Friday, 29 February 2008

今天是特別的日子嗎？早晨起床看到新郎車在家樓下準備迎娶新娘。
也許他們覺得在閏年的這一天結婚是一個浪漫的日子。不過那樣不是
等於每四年才能慶祝結婚紀念日？哈哈，也許他們就是故意這樣安排。
媽媽還特地跑去看陰歷說今天是好日子，適宜婚嫁，而拜六和禮拜日
就不是吉日。其實2月29日也沒啥浪漫的，不就是補償地球在四年裏少繞
太陽一圈罷了。

我有幾個朋友很喜歡吃辣椒螃蟹，常常都會拉我一同去吃。然而，
至今在外頭吃過的辣椒螃蟹還是沒有一家比媽媽弄的好。所以當朋友們
都在吃得津津有味，我卻吃得很少，因為實在是覺得不怎麽樣。
朋友知道後，好幾次一起吃螃蟹都會問我何時能嘗到媽媽的手藝。
所以這次借著我生日的理由，邀請媽媽再展現廚藝，好讓朋友們大飽口福。

其實我相信每一個媽媽的廚藝都是很好的。從小每當人們問我最喜歡
吃的食物是什麽呢，我都會說是媽媽煮的等等等。從小我就很愛吃媽媽
煮的飯。當然不單是媽媽四十多年的烹飪經驗，加上媽媽用愛心煮的飯菜，
吃起來特別芳香。每次媽媽看到我在家吃飯時，都會很開心。所以從小時候
放學到現在放工後，若不是什麽特別的日子，我都會回家吃飯。相反的，
哥哥和弟弟在家吃飯的次數少之又少。如果我也不在家吃，那麽媽媽
就沒有煮飯的機會了。因此，以前朋友常常都說“你怎麽那麽掃興呢？
每次都回家吃飯，就不能多一天跟大家一起吃嗎…”我的朋友都知道
我是個回家吃晚飯的“乖乖子”…其實能回家吃飯也是一種幸福，不是嗎…

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dreamed of racing on 1:39 pm

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Thursday, 28 February 2008

Confusing Genie

A man was sitting alone in his office one night when a genie popped up out
of his ashtray and said, "And what will your third wish be?"

The man looked at the genie and said, "Huh? How can I be getting a third wish
when I haven't had a first or second wish yet?"

"You have had two wishes already," the genie said, "but your second wish was
for me to put everything back the way it was before you made your first wish.
Thus, you remember nothing; because everything is the way it was before you
made any wishes. You now have one wish left."

"Okay," said the man, "I don't believe this, but what the heck. I wish I were
irresistible to women."

"Funny," said the genie as it granted his wish and disappeared forever.
"That was your first wish, too!"

0 comments
dreamed of racing on 3:45 pm

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Wednesday, 27 February 2008

『嗡嘛呢呗咪吽』

六字大明咒，又称六字真言，是佛教最普遍的真言之一。

大家应该都看过济公吧？游本昌饰演的济公每次都诵念着“嗡嘛呢嘛呢吽，嘛呢吽..”
不知你还记不记得。六字真言，源于梵文om mani padme hum，现由六个藏文字母
嗡（ōm）嘛（má）呢（ní）呗（bei）咪（mī）吽（hōng）组成，是藏传佛教密宗的一种咒语，
也是一种发声法。佛教密宗认为这六字属于佛教密宗莲花部，其缘起即莲花生大师祈求往生极乐世界
所唱的六字圣歌，后来藏传佛教将六字真言定为观世音菩萨的明咒。对六字真言的意义作如下具体的解释：

“嗡”表示佛部心，是一切咒的开始。念此字时，必须身体要应于佛身，语要应于佛语，意要应于佛意，
也就是说要身、语、意要相应与佛成为一体，这样才能获得成就。

“嘛呢”系梵文，意思是如意宝，表示宝部心，又叫嘛呢宝，是说向观世音菩萨祈求不只可以得到世间的
财富、平安、快乐，更可以获得超越世间法的诸佛菩萨的功德和智能，以及永恒的平安、快乐。
现代许多学佛者喜欢财神法，若坚定信心持诵此咒，就是真正的财神咒。

“呗咪”二字意为莲花，表示莲花部心，比喻佛法像莲花一样出污泥而不染，永远纯洁。

“吽”字表示金刚部心，是祈愿成就的意思，即必须依靠佛的力量，才能得到正觉，成就一切，普渡众生，
最后达到成佛的境界。

希望众生们天天都诵念此咒，早日觉醒，离苦得乐，脱离六道。嗡嘛呢呗咪吽。

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dreamed of racing on 3:23 pm

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Tuesday, 26 February 2008

昨晚在《SPOP万岁》看到“新谣才子”粱文福。新谣是新加坡独特的歌谣。
是从80年代由一组热爱创作和歌唱的青年组织的。他们有粱文福，巫启贤，
许环良，吴佳明，黎沸辉，李伟松，李思松，玖建，郑展伦，颜黎明，
洪劭轩，吴庆康等等。粱文福目前是新加坡南大中文系的助理教授。
创作的词曲作品超过200首，现在仍有参与创作。早期创作有《一步一步来》，
《新衣哪有旧衣好》，《细水长流》，《历史考试前夕》，
《如果你不小心想起我》……　哈哈，我想不是每个人都听过这些歌曲的。
那么蔡淳佳的《陪我看日出》，《让我擦掉你的眼泪》，郑中基的《戒情人》，
熊天平的《最后还是会》，孟庭苇的《你究竟有几个好妹妹》，
《羞答答的玫瑰静悄悄地开》，刘德华的《每次醒来》，林志炫的
《给你一些不给一些》，张学友的《他来听我的演唱会》……
这些应该有听过吧。

《绕梁一世》2006推出，是梁文福这二十几年所创作的新谣歌曲，共六张CD..

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dreamed of racing on 10:42 pm

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Friday, 22 February 2008

今天是tiffany的生日，祝福她生日快乐！几岁呢就不用说啦.. ;)
2月19日致3月20日出生的人都属双鱼座。我喜欢双鱼座的人（因为我是
双鱼座呵呵..）有些人跟他们的星座很不搭。星座上明明说他是这样的
一个人，实际上却不是。我是个跟星座很搭的人，是个完完全全的双鱼座。
有好几次的星座预告都和我的生活有符合。所以虽然我不完全相信星座预告，
但偶尔也会看一下。

早晨只上了半天的班，下午到兵营去ICT briefing.. 奶奶的，让我们等了
一个多钟才开始。不过还好briefing也只是一个多钟就结束。在回家的路上
经过Upp Seletar Reservoir，拍下了这张照片。不过最近新加坡有烟雾，
照片都拍得不清楚。



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dreamed of racing on 10:16 pm

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Thursday, 21 February 2008

一缕情 一丝愁 恨时光匆匆
落花风总惹人烦忧
红尘化浮云 此情何悠悠
道神仙羡鸳鸯到白头

一缕情 一丝愁 恨相思难懂
多情人总换得心痛
恨时恨物恨尘心难懂
奈何人名利全看透

物换星移 人事全非
有谁怜惜 旧人枯萎
春去秋来 聚散瞬间
相思快乐 总难两全

一缕情 一丝愁 恨时光匆匆
落花风总惹人烦忧
红尘化浮云 此情何悠悠
道神仙羡鸳鸯到白头

相思无解－熊天平　词曲：熊天平　编曲：屠颖　专辑：爱情多恼河

最近又翻起熊天平的CD.. 其实整张专辑里的歌，《相思无解》让我留下最深刻的印象..
不单单因为它优美的旋律，还有那神仙般的歌词，听起来让人有种无忧无虑的感觉.. 很可惜，
熊天平2000年后退出歌坛结了婚，人也长胖，去看了他的消息才知道那是因为出了小车祸，
服的药里有激素导致他易胖的体质充气般胖起来。熊天平当年因被50岁的干妈骗走全部的钱，
对台湾演艺圈失望，才去大陆发展。最近有消息说他急减体重30公斤，准备再复出歌坛。

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dreamed of racing on 8:25 pm

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Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Excerpt: Emptiness Does Not Mean Nothingness

There is no question that persons and things exist; the question is how, or in what
manner, they exist. [Interdependently; not independently. ] When we consider a
flower, for instance, and think, "This flower has a nice shape, nice color, and nice
texture," it seems as if there is something concrete that possesses these qualities
of shape, color and texture. When we look into these qualities, as well as the parts
of the flower, they seem to be qualities or parts of the flower, such as the color
of the flower, the shape of the flower, the stem of the flower, and the petals of
the flower - as if there is a flower that possesses these qualities or parts.

However, if the flower really exists the way it appears, we should be able to come
up with something separate from all of these qualities and parts that is the flower.
But we cannot. Such as flower is not found upon analysis, or through other
scientific tools, even though previously it seemed so substantial, so findable.
Because a flower has effects, it certainly exists, but when we search to find a
flower existing in accordance with our ideas about it, that is not at all findable.
[Emptiness refers to phenomena being empty of fixed qualities.]

because everything is emptiness(changing constantly), be it by nature,
human or any other forces, be it fast or slow, everything is interdependently of
one another.. examples:

1. a bouquet of flowers
if you disarranged it, its no longer a bouqet but a flower.. if you pluck away all
the petals, its no longer a flower.. a bouquet itself is emptiness..

2. rainbow
a rainbow is an arc of coloured light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's
rays by rain.. due to certain circumstances(rain and sunlight), a rainbow is
produced.. when the rain stopped, the rainbow will disappear as well..

3. rain
rain is formed by clouds, clouds in turn formed by evaporation from the sea..
rain itself is emptiness.. so do clouds..

4. waterfall
rain then flow down the mountain.. or you can call it "running rainwater"..
waterfall itself is emptiness..

5. table
table is formed by wood and nails with some human force.. or you can call it
"wood with four legs".. table itself is emptiness.. so does tree..

so you see, all the things are given a "name" and defined by we human.. they
are interdependent on each other and never really "exist" on itself.. lastly..

6. human
human is juz like any other animals.. we grow old, died and turned into ashes..
we may even become extinct one day.. our body itself is also emptiness..

everything in this world is changing its form.. it does not have its own existence
nor have a fixed entity.. once you know there is nothing yours forever, you'll
learned to put down everything.. practising of putting down is what buddhism
all about..

所谓＂四大皆空＂，＂万法皆空＂，＂色即是空，空即是色＂都是这个意思。

here is a very interesting theory on nothingness..

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dreamed of racing on 1:14 pm

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Emptiness : Compassion & Wisdom

Q: Is Emptiness nothing when it comes to mind? Is the practice of it to help others
that are in need, while not looking for anything in return, to use wisdom,
unconditional love and compassion in just this moment, and every moment after
another?

A: The teaching of Emptiness should remind one of having no attachment, not so much
of nothingness in any sense. Emptiness refers to the change of everything, not into
nothing, but into something else. Emptiness refers to everything changing, which
renders them being empty of anything unchanging. When practising unconditional
loving-kindness and compassion with wisdom, one should not be attached to there
being a fixed giver, the given and the recipient – because the trio are all empty
of inherent substantial unchanging selves.

Q: Is Prajna Paramita the practice of Emptiness?

A: The perfection of wisdom (Prajna Paramita) should also be the perfection of
compassion, for true wisdom has true compassion. Perfection of wisdom by itself is
not a practice of anything, but it is understanding of everything (including
Emptiness), but perfection of wisdom leads to practice of universal compassion
according to perfect understanding of Emptiness (which is the Middle Way between
everything-ness and nothingness).

0 comments
dreamed of racing on 1:04 pm

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Quote:

How to be Happy

If you want others to be happy,
practise compassion.

If you want to be happy,
practise compassion.

- The Dalai Lama

How to have Appreciative Joy

To multiply your happiness,
rejoice at others’ happiness.

The more happiness you share,
the more happiness you have.

- Stonepeace

How to be Free of Worry

If you can solve your problem,
then what is the need of worrying?

If you cannot solve it,
then what is the use of worrying?

- Shantideva

How to have Compassion

Hatred cannot be ceased by hatred.
but by love alone is healed.
This is the ancient and eternal law.

- The Buddha

How to be Free of Greed

Health is the highest gain. [Not material things]
Contentment is the greatest wealth. [Not money]
The trustworthy are the best kinsmen. [Not always family]
Nirvana is the highest bliss. [Not worldly happiness]

- The Buddha

How to be Generous

If beings knew, as I know, the fruit of sharing gifts,
they would not enjoy their use without sharing them,
nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart and stay there.

Even if it were their last bit, their last morsel of food,
they would not enjoy its use without sharing it,
if there were anyone to receive it.

- The Buddha

How to be Wise

Great doubt – [leads to] great realisation.
Little doubt – [leads to] little realisation.
No doubt – [leads to] no realisation.

- Dogen

How to be Humble

If even the enlightened have humble ways,
why should the unenlightened not be humble?

If even the great are humble,
those not humble are not great.

The more humble one is, the more one learns.
The less humble one is, the less one learns.

If the humble learn the best,
it is best to learn to be humble.

- Stonepeace

How to have Faith

Just as a goldsmith would test his gold
by burning, cutting, and rubbing it,
so must you examine my words and accept them,
but not merely out of reverence for me.

- The Buddha

How to Realise the Truth

Rely on the teaching of the teacher, not on the teacher.
Rely on the meaning of the teaching, not on the words of the teaching.
Rely on the definitive meaning of the teaching, not on the provisional meaning of the teaching.
Rely on the wisdom mind for the definitive meaning of the teaching, not on the ordinary mind.

- The Four Reliances

How to be Patient

Have patience -
even when you are in a hurry -
for when you hurry with impatience,
you are hurrying towards needless suffering.

This is ironic,
because when you hurry,
your intention is to end your suffering fast,
while your impatience itself increases the suffering then.

- Stonepeace

How to be Mindful

I know not of any single thing that brings such woe
as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded, and unrestrained.
Such a mind indeed brings great woe.

I know not of a single thing that brings such bliss
as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded and retrained.
Such a mind indeed brings great bliss.

- The Buddha

How to be Free of Anger

Why be angry if no one wants you angry?
To punish yourself by being angry is foolish.

Why be angry if someone wants you angry?
To please another by being angry is foolish.

- stonepeace

Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon
cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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dreamed of racing on 12:53 pm

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Monday, 18 February 2008

the reef walk to Kusu Island is a rewarding one.. i myself learned quite
a lot on the marine life in s'pore.. the trip start with us gathering at
Marina South Pier awaiting for departure..


this is the orange ferry we took.. look like submarine? i mean the door..


passed by a yacht.. on its way to visit relatives during CNY..


here we are, the kuku kusu island.. the travelling time on water is
around 20mins..


the temples where people pray during the 9th day of the 9th moon
on chinese calendar.. its a month-long festival stretching between
September to November..


after a short briefing, we're been lead to the area where we'll start
our walk.. did you noticed the Singapore Flyer in the background?


ok, for the not so young like me with eye-sight failing.. now you see
it.. for the not so old, you should be able to see a sea gull diving
for some sotong.. thanks to the wonderful haze..


he is our guide Mr Bernard from Blue Water Volunteers(BVW)..
a very friendly guy..


the first marine life we saw, a tubeworm..


a sand dollar.. juz cos it look like a dime..


next we saw some hermit crabs.. they're not seashells and there're
thousands of them!


can you see anything in this pic beside the sand and the shoe?


for the not so young again, here a better pic..


the back of the sea star, the center is the mouth.. i start to wonder
whether i have a fetish for shoe..


one of the carnivorous marine life, the bristleworm..


a green sea fan.. very cute huh.. :)


a green anemone.. doesn't look very cute nor delicious.. :(


a typical shellfish.. at least more appealing to be on the table..


a hole dug by a snapping shrimp shown below..


and the snapping shrimp isn't that nice too.. one of the pincers is
greatly enlarged and it will snapped at your finger with it!


this is what the green anemone will look like when it got submerged
in water..


another anemone..


clamping tightly on the rocks are the limpeh limpets.. on high tide,
they'll move around feeding on algae.. on low tide they stay stationary..
and believe me, you won't be able to remove them with your hand..


a type of reef we encounter..


a type of crab(forgot the name).. look silly isn't it..


volcano barnacles.. i guess it got its name from its look..


a kind of slug..


the 'backside' of it..


the second reef we saw.. doesn't look very healthy..


the third one..


a orange-colored slug.. its very rare to see it here.. Bernard say its
the first time he seen it as a guide for four years.. so unobservant


the prettiest type of anemone.. the peacock anemone.. but this one
still look quit dull..


we were enjoy flirting with the peacock anemone when suddenly this
'kam cheong' spider, (flower crab) sprang into actions, trying to
play beauty and the beast..


sea cucumber, yucks! i can't imagine i was eating it just days before..


the fiddler crab.. again, with its enlarged pincer.. don't pray pray..
want to pray go to the temple ashore..


cannot see right.. don't worry, i always respect the old.. this one
waving 'Hi'..


on our way back to shore..


after cleanup, the last ferry is 'tulan' waiting patiently for us..


ahh, almost forgotting the best pics of the day.. we were thinking
wth, a crab crying for help? after we stretched out our heavenly
hand then do we realised that the broken pincer was being hanged
there playfully by some kuku.. what an island..

0 comments
dreamed of racing on 11:56 pm

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Friday, 15 February 2008

My cancer is a 'gift'..

Cancer validated my compassion and helped me show others that death is a chance to
teach our greatest lesson.
- Rabbi David Wolpe

I stood by the hospital bed of a friend who was dying of cancer. He wanted to know
why he was sick, why he must die, why he must leave his children and grandchildren.
As his rabbi, I was armed with few answers. I could tell him that it was part of
God's plan or I could confess to him that I did not know. Neither seemed like the
right response.

So, instead, we exchanged stories about chemotherapy. My hair was just beginning to
grow back after a bout with lymphoma; his, wispy to start, was gone from the drugs
that had targeted all the fast-growing cells in his body. They had done a thorough
job on his hair but not on his cancer.

We talked about the strange gratitude we felt for the medicinal poison as it coursed
through our veins. There was a moment of solidarity, then sadness returned. Battle
stories are not nostalgic when they end in death.

"But at least you understand," he said. It reminded me anew that my cancer was a
gift; as a rabbi, it validated my compassion. People knew that I really did
understand, that my family and I were not unscathed. Needles seemed forever to be
dangling from my arm and I was always being shoved into metal tubes for scans and
pictures and tests. Enduring the elaborate technology of survival creates a kind of
tribal solidarity.

"So," he asked, "why did it happen to you?"

Did I get cancer for a reason? Four years before my lymphoma I had undergone surgery
for a brain tumor, thankfully benign. Five years before that, after the birth of our
daughter, my wife had cancer and surgery that left her unable to bear more children.
After each experience, people would ask what it meant. Now someone was asking not
out of curiosity or even spiritual hunger, but spiritual urgency.

We looked at each other for a long time. I know what it does not mean, I told him.
It was not a punishment. The calculus of reward and punishment in this world is
surely more complex than sin equals cancer. One thing is clear: the cancer is not
only about you. Those who care for you suffer as well. The ripples do not end.

Facing our own mortality, the traditional roles had melted away. We were no longer
rabbi and layperson, younger man and older man. I recalled how in the first verse of
the Book of Kings, King David was no longer referred to by his title when he neared
death: "Now the days of David drew near that he should die." When we approach death
we no longer can hide behind titles and status. The man and I were two people who
had undergone similar ailments. One of us, for now, was in remission, and one of us
would die before the other. And neither knew why.

He told me that it was not his own life he feared for, but what would happen to his
family. How would his loss hurt them? I remembered how, as I was first wheeled into
surgery, I was surprised at how little I feared death; I feared instead the
consequences of my death. I feared not for myself but for my wife and daughter.

Did he believe in another world? He was not sure, but he hoped. I ventured that
everything a human being was — the hopes and dreams, the love and gifts — could not
completely disappear. The old analogy had it right: There is a birth into this world
that we never could have imagined. Might there be a new birth, another world,
equally beyond the reach of human imagination? Life, as writer Vladimir Nabokov once
said, was such a remarkable surprise, why should death be less of a surprise?

He smiled and we shared a moment of hope. Maybe all the therapy, the scans and
shots, had only postponed the consummation of an unimaginable life to be.

But we soon returned to the moment. To die is to lose everything we know, all the
wonders of this world and the people in it. To die is to leave so many stories
unfinished and to miss the next act of the stories of others, those whom we know and
whom we love.

I did have one thought that might offer him a glimmer of comfort. When I was sick it
became clear to me how carefully others watched my reaction — would my faith help me
at all, they wondered? Does a professional practice of Judaism offer some strength?
Feeling their eyes on me helped me realize that in sickness we are not powerless —
we still have the ability to teach.

I told this man, my friend, my fellow human, that his children and grandchildren
were watching him. Here was a chance to teach his greatest lesson. They would
remember much about him to be sure, but they would never forget how he died.
His acceptance, his dignity, even his hope, could change their lives.

Each week, I told him, I studied Torah with a man who just turned 90. He had often
recounted what his mother said to him as she was dying: "My child, do not be afraid.
It is only death, and it has happened to everyone who ever lived."

The two of us in the hospital room held hands, and agreed that if we could, we would
pass from this life with words of love and hope for awakenings to come. Shortly
afterwards, he passed away. His children speak of him with reverence for his life
and for the way in which he faced death. As with all meetings of the spirit there
was not one who gave and one who took; there were two who stood with each other and
before God, and even in their sadness, felt blessed.

This article first ran in the October/November issue of Moment Magazine.

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dreamed of racing on 11:02 am

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Thursday, 14 February 2008

F1 tickets are out today!! be sure to secure a seat at SG Grandprix website..
singtel is the title sponsor of the race, staff get to enjoy tickets at a
very special disount.. ;) i'd already reserved a pair of tickets and can't wait
for the day to come! beside the F1 race, there're also support races like
Porsche Carrera Cup, Aston Martin Asia Cup etc going on..

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dreamed of racing on 9:55 am

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Wednesday, 13 February 2008

Admit it: V Day is damn irritating, right? All those fricking chocolates, stupid hearts,
costly dinners... it only confirms everyone's worst fears about getting into a relationship,
i.e. it's bleddy expensive!

Here's a link that will help you take out all your frustrations about V.D.

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dreamed of racing on 11:03 pm

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ah meng 过世了.. ：（ 或许你不知，ah meng 是从印度尼西亚被偷带到新加坡的。当时它被私藏
在一个住家里，1971年才被迁移到新加坡动物园。阿明在世48年，按照人的年龄计算，也已经95岁了。

现在最引人注目的新闻应该是陈冠希的淫照风波。真的不知道这些艺人是怎么想的，好好建立的
事业和前途就这样毁于一旦。这个陈冠希也太糟糕了，跟那么多女明星搞上了竟然还把过程拍了下来。
那几位女明星也真是傻！我只能说她们是自找的，知道被拍也不在意，只能怨自己。我以前还觉得
张柏芝挺不错的，那知道在所有照片中，她的是最淫荡的！听说这些照片是她嫁给谢霆锋之后拍得。
嗨，还是你自己看看她的“制服诱惑”吧..




只上了这两张，其他的实在太xxx了。锺欣桐我也挺喜欢的，听过好多Twins的歌曲，可惜... 我想这个
农历新年是他们最难过的一年。

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dreamed of racing on 12:40 pm

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Friday, 8 February 2008

新的一年里恭祝大家：

新年快乐，万事如意
身体健康，顺顺利利！

我想最好的祝福莫过于快乐和健康。昨天亲戚都到我家拜年了，好不热闹。
年除夕一家人一起吃团圆饭，是促进家人关系最好的时机。虽然燕今年回国了，
但我也为她高兴能和家人一起团圆。

一大早就被鸟儿叽叽咕咕的啼叫声吵醒。仿佛在通知我春天又来临了。
突然让我想起邓丽君的：
春风它吻上我的脸，告诉我现在是春天。谁说是春眠不觉晓， 只有那偷懒人儿才高眠...

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dreamed of racing on 10:21 am

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Tuesday, 5 February 2008

"Extra Road Problems" again in welcoming 2008.. thanks to LTA, 16 more gantries will be
activated this year along with the increasing rate of ERP.. oh, LTA also mentioned the new
enhancement to the ERP System which i think its better if you read yourself here..

the gov want to allow more people to be able to drive, yet also to reduce traffic.. what a
contradiction.. reduced COE, reduced road tax and ARF.. the gov is surely promoting more
vehicles on the road.. but then.. more ERP gantries, higher ERP rate, more vehicles mean more
parking coupons, more fines, taxes etc.. yes, cutting road tax is a good way for the gov to say that
raising ERP is not for gov revenue.. but pls, most of us(me not even a degree holder) can see
that gov is juz trying to "invest".. ERP received last year amount to $98 million, commuters will
expect to pay $168 million in ERP this year after the ERP rate increase.. and these do not
include the daily fines of at least $10k for those who do not insert cash card into their IU unit or
insufficient money.. not including the millions collected on other parking fines or whatever
fines.. much more then road tax reduction which cost the gov $110 million a year.. vehicles are
definitely going to increase this year.. so conclusion? gov gona leech much more money without
any significant measure in traffic reduction..

ok, let say gov want to allow more people to drive only to "ulu" places.. but why more and
more gantries to these once "ulu" place? now even extending to residential.. history had
shown that ERP is not working.. gov will say cos now more vehicles and once "ulu" places are
now jam packed.. so you see, its a whole money spinning loop for LTA.. gov should instead
raise ERP significantly in CBD area and use this extra income to subsidise on public transport..
since they want 70% of singaporeans to use them.. and not imposing ERP grantry near
residential.. we rather go along with the periodic jam and return home later then seeing the
dreadful grantry!

so any justification from the leeching? definitely.. the $40 billion MRT expansion covering
178km rail link.. $14 billion worth of road projects for the next 12 years.. so a total of
$54 billion.. is it justifiably? you do the maths..

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dreamed of racing on 12:33 pm

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Monday, 4 February 2008

History Lesson

In The 1500's
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature
isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the
1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May,
and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides
carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a
bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of
the nice clean water, then all the other sons> and men, then the women and finally the
children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose
someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the
only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs)
lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip
and fall off the roof. Hence the saying It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in
the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence,
a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how
canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying,
Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet,
so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on,
they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a thresh hold.
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.
Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did
not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get
cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been
there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge
in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came
over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could,
bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around
and chew the fat.. Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content
caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened
most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family
got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. Lead cups were used to drink ale or
whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.
They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather
around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding
a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people.
So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave.
When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the
inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the
wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the
bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth... Now, whoever said History is boring!

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dreamed of racing on 3:51 pm

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Sunday, 3 February 2008

这是一首简单的小情歌，但我想有些人会觉得很好听，有些则觉得很难听。哈哈..
我觉得吴青峰的歌声很独特，在娱乐圈我想只有他和张信哲的声音那么特别。



这是一首简单的小情歌
唱着人们心肠的曲折
我想我很快乐
当有你的温热
脚边的空气转了

这是一首简单的小情歌
唱着我们心头的白鸽
我想我很适合
当一个歌颂者
青春在风中飘着

你知道就算大雨让这座城市颠倒
我会给你怀抱
受不了看见你背影来到
写下我度秒如年难捱的离骚

就算整个世界被寂寞绑票
我也不会奔跑
逃不了最后谁也都苍老
写下我时间和琴声交错的城堡

小情歌－苏打绿　词曲：吴青峰　专辑：小宇宙

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dreamed of racing on 9:59 pm

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