Nailed down. Pulled out. Flattened. Demolished.
No matter how you want to describe it, the Chongqing nail house is no more. Today, the bulldozers came in and took the little house away. With this sudden turn of events, the three-year-long saga that has come to symbolise the private citizen's defiance against the Chinese government and illegal land grabs by developers has ended.
In the end, the owners of this two-storey brick house - perched 10 metres high on a tower of land in the middle of a huge construction pit - were compensated with a new up-market apartment worth about 3.0 million Yuan and given another 900,000 Yuan in special damages for the electricity and water that had been cut off by the developers. That's a very tidy sum, especially by Chinese standards.
Read my original post on this topic.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Monday, 2 April 2007
Moon
I love the moon.
On a full moon's day, nothing is more romantic that to walk in the moonlight with my wife. And especially, when you peer into the night sky, the pale yellow orb of the moon speaks to you in a whisper: "Feel my light, feel my glow, feel the quiet, feel the peace." You can't do this with the sun.
Yet, there is more to the moon than the light, the glow, the quiet or the peace. Just a few days ago, I was watching an interesting programme on National Geographic where it was argued that the gravitational force of the moon could trigger earthquakes.
The moon's orbit around the earth is ecliptical, just like the earth's orbit around the sun is. At perigee, the earth and the moon are at their closest point to one another. Likewise, at perihelion, the earth and the sun are closest to one another.
The TV programme suggested that when perigee and perihelion occurs together at a time when the sun, earth and moon are aligned, the gravitational forces on the earth's tectonic plates are at their strongest. The force may even be strong enough to trigger the plates to slip, thus triggering earthquakes.
The 26 Dec 2004 earthquake of magnitude 9.1 off Sumatra that caused the destructive tsunami in the Indian Ocean coincided with a full moon. The 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 6 Mar 2007 happened a day after the new moon. Likewise, the 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska on 27 Mar 1964 happened on a day of maximum high tide and as you know, tides are caused by the moon's gravitational pull.
Today is also a full moon's day and I arrived at the office this morning to learn that a big 8.1 magnitude earthquake had occurred in the Pacific Ocean and it set off a tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands badly.
So it may really be true after all that the moon is potentially dangerous for people who live in earthquake-prone regions. In the past, the full moon was linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents, birthrates, fertility, werewolves and vampires, among other things. Add to this growing list of events now is an earthquake.
On a full moon's day, nothing is more romantic that to walk in the moonlight with my wife. And especially, when you peer into the night sky, the pale yellow orb of the moon speaks to you in a whisper: "Feel my light, feel my glow, feel the quiet, feel the peace." You can't do this with the sun.
Yet, there is more to the moon than the light, the glow, the quiet or the peace. Just a few days ago, I was watching an interesting programme on National Geographic where it was argued that the gravitational force of the moon could trigger earthquakes.
The moon's orbit around the earth is ecliptical, just like the earth's orbit around the sun is. At perigee, the earth and the moon are at their closest point to one another. Likewise, at perihelion, the earth and the sun are closest to one another.
The TV programme suggested that when perigee and perihelion occurs together at a time when the sun, earth and moon are aligned, the gravitational forces on the earth's tectonic plates are at their strongest. The force may even be strong enough to trigger the plates to slip, thus triggering earthquakes.
The 26 Dec 2004 earthquake of magnitude 9.1 off Sumatra that caused the destructive tsunami in the Indian Ocean coincided with a full moon. The 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 6 Mar 2007 happened a day after the new moon. Likewise, the 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska on 27 Mar 1964 happened on a day of maximum high tide and as you know, tides are caused by the moon's gravitational pull.
Today is also a full moon's day and I arrived at the office this morning to learn that a big 8.1 magnitude earthquake had occurred in the Pacific Ocean and it set off a tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands badly.
So it may really be true after all that the moon is potentially dangerous for people who live in earthquake-prone regions. In the past, the full moon was linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents, birthrates, fertility, werewolves and vampires, among other things. Add to this growing list of events now is an earthquake.
Sunday, 1 April 2007
Won't get fooled again
Welcome to 1 April 2007. It's April Fools' Day, by the way, a day when people with nothing better to do will try to pull a fast one over other people. I've given up on playing pranks on my friends and family but don't think that I've lost my sense of humour. I haven't!
While scouring the on-line news agencies, I came across a story about someone trying to sell on the Internet hairs that purportedly belonged to the Egyptian pharoah, Ramses II.
According to Reuters, an archaeological team from Egypt was on its way to France to retrieve the 3,200-year-old strands of hair taken from the mummified remains of the pharoah. The Reuters report said that last year, someone had offered to sell the hair on the Internet for between 2,000 and 2,500 euros (US$2,668 and US$3,336).
I don't know why, but I was immediately put on my guard the moment I saw this story. Something told me to be suspicious of it. Could this be an April Fools' joke in the making? The release of this news-worthy story so close to April 1 is just too coincidental. But, some newspapers in the world have carried this story...including China's People's Daily Online. Let's see whether Reuters will say more about this story tomorrow.
By the way, a good April Fools' story will normally try to include some real facts as part of its report in an attempt to make the story realistic. This are the real facts added to the Reuters exclusive:
"Ramses's mummy was discovered in 1881 and shortly afterwards moved to Cairo's Egyptian Museum. In the early 1970s authorities noticed his body was deteriorating and sent it to Paris, where it was treated for a fungal infection."
While scouring the on-line news agencies, I came across a story about someone trying to sell on the Internet hairs that purportedly belonged to the Egyptian pharoah, Ramses II.
According to Reuters, an archaeological team from Egypt was on its way to France to retrieve the 3,200-year-old strands of hair taken from the mummified remains of the pharoah. The Reuters report said that last year, someone had offered to sell the hair on the Internet for between 2,000 and 2,500 euros (US$2,668 and US$3,336).
I don't know why, but I was immediately put on my guard the moment I saw this story. Something told me to be suspicious of it. Could this be an April Fools' joke in the making? The release of this news-worthy story so close to April 1 is just too coincidental. But, some newspapers in the world have carried this story...including China's People's Daily Online. Let's see whether Reuters will say more about this story tomorrow.
By the way, a good April Fools' story will normally try to include some real facts as part of its report in an attempt to make the story realistic. This are the real facts added to the Reuters exclusive:
"Ramses's mummy was discovered in 1881 and shortly afterwards moved to Cairo's Egyptian Museum. In the early 1970s authorities noticed his body was deteriorating and sent it to Paris, where it was treated for a fungal infection."
Can they?
"The only thing we have to do is keep our nerve. Are we playing like champions? I think so. You expect a championship team to show the determination, drive and resolve we showed (against Blackburn)."
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Island in the sun
Would you care to wager how much longer this lonely house can withstand the forces of development going on around it?
This is in Chongqing, China where this lonely house, precariously placed on top of a 10-metre drop all around it, has earned the name of "coolest nail house". It's called a nail house because nothing - or no one - seems able to uproot it.
The saga began three years ago when the owners of this house began battling a property developer that wanted to develop a piece of land into a shopping centre. But while the other homeowners accepted a compensation and then moved out, this house's owners refused to budge and tried to ask for more.
But the owners got more than they bargained for when the property developer began digging into the ground all around this little house and left it standing all by itself.
Just like an island in an ocean. All cut off from the rest of the world.
This is in Chongqing, China where this lonely house, precariously placed on top of a 10-metre drop all around it, has earned the name of "coolest nail house". It's called a nail house because nothing - or no one - seems able to uproot it.
The saga began three years ago when the owners of this house began battling a property developer that wanted to develop a piece of land into a shopping centre. But while the other homeowners accepted a compensation and then moved out, this house's owners refused to budge and tried to ask for more.
But the owners got more than they bargained for when the property developer began digging into the ground all around this little house and left it standing all by itself.
Just like an island in an ocean. All cut off from the rest of the world.
US$1,453 million
This is the world's most valuable football club, according to a special report by Forbes business magazine on 29 Mar 2007:
Some clues to the club's identity:
Followed by:
2 Real Madrid (Spain) US$1,036 million
3 Arsenal (England) US$915 million
4 Bayern Munich (Germany) US$838 million
5 AC Milan (Italy) US$824 million
6 Juventus (Italy) US$567 million
7 Internazionale Milan (Italy) US$555 million
8 Chelsea (England) US$537 million
9 Barcelona (Spain) US$535 million
10 Schalke 04 (Germany) US$471 million
11 Liverpool (England) US$454 million
12 Olympique Lyonnais (France) US$343 million
13 Newcastle United (England) US$260 million
14 Tottenham Hotspur (England) US$243 million
15 AS Roma (Italy) US$224 million
16 Hamburg SV (Germany) US$221 million
17 Manchester City (England) US$208 million
18 Borussia Dortmund (Germany) US$199 million
19 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherland) US$196 million
20 Celtic (Scotland) US$185 million
21 Everton (England) US$165 million
22 Olympique Marseille (France) US$157 million
23 West Ham United (England) US$156 million
24 Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) US$147 million
25 Aston Villa (England) US$140 million
Some clues to the club's identity:
Founded: 1878
One-Year Value Change: 6%
Debt/Value: 84%
Revenue (2005/2006 season): US$310 million
Income (2005/2006 season): US$92 million
Home Uniform: Red shirts with white trim, white or black shorts, black socks
G14 Member: Yes
Stadium capacity: 76,000
Owner/Major Shareholder: Malcolm Glazer
Chief Executive: David Gill
Head Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson
Club President: Joel & Avram Glazer (Co-chairmen)
European Trophies: 2 European Champions Cups: 1968, 1999, 1 Cup Winners Cup: 1991, 1 Intercontinental Cup: 1999
Domestic Championships: 15: 1907-08, 1910-11, 1951-52, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1964-65, 1966-67, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03
Domestic Cups: 11 F.A. Cups: 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2 League Cups: 1992, 2006
Main Sponsor/Uniform Sponsor: AIG/Nike
One-Year Value Change: 6%
Debt/Value: 84%
Revenue (2005/2006 season): US$310 million
Income (2005/2006 season): US$92 million
Home Uniform: Red shirts with white trim, white or black shorts, black socks
G14 Member: Yes
Stadium capacity: 76,000
Still don't know? Here are more giveaway clues:
Owner/Major Shareholder: Malcolm Glazer
Chief Executive: David Gill
Head Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson
Club President: Joel & Avram Glazer (Co-chairmen)
European Trophies: 2 European Champions Cups: 1968, 1999, 1 Cup Winners Cup: 1991, 1 Intercontinental Cup: 1999
Domestic Championships: 15: 1907-08, 1910-11, 1951-52, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1964-65, 1966-67, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03
Domestic Cups: 11 F.A. Cups: 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2 League Cups: 1992, 2006
Main Sponsor/Uniform Sponsor: AIG/Nike
Followed by:
2 Real Madrid (Spain) US$1,036 million
3 Arsenal (England) US$915 million
4 Bayern Munich (Germany) US$838 million
5 AC Milan (Italy) US$824 million
6 Juventus (Italy) US$567 million
7 Internazionale Milan (Italy) US$555 million
8 Chelsea (England) US$537 million
9 Barcelona (Spain) US$535 million
10 Schalke 04 (Germany) US$471 million
11 Liverpool (England) US$454 million
12 Olympique Lyonnais (France) US$343 million
13 Newcastle United (England) US$260 million
14 Tottenham Hotspur (England) US$243 million
15 AS Roma (Italy) US$224 million
16 Hamburg SV (Germany) US$221 million
17 Manchester City (England) US$208 million
18 Borussia Dortmund (Germany) US$199 million
19 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherland) US$196 million
20 Celtic (Scotland) US$185 million
21 Everton (England) US$165 million
22 Olympique Marseille (France) US$157 million
23 West Ham United (England) US$156 million
24 Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) US$147 million
25 Aston Villa (England) US$140 million
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Say what? Say cheese!
CAUTION: Here's something for mature viewing only.
West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers from Somerset, England had put their handmade-on-the-farm cheeses to mature about three months ago and thought it would provide a jolly good talking point to hook one up to a webcam. But to their udder surprise, more than half a million viewers have already tuned into their website to look at THE MOST EXCITING event in cheese history.
It's so fulfilling to see the cheese develop a faint grey coat of mould. It's not a pretty sight, not for the faint-hearted, I tell you, but it's an awesome experience you'll not want to miss. Grip yourself and click here to get yourself transported to the Cheese Event of your lifetime! Caution: Don't click if you cannot stand the smell of cheese!
Philip Crawford, chairman of the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers group, explained in their press statement:
"We’ve told you how much we love our cows; you may have heard that we spend so much time with them they have started to moo with a West Country accent. We’re very proud of our cheese too and we’ve launched the new website to let the whole world appreciate how it takes to create the perfect-tasting West Country Farmhouse Cheddar. As you can see we really do take our cheesemaking seriously. We nurture our cows so they produce lovely milk which in turn creates exquisite cheese."
I want a piece of this cheese. I really do. In fact, I want it so much that I don't mind watching it mature. Anyway, it's no harder than watching grass grow or watching paint dry. So, Mr Crawford, if you want to give me a piece of the cheese - any of your award-winning cheese will do - just drop me an email. I'll gladly join you to watch this particular cheese mature until the end of the year...
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Call me Jake
A few months ago, I was alerted to this video on YouTube. I had forgotten all about it until last night when I was listening to one of George Harrison's CDs. The man's name is Jake Shimabukuro. Don't let the name intimidate you. Just say it slow .... Shi-ma-bu-ku-ro ... and please remember it because he plays one mean ukulele!
Will he?
"Am I the best in the world? I have been improving my game and I'm in a great shape this year. I feel mature. The Manchester United players are by my side and I also have a great help in the national team. But, of course, I believe I am one of the best. I have a good contract in financial terms and what really matters to me is to show my game. It's a good sign to know that I have so many clubs interested in me, such as Madrid. It means that I am valued and my work pleases. But I'm very happy where I am and I hope to stay in Manchester United for many years."
Break-up letter
I received this joke by email recently. I enjoyed it initially but then I began thinking how it is a sad reflection of humanity continuing to be swept along by global world events. Are we to remain just pawns manipulated by those in power?
A soldier stationed in Afghanistan recently received a letter from his girlfriend back home. It read as follows:
The soldier, with hurt feelings, asked his fellow soldiers for any snapshots they could spare of their girlfriends, sisters or ex-girlfriends. In addition to the picture of Becky, Ricky included all the other pictures of the pretty gals he had collected from his buddies. There were 57 photos in that envelope, along with this note:
A soldier stationed in Afghanistan recently received a letter from his girlfriend back home. It read as follows:
Dear Ricky,
I can no longer continue our relationship. The distance between us is just too great. I must admit that I have cheated on you twice since you've been gone and it's not fair to either of us. I'm sorry. Please return the picture of me that I sent to you.
Love,
Becky
The soldier, with hurt feelings, asked his fellow soldiers for any snapshots they could spare of their girlfriends, sisters or ex-girlfriends. In addition to the picture of Becky, Ricky included all the other pictures of the pretty gals he had collected from his buddies. There were 57 photos in that envelope, along with this note:
Dear Becky,
I'm so sorry, but I can't quite remember who the hell you are. Please take your picture from the pile, and send the rest back to me.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Quaint discovery
If you are prepared to veer off the well beaten tourist track, even the Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur can throw up a few pleasant surprises. I did not have to travel far from the Radius International Hotel to see some truly fascinating sights.
Along Cangkat Bukit Bintang, there were boutique eateries specialising in German food, Lebanese food, Brazilian fare, etc:
Some art deco-styled buildings along the same road:
Across from the hotel is Jalan Nagasari. I was surprised at the (almost) complete lack of traffic along this road and its feeder roads on a Saturday morning. This is one of the feeder roads ... Jalan Berangan:
And along Jalan Nagasari itself, I saw more quaint houses, including one with an external spiral staircase. Art deco must've been very popular in those days...
Along Cangkat Bukit Bintang, there were boutique eateries specialising in German food, Lebanese food, Brazilian fare, etc:
Some art deco-styled buildings along the same road:
Across from the hotel is Jalan Nagasari. I was surprised at the (almost) complete lack of traffic along this road and its feeder roads on a Saturday morning. This is one of the feeder roads ... Jalan Berangan:
And along Jalan Nagasari itself, I saw more quaint houses, including one with an external spiral staircase. Art deco must've been very popular in those days...
Monday, 26 March 2007
What rubbish!
I've just returned from a short trip to Kuala Lumpur where I discovered two diametrically opposite faces of the city.
While we are all so accustomed to seeing the relative cleanliness of the well-trodden public places, it is what you don't normally see that is appalling.
For example, from the relative cleanliness of my room at the Radius International Hotel ( a comfortable three-star hotel that provided me with the basic amenities - I really can't complain about this), I could see across the road at all the rubbish on rooftops, discarded by irresponsible people living in adjacent high-rise buildings. Just take a look at this picture:
And this one too:
And the residents in this run-down building in Jalan Alor are definitely some of the obvious culprits. Nobody else.
While we are all so accustomed to seeing the relative cleanliness of the well-trodden public places, it is what you don't normally see that is appalling.
For example, from the relative cleanliness of my room at the Radius International Hotel ( a comfortable three-star hotel that provided me with the basic amenities - I really can't complain about this), I could see across the road at all the rubbish on rooftops, discarded by irresponsible people living in adjacent high-rise buildings. Just take a look at this picture:
And this one too:
And the residents in this run-down building in Jalan Alor are definitely some of the obvious culprits. Nobody else.
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Happiness is...
"Shoot, shoot," said The Beatles!
By golly, someone at the University of Leicester has just measured happiness...the first measurement of happiness in the world. And it confirmed that to be happy, all that you ever need is to be healthy, wealthy and wise.
So here it is...the world's first Happy Country List in descending order. Where do you stand and do you feel much happier?
By golly, someone at the University of Leicester has just measured happiness...the first measurement of happiness in the world. And it confirmed that to be happy, all that you ever need is to be healthy, wealthy and wise.
So here it is...the world's first Happy Country List in descending order. Where do you stand and do you feel much happier?
Denmark, Switzerland; Austria, Iceland; Bahamas, Finland, Sweden; Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg; Costa Rica, Malta, Netherlands; Antigua And Barbuda, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Seychelles, St Kitts And Nevis, UAE, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela;In my opinion, don't you believe everything you read and it isn't even April Fools' Day yet!
Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Dominica, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Bahrain; Columbia, Germany, Guyana, Honduras, Kuwait, Panama, St Vincent And The Grenadines; United Kingdom; Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Qatar, Spain, St Lucia;
Belize, Cyprus, Italy, Mexico, Samoa Western, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Trinidad And Tobago; Argentina; Fiji, Israel, Mongolia, Sao Tome And Perini; El Salvador, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Slovenia, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga;
Chile, Grenada, Mauritius, Namibia, Paraguay, Thailand; Czech Republic, Philippines, Tunisia, Uzbekistan; Brazil, China, Cuba, Greece, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Uruguay; Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Yemen; Portugal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Vietnam;
Iran; Comoros, Croatia, Poland; Cape Verdi, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, South Korea; Bangladesh, Congo Republic, Gambia, Hungary, Libya, South Africa; Cambodia, Ecuador, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Peru, Senegal; Bolivia, Haiti, Nepal, Nigeria, Tanzania;
Benin, Botswana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Laos, Mozambique, Palestine, Slovakia; Burma, Mali, Mauritania, Turkey; Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Romania; Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cameroon, Estonia, Guinea, Jordan, Syria; Sierra Leone; Azerbaijan, Central African Republic, Macedonia, Togo, Zambia;
Angola, Djibouti, Egypt; Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Latvia, Lithuania, Uganda; Albania, Malawi; Chad, Ivory Coast, Niger; Eritrea, Rwanda; Bulgaria, Lesotho, Pakistan, Russia; Swaziland; Georgia; Belarus, Turkmenistan; Armenia; Sudan, Ukraine; Moldova; Congo Democratic, Zimbabwe; Burundi
Recovering
This will be a short post. Returned last night from a very hectic three-day trip to Kuala Lumpur with my family to enquire after possible accommodations for my daughter when she goes to UTAR this end May.
I think her best choice should be the Millennium Court hostels in Jalan Elmu, Petaling Jaya. The hostel caters solely to students so she should feel comfortable among her kind. More importantly, it's only about 1.5km from the university. Moreover, there's also an internal transportation service provided by UTAR to take the students to campus.
I think her best choice should be the Millennium Court hostels in Jalan Elmu, Petaling Jaya. The hostel caters solely to students so she should feel comfortable among her kind. More importantly, it's only about 1.5km from the university. Moreover, there's also an internal transportation service provided by UTAR to take the students to campus.
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Spring equinox
Take note of today's date. It's 21 March, the day of the Spring Equinox as the sun crosses the equator. Theoretically, today's the day when you should have equal hours of day and night. Or haven't you noticed that dawn is getting earlier by the day??
To us of Chinese descent, the significance of the Spring Equinox will come in 15 days' time. Cheng Beng. The time to visit the graves of our ancestors, the time to give their graves a spring clean to rid them of the overgrown lalang and the dirt. It's an annual ritual.
To us of Chinese descent, the significance of the Spring Equinox will come in 15 days' time. Cheng Beng. The time to visit the graves of our ancestors, the time to give their graves a spring clean to rid them of the overgrown lalang and the dirt. It's an annual ritual.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Best buddies
If you are wondering whether there is any bad blood remaining between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo after the controversial incident at last year's World Cup, this picture - taken in the dying minutes of the FA Cup replay between Manchester United and Middlesbrough on 19 Mar 2007 - dispels all doubts. Here, you see a very angry Rooney being restrained after Boro's James Morrison made a bad tackle on Ronaldo during time added on.
Monday, 19 March 2007
Can he?
You know who this is, right?
"I love Bayern Munich. I have grown up in Germany but I'm the only England player never to have played in England and Manchester United want to take me home. That prospect is a dream, especially when you look at the United team and the football they play. Once you are with the club you are connected with them for life."
Sunday, 18 March 2007
One on one
Didja see the wonder goal that was scored by the Tottenham goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, in their match with Watford last night? It was the stuff that all goalkeepers would want to remember - or forget, if you were in Ben Foster's shoes.
It was a free kick that flew over the heads of all the players, bounced once in front of Foster and landed in the net behind him.
Here is the wonder goal from YouTube:
It was a free kick that flew over the heads of all the players, bounced once in front of Foster and landed in the net behind him.
Here is the wonder goal from YouTube:
Saturday, 17 March 2007
She's the King!
My wife tells me that I can be rather excessive at times, and it is not only about food. But I've got to admit. Yes, many times, I over-eat. So, this is something I must cut down especially at my age.
But no, there are other excesses in my life that she complains about. Like, for example, my passion for music. She complains about my collection of vinyl records, she complains about my cassette tapes, she complains about my compact discs. Luckily, she did not say anything about my minidiscs. I hope not. Three out of four is bad enough.
This morning, I was looking through my music collection and goodness ... here's an excess that I found: three vinyl records and five compact discs by Carole King. You've heard of her, right? I mean Carole King, not my wife. If you haven't, cheh! Such an influential singer/songwriter and you don't know who she is!
I've loved her music ever since Tapestry came out as a vinyl record. Such wonderful songs, straight from her heart. Then, when CDs became fashionable, I bought Tapestry again. Wait...not just a copy but two! The second one was a remastered version that contained some extra songs. I simply had to buy it. Isn't that excessive for you?
Tapestry and her concert at Carnegie Hall are two of the most endearing CDs in my collection. A friend lent me The Living Room Tour last year but it wasn't as impressive as Carnegie Hall.
Anyway, if you look at the picture above, you'll also see the cover for The City CD hidden somewhere there. The music in that album was the forerunner of Tapestry and it was already influential. Blood, Sweat and Tears covered her song, Hi-De-Ho, while the Byrds used Wasn't Born To Follow on one of their albums. The City featured Carole King, Danny Kortchmar, Charles Larkey and Jim Gordon.
Finally, I just want to lift some verses from You've Got A Friend, a very poignant song but one with some great meaning and comfort. Here's the first verse:
And this is the second verse:
These are words of hope that swell from the deepest despair. Great stuff!
But no, there are other excesses in my life that she complains about. Like, for example, my passion for music. She complains about my collection of vinyl records, she complains about my cassette tapes, she complains about my compact discs. Luckily, she did not say anything about my minidiscs. I hope not. Three out of four is bad enough.
This morning, I was looking through my music collection and goodness ... here's an excess that I found: three vinyl records and five compact discs by Carole King. You've heard of her, right? I mean Carole King, not my wife. If you haven't, cheh! Such an influential singer/songwriter and you don't know who she is!
I've loved her music ever since Tapestry came out as a vinyl record. Such wonderful songs, straight from her heart. Then, when CDs became fashionable, I bought Tapestry again. Wait...not just a copy but two! The second one was a remastered version that contained some extra songs. I simply had to buy it. Isn't that excessive for you?
Tapestry and her concert at Carnegie Hall are two of the most endearing CDs in my collection. A friend lent me The Living Room Tour last year but it wasn't as impressive as Carnegie Hall.
Anyway, if you look at the picture above, you'll also see the cover for The City CD hidden somewhere there. The music in that album was the forerunner of Tapestry and it was already influential. Blood, Sweat and Tears covered her song, Hi-De-Ho, while the Byrds used Wasn't Born To Follow on one of their albums. The City featured Carole King, Danny Kortchmar, Charles Larkey and Jim Gordon.
Finally, I just want to lift some verses from You've Got A Friend, a very poignant song but one with some great meaning and comfort. Here's the first verse:
When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night
And this is the second verse:
If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door
These are words of hope that swell from the deepest despair. Great stuff!
Busy busy busy
Looks like the next three weeks will be a very busy period for me:
22-24 Mar: I'll be in Kuala Lumpur with my wife, daughter and her friend. We're going there to look at some possible accommodations for my daughter who is applying to the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman this May. She'll be there for two years and it's best to start looking around for places to stay.
25 Mar: I'll be giving a talk on Career Planning at the Penang Caring Society Complex (Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang) in Jalan Utama. Last minute replacement speaker. I hope I can pull this one off successfully.
01 Apr: Cheng Beng, the Chinese Old Souls' Day. We'll have to visit the graves of my grandparents very early in the morning to avoid the anticipated traffic jam and also the Triple Wisdom Temple in Pangkor Road where my parents' memorial tablet is placed. Then in the afternoon, off to the Penang Caring Society Complex again but this time, to listen to a panel discussion on Creative Careers. I especially want my daughter to listen in because one of the panelists will be talking about careers in mass communication and that's what she's studying.
08 Apr: And this is my actual, scheduled talk at the Penang Caring Society Complex, on Writing A Better Resume.
22-24 Mar: I'll be in Kuala Lumpur with my wife, daughter and her friend. We're going there to look at some possible accommodations for my daughter who is applying to the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman this May. She'll be there for two years and it's best to start looking around for places to stay.
25 Mar: I'll be giving a talk on Career Planning at the Penang Caring Society Complex (Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang) in Jalan Utama. Last minute replacement speaker. I hope I can pull this one off successfully.
01 Apr: Cheng Beng, the Chinese Old Souls' Day. We'll have to visit the graves of my grandparents very early in the morning to avoid the anticipated traffic jam and also the Triple Wisdom Temple in Pangkor Road where my parents' memorial tablet is placed. Then in the afternoon, off to the Penang Caring Society Complex again but this time, to listen to a panel discussion on Creative Careers. I especially want my daughter to listen in because one of the panelists will be talking about careers in mass communication and that's what she's studying.
08 Apr: And this is my actual, scheduled talk at the Penang Caring Society Complex, on Writing A Better Resume.
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