Strange Creatures Series- Do Dragons exist?

Dragons are legendary creatures with reptilian/serpentine traits that appear in myths in cultures all over the world.Everyone assumes that Dragons are mythical creatures that no longer exist today. But did you know there have been reports of dragon sightings? That sound's looney right? Where on earth can such a huge creature be hiding in? As you see, I assume that all dragons are huge creatures and not their sorry excuse of a cousin- Mushu.

So, let me show you Dragons from around the world:
China: This is a country that is permanently obsessed with Dragons as symbols of power and prosperity. The Dragons in Chinese mythology are considered benevolent and they are very anatomically concise- there 117 scales, out of which 81 are of the yang essence (positive) and 36 are of the yin essence (negative). A Dragon with 5 claws was the representative of the Emperors whilst a dragon with 3 or 4 claws was associated with commoners. Chinese dragons are serpentine creatures with long bodies and four legs. They look elegant yet powerful. Due to its benevolent nature, it doesn't breath fire unless it wants to show divine displeasure.


Europe: European dragons are malevolent creatures who are just out to eat virgins and going for communal BBQs at the nearby villages. In comparison to Eastern Dragons, they are more stout, they have wings and they traded the hair/fur for more horns/spikes. They look much more muscular and aggressive. Unlike the Chinese dragon, which remained as an impressive creature over centuries, the European Dragon shrank in size and stature over the years. The Dragon was a symbol of the Pagan era and with the spread of Christianity, Dragons were reduced to the role of an evil creature being subdued by the victorious arm of Christ (like St George). Looking at the two pictures above, you might notice how the first pagan picture shows a brave hero tackling a bigger dragon, whereas the stylized St-George-killing-the-dragon had a tiny dragon that looked more like a lizard submitting to the might of St George. There are many more stories regarding European Dragons that date back in time, such as the story of Siegfried the Dragon Slayer in the German Nibelungenlied, but I won't go into them because it can go on for over 5 pages.



Ancient Middle-East: I will lump 3 ancient Dragons here from Babylon, Ancient Egypt and Sumeria together here because these three cultures engaged in a lot of cultural exchange with each other.
There are two types of Babylonian Dragons that I know off. One is Marduk (picutre above) that guards the walls of the city and the other is Tiamat, the symbol of chaos. They have many other Dragon stories, but the exact role of Dragons in the life of the common folk remains unknown.
Ancient Egypt's "Dragon" is actually a snake with wings who is always trying to take away the sun. As a result, the ancient Egyptians hated Apep/Apophis.In the case of Sumer, we can only tell that the dragon and dragon slayer(s) relationship primarily involves the dragon, Kur, committing some great wrong against the gods and either a god or goddess appearing to vanquish it. Many portions of the story are still missing as many parts of the tablet were still in fragments. You can read more at the richeast.org link below.

Hisotrial Dragons aside, let's take a look at the list of Dragon sightings that occured recently:

• The most scientifically reliable description is that of Peter Karl van Esling, the director of The Hague Zoo, who gives an account of a water dragon sighted during a voyage to collect marine species in the Atlantic in 1860:
  
  

  We saw a gigantic reptile, bright blue and silver in colour. He swam gracefully
  around the ship before the sailors' eyes, and submerged himself without a
  splash. His eyes were enormous, with vertical pupils and an intelligent expression. They seemed luminous, but this effect could be due to the reflection from the setting sun.
  
  His head was adorned with bright blue and green crests. Even though he disappeared under water and did not reappear, he appeared to measure some seven meters in length, and on his back they could make out something resembling a crest or fins. It was serpent-like, but the sailor thought they saw legs and claw.
  
  They baptized him Megophias.
  

• French-American scientist Rafinesque-Schmaltz wrote of a two hundred foot long sea-serpent seen by Mrs. W. Lee, in 1805, near Cape Breton and Newfoundland. She stated: "Its back was dark green and it stood in the water in flexuous hillocks and went through it with impetuous noise."
• On May 15th, 1833, in Mahone Bay, forty miles west of Halifax, three officers and two enlisted men of Her Majesty's Navy were relaxing on the deck of a fishing boat when they sighted at a distance of one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards:
  

  ". . . the head and the neck of some denizen of the deep, precisely like those
  of a common snake, in the act of swimming, the head so far elevated and thrown
  forward by the curve of the neck as to enable us to see the water under and
  beyond it. The creature rapidly passed, leaving a regular wake, from the
  commencement of which, to the forepart, which was out of water, we judged its
  length to be about 80 feet; and this within rather than beyond the mark . . ."

• The first recorded sighting in Canadian water was on July 15th, 1825, in Halifax Harbour. It was seen by several people from entirely separate positions. They described it as having "a body as big as a tree trunk... The animal had about eight coils or humps to its body and was about sixty feet long."
  

Watch this video and decide for yourself- is it real? Was it merely coincidental? Or was it a product of modern technology?


Our ancestors told us stories of many types of dragons- mainly water dragons and flying dragons. This seems to be a constant factor in folklores throughout the world. What made them come up with the concept of dragons if dragons never really existed to begin with? Some have speculated that the myth of dragons was born out of the discovery of dinosaur bones- probably the ones like the Brachiosaurus or Apatosaurus (in layman terms- the long necked dinosaur). Typical of the brainy morons that we are, it is assumed that our ancestors lacked the expertise to piece the (probably incomplete) set of bones together to form a proper dinosaur and created a creatures which they deemed to be a dragon. Heh, we call ourselves clever and we can't even reverse engineer accupuncture, treppaning, the Pyramids of Egypt, etc. So I think humans need to shut up and be less arrogant about their beliefs in their alleged superiority. We have traded our brains for technology- now isn't that a sad thing??

Information Taken from:
http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/23/Dragonsightings.html
http://www.richeast.org/htwm/dragons/dragons.html

Strange Creatures Series- Do Mermaids exist?

This will be the first of my series of posts on strange creatures. As my regular readers should know by now, I love the unknown. I find it extremely interesting and thought provoking as it challenges our assumptions on what the world is. Today, many people like to think they are rationale and logical, leaving no space for the supernatural in their daily lives. Well, humans have existed for thousands of years and our history is steeped with superstition, stories of weird creatures, spirits and demons around us. I would also like to point out that superstition seems to be pretty uniform across cultures. Isolated cultures such as the Aztecs, Vikings, Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and Polynesian all have tale of dragons, mermaids, etc. Is it because we have the same ancestral origin? Or is it because our ancestors have encountered such creatures before? So are these creatures myths or legends (albeit rare or extinct today)?

So today, I shall focus on mermaids. Mermaids are aquatic creatures with a human head and torso but a tail of an aquatic animal, normally a fish. Some cultures portray mermaids as saviors of drowning sailors, other say that mermaids cause nothing but trouble by distracting sailors and thereby wrecking their ships. Given that most sailors are horny wrecks after being out at sea for months, it is hardly surprising that anything resembling a woman is enough to catapult them into state of ecstasy, making them oblivious to any form of danger. Please note that when there are mermaids, there are mermen. =) Nature is about balance.

The earliest known mermaid story appeared in Assyria about the Goddess Atargatis who killed the mortal shepherd that she loved. Ashamed, she threw herself into a lake to take n the form of her fish. Unfortunately, her divine beauty would not be concealed so she took the form of a mermaid. The earliest representation showed her as a fish with the head and legs of a human. Later it evolved into the “traditional” form of a humanoid head and torso with a fish tail (it’s all about symmetry I guess). The story about Atargatis also went on to inspire the story of Derketo the Nereid of Greece, tales of the Sea people in Arabian Nights, malevolent and benevolent mermaid-human interactions throughout other cultures globally.

Now, let me examine the evidence of the existence of mermaids in the modern context. There have been claimed sightings of living and dead mermaids throughout history. Let me list a few:

• 5th century CE- Physiologus described a “real” mermaid in his book, Bestiary.
• 1493 CE- Christopher Columbus reported seeing three mermaids playing and jumping out of the water. He did lament that they weren’t as beautiful as he expected, but human enough in the face.
• 1560 CE- Autopsy performed on 7 mermaids caught by fishermen in Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
• 1608 CE- Henry Hudson and his crew saw a mermaid near Russia. Unlike the typical fish tail, he said that she had a “tail of a porpoise and speckled like a mackerel”.
• 1718 CE, a "sea wife" is caught off the island of Borneo and put in a large vat, where it died after a few days. It was heard to utter cries like a mouse.
• 1739 CE, sailors of the ship, Halifax, caught and ate several mermaids in the East Indies. Apparently they tasted like veal.
• 1830 CE, a farm woman in the Outer Hebrides spotted a mermaid frolicking in the water. They were unable to capture her alive but did manage to kill her with a rock. The corpse was seen and described in detail by Alexander Carmichael, a well-known scholar.
  

In addition the claimed sightings, we have preserved bodies of "mermaids" to show! They are namely the ningyo mummies stored in Japanese temples. Eating their flesh is said to give one longevity. Please note that these mummies are not real, they were "proven" to be made of animal parts that were stitched together. But it could be the influence of science on superstition too! So you decide for yourself whether you want to believe in these photos. Either way, I'll never ever going to look at kiam-he (salted fish) the same way again.

This mummified 6-feet mermaid carcass was from Shikoku, Japan.

What I find most creepy about this mummy is the eyes... Staring right back at you. Hehehe, just joking, I don't get creeped out by mummies because I love to study them! This one is cute because of the eyes. It is normally one of the fastest organs to rot due the high levels of liquids. This is one of the few mermaid mummies with fully scaled bodies.

This is a foot long Ningo that was actually created in Japan in the 19th century. A mummified monkey and a dried fish were sewn together to produce this creature.

Look carefully at this mummy, I would agree that this is a fake because of the sudden break between humanoid and aquatic components of the body. If you look at preserved bodies, there should be a form of harmonious "shrinking" during the drying out process.

This mermaid mummy at Zuiryuji Temple in Osaka, which was bestowed to the temple as an offering from a Sakai-area trader in 1682.

Again, this mummy has a remarkably preserved set of eyes. You might note that the break between the scales and skin seems pretty harmonious and the corpse/carcass looks "intact" after the process of drying out.

Another mummified mermaid is preserved at Myouchi Temple in the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture. This mermaid is about 30 cm long and is posing with its hands up near its cheeks.

This Mummy is very unique because of its head. It has 2 holes for the eyes and 2 holes for the nostrils and sharp teeth. It looks like there is a layer of clay on it due to the visible cracks on in. In a sense, it looks like a chinchirro mummy, which has a layer of clay painted onto it.

This mermaid mummy is preserved at Karukayado Temple outside the city of Hashimoto in Wakayama prefecture. The 50-cm long mummy has fang-like teeth that protrude from its wide open mouth and both of its hands are raised to its cheeks, like the previous mermaid. Its lower body is covered in scales, and there appear to be the vestiges of fins on its chest, as well as a pair of nipple-like protuberances.

This mermaid is amazing to me because of the amount of care devoted into the details.

This mummy is in the possession of a Shinto sect headquartered in the city of Fujinomiya near the base of Mt. Fuji. At 170 cm tall and 1,400 years old, it is the largest and oldest known mermaid mummy in Japan. The mermaid has an unusually large head that is bald, except for some hair growth that extends from its forehead to its nose. Its eyes and mouth are open. It has webbed hands with sharp claws, and a 20-cm long tail. The lower body has a bone structure similar to that of a fish, but it is unclear whether or not the upper body has a bone structure. The entire body shows signs of having been ravaged by moths.

Legend has it that this mermaid appeared to Prince Shotoku (Shotoku Taishi) as he was passing along the shores of Lake Biwa (about 1,400 years ago). The hideous beast told the prince about how it had been transformed into a mermaid as punishment for making a living as a fishermen within the boundaries of an animal sanctuary. The mermaid claimed that over many years it had come to a clear understanding of the horrors of destroying life, and that it was prepared to move on to the next world. As a final wish before dying, though, it asked the prince to establish a temple using the mermaid’s body as a centerpiece, where it could be used to educate people about the sanctity of life. The mermaid then died. The prince took the mermaid’s body and set up a temple as requested. But after a number of strange occurrences, the mummy was passed on to another temple. The mummy changed hands several times before ending up at its current location at the base of Mt. Fuji.

Isn't it interesting how physical evidence does not match the sightings reported by people? Or how physical evidence cannot express a mermaid's ability to communicate with people as the stories tell? Every mermaid mummy that has been examined by scientists have been declared fake. And yet, hundreds of people every year claim to see mermaids frolicking in the waters. So are mermaids real or merely figments of our imagination that have been constructed by cultural beliefs?

There seems to be a fixed set of poses and features that these mummies share, such as the curved tail, stiff arms held up to their faces, scales, etc. On the personal level, I'm inclined to say that these mummies are fakes due to their dramatic posing. If they are truly natural mummies, they would have been a little more "relaxed" in their poses. If you have seen a kiam-he, you should realize that their bodies and limp, with the tail lying straight, not the curved tail that you see on these mummies. The only way to create such poses is to bind the body in a fixed position during the mummification process. I did another post on preserved bodies before, you can read it here.

Personally, I've never examined the Ningyo mummies, nor have I seen any documentries performing CT scans on them. So I can't concretely declare if they are fakes or not. To me, to fully qualify them as fakes, I would like to see CT scans establishing that the mummie's innards and bone structures do not match in anyway. However, given their status as sacred objects, I think that is highly unlikely.

So do you believe that mermaids exists for real? Do we need concrete evidence to prove that something exists?

Research taken from:
http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/real-mermaid.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid
Pictures of mermaids and desciptions are taken from:
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/08/mermaid-mummies/

The criminal mind

Well, we all know that some criminals are extremely smart, they get away with millions of dollars in embezzlement, loot, etc. These are normally white collared criminals who are educated and charismatic. What about the common people? The less educated and financially destitute who are just desperate to make some money through crime? Let me list 15 of the dumbest crime stories I've ever heard/read about.

1. Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's license plate still attached to the bumper.
DM's comment: This is called bad planning. Really bad planning.

2. In December 1994, Winston Treadway took two live lobsters from a tank in a Boston, Massachusetts supermarket and stuffed them down his trousers. The lobsters fastened onto his manhood and refused to let go. Doctors reportedly said the result was "a do-it-yourself vasectomy" and told him he might never be a father.
DM's comment: Serves him right. To fellow Singaporeans, please do not try to stuff crabs from Seng Siong down your pants or bras. It's not healthy nor safe.

3. Klaus Schmidt, 41, burst into a Berlin bank in August 1995, waved a pistol, and screamed "Hand over the money!" When staff asked if he wanted a bag, he replied "Damn right it's a real gun!" Guessing Schmidt was deaf, the manager set off the alarm, saying later, "It was ridiculously loud, but he didn't seem to notice."

After five minutes punctuated by Schmidt occasionally shouting "I am a trained killer!" police arrived and arrested him. Schmidt then sued the bank, accusing them of exploiting his disability.
DM's comment: This is so cute, a deaf robber who can't even hear the alarm nor guess that people are no longer afraid of his "gun".

4. Joyce Lebrom fainted at a supermarket checkout counter in Berne, Switzerland, in September 1991. Staff thought she'd had a heart attack, but when paramedics arrived they found a stolen chicken stuffed down her bra. The cold from the chicken had caused her to pass out. After recovering in the hospital she was charged with theft.
DM's comment: Is the chicken a spring chicken or a kampung chicken? If its the former, she would need one heck of a huge bra to stuff that fella into. Besides, wouldn't one of her "tits" look morbidly bigger than the other???

5. Purse snatcher Daniel Pouchin ended up in the hospital when he tried to rob two women in a street in Nice, France, in August 1993. The victims were "burly" transvestites who beat him up and left him with broken ribs.
DM's comment: I have a soft spot for trannies, they are so useful at crime prevention. After this, I would say, never judge a "woman" from the back view. I still can't stop laughing when I think of Abigail Chay turning around to stare at the wolf whistling men around her and saying "mei you kan guo mei nu ah??"

6.A man successfully broke into a bank's basement through a street-level window, cutting himself up pretty badly in the process. He then realized that (1) he could not get to the money from where he was,(2) he could not climb back out the window through which he had entered, and (3) he was bleeding pretty badly. So he located a phone and dialed "911" for help . . .
DM's comment: People do a lot of stupid things and have to bury their embarrasssment when they are reduced to calling the authorities for help. Reminds me of how a few guys around this world who had to call an ambulance when their "little brothers" got stuck in bottles during masturbation.

7. Travion Davis, 19, suspected that Los Angeles police would recognize his distinctive clothing if he robbed a bank. So he stripped naked before his July 1993 raid, and made off with $15,000 in two shopping bags. Not surprisingly, the sight of a naked man running down back alleys with bags stuffed full of cash was distinctive enough to attract the attention of sheriff's deputies, who pursued him over several fences before grabbing him (by what we're not told) and taking him into custody.
DM's comment: Wouldn't it occur to most people that you might be attracting more attention naked than dressed?

8. Mugging people in one of the UK's most popular jogging locations is asking for trouble. Experienced marathon runner Glyn Roberts came to the aid of a victim on Hampstead Heath in north London and gave chase - for two miles. The bewildered mugger eventually fell to his knees and begged for mercy. He didn't get it.
DM's comment: This is called "lack of foresight".

9. Two men in a pickup truck went to a new-home site to steal a refrigerator. Banging up walls, floors, etc., they snatched a refrigerator from one of the houses, and loaded it onto the pickup. The truck promptly got stuck in the mud, so these brain surgeons decided that the refrigerator was too heavy. Banging up *more* walls, floors, etc., they put the refrigerator BACK into the house, and returned to the pickup truck, only to realize that they locked the keys in the truck -- so they abandoned it.
DM's comment: I have no idea why they had to put the fridge back into the house... Very considerate but not very efficient of them.

10. In Modesto, CA, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun. Unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.
DM's comment: I guess he got a little too excited and forgot himself.

11. Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: "Give me all your money or I'll shoot", the man shouted, "that's not what I said!".
DM's comment: This is what I call a "Freudian Slip".

12. A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.
DM's comment: If he was going to man the counter for 3 hours for a little more money, he should have gotten a proper job right?

13. A man walked into a Circle-K (a convenience store similar to a 7-11), put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled-- leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.
DM's comment: This guy's CBA (cost benefit analysis) sucks, he will never make it as a financial investor.

14. Not long ago a man from Grand Forks North Dakota traveled to Fargo North Dakota to rob Community First Bank. He scribbled his ransom note and gave it to the teller. The quickly gave him the money and watched him run out the door. Attempts to search the surrounding area were unsuccessful. Upon review of the ransom note it was revealed that the man wrote the ransom note on his personal bank deposit note. Police traveled to the man’s home to arrest him.
DM's comment: Next time, please note which "scrap" of paper did you grab.

15. Sacramento, California, December 1995: Burglar Brett Woolley, 25, had a stereo and other items from the home he'd broken into, lined up by the front door and all ready to go. He was then struck with the desire to take a bubble bath. He fell asleep in the tub, the owner returned, and the police were called to wake Woolley.
DM's comment: If you have issues controlling your impulses, never be a burglar, you might end up cooking a full meal and cleaning up your victim's house as well.

Taken from:
http://www.caderbooks.com/exstupid.html
http://funnystufflol.tripod.com/id41.htm
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/stupid-criminals.html
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/hall_of_shame.htm

Does technology help or hinder social interaction?

WRITTEN WITH THE HELP OF PHONG

Man is a social animal, evolution has made us so. Why? In the past, the world was a dangerous place where every man needed and extra eye or hand to aid survival. In a social unit, they can share their resources and help each other survive the harsh environment that they live in. As time passed, writing progressed from pictures to symbols and characters. Communication was primarily through verbal and written means. As time progressed, we opened up a whole new world of mobile communication through SMS, emails, MMS, cyber platforms like MMORPGs, Friendster or Facebook! People from all across the world can communicate with each other without meeting up personally and yet know how each other looks like, what are their preferences, age, birthday, etc.

But are these communication methods helping or destroying peoples’ social skills? There are 2 prevailing view regarding technology (the internet) and social relationships. The first theory is old and conservative (mostly created in the 1990s), it proposes that no form of stable or genuine relationship can be formed online and the Internet only served to atomize society, isolating the individuals. In contrast, the modern view was predominantly advanced by Walther, with this theory of the hyper-peronal effects claiming that the Internet and its communication tools actually help to create a lot of affordances to facilitate communication and socialization. More recently, Dmitri Williams also suggests that online games like MMORPGs actually have characteristics of a "third place", which is a sociological concept advanced by Ray Oldenburg to refer to sites of socialization, with the first place being home and second place, school or work.

So this bring out another question, where is the border between virtual versus reality? Yes, MMORPGs, Facebook and Friendster are just social platforms online that are virtual, regardless of how they look. But then, the relationships there are real because real friendships are made, often offline and many become couples. But this line is blurred when people have virtual marriages with ceremonies and attendees (other gamers who are their friends). Facebook and Friendster are based on cyberspace, so their communities are cyber-based, yet their relationships are real in the sense that today A insults B on Facebook, tomorrow, B can kill A for it. That is the real thing. Also, the cyber world has become a platform for people to share their “fantasies” that they are unable to enact in the real world due to social norms and rules- virtual rape, virtual bullying, etc...

Thanks to the technology, disagreements can be displayed using cowardly methods such as cc-ing every “important” person in the company in a bid to “cover ka-cheng”. Either that or cowardly attacks on people’s personal blogs such as leaving hostile messages on tag boards, or making their enemies’ blog links public on community blogs. I’m sure you have heard of stories about husbands or wives telling each other “I want a divorce, I’m leaving you” through emails or sms because they lack the courage to do it face to face.

I’ve also noted that many teenagers today are slaves to technology. It has gotten so bad that many of them are incapable of interpersonal interaction face to face. When I mean incapable, I don’t mean that they are unable to make friends, I mean they are unable to speak their minds, nor are they capable of conveying their opinions through verbal (choice of words) or non-verbal (i.e. body language) means.

Despite this, the internet has been a good place for people to socialize and interact with others from other parts of the world, socioeconomic groups, languages, race and religion. On my end, I’ve gotten to know new people- some good some bad, but every one of them left me a precious lesson on differences in people and their beliefs. I just find that with the ready availability of emails, I hate to call people up or meet them face to face. I prefer long emails that leave me a record of what transpired. =)

It’s What You Eat, and How You Eat

Here are some of my thoughts after reading the posts on obesity and anorexia.

If you ask me, the problem with obesity in the West has to do with two main reasons, first, the ubiquity of fast food, second, the problems with western food culture and dietary methods.

First, the ubiquity of fast food. Several reasons allow for the proliferation of fast food in the west. The first is the lack of cheap, healthy alternatives; the second is the various marketing schemes they have used to make their meals more appealing.

The consequence of these is to create the situation where fast food becomes a staple for people in the west, and we all know the effects of the prolonged consumption of fast food.

Second, the problems with western food culture. The trouble is, it’s arguably true that unhealthy foods tend to be the tastier ones. Who doesn’t like fried chicken and fries? But to consider the problem on the other hand, why are the so-called “healthier” foods relatively bad?

The first possible reason is the youth of western culinary culture. Western cuisine (if I can call it that) didn’t really begin until the 15th and 16th century, when Europeans got their hands on spices from Asia. Spices allowed them to favour their food, making them more palatable.

Before that, they cooked like this: everything was boiled in a big pot for several hours, until they were a soggy mush. Not very appetizing isn’t it?

Of course, one might argue, didn’t they have baking and roasting? True, but how many could afford meat back then? Besides, to some extent, this was precisely the problem in their cuisine, because they didn’t have the variety of cooking methods that turns out to be much healthier.

I recently read a book, Why the Chinese Don’t Count Calories. It’s a book about Chinese food culture. The author highlights the point why westerners have having, first, the problem of obesity, and second, so much trouble trying to slim down, and found the answer in Chinese cuisine.

First, there is balance in the Chinese diet. Plenty of vegetables, and other nutritious ingredients, like tofu, as compared to the meats of a western meal.

Second, there is variety in cooking methods. In addition to frying, there are many more cooking methods, like steaming, etc. Point is, more than just baking and roasting.

Third, it’s not about calories. It’s about nutrients. The reason why dieting for many westerners are so difficult and prone to failure is because they get so caught up with calorie intakes they end up measuring the amount of spread for a measured amount of bread, when every meal has to be carefully calculated, and worse, having to abandon essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates for high-protein diets (the Atkins’ Diet is this type of diet)

The author’s point was, if there is balance in the meal, plus the use of other methods, and to focus on nutritional value rather than just calorie intake, the dieting would be easier, along with the other benefits of a simple diet.

But for me, there’s one more thing I’ll add: exercise.

A balanced diet is good, but so is a balanced lifestyle. Just eating and not exercising will not be good, even if one is eating food as simple (or austere for some) as Japanese food.

I enjoy my food. But I also take care not to be enslaved by them.

De Maitre’s list of 10 important inventions across time Part 2

This is a continuation of another 10 important inventions to me. You can read part 1 here: http://contemplasian.blogspot.com/2009/06/de-maitres-list-of-10-important.html

1. Toilet Paper
As a clean freak, I get very upset when there’s no toilet paper around after I’ve conducted my business. Our toilet paper today are nicely soft and smooth, they won’t cause any abrasions. In the 15th centuries, sailors out at sea had no toilet papers to use. So they had a rope hanging down from the ceiling of their “toilet” (it’s just a huge gap at the side of the sea. By the end of the voyage (normally about 3-6motnhs), you can image how the rope looked and smelt like. Most of our landlubber ancestors used leaves- it’s a trial and error thing that certainly taught them some leaves are poisonous and cause severe inflammation/itching. So be thankful for your toilet papers today.
Read more here for other methods of cleaning asses in history: http://regretfulmorning.com/2009/02/9-bizarre-methods-once-used-to-wipe-ass/

2. The Sewing Needle



This is what an ancient needle looks like. It’s pretty big compared to our modern needles, so it always brings this question to my mind- are they sewing up the hole or making even more holes?

3. The Wheel and axle

Without them, there would have been no carts, therefore no chariots, therefore no bicycles and therefore no cars today. They were the first in our step towards automated transportation and contributed greatly to the great human migration. It is also the basis of modern machinery (i.e. cogs) due to its nature as the foundation of all moving parts.

4. Trepanation

Most of you never heard of this, it is the drilling or scraping of a hole in a human skull. It is done for a few reason- releasing “bad vapors” in the head (i.e. migraines and headaches), to release the soul (through a hole in the head) so the person can commune with the Gods better, or surgery to reduce remove excess bone/bleeding from a head injury. Most people do survive this surgery. In the cave man era, they normal use obsidian chips to scrap out a hole in the skull. It was a pretty messy and painful business.

5. The Oven

I love food- baked chicken, bread, cookies, pizza, etc. The oven was an improvement over the common cooking methods of roasting. It was typically a small little clay/brick dome where a fire was lit inside (around the edges) and the bread was placed in the center. I think food tastes better when cooked over wood or charcoal because they are a lot more aromatic.

6. Ink (Pigment)

Nothing much remains of our caveman ancestors’ way of life except the paintings left on the walls. They depict stories of the hunt, village life and their reverence for Nature. From them, we know that our ancestors hunted in groups and they liked to engage in body painting. These cave paintings were the stepping stones for the transition from oral to written history. Do note that these two forms of history are by no means exclusive as they go hand in hand together.

7. Aqueduct
If you thought the Romans were the first people to construct aqueducts, you were wrong. Our ancestors have been doing there for a looooooooooooooooong time. The Romans only deserve the credit for building Mega-Aqueducts that stretch over huge distances. Even “backward” civilizations like the Aztecs had a sophisticated system of aqueducts bringing in water from the mountains down to their valleys.

8. Ships/ Log Boats

Our ancestors spread out from Africa thousands of years ago by foot and water. Did you know that the indigenous population in South America had aboriginal ancestry? Unfortunately, this has been bred out over the generations. That would mean the Aztecs, Incas, Moche, etc were survivors of people who crossed the entire Pacific Ocean from the Pacific Islands on primitive ships!

9. Basket Weaving

Now that we have plastic bags and plastic containers, the modern world has relegated baskets to trivial use such as floral arrangement and presentation at bread shops. In the past, they were the shopping and storage bins for people. They were used to hold fruits, grain, eggs, bread, etc.

10. Pottery

Pottery was important to our ancestors because they allowed us to store liquids for prolonged periods without having to worry about them going bad. Animal skins could only hold so much, and water or wine turned stale in them. Furthermore, pottery allowed our ancestors to eat and drink in a “civilized” manner through the use of bowls, cups, etc. It also allowed our ancestors to cook stews, lentils, soups, etc over the fire, providing them a change in diet.

44 Facts about Singapore!

Well well, NDP is here! Happy 44th birthday to Singapore. Ironically, I only realized Singapore was 44 earlier on thanks to Evone. So much so for being a history monster...

1. Mosquitoes
We are never short of these infernal beasts. But it’s ok, treat each feeding session as a karma reaping session.

2. NeWater
It’s always nice to know the water you drink might contain a little of your piss as well as everyone else’s.

3. Raffles is our founder
That’s wrong, it’s Sang Nila Utama. I guess it’s because we can’t find a nice picture of Utama (a myth) to carve a likeness of him and place in front of our Victoria Theatre.

4. Our national anthem is in Malay
Well, not many people know what the lyrics mean, but heck, we all know how to sing it.

5. We have the highest execution rate per capita in the world! It’s ok when it is traded for the lowest crime rate in the world!

6. Our universities do not have an on-campus bar and they do not have enough hostel rooms for everyone. It’s ok, the cleaners are happy less people to scrap off the campus floor when they get drunk and barf everywhere.

7. Singaporeans cannot aim- the rubbish bins have rubbish everywhere but in them and the toilet bowl is cleanest inside the basin. No worries, we have an army of cleaners to maintain our “clean and green image”.

8. We train our smokers to be nice and considerate! We just ostracize them to the corner table at the koptidiam to be exposed to the sun and rain.

9. Alcohol and cigarettes are ridiculously expensive! No matter, under aged kids still smoke and drink anyway. They are affluent and devious enough. Isn’t that a sign of our thriving economy and first class education system?

10. We pay a lot of GST, service charge, road tax, parking fine, library fine, littering fine, spitting fine, etc. to the government so that they can pay the thousands of useless employees who mess up the bureaucracy more everyday and our extremely expensive ministers. Ah well, at least we can confidently say have one of the lowest income taxes in the world, so can’t complain.

11. Durians- some people love them, some people hate them. For the consideration for all, they are banned from entering all public transports. No worries, you can still eat them at the stalls! We have high-class sounding Durian sellers who call their shop "Durian Cafe".

12. Middle Age Crisis is very common among Singaporeans. They are typically serial nose pickers, quarrelsome, aggressive, naggy and extremely Kiasu. They spend half of their time being inconsiderate and the other half nagging at inconsiderate people around them. Aren't they such precious treasures?

13. Our ministers are among most highly paid politicians in the world! PM Lee Hsien Long makes 6x more than Obama (USD 400,000). It's nice to know that we are one of the least corrupted countries in the world too. We have a Corruption Perception Index of 9.2 and we rank 4th in the world, only because the top 3 countries- Demark, New Zealand and Sweden share the same 9.3 index! Taken from:http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/04/pm-lee-tops-list-of-10-best-paid-world-politicians/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index

14. We still practice Judicial Caning! We are one of the few secular states that administer caning to social deviants. The cane is about 1.2m long and about half an inch thick. Many countries criticize us for violating the UN Convention Against Torture. Guess what? We didn't sign it and we have the lowest crime rates in the world!

15. Sarong party girls- many Singaporeans hate them because these girls only have eyes for caucasians. Don't worry though, our local men also know how to import "foreign talents", mainly from China and Vietnam to restore homeostasis.

16. We have a different meaning of racial harmony through tolerance. Tolerance stems from "don't talk about it at all and don't even be a kaypoh about other cultures and religions". Fair price to pay for the peace we get eh?

17. We are suspicious people. Why shouldn't we? Even charities are conspiring against us. First it was NKF, now it is Ren Ci. Good for Reverend Ming Yi who has 9 credit cards, bought and sold 6 private properties at a profit, bought and sold 3 BMWs, a pet horse and an expensive pet called Yeung who has a penchant for branded stuff and 3 supplementry cards from boss. I guess monks have to violate the "abstain from material wealth" code in order to be generously contribute to the economy. =) His self sacrifice will be appreciated by all the needy poor and doners who surely must realize he was doing it for the benefit of all in the long term.

18. We are a paternalistic society where dad/governement will make sure you behave very well. Even to the point of nailing a notice on your bedpost "NO ORAL OR ANAL SEX FOR HOMOSEXUAL PARTNERS". It is an attempt to maintain our image as a conservative society. There is always a lovely cane hanging within sight and the threat of being grounded or having your pocket money revoked hanging above you. So we should all BEHAVE; no wonder that we have the lowest crime rate in the world eh?

19. We are the only country in the world (to my knowledge) that actually banned the import and sale of chewing gum. Unfortunately, they relaxed that rule a little and allow pharmacists to sell certain gums that have health benefits. If they relax it a little more, we'll have a multitude of idiots stuffing gum into mailbox keyholes, lift buttons and pasting them under tables and chairs. Disgusting inbreeds.

20. We are a "fine" country. People like to criticize us for being a nanny state where spitting, toilet flushing and jaywalking are considered punishable offenses. All I can say is shut up. =D We are a lot more cleaner and safer than our critics.

21. Singapore don't give a hoot about international pressure- the LAW prevails. That's one thing I like about Singapore, we don't bow down to international pressure to remove our capital punishments like hanging and caning and fairly punish foreigners who violate our laws! E.g. the idiot Michael Fay who was so cocky of his immunity as a citizen of mighty America- he got caned anyway when found guilty of theft and vandalism. When he got burnt while abusing butane later in life, he had the cheek to blame the Singapore judicial system for emotional trauma. He was a kid with serious issues, we should have given him the full 12 strokes instead of 4, maybe he would have crawled out of prison a better person.

22. Based on estimates in the 2008 World Drug Report, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Singapore has one of the lowest prevalence of drug abuse. So we should execute all the drug traffickers regardless of nationality once they are caught in order to keep this up. In the sensationalized trial of Van Tuong Nguyen, Australia tried to pressurize Singapore into blocking the death penalty. We executed that criminal anyway. It's good that we treat criminals and criminals regardless of their background, reasons or nationality. They were apprehended in their attempts to cause harm and they will be punished for it.

23. We are a nation of common sense and reason. Unlike USA or Australia, we certainly didn't hold virgils or organize protests to burn the opposing countries' flags nor did we boycott their products in order to show our disfavor whenever our citizens are punished overseas for their wrong doing. When you're wrong, you are wrong, you should be punished.

24. Singaporeans make the worst hostages because the government won't contribute a single cent of ransom to save their citizens. I honestly like this because you won't encourage the terrorists or kidnappers. The means justify the end. That's why terrorists networks worldwide hate us and love American hostages.

25. We are a certificate country, no certs means no future. We can't have that now can we? So our students are the most obscenely hardworking bunch of monsters, bar the social deviants who drop out and make parasites out of themselves. Your future boss looks at your certificates before he looks at you.

26. We are one of the most realistic group of people in this world. We openly admit that being a construction worker is a terrible job, unlike our American counterparts who zealously call it a professional occupation. To us, it is a low skill labor that pays poorly, they just don't see that don't they? Every job is professional, it is how professional it is that matters.

27. We are very ambitious people, we want the 6Cs- cash, credit cards, condominiums, cars and certificates. That's gooooood, it motivates us to work hard for what we want. It deters people from sitting at home and waiting for their monthly social security handouts.

28. We have the best propaganda machine in Asia- because almost everyone doesn't realize it exists! Ok, we know it exists, but most can't pinpoint where or what it is. A good example would be Social Studies! It has almost nothing to do with sociology but it has everything good about Singapore.

29. The Singapore government even regulates how you rear your pets. For those staying in HDBs, only toy dogs are allowed and apparently no private fish bonds outside your apartment either (apparently, you upset the weight per sq inch ratio). You are not allow to breed dogs for sale at home either! You need a license and a farm to do that.

30. We don't have strikes and protests every alternate day unlike Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, France, etc. This is because you need a PERMIT. Since no one can be bothered to think of a justifiable reason of holding a protest in order to apply for a permit, nor wait for the permit to be approved, no one has organized a successful protest so far. Thank goodness for that! We have a very stable economy because man hours are not wasted on pointless marchess requesting for more pay and holidays. In Singapore, you'll just get sacked. There are other people out there waiting for an opening...

31. We are a city of misers and workaholics. We hate to pay fines and neither do we relish holidays behind bars. So no one breaks the law just to attend a strike or protest because everything they hold dear is in jeopardy.

32. Our politicians have cat fights now and then. Classic example: MM Lee & SM Goh vs Mr Chee. MM Lee and SM Goh won not because the law was on their side, but because they makes more sense than Chee.

33. We are the only country with the post minister mentor. People insist that MM Lee refused to relinquish his political power. I think they are wrong- we can't drop him after all he has done! He has a lot of experience and he was the hand that shaped Singapore. His guidance has been proven to be the most sound leadership in SEA.

34. I fully agree with Kumar when he said this "(Every NDP)everytime the fireworks go, I cry. That's not because I'm patriotic, that's my income tax".

35. The Merlion will most likely sink head first if it tries to swim. If you look closely, it only has a claudal fin, it doesn't have a anal fin, dorsal fin, pectoral fin nor a pelvic fin. So it shouldn't be able to balance nor steer.

36. Singapore is an ungracious country. Smile at a stranger and they'll start to think there's something wrong with your head. No one bothers to ask you polite stuff like "how are you" or "how was your day". We don't have that culture.

37. Singaporeans have a penchant for queueing up! As long as there is a looooong queue, they'll queue up even if they don't know what its for. They are even to queue up overnight and over the weekend for free stuff or special discounts.

38. Singaporeans are unfriendly. They bitch a lot and they don't smile a greeting when they walk by you and the men don't open the door for the ladies at all.

39. Singaporeans always complain that the influx of foreign talent has been depriving them of jobs. Well, serve the Singaporeans right, they didn't want those jobs when times were good. Now that times are bad, they whine about it louder.

40. We're probably the only country that drills its people for all kinds of emergencies- war, fire, air raid, etc. Students and workers alike are timed and evaluated for their response level and efficiency.

41. Singaporeans are so crazy about food that they are willing to travel from one end of the island to the other just to eat their favorite dish. Some even go out for suppers way after midnight to satisfy their insatiable cravings.

42. Singaporeans depend on the government for everything. When they can't handle their children, they throw the problem to the government. When they can't get along with their neighbours, they scream for the government. When they have a major disagreement in an association like AWARE, they scream for the government.

43. We have a wierd way of drawing up our "maps". You might be staying in Paya Lebar, but you're under the Marine Parade Constituancy. Wierd...

44. Singapore has one of the worst script writers to me when it comes to serial dramas and "comedies". They are so embroiled with moralistic overtones that you can pretty much guess what will happen next.

Should a Child be Punished for the Sins of His/Her Parents?

Have you ever met people who are so entrenched in their beliefs that they often make stupid and hurtful remarks at the expense of people around them without using any cow sense? This is my story:

Once I tried to talk my friend out of the religious fanatism that she has gotten herself into. I suspected she has histronic personality disorder and she did mention more than once that she was more upset about being at being unnoticed and unpopular rather than being unable to commune with God or for having a weak faith. So after another emo session with her deploring her "ugliness" being the cause of her unpopularity, I sat her down for a good talk. I started off by trying to explain to her that there are people even uglier than her in this world, and how she should not use this as an excuse to diet and exercise like a fanatical moron. This is a rough transcript of our conversation:

ME: "Why do you think some children in this world are born deforned or defective in some way in mind or body?"

HER: "Erm, because of incest lor, It's their parents' fault"

ME: "What??? Who told you THAT?"

HER: "My Pastor lor"

Her answer shocked the hell out of me, I ditched her because I could tell what a lousy conversationalist she would be and I hated Mega Churches with a vengence ever since. I'm fully aware that it might be possible that she misconstrued the pastor because the other Christians that I know have never heard of such a thing. But give me a reason to hate mega-churches a littel more, will you? Anyway, this conversation raised many questions in my mind.

-Is this what religion teaches a person? Christianity's main tenant is to love and forgive everyone!

-Deformed people are a source of reflection that we should be happy with who and what we are. NOT as a source of criticism that they are like "this" because of some action in their past life or their parents' sin.

-What's the point of educating a person all the way to University level if they can't use their goddamn brains?

-What happened to all the science, biology and research topics that we've been given throughout our academic life? Shouldn't they help us to be more open to alternative and more realistic reasons as to how and why things happen?

When I ask this question to anyone else with a brain, that they know how to use, the answer is always linked back to genetics. When children are born like this, it's not because God is punishing their parents for commiting incest! It's just a matter of probability! Almost everyone has a defective gene somewhere in their DNA (we aren't perfect creatures) it can affect your offspring both positively or negatively. Unique traits such as eye color, jaw shape, hair color are all products of "defective" genes that branched off from the original DNA many centuries ago.

Children with deformities are unfortunate because the "wrong" gene was activated due to a freak of nature or because their parents didn't know they had recessive "problematic" genes. So you shouldn't blame the parents nor the children, they are equally innocent becaue it is something beyond their control. Besides, I always maintained the view that God frowns upon such stuff but he must be one heck of a bitchy bastard if he makes an innocent kid suffer for his parents' sin (if any).

Incest is a common sin worldwide, but normally they take pains to ensure that they conduct it discreetly and don't have children. I think every country in this world has laws against incest because it is established that it would result in long term inbreeding problems such as a concentration of genetic coding errors. From what I gather in my research, incest is fine for a few generations, but anything beyond 5 generations is problematic. How do I know this? From studying History!

The best example is the Habsburg Dynasty. Over the course of 500 years, they have intermarried a lot just to maintain power within the family. They are all Christians, so they don't practice incest in the sense of marrying within the immediate family (i.e. parents, siblings or first cousins). By the end of 500 years of marrying cousins, nieces, uncles, etc all the genetic errors accumulated into creating the disgusting Charles II of Spain.

Charles II not only suffered an extreme version of the Hapsburg lip, his tongue was said to be so big for his mouth that he had difficulty speaking and drooled. He also suffered from an oversized head, intestinal upsets, convulsions and, according to his first wife, premature ejaculation.

"He was unable to speak until the age of four, and could not walk until the age of eight. He was short, weak and quite lean and thin. He was described as a person showing very little interest in his surroundings," Professor Alvarez said. "He looked like an old person when he was 30 years old, suffering edemas [swellings] on his feet, legs, abdomen and face. During the last years of his life he could barely stand up and suffered from hallucinations and convulsive episodes," he said.

Taken from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/revealed-the-inbreeding-that-ruined-the-hapsburgs-1668857.html

Let us take a look at this German couple- they are siblings who grew up apart and fell in love with each other after the death of their biological mother. Regardless of Germany's incest laws, they had 4 children together. The first 3 children were forcefully taken away from them and place in foster care. It raises the question of ethics- did the government have the right to take away a mother's child from her just because they feel her choice in their paternity was faulty? Their children are all fine and healthy individuals, is the fear of parental influence so great that it necessitates the heartbreak of a mother for the good of her children?
Taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6424937.stm

My post is going to be a lot more graphic from now on. I want to use pictures to prove my point "If deformity is due to incestuous parents, that's a very harsh price for their children to pay". In reality, these children are all by products of faulty genes.

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)


This is a picture with a kid with Down Syndrome. It is NOT because his parents are incestuous. It is because he has an extra Choromosome 21. Individuals with Down syndrome tend to have a lower than average cognitive abilities, often ranging from mild to moderate developmental disabilities. A small number have severe to profound mental disability. It occurs in approximately 800 to 1,000 births. It must be noted that these statistics are heavily influenced by older mothers.

Harlequin type ichthyosis

Call this baby a demon spawn or whatever and I swear I'll slap you. Children with this defect normally die very young due to infection or dehydration. I can only imagine the pain they are experiencing. The oldest survivor is only 24 years old.

The features of sufferers are deformed facially and cranially. The ears may be very poorly developed or absent entirely, as may the nose. The eyelids are severely everted (ectropion), which leaves the eyes and the area around them very susceptible to trauma. They often bleed upon birth. The lips, pulled by the dry skin, are fixed into a wide grimace (eclabium). Arms, feet, and fingers are almost always deformed in such a way that they cannot bend properly, and may be below the normal size.

Taken from: Wikipedia

It is a hereditary disorder caused by recessive genes. So means if the child's father and mother both have this gene stuck somewhere in their DNA, it might become a dominant gene in the child.

Siamese Twins

Conjoined/Siamese twins are identical twins or non identical whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of pairs born alive have abnormalities incompatible with life. The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is approximately 25%. The condition is more frequently found among females, with a ratio of 3:1.

Two contradicting theories exist to explain the origins of conjoined twins. The older and most generally accepted theory is fission, in which the fertilized egg splits partially. The second theory is fusion, in which a fertilized egg completely separates, but stem cells (which search for similar cells) find like-stem cells on the other twin and fuse the twins together.

Taken from: Wikipedia

Again, they are borned like this due to freak of nature, not because their mother commited incest.

Neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis (commonly abbreviated NF) is a genetically-inherited disease in which nerve tissue grows tumors (e.g. neurofibromas) that may be harmless or may cause serious damage by compressing nerves and other tissues. The disorder affects all neural crest cells (Schwann cells, melanocytes, endoneurial fibroblasts). Cellular elements from these cell types proliferate excessively throughout the body forming tumors and the melanocytes function abnormally resulting in disordered skin pigmentation.The tumors may cause bumps under the skin, colored spots, skeletal problems, pressure on spinal nerve roots, and other neurological problems.

Taken from Wikipedia

If either one of your parents has this gene, you have a 50% chance of getting it. So it depends on your luck. This is what the elephant man suffers from.

Ok, enough of graphic examples. Other genetic problems include: Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), Sickle Cell Disease, etc... Go read up more on your own.

Back to the topic, so is it fair for children to suffer from such deformities just because their parents' so called "sin"? Rubbish. Don't look down on these kids, EVER. Admire them and their family for having the courage to grow together and learning how to accept each other for who they are. These children have to grow up with the constant scorn and humiliation heaped at them by the so called "perfect" people who deem them to be misfits in society.

Think again, some of these people who are of "sound mind and body" end up being society's greatest parasites. They don't get proper jobs because they think the job and pay is beneath them, they ruin their health by taking drugs and alcohol, they refuse to study and spend their time loafing at the nearest shopping arcade leering at people, etc. And some of these people end up anorexic or bulimic because they think they are fat. By the time they are done damaging their bodies, even the starving kids in Africa look better than them. So who is worse off?

Ironically, the loudest voice decrying such children belong to religiously devout people. To them, it is easy to point a finger and screech "That child is a spawn of the devil, he is evil!" or "That child's parents must have commited a grave sin like incest for God to punish them with such an abomination" or even "That child's mother must have mated with an animal or the devil himself for such a child to be even born". That's just horrible, why has no one spared a thought for the pain that the child and his/her parents are undergoing?

On Patriotism

Since we’ll be celebrating the 44th year of Singapore’s independence in a day’s time, I thought it’ll be nice to talk about something uplifting.

People might wonder, is there patriotism in Singaporeans?

It’s arguable, but there are reasons for Singaporeans to be patriotic, however small these reasons might be.

De Maitre in the recent post, NDP 09, brought up interesting facts about Singapore.

These are the small things which bring about both bewilderment and criticism from the rest of the world, but they are also the facts that made us who we are today.

For me, I’ll like to talk about the “higher” things.

To quote from that old song: “There was a time when people said that Singapore wouldn’t make it, but we did”.

There was indeed such a time. It was a time only our parents and grandparents would remember.

It was through hard work, and good governance, that brought us to where we are today. We were lucky, because while many other post-colonial countries are still struggling in the modern world, Singapore went in a different direction, the effects of which were unexpected even to the leaders themselves.

But so much for an introduction, what is patriotism?

The definition is different for different countries. For the US, it’s the fact that they are a superpower. (Though if you ask me, that title is increasingly becoming hollow), for the Chinese and Indians, it’s the thousands of years of history and culture. For the Europeans, it’s the intellectual, artistic and cultural values that are important to them, plus the quality of their own products.

Singapore has, arguably, little of these. We’re far from a superpower, even though we have one of the most prosperous economies and the most advanced military in the region, we are, well, only 44 years old, 50 if you add in the years of self-government, and we haven’t given birth to any intellectual or artistic “greats” (at least not yet).

But people still love Singapore, at least, again, arguably.
This is because we have the many things other countries want, but just can’t seem to have.

Good governance, from which springs forth many more things, like low corruption, foresight, etc

Economic growth

Rule of law.

What’s holding the other countries back? For many, it’s bad governance. For others, it’s the sacrifice of economic prosperity and social order for such things as “people power”.

Ultimately, there are costs to be incurred for any choices a country may make in the charting of its political direction.

For that, we should also remember, we are so lucky to have had travelled in that right direction, despite the costs that we may have had to pay for that.

Good Old Movies- Boring to most, but rewarding if you watch

I'm a great fan of old movies before of their more in-depth dialogue and better acting skills. There's very little CGI to cover up bad acting or distract me from the skills of the main actors. =)

I'll share a few good classic shows with you guys here:

Magic Voyages of Sinbad (1953)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAmev0oYg1c&feature=channel
This show is very cute. If you notice, the costumes don't look as middle eastern as what Sinbad would typically wear. Instead, the costumes have a very distinctive Viking/Russian in design. This show was released in 1953, it was filmed in Russia and the original story was about a Norse legend- Sadko. Unfortunately, the US released it as "Magic Voyages of Sinbad" after dubbing it in English and editing the original video. If you guys recall, the Cold War was in play at that point in time, so the US would do anything to degrade a Russian film.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1923)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7boNOrs-v4g&feature=related This is a silent film. I know many people at this age have never experienced the joy of silent movies. It's called silent because there's no dialogue, not because there is no sound... It is a good experience because the actors have to rely a lot more on body language to express their feelings. Just to let you know, I hated the disney cartoon about this story. I think it didn't cover Quasimodo's feelings enough.

The 300 Spartans (1963)
Part 1: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/rrzmOVdNO6c
Part 2:http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Ek0VQqtVYnM
This is my favorite quote from the show "The Gods have a sense of humor, they make pretty girls and turn them into wives". Hehehehe, the death of the honeymoon period. Unlike the new version "300", it is a lot less graphic as it deals more with the political aspects of prior to the battle. How the Spartans would reject one of their own just because that man's father was assumed to have less than honorable dealings with the Persians, and his journey to prove himself as a capable Spartan regardless of his father's deeds.

Hercules (1958)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSSVvEz-hAI
This movie features Steve Reeves, Mr. Universe (1950). He was one of the body building icons made of 100% natural muscles without the help of drugs. This is a rather interesting movie that focuses on Hercules' sturggle between the choice to be human or immortal, and how he learns that being a mortal only meant pain and suffering but he chose to be human rather than a cold blooded immortal, immune to time and feelings. I particularly like this movie because it dwells on concepts such as how difficult it is to be "special", how positive encouragement can motivate a person to belief himself more than any criticism, etc.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
http://www.supernovatube.com/play.php?viewkey=c694cd0fd49e71249d61
I'm not sure if this show is a public domain film, but it is a definite must see due to its then "state of the art" stop motion feature than generated the fight scene between Jason and the Skeletons. =)

Cleopatra (1963)
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzruB19CFgI
I'm not sure if this show is a public domain film (so please search for Part 2-25 on youtube by yourself). I can never get enough of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Not because they're sex icons, but because of the way they delivered their lines! Taylor is always brimming with sensuality and suppressed emotions, whereas Burton delivers his lines with confidence and authority. The effort channeled into creating the costumes and sets were simple breath taking! Remember, they didn't have CGI to create the fake landscapes at the background.

The Ten Commandments (1956)
http://static.youku.com/v1.0.0052/v/swf/qplayer.swf?VideoIDS=cc00XMTUyNzM0MzI&embedid=-&showAd=0
This is another breathtaking costume drama movie that stars Yul Bryner (I can never get enough of his intense gaze), Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter. I really enjoyed this show because it examines the Journey of Moses as he progresses from being a prince to a commoner, how he struggles to adapt to his new role as a spiritual leader and his secret doubts and fears.

Ben Hur (1959)
http://static.youku.com/v1.0.0052/v/swf/qplayer.swf?VideoIDS=XNDYzNzY3NTY&embedid=-&showAd=0
This is another breathtaking costume drama movie that stars Charlton Heston and examines the whole notion of faith, integrity and revenge. Will revenge help to quench the fire of vengence? The setting is in classical Rome under the reign of Emperor Tiberius.

The King and I (1956)
- no links -
I find this movie really unique because it reflected the white man's superiority mentality at that point in time. Yul Bryner adopted one of the most disgusting oriental accents I have every heard for this movie. Beyond that, it was a good show that shows the learning journy of Anna, her son, the King and his children/wives.

The Sound of Music (1965)
http://static.youku.com/v1.0.0052/v/swf/qplayer.swf?VideoIDS=cc00XMzAwOTIzODg&embedid=-&showAd=0
I adore Julie Andrews, period. =D Boy can she sing... This is one of my all time favorites because of it's light hearted tone. How a scruffy girl learns her place in her world by filling everyone around her with joy and laughter, how a stiff Captain von Trapp learnt how to bend a little and love his children with a lot more flexibility, communication, hugs and laughter.

Ulysses (1955)
http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/entertainment/watch/v14079501ksfsyets
I can only find this on veoh, so just sign up for a free account or something. It's pretty good film based on Homer's Odyssey. The story of a man who pit himself against the Gods and lost, how his love for his wife guided him back home after being seperated for 1o years. It's a good movie, but I prefer the 1997 version with Armand Assante though.

Singapore: The nation of closet slobs

Singapore is an economically developed country with one of the most modern infrastructure in Southeast Asia. We have a reputation for being a clean and green country with a very polite and industrious working force. We have a strong economy, sound political structure and social harmony. Our students are intelligent and capable potentials being groomed to lead Singapore into greater heights.

Well, that’s what they all tell you. In truth, we are a nation of slobs- the main philosophy in life here is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Nothing resembling progress occurs until someone submits a serious complaint that sends everyone scrambling to fix it before they lose their jobs… We hire others to do the dirty work whilst we maintain the illusion of soaring success and acute intelligence.

Look at the young adults today, for all their academic and corporate achievements, how many are actually capable of cooking a full meal? I.e. rice, fish, meat, veg and soup? Most of the people I’ve spoken to are woefully unable to progress beyond frying an egg and cooking instant noodles. When I spoke to my old art teacher who went for a year long course in Australia, she told me the horrors she noticed in the hostel there. Singaporean students were making a lot of calls back home to mummy to ask stuff like:

“How long does it take to boil an egg?”
“How to use the laundry machine?”
“How to get rid of the stain on my white shirt?”
“What type of soap powder to buy?”
“How to cook rice?”

The first and last ones were a real joke. To me, they are really basic. Ok, maybe rice cooking needs some skill and practice. As a general rule, the water level should reach your mid knuckle when you press down the rice. It varies with different brand and type of rice. As for egg boiling, it’s about 10 minutes for hard boil and about 5 minutes for soft boiled eggs. This is a website for all those who can’t even manage an egg- http://www.mrbreakfast.com/ask.asp

Singaporeans are too dependent on their mothers and maids. I’ve witness many a scenario where children are brought up in a completely safe environment till the point that they are nothing but spineless upstarts with a brain that they don’t know how to use properly. Scoring well academically does not equate to intelligence in my opinion. Having a PHD means you are clever but not necessarily wise nor insightful.

For example, when children fall down and scrap their knee, the maid gets blamed and scolded. As a result, the kid is always kept closeted to ensure his safety. To me, there’s nothing wrong with children getting a little bumped and scrapped now and then as it teaches them the following principles:

• Pull yourself up when you fall; mummy isn’t going to be there forever (she has a shelf life and expiry date, you know)
• Pain reminds you that you are alive and it will be a constant factor in your life. Learn how to cope with it and use it as a motivating factor to push you into achieving greater feats in life. Mummy isn’t going to coddle you and give you a big kiss each time you undergo emotional turmoil or an injury later on in life.
• There is danger everywhere, you (and only you) can protect yourself by learning how negotiate your way around them with care. Mummy can’t be telling you to mind the wet floor everyday of your life.

These are precious lessons in life that we need to learn through experience. If parents deprive their children of experience, all the children have are certificates proving their academic capabilities and nothing more.

Singaporean children are so spoilt that they have almost everything they want and need. Primary school kids have a handphone, mp3, computer, good clothes, a lot of assessment books, tuition, etc. Is it the fault of the parents? Yes. It is possible that they work hard to give their kids the luxury they never had in their youth. It is possible that there is a competition among them to see who can provide the best for their children. What they do not know is that they are spoiling their children beyond belief. I’ve seen children screaming at their maid to get them a glass of water and it’s suddenly the maid’s job to ask hospitable questions to guests such as “Would you like a drink?” Tsk, that’s what the host should be asking the guest and instructing the maid to serve up.

Children today do not know the meaning of having to go hungry because their parents go hungry for them. They don’t know how to make their own beds because the maid or their mother does it for them. They can’t cook because parents are afraid that they will burn themselves as well as the entire house. Children are taught to packet food or eat cup noodles rather than cook a proper healthy meal for themselves. Children contribute to household cleaning with a broom/mop or “Magic Clean” dusters. That’s easy. But many of them do not know how to sweep or mop the floor properly! By my standards, they are merely rearranging the dust. When I mean clean, the floor is the “safe to eat your food off the floor” clean. =) I’m a Detol monster who insists on moping the floor by hand.

Look at home economics taught in schools today. In my mother’s generation, they were taught which parts of the cow/pig/goat were to be used for what type of cooking. They were taught how to do mending in addition to doing pretty stitches. They were taught how to use the sewing machine. Mum said she was thought how to cut and make her own dress. They were taught how to bake muffins and cookies! And the used the proper fire stoves and ovens.

By my generation, home economics was a joke. It was more like a financial management class with cooking demonstrations thrown in. All I learnt was:

• How to differentiate between a want and a need when it comes to spending
• Kitchen and household safety
• How to have a healthy balanced diet (not that I follow it)
• What I would call a sewing demonstration rather than a actual sewing class. We made a hand puppet and a letter holder. The stitches I learnt were oversewing stitch, running stitch and cross stitch (for sewing the button eyes onto my puppet. And I also learnt how to use fabric glue. That’s it. The pieces were all precut for me and I didn’t go anywhere near a sewing machine. I guess they didn’t want students to cut or prick their lovely little PERFECT fingers.
• I learnt how to cook macaroni chicken soup, shepherd’s pie and spaghetti. The stoves were all induction cookers to ensure that we won’t burn down the entire building or ourselves. The macaroni was the most tasteless and healthy soup I ever had in my life. The chicken meat was so fat free that I could kill you if I threw it at your head after boiling it. It was dry and HARD. Never mind that, there’s no salt at all. The shepherd’s pie was a greater joke. There was a pre-boiled potato waiting for me. All I had to do was to take a fork and mesh it. The teacher fried the meat for all of us. Than she filled up the aluminum foil cups for us with the meat, told us to spread the potatoes on top of it and baked it for us. The Spaghetti was also an interesting experience- boil the spaghetti and open a bottle of tomato paste (not the Preggo Spaghetti sauce type, it’s really tomato paste). Again, it was a tasteless disaster.
• I also learnt the cooking appliances were unpredictable monsters since only half of the stoves/ovens in the HE room can be used at one time. Out of which, you have to chose to use either the stove or the oven. Otherwise, the whole building will black out.
  

All in all, I call the revised HE curriculum a joke. It overdid the tradeoff between safety, taste and health. Ask any mother or grandmother, who can cook well, how many times have they been burnt by spraying oil or being too careless near a hot wok/stove? I have quite about twenty burns accumulated from the past 10 years. My interest in sewing died as I grew older, but I still do it for fun when I feel like it. =)

Another point that I’ll bring up is- how many Singaporeans can actually survive on their own in a jungle, without modern technology? I’m going to throw out the NS guys and OBS monsters for the sake of this argument. If a war comes to Singapore, how many Singaporeans know how to identify edible plants and animals from our forests? How many Singaporeans can start a fire without the following tools- matches, lighter, solid fuel and a fire starter?

Here we are, all proud of our meager accomplishments in life when most Singaporeans don’t even know how to unclog their own sink or toilet bowl… Did you know that one part of baking soda and 4 parts of vinegar can unclog a choked sink? How many of you know how to change your own lock? Given our ever increasing levels of affluence, we rather call the handyman to do this short of menial labor and call them stupid and unaccomplished behind their backs. Well, don’t call people idiots-with-no-future unless there’s nothing they can do that you can’t do.

Most of the Singaporeans that I know are lacking general knowledge. They read the newspaper religiously for exams and to ensure that they won’t look like a complete idiot when questioned about the latest global scandal. They reject the notion of reading beyond the school curriculum because they have this mentality that the important stuff will be covered in school, anything beyond that it useless. Well, they’re wrong. There’s never such thing as useless knowledge. Almost every Singaporean, who doesn’t specialize in history, is blissfully unaware that Singapore was MORE than a little fishing village when Raffles swung by. We have archaeological evidence that we were once a thriving trading center during the Srivijaya Empire. Secondly, I would like to highlight that Sir Stamford Raffles isn’t our founder. The name “Singapore” was given to us by Sang Nila Utama, so he is our founder, not the angmoh that waltzed by looking for a nice place to set up a new trading post. See how terribly history can be misconstrued? And how stupid students gobble it up wholesale for the sake of exams? We can’t even be bothered to question what we have been taught, because it is unacceptable and it’ll most likely lead to an F grade.

Schools today are so anal about MCs, which is something I frown upon greatly. I understand that this system was set up to prevent students from forging letters on their parents’ behalf to excuse them from school, so they can do more meaningful stuff like playing. But if I’m having a fever due to a cold, why do I have to see a Doctor so that I can get an MC when I can just bloody well spend a day or two at home gulping down lots of water, Panadol Cold and sleeping the illness off? I have better things to throw my money on. I think more discretion should be practiced such as calling up the kid’s parents to verify the authenticity of the letter. See, even teachers are lazy!

Look at parents today! As long as they can afford to hire the maid, the maid has to settle the household chores, taking care of the employers’ mad temper, their rabid children, etc. In Singapore, maids are the surrogate mothers to their employer’s children. It’s their “duty” to make sure the child eats well, sleeps well, shower well, study well and play well. It makes you wonder- what the hell are our Singapore mothers doing? I think the excuse that she has to work for her children’s comfort is crap. All children need are clean comfortable clothes, a full stomach, comfortable bed and a mother’s love/companionship. The last factor is the most important; they don’t need the branded clothes, expensive fish/meat, King-Koil mattress, etc. They can live without it. I strongly suspect that such expensive treatment is due a mother’s guilt that she isn’t spending enough time with her children. That’s why when children turn deviant; I blame their parents first more than anyone else, for not nipping the problem in the bud.

Interesting Rules!

I just came across this news article and shucks, I couldn't stop laughing... It is about all the various laws from countries around the world that tourists should be aware of. So I researched a little more and compiled a list of all the wierd rules from the world that are pretty much not taken seriously today.

1. In Milan it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits.
2. In Massachusetts, taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of the car during their shifts.
3. In Denmark, people are legally obliged to honk the horn and check for small children underneath the car.
4. In Thailand, it is illegal for anyone to leave a building without wearing their pants.
5. In Michigan, anyone planning on bathing in public must have their swim suit inspected by a police officer.
6. In Florida, any unmarried woman who parachutes on a Sunday could be jailed. Singing while wearing a swimming costume is also prohibited.
7. In Portugal it is unlawful to urinate in the sea.
8. In Hong Kong the wife of a husband who commits adultery is legally entitled to kill the mistress in any manner desired, and the husband with just her bare hands.
9. In Switzerland flushing the lavatory after 10pm is illegal.
10. In Canada if you are arrested and then released from prison, it is a legal requirement that the felon is given a handgun with bullets and a horse, so they can ride safely out of the town.

Taken From: The Telegraph

More wierd rules:

1. Alaska - It is illegal to take a picture of a live bear. Better shoot it before getting that scenic shot!
2. Arizona - If a thirsty vagrant comes knocking on your door asking for a glass of water, denying to serve them is a punishable offense.
3. Arkansas - Beating your wife once a month? Go for it! More than once a month and the cuffs come out.
4. Colorado - Your pet goat is not allowed to graze on grass that is on city property. Aww, come on.
5. Connecticut - In Devon, Connecticut, it is illegal to walk backwards after sunset.
6. Delaware - Whispering within 300 feet of a church is considered a crime.
7. Florida - All pregnant pigs must be allowed to roam free, anywhere in the state.
8. Idaho - Fishing while on the back of an elephant is strictly prohibited.
9. Illinois - In Chicago, it is illegal to eat in any building which is currently on fire. Well, duh!
10. Kentucky - Throwing tomatoes at a public speaker is punishable by up to one year in jail.
11. Louisiana - In Jefferson Parish, all garbage fed to hogs must first be cooked, no matter what the garbage contains.
12. Massachusetts - It is illegal to park your donkey in a bath tub. Umm, excuse me, what?

Taken From: Amusing outdated laws

EVEN MORE OUTDATED LAWS

1. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.
2. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.
3. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside
down.
4. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon
5. Under the UK’s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don’t want him to know, though you don’t have to tell him anything you don’t mind him knowing.
6. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk.
7. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.
8. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere
she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.
9. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation.
10. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.
11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing
squad.
12. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.
13. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.
14. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
15. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.
16. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
17. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.
18. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.
19. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset.

Taken from: The world's strangest laws