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:: From What We Came, We Become ::

  • Nov. 21st, 2009 at 11:48 PM
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:: From What We Came, We Become ::



While washing the plates and cutlery,
I accidentally sliced my middle finger with a knife.
The action happened within the fraction of a second.
I could feel the sharpness of the blade
As it carved into my flesh. Pain came soon after that.
And a bit of blood, but the Handyplast took care of the leak.
It seems that profuse movements while ironing
Coupled with the steam and the heat would cause the wound to
Seep a bit more.

Due to the hectic schedule these days, we reckoned that
It was more productive (in terms of opportunity costs, anyway)
To engage the services of a part-time maid, to do the
Pressing of the clothes, as well as some general sweeping
And mopping; we are never the fussy type, and as long as the
Cotton is unwrinkled, and there's no visible growth on the floors
I think we will smile and be contented creatures.

The quest for a part time maid has been elusive - I just do not
Know where to start looking for one, and while J had a really good
Recommendation for a Filipino maid for only $10 per hour
She has AWOL for the past few weeks. It got me a little peeved
Especially at the last minute, when she would send me an SMS -
"Sorry my boss needs me sunday I cannot make it."

What happens to the pile of clothes? I iron it.
I have no qualms in ironing it - but I'd like to set my expectations right
From the start. So I ironed everything, and I am peeved no more.
But I think we need to start looking for someone more reliable.
Anyway, while ironing, I was multitasking - watching this Indie movie
"Sunshine Cleaning". It kinda made me think about how our
Childhood days - and the memories of certain events -

Will stay lodged in some special pathway of our cerebral matter.
They will determine why we do what we do, and why we do not
Do what we do not do. Personally, I think my childhood did influence me
In not wanting a kid or even father a kid, as I think I would not be a good father.
I also think that I am always putting myself at a distance to others when it
Comes to friendships and relationships, except for the innermost circle.

Possibly.
Actually I wonder if we are ever released from the shackles of our childhood.
Then again, is everyone cuffed to juvenescence issues?
Are there happy shiny people that are brought up by model parents?
I sometimes recoil at Hollywood movies where parents are always perfect
And they would read bedtime stories and pat their child to sleep.

Notwithstanding, it is perhaps, when we are near death
That our childhood will come back to visit us once more.
Like Citizen Kane's William, and his Rosebud.
Perhaps.

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:: It's Beginning to Look a Lot, Like Christmas ::




At the Giant supermarket, there is this $19.95 plastic Christmas Tree
That has round yellow bauble-lamps that light up
Rather nicely. Very good for the ambience.
It happened to be awarded the
"No.1 Best Selling Tree".
And so I bought it.

It looks particularly lovely at night.
I smile when I look at it.
In fact, this plastic tree has gotten me so much
Into the Christmas mood - that I've searched for torrents of
Christmas songs. With intention of looping them non-stop.
The stand for the tree is a little bare, but it gives opportunity for
Mr Domo and Winnie (in rabbit outfit) to pose with it.

I've been spending Christmas(es) in Singapore.
Christmas to me, is non-religious and is a time to send out
Handwritten messages of thank you in greeting cards.
And plan presents for loved ones. Christmas, being so close to the
End of the year, is a good time to review and reflect.

This Christmas, I will be away in some wintry part far away from
The equator. It will be nice to be away, actually, and experience
Christmas from a different perspective. As this year has been a really busy
year of sorts, I look forward to a short getaway, where I can recharge
And spend some quality time with myself and my loved one.

And perhaps, for everybody, whether they are here in Singapore
Or holidaying some where else, everyone could pause for a moment,
And soak in the Christmas cheer, and be happy, for a while.


:: Empty Stomach ::

  • Nov. 15th, 2009 at 9:39 PM
books

:: Empty Stomach ::

I was halfway between Tokyo and Singapore when I started to feel
That familiar feeling - an unpleasant one, for that matter.
I saw patches of darkness interspersed with normal vision.
I recognized it as a sign of either low blood pressure, or air sickness.
In any case, it was not a good sign. I decided to bend forward.
I also signaled the stewardess for a glass of coke.
Not Coke Zero, but a normal can of Coke - I needed the sugar.
Part of me then decided that I should walk around a bit.
So I clumsily trotted over to the service area.
Only to realize that patches of darkness were getting darker.
I felt my way back to my seat, and collapsed onto it.
I covered myself with the blanket and breathed deep.
Fortunately I got better after a while.

A day or two later, I was down with fever.
It was the intermittent kind - a constant thirty seven point something
Which spilt over to thirty eight and more in the middle of the night.
I was too sick for work - and hence decided to see the doctor.
After a day and then a while more, the fever subsided.
And just when I thought that I was on the speedy road to recovery
I started to feel chest pains, especially when I swallowed food, water, or air.

I remembered reading about the resurgence of H1N1 in Tokyo.
I wondered if I contracted H1N1 while I was there.
And hence, after some deliberation, I decided to see the doctor for a second time.
Doctor said it was likely gastric reflux.

I was confounded - I have been taking my meals regularly.
How did this happen?
It was only after a while later that it dawned upon me
That I had been taking my fever medication on an empty stomach.
Serious shit.


:: 31 Oct - Double Decker Madness ::

  • Oct. 26th, 2009 at 10:14 PM
books
 


:: 31 Oct - Double Decker Madness ::




 

:: Rainbow Bus to Hell ::

  • Oct. 19th, 2009 at 10:54 PM
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:: Rainbow Bus to Hell ::



I think it's going to be another boring halloween 
Unless someone hires a bus and turns it into a "Rainbow Bus to Hell"
And gathers thirty-over game and equally crazy nothing-to-dos.
They will all dress up and scare the hell out of everyone
And bar hop and drink drank drunk and paint the town murky
With all their puke. If you are doing that, let me know. 
I will help spread the word around. 
=P

 

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Oct. 17th, 2009

  • 7:57 PM
books

:: Health Benefits of Celery ::


Health benefits of celery are - they are rich in vitamin C, they lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, reduce high blood pressure, and promote health.

Celery contains amino acids, boron, calcium, chlorine, essential fatty acids, folate, inositol, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sulfur , zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. Celery is also a salad ingredient, which contains fiber.

Celery is a crunchy vegetable that belongs to the umbelliferae family.

The health benefits of celery include the following

  • Reduced blood pressure: Celery contains a chemical that can lower levels of stress hormones in your blood. This allows blood vessels to expand, giving your blood more room, thereby reducing pressure. 
  • Reduced cholesterol: Eating celery daily may reduce artery-clogging cholesterol
  • Good antiseptic: Celery seeds help in uric acid elimination. So, celery is good for people with bladder disorders, kidney problems, cystitis etc. Celery seeds also assist in avoiding urinary tract infection in women.
  • Healthy joints: Celery is good for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism and gout.  Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Celery sticks contain a diuretic substance, which help to remove uric acid crystals that build around joints.
  • Prevents cancer: Celery contains phthalides and polyacetylenes. These anti cancer components detoxify carcinogens. Celery also contains coumarins that enhance the activity of certain white blood cells.
  • Improved immune system: Celery is rich in vitamin C; therefore it booststhe immune system.
  • Relief from cold: Because of the presence of vitamin C, taking celery gives you relief from cold.
  • Reduces severity of asthma: Vitamin C prevents free radical damage and thus reduces the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma.
  • Cardiovascular health: Presence of vitamin C in the roots of celery promotes cardiovascular health. Roots
  • Diuretic activity: Celery is rich in both sodium and potassium. These minerals help in regulating fluid balance.
  • Relief from migraine: Presence of coumarins gives relief from migraines.
  • Treats rheumatism: Celery extracts, which contain85% 3nB, are effective for treating arthritis and muscular pains.
  • Good for diabetic patients: Celery leaves are also eaten for treating diabetic conditions. 
  • Relief from ophthalmologic disease: Dripping celery tea drops on eyelids is good for ophthalmologic affectations.

Because of the high calcium content, celery calms the nerves. So, eating celery helps people to be calm. Celery acts as an antioxidant too. All parts of celery including seed, root and leaves, can be used. Drinking celery juice before meal will help you to reduce your weight. Celery has many other nutritional benefits: Eating celery regularly helps to avoid diseases of kidney, pancreas, liver and gallbladder; neuritis, constipation, asthma, high blood pressure, catarrh, pyorrhea and dropsy, brain over work, acidosis, anemia, obesity and tuberculosis. It also helps in the improvement of teeth.

Precautions: Celery seeds contain volatile oils, flavonoids, coumarins and linoleic acid and are therefore not good for pregnant women because they may cause contractions in the uterus.

Oct. 16th, 2009

  • 11:38 PM
books
 

Does anyone know any good documentaries to download? 

 

:: Sometimes ::

  • Oct. 14th, 2009 at 12:13 AM
books

:: Sometimes ::

sometimes, you just have to trust the laws of the universe,
and that while certain lefts go left, 
and the rights go rights, 
there will be the anomalies, that beg to differ
but time and the grand scheme of things, will set them in the right sight.

If there's ever a right.

 

:: About Abouts ::

  • Oct. 10th, 2009 at 12:07 AM
books

:: About Abouts :: 

I should be asleep
But I was awake, at least for the next
Forty minutes, as I waited for the first load of laundry
To be done. I would have fallen asleep, if a random bolt of
Lightning, did not strike my neighborhood, and render useless, 
The circuit closest to my washing machine. I was sure there was thunder
Accompanying this unfortunate act of nature. But I was not around, so I did not hear it. 
It could have be a boomzing applause of deafening portions; it could also be 
a faint whisper, and then a flash - it didn't matter; I had to wait for my 
Laundry, nevertheless. And the world spun, as I sat and stared at the
Screen. I clipped my nails, as they were incapably long that they were
No longer able to pull the tiny hairs out of my chin. I looked at the
Glass bottled garden, and thought, they need a little bit of 
The real sun. Maybe it was time to bring it to the balcony. 
The rabbit was snoring to its seven hour regime. 
And so I sat. I waited. I fidgeted around. Thought
Of those days when I had time to sit 
And wonder, and ponder,
About abouts.
 

:: Last Love ::

  • Oct. 8th, 2009 at 11:56 PM
books

:: Last Love ::

How does one love?
How does one, then, fall in love?

Does one love by making a checklist of the ideal qualities, one would expect - 
The Epitome, then embark on a quest, to find that ideal someone.

Or does one love, by trusting the hands of destiny
Or the random arrow of Cupid; should it hit
If it hits.

Hence the conundrum.
If Cupid's arrows hit, and both parties meet
And they do fall in love indeed. 
What if cupid's arrow strike once more
And not on the same person one has met before? 

If one, happily attached, yet by some wicked twist
Ends up loving a stranger he can't resist
Should he be blamed for switching his heart
For causing the relationship to fall apart? 

Yet he, could in turn reap what he has sown
A third party could come to wreck his own
Figment of love, or romance, or a short love song
Deconstruction occurs - the cycle goes on

And hence, one loves, one is loved, and one loves again
So one spurns, one is spurned, one plays the game
But pray pause, and consider, this important take
Is this one's decision, or up to Fate?

The answer evades logic and sense 
Like the ambiguity of an imperfect tense
But all I hope is to love no more
For I think I have found the one that I adore.





 

:: Phases ::

  • Oct. 7th, 2009 at 12:43 AM
books
 
::  Phases ::

The plants are growing so well 
That they are growing out of the jar. 

: Milk and Cookies ::

  • Oct. 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 AM
books
 
:: Milk and Cookies ::



Watch out for spilt milk.

 
 

:: Parallels ::

  • Oct. 1st, 2009 at 11:38 PM
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:: Parallels ::

Things are in motion, hence there is a first mover.
Things are caused, hence there is a first cause.
Things exist, hence there is a creator.
Perfect goodness exists, hence it has a source.
Things are designed, hence they serve a purpose.

-- St. Thomas Aquinas


 

Off to work

  • Sep. 28th, 2009 at 7:33 AM
books

Off to work.
There's a conference call, a set of slides to complete and an evening farewell drinks session with boss.

Good day!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

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:: Mr Fussy ::

  • Sep. 26th, 2009 at 10:44 PM
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:: Mr Fussy ::

 

Crystal clear but too salty.
 
 

Somewhere else.

  • Sep. 19th, 2009 at 5:26 PM
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Glad to be away.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

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Somewhere else.

  • Sep. 19th, 2009 at 5:26 PM
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Glad to be away.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

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Crossroad.

  • Sep. 15th, 2009 at 8:27 AM
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At the crossoad, an indecisive one could probably set one's sight on the other diverging paths while staying on the original course, with the expectation that one could keep track of the courses and delay the inevitable, but it is a matter of time that the forests and the trees will cloud one's vision; the only reliable marker is probably the direction and not the path.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

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:: 5Degrees#11 ::

  • Sep. 8th, 2009 at 11:54 PM
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:: 5Degrees#11 ::



5Degrees#11, Career Development: Coaching & Mentoring,
is a series of career development talks.
This session will focus on opportunities to advance
personal careers and self-development through coaching and mentoring.

These are powerful tools which can be sought either within
Your existing employer organization, your private network or externally.

The evening will center around a panel discussion which will
Reflect different experiences from practitioners and business leaders,
Providing an introduction to the topic, sharing of real life experiences,
Giving advice and answering questions. This event should be useful for everyone who feel
They can develop further both professionally and personally.
And of course, don't forget to bring your name cards for the free-and-easy
Networking session that goes before and follows after the discussion panel.

Date and Time: 16 Sept 2009, 8.00pm - 10.00pm
Venue: Rewind
Charges: $10 at entry, inclusive of 1 house pour

Please come exchange namecards and support this event!


 

:: Dreams are what you wake up from ::

  • Sep. 2nd, 2009 at 1:28 AM
books

:: Dreams are what you wake up from ::

Dreams are what you wake up from.
Dreams are what you wake up from.
Dreams allure, one into reverie
But is that what dreams are made for?
If dreams persist, them dream is death
If dreams perish, then dream is naught.
Then,
Dreams are what you wake up from.