Earth Hour and the insights

Earth Hour was a worldwide campaign which was carried out last Saturday (28th March 2009) where everyone around the world is required (I mean requested) to turn off all the lights or electrical appliances for one hour; starting from 8.30p.m.

During this one hour, we are expected to save energy which I've heard from the radio, I think they reported that it was equivalent to 32 tonnes of carbon.

I am sure there were supporters and of course, as usual the not-so-supportive group.
I would not banish them or criticize them as I believe that this is all voluntary. It needs to come from the natural will to make this a success.
The point of Earth Hour is to initiate change and to create awareness of our daily habits and how it could harm the environment.

At the same time, saving electricity not only benefits your pocket but also Mother Nature.
The carbon emitted to the environment is not so innocent, and the effects are far more than what you and I would have ever imagined.

It is time we do something and turn off those lights when not in need, or any electrical appliances and not just for that one hour.

Now, back to the interesting part, what did we do during that one hour of darkness?
Hmmm........
Some dined in the dark, some danced in the dark, some gathered with their friends for a bonding session, and some shared secrets with their closest ones in the dark.

What did you do?
I was on the balcony of my house, avoiding to drive out in my car as that would also spoil the whole notion of this campaign.
I was counting the number of houses which turned off their lights by the time it starts.
To my disappointment, it seems that there are not many supporters in my neighborhood.

There was this funny house which turned off the lights but I think they were watching TV in there.
Oh well, it's still an effort, and I praise them for it.

That 1 hour, spent with thoughts and star-gazing, happily appreciating the wonders of God and at the same time, well, I was also disappointed with the count of the houses which turned off their lights.

I don't know about KL; I heard that it was quite 'dark' during that time...with Petronas Twin Towers participating and my friends actually dined in the dark!

Hehehe.....that's cool, I can think of a million more things to do during this hour and I bet most of you will think that I slept early, which was so wrong.

How could I miss to be a part of this historic and meaningful event?
Call it publicity, or whatsoever, I am glad and proud that I am aware and I have joined in the massive campaign to turn off my lights for ONE HOUR.

Does it make a difference?
IF the whole world realized and participated, I would say Mother Nature could at least breathe without any disruption for 60 minutes.
Remember, it is not the Earth Hour that is supposed to make the difference.

YOU are the one who is supposed to make the difference and make it Earth hour everyday!
So, you, switch off that light when not in use!

Hide and Seek

"If you truly love and miss that person,
Then, love will come again when you meet that person again.
Just like playing a game of hide and seek, No matter where he/she hides or even if you can't see him/her, He/she must be waiting at some place for you.

Amid the countless chaos, Just like the sincere prayers of love.

The people in love will surely meet again...SOMEDAY ."

(I love this quote!)

The Funny thing about English

English is definitely an interesting language; it is easy to learn and yet difficult to master.
I have always enjoyed the language and it is definitely my favorite language of all and until today, it still continues to amaze me =)

Let me share with you the quirks of English:

The plural of a box is boxes, but the plural of ox is oxen; not oxes
The plural of goose is geese, but the plural of moose is not 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, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke 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?

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.

If you grew up speaking English:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert and got his just deserts.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row the boats in a row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with sowing, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

22) I spent last evening, evening out a pile of dirt.



English is definitely a crazy language, let's see:
There is no egg in an eggplant, nor is there a ham in the hamburger

Quicksand works slowly
Boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

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 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 language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy 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.

How about a little more if you can take it?
People of England are English,
People of Poland are Polish
People of Ireland are Irish,
Then are people of Greenland Greenish?

Why is abbreviation such a long word?


Admit it, English is crazy but it's fun right?
Enjoy, and do share with me if you have any more...

Oh, and the most interesting and one of my favorite English word, how could I forget?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

The MOST absurd Song

Have you ever been in an occasion where the people seem to play the wrong song to suit the theme of the occasion?
Sometimes it can be so wrong that you find yourself cringing so much that it's unbearable.
I do, and there are a few occasions I can relate to

Occasion 1: Farewell for colleague
Song: Seasons in the Sun (Westlife)
One of my colleagues received a farewell video with photos from his team and the song they used in the video was "Seasons in the Sun"
What is wrong?
Well, if you have heard this song before, you would know that this is not just any farewell song, it is actually a farewell for death.
The person in the song is about to die and he is relating how he is going to miss all the times with his family and friends.
It is supposed to be a freaking SAD and dying song!
What were they thinking?
And I tell you, the guy who received it was beaming and they even sang along...UGH!

Occasion 2: Message to Hubby
I need to describe this a little bit, I've heard this on the radio.
It was the peak hours after work and this lady called the radio station to tell her husband that she's waiting for him at home and just wanted to tell him how much he loved her.
The DJ dedicated a song to her husband who was stuck in the massive traffic jam
"If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Ronan Keating

What is wrong?
This is again so wrong; how could you even curse the happy couple this way!
The title itself is so wrong; are you trying to tell the wife that the husband may never come home or the wife may never survive the wait?
I think the DJ deserves a BIG knock on her head for playing this song!

Occasion 3: Wedding
Song played: Tell Laura I Love Her
What is wrong?
EVERYTHING is wrong!
This song is about a guy who sacrificed his life to buy a ring to be able to propose to his girlfriend and he DIED! Get it, he DIED!
Unless you want to curse the wedded couple a tragic end, then go ahead.
Enough said.

I totally do not understand all these people; do not just use the title alone for song dedication especially when it is such an important occasion.
The meaning is equally as important; and you may get away with it if you're lucky that the recipient has no idea about the song and just like you, know the song shallowly by its title and not the meaning.

Another song which I have heard at a wedding was "Friends" by Alan Tam (Chinese song)
Hmmm.....I thought wedding means they are more than friends?

I could come up with a long list on love songs or any song you should NOT play during any occasion....do you have any to share?

HOT HOT HOT!

The rainy spell is over
And the sun is back in action

I hate to admit that the rainy 'honeymoon' season is over
It may be inconvenient to be carrying your umbrellas everywhere or opening/closing them when you get in/out of the car
But the breeze is cool
when it blows in your face
And when you sleep at night, all you need is blanket and crinkling your toes underneath those sheets

Now when it's HOT, you are so heated up
There is no rain or cool breeze anymore
Only bright shining sun waiting to burn your skin

When it is rainy, you say Brrrrr
When it is sunny, I say GRRRRRR!!

Hate to say it, but fellas, this is SUMMER!!

And who says Malaysia doesn't have four seasons??

Maybe...just Maybe....

Maybe. . we were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to
be grateful for that gift.

Maybe . . when the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one
which has been opened for us.

Maybe . . it is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it
arrives.

Maybe . . . the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.


Maybe . . the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go of your
past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

Maybe . . . you should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance
to do all the things you dream of, and want to do.

Maybe . . there are moments in life when you miss someone -- a parent, a spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are around you appreciate them more.

Maybe . . the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the
best conversation you've ever had.

Maybe . . you should always try to put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other
person, too.

Maybe . . you should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe. . giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but, if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours.

Maybe . . happiness waits for all those who cry, all those who hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for only they can
appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched their lives.

Maybe . . you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it
takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Maybe . . you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough
hope to make you happy

Maybe . . you should try to live your life to the fullest because when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling but when
you die, you can be the one who is smiling and everyone around you crying.

Maybe . . this message can relate to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life, to those who can and do make
you smile when you really need it, to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, and to all those whom you want
to know that you appreciate them and their friendship.

Maybe .. you will smile when you read this

Maybe .. you will shed a tear or two thinking how relevant it is to your life

Maybe .. you will be expressionless, thinking it's just another bunch of crap

Well, maybe, but nevertheless, a Happy Monday to all!~

What is GOOFY?

I have been a Disney fan my whole life; and I have watched most of their animations (but not all, I still have my preferences).
I love the character Mickey Mouse the most, that he has been my favorite cartoon character since I was three! (the common reference to say how long you have liked something:)

Mickey Mouse beats any other cartoon characters I like as well; and is always at the No.1 spot in my heart.
Regarding the other cartoon characters I like, okay, I will do that on another post when I am free *smiles*

The reason I am suddenly so inclined to write a full post on Goofy instead of Mickey was a recent case of the clouded identity of poor old Goofy, one of Mickey's best friends.
I can't believe that Goofy could be mistaken for another animal!

Okay, I gotta be fair, maybe it's due to my favoritism for Disney but I think no one ever told me what was Goofy.
We all know Mickey Mouse is a mouse, Donald Duck is a duck, Pluto is a dog, like well, duh!!
The names indicated clearly; and furthermore, they have rather distinguished features of those animals which makes them easily identifiable.

What about Goofy?
DO you all know WHAT is GOOFY?




Hmmmm, tough question?
Is he really that indistinguishable?

Actually, to be honest, not really....it's not such a formula-given question or something which requires Fourier transformations to figure out the true identity of Goofy.

The features are so easily identified; and if you are like me, guessed it since you were three, then congratulations, I think we were pretty normal and have acquired the ability to distinguish animal features since young.

If you never bothered or didn't even know what is Goofy, well, here's the revelation...


GOOFY is a.....






DOG!!!!


Seriously, was it that hard to tell from his features?
Of course, he doesn't bark, or crawl on fours like Pluto, but still, isn't it so obvious that he is a dog?
His button-like nose and his unmistakably long droopy ears?
Put him next to BobDog and Snoopy, aren't they so dog-like?



Okay, not the most handsome comparison anyway:p

Furthermore, if you have been watching Mickey cartoons on TV or tapes (don't tell me you have never watched Disney cartoons during your childhood, you might have been born before pre-war then! They are all over TV and TV3 has even Kelab Disney!), you would have seen the way Goofy sniffs in the air for something or when there is food.
That is such a obvious clue that Goofy-is-a- DOG!!!

He doesn't crawl on fours like Pluto because, well, like other Disney characters of Mickey, Donald, Chip & Dale, he's just an anthropomorphic Dog!
In fact, he's not some 'ke-le-feh' character in Disney, okay...he's one of Mickey's best friends and he is a VIP of the Mickey Mouse Club! *CLAPS for Goofy*


He is well, goofy because one of his characteristics is clumsiness.
That is one of Disney's uniqueness. Disney has always been portraying all the good and beautiful things in fairytales, and how everything looks so perfect.
But actually, at the same time, if you noticed, they have also been inserting certain flaws into each of the character.

And Goofy, is the clumsy one of course, look at the number of times he has tripped and fall, and when he gets anxious to do something, BAM, there he goes, tripping, falling and everything goes down with him.

He's a little dumb, and well, aloof...that's why we call him Goofy!
He's kind actually and always mean well, this is a character that I find hard not to love! Go Goofy!

And a little more facts about Goofy, his original character/concept name was Dippy Dawg (sounds so like Goofy, LOL!) in the 1930s, then his name was given George Geef or G.G. Geef in the 50's. In the Goofy Troop movies and contemporary animations featuring him, his name was Goofy Goof which is his full character name.
So Goofy was just a nickname:)

For full information, you can check out the Wikipedia for the facts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofy

So, after all this clarification, I hope it cleared the confusion that Goofy is indeed a dog; anthropomorphic or not, he's still a dog.
Accept the fact, he's no other animal BUT a DOG!
Anyway, what were you thinking he is if not a dog?
Giraffe, a horse?

You might need to give those eyes a full check at the optometrist's.

No more confusion...GOOFY IS A DOG!

Repeat after me, GOOFY-IS-A-DOG.....

GOOD, now stare at his photo....these are dog features....

Pluto and Goofy.... see the similarity?



Now what is GOOFY again?

Queue Hoppers - The Curse of the White Cars

It was day filled with queue hoppers; I don't know whether you call that unlucky.

Since early morning as I was making my way to work, there was one car which just conveniently slid her white old Saga through while everyone was waiting in line at the traffic light and the queue wasn't even long!
Worse of all, she took the opportunity to breeze in so easily from the back while the lights turn green and I couldn't even stop her from doing that.
At that point, I was kinda frustrated at her behavior - I mean, it's not even a long queue, what's her problem!
I had the urge to honk at her; but I was thinking, am I in such a big hurry as well?

Then come afternoon, when I was heading back from the mainland to the bridge and I conveniently forgot my T&G card today (actually, there wasn't enough limit in the card as well) so I had to make my way to the back of the queue at one of those cash lanes in the middle while I enviously look at cars which breeze through at the T&G and SmartTag lanes.
(I think I was one of the last or 2nd last car in the queue; and again, it's not that long of a queue anyway).
Then again, another white Kelisa (what's with white cars anyway!!!) which came in from the right and tried to squeeze herself in.
I was like, 'WHAT on EARTH??"

I edged my car slightly to avoid her and at the same time, closer to the car in front (which happens to be a Toyota Vios), leaving bare enough space to even put your feet through.
Of course at the same time, I had to edge my car slightly to the right to bar THAT white car from coming in.
A lady driver with some really punked spiky hair and she was like so GANAS!
still trying to edge in and it was a few seconds tussle as I refused to budge, and inched closer and closer to the Vios.
Think she kinda gave up after a while and had to look for another victim!

YEAYY, victory for me!!!

I hit the bridge and it was a smooth sail; considering it was already 5.30pm.
Then comes Part 3 as I was approaching the bend to the Batu Ferringhi and Greenlane road.
This is where it is always, i repeat, ALWAYs congested with all the cars trying to get into the tunnel and of course, again, queue hoppers creating more lanes than necessary...GRRRR!!!

I was avoiding the tunnel, and tried to keep to the left; to hit the roundabout above the tunnel.
Guess what, I was already on the leftmost lane and still there were cars that can create a third lane with that small space left to white line!!
GOSH, and if you're guessing I am facing another white car again, you guessed right, only this time it wasn't a lady driver, it was an ahpek!!!
I was so tired of all these queue hoppers.....really tired, and I didn't want to bang against his car so I saw an opportunity to turn into the right lane and I did just that, of course, anticipating more hoppers since this is the favorite one-lane which caused all the congestion.

I didn't want to care and when I finally got home, I seriously breathed in relief!
It was seriously like a day of white cars and queue hoppers....
What is this, the Curse of the White Car Hoppers???

Arrrrrrrrggggggg......can we prosecute queue hoppers?

P.S.: Of course, that being said, I need to have a disclaimer that not all white cars are queue hoppers; neither are only white cars are queue hoppers.....just just beware of any car, danger may lurk even beneath those innocently pastel colored cars....
Just when you thought white is for innocence and purity....Pah!

Womanizer

All American Rejects are making an attempt to sing a rendition of Womanizer and claimed that they are confident they can do it better than Britney Spears.

Urm....my verdict?

Britney is definitely better!
Ugh...I hope they will stop playing it on the radio!:p

Ergo Problems

I think I've recently tasted the bitterness of throbbing nerves, burning sensation and aches in my palm and fingers on my right hand which led me to believe it's related to a topic I once shared at my workplace once; Ergonomy.

The fear of these stress-related pressures on the limbs (especially on the hand) which can lead to RSI injury and may require surgery has been plaguing my mind for some time.
It was a concern which dawned upon me since I came from a field which requires long hours with the computer.

I am currently caring for my hand; switching and exercising my palm muscles and the fingers whenever possible.

Hopefully it will go off soon...

HELLO Earthly Beings?

I am sure most of us have been switching from Friendster to Facebook (please do not let me know that you do not have a FB account because that would be so totally yesterday and do get one ASAP) and we have been receiving all these invitations to participate in stuffs like Earth Hour or something of that sort.

I applaud the awareness that is growing amongst us (finally, thank God) to know the harm that we have done to the environment and our beloved planet Earth (it sounds rather corny)

Earth Hour is only one of them; to preserve energy and uniting the whole universe of earthlings to ensure it succeeds.

(Picture taken from the web for illustration purposes - taken in Canberra)

But I guess it's still not a 100% win because I am pretty sure there are still some folks out there who do not have a facebook account.
Well, never mind, we still have banners hanging on the streets and also media commercials..unless you totally stuck your head in the ground when you walk, or worse still, you can't hear what they say on radio or TV...seriously I can't decide which is worse.

So definitely, these kind of activities which exudes so much 'semangat' and spirit seem to be doomed to fail because there are just some of us out there who just don't give a damn about what is going on around the world. They are just too busy focusing on their self-interests that all seems worthless of their time.

How many activities have been rallied for the environment amongst many other themes we have seen so far?
We have had recycling campaigns which most of the people responded well because it was a good way for them to clear their trash from their home; but well, it was well-intended anyway.
Then how about that going paper-less concept?
Do we still see it being looked into pragmatically?
Gosh, if you were to count the number of paper we were to collect in a day and to weigh it with a quarter, I guess I could be a millionaire in a month.

Seriously, we get a slip of paper when we wait for our queue at the bank which was then thrown into a pile of slips which will be discarded when we reached our turn. Then we park our cars and we get a slip of paper to describe your time and a receipt when we leave the car park. Same goes for those MPPP or MPPJ folks, who just seem like they were never out of school, writing the car plate numbers like they were copying some examination tips in such a hurry.
Then we go to the supermarket to get our groceries and we get receipts after receipts.
And the parking system gives you cards and receipts (of course, you can choose not to print it)
Then how about dining in restaurants, you are still given printed receipts and some of the cafes require you to fill in a form (paper again!) to list your order.

Don't even get me started on the amount of forms we fill in when we are at the bank or any government institutions...and also our smart corporations who are so into the matter of compliance these days that I can't remember the number of forms we had to submit prior to doing something, I think even people working on several shifts will be punching their card lesser than the number of forms filled.

Tell you what, compliance or not, this is all crap and it's also non-compliant to the environment!

Forget about the paper-LESS environment, I think it's doomed to fail.
How about that going green for the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags we use when we do our grocery shopping by bringing our own environmental-friendly and reusable bags?

How many of us are doing that?
And is everyone fully supportive of all these notions; I don't think so, I can still see hypermarkets and supermarkets still handing out their checked out goods in big smiling plastic bags to the customers....

SIGHS, what does it take for everyone to really understand that our little part can make a big difference in the environment?
Is it that difficult compared to signing up for a Facebook account?
Is everyone totally that clueless or has everyone just turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to all the glaring banners and commercials on TV and Radio?
Not having a facebook account or not having your eyes and ears....or perhaps being ignorant to the existence of media...I can't decide which is worse

Celebrity News: Hit by boyfriend?

I am sure most of us have been shocked by the news of the recent celebrity couple who were involved in an abuse case which led to the cancellation of the female artist's concert scheduled in Malaysia.
Rihanna, who was allegedly hit by her boyfriend, the famous and rising to stardom R&B singer, Chris Brown had to cancel her concert in Malaysia at the very last minute.

Shocking?
I thought so too...and I believe that the shocking part was that it was done by a singer who sang his love songs so passionately and in such a nice voice, but could have done something this brutal to his girlfriend.
So much for hypocrism.
I am not writing a fan hate post to criticize Chris nor am I in favor of Rihanna; as usual, I am just merely stating from my point of view.

I openly despise guys who could raise his hand to hit another girl; any girl and especially when he claims as his loved one.
It is just unacceptable and a despicable act from a guy who claimed to love the girl and wants to be her boyfriend.
As a boyfriend, he is supposed to be protecting her and not behave like some thug on the loose.
So, one day, you say "I Love you" and the next, "Hey, I feel like hitting you?"

It is just shocking and it was pretty serious as I've heard that she was missing from paparazzi action for a while and some even said she had bruises.
I have not seen it on my own eyes, and therefore, I reserve my comment on the severity of the abuse.

In short, I just think it is just a hypocritical thing to do when you are a pop idol known for lovely songs; romantic songs. One moment proclaiming love and the next, defying love?

Gosh, and I do know that Chris has also been affected by the news as his popularity and image has been tarnished by this news.

Sad to say, I have to say, I am also not so keen to listen to a guy who hits a girl; HIS girl..

Uncertainty

I used to think I am pretty sure of everything and whatever I do, but all of a sudden everything just seems so uncertain!

Uncertainty, doubts....I really have some serious thinking to do and to sort out....