Zachary

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

2011-01-04T09:56:00.000+08:00

It is better to be first than it is to be better.
If you can't be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in.
It is better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.
Marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle of perceptions.
The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect's mind.
Two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect's mind.
The strategy to use depends on which rung you occupy on the ladder.
In the long run, every market becomes a two horse race.
If you are shooting for second place, your strategy is determined by the leader.
Over time, a category will divide and become two or more categories.
Marketing effects take place over an extended period of time.
There is an irresistible pressure to extend the equity of the brand.
You have to give up something to get something.
For every attribute, there is an opposite, effective attribute.
When you admit a negative, the prospect will give you a positive.
In each situation, only one move will produce substantial results.
Unless you write your competitor's plans, you can't predict the future.
Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance to failure.
Failure is to be expected and accepted.
The situation is often the opposite of the way it appears in the press.
Successful programs are not built on fads, they're built on trends.
Without adequate funding, an idea won't get off the ground.

Bear Crashes in Runaway Car

2010-07-30T19:15:00.004+08:00

A black bear attracted by the smell of a peanut butter sandwich managed to open the door of a car, climb in and got stuck, knocking the gear stick into neutral and sending the car rolling down a slope into trees.

The blare of the car horn alerted the members of the Story family who realized 17-year-old Ben's Toyota was no longer parked in the driveway of their home in Larksspur near Denver.

When they went to explore they discovered the car and trapped culprit at the bottom of the hill -- a giant bear with teeth bared and claws tearing through the car's interior.

The bear was trapped inside the car for two hours before police were able to release the animal who ran off into nearby woods.

Ben and his sister Becky said the bear was likely lured into the car by a certain scintillating scent.

"There was a peanut butter sandwich in the back seat," Ben told reporters, adding that his car was ruined.

by Reuters

P.S. Ha ha somehow bear reminds me of Flora

Reveal: Israel's nuclear programme

2010-07-04T21:23:00.003+08:00

Secret South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to the apartheid regime, providing the first official documentary evidence of the state's possession of nuclear weapons.

The "top secret" minutes of meetings between senior officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, PW Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them "in three sizes". The two men also signed a broad-ranging agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that "the very existence of this agreement" was to remain secret.

The documents, uncovered by an American academic, Sasha Polakow-Suransky, in research for a book on the close relationship between the two countries, provide evidence that Israel has nuclear weapons despite its policy of "ambiguity" in neither confirming nor denying their existence.

The Israeli authorities tried to stop South Africa's post-apartheid government declassifying the documents at Polakow-Suransky's request and the revelations will be an embarrassment, particularly as this week's nuclear non-proliferation talks in New York focus on the Middle East.

They will also undermine Israel's attempts to suggest that, if it has nuclear weapons, it is a "responsible" power that would not misuse them, whereas countries such as Iran cannot be trusted.

A spokeswoman for Peres today said the report was baseless and there were "never any negotiations" between the two countries. She did not comment on the authenticity of the documents.

South African documents show that the apartheid-era military wanted the missiles as a deterrent and for potential strikes against neighbouring states.

The documents show both sides met on 31 March 1975. Polakow-Suransky writes in his book published in the US this week, The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's secret alliance with apartheid South Africa. At the talks Israeli officials "formally offered to sell South Africa some of the nuclear-capable Jericho missiles in its arsenal".

Among those attending the meeting was the South African military chief of staff, Lieutenant General RF Armstrong. He immediately drew up a memo in which he laid out the benefits of South Africa obtaining the Jericho missiles but only if they were fitted with nuclear weapons.

The memo, marked "top secret" and dated the same day as the meeting with the Israelis, has previously been revealed but its context was not fully understood because it was not known to be directly linked to the Israeli offer on the same day and that it was the basis for a direct request to Israel. In it, Armstrong writes: "In considering the merits of a weapon system such as the one being offered, certain assumptions have been made: a) That the missiles will be armed with nuclear warheads manufactured in RSA (Republic of South Africa) or acquired elsewhere."

But South Africa was years from being able to build atomic weapons. A little more than two months later, on 4 June, Peres and Botha met in Zurich. By then the Jericho project had the codename Chalet.

The top secret minutes of the meeting record that: "Minister Botha expressed interest in a limited number of units of Chalet subject to the correct payload being available." The document then records: "Minister Peres said the correct payload was available in three sizes. Minister Botha expressed his appreciation and said that he would ask for advice." The "three sizes" are believed to refer to the conventional, chemical and nuclear weapons.

The use of a euphemism, the "correct payload", reflects Israeli sensitivity over the nuclear issue and would not have been used had it been referring to conventional weapons. It can also only have meant nuclear warheads as Armstrong's memorandum makes clear South Africa was interested in the Jericho missiles solely as a means of delivering nuclear weapons.

In addition, the only payload the South Africans would have needed to obtain from Israel was nuclear. The South Africans were capable of putting together other warheads.

Botha did not go ahead with the deal in part because of the cost. In addition, any deal would have to have had final approval by Israel's prime minister and it is uncertain it would have been forthcoming.

South Africa eventually built its own nuclear bombs, albeit possibly with Israeli assistance. But the collaboration on military technology only grew over the following years. South Africa also provided much of the yellowcake uranium that Israel required to develop its weapons.

The documents confirm accounts by a former South African naval commander, Dieter Gerhardt – jailed in 1983 for spying for the Soviet Union. After his release with the collapse of apartheid, Gerhardt said there was an agreement between Israel and South Africa called Chalet which involved an offer by the Jewish state to arm eight Jericho missiles with "special warheads". Gerhardt said these were atomic bombs. But until now there has been no documentary evidence of the offer.

Some weeks before Peres made his offer of nuclear warheads to Botha, the two defence ministers signed a covert agreement governing the military alliance known as Secment. It was so secret that it included a denial of its own existence: "It is hereby expressly agreed that the very existence of this agreement... shall be secret and shall not be disclosed by either party".

The agreement also said that neither party could unilaterally renounce it.

The existence of Israel's nuclear weapons programme was revealed by Mordechai Vanunu to the Sunday Times in 1986. He provided photographs taken inside the Dimona nuclear site and gave detailed descriptions of the processes involved in producing part of the nuclear material but provided no written documentation.

Documents seized by Iranian students from the US embassy in Tehran after the 1979 revolution revealed the Shah expressed an interest to Israel in developing nuclear arms. But the South African documents offer confirmation Israel was in a position to arm Jericho missiles with nuclear warheads.

Israel pressured the present South African government not to declassify documents obtained by Polakow-Suransky. "The Israeli defence ministry tried to block my access to the Secment agreement on the grounds it was sensitive material, especially the signature and the date," he said. "The South Africans didn't seem to care; they blacked out a few lines and handed it over to me. The ANC government is not so worried about protecting the dirty laundry of the apartheid regime's old allies."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/23/israel-south-africa-nuclear-weapons

My Neighbourhood

2010-05-16T01:43:00.004+08:00

My neighbourhood then

my neighbourhood now, taken from the same place, around the same time.

for those red shirt supporters, if this is your idea of democracy, and how a democratic nation should look like, please do some soul searching.

Ubasuteyama

2010-05-10T16:19:00.001+08:00

There is an old Japanese folktale known as Ubasuteyama. It is a sad story of poor village folk forced to take their parents up into the mountains and abandon them there in accordance with village regulations at a time of famine.

A son carrying his mother on his back trudged through hills and valleys until he was deep in the mountain, far away from all human habitation. At the moment of parting the mother asked her son if he thought he could return home safely without becoming lost.

"It'll soon be dark," she told him. "All the time you've been carrying me here, I have been catching twigs in my outstretched hands and dropping them one after another so that they could act as signposts on your way home. If you are not sure which way to go when you come to a crossing of the ways, choose the path on which you find a broken twig. Get home safely!" So saying she bid him farewell, bowing with her palms together. Left alone in the mountain, of course, the old mother had no means of returning home over fields and hills.

Even in such a difficult situation and faced with her own death, the mother looks after her son rather than herself. The mother hasn't abandoned her son, even if he has abandoned her. What deep love that is! Such true parental feeling! This is none other than the love and compassion of the Buddha.

There is a poem about it:

In the depths of the mountains,
Who was it for the aged mother snapped
One twig after another?
Heedless of herself
She did so
For the sake of her son

It is said that when he came to Japan Einstein was much moved by this story

Intoxicated Underwear Thief Caught Red-Handed in Pattaya

2010-04-18T13:21:00.003+08:00

An intoxicated Thai man was caught red-handed by his victim after falling asleep in the house that he was inexplicably attempting to steal a large quantity of underwear from.

Pattaya, the 11th of April 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 9:30am, Pattaya police were called to a house in Sattahip after the owner reported that her residence had been broken into with the offender still inside, asleep in her daughter’s bedroom.

Arriving at the scene officers were confronted by a Miss. Phatira Kanket [41] a well-known DJ in the Sattahip karaoke scene. Miss Kanket explained that a young Thai man was asleep in her daughter’s bedroom after having broken into her home sometime during the early hours of the morning.

Entering the bedroom, officers observed the man asleep on a bed surrounded by a large quantity of ladies underwear which Miss Kanket explains were taken off the clothes hanger outside her house. Officers woke the offender, much to his surprise, escorting him to the Sattahip police station for further judicial proceedings.

The offender, Mr. Amorn Natlumpa [22] a local mechanic, explained that he had been out drinking with two friends on Sunday night and could not remember much of the evening as a result. He stated that his two friends had offered to take him home once he had become too drunk at which point he has no more recollection of the events, revealing that he has never been involved in any criminal activities prior to this instance.

Police are reluctant to believe Mr. Natlumpa’s story as such he is expected to be charged with break and enter and attempted robbery unless a compensation agreement can be reached between the offender and Miss Kanket over the damages and inconvenience caused.

The culprit:

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/04/12/intoxicated-underwear-thief-caught-red-handed-in-pattaya/

Is he really that dumb or is it the result of a mean prank by his friends?

Red Leaders: Real Democratic Heros?

2010-04-11T17:24:00.007+08:00

Before I begin this post, I want to emphasise that I am neither a red shirt, nor a yellow shirt. I do not side either camp, neither do I love/hate Thaksin or Abhisit. I am simply a foreigner who has fallen in love with Thailand, and feel concern for what the political instability has caused this beautiful country that I currently reside in.

I understand that the right to peaceful demonstration is the hallmark of every successful democratic nation. I also empathise with the views of the red faction, and hold the popular policies of Thaksin in high regard. I do think that he is an able administrator that has left his mark on Thai political history. Lastly, I do condemn the undemocratic actions that the yellow shirts did to the airport 2 years ago, and the promotion of yellow shirt leaders to influential positions, and that the yellow shirt leaders were never prosecuted and actions conveniently forgotten by the current administration.

But I do have 10 doubts and questions about the current UDD leadership:

I think we can all agree that the Reds hate Abhisit. But why? Is it all for genuine reason, that they felt that his policies were not workable, that he is not capable as a Prime Minister, that someone better was needed for the common good? Or is it simply because:
- they love Thaksin, hence the blind hatred for anyone else but their idol in the driver's seat
- loving red equates to hating yellow, hence the hatred for anyone who came to power via the yellow faction
- they simply dislike the government for whatever reason they face in their lives right now, and conveniently blame it on the current PM
- the herd mentality, where many started out 'joining the fun' by participating in a rally with a friend/relative, and ended up treating everything a red leader cherry-picks as truth.

The red leaders are provoking the government with threats everyday, and accusing the government of being weak, inefficient and not in control, when the government does not act. Yet when the government does act, they accuse them of brutality, violence, and chant phrases of war and destruction. Say the reds are in control, and the situation is reversed. Will the same red shirt leaders, now government leaders and ministers, feel and mean the same words that they are chanting now? Will they still call the protestors 'fighters for justice and democracy', and themselves powermongers? Will they desolve parliament, and agree to the demands of the mob leaders? If not, then it is simply sheer hypocrisy and rhetoric to win their cause no matter what, beyond reasonable logic, isn't it? The argument isn't about substance nor genuine debate anymore, but simply destructive words carefully drafted to mislead people into hating the government. There is also no room for negotiations nor dialogue. That, in my opinion, is nothing democratic. It is simply blackmail.
Is shutting down parts of Bangkok, inciting public unrest, declaring 'war' on the government, and provoking violence a sign of democracy? The leaders seem to be striving for social anarchy rather than promoting democratic values. calling for 'all BTS stations to be destroyed' is not a patriotic act for the nation, but rather an attempt to provoke terrorism. BTS stations are not part of the government, but a public transport mechanism to ferry innocent people to and from work everyday.
i understand that the UDD's aim is to create a state of civil disobedience, destroy the image of the current administration, in order to put pressure on Abhisit to dissolve parliament. However, doing so not only destroys the image of the government, but that of the entire country as well. Is it worth it, bringing down a functioning government at the expense of the entire nation? Also, an administration that simply want to hold on to power will not be intimidated by such tactics. History has proven that powermongers do not care. On the contrary, if Abhisit is willing to compromise and seek/promise fresh elections as a result of the protests, in a gentlemanly way, why would anyone want to pull down such a government?
Should Thaksin ever make a return, is he going to be the same Thaksin that the red shirts have known and loved? After all that has happened, will he still run the nation energetically, with drive and determination as he used to? Or will he be more concerned with purging his opponents, securing his own power, and acting to prevent future incidents similar to the ones that caused him his position? History has shown, many times, that great leaders do end up as tyrants and dictators after events that made them change their mindset. And we are already seeing evidence of that in his speeches and daily twitter posts.
Is the red shirt movement fighting for the democratic return of the Thaksin government? Or were they simply fighting for the private possession of Thaksin himself? if so, why did the protests only start after the court seizure of Thaksin's multi-billion assets? Thaksin's private assets, and his public role as Prime Minister, are completely separate issues.
We have seen 9 fatalities since the crackdown was ordered. Emotions have been running high, about government brutality and stuff. However, the red camp have been quick to condemn and push all blame on the government for the violence. Yet among the 9 fatalities, only 4 were red shirts. Another 4 were soldiers, fellow Thais who were just doing their job, following orders. Are they any less of a human simply because they were wearing uniforms and carrying out their duties? Also, what about the violence that was provoked after the Arisman blatant assault on parliament house. What about the policemen that were injured during their line of duty? Also, displaying dead bodies of red shirt comrades on stage to incite anger, is that not only lacking in respect for the dead, but completely immoral as well?
In my view, the key issues that affect Thailand: corruption among government officials, the army and police's heavy involvment in politics, influential and powerful people's common disregard for the rule of law, and the vast rich/poor gap. Will they be resolved if the government is replaced by people from the red faction?

The same issues have plagued Thailand for years, through many different administrations, and in my opinion, it is not the government that gives rise to the conditions that make it possible for all these to happen, but rather Thai society and culture itself. The need to 'save face', avoidance of constructive dialogue, the need to 'win' any argument at any cost, the inability to agree to disagree or to seek middle ground, the mindset that being in a high army/police position makes you more 'high-class' than the rest, and the idea that money can buy you everything, even the law. Can any government change that mindset, from the top down?
Every protest that we have seen so far, the casualties have always been the common people. While the protest leaders have often been identified, none have ever been prosecuted. Casulties from the upper ranks are also unheard of. In fact, both red and yellow leaders have incited unrest after unrest, smearing blood on their hands each time, without much consequences to their failures. The leaders, coming from influential backgrounds in Thai society, seem to be enjoying a certain level of immunity.

It is said that a good leader leads from the front, lives and dies with his men. Do we really want such people to gain power? Kasit Piromya, who was one of the leaders involved in the yellow shirt airport closure, is now Foreign Minister of Thailand. Do we really want more examples like Kasit in positions of power? Can such people really form a parliament, fix Thailand, solve the problems that the country faces everyday? It is one matter to criticise policies and make negative statements everyday, and another to forge tangible solutions and convert them to effective policies.
Should the reds come to power as a result of this, and the yellows start the cycle again. What next? Another crackdown, at the expense of more lives, while the ring leaders remain free? Or another disruption to the lives of neutral Thais who are sick of this political dreadlock, and more reasons for the international community to laugh at Thailand? Whatever faction wins, Thailand loses.

I know emotions are running high for many regarding this issue; particularly my fellow Thai friends, and that opinions vary. But before we come to our own conclusions, look at the following pictures:

Now look at this:

These people are common people like you and me. Grandfathers, hawkers, salaried employees; people that we see and interact with everyday. Many of them could be lying in hospital now, maybe dead even. Far more could have lost their jobs to participate in this protest.

At such cost, is it really worth it?

What started out as a rally to return power to the people, to bring back a popular democratic leader, has resulted in an unnecessary bloodbath that has been going nowhere. The leaders seem neither united in their cause nor their ideals.

A peaceful protest should be accompanied by a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and a clear, workable agenda within reasonable limits. The dissolution of parliament does not rest on the shoulders of one man. The Prime Minister is representative of the entire cabinet, everyone in the government, every Thai citizen, red, yellow and neutral; not just the reds. Pushing the government to dissolve, based on the one sided views of the reds, at the cost of innocent red lives, is simply irresponsible and unrealistic.

A class struggle, as the red shirt leaders claim, should be led by true leaders who practice what they preach. People like Che Guevara, who gave up his life as a doctor, as a minister, to live in poverty and ultimately to die in the remote rural areas of Bolivia. Not by the current millionaire leaders, led by a billionaire paymaster, who simply directs from an ivory tower. What I have seen in the red shirt rallies were leaders who were treated like rock-star idols at a concert. Lots of photos, autographs, and people rushing to shake their hands. Human shields were formed to protect themselves in the event of a government crackdown. Would Che Guevara have done that? Never. How are such leaders different from the elitist bureaucrats that they hate?

To put it simply. the red shirt leaders knew, obviously that a crackdown was inevitable. their knew their actions would lead to the bloodbath today. they knew no government in the world would sit by for a month and do nothing while protesters shut down half the capital. in fact, they knew that they would do the exact same thing to yellow shirt protesters if the situation was reversed. so what were they thinking, taking changes with lives that didn't belong to them, and when the gamble that they knew would lose happened, condemn, mourn, and point all fingers at the government?

The Abhisit government might have shown really bad leadership on the handling of this issue, but the red camp's stubborn insistence on a all-or-nothing resolution is ridiculous. Sure, Abhisit could be a devil, but the red shirt leaders are no angels as well. The question in concern is no longer whether the Abhisit administration makes a good government, but whether the red shirts can put forth a worthy cabinet that can do better than the current one. I highly doubt it.

Granted, I would love a return of the Thaksin administration; via democratic means. But is that even possible? Seems like the past is over, and that Thais need to unite, move on. The one feasible way to replace the Abhisit government would be to find a worthy opponent, free of Thaksin influence, free of red/yellow shirt factionism, and get him elected democratically. Someone who is neutral enough to take the Thaksin success story and improve on his popular policies, take his pros as an example, and his cons as a lesson. Maybe one day, Thailand would be a nation emphasised on construction rather than destruction, and that coups, bombs, and threats would be nothing more than a lesson in history.

Iraqis Angered as Blackwater Charges Dropped

2010-01-02T04:24:00.003+08:00

BAGHDAD — Iraqis on Friday reacted with disbelief, anger and bitter resignation to news that criminal charges in the United States had been dismissed against Blackwater Worldwide security guards who opened fire on unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Though the shooting, which took place on Sept. 16, 2007, in a crowded central Baghdad traffic circle at Nisour Square, is regarded here as a signal event of the war, many victims had not been aware of the decision of a Federal District Court judge in Washington because the ruling was made public in Baghdad a few hours after the start of the new year.

The attack left 17 Iraqis dead and 27 wounded. Many of the victims were riding inside cars or buses at a busy traffic circle when a Blackwater convoy escorting American diplomats rolled through and began firing machine guns, grenade launchers and a sniper rifle.

The Blackwater guards said they believed they had come under small-arms fire from insurgents. But investigators concluded that the guards had indiscriminately fired on unarmed civilians in an unprovoked and unjustified assault.

The incident calcified anti-American sentiment in Iraq and elsewhere, raised Iraqi concerns about the extent of its sovereignty because Blackwater guards had immunity from local prosecutors and reopened a debate about American dependence on private security contractors in the Iraq war.

Many Iraqis also viewed the prosecution of the guards as a test case of American democratic principles, which have not been wholeheartedly embraced, and in particular of the fairness of the American judicial system.

On Thursday, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina threw out manslaughter and weapons charges against five Blackwater guards because he said prosecutors had violated the men’s rights by building the case based on sworn statements that had been given by the guards under the promise of immunity.

Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal the decision.

In Baghdad on Friday, some victims and their families expressed grave disappointment at the ruling and said they did not understand how charges could have been dropped despite what they regarded as overwhelming evidence. Some said they were shot as they tried to flee.

“What are we — not human?” asked Abdul Wahab Adul Khader, 34, a bank employee who was shot in the hand while driving his car through the traffic circle. “Why do they have the right to kill people? Is our blood so cheap? For America, the land of justice and law, what does it mean to let criminals go? They were chasing me and shooting at me. They were determined to kill me.”

Sami Hawas, 45, a taxi driver, was shot in the back during the episode and is paralyzed.

“I can’t even think of words to say,” Mr. Hawas said after being told about the court ruling. “We have been waiting for so long. I still have bullets in my back. I cannot even sit like an ordinary human being.”

Ali Khalaf, a traffic police officer who was on duty in Nisour Square at the time and aided some of the victims, was furious.

“There has been a cover-up since the very start,” he said. “What can we say? They killed people. They probably gave a bribe to get released. This is their own American court system.”

Some of the victims had been burned so badly, he said, that he and others had to use shovels to scoop their remains out of their vehicles.

“I ask you, if this had happened to Americans, what would be the result? But these were Iraqis,” he said.

Sahib Nassir’s 26-year-old son, Mehdi, a taxi driver, was shot in the back and killed. He said he was stunned to hear that the charges had been dismissed because he had been preparing to testify at a trial that was scheduled to start in February.

“How could they release them?” he asked. “There is evidence. There are witnesses.”

Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said in a statement that the government “regrets” the federal court decision.

“Investigations conducted by specialized Iraqi officials confirmed without a doubt that Blackwater guards committed murder and violated laws by using weapons without the presence of any threat,” Mr. Dabbagh said.

In a second statement, Mr. Dabbagh said Iraq was considering suing Blackwater for damages related to the shooting, but did not provide further details.

At a news conference Friday, Gen. Ray Odierno, the American commander in Iraq, called the ruling “a lesson in the rule of law.”

“Of course people are not going to like it because they believe these individuals conducted some violence and should be punished for it,” he said. “But the bottom line is, using the rule of law, the evidence obviously was not there, or was collected illegally or whatever the reason is, and so it can’t be used. That’s always a problem. But it’s a lesson in the rule of law. We’re a country of the rule of law — Iraq’s a country that’s abiding by the rule of law.”

He added: “I worry about it because clearly there were innocent people killed during this attack. And that’s concerning everyone that innocent people were killed. And so it’s heart-wrenching when these people are killed.”

Blackwater, now called Xe Services, has not faced criminal charges related to the shootings, but victims and their families have filed a civil lawsuit against the company and Erik Prince, its founder.

In addition to the five Blackwater employees who had faced trial, a sixth, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another.

The company continued to provide security for the United States Embassy in Baghdad until last spring. But in March, the Iraqi government said it would not grant Blackwater an operating license. Afterward, the embassy contract was awarded to a rival security firm.

Also Friday, the United States military in Iraq said the month of December had been the first month since the United States-led invasion in which an American service member had not been killed in combat. Three United States troops died during the month in noncombat-related incidents, the military said.

FROM NY TIMES

I don't know what to say.

Actually I do.

Lots of opinion and words in my stomach but I'll rather not air it in public.

Banking with Asians

2009-10-26T18:28:00.001+08:00

I was at my bank today and there was a short line.

Just one asian lady who was trying to exchange yen for dollars.

It was obvious she was a little irritated.

She asked the teller, 'Why it change? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo yen.

Today I only get hunat eighty?

Why it change?'

The teller shrugged his shoulders and said,
'Fluctuations.'

The Asian lady says,
'Fluc you white people too!'

Republican vs Democrat

2009-09-19T03:56:00.000+08:00

Republican: It's obvious the Bush tax cuts helped the poor more than the rich.

Democrat: Actually, statistically, the rich recieved almost-

Republican: Your numbers mean nothing.

Democrat: This entire issue is about numbers!

Republican: No, this is about the people! This is about Joe Everyman!

Democrat: What the hell are you talking about?

Republican: I'm talking about how you radicals use numbers to mislead everyone into thinking the Bush tax cuts were bad, and that we have massive debt.

Democrat: ...We DO have massive debt, and the average person got around $300 back, whereas the rich got-

Republican: Are you telling these people America is BAD? Are you saying that America isn't the best damn country ever?

Democrat: No, I just-wait, what? This isn't about me! This is about the issues!

Republican: Not responding to my questions. Typical.

Democrat: ...

Republican: See, clearly I have silenced you with my powerful, factual argument.

Democrat: I had sex with your wife, Bill.

Republican: What?!?

Democrat: She said she wanted a man who didn't tell her she belonged in the kitchen.

Republican: ...

Attain Nirvana? Eat Pears

2009-09-19T01:29:00.001+08:00

Buddha shaped pears are seen in an orchard in Weixian county, Hebei province September 10, 2009. Hao Xianzhang, a local famer, spent six years to perfect the process by growing the pears inside moulds, local media reported. The pears cost around 50 yuan (7.32 USD) each.

REUTERS/Pillar Lee (CHINA AGRICULTURE RELIGION IMAGES OF THE DAY)

That Which Nourishes May Destroy

2009-09-16T13:50:00.001+08:00

The Thai culture has a wonderful side we should never discard

Recently I was invited to give a speech at a university. The students were at masters degree level and in their twenties, which means these were some of the brighter minds of the Kingdom. I asked them who the governor of Bangkok is. After a moment of stunned silence, one student started to say Ap ... Apir .. Apirak. Another quickly pitched in Apirak Kosayodhin! Everyone nodded in agreement.

Doing my best impersonation of Sidney Poitier in To Sir, with Love, with one hand on my hip, I bit my lips, shook my head, waved my index finger and said ''No''. Another student then blurted out: ''It's a Mom [meaning a Royal title] some Mom, Mom, Mom ..." But we still didn't get anywhere, so I revealed the answer, which I don't feel I need to type in this column.

On a different occasion, but also quite recently, I did an interview with a professor of economics from a prestigious university. We were discussing a government stimulus programme.

Throughout our interview, the professor became quite heated and agitated, red in the face, and even refused to look at me at times. What did I do to agitate him?

It's because I asked him questions _ questions that were contrary to his beliefs; questions that made him stumble and become lost for words; questions that questioned his authority. I even asked nicely, though confidently. He expressed more than once his utter disbelief that I actually disagreed with him and questioned him.

On the one hand, we have students who don't know things because it's not in the Thai culture to ask questions. (But if you don't ask questions, how will you learn anything?) On the other hand, we have a teacher who doesn't like to be asked questions because it's not in the Thai culture to be questioned, especially by a junior, someone younger. (But if no one questions you, how will you know if you're right about anything? There's a fine line between being correct and being delusional, isn't there?)

Asking ''what's your name?'' or ''how do you do?'' is one thing. But when you question information, tradition, opinion and belief, it is a form of confrontation. In our culture, many deem this rude, aggressive and inappropriate.

I had another interview with a different professor, also quite recently. The topic was Thai-style management. The professor made a point about greng jai as one of the main issues in the Thai workplace. People don't ask, don't question and don't confront. To do so would be considered rude, aggressive and inappropriate. Which means, in the Thai workplace, because of our culture, we don't speak the truth to each other _ too afraid to say it; too sensitive to hear it. It's just not nice _ unless you're the big boss, of course.

Consequently, Thai businesses _ not all, but too many _ don't evolve and compete very well. Which in the big picture may explain why Singapore, the country that many Thais view as our major economic rival, was ranked fourth in the world by the World Economic Forum's Global Competitive index, while Thailand ranks 34th. We may have once been rivals, but not any more _ 34 minus four is 30, we're not even close. Malaysia ranks 21st.

Bear with me.

Christopher Marlowe was a 16th century English playwright who died senselessly and young. Many say not only was he a better writer than his contemporary, William Shakespeare, but Marlowe also gave Shakespeare a few story ideas. Marlowe has a famous quote that is worshipped by angst-ridden young adults who fancy themselves as tragic-romantics. In many cases, they even tattoo the quote on their bodies.

The quote is simply a poetic expression of a very simple fact of life: That which nourishes me also destroys me. Which basically means, there's good and bad in everything. For example, love may lift you up to the glorious heaven where vanilla is the colour of the sky, but it may also drag you down to the deepest and darkest pit of Dante's inferno. Such is life _ it nourishes you, it destroys you.

Like all else in life, Thai culture too has positive and negative consequences. Those tourist brochures don't lie, they just don't tell the entire story. Yes, barring some colourful incidences, we generally are a nice, peaceful and friendly people _ greng jai _ these are very good things that we should always value. But the other side of the story is this. To keep up the niceties, we often end up lying to ourselves and each other, because we hate to confront each other with the truth. Because at the end of the day as an organisation _ whether it's society, school, business or country _ we don't really get anywhere. We stroll leisurely while others race past us and we are left to wonder, why such a bountiful and seemingly fortunate country like Thailand has so many poor, so much suffering, so many grave injustices and is so slow to progress. While strolling leisurely, we even manage to trip over things and fall down, because we don't even bother to look where we're going.

We as a people are not worldly and informed, because we're not taught to think and ask, rather we're taught to obey. We as a people are afraid to think and ask, because in doing so there's a danger of confrontation, of being rude, aggressive and inappropriate.

Since we've gotten into the habit of not questioning, then naturally our brains have not had the practice of forming thoughts and opinions in order to pose questions. Since we're lacking in thoughts and opinions, we're easily susceptible to manipulation, exploitation and downright brainwashing. Because we're conditioned to being manipulated, exploited and brainwashed, we become very good at obeying the status quo, the powers that be. Since we are very good at obeying, we become used to it, so we rarely ever question anything, and hence we are neither worldly nor informed.

From students who do not know because they don't ask to teachers who don't like questions because they demand obedience. At the end of the day, this is the society we end up with; one that is very slow to progress.

Back to the university where I gave the speech. It took a touch of charm and a dab of persuasiveness to prevent the talk from becoming entirely a one-sided affair with me on the podium and them, wide-eyed and silent. But wouldn't you know it, with enough encouragement and effort, eventually they started to discuss, posed questions and voiced opinions. Approaching the end of the talk, some even asked questions out of their own curiosities, without needing to be urged, with no fear and no qualms. Which goes to show, Thai students aren't deaf, dumb and blind, they just lack the opportunities to speak up for themselves.

There's the good, there's the bad, and that's just a fact of life; Thai culture has a wonderful side we should never discard. The question is, how do we bring balance to the forces of nourishment and destruction?

Perhaps we need to start by asking questions, and the first question we may pose to ourselves is: What can I do to better the lives of 65 million Thais? The answer is simpler than anyone would think: Allow opportunities for everyone around you, everyone that you meet, to think for themselves, express themselves and question everything around them. Encourage those around you, rather than accuse them of inappropriateness. If we can do that, then we would be opening up a world of endless possibilities. Is that something to fear?

by Voranai Vanijaka

Russian Wisdom

2009-09-07T10:14:00.002+08:00

doveryai, no proveryai

Pattaya Aye?

2009-09-06T23:44:00.004+08:00

Random thought.

Did you guys watch Pirates of the Caribbean?

Pattaya in Thailand, somehow reminds me of Tortuga.

LOL.

Hostages of the Hermit Kingdom

2009-09-03T23:50:00.004+08:00

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two American journalists released last month after being imprisoned in North Korea, tell their story -- and remind people of the story they wanted to cover.

We arrived at the frozen river separating China and North Korea at 5 o'clock on the morning of March 17. The air was crisp and still, and there was no one else in sight. As the sun appeared over the horizon, our guide stepped onto the ice. We followed him.

We had traveled to the area to document a grim story of human trafficking for Current TV. During the previous week, we had met and interviewed several North Korean defectors -- women who had fled poverty and repression in their homeland, only to find themselves living in a bleak limbo in China. Some had, out of desperation, found work in the online sex industry; others had been forced into arranged marriages.

Now our guide, a Korean Chinese man who often worked for foreign journalists, had brought us to the Tumen River to document a well-used trafficking route and chronicle how the smuggling operations worked.

There were no signs marking the international border, no fences, no barbed wire. But we knew our guide was taking us closer to the North Korean side of the river. As he walked, he began making deep, low hooting sounds, which we assumed was his way of making contact with North Korean border guards he knew. The previous night, he had called his associates in North Korea on a black cellphone he kept for that purpose, trying to arrange an interview for us. He was unsuccessful, but he could, he assured us, show us the no-man's land along the river, where smugglers pay off guards to move human traffic from one country to another.

When we set out, we had no intention of leaving China, but when our guide beckoned for us to follow him beyond the middle of the river, we did, eventually arriving at the riverbank on the North Korean side. He pointed out a small village in the distance where he told us that North Koreans waited in safe houses to be smuggled into China via a well-established network that has escorted tens of thousands across the porous border.

Feeling nervous about where we were, we quickly turned back toward China. Midway across the ice, we heard yelling. We looked back and saw two North Korean soldiers with rifles running toward us. Instinctively, we ran.

We were firmly back inside China when the soldiers apprehended us. Producer Mitch Koss and our guide were both able to outrun the border guards. We were not. We tried with all our might to cling to bushes, ground, anything that would keep us on Chinese soil, but we were no match for the determined soldiers. They violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea and marched us to a nearby army base, where we were detained.

Over the next 140 days, we were moved to Pyongyang, isolated from one another, repeatedly interrogated and eventually put on trial and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor.

During our time in captivity, and in the weeks since we returned, there has been speculation about what we were doing in that part of the world and about what happened on the morning of the 17th. After arriving home, we were disoriented, overwhelmed and not ready to talk about the experience. There are things that are still too painful to revisit, but we do want to explain what took us to northeastern China and the circumstances of our arrest.

Our motivations for covering this story were many. First and foremost, we believe that journalists have a responsibility to shine light in dark places, to give voice to those who are too often silenced and ignored. One of us, Euna, is a devout Christian whose faith infused her interest in the story. The other, Laura, has reported on the exploitation of women around the world for years. We wanted to raise awareness about the harsh reality facing these North Korean defectors who, because of their illegal status in China, live in terror of being sent back to their homeland.

In researching the story, we sought help from several activists and missionaries who operate in the region. Our main contact was the Seoul-based Rev. Chun Ki-won, a well-known figure in the world of North Korean defectors. Chun and his network have helped smuggle hundreds of North Koreans out of China and into countries -- including the U.S. -- where they can start new lives. He introduced us to our guide and gave us a cellphone to use in China, telephone numbers to reach his associates and specific instructions on how to contact them. We carefully followed his directions so as to not endanger anyone in this underground world.

Because these defectors live in fear of being repatriated to North Korea, we took extreme caution to ensure that the people we interviewed and their locations were not identifiable. We met with defectors away from their actual places of work or residence. We avoided filming the faces of defectors so as not to reveal their identities. The exception was one woman who allowed us to film her profile.

Most of the North Koreans we spoke with said they were fleeing poverty and food shortages. One girl in her early 20s said she had been told she could find work in the computer industry in China. After being smuggled across the Tumen River, she found herself working with computers, but not in the way she had expected. She became one of a growing number of North Korean women who are being used as Internet sex workers, undressing for online clients on streaming video. Some defectors appeared more nervous about being interviewed than others. But they all agreed that their lives in China, while stark, were better than what they had left behind in North Korea.

We also visited a foster home run by a pastor who worked for Chun. The home housed six children born to North Korean women who were forced into marriage in China. The mothers had either been repatriated to North Korea or had abandoned their families. Because the children have Chinese fathers, it is unlikely they will be deported to North Korea. The foster home provides them with decent conditions, an education and hope for a better life.

In the days before our capture, our guide had seemed cautious and responsible; he was as concerned as we were about protecting our interview subjects and not taking unnecessary risks. That is in part why we made the decision to follow him across the river.

We didn't spend more than a minute on North Korean soil before turning back, but it is a minute we deeply regret. To this day, we still don't know if we were lured into a trap. In retrospect, the guide behaved oddly, changing our starting point on the river at the last moment and donning a Chinese police overcoat for the crossing, measures we assumed were security precautions. But it was ultimately our decision to follow him, and we continue to pay for that decision today with dark memories of our captivity.

After we were detained, the two of us made every effort to limit the repercussions of our arrest. In the early days of our confinement, before we were taken to Pyongyang, we were left for a very brief time with our belongings. With guards right outside the room, we furtively destroyed evidence in our possession by swallowing notes and damaging videotapes. During rigorous, daily interrogation sessions, we took care to protect our sources and interview subjects. We were also extremely careful not to reveal the names of our Chinese and Korean contacts, including Chun. People had put their lives at risk by sharing their stories, and we were determined to do everything in our power to safeguard them.

Our families and colleagues back home maintained total silence about our work for two full months, both to minimize the potential impact on sensitive underground work in China and to protect us. We were surprised to learn that Chun spoke with reporters publicly in the immediate aftermath of our arrest. Among other things, Chun claimed that he had warned us not to go to the river. In fact, he was well aware of our plans because he had been communicating with us throughout our time in China, and he never suggested we shouldn't go. Chun's public statements prompted members of our families to speak directly with him in Korean, pleading with him to refrain from any further comment that might jeopardize our situation and those of relief organizations working along the border.

After spending nearly five months in captivity, we were relieved to be granted amnesty by the North Korean government. We continue to cope with tremendous mental and emotional anguish, but we feel incredibly fortunate to be free and reunited with our families. We are forever indebted to the United States government, particularly the State Department, to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, to former Vice President Al Gore and our colleagues at Current TV, to Swedish Ambassador Mats Foyer, and to former President Clinton and his team for taking on this private humanitarian mission.

We can't adequately express the emotions surrounding our release. One moment, we were preparing to be sent to a labor camp, fearing that we would disappear and never be heard from again; the next we were escorted into a room with President Clinton, who greeted us and told us we were going home. We are grateful to the many journalists who kept our story alive. We are humbled by the tens of thousands of people who supported us, prayed for us and fought for our release.

At the same time, though, we do not want our story to overshadow the critical plight of these desperate defectors.

Since our release, we have become aware that the situation along the China-North Korea border has become even more challenging for aid groups and that many defectors are going deeper underground. We regret if any of our actions, including the high-profile nature of our confinement, has led to increased scrutiny of activists and North Koreans living along the border. The activists' work is inspiring, courageous and crucial.

Many people have asked about our strength to endure such hardships and uncertainty. But our experiences pale when compared with the hardship facing so many people living in North Korea or as illegal immigrants in China.

The outcome of our three-day trial was never in doubt. In the end, we were convicted and sentenced to two years for trespassing and 10 years for "hostile acts." What did we do that was hostile? We tried to tell the story of repression and desperation in North Korea. It's not surprising, given the North Korean government's desire to silence any form of dissent, that the more extreme portion of the sentence was issued not for trespassing but for our work as journalists. Totalitarian regimes the world over are terrified of exposure.

We know that people would like to hear more about our experience in captivity. But what we have shared here is all we are prepared to talk about -- the psychological wounds of imprisonment are slow to heal. Instead, we would rather redirect this interest to the story we went to report on, a story about despairing North Korean defectors who flee to China only to find themselves living a different kind of horror. We hope that now, more than ever, the plight of these people and of the aid groups helping them are not forgotten.

Laura Ling is a correspondent for Current TV and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism unit. Euna Lee is a producer and editor for Current's Vanguard series. To see more of their work, go to current.com.

Taken from: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-lingleeweb2-2009sep02,0,6204216.story

How can such thugs actually run a country? What more one with such rich cultural history. Sad indeed. A million lives ruined by a selfish, corrupted individual. One that was put in power by the very people who supported his regime's visions and beliefs, and gave their lives to make him what he is today. Like Confucius said, "An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger." How true.

Nude drunk loses way in hotel

2009-08-16T09:22:00.000+08:00

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - An extremely drunk, naked man lost his way at a New Zealand hotel and ended up sleeping in the wrong room, forcing its female occupant to hide in the bathroom, local media reported.

The 29 year-old Australian man had gone back the hotel in the resort town of Queenstown with a woman, but got up in the night and wandered into a bedroom where a couple were sleeping.

"He was a bit surprised that there were two people in his room and he was butt naked," Sergeant Steve Watt of Queenstown police told the Southland Times.

As the intruder slept, the startled woman took refuge in the bathroom as her husband summoned hotel staff.

The man, who could not remember whom he had been with nor what room he had been in, and had no clothes or wallet.

Police gave him a ride home clad in a hotel bathrobe, but let him off after the guests and hotel decided not to press charges.

"It was far too funny," said Watt.

European Stereotypes

2009-07-25T19:39:00.001+08:00

Heaven is the place where the lovers are Italian, the police are English, the mechanics are German, the cooks are French and the place is run by the Swiss.

Hell is where the lovers are Swiss, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the police are German and the place is run by the Italians.

How true!

Bangkok Chiropractor

2009-05-28T21:59:00.002+08:00

I went to this Chiropractor today, for my sore neck, and there was this massage and electro/heat application session by the Chiropractor's Thai assistant.

Interesting experience for I didn't know that a Chiropractic session by an American could blend well with a Thai-style massage.

As if the electro and heat session didn't sound scary enough... The massage, I swear I thought she was trying to snap me in half.

And now my neck doesn't hurt anymore. I think more like, it doesn't DARE to hurt anymore.

For the Fatherland and China, I Push

2009-05-27T23:25:00.007+08:00

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man was pushed off a bridge by an angry passer-by after his threat to commit suicide held up traffic for five hours, Chinese media reported on Saturday.

Retired soldier Lian Jiansheng, 66, broke through a police cordon and reached out to shake the hand of would-be jumper Chen Fuchao before shoving him off the bridge.

"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interests," Lai was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper.

"They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals."

Chen, 2 million yuan ($293,200) in debt because of a failed building project, fell 8 metres (yards) onto a partially inflated emergency air cushion and was hospitalized with wrist and back injuries. Lai was detained by police.

Chen was at least the twelfth person since early April to threaten suicide at the same spot, the Haizhu bridge in Guangzhou. But none jumped and -- until Lian gave Chen a helping hand -- none was pushed.

Way to go! That's one kick-ass retired Red Guard. SMRT should award him a job at busy MRT stations to prevent suicidal people from causing more traffic held ups.

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54O3BW20090525

Love on Facebook

2009-05-15T23:50:00.004+08:00

Ok I conclude that Facebook is utter crap. And it's crappyness just killed my day. COMPLETELY.

So... I was randomly browsing through Facebook, looking at cute girls on my list (and their list too =p), as usual, and I saw this quiz titled 'What kind of woman do you attract'.

SO. Curious enough, I clicked.

Filled in my answers that led to the result of my quiz...

what is your ideal woman's favorite food?
cookies made from scratch
what car would you like your ideal woman to drive?
bmw
what does your ideal woman wear most regularly?
skirt and heels
What is your ideal woman's career?
independently wealthy
my ideal woman does this to take care of me
keeps me warm under the covers ;)
my ideal woman shops here:
victoria's secret

And happily I submit, all the while thinking of my girl, in nice skirt and heels, with her victoria's secret underneath, waiting to 'keep me warm under the covers'.

Scroll for the result.

Obama's Latest Quotes

2009-05-11T16:46:00.003+08:00

On his next 100 days in office:
"I believe my next hundred days will be so successful that I will be able to complete them in 72 days," he said to a roar of laughter. "And on my 73rd day, I will rest."

On the chairman of Republican National Committee, Michael Steele:
"Michael for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry."

On the recent Air Force One photo op that frightened New Yorkers feared to be another 9/11 incident:
"Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight because they're grounded," he said. "You can't just take Air Force One on a joyride to Manhattan -- I don't care whose kids you are."

On 79-year old Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter, a former Republican that switched parties last month:
Obama said his administration has helped in "bringing in fresh, young faces — like Arlen Specter."

On former Vice President Dick Cheney:
"He is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People."

On former rival and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (and the swine flu):
"These days, we could not be closer. In fact the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and said I should go down there myself."

Guy with Camera

2009-04-30T14:16:00.002+08:00

My first attempt at high dynamic range (HDR) photography. Got the concept from vynn. the idea is to take 3 photos of the same scene, in normal, light, and dark lighting, and merge them into 1 picture to get a better range of colours and detail.

No photoshopping was done for all pictures, beyond basic raw file adjustment and resizing. Not very good but decent for a first attempt (to me). Anyone who is into photography, and is good at it, give me tips and comments. (=

Some creative use of the camera.

Tom Yum Chips with Humus

2009-04-29T22:50:00.002+08:00

LOVE

Wanna cease to by? Fall into a love.

2009-04-29T01:04:00.005+08:00

I came across the coolest tshirt at platinum fashion mall.

It reads: if you fall into a love you cease to by.

Serious shit. Sounds like wisdom from some enchanted ancient tome.

Buyers anyone? Wholesale prices available for 3 pieces up. 3 times the love, 3 additional chances to cease to by.

Saggi

2009-04-24T02:37:00.003+08:00

joanne: scorpio mixes well with pisces.

zachary: what about saggi? mix well with what.

joanne: saggy breasts.

WTF am i getting old??

2009-04-18T00:31:00.003+08:00

I've been drinking green tea, coke, sprint, lemon tea, smoothies and all sorts of sweet drinks these days that I feel that my tongue is constantly tingling with this ultra sweet and disgusting feeling. And here I am, drinking a glass of plain water when I have loads of nice drinks in the fridge.

Is this a sign that I'm getting old?

Hmmm maybe not. Until maybe a couple years more, where I downgrade to drinking guiness stout at the local coffee shop. With one foot up on the chair, talking to fellow uncles about dirty politics and the 'Lee Dynasty' conspiracies and stuff.

Italian Plumbers

2009-04-18T00:28:00.000+08:00

Flora likes Super Marios!! LOL!!

Frog all lit up by swallowed X'mas Light

2009-04-08T13:53:00.003+08:00

Came across this picture while reading my daily RSS newsfeed.

From National Geographic, submitted by a user named James Snyder. He wrote:

This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead having cooked himself from the inside. I’m happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don’t think he was very happy when I took his light away.

LOL! Did he think that it was a firefly or something?

Da Name in Traditional Chinese

2009-03-22T23:33:00.005+08:00

楊詩然

my name in traditional chinese.

i think traditional chinese looks really cool, makes random chinese characters look more sophisticated. and i think, no doubt it is more difficult to learn per se, it has more cultural significance. after all it's been in use for thousands of years, in ancient tomes, poems, etc. maybe that's why the taiwanese chose it over simplified chinese. to preserve the cultural values, national and ethnic unity, etc.

and cherry told me that my chinese name is nice! like some lead character in a romantic novel. lol.

i wanna visit taipei. hope it will be soon.

Notes from Andy

2009-03-05T10:51:00.009+08:00

I was cleaning up my place and found some scribbled notes that were left over by Andy.

Here's the loot:

Ok this is pretty normal, writing our contact details in case he got lost.

Lol! pet boo ree soy sum seep song! Now I'll think of Andy everytime I give my address to the driver.

And for Joanna and Joanne, he left this note on the shelf facing the main door. Unfortunately, they didn't notice that it was there when they came back for their bags.

I love the PTBs.

And for the 2 Jos and Andy, happy happy birthday! May Joanna's kittens bring her joy and laughter, may Andy find a kick ass job, be surrounded by beautiful babes with lots of love serum, and may Joanne get laid by her cute thai guy soon.

Thais do the darndest things

2009-02-17T21:00:00.005+08:00

Caught this view from my balcony.

Sun tanning, Thai style. Care to join him anyone?

Drunk Politician from Japan

2009-02-17T03:51:00.010+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introducing the politician of the century, Mr Shoichi Nakagawa!

It's tough being a minister these days. With a gloomy economic situation at home and a boring G7 summit to attend, it seems like the best way to forget the crisis is to drink. And get drunk.

For that bit of humour in an otherwise boring event, I think he deserves a pay rise. Oh, and for that priceless expression, a fat bonus too. (=

Edited: Additional video

Gisele Bundchen Rampage Photoshoot

2009-02-13T19:56:00.002+08:00

Really good photoshoot campaign.

But then again, what can go wrong with Gisele as the face of your label?

After the Ferrari and the Birkin bag, what next?

2009-02-13T16:32:00.006+08:00

This published letter, by MM Lee's daughter, made me stop for a moment and think; are we really taking everything for granted?

Words of wisdom indeed.

By Lee Wei Ling

In 2007, in an end-of-year message to the staff of the National Neuroscience Institute, I wrote: 'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time.

Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.' Slump time has arrived with a bang.

While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life. Decades of the good life have made us soft.

The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Singapore, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities. A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order. A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.

The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.

The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption. Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse.

I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to? I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'

My family is not poor, but we have been brought up to be frugal. My parents and I live in the same house that my paternal grandparents and their children moved into after World War II in 1945. It is a big house by today's standards, but it is simple - in fact, almost to the point of being shabby.

Those who see it for the first time are astonished that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's home is so humble. But it is a comfortable house, a home we have got used to. Though it does look shabby compared to the new mansions on our street, we are not bothered by the comparison.

Most of the world and much of Singapore will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Singaporeans, especially those born after 1970 who have never lived through difficult times. No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food. Nobody starves in Singapore.

Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing $20,000 a bottle to $10,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy. Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously. But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering.

After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to? Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.

When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?

We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice. In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.

To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.

Kids

2009-02-03T22:28:00.003+08:00

To: The Teacher

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit.

I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

Religion

2009-01-15T16:51:00.000+08:00

Taoism: shit happens

Buddhism: if shit happens, it isn't really shit

Islam: if shit happens, it is the will of Allah

Catholicism: if shit happens, you deserve it

Judaism: why does this shit always happen to us?

Atheism: I don't believe this shit

Live Lobster Vending Machine

2008-10-07T15:02:00.002+08:00

Another novel invention from Japan.

What if you miss, like in arcades? Pay and try again?

Che Magazine Ad

2008-10-07T06:20:00.002+08:00

Theme for the ad: Keep on dreaming of a better world.

I know i am :)

Baby Panda!

2008-09-29T18:37:00.003+08:00

From this...

To this!

Anyone wanna adopt a panda?

Pretty Wallpaper

2008-08-24T05:12:00.006+08:00

My current wallpaper! From DeviantART.

Which is your favourite season?

My Wishlist =(

2008-08-23T01:51:00.001+08:00

Crayons for work

2008-08-16T16:32:00.000+08:00

I can't believe I can't find a single (working) pen in my whole house.

Using my nephew's crayons to write/scribble work notes.

Can't wait for my new pen to arrive.

Lousy Salad

2008-08-13T01:29:00.000+08:00

I have no idea why i keep buying ready packed salad, forcing myself though the horrible lettuce, just for that little bit of caesar dressing and croutons.

And the disposable bowl is too small for the contents so it keeps falling out as i mix the dressing in.

Bah.

Virgin Post!

2008-08-09T13:40:00.000+08:00

My new blog! Outgrew the previous one.