Lost... no more...

Another drama series that had come to an end this season is Lost..

It lasted 6 seasons.. which in my opinion, was 3 seasons too long.. the first season was good, with all the suspense and mystery about the island.. then it got lame and stale, as the writers kept creating mystery after mystery without giving us any creditable and believable reasons for them.. Season 3 and 4 were the crappiest.. But Season 5 and 6 were good..

With one in 11 million chances of actually being in a airplane crash and one in 3 chances of surviving if you happened to be in one, it is no wonder that stories about crash survivors are one of the favorite what-ifs scenarios that have been exploited by novels, movies and drama series.. and the emergence of budget airlines like Air Asia made air travel even more accessible to the public.. so there is a huge population out there who would be attracted by such stories if the plot (and its twists) are good enough.. LOST just happened to be the one since 2004..

So did the ending answered all the questions posed all the past seasons? Well, sort of.. the end was pretty acceptable and not some quick "duh!" or "huh?" kinda of ending/explanation.. so no complains from me.. :) But it was good to see the end of this show as the longer it drags on, the more ridiculous the plot/storyline will get cos the show revolved around a mystery, aka the Island can't keep going on.. and there is only so much twists and subplots one show can take before becoming stale and/or preposterous..

The main characters were quite well-written, each with their own background stories and why they did what they did.. Some characters were likable from the start, while some grew on you, but all were crucial in telling this story.. some were tough on the outside, but carried a kind heart.. while some seemed soft/weak, but has a feisty spirit..

So thanks for 6 interesting seasons of "Lost".. Finally, we are "Lost" no more..

p/s: photos in this blog were taken from Wikipedia and no copyright infringement is intended.

文·言·文 （一）

人難做？ 是做人難。。
惟有歲寒知松柏！！

假好人？ 是人好假。。
就像煞有介事！！

話真心？ 是真心話。。
可惜不足為外人道！！

感情重？ 是重感情。。
深信士為知己者死！！

愛美人？ 是人愛美。。
常常醉翁之意不在酒！！

不愛你？ 是你不愛。。
無奈你愛博而情不專！！

Tarot readings... III

My last 2 readings, this and this were pretty eye-opening and "informative".. so I have decided to use the same application that I did previously to "see" my fortune for the next 3 months. Note that all pictures of tarot cards are from http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth/ and there is no intention of infringing any copyright.

上两回的塔罗占卜这跟这提示了我不少，所以我决定利用同样的占卜程式为接下来的三个月的运程占卜一下了所有的塔罗图片都采自竹猫星球塔罗馆 （http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth)，本部落并无意侵犯版权。

對 職場發展 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Job-hunting:

現狀 Current Situation: 塔 [Tower]

你可能處在一種震驚的狀態中，也許是突然被裁員，或是無預警的調動職務，並且會讓你覺得之前做的努力，現在都必須放棄掉了。
You might be in a state of shock, maybe you were retrenched or were transferred without any warning. You felt that you need to forgo everything and things that you have done so far is wasted.

問題 Problem : 戰車 [The Chariot]

你的優柔寡斷常影響你的決策，在必須快速取捨時，你通常會思考太多反而拖慢進度，太怕冒險，就會讓自己停留在原地。
Your indecisiveness has always affected your judgment. When you required to act fast, you tend to think too much and take action too slowly. Your adverseness to risk is causing you to remain stagnant.

建議 Suggestion: 死亡 [Death]

把一切都放棄掉吧！與其不斷的補各種漏洞，耗盡自己所有的心力，不如置之死地而後生，從全新的方向去建立另一個開始。
Throw everything away! Instead of trying to plug all the holes and wasting your energy, why don't you just strive for a new direction and start afresh.



對 單身運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Relationships (for Singles)

現狀 Current Situation: 星星 [Star]

這張牌顯示通常不是遠距離戀愛，就是單戀，有一種距離的美感，但你會抱著未來的美好希望，去為這份感情努力。
This card usually signifies long-distance relationship or unrequited love. There is a sense of beauty in distance, yet you work hard to keep this relationship going as you still have high hopes for the future.

問題 Problem: 藝術 [Art]

愛情需要很多人性的負面特質來促成，太過沒有佔有慾跟控制慾的人，雖然好情人，卻無法讓人相信你的感情。
Love requires many of the negativity of human nature to make it work. Although a good lover, but being one who is not very possessive or controlling, it is hard to convince people of your emotions.

建議 Suggestion: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

如果有遇到喜歡的對象，千萬不要太害羞，要積極的展現你的誠意，只要你夠熱情，成功機率是很大的。
If you meet someone that you like, don't be too shy. Aggressively show your sincerity. As long as you are enthusiastic enough, the chances of success is high.



對 財運 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Money Matters

現狀 Current Situation: 教皇 [The Hierophant]

在財運方面，你很有計劃，也知道怎麼量入為出；雖然沒有什麼偏財運，但正財運卻是一直很穩定的，資產會累積增加。
In terms of finance, you have a set of plans and know how to control your spending based on your income. Although you don't have much luck in gambling or other lottery, your main income source has always been good and you are slowly accumulating assets.

問題 Problem: 死亡 [Death]

你的賺錢能力正在遞減中，可能因為你所處的產業已經快消失了，而你又沒有別人專長，所以面對環境的變化，你束手無策。
Your earning power is decreasing sharply. Maybe your assets are disappearing and you do not have any other capabilities, thus in this every changing situation you felt helpless.

建議 Suggestion: 調整 [Adjustment]

這張牌表示，你需要建立一種紀律，來規範你自己的花錢習慣，建議用定存、記帳的方式，來檢視自己的開支習慣，會給你很大的幫助。
This card shows that you need to be discipline and set up a system to oversee your spending. It is suggested that you use fixed deposit and accounting practices to check your spending.



對 人際運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Human Relationships

現狀 Current Situation: 戰車 [The Chariot]

友情正在進入一段考驗期，你跟朋友試圖在百忙中維持友誼，但又造成很大的負擔，不知道要怎麼樣才能兩全其美。
Your friendship is now in a very testing period. You and your friends tried to keep this friendship going despite the busyness but this is taking a huge toll and both sides is stuck at trying to find a balance.

問題 Problem: 女教皇 [The Priestess]

在朋友群中，你比較不是愛跟一堆人玩鬧瞎攪和的那種人，喜歡看書、做自己的事，但因此會有些朋友覺得妳冷淡或無趣。
Among friends, you are one who dislike mindless ramblings and time wasting with a whole bunch of people. You like to read book or do your own thing which might cause some friends to perceive you as being cold or uninteresting.

建議 Suggestion: 愚者 [The Fool]

不要太刻意去經營與朋友之間的關係，因為越刻意距離越遠，不管發生什麼狀況，都不用太強求；表現你最自然的本性，真正的朋友自然會留下來^^~。
You don't need to be too deliberate in trying to maintain friendship as the more deliberate you are the wider the gap. Don't force it regardless of what happens. Just be your true and normal self, and real friends will remain..

Cutting subs..

So the gov is gonna cut subsidies on petroleum/diesel, sugar, flour and cooking oil so that the country will not be bankrupted by 2019, isit? So that it can save RM103bil over the next five years, huh? Sure or not??

Why is it that I don't trust what the minister said? And frankly I really think it will be good for the country to go bankrupt. Why? Only then will the people wake up to the fact that we need to change from the very fundamental and not just cosmetically nor superficially.. The world has already left us behind and a huge number of people are moving to other countries every year too.. Yet, the gov still tells everyone that "semuanya baik! tak payah risau.. Malaysia Boleh!" (translated: All is well! Don't need to worry.. Malaysia Can!)

Does the government really need to burden the people "just" to save RM103bil? Actually I had wanted to list out all the money that the country/government has lost or squandered over the years, then I found this website which has done a very good job.. Just by looking at the list made me feel even sadder and more pissed.. And the gov is thinking of spending billions more on, among other things, a nuclear reactor!! We could use just a small portion of that money and develop solar energy instead. Sunlight is what we have in abundance and it produces no environmentally harmful waste!!

Another "interesting" read that I found on the net is this. Will we ever see a group of people (I wouldn't want to call them politicians, cos politicians only talk, and they only work for themselves, not the people) who is willing and capable of turning this country around? With all the money politics and party hoppings happening ever so regularly, it is going to be extremely difficult to find even a few good men/women who truly has the nation's interest at heart.. We can only continue to hope and dream as corruption, nepotism, entitlement mentality is so entrenched in our "culture" that I think only national bankruptcy might have a chance of shaking us up from our little dreamland..

Survivor - 20 and still going strong..

Just finished watching the latest season of Survivor.. Survivor: Heroes vs Villains... And I must say that this season was one of the most exciting seasons ever since it started back in 2000..

Among all the reality shows, Survivor is one of my 2 favorites, with the other being The Amazing Race.. This season 20 former players/winners were brought back and were divided into 2 tribes, Heroes and Villains.. and it was very interesting from the very start.. with lots of blind sidings, immunity idols strategizings and voting surprises..

Many of these players are veterans, coming back for the 2nd or even 3rd time.. and many have their reputation preceding them.. a couple of them were voted out because of what they did in their own season and might be capable of doing in future, rather than the usual irritability factor ("he/she is so irritating/bossy/whatever, I can't stand her/him") or uselessness index ("he/she can't help us win challenges, just dead weight").. Everyone was paranoid and everyone was playing the game..

The Heroes tribe went into the merge with equal numbers.. however as they were so consumed by their (wrong) assumption that the Villains tribe was controlled by the ladies, they made one of the dumbest strategic moves in the Survivor history by giving their own immunity idol to the Master Villain!! Thus the demise of the Heroes tribe, where none of them reached the final 3..

But in my opinion, justice was served when the Master Villain lost to the lady whom he thought was "harmless" and "useless".. he didn't even get a single vote from the 9 person jury as the things that he has done were beyond malicious.. they were just plain evil.. back-stabbing, lying point-blank, creating rumors/discords, swearing on his kids to gain trust, just about anything and everything to get what he wanted.. He thought that he would get the jury's vote because he "played the best game", but he forgot that people have emotions.. and they do not forget easily the wrongs he did to them even if they could forgive him.. cos like people say, "karma is a bitch!"

There are always things to learn from watching Survivor.. about human nature, group dynamics, perceptions and assumptions, character integrity, etc.. It is a peep into human psychology and ethics.. One would show his/her true colors in most of these situations.. many had refused to do things against their conscious or against what they believe, even for a million dollars, while some would do just about anything.. The show brings out the best and the worst of the players..

And I have always believed that everyone has a price.. maybe you won't do it (whatever "bad" thing it might be) for a million dollars, what about for 3 million dollars or 10 million dollars? for 100 million dollars then? or maybe not for money, but for prestige/fame? or power? Maybe it is just a matter of perspectives or rationale? Maybe the so-called bad guys succumbed more easily (and more visibly) to monetary gains, but I believe that everyone have their own Achilles Heel.. No one is "incorruptible " in my opinion.. It is just human fallibility.

Heroes... retired..

Seemed like we won't be seeing anymore of Claire Bennet, Hiro Nakamura, Sylar, Peter Petreli, Matt Parkman and gang.. as NBC has announced last week that it won't renew the series for its 5th season... :(

Heroes came out on Singapore TV in 2006 and I can still remember how my ex-colleagues and I would get into intense discussions about this drama. Maybe it is the idea that ordinary people having powers that they do not understand and seeing them having problems controlling it that seemed to endear these unlikely heroes to us.. Who won't want to have the ability to move things with our mind, turn invincible, fly, time travel, or any other neat "tricks".. It allowed us to indulge in our own little fantasy, at least for me.. the What-kind-of-power-do-you-wanna-have and the What-would-you-do-if-you-have-powers type of questions were just so much more interesting than what-you-gonna-do-this-weekend ones..

What would you do if you have special "abilities", like they called it in the show? Would you do good? or evil? help people? or yourself? steal? or give? Would hide among the crowd? or show yourself to the world? Many of the ethical and philosophical questions arise from this possibilities.. Things that great thinkers or philosophers wrestle with in their field, trying to get humanity to do the right things when given such "abilities".. And personally, I think these "abilities" will bring out the best or worst in one's character..

This last season's main villain was Samuel, not Sylar as he was just trying to get his own body back by tormenting Matt.. Samuel was played by the same guy who played the murderer and rapist in Prison Break.. it was cool to have another villain other than Sylar as his story arch was getting kinda old..

[spoilers ahead]
In the end, the baddest of them all, Sylar decided he wanna be good and managed to save people (which is kinda hard to believe).. Nathan, the flying senator was finally buried (seriously, I don't see how he is so important other than because his mother made him to be).. Peter still tries to save the world on his own (this guy needs to get a life and maybe see a psychiatrist to sort out his "must-prove-my-existence-to-my-mother issues).. Noah continues to try to protect (and hide) his indestructible daughter, Claire (he need to learn to let go).. Matt tries to be a house-husband and a stay-home dad for little Matty.. Hiro managed to save his Charlie, was cured of his brain tumor and live to save the world again (this guy also need to see a psychiatrist too).. Suresh decided he wants a normal life and leave the "saving the world" part to the others (he made the right choice, in my opinion).. Claire found love in college, was tempted to join the carnival and finally decided not to hide behind shadows anymore..

This season sort of tied up many of the loose ends, but still a couple of them remained hanging.. And the one thing that bugged me the most is why the heck did Claire decided to showcase her "abilities" to the world when she had seen what that future would be like in the previous seasons when Nathan told the world (in Season 2/3)?

Too bad we won't get to see how Sylar would fare as a goodie Heroes.. or how Claire's love life would pan out in college and after she show the world her "abilities".. or is there going to be romance between Peter and Emma? if Peter going to "mentor" Sylar on how to be a good-guy? is Matt happy being a stay-home dad? what other "butterfly" is Hiro going to step on in future? What happened to Micah? and Tracy? Is the government just gonna leave these people with "abilities" alone?

Lots of possibilities that would forever remain unaddressed..

Elusive Thomas..

And so China won the 2010 Thomas Cup...

We came close thrice (1994, 1998, 2002) to win it back ever since we last won the Cup in 1992.. but this year's campaign was kinda pathetic.. as we lost to Japan in the group level, barely scrapped pass Denmark in the quarter finals and was finally put out of miserly by China in the semi-finals about an hour ago..

I am a badminton fan. I grew up watching players like Yang Yang, Zhao Jianhua, Morten Frost and then Ardy Wiranata, Alan Budikusuma, Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja, Li Yongbo/Tian Bingyi, Park Joo-bong/Kim Moon-soo, our own Foo Kok Keong, Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock and the Sidek Brothers (Misbun, Razif, Jalani and Rashid) for Thomas Cup..

Back then, if there was live coverage, I will be there in front of the television, mesmerized by the fancy footwork, sharp smashes, deceiving drop shots and long rallies.. those were the days of constant utterance of "Service Over" by the umpire who has turned "mute" these days, and where every single point needed to be fought hard for, not easily given.. I don't like the current format of 21-points with points being awarded regardless of who holds the service.. Those were the good old days where true grit and pure mental strength differentiate the masters and the pretenders..

I had the opportunity to attend 2 Japan Open Tournament (2007 and 2008) while in Tokyo, which I had written in this blog. It was different watching the matches live and watching over the television.. And one of the things that I hated most about watching it through the idiot box is the commentary..

The commentators in TV1 and TV9 are beyond horrendous.. They butchered the players' names, gave running commentaries like in the radio and made useless/brainless comments that don't add any value to the game. Yes, there were many foreign players with unfamiliar sounding names, thus the least they could do was to get the correct pronunciations for the names of these players as part of their "homework". But no, they prefer to just improvise and pronounce the names like in Malay language.. :x :x

Another thing that these so-called commentators like to do is to give running commentaries of the game as it unfolds.. HELLO!! We are watching it the same time as you are!! We don't need you to verbalize every single actions in the court.. We can SEE them ourselves!!!! Then they like to add their two-cents worth of opinion which sounded like a broken record to me, as they repeat the same terms/vocabulary every time.. Sometimes silence is golden, especially when you have nothing productive or intelligent to say..

Okay, enough comments about the commentators, now it is the players/coaches turn.. Here are some of my observations and comments..

1. Where are all the young players??
Ok, I am going to sound very ageist, but the cold fact is that the average age of our 3 singles players is 29, while it is 25.7 for the Chinese, 27.3 for the Danes, 24.7 for the Japanese, 25 for the Indonesians and 26 for the South Koreans.. (Datuk Lee is 27 years old, Wong CH is 33 and Hafiz is 27)

Where are all our young players?? Do they have plans to groom successor(s) for Datuk Lee?? Are we going to keep on depending on "old" players like Wong CH until they can no longer walk?? The 2 tiring match-ups against the Japs and the Danes really show in Wong's game against the Chinese today.. So even when the mind is willing, the body can no longer catch up with the fast actions on the court.. We need back-up! We need reinforcements!! We need new blood!!

2. Why are the players so fat??
Am I the only one who feels that Koo KK, Fairuzizuan and Zakry really and seriously need to lose some weight??? Guys shouldn't have "thunder thighs", much less for guys who are supposed to be bouncing and prancing around in the court chasing after a shuttle made from goose's feathers. They are supposed to float and glide, not lumber and fumble.. And did anyone notice the "beer belly" that those three were carrying?? :x :x :x

Seriously guys, lose those extra pounds and you will be running faster (to cover more court) and jumping higher (to execute sharper smashes) in no time..

3. Why are we playing along so nicely??
Our players are not known to be "thinking" players.. most of the time, we just outlast or out-tired our opponents.. other than Datuk Lee & Wong (while he is in his prime, not now), I can't see any other player who has the stamina of Foo Kok Keong.. even the fighting spirit is very much lacking too.. we are either easily affected by what happen on/off court or we react instead of thinking first..

Our players always "play along" the rhythm and tempo set by the opponents.. We never dictate the game, we never dominate the court, and we sure never outclass our opponents.. We don't just have to strengthen our "mental steelness" and improve our fitness, we need to teach our players to use their head and outsmart their opponents.. Play smart, not hard..


I always wonder if our national team is employing too many coaches.. or if our training systems need to be looked into and revamp.. as teams like Denmark, South Korea and Japan are fast catching up on us.. They are definitely doing some things really well as they are threatening the dominance of the traditional power house like Indonesia and us.. Even the mighty Uber Cup team of China was defeated by the South Korean ladies yesterday..

Do we need to wait another 25 years before we get the Cup back? I sure hope not..

Weird dream..

I am one of those people who either doesn't dream or can't remember them when I wake up.. so if I do happen to have recollection of any dreams, it tends to stay with me for a long time... And recently I had one which was kinda weird (MMmmm.. ain't most dreams weird?)..

I was in Singapore.. and somehow I went up to one of the office towers of Suntec City.. to 68th floor, actually.. (don't think the towers there are that high.. anyway..) I was doing some sight-seeing (maybe the location/tower were mixed up w either Taiwan 101 Building or Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building).. and suddenly an earthquake hit.. (ya, ya... I know, there is no earthquake in Singapore..) the entire building shook and things were falling all around me.. and somehow there was a tsunami too, as the sea water was rushing into the town area, swallowing up the buildings, roads and everything.. (much like those scenes in all those disaster movies..)

then suddenly it felt as if the entire tower had broken into two! and the top half, which I was in, slide off (why it slide off instead of toppling off? don't ask me, it was a dream, remember?) and the entire top half of the tower didn't crash when it reach the ground but was sliding along the roads, cushioned by the sea water.. much like on a water slide... I saw that the water level was rising fast from the windows and everyone was in panic.. and just when a huge wave was about to crash through the windows, the tower somehow "arrived" at the Bugis MRT Station!!! (Ya I know, very coincidental to have "crash landed" at a train station.. but won't the underground train station be flooded?? with all the sea water and stuff?? Mmmm... ) we were able to get out through the windows that were broken by the huge wave.. the sense of relief among the trapped survivors were unmistakable.. and this was when I woke up...

There is one other interesting thing about the dream: I was very calm during the entire "disaster".. although I was in the dream, going through all the turmoil, chaos and confusion, I don't recall panicking.. So either my subconscious subconsciously knew that it was just a dream and there was no (real) need to panic or I have kinda of accepted the inevitability of that situation and just go with the flow, much like how I feel about air turbulence.. I did mention before that I kinda like the feel of encountering air turbulence while being on an airplane.. my rationale is: since I can't do anything about the turbulence, might as well enjoy the bumpy ride!

Is there any hidden message(s) in that dream? Any reason why I had that dream? Or why I remembered it?? Any significance for it to occur in Singapore? Why Suntec Towers? Why Bugis MRT Station?? Lots of questions, with no answers..

Dexter..

Here, I am referring to the US drama season of the same name..

Because of the reduction of "availability" of "high-speed" connection speed, my "source" is severely limited.. so I had to select only a few that I really want to follow.. Fringe, House MD and Dexter.. I stopped following Heroes, Lost, True Blood, 24 and CSI (all three of them).. I wanted but didn't start Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds, Bones and many more..

Fringe was a "new" drama that I started recently as I was captivated by its focus on fringe science.. No doubt, that I am an X-philes.. :) And how could I not follow the "adventure" of two very flawed guys in their respective lives.. Maybe cos I can empathize and even relate to what they are going through or why they do what they do.. as I might not be as messed up as they are, but neither am I perfect..

Anyway, I finished watching Season 4 of Dexter while in Singapore.. and I must commend the writers of the drama.. It managed to keep me on the edge with its unpredictable twists and turns.. The season finale really caught me off-guard.. and it made me really feel for the protagonist, Dexter..

I always believe that everyone has a demon inside of them.. the "voice" that tries to tempt us to do things we know we shouldn't.. the religious would call it "Satan" or "Devil".. Dexter calls it his "dark urge".. and his called to him to kill, to see something die, to see blood.. so in order to satisfy his urge while following his father's code so that he doesn't get caught, he has developed a set of rituals that he keep to religiously even though he has more than once been forced to improvise..

He tries to live his life as normally as possible.. he didn't want to get too close to anyone less they find out his dark secrets, yet he can't stay "isolated" less people gets suspicious.. so he ended up "surrounding" himself with people.. first by pretending to get a girlfriend (season one), by admitting he has a drug addiction to explain some of his odd behaviors (season two), by trying to find a partner in crime that backfired on him (season three) and finally by marrying his girlfriend (season four)..

He is incapable of really feel nor care about anyone except for his step-sister whom he is very protective of. And when he finally realized that he can't live without his wife, she was brutally killed at the season finale of Season 4.. leaving him with his young son that he had with her and her two children from an earlier marriage.. It was utterly heart-breaking to see him confronting that kind of emotional tsunami that he is so unused to..

Would I say that Dexter is a bad person? well, outwardly he is one of the cops, a loving husband and a father of three, although he kills bad guys who managed to slip through the law as a past-time.. He kills these bad guys not because he is righteous or want to make this world a better/safer place.. He kills them as a side note.. Since he can't stop himself from killing, might as well kill those who deserves to die than randomly choosing his victims..

I just love to see these kinds of REAL human drama.. Dexter is someone who is terribly flawed, actually more close to twisted.. yet the emotions he felt is real and raw.. something I can related to.. in fact, I can understand why he did what he did.. actually I kinda admire him for what he is doing to maintain the "normalcy" of his life.. all the juggling of different social roles/expectations and all the lies that he had to tell to ensure he can still be who he really is..

It is not easy being a hero, neither is it a walk in the park for a villain..

Forced driving

With the school holidays coming in about a month's time, many would be driving across the country, either for sight-seeing or to visit their friends or relatives.. And without fail, the traffic fatality rate would "rise up the the occasion" (pun intended).. this is one phenomenon that would only worsen, looking at the situation in this country..

Why do I say so?? well, the gross lack of public transport has forced people who aren't fit to drive to go behind the wheels. Forget about the road regulations, defensive driving or even basic road courtesy, as long as one can start the engine, drive without knocking into anything during the exam, one can get a drivers' license as long as one pays (a bribe, that is). Add to the lousy infrastructure that we have - pothole-filled roads, horrible road signage, forever-changing road systems and ever-absent traffic police, it is just a matter of who-gets-unlucky-enough to be caught in an accident.

Other than the above mentioned factors, there is yet another ticking time-bomb waiting to explode.. Elderly drivers. Most of these elderly drivers usually stays in smaller towns, where traffic is slower and not so chaotic.. Many of these elderly drivers are still driving like they were back in the old days, at 40-50km per hour, not signaling when they make a turn, cutting into opposite lane, etc... And to make things even worst is that some of these elderly drivers are NO LONGER FIT to drive, as they are bogged down by eye problems, reflex issues and judgment concerns.. Furthermore, many of these smaller towns' infrastructure are in a worse shape than the big towns, with many unmarked/faded road lines, unworkable traffic lights and horrendous road conditions.. However, these are not really an issue as locals will show more patience and are more tolerant to these old folks..

But things are different during festive seasons or school holidays when all the younger drivers, who usually stay in big cities, come back to their home towns.. Patience is never a virtue of the young and coupled with their fixation on speed, accidents or near-misses are a common occurrences.. non-stop honking and/or loud swearing too are daily happenings. Thus impatience and unfamiliarity have become the major contributors to the raised accident rates in smaller towns.

With the raising percentage of aging population and the still non-existence of public transport systems, the elderly have no choice but to drive themselves from one place to another, no matter if they are fit to do so or not. And from the looks of things, public transport will NEVER rank high in the list of "concerns" for our elected representatives as they are more worried about how much "kick backs" from which projects they can get their hands on before their political careers end..

Mmm.. think I better re-learn my driving asap.. better be the person at the steering wheel and not the one in front of the car bumper..

Anything I'm Not

Written & Performed by: Lenka

I will never be, I will never be tall, no
And I will never be, never ever be sure of it all
Oh, why is the world so cruel to me
When all, all I ever want to be is anything I'm not

Gimme a break, a little escape
I am so tired of being me
I wanna be free, I wanna be new and different
Anything I'm not
I'm not

I will never be, I will never be you, no
I will always be, I will always be me, that I know
But oh, even though I'm happy being me
I want to get away from all this harsh reality, oh

Gimme a break, a little escape
I am so tired of being me
I wanna be free, I wanna be new and different
Anything I'm not

Yeah, gimme a break, a little escape
I am so tired of being me
I wanna be free, I wanna be new and different
Anything I'm not
Anything I'm not
Oh, anything I'm not

Gimme a break, a little escape
I am so tired of being me
I wanna be free, I wanna be new and different
Anything I'm not

Yeah, gimme a break, a little escape
I am so tired of being me
I wanna be free, I wanna be new and different
Anything I'm not
Anything I'm not
Anything I'm not
Anything I'm not
Anything I'm not

----------------------------------------------
Her lyrics expressed exactly what I have been feeling these past few months..

Check out her live performance at Stockholm..

Piecing together..

Among many of the hobbies that I have, putting together jigsaw puzzles is one of those that I would allow myself to indulge in if I found the perfect design.. It had to be 1000pcs or more and with an image that I liked.. In fact I owned more than 10 jigsaw puzzles while in Singapore and have a few stashed all over the house right now! Too bad I don't have a house of my own to frame and hang them all up..

I had one with a picture of cute cartoon kittens that glow in the dark, one ancient world map in gold, several paintings byChristian R. Lassen of whales, dolphins and the underwater world and a few others which I can't really remember as I have left them in my friend's place in Singapore.. The maximum number of pieces that I have worked on was 5000 pcs, so I would love to get my hands on one that is 10,000pcs.. Maybe one of those Renaissance paintings like this, this or this...

During our last shopping trip to Penang, my sister bought a jigsaw puzzle.. and little did I know that I brought back the same exact jigsaw puzzle from Japan more than 8 months ago! She paid MYR$9.90 for hers while mine cost me ¥1,800 (almost MYR$62).. but the quality difference between the two was very obvious.. Both of our jigsaws are 1000pcs. Mine was held as the world's smallest jigsaw with a size of 29.7cm x 42cm while hers were 50cm x 75cm.Each individual puzzle pieces of mine is about the size of a 5-cent coin.. Both of us took about one weekend (half a day each on Sat & Sun) to finish ours.. It was challenging but doable.. Hers.. .. and mine...

Since the two of us have yet to get a proper frame for our puzzles, we decided to dismantle them and put them back into the boxes.. And we shall try to piece them up AGAIN in future.. ;)