Hit 17.9km this weekend, the longest run in my life. Heh, that is so cool to say, the longest run in my life. :)
Woke up early and took a cab down to AMK. Inadvertently took a longer route to Upper Pierce. Saw a lot of smiling joggers coming out of Upper Pierce as we entered. They all looked very happy for some reason. (I think they were finishing their runs that's why!) Smiled and waved and smiled some more.
Upper Pierce had its share of hills, but nothing like the hills at the golf course. By the time we got there, the sun was beating down on our heads. Phew. Somehow managed to smile and wave at a few golfers while huffing up the hills.
It felt good to turn into the trail at MacRitchie for more reason than one. First, it was much shadier than the road; second, it was familiar ground. Stopped at the Ranger's Station to top up the water bottle (710ml) and to use the loo. Saw a furry little catepillar there too. Then it was the rocky trial, the golf link, the scenic path, the boardwalk again, then out of MacRitchie onto the road again.
Stopped to get a 100-plus from the vending machine at MacRitchie. We didn't have coins so we SMSed "PUK" to 54848, made our drink selection, and out tumbled our can of drink! How cool is that! The cost will be charged to our next mobile phone bill. Topped up the water bottle again. The water cooler at the top of the hill at MacRitchie dispenses really cold water. Excellent stuff.
The road after MacRitchie was tiring. I think it was because my body was not used to running for such a long time. Even though most of the route was flat, everything felt like an uphill -- as if I had wet sand in my shoes. I kept thinking, just 20 minutes more and we'll stop, 15 minutes more and we'll stop, 14 minutes more, and so on and so forth. It is funny how time manages to crawl by so slowly sometimes.
Well, we finally got to stop. Took a bus back to AMK, had some mushroom chicken mee and an ice cold coke for brunch, then it was back home for a shower and a nap.
One more month to the half marathon.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Weekend Long Run
Jesus, a modern American?
I don't know if it is just me, but Jesus sounds like a brash American in Eugene Peterson's The Message.
In Mark 8:34, he says to Peter, "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."
Then he tells his disciples, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?"
And then Jesus "drove it home" by saying, "This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force."
What does "pie in the sky by and by" mean anyway?
Friday, October 28, 2005
Planning for the weekend run
Map image courtesy of malsingmaps.com.
Has anyone done the route from Upper Pierce to MacRitchie? What is it like?
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Sweet dreams are made of cheese
Guess what the British Cheese Board (hee hee) found out in their study? If you are female and want to dream about Jamie Oliver cooking in your kitchen, eat 20g of Brie 30 minutes before going to bed!
If you want to dream about celebrities (smudgi3 this is for you and your `mr pouty lips'), take 20g of cheddar instead.
If you want odd and vivid dreams, such as a dream about a vegetarian crocodile who was upset because he could not eat children, have some Stilton cheese.
And if you don't want any dreams at all, have Cheshire.
Okay, okay, who wants to do an experiment along with me involving a chunk of Stilton cheese? :)
(Read entire article here, link via Laura, who wrote a great poem about the effects of Beenleigh Blue cheese.)
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
I put words
I put words
one after another
hap,hazard,ly
and make me a poem.
I put words
string them like beads
red white green purple
bedazzling my prey.
I put words
in with my thumb
And send them away
Into someone's pocket.
I put words
with ink on paper
paying the bill
of modern living.
I put words
one after another
hap,hazard,ly
and make me a poem.
New shoebag
New shoebag, a present from S. :)
It is large enough to fit my running clothes and socks too. That's my blue running top you see underneath the "Adidas" logo.
I like it. :)
Btw, I've enjoyed the ride on my new Asics GT-2100 so far. It is a little roomier in the toebox compared to my old GT-1090. It also gives more support -- but that is an unfair comparison as I can hardly remember what my GT-1090 felt like when they were new. A bit slippery on wet pavement, not sure why, will observe further.
On The Straits Times Journalist
A poem by Humbert Wolfe (1885-1940)
You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
Straits Times* journalist.
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.
* Original, British
Monday, October 24, 2005
The Perfect Solution to Measure Distance
This is by far the perfect solution for penny pinching runners. Since Streetdirectory started charging for its route calculation services, I've been searching around for the best solution to calculate the distance of my romps around Singapore. I've finally found it. It is the free software MapEdit, coupled with a map of Singapore studiously put together by a few dedicated GPS enthusiasts in Singapore and Malaysia. What a great bunch of folks! I am very appreciative of their hard work.
Instructions:
1. Install MapEdit
2. Register as a member at malsingmaps.com
3. Download Singapore map
4. Open Singapore map with MapEdit
This is a screenshot of the Singapore map on MapEdit.
To calculate distance on MapEdit:
1. Zoom in to required area.
2. Select "Create object" on toolbar.
3. Mark points of route with mouse.
4. When done, right-click and select "End".
5. Specify type of object (as far as a runner is concerned, this changes only the colour and thickness of the line drawn in) and name the route.
6. To see distance of route, select "Select Objects" on toolbar. (That's the little white arrow.)
7. Right-click on route and select "Properties". The distance is in the "Elements" tab.
To save map with running routes:
1. Save map in "Polish format".
2. Export map to "Garmin IMG/ cgpsmapper.exe".
3. Save map.
As a bonus, malsingmaps.com also has downloadable maps of the roads and trails in Malaysia. Best of all, this solution is completely free. It does not require an internet solution, and is quick and easy to use. :) Great stuff eh?
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Eyewitness to a suicide
Saw too many things on the jog yesterday evening with S. Gosh, too many things…
First, along Yio Chu Kang Road, just as we were about to reach the top of a gently sloping hill, I saw a small bronze snake sharing the pavement with us. It was a good thing that S didn’t see it at first; she stepped awfully close to the snake. Somehow seeing a snake on a pavement is less scary to me than seeing a snake on the MacRitchie trails. I suppose there is some sense of false security in concrete.
That was nothing compared to what we saw next though. On the junction of Buangkok Green and Yio Chu Kang Road, just as I paused my stopwatch, I saw a person fall from the block directly across the junction from us. The person hit the ground with a sound of a sandbag falling on the ground, literally a thud. I started yelling – pointed it out to S – somehow she didn’t see it happen – and started asking passerbys if they could lend us their handphone to call the ambulance. At that point I was starting to doubt my eyes if I really saw a person fall. This kind chap lent us his phone; I dialled 995, talked to the emergency man while S ran across the street to check it out. I followed her while still on the phone, saw the person lying on the ground, freaked out, and asked the emergency services to `please come quickly’.
S was so brave. I am very proud of her. We were the only persons there at that point. She said she was scared, but she went over to the person to check for a pulse on his neck. There was a weak pulse on the neck, but no pulse on the wrist. She contemplated turning him over to do CPR, but decided that she did not want to risk breaking his neck and the pulse was too weak anyway. The person was twisted in a way that suggested that he may have broken his spine and neck in the fall. We decided to wait for the ambulance to come.
There was a young Indian couple who came down from the block soon after. I saw them looking over the parapet soon after the guy jumped. He told us that he had seen `the fella’ trying to jump from his block and he had come over to stop him. He said, “What are you doing?” to the man, and the man only laughed at him. They lost sight of him and before they knew it, he had jumped over. The girl started crying. It must have been hard for them.
The police showed up quickly. They condoned off the area with police tape and a makeshift tent over the person. S and I wondered about their assumption that the man was dead, but I suppose it keeps the gawkers away. The police asked us a few questions, we told them what we saw, and eventually the paramedics showed up with a stretcher and an ECG machine. We left at this point, rather shaken, and before we continued our jog, paused to pray for him and his family.
It was all rather traumatic and I still can’t help replaying the scene of him falling from the block in my mind. The rest of the jog was quiet and sad, full of thoughts. It is vital that we build a society that allows the elderly in Singapore mobility, income, and self-esteem, a society that allows people a way out of a deep hole, whether bankruptcy, failing health, or mounting bills, a society that builds community. If not, what is the point of soaring economic growth?
The route came up to 10.4km. It is a lovely route, in spite of all the drama. We’ll probably be doing it again.
Friday, October 21, 2005
My excel file is a work of art
Prices:
Less than 20 -- $6
20 - 99 -- $6 (For every 20, 1 free)
100 - 499 -- $6 (For every 100, 10 free)
More than 500 -- $5
Because of the limit of a maximum of 7 nested variables in an IF formula, i.e. IF(A1>499,0,IF(A1>399,40,)) etc., vlookup had to be used.
The vlookup table was not pretty, but it did the job.
So now all you have to do is to put in the orders and the excel file will spit out the required number of free copies, as well as the bill to send to them.
Life would have been a lot easier (and more boring) if the marketing folks decided to simply give 5%, 10% and 15% off accordingly.
Psmith, Journalist
He is so kind. The incident with Master Maloney, a little kid who is the office boy of the paper Cosy Moments, made me fall head over heels for Psmith. Psmith, anticipating the arrival of thugs who would hit Maloney over the head, sends him off to the zoo on official leave on the premise that Maloney is too "important to the office" to have his head hit. Psmith does this with such charm and subtlety that it is impossible not to be in awe.
Going a little heavy-handed on Wodehouse here, Psmith reminds me that it is possible for different personalities to be Christ-like. Psmith is the very opposite of a monk -- his ambition, verbosity, upper-crustness, etc. -- yet, he is Christ-like too. It is very important to know this, I think. Sometimes we get daunted in this quest for godliness because we have in our minds a picture of what we should be if we were Christ-like. For example, there is the image of the soft-spoken, gentle, paitent, enduring, submissive, quiet woman of God that we sometimes have. For some of us, that image so jars with our personalities that we give up before we even start.
I beg to differ. I think a strong, assertive, talkative, "gi la" (hyper) woman can be Christ-like in her own way too. I don't mean that God does not want radical change from us -- just that sometimes we look only at the outward behaviour, when God wants to change the heart. There isn't a "personality type" that is more blessed, if you get my drift of meaning.
Anyway, I'll stop talking now. Too much coffee this morning is making me talk too much. Read More!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Garmin Geko 101
I am swaying towards a GPS sytem again, mostly because of the price factor. This is the Garmin Geko 101. It costs about S$170, which is half the price of the Polar RS200sd which is selling for a cool S$400 or so.
Alternatively, the Garmin Forerunner 101, an instrument specific for runners, is going for approximately S$170 as well. Joel gives a good comparision between the forerunner and the geko. I quote:
In a way comparing the Forerunner and the Geko is a little like comparing apples and oranges. The Forerunner is definitely a niche product for athletes. It trades away a number of features found in most GPS receivers for ease of use and specialized features for runners...
The Geko on the other hand is a small, general purpose GPS receiver that can be used by athletes. It acts as a data logger for your workouts, and by running software on your PC, you can get most of the statistical data provided by the Forerunner if not more. What you can't get from the Geko is the real time coaching information.
For me I'd be more comfortable taking a Geko on a long trail run out in the boonies (especially in places I've never been before), because of its advanced navigation capabilities and the fact you can carry spare batteries. I'd be perfectly happy using a Forerunner on more civilized runs and using it to fine tune my pacing.
So, here's my bottom line recommendations:
* If you're an athlete and care less about using a GPS receiver for navigation, get a Forerunner. Considering its features and capabilities, it's a pretty reasonably priced training tool. (2/24/04 - If you frequently trail run under heavy tree canopy, in canyons, or urban areas with lots of sky obstructions, you're probably going to get frustrated because of poor satellite coverage.)
* If you can only afford one GPS receiver and want to use it for workouts and navigation get a Geko. It's small, affordable and versatile. 2/15/04 - I'd personally favor the Geko over the newly announced Foretrex. The thought of relying on a GPS receiver for navigation that has a rechargeable battery you can't replace out in the middle of nowhere kind of bothers me.
I kinda like how the Geko looks compared to the Forerunner even though the functions of the Forerunner are more suited to my use. I like the compass and being able to mark my track and find my way around with the Geko -- that's just cool. Of course the Forerunner comes with Autopause (timing is puased when your speed gets below a certain level) and Autolap (automatically triggers a lap when you reach a certain distance) and with a handy wrist strap, but the Geko looks so much better.
The Polar RS200sd is probably more accurate and it comes with a heart rate monitor, but right now, that $170 price tag is calling my name. I only wish it was more like $140, but hey, one can't always have everything. Read More!
Jolly good read, what
Summer Lightning, second book in the series Life in Blandings, on the recommendation of tym, is about the theft of a very fat pig called Empress, the darling of a rich uncle's eye.
The Code of the Woosters is hilarious. Love the dialogue between Wooster and Jeeves. Just have to read the best bits of the dialogue aloud.
Going along the linguistic train of thought, do you think the Singaporean, "It is obvious, what!" originates from the British, "Jolly good read, what"? Any comments? Read More!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
'cuse me do you overpronate? (A simple test)
This is a simple test to see if you pronate when you walk/ run, tip courtesy of Dr. Low of the Shape workshop, shared by daisiki on the sgrunners forum.
1. Stand on one leg.
2. Bend other leg backwards.
3. On your standing leg, slowly bend and stand up again.
4. If you cannot do the above without trembling, it is likely that you pronate.
Kant and Hegel
Hegel: A Very Short Introduction
By Peter Singer
Borrowed this book to carry on where my reading in philosophy left off – at Kant. When I read Kant, I was impressed by his argument that what we know is always subject to the construct of time, space and substance, and therefore it is not possible to know reality independently of our sensory and organising framework. In this way, independent reality, or the world of the `thing-in-itself’, is forever beyond our knowledge.
One application of Kant’s philosophy is the refutation of the watchmaker’s theory for the existence of God. This is the logic of the watchmaker’s proof of God:
- You pick up a watch on the pavement.
- Because of the intricacies of design and workmanship, you know that the watch has a watchmaker.
- You look at the intricacies of the world we live in.
- You conclude by saying the world has to have a maker too.
Kant refutes this theory because while the watchmaker’s logic makes sense for a watch you pick up on the pavement, you cannot extend it to the creation of the world because that is beyond the framework of time, space and substance. It is simply unknowable as all our knowledge, our observations of the laws of nature, our experience, etc. only pertains to what we can perceive. There is no way to know anything independent of our perception.
Hegel tackles this in Phenomenology of Mind which is a search for `absolute knowledge’. This is his line of reasoning.
- An enquiry into knowing is immediately beset by doubts – does the instrument used to grasp reality distort reality? Take for example the way modern physicists find it impossible to observe the speed and location of subatomic particles because the act of observation interferes with them.
- One way to discover the true nature of reality is to subtract the distortion. For example, if you know the law of refraction you will be able to calculate the angle of a stick by observing the bent state in water.
- However, Hegel says knowledge is not like seeing. It cannot be subtracted from. Without knowledge, we would not know the stick at all. If we were to subtract, we would know nothing at all.
- Should we embrace the sceptical notion then that there is nothing we can truly know? But that in itself is self-refuting. If we are to doubt everything, why not doubt the claim that we can know nothing? Our scepticism also has its own presuppositions, such as there is such a thing as reality, and that knowledge is some kind of instrument by which we grasp reality.
- Therefore, we ought to plunge boldly into the stream of consciousness that is the starting point of all that we know.
We ought, says Kant, to become acquainted with the instrument, before we undertake the work for which it is to be employed; for if the instrument be insufficient, all our trouble will be spent in vain… But the examination of knowledge can only be carried out by an act of knowledge. To examine this so-called instrument is the same thing as to know it. But to seek to know before we know is as absurd as the wise resolution of Scholasticus, not to venture into the water until he had learned to swim.
And so Hegel refuted Kant. Read More!
Monday, October 17, 2005
'cuse me, do you overpronate?
After an early morning 12km run on Saturday, I trooped down to Suntec for the Runner's Day exhibition to get a free podiatry consultation and a free fitness test. For the free fitness test, you had to lie still for five minutes and the Polar watch would calculate your fitness level from your resting heart rate and rate of change. Although I've had coffee AND a long run before the fitness test (both not recommended), I took the test anyway and they told me that I was `elite' for my age group and sex. Sweet. Now I feel like a gurkha. :)
The wait for the podiatry consultation took much longer. When it was finally my turn, I had to run and step on this sensor board for the computer to analyse how I run. The podiatrist also asked me to show him where my hips were and he did a few measurements. I had hoped that the podiatrist would tell me that I was biomechanically effecient (haha! wishful thinking!) and I had nothing to worry about, but no, he told me,
- My foot collapses in (overpronate) when I run, more so on my right foot,
- I am slightly bow-legged and therefore my foot is prone to collapsing in even when I stand, and
- I have a heavy step.
So I decided that I would either get the Adidas Supernova Control, the Adidas Adistar Control, or the Asics GT-2100. Took a bus to Queensway, tried the Supernova on one foot and the Asics on the other and decided to get the Asics because it fit better.
These are my new shoes. :)
The Asics GT-2100 is a step up from my old pair, the Asics GT-1090, costing about $20 more. It was named Editor's Choice by the folks at Runner's World in 2004. It has a duo-density sole (the grey portion is denser than the white), personlised heel fit, reflective strips, moisture management sockliner, etc. etc. etc. I like. :) The only issue I have with the shoes are that the laces are too short. Aw well.
Adiós, mi amigo. You've served well. Now you get to retire. :) Read More!
Friday, October 14, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The ultimate reason for not eating that second piece of cheesecake
Python bursts after eating an alligator. See picture here.
Read More!Monday, October 10, 2005
No, not extinct
Sometimes the office is not any different from a jungle. My only advice: stay away from the saber-toothed tiger. Or she will tear you apart.
Quote to think about:
"Now, with God's help, I shall become myself." Soren Kierkegaard
A child of the campaigns
MacRitchie was overflowing the other day. Literally. The water flowed over the top of the dam, through the little holes, spurting and bursting into a mighty river. Watching all that water flowing so freely and abundantly towards the thirsty sea provoked in me a sense of horror that any Singaporean weaned on `Save Water’ campaigns would have felt.
Do you remember the ads with the drop of water falling from the tap and the words emblazoned on top: “Every drop counts”? This was an entire river left running.
To illustrate how deep seated this dismay I feel when I see a dripping tap:
When I was in America, I was actually provoked enough to forget my better manners and reach over to turn off the tap while my roommate brushed her teeth. Also in the US, my host asked me what in the world I was doing in the shower turning the tap on and off and on and off again. I could only reply sheepishly, "Er, save water?" She was quite amused.
Check out PUB's water-saving tips here. The pic above shows the importance of using a cup while brushing your teeth rather than a running tap. The government will also inform you that it borders on the sacrilegious to use a hose to wash your car. You should always use a pail.
I am so embarrassingly a child of the campaigns.
I eventually got over the on-off-on-off habit in the shower – standing and shivering your little tush in the dead of winter helps break the habit fairly quickly. Not having a water bill to pay helps too. But I still cringe when I see taps left running. I am still the elder child in a two-child family. (Remember the poster with two girls under an umbrella with the words, “Two is Enough”?)
Source: National Archives, Singapore.
And who can forget the adorable courtesy lion?
Source: National Archives, Singapore.
Did you know that Singapore had a "Queue at Bus stop campaign" in the 70s? I guess that campaign didn't quite take off.
It is interesting that Singapore is growing up. In the 70s and the 80s, we were taught like a child all the rules of behaviour -- be kind, don't spit, save water, use your hands, flush after use, queue up! Now that we are finally 40 years old, we are urged to think for ourselves and stand on our own two feet. If anything, even if we are not the courtesy lion embodied, we are at least a queuing nation.
This is two months late, but Happy Birthday Singapore.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Life is a Char Siew Bao
Waiting for you, watching the seconds tick by, feeling like a kettle of boiling water with the sprout stopped up, finally you call and first thing I say, “40 minutes!” And frighten you. So you rush, you speed out of the lift without looking, and promptly start walking in the other direction of me, and so I have to call you to turn around, and so you start walking towards me, and then, when I see you, something melts, and I actually can smile, because you are with me now.
Walking beside you, carrying a humongous backpack with books, running clothes, shuttlecocks, and other non-essential accessories that weigh the equivalent of an elephant or a pregnant hippo, you struggling in your heels, and I walk like a drunkard in need of a prop, or a walking stick, and so we stumble along with rum-and-raisin in a cone, you sticking your tongue out to suck the melted ice cream from the sugar cone, I chipping off the cone with my teeth so you can reach the ice cream, we veer across the road with the rights of a sick man about to die, and stumble to the post office to collect an ugly gift.
Looking for a watering hole, we find cardboard and nails instead, and we hang out a bit in the humidity like teenagers with cigarettes until we cannot bear the heat and the fatigue anymore, which is all of one minute later, and so we take the trains in opposite directions, you up and me down, and I walk home, and turn on the computer to write this, and wait for tomorrow.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Questions for bloggers
Eric of The Fire Ant Gazette posed three interesting questions to bloggers this week. The questions were somewhat thought-provoking so I had to mull over them for a while.
And then, while mulling, I suddenly realised that my original answers to the questions were changing just by thinking about them. That is the power of a good question.
And I still don't know how to answer them, but here are the questions anyway.
How many regular readers would it take for you to consider your blog a success?
Do you consider your blog a success?
Do you even think about it in those terms?
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.
A not-very-exciting photo of self
Wistful friday morning.
Left-handed mousing.
Chicken pie.
Mystery post-it note.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Cycling day
Cycled to work today on my newly oiled bicyle. The brakes still squeak though -- not sure what to do about that.
You can always tell a taxi is coming up behind you. It's engine sounds like a clogged up bus.
I left a little later than normal and the roads were slightly more crowded with vehicles. Actually got honked at twice this morning, which is two times more than usual, though both were fairly friendly honks, as far as honks go anyway.
I wish the government would promote cycling as a means of transportation by accomodating cyclists on the roads or pavements. Cycling is an excellent alternative to driving and it fits in the government's agenda so well. Look at all these benefits!
- It promotes a healthy lifestyle.
- It alleviates the traffic problem.
- It increases the sense of a life well-lived. (Let me explain. For some reason, Singaporeans tend to associate a good life with what a person has -- car, condo, etc. But the fact is that this little island state cannot accomodate as many cars as the rising affluent (hence the high Certificate of Entitlement prices). If cycling is promoted, less cars are needed for the same sense of well-being.)
- It propagates the idea of a rugged Singapore. (cough)
Linkfest
Fancy a widget that lets you keep a to-do list on your desktop and tells you the weather of anywhere in the world? Check out konfabulator -- it has a widget for every occassion.
This is a list of words The Simpsons made up. D'oh!
Scientists say I have a `catastrophic brain', wired for depression rather than happiness. You be the judge.
According to this guy's guidebook on how to pick up girls, guys should never buy drinks for girls -- they should wait for the girl to buy them a drink.
Salt and pepper, up close.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Divers Alarums
Drats. The inevitable happened.
I've been using instiki to keep track of what I have to do at work and write notes on current projects on the recommendation of popagandhi (who also unsurprisingly fans in me the desire to arm-twist the powers-that-be into getting me a Mac).
After completing this particular project, I had to pass it to the boss so I thought I would export it as a html file and send it via email. I quickly found out that the export function in this particular version of instiki is bugged. Exporting to either a html or a markup creates an empty zip file.
Since I couldn't do anything about that, I decided to copy the source code, paste into dreamweaver, and create the html that way. That's all fine and dandy, but it means that while links to the world wide web work fine, links to my internal created pages don't work. So I decided to try to publish it on the web and create a password to give to the boss.
I created the password, verified it, and the next time I went to the localhost site (which was all of 2 seconds later), it asked for my login password. I typed it in confidently -- nada. Try again, nope. Try in caps, try in some caps, try mis-spelling it, try mis-typing it -- all a big zilch. "The password you entered is wrong", it spits out at me.
Argh.
Okay, seriously, how many combinations of nepalesetea can there be? I've tried:
nepalesetea
NEPALESETEA
NepaleseTea
napalesetea
nepelesetea
nepalitea
nepaleetea
mepalesetea
bepalesetea
ne[alesetea
neoalesetea
nepaleasetea
nepa;esetea
nepalisetea
nepalizetea
And everything in between. I don't care that I'm posting my (wrong) password here for all the world to see. I swear that if I ever gain access to my site, my passwords will have nothing to do with tea, nepalese or otherwise.
This must rank as one of the stupid(er) things I've done in my life. If anyone has any ideas on how to get out of this fix, do let me know. Thanks.
----
Update: I finally got it right! :) It was napelesetea. My spelling sucks I know, especially when writing in ********. Actually, my spelling sucks anyway. Yay! Dance, dance, dance of joy!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Notes
- Having coffee before I leave the house means that I am hyper the whole bus journey to work and I have three blog posts drafted in my head by the time I step into office.
- Love is found in a bowl of pumpkin soup:
Hello ****, I am grumpy today even though I don't have to work overtime. Thinking of making you pumpkin soup tonight. - With regards to blogging, I am the flea on top of the dog's head.
- With regards to work, I am the flea on top of the flea's head.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Quick post before lunch
This is what I'm craving: the McOz from McDonald's, Australia, described thusly:
"This one has everything Australian, from the 100% Aussie beef to the beetroot, tomato, lettuce, onion, ketchup and mustard. Its that taste of the country on a bun."
On Bali
Dear Sirs,
I don't know your names or your addresses but I saw what you did yesterday morning splashed across the front page of the newspapers.
Please, stop. You are hurting only your countrymen; you are destroying lives, breaking apart families, separating father from son, sowing hatred, spreading fear. Is this what you call your holy war?
What you call the `taverns of sin' -- the pubs, the bars, the beaches -- will be built up again within half a year. These are only the shells of a larger secular machinery that has taken over the whole world. You will not be successful in destroying the mammoth money-spinning machinery like this. If you want holiness, you have to start at the heart. But perhaps this is not your real enemy.
Why does America make you angry?
Is it because America is occupying your land and breathing down your neck? Is it because your poverty screams in the face of their affluence? But what will terrorism do except to make them tighten that grip they have around you? They will persecute you when you go into their country, persecute you when you go out, live in your land because they cannot trust you.
I believe in God too. Abraham did not terrorise Sodom but asked God to spare it because his brother was living in the city. Your brothers are in the cities of America too. Let God do the judging -- he will not be slow. How terrible it will be for us to find out that what we do in the name of God is that which has us condemned.
Signed,
3 Oct 2005
