go out, go out into the world.
Closing time - turn the lights up over every boy and every girl.
Closing time - one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time - you dont have to go home but you cant stay here.

I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
Take me home...

Closing time - time for you to go back to the places you will be from.
Closing time - this room wont be open til your brothers or you sisters come.
So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits - I hope you have found a
Friend.
Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.

Yeah, I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
Take me home...

Closing time - time for you to go back to the places you will be from...

I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
Take me home...

1973

2008-11-15T23:34:00.000+08:00

Simona
You're getting older
Your journey's been
Etched on your skin.

Simona
Wish I had know that
What seemed so strong
Has been and gone.

Chrous:
I would call you up every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out 'til the morning light
And we sang "Here we go again."
And though time comes by
I will always be in a club with you in 1973
Singing "Here we go again."

Simona
Wish I was sober
So I could see clearly now
The rain has gone.

Simona
I guess it's over
My memory plays our tune
The same old song.

I would call you up every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out 'til the morning light
And we sang "Here we go again."
And though time goes by
I will always be in a club with you in 1973
Singing "Here we go again."

I would call you up every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out 'til the morning light
And we sang "Here we go again."
And though time goes by
I will always be in a club with you in 1973
Singing "Here we go again."

I would call you up every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out 'til the morning light
And we sang "Here we go again."
And though time goes by
I will always be in a club with you in 1973
Singing "Here we go again."
And though time goes by
I will always be in a club with you in 1973

Maybe

2008-11-13T11:44:00.000+08:00

I'm so sorry, I guess the time just wasn't right....

Maybe it's the moonlight, that set us free
Maybe it's the way you walk, I can still see
Maybe it's the way you smell, that light-scented sweet
Maybe it's just you and me, that makes it so easy...

Loneliness is a friend I should never have,
but I've come to live with it lord knows why
Perhaps one day you will understand,
Why I have to go, the burden is mine

I'm sorry you are a victim of my insecurity
I never meant to hurt you, that please believe
hate me, curse me, do what you will to ease
the pain cuz I can't change what's inside of me

Maybe one day you will see the world form my view
and understand why there is always a wound
in my heart, a gaping void filled only with solitude
I'm sorry I made you cry, made you feel the world is cruel
but please understand my pain,
I have a demon inside of me, insecurity is his name

Client Education

2008-11-12T19:52:00.000+08:00

Barring recent events, I have decided to give my two cents on this subject.

Client education, without it we, as PR "professionals" are nothing more than mindless monkeys sitting in front of the monitor punching every single word that is being dictated to us.

In the relatively young business market of China, PR and advertising is a new industry that enjoys little regulation and a bright open space to run and play. However, that privilege also comes at the price of an understanding. Actually, it's more of a lack of understanding from the client's part on how exactly to utilize this new toy they have called "public relations."

Rather than valuing its indirect approach, clients in China should not demand the same media approach as "advertising," which is ALWAYS bought, not earned. PR can seem very obscure and even insignificant at times because it is about the manipulation of media to achieve a goal, not simply buying an outcome. That's what makes PR more effective than advertising interms of credibility. If the clients do not understand this key difference, we are nothing more than monkeys typing out a not-so-good novel dictated through our ears. We, as PR professionals, are here to give strategic consulting, creative solutions, not providing grammar checks and type jobs. We are the brains, not the hands.

Somebody please drill this into their heads. WOOSA.

He's Got the Whole World In His Hands

2008-11-05T21:32:00.000+08:00

If you don't know what happened today, you need to come out of your cave, rock or whatever it is that you've been trapped in or under.

Barack Obama will be sworn in office in January, 2009 and he will be the 44th President of what's still the world's greatest superpower today. Oh, did I mention he is also the first African American to accomplish such a feat?

Obama's now-famous campaign slogan, Change We Can Believe In, is a testament to his historic candidacy and the belief he has instilled not just in America, but perhaps around the world. As a product in today's multicultural world, those in my generation knows no geographical bound and I often pride myself on being at the very least, open and aware to various cultures.

Today, however, I found out what it really meant to be "diverse." In Kenya, the government announced a public holiday for Obama as people danced and sang. In the UK, people watched the election in theaters and some expressed hopes that one day a Black Prime Minister may be the face of all Britons. In Pakistan, people expressed high hopes for Obama to improve the West-East relationship in the region. In Russia, where recent disputes have possibly launched the second Cold War, President Dimitri Medvedev expressed hopes to work with President-elect Obama. In Shanghai, offices stopped to listen to his acceptance speech as people hopes he will bring on a new age of partnership between the two giant gorillas of the world's fate.

I do not believe McCain would be any less of a leader had he won today. However, the world today paints a very different picture than when McCain served his country. Today, oil and stock has replaced missiles as weapons of mass destructions (well, in most part anyway) and the world is so separated that communication is no longer valued, only hostility and self-preservation. In times like these, we do need a leader whose background gives him a first hand experience at the different cultures in the world so that he may work with them in the future.

Obama is no Jesus Christ. He does not walk on water, then turn it into wine and god knows he has been dragged through the mud and shown weaknesses during this gruelsome election. But I belive his campaign has started something new. For starters, young people now are much more engaged in politics and it will certainly serve us better to have the "future" take part in the present.

More importantly, there is hope. The world is still too heavy a burden and perhaps too damaged to be carried even on Obama's shoulders, but I think he has started soemthign special and the belief that "anything is possible" will ripple through the world and encourage more changes for the better. There is no magic pill for the trouble we have brought onto ourselves today, may it be the economy or the environment, but I think the sense of hope has been rekindled.

In a desperate world, it seems that the hope of not just America, but the world rests in Obama's hands. I think, however, this shows how starved we are for a real change in the world...Leaders who does not rule with just their own prosperity in mind, but those who are willing to work together.

So, if a black man who grew up in an Indonesian orphanage and has the middle name "Hussein" can go on to be the president of United States, who's to say that someday you and I can't do something truly world-changing.

This, I think, is more powerful than any one of Obama's rhetorics or speeches. This is the most powerful attribute of his legacy.

Now, let's hope the changes that we believe in can turn out to be changes we see.

Coldplay: The Scientist

2008-11-04T23:15:00.001+08:00

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are

I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I've set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start

Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on the science apart

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Oh tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start

Running in circles
Chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard

I’m going back to the start

Keeping...Too Busy?

2008-11-03T23:46:00.000+08:00

Things are really starting to pile up as the end of the year draws near.
More and more events are coming up, which generally means longer, if not more erratic hours.
I suppose right now being kept busy is better than unemployed even if I do wish for more free time.
But when I do have time, I don't know what to do with it.
So hopefully, these next few months will polish away my green horns.
Regardless, I have promised that I would never lose myself in the work, as rewarding as it can be sometimes.
Busy is good, but I chose still, to remember and not forget...

Numb

2008-11-03T09:57:00.000+08:00

A lot of questioning has been going on in my head of late,
and it has been rotting me from the inside out.
Mostly I wonder, does she miss me? Does she think about me when she's alone at night? Does she see me when she looks at him?
But more than anything else, I ask, why?
There are so many ways to ask this question and no way to answer it.
The only one would be, why not?
The leo inside of me tears myself apart for losing something that I thought was mine.
But you have two faces, how I forget. Now I am on the outside looking in, at a face I don't recognize; a face not meant for my eyes.
Now, you're a wall. The more thoughts I throw at you, the more it bounces back.
The more I try to hate you for this, the more hate I get back for myself.
Why hate, when you can only love?
So I throw in the towel.
I have given up trying to forget everything about her,
because the more I try, the more I remember,
replaying every little detail over and over again.
So let it come, let it come wave after wave,
remind me, remind me, remind me...
Let me remember everything until the memories hurt me so deeply
that I'm just indifferent, numb...
Perhaps then my insides won't churn anymore when you and him creep into my head.
Let the waves come, I will stand my ground until I don't taste the salt in the water,
until I don't feel the cold running through my veins, let it come until I am numb.
Until then, I will sleep with the ghosts every night.

Gift and Curses

2008-11-03T09:56:00.001+08:00

Mary belongs to the words of a song.
I try to be strong for her, try not to be wrong for her.
But she will not wait for me anymore, anymore.
Why did I say all those things before I was sure?

(She is the one), but I have a purpose,
(She is the one), and I have to fight this,
(she is the one), the villain I can't knock down.

I see your face with every punch I take,
and every bone I break, it's all for you.
And my worst pains are words I cannot say,
still I will always fight on for you.

Mary's alive in the bright New York sky,
the city lights shine for her, above them I cry for her.
Everything's small on the ground below, down below.
What if I fall, then where would I go, would she know?

(She is the one), all that I wanted,
(she is the one), and I will be haunted,
(she is the one), this gift is my curse for now.

I see your face with every punch I take,
and every bone I break, it's all for you.
And my worst pains are words I cannot say.
Still I will always fight on for you.

Chronic Fatigue

2008-11-02T13:16:00.000+08:00

I find myself always feeling tired.
After every smile, every time I laugh I feel a little bit more fatigue inside.
Every now and then what and who I shouldn't think about creeps into my head,
tearing open again wounds that I try very hard to conceal.
It feels like the butterflies, only....a lot heavier.
It weighs me down, body and soul.
I carry on, I do.
I walk, talk, work like I do every other day.
But what do you when you're half way around the world,
yet you are still reminded of her?
Read the memo, Andy...Read the damn memo...
The world owes you nothing and they'll give you nothing.
I tried to focus on your flaws,
yet what comes to mind are all that is good
I tried to forget, but all I do is remember
I tried to hate, but all I do is...
Just go, Andy why don't you listen
pack up your things, swallow your pain and go
run through memory lane and burn it, burn it all until you can't recognize it
stay out of your head because this is where you will come to die, my friend
here is the graveyard of all your strength, your will and your smile
where ghosts gather and haunt you until you become one of them
dump it all out and walk away,
Nobody asked for your story, and nobody will sigh for your sorrows
so why write it on your face?
Put a mask on it and wait until that becomes your true face.
Then you will be alright, then you will forget.
for now, write all you can and release it from your mind,
for now, let this be the only asylum of all your sorrow, your heartbreak
and all your pain...
Because, nobody knows and nobody's waiting to listen
You are your own man, a broken one, but your own man.
So be one.
Be a man that walks faster than his past, and not one that's dragged by it.
Look far and walk fast, my friend...

I am a fool, after all this I'm still staring at the ground, waiting for the courage to pick up my feet...
Someday soon, or so I think...

Memo to Self

2008-11-01T11:58:00.000+08:00

Pick up your pieces and keep moving,
Time waits for no man, especially a broken man,
Why dwell on the past? It won't change
Nobody cares how long you wait for the train, as long as you're on it
I am your voice of reason, the way you should be,
My words hurt you and open up the wound,
But in time we will be alright,
I am your wisest friend, but why do you never listen to me?
In time the sun will shine I promise you,
But you need to pick up your feet and chase down that train,
in stead of waiting for the one that will never show up,
She's gone and so should you,
Pick up your feet and chase that train,
When you find out your best friend is me, you should go
Hit the road, no matter where you go,
Go down the road, take a left, another right and lose yourself
Forget where you came from and forget where you're going, just go
I am now your best friend, but I shouldn't be
You can lose anything but not your courage,
Please just go, chase down that train and ride it until the sun comes up again
I don't know who will be there when you get off,
But I know you should forget who was there when you got on,
I know you're tired but it's time to go again,
Nobody waits, and nobody loves a broken man...

Release

2008-11-01T11:39:00.000+08:00

My own thoughts are my worst enemy,
We're not switches but we ought to be,
Can't see through the haze around me,
Into the wall is where I keep running,
Please give me the sweet, sweet release
In a pill, a bullet or a glass, make it two...

Just Feel Better

2008-11-01T00:52:00.000+08:00

She said I feel stranded
And I can't tell anymore
If we coming or I'm going
It's not how I planed it
I've got the key to the door
But it just won't open

And I know, I know, I know
Part of me says let it go
That life happens for a reason
I don't, I don't, I don't
It goes I never went before
But this time, this time

I'm gonna try anything ta just feel better
Tell me what to do yeah

You know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything ta just feel better

And I can't find my way
God I need a change
And I do anything ta just feel better
Any little thing ta just feel better

She said I need you to hold me
I'm a little far from the shore
And I'm afraid of sinking
You're the only one who knows me
And who doesn't ignore
That my soul is weeping

I know, I know, I know
Part of me says let it go
Everything must have it seasons
Round and round it goes
And every day's a one before
But this time, this time

I'm gonna try anything ta just feels better
Tell me what to do
You know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything ta just feel better

And I can't find my way
God I need a change
And I do anything ta just feel better
Any little thing ta just feel better

I'm tired of holding on
To all things I ought to leave behind, yeah
It's really getting nowhere
I think I need a little help this time!

I'm gonna try anything ta just feel better
Tell me what to do
You know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything ta just feel better

And I can't find my way
Girl I need a change
And I'll do anything ta just feel better
Any little thing ta just feel better

Stop Crying Your Heart Out

2008-10-31T21:25:00.000+08:00

Do as You Preach......

Hold up
Hold on
Don't be scared,
You'll never change what's been and gone
May your smile, (may your smile)
Shine on, (shine on)
Don't be scared, (don't be scared)
Your destiny may keep you warm,

'Cause all of the stars,
Have faded away
Just try not to worry,
You'll see them someday,
Take what you need,
And be on your way and
Stop crying your heart out

Get up, (get up)
Come on, (come on)
Why you scared? (I'm not scared)
You'll never change what's been and gone

'Cause all of the stars,
Have faded away
Just try not to worry,
You'll see them some day,
Take what you need,
And be on your way and
Stop crying your heart out

'Cause all of the stars,
Have faded away
Just try not to worry,
You'll see them someday.
Just take what you need,
And be on your way and
Stop crying your heart out

We're all of the stars,
We're fading away.
Just try not to worry,
You'll see us someday.
Just take what you need,
And be on your way and
Stop crying your heart out.

Thin Ice

2008-10-31T14:25:00.000+08:00

I have a million things to say and they're all bursting out of my head, my brain and my gut that it's searing through my insides.

I will tread gently across the ice, one crack and I will drown in icy-cold laughter and ghosts from the past. One crack and I will fall through the thin ice of sanity and sink down to the abyss.

They say what don't kill you only makes you stronger. Why, then, do I find myself reaching for the gun?

In time, all in good time. For now, I guess, the pain will be a reminder of what was good. For now, I'll walk gently across the thin ice, one small fearful step at a time...

Please Fasten Your Seatbelts

2008-10-29T10:30:00.000+08:00

Today in Shenzen, a woman tried to jump off a building after she lost every last penny of her savings on the stocks. She went to the trading software company, demanding a refund for the e-trading program and compensation for her loss in the market but was unsuccessful.

I think news like this really underlines how connected we are in today's world, where money, especially those in the market, is not just power, but also a gun with the safety off. If you play with it long enough, chances are one day you'll get shot in the face without any warning.

There are no safe havens for this storm that we are weathering. If one goes down, we all go down. It's only a matter of sooner or later. So brace yourself folks, I'm no econ guru but I get the feeling that the stars are about to be re-aligned.

Hope we'll still be left standing when the dust settles.

Six

2008-10-28T17:17:00.000+08:00

Montreal-based McGill University is launching a unique campaign that asks its participants to sum up their lives, or the world in general, in six simple words.

With the amount of information overflowing and overloading us every second of the day, it's almost impossible to do this with clarity and make some sense of our world in such a chaotic and unforgiving time.

What will your six word novel say about you or the world? Please share. I have yet to come up with my own.

Apparently, Ernest Hemingway once wrote "for sale: baby shoes, never worn." Meaning? Beats the hell out of me.

Sunday Morning Blues

2008-10-26T12:03:00.000+08:00

Twisting and turning in the middle of the night, I finally fell asleep out of exhaustion. For a moment in my dreams I was back, and so happy. But when I woke up to unfamiliar sounds and found myself back in this new place that I suddenly call home, I can't help but wonder.

I wonder if this is the right decision. I wonder if this is a detour in the journey, or have my tracks been separated. When I walk out that door, I make sure I have a smile on my face and I enjoy the way things are, or aren't, here. From the moment I leave I keep it all buried inside until I come home, when I'm so tired that I fall right asleep so that it won't catch up to me. But that's why I hate Sundays now, because it reminds me of what I don't have anymore.

Here, everything I see, hear, smell and taste feels like home. But why is it that I feel everything but at home? Perhaps in time it will subside, perhaps in time I will be stronger for it; but what if I don't want to be? What if I don't want to forget?
The past is like cancer sometimes. You've got to get rid of it or kill it somehow, but in the process you'll also be killing a lot of the good part. So what do you do? What can you do?

For now I hope to keep moving, no, running. The faster I run, the less I think and I find that very therapeutic. That's why I hate Sundays now, because there's no where to run on Sundays, just into the wall.

I hear the bell and thank god for it. Time to keep moving with a smile again.

Funny Random Moments in Shanghai

2008-10-23T10:09:00.000+08:00

Every now and then I find my self laughing at the way people act around here. Not at them, just....well okay at them but I can't help it. I'm not better than them, but it's just so damn funny that I want to put it down.

1. On the subway, a guy jumps onto the train and starts throwing little cards with ads on empty seats. It's pretty much a drive-by because he's relaly flipping them fast. But then he accidentally throws one in the face of this middle-aged guy that's eating gawd knows what on the subway. The guy goes "aiyahh! !@&(*#&!" and runs after the guy to yell at him, leaving his breakfast and bag on the floor. I start laughing uncontrollably cuz the guy with the cards is trying to sprint away from him.

2. It's noon and I'm walking to get some lunch and see this guy sleeping under a tree on the sidewalk. Face up, snoring and using a bottle of half empty Pepsi for a pillow. The only problem is the bottle keeps rolling off and he keeps bobbing off. If this isn't a great ad for Pepsi then I don't know what is.

3. This really abnoxiously loud man is talking on the cellphone on the subway and he's just f*cking loud. When he finally starts to get off the subway at a stop, he slips and drops his cellphone through the crack between the platform and the car. He quickly bends down to try and grab it but the door starts to close and boy it's fast. The door slams into his butt and clips his head for a second, holding him there until it reopened. He quickly jumped off to yell at the conductor and everyone laughs.

The above stories really did take place and I'm sure there will be more.

Moment of Clarity

2008-10-21T10:08:00.000+08:00

99 percent of the time, I enjoy spilling my guts out onto the computer screen. I enjoy venting my daily frustrations, I enjoy voicing my occasional blues and I enojoy sharing my random thoughts. From time to time, I tend to dwell on the past and every little detail that has cast a mark in my heart; but today will be different.

As I sat down before the computer, firing up my browser and getting ready to blog about something that really ticked me off on the subway today, Anita messaged me.
Anita, together with Elton, are not only the nicest couple that I know from my days in Buffalo but they are also some of the most genuine and kindest souls that I have ever known. The first five minutes were typical, she asked me about what I have been doing these days with my new career and I selfishly wanting to talk about my own world. But then I found. Anita is a mom.

At first, I couldn't grasp the situation but when I saw the blog it all became very clear. My problems are so miniscule and insignificant. In today's world, where divorce rates seems to be higher than the gas price, it is nto only rare, but heart-warming to see two people making it work. Little Jesse has Elton's eyes and Anita's nose. The blog is not only full of adorable pictures of their fulfilling lives but you can tell the love that both Elton and Anita has for their little bundle of joy. I've known them as friends; Anita being a fun-loving and ooptimistic big girl and Elton being the big brother that can tell me all about cars and play Call of Duty together (Elton, don't deny). But with Jesse, I see the other side of their beautiful soul, the nurturing and selfless side that I rarely see in other people.

Thank you, Anita, for making my day. This is the kind of bombshell that I don't mind getting. More importantly, thank you for keeeping me in the loop and I feel very privileged to be on your busy thoughts, even for a brief moment.

Life is full of hassels, big and small. But all the frictions from this dog-eat-dog world seems meaningless in a moment like this. I'll try to keep this warm and fuzzy feeling as I keep moving on, maybe this way I won't lose myself in this seemingly endless city.

Song of the Moment

2008-10-20T13:43:00.000+08:00

Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won
So I took what's mine by eternal right
Took your soul out into the night
It may be over but it won't stop there
I am here for you if you'd only care
You touched my heart, you touched my soul
You changed my life and all my goals
And love is blind and that I knew when
My heart was blinded by you
I've kissed your lips and held your hand
Shared your dreams and shared your bed
I know you well, I know your smell
I've been addicted to you

Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me

I am a dreamer and when I wake
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take
And as you move on, remember me
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile

I've watched you sleeping for a while
I'd be the father of your child
I'd spend a lifetime with you
I know your fears and you know mine
We've had our doubts but now we're fine
And I love you, I swear that's true
I cannot live without you

Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me

And I still hold your hand in mine
In mine when I'm asleep
And I will bare my soul in time
When I'm kneeling at your feet

Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow

Disoriented in the Orient

2008-10-20T09:50:00.001+08:00

Since the hiccup with WordPress seems to be at least inavoidable for now, I've decided to record the daily and sometimes (well, mostly) random thoughts that I have distilled from sitting in the office everyday. I hope soon I'll be able to get back on WP but until then I will post directly and indirectly on both blogs so that I can continue to share my experience in this uncharted territory with you.

Today's the first day of my second week. As usual, I hopped on my hour-long subway ride to work with my "Coffwie Amewicana" from Starbucks (sorry I shouldn't poke fun, the little girl at the counter is actually quite adorable and has always been nice to me). I have learned, through a week of trial and error, to go straight to the end of the mile-long train and plant my skinny butt on the first opening that I could find. As a result, I am no longer the middle of the battlefield where boys and girls, grandmas and grandpas trade elbows to the ribs and box each other out harder than NBA players jostling for rebounds. I have learned to slowly sip my coffee while using my kung fu sense to dodge the occasional newspaper swiping my way or the frequent rhino stump from the guy or girl (sometimes with their hair I can't tell) standing in front of me.

Strangely enough, I still feel more at home in Boston. Funny how I couldn't finish the alphabet until I was 11 and now I feel lost without it. There are Chinese signs everywhere and I know that I understand perfectly, but yet I need an extra second to process the information. I'm sure in time I'll adjust to the language but I'm not so sure for the culture. People seems to be going to whereever it is that they are going at about 100 miles per hour. Pushing and shoving without the slightest gesture of apology and dare I say it, spitting in the street. Occasionally you do meet one of the nicer and more polite ones but those are rare finds.

Overcompensating is the word that comes to mind when I think of Shanghai these days. With its golden era and cultural heritage in the past, the Paris of the East is expanding in the new world with big foreign money, expensive brands, fast cars and big price tags. The city is still beautiful and amazing, but you get the feeling that the filling in the bread is taken out.

I love my job, the office is great and I enjoy doing the work. But sometimes you just get the feeling that there's this small void missing in this metropolis. There's still no warm hellos yet but I suppose I should be happy that more than a handful of people know my name now. For now, Chief Wiggum, Scratchy and Duffman who stand on my computer will have to give me the strangth and companionship I need.

When you're on your own your mind tend to wonders and sometimes bring you the blues. But for now I will plow on and hope for the best. I wish you all well and I hope I'll get to see some, if not all of you some day not far away. Until then, take care and good luck.