Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
My One Decade Milestone
My eldest sister recently marked her 20th year of being in Singapore, having arrived here for her JC studies. 20 years ago I was a wee bonnie lad of just 8 years old! She marked this milestone by reminiscing not too fondly of mugging for her weekly tests on long torturous bus rides, of hating the lectures and tutorials and well... the general suckiness of her JC life.
June this year marked my one decade residing in Singa-land. My earliest memories of this place were of the BKE, Xiao Guilin, the crocodile farm, the zoo and the Jurong bird park. Dad first drove to Singapore when I was 7 and we would stay at an aunt's place at Bukit Batok. I played the obligatory tourist and marveled at how my Singaporean cousins can speak English so well! They in turn, were strangely amused at my family's ways of speaking Mandarin.
Dad was (still is, actually) a fervent supporter of the renowned Singapore education system. Less academically inclined compared to my older siblings, I thought I'll be spared from the system. Dad will have none of that of course, and I found myself packing to study in a local polytechnic.
The first day of school was a day after my birthday. It was orientation week and I've never felt lonelier or more out of place. I looked different, dress differently and belonged nowhere. Life was pretty much nomadic for the first 4 years or so, renting rooms from almost all corners of the island. It was easy to feel homesick and I even looked forward to the backbreaking 6 hours train ride to return home. Understandably, the decrepit railway station at Tanjong Pagar really does hold a special place to my heart.
I consider my one decade here a significant milestone because the years have defined my growth and shaped my beliefs so much that I've become a totally different person, good and otherwise. I've tasted and in turn love freedom and independence, but at the same time also wished that I wasn't just ruefully watching by the sidelines my best friends progressing on with their lives with out me.
I threw myself into my studies and the eventual career choice was really quite a pleasant surprise. And it could not have been possible had I stayed on back home. It is through this that I have the opportunity to learn from and worked with people that inspired me with their passion.
Today, I do not have much material gains and am still struggling in striving to ascend the hierarchy of needs. But I pat myself for having come such a long way, literally and figuratively. Together my rock, I look forward to many more milestones that WE will achieve.
June this year marked my one decade residing in Singa-land. My earliest memories of this place were of the BKE, Xiao Guilin, the crocodile farm, the zoo and the Jurong bird park. Dad first drove to Singapore when I was 7 and we would stay at an aunt's place at Bukit Batok. I played the obligatory tourist and marveled at how my Singaporean cousins can speak English so well! They in turn, were strangely amused at my family's ways of speaking Mandarin.
Dad was (still is, actually) a fervent supporter of the renowned Singapore education system. Less academically inclined compared to my older siblings, I thought I'll be spared from the system. Dad will have none of that of course, and I found myself packing to study in a local polytechnic.
The first day of school was a day after my birthday. It was orientation week and I've never felt lonelier or more out of place. I looked different, dress differently and belonged nowhere. Life was pretty much nomadic for the first 4 years or so, renting rooms from almost all corners of the island. It was easy to feel homesick and I even looked forward to the backbreaking 6 hours train ride to return home. Understandably, the decrepit railway station at Tanjong Pagar really does hold a special place to my heart.
I consider my one decade here a significant milestone because the years have defined my growth and shaped my beliefs so much that I've become a totally different person, good and otherwise. I've tasted and in turn love freedom and independence, but at the same time also wished that I wasn't just ruefully watching by the sidelines my best friends progressing on with their lives with out me.
I threw myself into my studies and the eventual career choice was really quite a pleasant surprise. And it could not have been possible had I stayed on back home. It is through this that I have the opportunity to learn from and worked with people that inspired me with their passion.
Today, I do not have much material gains and am still struggling in striving to ascend the hierarchy of needs. But I pat myself for having come such a long way, literally and figuratively. Together my rock, I look forward to many more milestones that WE will achieve.
Italy, June 2010
Our wanderlust brought us to southern Europe this year, to the land of pasta and pizza for 12 days. It was also our 'real' honeymoon, so to speak. Why just Italy, you ask, and god forbid, why go during summer?! Heh.
Hey, if we survived 46 deg C in Dubai, what is a mere 30 deg? Plus, summer days are long and this gives us the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace. Scrambling to outrun the sun setting at 3.00pm (eek!) is no fun at all.
Our itinerary was rather unique, that we started at the north in Milano and worked our way down to the south that is Roma.
During our journey, we were treated to soaring hills near the Swiss Alps, quaint islets on misty lake, Renaissance artistry that left us in awe that we stopped snapping photos of it because it just doesn't do the details justice, sea breeze that caressed our faces while we listened to the sound of waters lapping on banks of centuries old palazzo and piazzas, the marvels of ancient Roman civilisation that is so lovingly preserved...
Hey, if we survived 46 deg C in Dubai, what is a mere 30 deg? Plus, summer days are long and this gives us the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace. Scrambling to outrun the sun setting at 3.00pm (eek!) is no fun at all.
Our itinerary was rather unique, that we started at the north in Milano and worked our way down to the south that is Roma.
During our journey, we were treated to soaring hills near the Swiss Alps, quaint islets on misty lake, Renaissance artistry that left us in awe that we stopped snapping photos of it because it just doesn't do the details justice, sea breeze that caressed our faces while we listened to the sound of waters lapping on banks of centuries old palazzo and piazzas, the marvels of ancient Roman civilisation that is so lovingly preserved...
Friday, July 16, 2010
Shrimp on Antidepressant Not So Happy
The oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico isn't the only threat to crustaceans.
Shrimp exposed to the human antidepressant fluoxetine, also known by the brand name Prozac, are changing their behavior in dangerous ways, according to scientists at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
The shrimp become five times more likely to swim toward light, potentially bringing them closer to fishermen's nets and birds beaks.
“Crustaceans are crucial to the food chain. And if shrimps’ natural behavior is being changed because of antidepressant levels in the sea, this could seriously upset the natural balance of the ecosystem,” lead researcher Alex Ford said in a university press release.
“Much of what humans consume you can detect in the water in some concentration," Ford said. "We’re a nation of coffee drinkers and there is a huge amount of caffeine found in waste water, for example. It’s no surprise that what we get from the pharmacy will also be contaminating the country’s waterways.”
Drugs can get into our waterways in a variety of ways, including toilets, landfills and sewage runoff, according to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).
Traces of those drugs end up in human waste, which then gets flushed down the toilet. Waste water treatment facilities haven't traditionally tested for pharmaceuticals and therefore haven't been able to remove all drug compounds before releasing waste water into rivers and oceans.
That's how drugs end up being fed to shrimp, Ford says.
“Effluent is concentrated in river estuaries and coastal areas, which is where shrimps and other marine life live," he said.
Read the full article here here
People whom have had near death experience often reported walking in a dark tunnel going towards a shining beacon of light, presumably at the end of the tunnel. In a horribly reversed role, the light here spells the end for these crustaceans.
Isn't this a vicious cycle, that we end up consuming waste that we dispose of in the first place?
I'll never look at my hae in the same light again..
Isn't this a vicious cycle, that we end up consuming waste that we dispose of in the first place?
I'll never look at my hae in the same light again..
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
10 things I learned about Italy
The country is full of Jose Mourinho look-a-likes (fine, he's not Italian but you get the drift).
The country is full of lao chios that look like Sophia Loren.
It's a hell lot sexier to pronounce places names in Italian: Milano, Firenze, Roma, Lago Maggiore, Fontana di Trevi, Toscana etc.
There is NO free public toilet in this country. The most expensive was 1 euro and cheapest was 0.30 cents euro.
If you're travelling with a toddler, DO NOT, under any circumstances use the baby stroller on the cobble stone paths. Your kid will thank you for this.
Chinese food is way cheaper than the national grub of pizzas and paninis.
Forget Prada. Lug home Carpisa by the bulk instead ;p
Romans cringe before shaking their heads piteously when they hear you take cappuccino with your American breakfast (they're thinking "bloody Americans!" in their head)
Roma has more genuine Egyptian obelisks than Egypt itself
Starbucks does not exist here, to my utter dismay!
The country is full of lao chios that look like Sophia Loren.
It's a hell lot sexier to pronounce places names in Italian: Milano, Firenze, Roma, Lago Maggiore, Fontana di Trevi, Toscana etc.
There is NO free public toilet in this country. The most expensive was 1 euro and cheapest was 0.30 cents euro.
If you're travelling with a toddler, DO NOT, under any circumstances use the baby stroller on the cobble stone paths. Your kid will thank you for this.
Chinese food is way cheaper than the national grub of pizzas and paninis.
Forget Prada. Lug home Carpisa by the bulk instead ;p
Romans cringe before shaking their heads piteously when they hear you take cappuccino with your American breakfast (they're thinking "bloody Americans!" in their head)
Roma has more genuine Egyptian obelisks than Egypt itself
Starbucks does not exist here, to my utter dismay!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Where is the luck?
It's been 3 weeks since, and despite the feel-good vibes and other positive indications, it is still silence from them. Not even a courtesy reply to my follow up...
BUMMER
How long can I stay detached from Monday to Friday, going into the circus when I refuse to be even part of the revelry? It's exhausting living among the despicable clowns and jesters..
BUMMER
How long can I stay detached from Monday to Friday, going into the circus when I refuse to be even part of the revelry? It's exhausting living among the despicable clowns and jesters..
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