Sunday 31 October 2010

Book 'em, Danno

Oh, shit. Tomorrow is supposed to be a special day when Astro begins re-running the original episodes of Hawaii Five-O and here, I've just learnt of the death of James MacArthur. There goes the last surviving link to the original Hawaii Five-O. I read that MacArthur, who played Danny "Danno" Williams in the original series, was due to appear as a guest in the new 2010 Hawaii Five-0 series. Old Danno died yesterday.

Saturday 30 October 2010

So You Think: rivals left gasping

I have just been watching the Mackinnon Stakes on Victoria Derby day and I'm blown away by how easily So You Think pulled away from the other horses to win the race by a 3¾ lengths. A masterclass run that left the other horses and jockeys speckled in mud on a wet, wet, wet day at the Flemington race course in Melbourne.




With trainer Bart Cummings still in hospital, it was left to So You Think's owner, Dato Tan Chin Nam, to hold court with the eager reporters. His (Malaysian) eyes, he says, will be smiling even more if his horse romps home with the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.




Friday 29 October 2010

Penang's Loy Krathong festival

People know the Wat Chayamangkalaram Buddhist temple in Bangkok Lane, George Town, better for the Sleeping Buddha than the Loy Krathong festival. If you don't mind getting wet, do come to the temple on 7 Nov 2010 for their Loy Krathong celebration. There'll be lots of water splashed around.


Thursday 28 October 2010

Rubber trees

Living in a small urbanised state like Penang means that I do not get to see rubber trees any more. But it so happened that on my way to Lunas recently, I passed by this smallholding and stopped to have a closer look.


As luck would have it, I met this lady busy at work on one of her rubber trees. She said that there were about 200 trees in her estate and she would tap the trees on alternate days. How long would it take her to go through 100 trees, then? Slightly over an hour, she said. She taps and collects the coagulated latex at the same time.


The bark would grow back in about two years, she said, and she can then re-tap the same tree for more latex. According to her, the trees in the smallholding are about 30 to 40 years old,


I peered down one of the cups. Quite a lot had been collected already.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

What an excuse!

I came across this run-of-the-mill story of the chief cashier of a bank here in George Town who has been charged in court today for stealing RM910,000 from the bank he worked in. The story by itself wouldn't attract any passing interest from anyone but for the quibble between the prosecutor and the defence lawyer over the quantum of the bail.

The prosecution had asked for a RM10,000 bail but the defence lawyer asked for it to be lowered to RM5,000. In the end a compromise figure of RM8,000 was struck. And the reason for this request? He has four school-going children, said the lawyer.

I'm surprised. Firstly, the bail should reflect the gravity of the crime, and RM910,000 is a lot of money. Secondly, was that a good enough excuse to reduce the bail? Indeed, if the accused had the intention to steal the money, he should have been well aware of the consequences before he did it, not after. So what if he has "four school-going children"? That's inconsequential to this case. I'm surprised that the court can even consider this request.

Does our world revolve around a dead octopus?

Thanks to a little tweet from a friend in Kuala Lumpur at about 7.15pm yesterday, I was alerted to news that a certain aristocratic-like cephalopod mollusc of British ancestry but domiciled in Germany had died. That's right, psychic celebrity Paul is no longer with us. He has passed on to that octopodian heaven where female octopuses will wait on him hand and foot. Oh, sorry, I meant foot and foot and foot and.... Obviously, Paul did not mind not having any hands to hold as long as he had lots of feet to entangle with.


For better or for worse, Paul had finished his life's work on earth, which in the last six months meant predicting football scores at the World Cup. At the height of his success at predicting the right results, it was a worldwide media circus whenever he was required to bite at a morsel of food in his tank. Obviously, his predictions delighted millions but less obviously, his predictions also enraged other people at the wrong end of the betting tickets.

According to another friend in Singapore, octopuses have a short lifespan. A species like Paul was likely to live for only two years and yet, our octopus here lived for 2½ years. So was Paul already on life support during the World Cup, he wondered.

Of course, I have my own conspiracy theories. Was Paul poisoned by some revengeful bookie? When was the last time he was asked to choose between two bits of morsel in his tank? Or was it just a case of fatal indigestion? I'm full of questions,aren't I?

Anyway, about an hour after news broke on the Internet about Paul, I had noticed that Google reported that there were already more than 500 news items filed around the world. This morning, the number had ballooned to more than 2,000. And of course, social media like facebook is all abuzz with the news.

Shocking! The mind boggles! Talk about people having time on their hands to digest this piece of irrelevant news. Yes, I'm talking about you and I. Don't we have anything better to do? Aren't there more important matters to weigh upon? Does a dead octopus answer the question of whether there's still a double dip recession looming this year? Whether gold prices will continue to climb? Has our stock market peaked? Will the idea of the silly and wasteful RM5 billion 100-storey tower be scrapped? Or closer to my heart, what will I have for lunch today?

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Have you this nifty app called GPSed?

I've got to make it clear that today's blog is not an advertisement. It is just that I am a bit excited about a nifty little application that can be installed on anyone's mobile phone.

This application, called GPSed, allows users like me to record GPS tracks from anywhere on Earth with their mobiles and trace them on Google Maps. All that is needed to start tracking is a mobile device with an internal or external GPS receiver.

It is also possible to take pictures while travelling and then link them later to the GPS tracks on the map from your Picasa or Flickr accounts. I haven't tried that yet but soon, soon, I will.

But as a tracking device, I think this GPSed application has very big potential. Companies and businesses, for example, can use it to track their vehicles. But to my mind, the most important use will be the ability to track movements of children and the elderly, especially those suffering from ailments like Alzheimer's.

But in the meantime, if you want to have GPSed installed on your mobile phone, here's where to download it from.

Monday 25 October 2010

Digesting Wodehouse

One of my regrets is that I got to discover the delightful P.G. Wodehouse only in the mid-1980s. Why this is so, I don't know, because I was already an avid reader of books since my schooldays. Surely, I would have known about this wonderful writer earlier, right?

Anyway, while I was still working at Ban Hin Lee Bank in Beach Street, George Town and the British Council was still located at Green Hall and more importantly, it still had its well-stocked library, I finally got my hands onto one of Wodehouse's novels. It was out of curiosity that I removed it from the shelf but the moment I did so, I knew that I was hooked.

Welcome to the world of Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Lord Emsworth and Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge among other equally colourful characters. Welcome to the Drones Club, Blandings Castle and the numerous golf courses that dot his books. Welcome to expressions like "pip pip", "tut tut", "shift-ho" and "pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey". That's P.G. for you.


Just this morning, I put down my copy of Weekend Wodehouse for the last time. Took me about a month to finish this selection of Wodehouse's works. Not to say that I am a slow reader but I really wanted to savour every word and expression from P.G.'s pen.

Now that I've finished it, I'm onto The Golf Omnibus which is a collection of 31 short golf stories. And I dare say, after I'm done with the second book, I'll be proceeding to Five Complete Novels. All these compendia were bought more than 10 years ago. I never had the time then to read them. NOW is the time to catch up on my reading. So excuse me, please.....

Sunday 24 October 2010

So You Think: he's up for the challenge

With the Cox Plate, run over 2040 metres, won and the title defended, surely the sights are now turned on to the Melbourne Cup on 2 Nov 2010, which is over the longer distance of 3200 metres. Will So You Think gear up for the challenge? Will the four-year-old stallion fulfil its destiny to become the new legend in Australian horse racing history? I think it depends on whether or not the horse is strong enough to cover the extra one kilometre. Eight days to find out.


Saturday 23 October 2010

The new Hawaii Five-0

I don't watch much television. At home, the honour belongs to my aunt. She can sit (and sleep) in front of the set for hours in the afternoons and evenings after all the food's been cooked. But come this November, I'm sure to compete with her for the remote control.

Well, not all the time, anyway. She can go back to watching her shows when I'm done with watching Hawaii Five-O. Yes, that's right, the original Hawaii Five-O with Jack Lord as the original Steve McGarrett and James MacArthur as the original Danny Williams.  Classic stuff.

AXN (Astro Channel 701) will be screening the original remastered version of Hawaii Five-O on weekdays at 6.15pm from 1 Nov (repeat at 12.55pm from 2 Nov). Time to relive the past. 

Hawaii Five-O was one of my favourite television shows then. And it looks set to be one of my favourite television shows again. Starting on 14 Nov, I'll be sitting down to watch the NEW 2010 remake of Hawaii Five-0


Yessirree Bob, 30 years after the original series ended, the super-duper detective series has been resurrected with a new cast. This time, it'll be Alex O'Loughlin as the new Steve McGarrett and Scott Caan (son of James "Rollerball" Caan) as the new Danny Williams. Plus, Daniel Dae Kim as the new Chin Ho Kelly and Grace Park as the new Kono Kalakaua. That's a refreshing change, because the original Kono had always been played by a male actor. But I can't imagine a male actor in a bikini, though.

P.S. The 2010 version of Hawaii Five-0 premiered in the United States on 20 Sep but we are only getting to see it on 14 Nov. 


Friday 22 October 2010

A tale of two mechanics

Why is it that we'd never get to see a mechanic smile? They are all so sullen-faced. All the smiles are probably left behind at the customer service desk. You pass through the door that connects the customer service desk to the workshop and it's a world of a difference. I'll tell you what happened.

Today, I finally had Proton Edar to look into the steering wheel problem of my daughter's new Saga. Since a few months ago, the steering had been squeaking ever so softly whenever it's turned in either direction. Many people may not take notice of it but when they do, it will become a conscious squeak in their mind until there is no way that they'd be able to ignore it.

Last 14 Oct when I took the car for its scheduled service at their main service centre in Juru, I had complained to the service desk and the problem was referred to the mechanic. About an hour later, the mechanic told me that there was nothing wrong with the car.

"But there is a squeak," I insisted, so he called in his supervisor. They talked briefly and the supervisor said his mechanic would look into the problem. After another hour or so, he told me the car was ready, and said he had tried to reduce the noise as much as possible but it would still be there. Maybe I should have persisted with the complaint but I was fast running out of time. So I collected the car and told him that I'll be back.

Thank goodness for Proton Edar's customer feedback service. A few days later, someone rang me to ask whether I was satisfied with the service rendered. No, I replied, the steering problem had not gone away.

No problem, the voice at the other end told me. If I had the time, please bring the car back to their service centre. So today, I was there again and this time, I jolly made sure the mechanic - a different person - sat down beside me as I took the car for a spin. He listened and agreed that there was a soft squeak from the steering wheel.

Three hours later, I collected the car from them. The job sheet said that he had degreased the sterring column and shaft. And yes, the sound has disappeared. Unlike the first mechanic, this second one had solved the problem. And I hope the problem has gone away for good.

Now, what I'm concerned about is why the first mechanic - let's call him Syukri - was unable to solve the problem or reluctant to solve the problem and chose to give me a cock and bull story? Incompetent? Lazy? Attitude? Whatever. It's people like him who will give their employer a bad name.

The second mechanic - let's call him Mazlan - was different. He wasn't incompetent. He wasn't lazy. He didn't have an attitude problem. He listened. And he solved the problem. That is the type of employee that contributes positively to his company. Good for him.

Now, having said all this, I still have no answer to my original question. Where are all the smiles when the mechanics interact directly with their customers??

Thursday 21 October 2010

The Penang Free School magazine

Today, as my alma mater the Penang Free School celebrates its 194th anniversary, I am showing here a picture that I've just copied from the facebook of OFA Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. It's a picture of the Penang Free School magazine. Not any ordinary magazine but the 1910 edition of the magazine. That's exactly 100 years ago....

Wednesday 20 October 2010

So You Think: legend in the making?


The first time I saw this picture, I was greatly moved by the animal's countenance even though this was a race and it was being urged on by the jockey. It looked unbelievably cool, emotionless and undistracted under pressure. A "one track mind" if I ever needed to be reminded of this majestic horse.

Meet So You Think, the Bart Cummings-trained horse that is creating waves of excitement all over Australia right now. This Saturday, So You Think is the odds-on favourite to run away with the Tatts Cox Plate race at Mooney Valley in Melbourne. It's status will be sealed if it also compete and land this year's Melbourne Cup on 2 Nov.

Here is So You Think's memorable Cox Plate win last year. Get ready for history to repeat itself.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

JobStreet English language assessment tops one million mark

I don't know how many people are registered currently within JobStreet.com's domain of job seekers in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Thailand. The official statistics say seven million but the actual number could possibly be higher.

Anyway, I've just learnt that on 11 Oct 2010, the job seekers who have taken the online assessments or practices for the JobStreet English Language Assessment (JobStreet ELA) product has surpassed the one million mark.

I am overwhelmed by this piece of information. The JobStreet ELA had been a project very close to my heart in the last 18 months of my stay at JobStreet.com. It was a project that I saw through from the first day until its launch. Altogether, I went through 5,000 objective questions on the English language broken down into four groups. As meticulously as I could, I had subjected them to real tests across a wide spectrum of people to ensure the questions' consistency and integrity.

If I remember correctly, only about 2,400 questions were used subsequently at the launch of this product.  Presumably, the rest may be deployed later in the existing or other formats. From these 2,400 questions which are sub-divided into the above four groups of 600 questions each, the system picks 40 at random - 10 questions from each group - whenever an assessment or a practice test is taken, and they must be answered within 20 minutes. So it's also a race with the clock.

I am no mathematician but I am told that even with these 2400 questions alone, the number of permutations are horrendously large and there is practically no chance of a same set of 40 questions repeating. Perhaps someone mathematically savvy enough can go estimate the number of permutations. It may be close to 10 followed by 80 zeros, give or take a few zeros.

Anyway, when the one millionth mark was breached on 11 Oct 2010, it had been 342 days since JobStreet ELA was launched in Malaysia (4 Nov 2009) and 314 days for the Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand markets (2 Dec 2009). My source also told me that 48 percent of these tests were taken in the Philippines, 34 percent taken in Malaysia, 10 percent in Indonesia, seven percent in Singapore and one percent in Thailand.

Looking at the information from another angle, this also meant that on average there are about 3,000 job seekers sitting for the tests on any given day or about 130 tests being taken simultaneously per hour. And they have already spent 20 million minutes of their time on the JobStreet ELA. A mind-boggling thought just entered my head: if I string the one million tests together one by one, this is equivalent to 333,333 hours or 13,888 days or 38 years of continuous computing time.

So if you say that I'm happy, you are darn right. I am proud of my work. I am proud that this has come to fruition. I'm proud that I've left a mark on the company and hopefully, it will be a long-lasting mark. Nevertheless, there is a personal disappointment that remains till this day. Unfortunately, it is not for me to mention it here.

Monday 18 October 2010

Colours of Lunas

The natural countryside can sometimes turn up the most vibrant of colours. I took these pictures yesterday in Lunas, which is just across the Penang-Kedah border from Bukit Mertajam.





Sunday 17 October 2010

Google Street View in Malaysia?

In the last few days, I've noticed that the Pegman symbol that sits on the zoom toolbar of Google Maps Malaysia had quietly turned from grey to yellow.

I got excited. Did it mean that Google Maps' Street View has finally arrived in Malaysia? I thought so at first. Felt ecstatic about it. I couldn't wait to drag the Pegman from the toolbar into the map itself.


The moment I did so, my excitement went down a notch. No, Street View is still not available here. All that Pegman pointed to were pictures that people had uploaded to Google, and these appeared as blue dots on Google Maps. I wouldn't have minded this too much except that many of the pictures were either irrelevant or inaccurate. If Google is serious enough, the company should implement Street View in Malaysia as quickly as possible.


Saturday 16 October 2010

Penang heritage: A date at Suffolk House

Finally, after almost three years, I stepped inside Suffolk House. I had first admired this restored heritage building in December 2007 but it was still incomplete and no-one was allowed into the grounds. On Wednesday, I went there to meet up with an old school chum.

Charming. If you can ignore all the modern fittings in the building, you can well imagine how the place had looked like some 200 years ago: from the beamingly white roof beams to the highly polished tiled floor. Here are some pictures.

This is the open-air restaurant, which looks out into the garden.

The main hall of the building.

Looking through from one end of the building to the other.

The Unesco Award of Distinction.

Friday 15 October 2010

Beauty of language

In the last few days, I have been reacquainted with several choice words and expressions in the English language, thanks to the pomposity of the legal minds making their cases in the British High Court. It wouldn't have happened if not for the high profile case of the sale of a little football club -- sorry, I meant the Liverpool Football Club -- and the threat of the club plunging into administration. Can you see what we are missing from not learning the English language well?

extraordinary events
most outrageous abuse of process 
grossly inappropirate
unconscionable 
scurrilous allegations 
epic swindle 
grand conspiracy 
wild and scurrilous 
absolute poppycock 
abusive, vexatious and oppressive 
grotesque parody 
preposterous 
incorrigible 
sitting and giggling 
impoverished

Poo

I don't have to say too much, do I?

Thursday 14 October 2010

Leave your hunger behind you

I'm a bit fed up with the Proton Edar service centre at the Autocity in Juru, Penang. Always, with their telephone line engaged, I've found it impossible to call them for an appointment to service my Proton Saga. On Monday, I decided to drop by the service centre to make the appointment personally. I know it defeats the purpose of having a telephone but what to do?

Well, today finally, I had the car serviced. Left it with them in the morning and then took a stroll to the Autocity whereupon I came across this delightfully named coffee shop. Hunger Beh Coffee Tiam. Boy, it's certainly a name to entice hunger in anybody!

I was famished as I had left home early this morning without breakfast. So I went into this coffee shop to look around. Four stalls with three already operating: one selling char koay teow and koay teow soup, a second selling chicken rice and a third selling wanton mee. I opted for a bowl of koay teow soup. I must say that I wasn't disappointed. It tasted all right with me. The soup had a hint of the Chinese herb tong kooi which was not strong enough to over-power anyone. Wholly recommended.


Plus, if you are around the area, do consider the chicken rice for lunch too. Ahh....that row of chicken hanging there. My wife will tell you that I'm a sucker for chicken. Halfway through my bowl of koay teow soup, I gave in to temptation. I ordered a plate of chicken, sans the rice, to go with the soup. Must say that I enjoyed the combination.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Alpha male monkey explained

According to the Negeri Sembilan Wildlife and National Parks Department, the macaque (this is the common wild monkey that we see in the forests and gardens) that attacked the newborn baby was an alpha male. What exactly is an alpha male?

To explain that, it must be understood that monkeys live in a hierarchy. They follow the system of one alpha male with many females and their babies. This alpha male guards his harem and has to ensure that his family is safe. All the children in the group are fathered by him.

Every now and then, there will be bands of male monkeys who try to drive the alpha male out and take over the group. Usually they do not succeed. The alpha male goes chasing after the band and drives the intruders away through fighting or making aggressive noises. But sometimes the alpha male is unable to protect his family. When this happens, he is driven away from the area and his unprotected females are taken over and raped by the band of male monkeys into submission. One among them emerges as the leader, drives the rest of the males away and becomes the new alpha male.

The methodical killing then begins. In order to assume full control over the group, the new alpha male starts killing all the male babies. Some older male babies who are more mature and mobile may manage to run away and join a band of male monkeys but most are killed. The fearful pregnant females induce self-abortions by banging their stomachs against the trees to rid themselves of any foetus they carry. Only when the male babies have been killed off or chased away will the new alpha male take complete control over his new family.

So what probably happened in Negeri Sembilan could be that a new alpha male monkey had detected a caged female monkey in the house, climbed in when no one was around, saw a newborn human baby and assumed that the baby belonged to the caged monkey, and then killed it. We know that this is a tragedy for the affected family, especially the parents of the baby, but unfortunately, this is all part of the monkey's natural behaviour. For the Wildlife Department staff to track down and kill off this male monkey will not do any good if the people are not educated on the danger of keeping wild animals in their homes. Today, the issue is with the monkeys. What else can it be tomorrow? Tigers? Iguanas? Pythons?   

Monday 11 October 2010

The problem with monkeys ... and humans

In the last few days, we had been subjected to the gruesome story of how a wild monkey had gained entry into an apartment , carried away a four-day-old baby and then biting and killing the newborn. It's a grim reminder that while monkeys may be our closest relative on the evolution ladder, they are still savage animals.

How many times have you seen monkeys chase after humans? Countless times, actually. I only need to go to the nearby Bukit Mertajam Forest Park to see ignorant people taunt and tease the monkeys and then run away screaming when the monkeys run after them. The worst offenders are not children but the adult Malay women who should know better. That's why whenever I climb the trails around the BM hill, I would carry either an umbrella or a walking stick to scare away unwanted animals.

Yesterday during my walk at the foothills, I came across a monkey of immense proportions, a monster monkey if ever there was one. An alpha male monkey, I was told, but I'm not too sure. It looks like a different species of primates because this one sported a short tale compared with the rest of the monkeys running wild everywhere.


Regardless, this was definitely the biggest and baddest-looking monkey at the foothills. It moved around regally. I could see that it was not scared of anything around it, least of all people. Looking at its size, I will rather move aside if this monkey comes ambling towards me.

But it was not only this particular beast that wasn't scared of people. Nearby was a group of smaller monkeys playing about on a car's roof. But what particularly riled me was that someone actually came up to the monkeys and not only threw food to them but encouraged them to snatch the food from his hand. It's downright dangerous, and it's people like this person who contributes to the monkey menace. By feeding them, it makes the monkeys too bold and lazy. They become far too aggressive. And it's people like him who usually make a hue and cry when someone gets attacked by the animals.

Sunday 10 October 2010

10.10.10

Does today's date hold any special significance for you? Not for me. Anyone who believes this date holds any spiritual significance must be a real dunderhead. It's just a sequential date in the calendar that happens to look nice. Next year, it will be 11.11.11 and people will go gaga again. And the year after, there'll be a fuss with 12.12.12 and people will say such a repetition of numbers will never happen again until the next hundred years.

But there is an historical connection to the 10th of October. On 10 October 1911, a military uprising in Wuchang, Central China, led to the overthrow of the imperial Qing Dynasty.

Dr Sun Yat-Sen, acknowledged on both sides of the Straits of Taiwan as the Father of Modern China, was not even directly connected with the Wuchang Uprising. He was travelling in the United States to work up support from the overseas Chinese there. But when he heard about the uprising, he returned to China immediately whereupon as the compromise candidate between the Chinese revolutionaries and the conservatives, he was elected as China's first president.

There is a mistaken belief that "Double 10" is the national day of the People's Republic of China, but it's not. Mainland China's National Day is celebrated every year on 1 October. If there is even any memorial activity at all, it's only to commemorate the Wuchang Uprising. However, "Double 10" is Taiwan's National Day.

By the way, I hear that at 10 o'clock this morning, there is some sort of activity planned at 120 Armenian Street in George Town, Penang. History buffs will recognise 120 Armenian Street as the southern headquarters of Dr Sun Yat-Sen when he was moving through this region to raise funds from the overseas Chinese who had settled in South-East Asia.

Saturday 9 October 2010

He would be 70 today



John Lennon, born today 70 years ago, had a life cut short by an assassin's bullet in New York in 1980. If he were still alive today, who knows what he would have achieved in the global peace movement.  Happy 70th birthday to you, John Lennon, wherever you are.....

Lennon's 1970 debut solo album is generally known everywhere as "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" but the copy of this album in my collection, printed in Holland, is denoted by a single word Fame across the top right corner of the cover. On the cover's spine, John Lennon - Mother.
Side One: Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Isolation
Side Two: Remember, Love, Well Well Well, Look At Me, God, My Mummy's Dead


Side One: Imagine, Crippled Inside, Jealous Guy, It's So Hard, I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
Side Two: Gimme Some Truth, Oh My Love, How Do You Sleep?, How?, Oh Yoko!

Friday 8 October 2010

Who logged these logs in Sarawak?

There is a huge environmental disaster unfolding in Sarawak. 


Heavy rains flooding a logging camp in the interior of the state has forced millions of cut logs and wood debris into the Balleh river. The Balleh river joins into the Rajang river which flows past Sibu before emptying into the South China Sea. Right now, the Rajang is a river of sludge -- a mixture of logs, debris and mud.


There should be no pity for the people behind this ecological disaster of unknown proportions. All the destruction, all the waste. Questions must be asked of the authorities.

Who is behind this logging? Why is there such an extensive logging? In the first place, is this logging legal or illegal? If legal, who approved the logging licences? Who is going to take even a wee bit of responsibility over the destruction of the environment over there? Will we ever know the answers?

The above picture is from Hornbill Unleashed. More photos are available there.

Evening star

The inter-monsoon period is upon us here in the tropics and the incessant rain and thick clouds in the evenings have put paid to any more attempts to view Jupiter in the night sky. But five days ago there was a short break in the rainy weather. Stepping out of the house at about 7.30pm, I couldn't help seeing a bright spot of light lurking in the west, and sinking fast behind my neighbour's house on the opposite side of the road. Although the sky wasn't completely dark, yet this pin prick of a light was bright enough for anyone to notice. Since it couldn't be Jupiter, it must be Venus putting in its appearance as the Evening Star. Pretty soon, we'll not be able to see it any more.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Nice video

I discovered this video on facebook, then decided to take a closer look at it on the vimeo homepage. I like it and I know you'll enjoy it too! Note; If the video doesn't play, just click on the link below or alternatively, cut and paste the URL into your browser window.

http://vimeo.com/15569452

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Two peas in a pod

For a very long time, I really couldn't put a finger on it. I always thought that I was missing something somewhere but couldn't figure out where it was. Then suddenly.....in the midst of all the recent succession news in the media, it struck me! Here is the resemblance! Their hairstyles chillingly similar, don't you think so?