Half a woman, many times a giant

Lost legs since two years old, her mother taken by cancer, having to take care of a brother who's mentally challenged and a father affected by dementia and later claimed by leukemia, striving through two pregancies to bear a son and daughter...

I caught Rosemarie Siggins on documentary and was struck by how positive and strong she is.

In 8th grade, she chose not to wear fake legs but instead got around on a skateboard. Has a passion cars, knows how to repair and maintain them, even got a Mustang customised for herself. Then learning to skate when her son wanted to learn ice hockey.

What else can I say? She's amazing and she puts many to shame. In her words, "Life doesn't owe you a living... You deal with it."

Read Rose's story here.

Do this hamstring stretch

NOT this:



Courtesy of Runner's World.

Talent Unleashed

Click to view Youtube video

Absolutely amaaazing!!

I Dreamed A Dream
...I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted...

Seeing

There she was.
Spied from far.
Talk speak...
Quick, say anything!

Turning, going,
hands in pocket.
Perhaps we'll meet.
No regrets.

Like a musician in Berlin,
life plods on.

Snapping in US

You can view the remaining pics here.

Love Remembered

Read Gunnar Ardelius' debut novel on the giddying, consuming passions of first love, which seems to border on codependency. But it echoes- minus the mild psychosis that affects the male protagonist.

The beauty without

Today I went out without my camera and I saw the beauty without.

I saw the beauty of trees, bare yet lined with raindrops hanging off its branches, glistening in the after-shower sun.

I saw flower buds out already on the trees, eager to reveal their full spring glory.

I saw the beauty of the sun, yawning through the gloom, reflecting over the Hudson river.

Of the eagle that landed to perch.

Of peace in the land.

Truly, seasons after seasons, this beauty unfolds.

Seek freedom, Find future

Chatted with taxi driver en route back from Epcot center. Turns out he's 64yo, looking forward to retirement. Lived 32 years in US, was born in Haiti. Used to be a truck driver. Has 2 sons & 3 daughters, of which 2 serve in the military. Only 1 son lives with him, the others are all over America.

What impressed me was when he blurted, I got saved since 1971. Then I told me about my Ah Kong, 92yo, saved for 20years now?

Cultural differences aside, both stories are similar. Came from foreign land, seeking a better life. Went through hardship to bring up his children.

Gotta take my hat off to them!

you the potter

The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter! ~Lamentations 4:2

A Nice Bet?

How can one determine the next step to take? Fretting, hand- and mind-wringing comes to no avail. Guess it boils down to p-r-a-y-i-n-g...

*wring*

Dealing with uncertainty, lowered expectations and faith that tends to fray...

Meanwhile, check this out - A Nice Set is a touring exhibition of sets of slip mats by 33 1/3 artists & a book. Click here to see more.

Going, Growing, Groaning

It's all in a day's work, paper-writing and all its accompanying hand- and mind-wringing.

One can only try and do one's best, prepare for the worst, and let God bring the victory :)

Then heart vacillates from faith to uncertainty and back to hope.

To a boy bent on escapade, the world reveals itself one patch at a time.

Keep going, and growing, and quit groaning!

See more recent Botanic pics here

Freeze Frame

Courtesy of Tan Ngiap Heng.

Role reversal, perhaps? This be a poignant capture, to me.

Love Story

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Save The Earth

8.30pm on Saturday March 28 marks EARTH HOUR - "People around the world will turn their lights off for one hour... We’re aiming to reach one billion people, more than 1000 cities, all joining together in a global effort to show that its possible to take action on global warming...

"In Singapore it is hoped that one million people will participate in effecting a ‘partial blackout’ as lights are turned off in homes, communities and businesses for one hour on Saturday March 28th 2009 at 8:30 PM.

"Sign up, Switch off, Make a difference!"

Bop Bop

Child-like Faith

A friend commented that the older generation easily possesses child-like faith, unlike the later ones. And i can't help but feel it's true.

But sure, I have faith for greater things to happen to me. Now onto faith with works...

Mapping World Health

HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization).



WHO on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - "GIS provide ideal platforms for the convergence of disease-specific information and their analyses in relation to population settlements, surrounding social and health services and the natural environment. They are highly suitable for analysing epidemiological data, revealing trends and interrelationships that would be more difficult to discover in tabular format."

Shoes Save Lives?

Researchers recently investigated factors that affected evacuation from the WTC during 911:

...The PAR teams identified key risk factors associated with three major outcomes: length of time to initiate evacuation, length of time to complete evacuation, and incidence of injury. WTC evaluation initiation was delayed by lack of awareness and experience in evacuation procedures; making phone calls; seeking out co-workers; and personal concerns about one's own ability (e.g. health and stamina) to descend multiple flights of stairs. Workers also delayed their evacuation because they were waiting for their supervisor's permission to leave. The length of time for the entire evacuation process was lengthened by inappropriate footwear; confusion about where the staircases were located and where they terminated; and periodic congestion on stairs. Injuries were associated most often with physical disabilities (i.e., those with physical disabilities were more likely to be injured during the evacuation process).

The researchers make recommendations that focus on the need for a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness for high-rise workers. Specific measures recommended by PAR team members include mandatory training and drills, such as full-building evacuation drills. PAR team members also suggested that employees keep comfortable footwear and emergency supplies at their desks.

Taken from article on Continuity Central.

The "Ghost" Within

Caught Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence on VCD. Featuring robots imbued with human-like consciousness but without a soul, it makes one ponder about existential questions:

What it means to be alive and human?

If human consciousness can be dubbed onto a computer, then what is death?

Can the soul be disembodied and exist virtually, just as how Socrates believed the soul is immortal?

If life is a stream of consciousness, then what does it mean to dream?

Ok, enough with the transhuman pondering already... there's still robotics, ethics and gender...

Ed's Leadership Files... Take Charge

#1 Take Charge – Be Fruitful And Multiply

Read Genesis 1:26-31

In Gen 1:28 (NKJV), God told Adam & Eve "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion… over every living thing that moves on the earth."

If you read The Message Bible, it says, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible..."

• To Prosper means to progress, to become strong and flourishing, and to succeed in what we plan to achieve.


• To Reproduce and Fill the Earth means to reproduce of your own kind, to make disciples, to train and shape.


• To Take Charge means to lead and to invest effort – planning, strategizing and executing


• To Be Responsible means to be accountable, to have initiative

Remember in Gen 1:26, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…" In other words, it is His nature to take charge. So should we.

The problem is we often belittle what we have – ourselves, our ideas, our abilities – that we aren’t creative, we aren’t trained, or we aren’t good enough. Or that our people aren’t committed, aren’t bold, aren’t good enough. Maybe we even doubt our leaders' abilities.

But God tells us in Gen 1:29-31 that He has given Man of every herb and tree which yield fruit and seeds, and of every beast and bird and creeping thing. We have already been given of every resource we need – people, brains, the Holy Spirit. And to God, everything is good.

Everything we have is good – that is, ourselves, our creative minds, our time and energy, our people etc. It’s up to us now to hone, master and harness of whatever we have within reach.