Lifesaver

Caffeine gives you wings.

sniffle

Latest global map of avian flu cases

WHO on pandemic preparedness:

If an influenza pandemic appears, we could expect the following-

• Given the high level of global traffic, the pandemic virus may spread rapidly, leaving little or no time to prepare.
• Vaccines, antiviral agents and antibiotics to treat secondary infections will be in short supply and will be unequally distributed. It will take several months before any vaccine becomes available.
• Medical facilities will be overwhelmed.
• Widespread illness may result in sudden and potentially significant shortages of personnel to provide essential community services.

...epidemiological models from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA project that today a pandemic is likely to result in 2 to 7.4 million deaths globally.

Of Running and Getai Cheese

Was awoken at 5.35am by my brother and soon we were plodding towards Esplanade Drive to kickoff a 12km run - courtesy of the Army Half Marathon aka Singapore Bay Run. Other than the inefficient bag management (we queued for an hour or so, and a poor Caucasian lost his bag), it was generally well-organized, considering the immense number of runners.

No idea what my timing was (cue: runners gasp in disbelief) simply because I hadn't a watch and we just aimed to complete it. Besides it's great just to have running company.

As I was blogging and searching for additional info, I chanced upon SGRunners, a running enthusiasts' club. Apparently, there've been lesser known runs happening, like the World Harmony Run (25km) and the Ultra Marathon Challenge (as many loops of 10km as possible in 7 hours).

Gotta keep running! :)



Caught 881 by Royston Tan with family in evening. Though my Hokkien is really quite lacking, was entertained by the tacky but imaginative OTT costumes, Hokkien numbers belting out one after another about life and hardships, and clever weaving of familiar pugilistic elements and supernatural beliefs.

Read interview: Well, I grew up in a kampung environment in Lorong Chuan, Serangoon Gardens, where everything is very grassroots. Back then, everyone knew your name. I chase that feeling constantly by talking to everyone and anyone. Taxi drivers, students, prostitutes – it doesn’t matter. They all have a story to tell.

Other facts I discovered from my parents and the net:
- The actresses like Liu Ling Ling were real-life getai celebrities during their heyday.
- The movie's promotional roadshow, done on a truck, was disrupted by an unidentified assailant pelting eggs from a motorcycle. One conspiracy theory says it was a publicity stunt.

不能說的秘密 (2007)

Directed by Jay Chou. Written by Jay Chou. Starring Jay Chou. I chuckled as I was reminded of the depicted director-writer-producer-actor in Mr. Bean's Holiday.

The Secret was surprisingly not bad, with pretty cinematography and an endearing plot (and super star). And yes, it makes me want to fall in love - real hard. It's high time I shook off this lackadaisicalness (as well as words with 17 letters & more). All in God's timing, I comfort myself...

Well, if you play the piano and you ever need a pick-up line, play the piano with only one hand for your girl to see. 'nuff said

Noise causes heart disease

Read WHO: The noise problems of the past are incomparable with those plaguing modern society: the roar of aircraft, the thunder of heavily laden lorries and the thumps and whines of industry provide a noisy background to our lives. But such noise can be not only annoying but also damaging to the health, and is increasing with economic development.

Daring to Consort

Read Fast Company's Working With the Enemy: Adam Werbach, a reinvented environmentalist, who

"woke up the morning of December 9, 2004, with the hangover of his life. The previous night, he had stood at a wooden lectern at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club to tell a packed room of 250 people, including the leaders of environmentalism's most influential organizations, that their movement was dead... he announced with the tone of someone reading last rites: "I am done calling myself an environmentalist."


Foolhardy courage? But for sure, I'm impressed by his conviction.

Preparation

In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.

And that's a quote by Louis Pasteur, a 19C French chemist.

Kena-ed from a senior manager today - for not being more prepared to state my case. Came out feeling like a failure.

Indeed, preparation is key.

Love is on the face

It's either a hint from above or it's written on my face - single & available. You know when 2 previous cellgroup leaders ask you point blank about it.

Getting attached/hitched is indeed a desire but the action plan is lacking... In any case, to paraphrase Joyce Meyer's key message, when you discover it's not all about you, God will certainly be at work about you.

Caught Kan Lume's The Art of Flirting on TV. I only paid half attention to it, but now I wonder what it takes for two people to come together and stay together.

Hmmm, a late sms...

Juice it

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Orange.

Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Bookstore Mates

Here they are - we keep each other busy through the week :)

Night

I read this book by Elie Wiesel. Not only did it make me tear, it made me ask, why allow such horror?

An excerpt, though not the most emotive one:

There was no longer any joy in his eyes. He no longer sang. He no longer talked to me of God or the cabbala, but only of what he had seen. People refused not only to believe his stories, but even to listen to him.

I sincerely believe that God is good all the time, and I recognize that there are forces of good and evil constantly at work.

In the end, I choose faith - in Him who's ever faithful.

Seize the National Day

National Day 1969: Parade at the historical grounds of the Padang

My planned virgin visit to the Treetop Walk was thwarted by the merciless downpour this morning. An itchy throat and runny nose certainly didn't help.

Work's been droning on, yet fulfillment eludes me. I spent the day reflecting and work-life balance came to mind - more accurately, the need for effective time management. Does fulfillment come from achieving the objectives one originally charted out, i.e. sticking it through? Or does it come through activities one enjoys? What about keeping friendships alive, as featured in today's papers?

Other emotions followed.

Seeing the PM deliver his message and then reports of country leaders attending celebrations around the island triggered a sense of nationalism - also akin to communistic propaganda and shows of military might.

A familiar sense of childhood excitement followed as fighter jets scrambled off the screen to the skies outside our flats - as they invariably did every year.

A strange sense of foreboding arose within as images of war-fighting equipment flickered by - may they never be put to actual use. Then dinner interrupted - our family's favourite claypot rice in AMK - so we never got round to watching the fireworks.

Soon the bed will beckon and the daily/weekly routine continues

Four months more of the year remain. Carpe diem! admonishes from within.

Hot Dog!

FOP was awesome, 'nuff said.

1. Worship - "ordinary visions and dreams before an extraordinary God"

2. Art is an expression, a connection of the soul with the divine... hmmm

3. Kids are such lovable brats.

He will keep you

those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40:31)

Grrr

Does commitment = time, energy, finances, mindshare, heart...?

Ineffectual, that's how I feel.

Unsettled within, the bottle spins again.

how are you?

Probably the most used phrase to check on one another. Or how's life? How's it going?

Friends, can't live with them yet can't live without them.

So who's your friend today?

Thoughts of the day

Stay positive. Don't be quick to dismiss.

It's sad... but seeking warmth under the hand dryer?

Drafting & redrafting a paper is like giving birth.

Symphonie fantastique is psychedelic music.

B vitamins keep one alert - really?

Capturing Energy

Was searching for pictures and came across this. What a wonderful thing it is to snap loved ones unreservedly.

CPI Up

Not-so-useless fact: The consumer price index in June 2007 was 1.3 per cent higher, compared to a year ago. See press release by DoS.

Giving

Giving of time but not enough mind oft results in frustration.

Argh.

Saviour King
By Hillsong United

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is you and I'm more than blessed...

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king...