Mingalabar

Wassup folks, just realized that Myanmar hasn't blocked Blogger. Yet.

Anyways, it's roasting here. and I'm probably gonna be back on Tuesday afternoon. Down one for me over the weekend, and your favourite alcoholic will be back real soon. Provided I don't get put in front of the firing squad for showing the people here how to access porn.

Later, y'all.

More Notes to Life

Waxing is addictive. Regrowth might be a bitch, but there's something to be said about baby smooth.

Unless of course you're hairy by nature. Then it's a clearing in the middle of a forest. Come to think of it, in a case like that, where does the wax start or end? Hmmm... things to ponder over a lunch of Char Kway Teow or a breakfast of Bee Hoon.

"God is with you. But just in case, have your pistol ready."
- Rgue Warrior: Holy Terror. Richard Marcinko

The Date Rape Song

And you wonder why they say that folks in the past have more meaning to their songs.

Cut to Real Life

Been feeling a tad emo for the week past.

Damn you, A.I! It's a bloody depressing movie.

Damn you Haley Joel Osmond! Don't look so cute, now that you're grown up eh? HAH!

Right, the rant is over. The moment of emo-ness has past.

An Environmental Note

Every little bit counts.

And for every plastic bag you do not use, it's one less that'll go into the landfill.

Just like straws.

Love? A Disease??

I don't know who does this kind of research, but for those of you who are considering the meaning of love.

Take a look at this.

Hums Huang Shu Jun's The Epedemic of Love

The Burden of Money

How many of y'all have said, "If only I had a million bucks, I would be so happy." at least ONCE in your lives?

How many of you have said, I wish I can do what I want to do, when I want to.

Remember the old axiom, "Be careful what you wish for, cos you just might get it". And when you DO get it, you might end up realizing you don't want it.

So what ARE you going to do, when it's all said and done? Travel? Charity? And then what?

Loads of us want to get out of the rat race. Make enough money, retire young. Don't bother with the grind of every day life any more.

But retiring is a scary thought, because you are left with a void. After you retire, you are going to be faced with the BIG QUESTION.

What are you suppose to do with your life? What is your purpose, your calling?

WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSE TO DO?

When faced with a question like that, let's see what happens.

Go to any old folks' home, and you'll see folks who have money, and the time, but don't know what to do with either. They are waiting to die.

Look at the spoilt rich kids who don't have to work for money. They get into sex, drugs and depression, even though they have nothing to be depressed about.

What about the people who strike lottery? Most of them self-destruct.

That is the burden that money gives to a person.

Money gives freedom. and freedom, comes at a price. The price is self-awareness, and purpose. Don't pay the price, and YOU will chain yourself down without anyone else going at it.

What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars, my friend? Would you take it, and face up to the really big questions?

Of the Past

Thanks Kamil for this quote, and for letting me get a new appreciation of this country that I live in.

Our past has a tendency to haunt us. Our choices can trap us or enable us to move on in life. Time plays tricks with our memories, sometimes making them better than they actually were. Ultimately, the only path is forward. Change is the only constant.

- Jeffrey Tan. Ballet Under the Stars

Sometimes it takes another from outside to tell you how blessed you are, and how much there is to give thanks for.

Another Song I Love

This is one from Beyond. 海阔天空.

Thanks baby, for getting me the lyrics and the pronunciation in Cantonese. No I haven't memorized EVERYTHING yet.

Where are the Damn Pink Elephants?

Don't think of pink elephants. In fact, do NOT imagine them dancing on a high rope, holding onto an umbrella, doing death-defying pirouettes on their tippy-tip toes.

Nearly impossible now, isn't it?

A moment ago, the thought didn't even occur to you, but now, it's sitting on your mind, as unshakable as about 2 tons of elephant.

This interesting little short circuit in the human mind is apparent in many aspects of life, and first introduced to me, when I was learning how to bike in the army.

The more I focused on NOT crashing and NOT hitting a particular orange traffic cone, the more I did it. I would stare at the pylon I'm trying not to hit, and tell myself move, move, move, and then the next thing I knew, I was flying through the air. Again. In fact, I did it so many times, I was nicknamed Jackie Chan.

It was those times, I truly appreciated six years of being a sandbag in Judo class.

Draw a parallel to other aspects of life. The more we try not to do something it seems, the more we end up getting tempted. You start your day stubbing your toe, knocking your head, and your whole day goes from bad to worse because you're trying to avoid things happening to you. Don't miss the bus... Missed it. Don't get scolded, got it. Don't rain... you guessed it.

The only time I finally managed to do SOMETHING right, was when I got distracted from trying not to do the wrong thing. I wrenched my attention from NOT doing something wrong, to doing something right. Over and over again.

Worked a lot better, and the army mechanics breathed a sigh of relief on not having to keep replacing banged-up rear-view mirrors, and busted fuel lines.

Now, I have realized that there is a seriously thin line between the world of reality and thought. If you try NOT to think of pink elephants often enough, you'll probably realize that a lot of 4-legged Proboscidea (ie. big-assed animels with huge teeth) have taken a rather delicate rose hue.

Instead, focus on other things. Green fairies, singing mice on the talented wildlife front. And on the every day life aspect, think about the things that you want happen, and be as clear defining those things as you would defining the things you don't want.

This little shift might just cause rather interesting things to happen.

Unlimited Bubble Wrap

Hands up all those who love popping bubble wrap.

Here is unlimited supply of the stuff. Courtesy of modern Technology.

Be grateful. Be very grateful.

A Footnote

"Because nothing makes love and life matter more than the knowledge that some day it must end"

- Drinking Midnight Wine, Simon R. Green

And they say that deadlines don't make people work better. Heh.