It's Kind Of Eerie

To think that a few thousand miles away a group of people are peering over my examination papers and discussing and in essence deciding my fate for at least the next 5 years of my life.

In America

US Lawmakers have voted 368:48 to make it illegal for spyware to load itself onto PCs without consent.

Makes me wonder... what were the 48 who voted otherwise thinking? Maybe they read spy"wear" instead of spyware?

Instant Classic?

song : Knights of Cydonia - Muse
mood: nerdy
book-in-hand: don't know which Haruki to get


What makes a classic? How did the works of George Orwell, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Issac Assimov, J.R.R Tolkien, Homer, Frank Herbert and William Shakespeare (to name a few literary giants, each having influenced their own genres immensely) manage to endure the test of time?

One thing is for sure - they all managed to stay relevant through out the ages. George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm will always be relevant if Nations exist and politicians ply their trade. Homer will always call out to the human need for epics. Assimov and Herbert practically gave birth to the Science Fiction genre and in the process, fuelled the flame of curiosity and questioned the capacity of humanity as a whole to reach a higher level.

How about modern day authors like Jostein Gaarder, Haruki Murakami, Stephen King (now, there's an author I could have given over a whole entry to. He is so ... commercial at times! But when he isn't, he's so sincere....in a horror story no less. Pet Semetary scared the hell out of me) and Paulo Coelho? Would you say their works deserve to be called "classics"?

Right now, I just finished Animal Farm and am feeling like getting a bit of Haruki Murakami for myself.

Home Alone

song : Can We Still Be Friends - Todd Rundgren
mood: risky
book-in-hand: Animal Farm by George Orwell


Come tomorrow, I will be having the house to myself again when Mom leaves for work overseas. More late night music blasting and guitar jamming. No worries about noise as I attempt to fill up the copious amount of space available. I am sure Dr. Gregory House will be keeping me company too. I am kind of addicted to him at the moment. Yes, the boy who doesn't watch television is addicted to a TV series. I wonder if I will ever be as hooked as Ling was(is?) to CSI....

On a side note, congratulations to ML for achieving world domination. Proving once and for all, the terrorists will win and Osama Bin Laden will surely smoke the cigar in the White House some day. LONG LIVE ML!!! Hahaha.

Okay, OWN UP!!!

Which one of you went to Germany without telling me?!?!?!?!! I want some souvenirs from Germany! Some beer maybe?

Home Is...

song : Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
mood: contented
book-in-hand: Animal Farm by George Orwell





A simple dinner cooked together with Mom, a glass of Kilkenny chilled in the freezer and a nice long chat on the porch with the wind in your face.

Home is.... Where you feel you belong

Miss Dublin?

song : Humpty Dumpty Love Song - Travis
mood: social wreck
book-in-hand: looking for a recommendation


Travelling can teach you so much more than reading from a book, watching a documentary or seeing a picture. Because then you get to experience it.

Follow Up

The class act of the young man in the previous post released the obsessive streak in me and I went on a "Britain's Got Talent" spree on youtube checking out the videos. I must say that it was very apparent from the get go that only a few stood out from the pack and they all managed to reach the finals last night. The following 2 contestants definitely deserved being in the finals, but it's amazing how Paul sang like he did without classical training. Looks like opera singing is going to be all the craze for the next few months in UK...

One interesting thing to note is that both of them sang the songs they originally did in their first audition.

Wicked!!!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday dear God-Bro. It's your 24th bday today and it's been great having you as a friend, family and company for the past decade and a half. Life would never have been the same without you. Don't forget our drinking-chill out- talk cock- session next week!

Random Convo

song : Frank Sinatra - Cake
mood: amused
book-in-hand: Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert's son)



Warning.... most people are not expected to comprehend what transpires in the following.....





ML:" I look like Bruce Lee meh? WTF"

SP: "yeah you do, yandao man."

ML: "maybe cos my nose round"

--------------------------------------

ML:"You eat ba zhang? I give you a few, you dun eat much wan"

SP:"Eat zhang until zheng ah"

----------------

SP: "my dog is fat, but my cat cannot put on weight one"

-----------------------

ML: " "arh-kee-tech-ture" "

------------------------

ML: "what happens when u post yr ad on a butch and lesbian site"

-------

SP:"SHAME ON YOU now you watch my little pony!"

----------------------

SP: "do all spanish ppl have moles?"

------------------------

ML: "i just ate chempadak. song"

SP: "shuddup. I dun even know what is that"


ML: " hahaha its the thing, they use to fry, u know

u got goreng pisangu
u got fried champedak
the orange one"

SP:"dunno
dunno
dunno ........DUNNO

Stop describing!!!"

--------------------------------------------------

ML: " eh,u gonna store yr hair
until you come back right"

Something I saw on the bus.

song : 祝你幸福 - David Tao
mood: relaxed
book-in-hand: Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert's son)

"Stop Hurting,
Start Living."

It sucks to perspire just walking from the bus stop to the MRT station... haha. I feel like I am rediscovering Singapore.

My Room.

It feels odd to be in your own room and yet feel out of place. Like those kindergarten pictures where you circle the objects that don't belong to the same group. I am that triangle in the picture of squares. It will also not be worth it to try and personalise my room all over again considering how we're moving out this September end. It's a pity I won't get to see our new house before flying back to Manchester.

For now, I shall just enjoy being back home in Singapore, among company and familiar surroundings. The first day has surely begun well enough, meeting up with ML and RB before resting at home and meeting them again for dinner with Fifi.

It's nice to be home.

You're It!

Was tagged recently to do this, but haven't got round to it due to exams and the rush of packing everything into storage. All of the sudden, a sense of emptiness pervades throughout now that everything is done. It's like the calm before the storm and the silence of the birds before dawn.

Rules: Post 6 things you think is weird about yourself and go on to tag other people.



1. I am not ticklish in the usual sense. You can name all the usual spots - i.e neck, armpits, waist, underfoot - and I am immune to the hysterical laughter expected to be forthcoming from me. However, I am ticklish in one particularly unusual spot that most people would not expect to be. NOT TELLING.

2. Right before I go to sleep, I twitch abit. No no, not like the violent kind. It's more like just one particular muscle, say the biceps, would clench and unclench involuntarily as I enter slumber. I never knew about this until a few friends pointed it out as I dozed off. I think it's just the way my body relaxes the muscles from the tensions of the day as it prepares to recharge itself.

3. A cleanliness and tidiness freak awaits the chance to burst out of me. I don't think I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) but it definitely borders on it. I really really really hate germs. I don't really get all that bothered about a place being dusty (but I don't enjoy it) but once there's a chance for germs (read fluids, BODILY FLUIDS) to propagate and infect. STAY AWAY. It's not that bad, but it does get noticeable especially if you live with me. So sorry for all the rules when in my room yeah, Brian and Kuan? No exceptions, you still can't get under my bed covers and still no food in my room.

4. I can't write with my right hand but can't play badminton with my left. Hahaha, yes this is a weird one. Somehow my brain seems to be a little badly wired (actually in all senses it's badly wired) and I am left-handed in most things like writing and eating and etc etc, but when it comes to sports I just tend to be right-handed. So for racket sports, basketball, even football, I use my right hand. Funny eh?

5. I hate Sundays. Yes, Sundays. Not Mondays or any other working day, but Sunday. Sundays are when I get homesick the most. When I have nothing to do and think on old times. When I remember the loneliness. When I miss doing stuff like lazing about in bed with the one you love. I hate Sundays.

6. I love fish. Eating them I mean. Hahaha. Yes, they are very cute and all swimming about in their alternate watery world. But somehow, in the midst of admiring their beauty and grace I find myself thinking if they would be tasty. Sushi maybe? Hahahaha. If I ever turned vegeterian, giving up fish would be the hardest part. I already love mushrooms, so that's not too bad, but the fishhhhhh. I love the marine world and snorkelling is one of the most loved activities of mine. I also say DEATH to all those ignorant idiots fishing the oceans bare. (STOP WHALING ALREADY!!!!!) However, nothing is stopping me from enjoying my sushi, as long as the fish used isn't in danger of going into a population crash.


Alrighty... for this I tag.... and I don't care if you done it before, do it again, in detail!... WX, XH, FiFi, ML, Alec, Yuan.

An Art Form

in a relationship
one of the hardest things to do is saying goodbye and letting go.
i find it as hard as breaking a crystal.
because you'll never know when you will be able to pickup the pieces again.
more often than not, they who go,
feel not the pain of parting;
it is they who stay behind that suffer.
because they are left with memories of a love,
that was meant to be, a love that was.

at the beginning and at the end of a relationship,
we are embarrassed to find ourselves alone.
unfair as it may seem,
but that is the way love goes.
that is the drama, the bittersweet.
and the risk of falling in love.
after all, nothing is constant but change.
everything will eventually come to its end.
without us knowing when,
without us knowing how,
and we must not forget because we want to,
but because we have to.

i don't know if it's worth calling an art.
but letting go entails
special skills sparkled
with a considerable space and time.
time heals all wounds but it takes a little push on our part.
acceptance plays a part.
not all love stories end with
'...and they live happily ever after...'

If I were a drink...

It's a tie!
	You are a part Cosmopolitan. You are quiet and content. You don't stand out too much, but you don't mind and don't care what people think of you. You don't need everything to be perfect, as long as you get what matters. Sure, you may be 'girly' and you may not be the smartest, craziest or most refined, but you really like yourself, and that's fine by you.
	You are a part Whiskey on the Rocks. You are tough and you know it. It takes a long time for people to get to know you but you wouldn't have it any other way. You don't care what people think, but sometimes that turns people off of you.

FREE!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes one word is all it takes to contain the exuberance of it all.

FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Paper To Go!!!!!!!!!

mood: hyper



I can sleep when I die.


Oh yeah.

Exactly, So get on with it already.

song : Wheels on Fire - Magic Numbers
mood: industrious
book-in-hand: Fabric of the Cosmos by Briane Greene



"People do get lonely, especially when they're deprived of seeing someone they care about.

-It's just life"

Done and not quite Dusted

song : 100 years - Five for Fighting
mood: hyper
book-in-hand: Fabric of the Cosmos by Briane Greene

With the first four papers now over and done with, all that's left are the 2 monsters lurking this Friday and Monday before I am officially released like a bat out of hell from revision schedules. (Not much of a schedule there, just mug mug mug till the cows come home) Things have been going well so far and hopefully this positive trend will continue!

What the hell!

It's summer and the temperature now is 3 Degrees Celsius.... THREE!!!!!! I'm freezing my bloody fingers and toes off at my study table.

To Various People

song : Last Order - Eason Chan
mood: disheartened
book-in-hand: Fabric of the Cosmos by Briane Greene

To all those graduating or thinking of going back to school/work:




PI = Professional Industry


To us left handers =) :



To the few I know in the advertising industry :



To EVERYBODY:

Pictures and drawings taken from http://indexed.blogspot.com/ and http://cheeminology.blogspot.com/

A Weekend of Firsts

song : Hard To Concentrate - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
mood: headache
book-in-hand: Fabric of the Cosmos by Briane Greene





It's been an "interesting" weekend to say the least. Studying has screwed up my sense of literacy and so I shall endeavour to list them out in point form as follows....

• Owing to the auspices of Belinda's 22nd birthday bash, visited Hilton Manchester for the first time and went up to "Cloud 23" on its top floor for a drink and chill. Quite impressive. Good bartenders.
  
• Finally got to drink Frangelico for the first time in AGES. I think it's been a year. Managed to strike up a conversation with one of the bartenders and whilst exchanging tips on what might be good to have with Frangelico, he gave me at least 2 free shots of it to try and countless sips of various cocktails he was making for other customers. Shhh...
  
• For the first time I was more impressed with the cameo in a movie by Keith Richards in Pirates 3 than the leading cast. You could really see how much Johnny Depp based his character on the rockstar. The schizophrenic scenes by Mr Jack Sparrow were impressive too.
  
• For the first time EVER in my life, I got hit on by a man, a 30 year old man, in the pub. Was quite creepy, the way he came onto me and Brian. Now I know how gals feel when guys come on too strongly onto them. Hahaha. We hastily finished our drinks and moved onto the next pub.
  
• Managed to get in touch with Patricia for the first time since Christmas. That little woman has been one busy lady =) She climbed Mount. Kinabalu with her boyfriend, went on a business trip with her boss to India, witnessed the birth of Jessica's baby girl and so on. Can't wait to catch up with her in Singapore.
  
• Got depressed for I missed Ling Yu immensely for a moment and went on a casino spree thoughout the night by myself. First time I visited all 4 casinos in a single night. Total losses at the end of the night at 6am.... 3.40 pounds.
  

There are more... but they've slipped my mind. Surely the above points are more than enough already though. Till next we meet. Wish me luck for the remaining 3 papers!

p.s Ling, I told Aaron that you and I don't talk anymore, but still thought I would try to pass on the message. Aaron sends his regards and wonders if you are doing fine in Singapore. He asks if you managed to receive his last email and he would like to hear from you sometime. He also says that you are missed in Oxney.
p.p.s. Keith and Zhengjie also say that they miss your bad assness and wish they could drink with you again. Vicki sends her love too.

Let The (Price)Wars Begin

2008... the year I graduate! Looks like the aerospace industry is going to be one majorly exciting field to work in when I go job hunting. Hopefully, that also means I won't have a hard time landing a job. Also, all this competition should translate into another price war between the 2 carriers. Woohoo!

About the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Boeing says 'on time' for Dreamliner launch in 2008
Posted: 24 May 2007 0608 hrs

NEW YORK : US aviation giant Boeing said on Wednesday it remained on track for the planned May 2008 commercial launch of its 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft.

Mike Bair, head of Boeing's 787 programme, said the first Dreamliner was set to be completed July 8 and the first test flight as early as late August.

"All of the airplanes will be in flight tests by the end of the year," he said.

Bair said there remained some extra time to fix any problems that are seen during test flights.

"I can't remember a single test programme where you don't find something," he said.

"We've allowed ourselves some time for some additional testing in case we find something."

The plane is set to be Boeing's biggest commercial success, with over 500 orders since the launch announcement in April 2004.

Boeing's order book for the Dreamliner is full, with any new orders to be delivered no sooner than 2013.

The success of the new plane has allowed Boeing to overtake Airbus as the world's biggest aircraft maker, based on last year's orders.

The Dreamliner will have a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (1,050 kilometres per hour) and will carry 250 to 350 passengers.

With a range of up to 14,500 kilometres, the aircraft will use 20 percent less fuel than any other plane of its size through engine improvements and the use of lighter composite metals for structure, according to Boeing.

Most of the orders are from major airlines, but Boeing said it has received seven orders for Dreamliners as so-called VIP aircraft or business jets. - AFP/de

It's The Final Countdown

song : Here is Gone - Goo Goo Dolls
mood: stressed
book-in-hand: Fabric of the Cosmos by Briane Greene

Thank God for small blessings. This time around, the hardest 2 papers come last. Numerical Methods and Low Speed Aerodynamics. Whether I will have to come back early on the 21st of August to retake my papers will ultimately come down to these 2 modules.

1. Management II (18/05/07)
2. Aerospace Structures (21/05/07)
3. Control Systems (25/05/07)
4. Aircraft Design (30/05/07)
5. Numerical Methods (01/06/07)
6. Low Speed Aerodynamics (04/06/07)

I am feeling very stupid indeed this year. Barely keeping my head afloat in school.

p.s. Yes, WX, I am reading that book again because a) I am out of books to read and b) I didn't understand everything in it the first time round.

For The Folks Back Home

song : Everything - Michael Buble
mood: quirky
book-in-hand: People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck

My time in Victoria Hall is drawing to close and I realise that it has totally slipped my mind to put up some pics of my current room for my folks back home!

Upon entering my room, this is what you see.

Insert human here for me to stare at when entering my room

Where I spin my dreams.

My study table is divided into 2 halves with my laptop on my left and a space in the middle where I usually do the pen-pushing part of the work. Mr. IBM has to be close on hand as most of my work requires the comp in one way or another nowadays.

And.... the other half is dedicated to the "studying-survival-tools" for me. Hahaha. There's the kettle for my tea, loads of water bottles, the table lamp, pens and what nots. Tucked into the corner is a clothes hanger where I leave my comfy clothes for home wear. SSsshhhh...

4 Essential Steps to Surviving Exams

song : Time Is Running Out - Muse
mood: teafused
book-in-hand: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


Step one:

Prepare 2 cups and one mega-ass strainer




Step 2:

Sprinkle desired amount of tea leaves into strainer for preferred level of tea intoxication. Insert strainer into appropriate big-assed cup and add boiling water.


Step 3:

Return strainer to 1st cup to keep for repeat of steps

ad infinitum

Sip scalding tea to invigorate mind and cook tastebuds.

Step 4:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!Revise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extended Revision Hours Does Weird Things To Your Mind

song : You Get What You Give - New Radicals
mood: exhausted
book-in-hand: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow
I watched the stars crash in the sea
If I could ask God just one question
Why aren't you here with me....tonight

This really really really really PISSES ME OFF

2 Young men dead, just like that. Another 2 critically injured and 9 victims in total. They were probably just slacking off in the storeroom doing what we army men term as "sai-kang" the quintessential "make-work" in the military. I suppose there will be another uproar back home over this matter. Fingers pointed and stuff. So what? The boys are dead!

If SAF already know that Taiwanese military uses ageing F-5 aeroplanes that are of questionable serviceability, (2 crashes from the same plane model in a single year is not a fluke, it's called a bloody WARNING) why place any of the young boys in potential harm? Why was the plane flying so low over a military base that has operational staff in the first place. Aren't there practice grounds with mock buildings that are EMPTY for firing exercises? Give all those clerks and officers sitting in offices something to do. Check out planned training exercises conducted by the host country BEFORE sending our own troops there. Granted, overseas training is unavoidable given Singapore's small size. All the more safety checks and information gathering be performed at a stringent level! National Service is mandatory for us already. Just don't make us wonder which freaking acci- drowning-plane crash- misfire- torture-dent will kill us next.



"TAIPEI : A Taiwanese fighter jet crashed on Friday morning during an exercise, killing its two pilots.

The aircraft crashed within the grounds of a military base in Hukou, some 50 kilometres south of the capital Taipei.

Two visiting Singaporean military personnel were also killed, and two others have been hospitalised.

The twin-seat fighter jet crashed after completing a simulated low-altitude attack.

According to the Taiwanese Defence Ministry, the flight was part of the island's annual Hankuang military exercise.

Eyewitnesses say the F-5F aircraft failed to pull up in time, and crashed into a military base in Hukou.

One says: "I was with my children in the park when we saw the jet flying just above us. The jet flipped twice and crashed."

Two visiting Singaporean soldiers who were in a storeroom at the base were killed.

Nine other Singaporeans were injured, two of them seriously.

They were there in support of the Singapore Armed Forces' unilateral training in Taiwan.

Lee Jye, Taiwanese Defence Minister, says: "Their casualties included two men who were killed and two who were injured."

The two soldiers who suffered severe burns were rushed to a military hospital in Taipei's Neihu district.

Doctors say one of them, a 22-year-old, is in critical condition.

He had burns on 50 percent of his body, and also suffered from smoke inhalation.

The second man suffered burns on 40 percent of his body.

Doctor Chen Tien Mu, Surgical Department, Tri-service General Hospital, says: "The one with more serious injuries couldn't speak much but the other man had requested to call his mother. He didn't say anything about the situation then."

According to doctors, both men suffered from second to third degree burns on their head, shoulders and back.

They are now undergoing intensive care at the hospital's burns centre and doctors are desperately trying to stabilise their condition.

The Taiwanese Defence Ministry has grounded all its F-5F fighters pending the outcome of an investigation into the accident.

This is the second crash involving an F-5F jet fighter in a year.

Last June, an F-5F crashed into a rice field during a training flight, killing a pilot and injuring the other pilot.

Taiwan has about 60 ageing F-5 jets, and it is trying to replace them with newer fighter aircraft." - CNA/ch

Of Lawyers and such

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. Shu, if you ever become like this, I'll shoot you myself :P

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
______________________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you
forgot?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his
sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shittin' me?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was getting laid!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you shittin' me? Your Honor, I think I need a
different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on
dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________

And the best for last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

And the truth of the matter for you is...

We love you too WX =]

Take your time. Rant a little. Bitch a little. Shop a little (with ML only please, you know I hate shopping). Eat a little. Sleep a little.

Little by little. We'll always be here for you. As if you didn't already know that. :)

Hmmmm...

Jerry Adler
Newsweek
May 7, 2007 issue - Consider someone who has just died of a heart attack. His organs are intact, he hasn't lost blood. All that's happened is his heart has stopped beating—the definition of "clinical death"—and his brain has shut down to conserve oxygen. But what has actually died?

As recently as 1993, when Dr. Sherwin Nuland wrote the best seller "How We Die," the conventional answer was that it was his cells that had died. The patient couldn't be revived because the tissues of his brain and heart had suffered irreversible damage from lack of oxygen. This process was understood to begin after just four or five minutes. If the patient doesn't receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation within that time, and if his heart can't be restarted soon thereafter, he is unlikely to recover. That dogma went unquestioned until researchers actually looked at oxygen-starved heart cells under a microscope. What they saw amazed them, according to Dr. Lance Becker, an authority on emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "After one hour," he says, "we couldn't see evidence the cells had died. We thought we'd done something wrong." In fact, cells cut off from their blood supply died only hours later.

But if the cells are still alive, why can't doctors revive someone who has been dead for an hour? Because once the cells have been without oxygen for more than five minutes, they die when their oxygen supply is resumed. It was that "astounding" discovery, Becker says, that led him to his post as the director of Penn's Center for Resuscitation Science, a newly created research institute operating on one of medicine's newest frontiers: treating the dead.

Biologists are still grappling with the implications of this new view of cell death—not passive extinguishment, like a candle flickering out when you cover it with a glass, but an active biochemical event triggered by "reperfusion," the resumption of oxygen supply. The research takes them deep into the machinery of the cell, to the tiny membrane-enclosed structures known as mitochondria where cellular fuel is oxidized to provide energy. Mitochondria control the process known as apoptosis, the programmed death of abnormal cells that is the body's primary defense against cancer. "It looks to us," says Becker, "as if the cellular surveillance mechanism cannot tell the difference between a cancer cell and a cell being reperfused with oxygen. Something throws the switch that makes the cell die."

With this realization came another: that standard emergency-room procedure has it exactly backward. When someone collapses on the street of cardiac arrest, if he's lucky he will receive immediate CPR, maintaining circulation until he can be revived in the hospital. But the rest will have gone 10 or 15 minutes or more without a heartbeat by the time they reach the emergency department. And then what happens? "We give them oxygen," Becker says. "We jolt the heart with the paddles, we pump in epinephrine to force it to beat, so it's taking up more oxygen." Blood-starved heart muscle is suddenly flooded with oxygen, precisely the situation that leads to cell death. Instead, Becker says, we should aim to reduce oxygen uptake, slow metabolism and adjust the blood chemistry for gradual and safe reperfusion.

Researchers are still working out how best to do this. A study at four hospitals, published last year by the University of California, showed a remarkable rate of success in treating sudden cardiac arrest with an approach that involved, among other things, a "cardioplegic" blood infusion to keep the heart in a state of suspended animation. Patients were put on a heart-lung bypass machine to maintain circulation to the brain until the heart could be safely restarted. The study involved just 34 patients, but 80 percent of them were discharged from the hospital alive. In one study of traditional methods, the figure was about 15 percent.

Becker also endorses hypothermia—lowering body temperature from 37 to 33 degrees Celsius—which appears to slow the chemical reactions touched off by reperfusion. He has developed an injectable slurry of salt and ice to cool the blood quickly that he hopes to make part of the standard emergency-response kit. "In an emergency department, you work like mad for half an hour on someone whose heart stopped, and finally someone says, 'I don't think we're going to get this guy back,' and then you just stop," Becker says. The body on the cart is dead, but its trillions of cells are all still alive. Becker wants to resolve that paradox in favor of life.




hmmm.... I wonder if this will bring about another wave of Deep Freezing on "death" frenzy among the rich and famously "Michael Jackson"

Somethings are bred into you

Personally, I think the fact that I am the first born and eldest grandson in the family has a very big part to play in who I am today.

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

What's Your Personality Type?

Pictures to DIE for

*first few pictures from one of my all time favourite floggers (food blogger) www.chubbyhubby.net

Done Deal

Just heard from Mom today that she's sold Mayflower. Bittersweet memories. God... I am going to miss my room so much. Countless significant events have transpired and come to pass within those walls. The very smell of the room is me. Come September, someone else will be living in it. Year 2007 has just been one heartache and parting after another. I hope that with our new place, there will be a fresh start and things will take a turn for the better.

Together, the family has to be strong.

Mental Note to Self:

Never..... ever take a nap late in the evening no matter how tired I am. It is now nearly 7am and I only have myself to blame before dragging myself to classes at 9am. Oh well... at least I finished some work and my report. Here's something I found while surfing to while the time away:


Japanese fooled in poodle scam



April 26, 2007 - 8:59PM



Thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles.

Flocks of sheep were imported to Japan and then sold by a company called Poodles as Pets, marketed as fashionable accessories, available at $1,600 each.

That is a snip compared to a real poodle which retails for twice that much in Japan.

The scam was uncovered when Japanese moviestar Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food.

She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep.

Then hundreds of other women got in touch with police to say they feared their new "poodle" was also a sheep.

One couple said they became suspicious when they took their "dog" to have its claws trimmed and were told it had hooves.

Japanese police believe there could be 2,000 people affected by the scam, which operated in Sapporo and capitalised on the fact that sheep are rare in Japan, so many do not know what they look like.

"We launched an investigation after we were made aware that a company were selling sheep as poodles," Japanese police said, the The Sun reported.

"Sadly we think there is more than one company operating in this way.

"The sheep are believed to have been imported from overseas - Britain, Australia."

Many of the sheep have now been donated to zoos and farms.

The website




Note: Will be locking this place down on monday. Bye bye readers who I don't know.

Crazy Pilot!!!!

But I would *love* to have been in the plane for the ride.





SU-27 FIGHTER - Click here for the most popular videos

That Time Of The Year Again..

... Where everyone has to gear up for exams

... Those who are heading home expectantly waiting for the day to arrive

... The days get longer and longer

... I break out the hair-band to keep from getting poked in the eye repeatedly while studying

... I will soon say goodbye to a few for months and say hello to another select few at last in months.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

No, this isn't a rant entry on how I wish I could forget all about Ling - because I don't. I was just wondering if we somehow both totally forgot about each other (maybe I will suffer a stroke in the brain due to my high blood pressure, at least that is plausible... don't think anything would happen to Ling, she's too healthy) would we fall in love with each other all over again? That's what happened to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet eventually in the movie, their fucked up personalities and chemistry just pulling at each other like magnets.

Personally, I would say "yes" I would fall in love with the love of my life all over again. I guess what this post is really saying is this : I don't regret having been with Ling one bit. Thank you Ling, for what once was.


note: 9 days to lock down. for those who have asked - no it doesn't mean I will stop blogging. Just means that if you want to read my blog from 1st of May onwards, you will have to log onto your blogger account. Just that first time. If you choose to "remember me" while logging in, you won't have to repeat the process everytime. Cookies will have to be enabled of course.

Please Don't Tell Her

so why after the all of everything that came and went
I care enough to still be singing of the bitter end and broken eras
i told you i don't but
i am only trying to be the best with my attempt
To cure the rest is sure to lay me ease
The plural hurts of the words of reverse psychology
that's easier said
easier than done
please don't dare to tell her what i've become
please don't mention all the attention i have drawn
please don't bother cause she'll feel guilty when i'm gone

because i'm crazy like the rest of us
but i'm crazier when i'm next to her
and it's amazing how she's so self-assured
but i know she'd hate me if she knew my words
do i hurt anymore
do i hurt, well
i don't
i don't
i don't


the creative realm loves the depressed and the loved. 

It's Coming!

Finally.... delivery date is expected to be sometime this October. Now, dear SIA, which flight routes do you plan to test your new baby on? *hint hint*

Reminds me of a great video I once saw...

Top 10 Posts

14/04/05... the birthdate of this blog. It's been 2 years since I've started this blog. Amazing. Ever get the dual feeling of how time flies and yet moves forward at a crawl as well? That description would fit how I feel about this blog right now. As a sort of "birthday gift" to this blog of mine, which has seen me through some of the darkest as well as brightest spots of the past 2 years, I am sifting through the posts and choosing a few gems to be my all time top 10 favourite posts. This was no mean feat of course and I've still labelled the few that have fallen by the wayside under "top 10" even though I won't be mentioning them below. And so, the top 10 are....


10. SingNite!!!

9. Basketball and DOTA times...

8. Lake District

7. In Eternal Randomness

6. I need...

5. Back in.... (February only lah)

4. I am Him

3. The Day Of Handedness

2. Smile

1. La Kopi


Reminder: This blog locks down on the 1st of May

edit: I didn't realise it at first, but this makes it the 2nd hundredth post on this blog! Hmmm...where did the first hundred go?

Dear all

After much consideration and pondering, I have decided to lock my blog down. Largely due to the dear "Anon" and the recent random comment. If you would still like to read my blog, just msn me, email me or CONTACT me some way or another and I'll add you to the reader's list. You will receive an email and a link in it to activate subscription. If it's too much of a hassle, I guess this is goodbye then.

Countdown: Till 1st May

Congrats

I hope she loves you as much as we all do. May you two be happy and your road to recovery be steadfast.

God Bless.

Saw this on Angel's Blog

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

If you smile/laugh, you lose.

More on this post when I feel like it...

You scored as Buddhism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Buddhism. Do more research on Buddhism and possibly consider becoming Buddhist, if you are not already.

In Buddhism, there are Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is suffering. (2) All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance. (3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. (4) The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. These eight are usually divided into three categories that base the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration. In Buddhism, there is no hierarchy, nor caste system; the Buddha taught that one's spiritual worth is not based on birth.

Buddhism		71%
Islam		63%
Christianity		50%
agnosticism		50%
Satanism		50%
atheism		42%
Judaism		42%
Hinduism		38%
Paganism		38%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

I'll Be...

This song gets me. Everytime. I find it so contradictingly beautiful. Full of hope and yet depressing all at the same time. Go on, captivate me.

Edwin McCain - I'll Be


The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful 
Stop me and steal my breath 
And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
Tell me that we belong together 
Dress it up with the trappings of love 
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

I'll be your cryin' shoulder 
I'll be love's suicide 
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

I'll be your cryin' shoulder 
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

And I've dropped out, I've burned up
I fought my way back from the dead
Tuned in, turned on
Remembered the things that you said

I'll be your cryin' shoulder 
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your 

I'll be your cryin' shoulder 
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

The greatest fan of your whole life

Take Life With A Pinch of Salt

I feel you dude... I feel you. So pass the salt.

Sunset in North Wales

Took a road trip to North Wales with a few friends and managed to catch a splendid sunset. The colours of the sun resplendent in all its glory. Hopefully when I die, it will be after a wonderful life, just like the magnificent sunset filling the sky with a blazing concert of colours before winking out.

I wonder...

how is she now?

Are things at work looking up? Maybe a raise soon?

Is she getting along fine with her family and Teh Peng as smart as ever?

Has she started dating someone or interested in someone?

I wonder... and hope... she is fine.

Remnants

Remnants. Yes, I suppose that is what I would call it. Now that a certain period of time has passed and I am able to look back/around/introspectively with a sheen of protective numbness, it is kind of amusing. What is, you ask? Well, take a gander across my room and you will see the room of a single male student - maybe a little tidier than average - but the pad of a bachelor nonetheless. Funny how just a few simple changes can alter the feeling and atmosphere of person's room so drastically. All it took was for me to put away the triple photo frame (imagine a leather frame that has 3 slots for photos that can be opened and closed like a book) and another photo of Ling and I on the notice board. That's it.

But look a little closer, beyond the obvious. See the white card embossed with silver drops to outline the shape of a heart? No need to guess why it occupies top position on the notice board. The small fan whose soft whirls will lull me to sleep come summer? It travelled a fair distance from Oxney Gardens to Victoria Hall. The letter set she gave me which I only used once. The journal she never found out about - it was really her idea for us to write down thoughts and feelings in a journal and pass them to each other, but she never knew that I started it for real - because I meant to surprise her with it. The extra phone line that was meant to be used exclusively for her. And so the list goes on... down to the very subtly placed jacket we picked out together inPrimark. Every item possessing a memory and feeling.

My point is this: when you truly love someone and share your life with them, it is impossible to extradite them completely out again. I suppose you could say that in a certain way, a little part of them has been infused into you. Of course, it's not just the materialistic items. Locations, situations, interests and many others. I just wanted to refer to items because they are the most tangible.

To deny the past is to deny the truth and what's the point in lying to yourself? Do not deny or try to erase these little nuggets of memories, but cherish them for the good times that were shared. Stop looking upon these remnants of a life shared as articles of a hurt once suffered, for the hurt was in the parting and not the sharing. Instead, remember them for what they truly are - expressions of love. Each and every one of them. Let them warm your heart and tug at your smiles once again. Surely that was the original intention of the person when she/he gave it to you? Back when she gave you a piece of her heart, so that she could touch yours.

Smile

Best line I heard today in conversation: "Life is like a sine curve. After the X-axis it will get better again." It was smart and borderline tacky enough to make me smile. Hehe, but oh so true. What is life if not a tumultuous roller coaster ride? There's always a future to look towards and a past to learn from if you allow it. It's time to accept and through the pain, the heartache and the sadness, to just.. smile. Self-pity is a very painful thing. It only harms yourself. Look for inspiration and motivation in the little things everyday. In songs that you've forgotten in your hard disk. In mundane conversations with friends. In late night chit-chats with flatmates. In the clear blue sky on the walk home. In being alive.

Therefore, today, thank you Mr Cole. Let's smile.

Smile - Nat King Cole

Smile, tho' your heart is aching, 
Smile, even tho' it's breaking 
When there are clouds in the sky, 
You'll get by 
If you smile 
Through your fears and sorrow 
Smile ~ and maybe tomorrow 
You'll see the sun come shining through 
For you.

Light up your face with gladness, 
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear 
May be ever so near 
That's the time you must keep on trying, 
Smile ~ what's the use of crying? 
You'll find that life is still worthwhile 
If you'll just smile. 

I understand.

You and I,
A love story that has ended.
We now gaze out of different windows.

Silent memories enact mute movies,
but no one notices.

I move on in life,
carrying your name and mine inside,
but this mind of mine shuns at remembering you.

Try as I might I can't forget,
this annulled history that still remains,
stuck on the day we parted ways.

It hurts so much precisely because I understand why.

Without you I can only listen to the wind's breath.
But something called Time says we'll be alright,
we'll heal in the end.

I can't help it precisely because I understand why.

I know I will cry no matter what I decide to myself this time.
Some regrets can only be felt and said when alone.

I'm sorry,
I still cherish ...us
I still cherish ...
Everything.

In Relation To Letting Her Go...

This song just popped into my head when I was posting the previous entry. Rick Price's classic song, Heaven Knows. Pretty apparent in the lyrics why it did.

She's always on my mind.
From the time i wake up, till i close my eyes.
She's everywhere i go.
She's all i know.
Though she's so far away, it just keeps getting stronger everyday.
And even now she's gone, i'm still holding on.

So tell me where do i start, cause it's breaking my heart.
Don't wanna let her go.

Maybe my love will come back someday, only heaven knows.
And maybe our hearts will find their way, only heaven knows.
And all i can do, is hope and pray.
Cause heaven knows.

My friends keep telling me, that if you really love her.
You've gotta set her free.
And if she returns in time, I'll know she's mine.
But telll me where do i start.
cause its breaking my heart. 
Don't wanna let her go.

Maybe my love will come back someday, only heaven knows.
And maybe our hearts will find their way, but only heaven knows.
And all i can do, is hope and pray.
cause heaven knows.

Why i live in despair, cause wide awake or dreaming.
I know she's never there.
And all the time i act so brave, i'm shaking inside.
Why does it hurt me so ?

Maybe my love will come back someday, only heaven knows.
And maybe our hearts will find their way, but only heaven knows.
And all i can do, is hope and pray.
cause heaven knows.

Heaven knows.
Heaven knows.

So when will I recover from it all? Heaven knows.

手放开

歌手：李圣杰 专辑：绝对痴心.手放开

我把自己关起来只留下一个阳台
每当天黑推开窗我对着夜幕发呆
看着往事一幕一幕
再次演出你我的爱
我把电视机打开听着别人的对白
也许那些故事可以给我一个交代
你要的爱我学不来
眼睁睁看情变坏人怔怔看情感概
不能给你未来我还你现在
安静结束也是另一种对待
当眼泪流下来伤已超载
分开也是另一种明白
我给你最后的疼爱是手放开
不要一张双人床中间隔着一片海
感情的污点就留给时间慢慢漂白
把爱收进胸前左边口袋
最后的疼爱是手放开
不想用言语拉扯所以选择不责怪
感情就像候车月台有人走有人来
我的心是一个站牌写着等待
最后的疼爱是手放开
我把收音机打开听着别人的失败
啃咽的声音仿佛诉说着相同悲哀
你的依赖还在胸怀
我无法轻易推开我无法随便走开
感情中专心的人容易被伤害

When you love someone, sometimes you have to let them go.

Tears Well Up When You Least Expect Them To.

你已经远远离开
我也会慢慢走开
为什么我连分开都迁就着你

我真的没有天份
安静的没这么快
我会学着放弃你是因为我太爱你

你说你也会难过我不相信
牵着你陪着我也只是曾经
希望你是真的比从前快乐
我才会逼自己离开


At least she seems happier now without me in her life.

So many goodbyes

It never ceases, does it... heart wrenching moments followed by soul rendering words. How much more, before my back meets the proverbial straw and breaks? Maybe it has and I just don't know it yet.


I see you, You (don't) see me - Magic Numbers

Feeling...

like a spoilt brat. It's -3 degrees today. Wana complain to someone. Be pampered abit. Whatever... "Shower some love on me" ...


Fucking hell, it sucks being sick.

Randomness

Samious is Dubious

Samious is dubious
Gone are the days when he was ambitious.
Everything is just horrendous.
Even in weeping the loneliness is monstrous,
For his soul mate is lost and burdened with being industrious.

Samious is dubious
Gone are the days when he was curious.
Everyone is just too serious.
Even though the reason are various,
And sometimes downright ambiguous,
The world's favourite past time is being furious.

Why does it have to be so malicious?
All it takes is to be a little more gracious,
For an act of kindness is wondrous,
It can placate even the murderous.
What's the point in being studious
When I have lost all impetus.

Goodbye

Take care great-grandpa. These silent tears I shed for you. Take care on your journey onto the after-life. I know it was an inevitable event for you and you tried your best to fight on for the sake of the family. Mom may be devastated, but may she take comfort in the end of your suffering. I salute you in your strength and wit and humour to the last hour. If I could do the same in my dying moments, I would be proud. Only you can understand now, this drawing of strength from within required of oneself at these dire times of need. How you cannot show weakness and not let your grand-daughter (my mom) know how sad and afraid you are. I cry for you and with you. I will miss you, Ah Zor. Go in peace knowing you are ever in our thoughts. Hopefully, your passing will finally bring the family together again, if only for a while. Take care in heaven and remember that we will always love you. Together, we must be strong for the living and weep in secret for the dead.

Ah Zor, le ai ka ki chiu kor ka ki. Zhong Tai bui sai tio le eh sheng bu, chin eh dui em ki. Le tio ti teng hou hou hiu sek. Wa lang eh dai zee, le bian huan lor liao, eh sai ka Tai Ma hou hou gong wei, hiu sek. Zhong Tai tio Eng Gok tak chek, bah lu ko liao chek, bo tang hor le xio hiong, chin zah pai seh. Dan wa tak wan gim ni eh chek, deng lai liao, gah le pai pai hor? Tiong kim, le ai boh bi Mami. Le kia liao Mami chin zah xiong xim. Ah Zor, le ban ban kia. Wa lang eh xio le eh, bye bye.