3 question a Panda will ask itself

Question 1: How do I get rid of my dark eye rings?

Question 2: When can I take a color picture of myself?

Question 3: Can anyone tell me am I a bear or a cat? (熊猫）。。。

Only The English Can Invent Such Language!

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,

Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.



If the plural of man is always called men,

Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,

And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?



Then one may be that, and three would be those,

Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,

And the plural of cat is cats, not cose..

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,

But though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!



Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;

neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England .

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,

we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,

and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.



And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,

grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.

If you have a bunch of odds and ends

and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?



If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English

should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.

We have noses that run and feet that smell.

We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.

And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,

while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?



You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language

in which your house can burn up as it burns down,

in which you fill in a form by filling it out,

and in which an alarm goes off by going on.



And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

AND IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES

THEN PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND SHOULD BE HOLES

AND THE GERMANS, GERMS

S'POREANS ?…..SPORES.

p.s ... I copied this from somewhere, I am in no way the original author of such wonderful description of English paradox.

Mentor.

Having a mentor in life means having a model or standard
by which we can live our lives. And, of all such bonds, none
is more wonderful than the relationship when mentor and
disciple work together for the lofty ideal of world peace and
the happiness for all humanity.

Strike!

Today is 7th February 2008, my Mitsubishi Lancer is exactly 2 years old. Today I brought 4D for the first time in 3 years since "MK" wanted to buy at the 7-11 near his home.

Today I STRIKE LOTTERY!!!! Woo hoo!!!! I won the consolation price for 2567, my car plate number! Its just S$60 of winning though but I am really happy bout it. What coincidence.

Today I saw "her" on Facebook. I almost forgot about her until I see her again on an old photo. I'm trying to contact "her" now for I own "her" an apology. Yes, after so many years I still had the guilty feelings about what happen back than. Always wanted to contact her back than to say sorry but unfortunately I lost her number and soon I lost memory. Hopefully I am able to find her through Facebook this time round and hopefully she forgive me for the past.

Today I tell myself to clear some old debts... psychological debts.

The world and my brain.

告别了七年，又回到书桌上。 发现。。。 原来世界是那么大啊！我头脑是那么小喔！

老实说，一边打工养活自己和家人，一边读大学，有时对自己想到底方向对不对？好多好多的牺牲要负出。有时连要上Blog 写些生活点滴的时间都没有。 才三个星期就已经感觉拿个大学文凭是个马拉松，没想像中的简单。 每个lecture and tutorial 却像个 F1 race, 快的不得了， 好像要把三天的课目挤在三个钟头内。 好恐怖！

其实很多的 Self Study 要在空闲的时间做。Life must have a balance of work, social, study，family and finally rest. 这样一来， 为了学业， 为了美好的未来和口袋， Socializing 和 Sleeping 要牺牲一些。

每天上班到了五点就先走一步，把同事留在Base 作没有钱的OT...有时觉得很paiseh。很感谢 Senior 和 Junior 的帮足和了解。虽然课程只在三四和五，一和二还是要早点回作Assingment。

现在最想做的是到泰国背包旅行。 有个泰国朋友邀请我四月到那参与她们的新年和泼水节。可以住在她家。没走过泰国。。。这可是个好机会。

Ok, it take forever to type Chinese in blog. Pretty tired fingers now. Time to sleep. Good night Singapore.

The story of the sugar cane and Jade Emperor "天公“。

Its almost 5am right now and my family had just wrap up the offerings and prayer ceremony to the Heavenly Jade Emperor "天公". Its a common Chinese tradition to make offerings to the Heavenly Jade Emperor on the 9th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. It is also the time to offer prayers and ask for blessing for the family, relative and friends.

Besides all the usual offerings like Fruits, Chinese dessert, "kueh" and burning of incense papers (money in the spiritual context), a single or a pair of Sugar cane with leaves are part of the offerings in Hokkien culture. There are 2 folklore stories related to the use of Sugar cane plant as offerings. I learn this 2 stories today, one from my colleagues and one from my dad.

Story 1 goes like this. Long time ago, pirates were common sight along the coast of China. One day the pirates attacked a certain village in Fujian province where the Hokkien people populate. In their attempt to escape from harm, they ran into a Sugar cane plantation and hid in it for days until the pirates left the area. For the days in hiding, the Hokkien people survived on sugar cane juice to quench their thirst and hunger. Thankful to the protection offered by the Sugar cane plantation, the Hokkien people made the Sugar cane plant as part of the religious offering to the Jade Emperor each year as its considered a sacred plant that save their life.

Story 2 goes in a similar fashion. It was told during the time when the Jade Emperor was just a normal immortal, he was engage in war with the Demons. As the war against the Demons grew out of proportion and favor, he retreated to a Sugar cane plantation with his fellow comrades (also assume to be immortal) to rest and recover. It is within the Sugar cane plantation that the plan of battle was hatched and eventually lead to a overwhelming victory by the now Jade Emperor. Thus the Sugar cane plant is presented as offering.

Back to modern science and technology. Facts and Fiction are two conflicting entities at times. I like to drink Sugar cane juice at the hawker center after a round of greasy tasty meal. Its refreshing and cooling. As to the 2 folklores written, I had this feeling that it could just be a story cooked up by some Sugar cane merchant of the past to generate sales of sugar cane plants during festive seasons. Nevertheless, its a tradition practiced by my family for many years and it does not cost a bomb to get a pair for offerings once a year.

This is the only day I could set fire in the public without been called an arsonist. Of course all precaution are made to ensure that no trees are burn down.

Christmas 2008 Nine Dragon gathering photos

Although its long over due, I still got to share this pictures I took from Daphne's Facebook. To share with my brothers out there who always drop by my blog eager to find out my next crazy mtv stunts which unfortunately is getting as rare as a blue moon nowadays.

Thanks to Daphne and Eddie for organizing the gift exchange and gathering session for Christmas at their new home at Bedok Reservoir View. Its wonderful feeling to have all the brothers gathered under one roof once again to celebrate Christmas Eve with drinks, poker and gifts from each other. I still vividly remember our Christmas gathering in 2007, we were at Bro Alfred new home. I think this year Christmas we should head to Eechyi place, don't you agree? Well, when I have my own place (hopefully a condo or landed property) I will hold one Christmas gathering as well... jolly good fun.