20 Seconds Lapse.

I told you she was fake, but nooooo....

2009-06-18T09:28:00.002+08:00

.....you wouldn't listen.

Hah!

The Bukits and Batang Ai by election predictions

2009-04-04T12:18:00.001+08:00

I don't want to brag, but the last time I did a prediction on a by-election in Malaysia (Kuala Trengganu), I correctly predicted the winner and the results to the nearest hundred (with a bit of tembak luck), closer than anyone, including Kian Ming or Raja Petra. This time, I will attempt to do the same with the next 3 by elections in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang, and Batang Ai.

Bukit Selambau
Malay: 50.20%, Chinese: 19.30%, Indian: 29.50%, Others: 1.00%
15 candidates, 34977 voters. While third party candidates have traditionally been discounted and used for comic relief. However, I think the third party candidates (13 of them, by the way) will have some impact in this election. Malay votes will be split between 3 parties, Pakatan, UMNO, and the Pekida candidate which will siphon his votes mostly away from BN. Generally, the further north we go the more influence PAS has, but seeing that PKR is carrying the Pakatan banner, its influence will be somewhat muted.

Support for Pakatan Rakyat
Chinese: 60-40
Indians: 70-30
Malays: 45-40-15
Giving Pakatan a total of 55.63% of the votes, while BN 37.37% of the votes, hence Pakatan winning with a 5109 vote majority assuming a 80% turnout rate. (Previous result Pakatan win of 2362 votes)

Bukit Gantang
Malay: 63.50%, Chinese: 27.10%, Indian: 9.10%, Others: 0.20%
Many people think this is a referendum on the political takeover orchestrated by now PM Najib Tun Razak. While many disagree, I think the underlying issue has been set by both sides to be the takeover. The non-Malay vote bank is solidly behind Pakatan Rakyat, while the Malays are more or less a connundrum. However, I think Pakatan will win this seat with a majority around the same as March8. Despite losing the UMNO protest votes from March 08, it will gain increased non-Malay, especially Chinese support.

Support for Pakatan Rakyat
Chinese: 70-30
Indians: 65-35
Malays: 45-55
Giving: 53.46% of the votes, a 1535 majority assuming a 80% turnout rate.
Previous result (Pakatan win with 1566 votes)

Batang Ai
95% Iban, remaining Chinese and other indigenous people
This is the election that has the most probability of my prediction being wrong. The settlements near the dam, amounting to 20% of the constituents, are solidly behind PKR, while other rural folk appear to be behind BN. The shock and awe tactics employed by the BN are due on election eve, so its really hard to see where this one will swing.

But I'll take a stab and say Pakatan win of 200-300 votes. Don't ever quote me on this one (except if I am really correct). (Previous result BN win of 800+ votes)

Confusion reigns hours before power transfer

2009-04-02T19:35:00.003+08:00

A few hours before the purported power transfer between Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, confusion reigns as the nation holds its breath.

Will the DYMM Sri Paduka Baginda allow the power transfer or not?

As the clock ticks closer and closer to the purported inauguration of the most controversial Prime Ministers in the history of this nation, Malaysians of all races are praying and hoping for a miracle.

We want our Tuanku, in his infinite wisdom to block, or at least delay this power transition.

With all due respect, should the Tuanku not convene Parliament to see who has the support of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat? Discounting this, there are many deeper concerns regarding the ascendency of Najib Tun Razak.

Ampun Tuanku!
Daulat Tuanku!

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is the most contriversial politician to ascend to the office of chief of executive. In the weeks leading up to these last few desperate moments, unprecedented negative international media coverage, from the streets of Lodon, to the homes of Paris, from the shores of Brisbane to the rivers of Bangkok, have been published in papers around the world. The image of Malaysia has already been tarnished. We are regarded as a nation without the rule of law, where the Deputy Prime Minister can be accused of such serious allegations and continue to hold office without being cleared.

In addition, with the controversial Eurocopter deals, and the increasing heavy handed crackdowns on dissent, including the banning of two opposition news organs and the forceful breakup of several opposition rallies with tear gas canisters within weeks of this purported ascendency, we, your loyal subjects are afraid. We are afraid of the oppression and supression if this power transition takes place.

Ampun Tuanku,

Please don't allow Malaysia's image to continue on this accelerating downward spiral. By appointing Najib as the chief executive of the nation, we are signalling to the world that even such a tainted man with such immense, heavy baggage can lead the country.

Please stop this, Tuanku!

Ampun Tuanku!
Daulat Tuanku!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nat Tan has a simillar letter here: A Rakyat’s Open Plea to DYMM Yang diPertuan Agong - Save us from Najib

Pakatan Rakyat, representing a block of 81 MPs have petitioned the Tuanku in a similar letter: Letter from Pakatan to DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Agong

As Bob Marley once said.

2009-03-31T19:15:00.000+08:00

You may not be her first, her last, or her only.

She loved before, she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters?

She’s not perfect - you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can.

She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart.

So don’t hurt her,

don’t change her,

don’t analyze and

don’t expect more than she can give.

Smile when she makes you happy,
let her know when she makes you mad,
and miss her when she’s not there.

Russia.

2009-03-18T22:18:00.001+08:00

Nuclear weapons. Restocking. Watchmen. War. Achtung.

Existential angst.

2009-03-18T21:21:00.000+08:00

Purpose.

Malaysia truly Asia!

2009-03-17T07:53:00.003+08:00

In a court of law you have the chance to defend yourself.

In a court of law you have the right to confront your accuser.

Even Nazi War Criminals can defend themselves.

Even rapists have the right to confront their accusers, the rape victims.

In the Malaysian Parliament you can't.

In the Malaysian Parliament you get booted out.

Malaysia, truly Asia.

The Detention and Brutal Treatment of Anwar Ibrahim

2009-03-12T07:54:00.002+08:00

Piece from Amnesty International quoted from Malaysia Today

The Detention and Brutal Treatment of Anwar Ibrahim

20 September 1998, in the closing days of one of the worst Commonwealth Games, on the eve of the Queen's visit to Malaysia, 30,000 people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur calling for democratic reform and the removal of the corrupt prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. The police and security forces reacted with violence, weighing in with tear gas and clubs to clear the streets.

One of the star speakers was Anwar Ibrahim, less than a month before, Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and heir apparent to the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad. After decades of subservience, Anwar Ibrahim did the unthinkable and spoke out against the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad, the mismanagement of the economy, the cronyism, the corruption. Anwar Ibrahim was sacked (2 September 1998) and the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad ran a smear campaign to discredit him. After speaking at the rally, Anwar Ibrahim walked home to the resounding cheers of his supporters. At his home he gave a press conference. Paramilitary police kicked in the door and took him away. He wasn't to be seen again in public for ten days when he made a brief court appearance.

Anwar Ibrahim was beaten into unconsciousness on the evening of his arrest (20 September 1998). Only a few miles away, the Queen and Robin Cook (UK Foreign Secretary) supped and dined with a dictator, toasted the end of the Commonwealth Games. Neither spoke out. The UK has an 'ethical foreign policy'.

Since the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim there has been daily street protests.

The fabricated charges laid against Anwar Ibrahim were corruption and perverse sexual practices. Two star witnesses against Anwar Ibrahim were his friends who had admitted to participating with him in perverse sexual acts, and had been found guilty for these same offences. Ten days later they were to withdraw their 'confessions', claiming they had been extracted under duress.

On the day following Anwar Ibrahim's arrest, with people on the street, the police detained his friends and colleagues. Transmissions (video footage) from broadcasters of the demonstrations and police brutality were blacked out.

The arrest of Anwar Ibrahim spurred the fragmented opposition groups into co-operation. Political parties and NGOs called a joint press conference (27 September 1998) to protest the police brutality, the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim, and called for freedom of speech, right of free assembly, right to fair trial and fair hearing and repeal of all anti-human rights legislation, especially the Draconian Internal Security Act (that enables detention without charge or trial).

22 September 1998, Azizah Ismail, wife of Anwar Ibrahim, was questioned for several hours. Her request to see her husband was denied. She was warned not to ferment trouble. She feared for the safety of herself, her husband and her family. Police Chief, Abdul Rahim Noor, warned that now the Commonwealth Games were over, to expect a purge.

24 September 1998, the fascist police chief, Abdul Rahim Noor, called a news conference. Not used to Western style news conferences or Western media, he shouted at the journalists to 'shut up' and tried to tell them how to behave. The fascist buffoon, festooned with medals, looked like an over-decorated Christmas tree.

29 September 1998, Anwar Ibrahim appeared in court to face nine charges of corruption and perverse sexual activity. This was his first public appearance since his arrest ten days earlier (20 September 1998). He appeared looking pale, drawn and thin, his left temple bruised, his left eye black. He pleaded not guilty to the nine fabricated charges. He described how: “I was boxed very hard on the left temple and the right part of my head. I was hit very hard on the left part of my neck. I was then slapped very hard left and right, until blood seeped from my nose and lips.”

He then collapsed and passed out. He was denied medical attention for five days. He was held in solitary confinement in a darkened room.

On seeing the condition of their father, two of Anwar Ibrahim's daughters wept openly in court. His wife said that she was 'shocked and stunned that my husband has been a victim of police brutality'. She has been warned not to meet with journalists and not to ferment trouble. Anwar Ibrahim faces up to 20 years imprisonment on the false charges laid against him. Under the Internal Security Act he can be held indefinitely without charge or trial.

The authorities have threatened to inject Anwar Ibrahim with the AIDS virus unless his wife calls off the street demonstrations.

According to reports in the Malaysian press, the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad has claimed that the injuries sustained by Anwar Ibrahim were self-inflicted. An examination by a doctor of Anwar Ibrahim following his court appearance, supported the allegation that he had been beaten and sustained injuries whilst in police custody.

World leaders have rallied to the support of Anwar Ibrahim leaving the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad looking increasingly isolated. At the IMF/World Bank meeting in New York finance ministers spoke out against the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim, the exception was Gordon Brown (UK Chancellor of the Exchequer) who remained silent. Neighbouring countries have spoken out against the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit held in Kuala Lumpur, US vice-president Al Gore launched a strong attack on the corrupt Mahathir bin Mohamad. World leaders now need to back their fine words with sanctions against the corrupt Malaysian regime.

Opponents of the corrupt Prime Minister are making full use of the Internet to co-ordinate their opposition and to inform the world of the brutal regime. Malaysia is following the path of Indonesia, institutionalised brutality, lack of democracy, with the majority of the population wishing to see the downfall of a corrupt leader. The people are expected to take to the streets until the corrupt Prime Minister is removed from office.

Anwar Ibrahim's teenage daughter, Nural Izzah, has taken up the campaign against the corrupt regime on her father's behalf.

Monday 2 November 1998, the trial of Anwar Ibrahim began. He appeared looking pale, thin and downcast. Most of the defence pre-trial appeals had been rejected by the judge. Several new charges were added to the original list. International observers were denied access to the trial, though several managed to slip into the public gallery. The US State Department attacked the decision to deny access to international observers. Armed security police ringed the court and prevented Anwar supporters from approaching the court.

The key prosecution witness was to have been Mohamed Said Awang (Special Branch director), but the choice of this witness backfired on the prosecution and only served to highlight the level of political corruption under Mahathir. Under oath, Mohamed Said Awang admitted he would lie if instructed to do so by his superiors, he spoke of 'turning over' witnesses and 'neutralising' anyone considered to be a threat. Mohamed Said Awang's testimony revealed a sordid tale of cronyism, political and financial corruption with the corrupt Mahathir at its heart.

Mid-January 1999 as the trial continued the prosecution admitted that Anwar Ibrahim had been badly beaten whilst in police custody. A couple of days later the chief of police resigned.

Freedom of expression and respect for democratic institutions and human rights do not exist in Malaysia. The Prime Minister justifies his iron rule as necessary to keep Malaysia on the path of economic success. The so-called Malaysian economic miracle now lies in ruins. In a histrionic outburst, Mahathir bin Mohamad, desperate to blame others for his own shortcomings and failings, has blamed foreign speculators and agents of foreign powers. In addition to the Draconian and repressive Internal Security Act (which grants the power for indefinite detention without charge or trial) Malaysia also uses the Sedition Act and Printing Presses and Publications Act to silence critics.

Those concerned with the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim and the lack of fundamental human rights within Malaysia should raise their concern with Malaysian diplomats in their own country, and also pressurise their own politicians to impose sanctions on Malaysia.

Malaysia is currently seeking funds from the West to bail out its failed economy. In addition to the usual economic strings, conditions on the reform of the democratic and judicial systems should be attached.

The detention and trial of Anwar Ibrahim is an abuse of the political system and the judicial process. In detaining Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia is contravening acceptable international standards on freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial and the treatment of detainees.

Amnesty International has adopted Anwar Ibrahim as a Prisoner of Conscience. In addition AI has called for the immediate release of all prisoners detained under the ISA and for an independent investigation of the injuries sustained by Anwar Ibrahim whilst held in custody.

On another note, I realised I only post politics posts, lol.

Pathetic, laugh.

2009-03-11T00:12:00.004+08:00

Michael Phelps’ blood type is H2O.
What sea creature has the largest penis? Michael Phelps.
When Aquaman needs help, Michael Phelps shits on his head.
Michael Phelps can swim through dry land.

Yer Rights.

2009-03-09T15:12:00.001+08:00

From http://www.geocities.com/northstarzone/COPS.html

The police do not decide your charges; they can only make recommendations. The prosecutor is the only person who can actually charge you. Remember this the next time the cops start rattling off all the charges they're supposedly "going to give you."

Interrogation isn't always bright lights and rubber hoses - usually it's just a conversation. Whenever the cops ask you anything besides your name and address, it's legally safest to (respectfully) say these Magic Words: "I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer." This invokes the rights which protect you from interrogation. When you say this, the cops (and all other law enforcement officials) are legally required to stop asking you questions. They probably won't stop, so just repeat the Magic Words or remain silent until they catch on. Remember, anything you say to the authorities can and will be used against you and your friends in court. There's no way to predict what information the police might try to use or how they'd use it. Plus, the police often misquote or lie altogether about what was said. So say only the Magic Words and let all the cops and witnesses know that this is your policy. Make sure that when you're arrested with other people, the rest of the group knows the Magic Words and promises to use them. One of the jobs of cops is to get information out of people, and they usually don't have any scruples about how they do it. Cops are legally allowed to lie when they're investigating, and they are trained to be manipulative. The only thing you should say to cops, other than identifying yourself, is the Magic Words: "I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer." Here are some lies they will tell you:

"You're not a suspect - just help us understand what happened here and then you can go." "If you don't answer my questions, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. Do you want to go to jail?" "If you don't answer my questions, I'm going to charge you with resisting arrest." "All of your friends have cooperated and we let them go home. You're the only one left." Cops are sneaky buggers and there are lots of ways they can trick you into talking. Here are some scams they'll pull: Good Cop/ Bad Cop: Bad cop is aggressive and menacing, while good cop is nice, friendly, and familiar (usually good cop is the same race and gender as you). The idea is bad cop scares you so bad you are desperately looking for a friend. Good cop is that friend. The cops will tell you that your friends ratted on you so that you will snitch on them. Meanwhile, they tell your friends the same thing. If anyone breaks and talks, you all go down. The cops will tell you that they have all the evidence they need to convict you and that if you "take responsibility" and confess the judge will be impressed by your honesty and go easy on you. What they really mean is: "we don't have enough evidence yet, please confess." Jail is a very isolating and intimidating place. It is really easy to believe what the cops tell you. Insist upon speaking with a lawyer before you answer any questions or sign anything. The Golden Rule: Never trust a cop.

Can you read?

2009-03-05T13:46:00.000+08:00

Article 132 (3) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution states:

The public service shall not be taken to comprise -
(a) the office of any member of the administration in the Federation or a State; or
(b) the office of President, Speaker, Deputy President, Deputy Speaker or member of either House of Parliament or of the Legislative Assembly of a State;...

Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim's ruling on Tuesday (3/3/09):

The Ipoh High Court today dealt a blow to Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar by disallowing his team of lawyers from representing him in two actions filed by BN Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir.
Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim had ruled that private lawyers have no legal standing to represent the speaker.

The ruling was made following an application made by Zambry's team of lawyers.

"Their argument was that the speaker is part of government, and because the speaker is part of government, only the Attorney General's Chambers and the state legal advisor can appoint lawyers.

Again on Thursday (5/3/09) after dismissing an appeal:

The Ipoh High Court once again ruled that Perak speaker V Sivakumar must only be represented by the state legal advisor and not by his personal lawyers.
MCPX
The decision was made by judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim after hearing submissions in chambers.

Princeton Dictionary defines public service as: employment within a government system (especially in the civil service)

WTF?

The Tree of Democracy

2009-03-03T13:00:00.001+08:00

The Perak state assembly today voted under a tree (I heard it was an mango tree) to dissolve the current state assembly. In addition, it voted to pass a vote of no confidence against the BN 'MB' while reaffirming its confidence in the Perak MB Nizar.

Why were they meeting under a tree? Because the police blocked them from assessing the state assembly.

Yes. Although the speaker is the proverbial 'king' of the house.

The (BN controlled) police should know that it is not the venue, or the chairs, or even the royal mace that makes up the state assembly.

It is the state assemblymen and people.

And they have spoken today, under a tree, just like Jesus did under a tree, just like Buddha gained enlightenment under a tree, just like Melaka was founded under a tree, just like Ipoh was named after a tree. They have spoken, under that fateful tree.

And they have spoken for the rakyat of Perak.

THE TREE OF DEMOCRACY

A moment of humour occurred when the Speaker asked the Aduns, "Setuju?"

Instead, of just the Aduns responding, the whole crowd shouted "Setuju!"

The Aduns had to explain to the crowd that the Setuju response was only for the Aduns.

Someone in the crowd muttered to my contact, "We are also part of this assembly. We have a right to express our confidence in the MB." - Anil's commentary

IT IS TRUE WOMEN R EVIL

2009-02-18T17:47:00.001+08:00

From http://www.magazinetimepass.com/oddities/most-bizarre-experiments-of-all-time

19] Shock the Puppy

When Stanley Milgram published the results of his obedience experiment in 1963, it sent shockwaves through the scientific community. Other researchers found it hard to believe that people could be so easily manipulated, and they searched for any mistakes Milgram might have made. Charles Sheridan and Richard King theorized that perhaps Milgram’s subjects had merely played along with the experiment because they realized the victim was faking his cries of pain. To test this possibility, Sheridan and King decided to repeat Milgram’s experiment, introducing one significant difference. Instead of using an actor, they would use an actual victim who would really get shocked. Obviously they couldn’t use a human for this purpose, so they used the next best thing — a cute, fluffy puppy.

Sheridan and King told their subjects — volunteers from an undergraduate psychology course — that the puppy was being trained to distinguish between a flickering and a steady light. It had to stand either to the right or the left depending on the cue from the light. If the animal failed to stand in the correct place, the subjects had to press a switch to shock it. As in the Milgram experiment, the shock level increased 15 volts for every wrong answer. But unlike the Milgram experiment, the puppy really was getting zapped.

As the voltage increased, the puppy first barked, then jumped up and down, and finally started howling with pain. The volunteers were horrified. They paced back and forth, hyperventilated, and gestured with their hands to show the puppy where to stand. Many openly wept. Yet the majority of them, twenty out of twenty-six, kept pushing the shock button right up to the maximum voltage.

Intriguingly, the six students who refused to go on were all men. All thirteen women who participated in the experiment obeyed right up until the end.

THEY WILL KILL US ALL AOWO OW OW OW LETG BVO GOGOGOG HELPPP

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2009-02-14T23:31:00.002+08:00

Plato:                For the greater good.
Karl Marx:            It was a historical inevitability.
Carl Jung:            The confluence of events in the cultural gestalt
                    necessitated that individual chickens cross roads at
                    this historical juncture, and therefore
                    synchronicitously brought such occurrences into being.
Ludwig Wittgenstein:  The possibility of "crossing" was encoded into the
                    objects "chicken" and "road", and circumstances came
                    into being which caused the actualization of this
                    potential occurrence.
Albert Einstein:      Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed
                    the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
Salvador Dali:        The Fish.
Darwin:               It was the logical next step after coming down from
                    the trees.
Epicurus:             For fun.
Ernest Hemingway:     To die. In the rain.
Werner Heisenberg:    We are not sure which side of the road the chicken
                    was on, but it was moving very fast.
Ronald Reagan:        I forget.
Kafka:                Hardly the most urgent enquiry to make of a low-grade
                    insurance clerk who woke up that morning as a hen.
Hamlet:               That is not the question.

You swore to listen.

2009-02-07T23:05:00.001+08:00

Love isn’t an act, it’s a whole life. It’s staying with her now because she needs you; it’s knowing you and she will still care about each other when sex and daydreams, fights and futures—when all that’s on the shelf and done with. Love—why, I’ll tell you what love is: it’s you at seventy-five and her at seventy-one, each of you listening for the other’s step in the next room, each afraid that a sudden silence, a sudden cry, could mean a lifetime’s talk is over.

Taken from Brian Moore's The Luck of Ginger Coffey

Feeling Kind of Serious, He Looked Down And Made Men of Mud.

2009-02-02T18:05:00.002+08:00

It all, it all works out in the end.

In spirals of words that mean nothing at all
In our eternal quest for a Purpose
In the heart of a bitter cynic
Who keeps worlds trapped in his jar
Who challenges them to beg for God
In a Purposeless world
It all works out
In the bitter end.

All blurring into one.

2009-01-18T15:49:00.001+08:00

This place is on a mission.

Intercourse

2008-11-30T19:02:00.000+08:00

pigs.

Buckethead

2008-11-30T17:44:00.000+08:00

Revolver: Have you held any auditions?

Ozzy Osbourne: "I tried out that Buckethead guy. I met with him and asked him to work with me but only if he got rid of the fucking bucket. So I came back a bit later and he's wearing this green fucking Martian's-hat thing. I said, 'Look, just be yourself!' He told me his name was Brian, so I said that's what I'd call him. He says, 'No one calls me Brian except my mother.' So I said, 'Pretend I'm your mum then!' I haven't even got out of the room and I'm already playing fucking mind games with the guy. What happens if one day he's gone and there's a note saying, 'I've been beamed up?' [Laughs] Don't get me wrong, he's a great player. He plays like a motherfucker!"

2008-11-21T20:27:00.000+08:00

Palin

2008-09-25T21:49:00.002+08:00

Since no one's posting, I'm going to double post.

And I can see Russia from my house! LOL

Let me repost one of the comments I made recently in my POLS2221 (US and Evolving International Order) course:

When I found out that McCain chose Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was genuinely shocked. McCain obvious thinks that this is the best decision, and decided to go with an Alaskan woman as his running candidate.

Why though?

Convention and political gamesmenship dictates that McCain choose someone someone from the North, as he is from Arizona (a southern state). Palin isn't even from the mainland, so obviously McCain thought that he could pull the votes better with Palin. Palin was not chosen because of her logistical connections - Alaska is a hardcore Republican state, and only carries 3 electoral votes. No reason for McCain to choose someone from Alaska. Palin obviously has something better than that.

Is it Palin's experience? No. Palin is 44 years old, and could pass as McCain's daughter. She was a mayor of a tiny town in Alaska. She is a first term governor (with 2 years of experience). Experience-wise, she is even worse than Obama, which is saying a lot. Palin must have something even better than that.

What is it that Palin has that McCain decided it was important enough to forgo all the rules of the political gamesmenship and choose her over more experienced, more well known and regarded politicians? The answer? A vagina. Palin was chosen because of her gender, in an attempt to pull the disgruntled Clinton supporters to the Republican side. McCain obviously thinks that he has a better chance of winning with a pretty 44 year old beauty queen than with other more seasoned, experienced and well regarded and well respected politicians.

Naturally, this begs the question: Is the American public that immatured and shallow? McCain certainly thinks so. Palin, not chosen because of her experience, or her policies, but because of her gender and her beauty.

Oh well, why am I even asking this question... The Democrats did chose African American over experience. I'll leave you with two quotes from Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman chosen by a major party to stand in a presidential election (Palin is the second) :

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept"

"...in 1984 if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice presidential candidate. It had nothing to do with my qualification."

And then in a following post defending myself after offending some:

Thanks for the reply. Sorry if I offended you :).

In no way I am belittling Palin's achievements. I am sure she is a great mother, and a great leader.

Just not the best.

There were scores of other more eligible, qualified and experienced candidates that McCain could have chosen. In my previous posting, I have shown that she didn't beat the other candidates in areas of experience or qualification, or any other reason besides the fact that she is a woman. The fact that she is a woman was what made McCain decide on her over others that had more experience and qualification.

Impressive political career? Perhaps, but not as impressive as the other candidates. Of course she is not a complete political novice; she is just not a political maestro - and why would you choose a first term Alaskan governor over other political maestros?

Chairing the Oil & Natural Gas Resource Development Group? Impressive, but more impressive than the much much vaster experiences of the other candidates? I think not.

Which brings us back to she was chosen because she is a woman. She is a qualified woman, and I'm sure she would make a great VP, but ultimately, the reason she is selected is because she is a woman. Again, I am in no way belittling her achievements, but I don't think it was those achievements that made McCain choose her. McCain didn't choose her because of her experience or qualification, impressive as it might be, but because of her gender.

Obama may be an "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", but I personally think if he were to be a white man, he would not be accepting the nomination in Denver. Obama rode on the massive (almost 90%) support of the African American votes, and if he were a white man, a white, "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", he would not have been elected.

This is not to say that Palin and Obama are both impressive individuals. Openly stating that their gender and race are the reasons they are where they are today, might deny their personal achievements, but it is a fact. It is a fact that their gender and race were given more weight than their achievements and experience. I am not condoning or saying it is a positive or desirable phenomena, I am merely saying it is a fact.

And the fact is, Obama was elected because he is African American and Palin was chosen because she is woman.

Vagina anyone?

Newest crackdown against dissent - Malaysia heading for another Ops. Lalang?

2008-09-13T08:13:00.001+08:00

A duplicate post from here

DAP leader Teresa Kok has also been detained under the Internal Security Act - the third person to be detained without trial today.

	Confirmed by DGP
	Arrested at 11.18pm

Malaysiakini report

First it was a blogger. And then it was a journalist.

Then went an MP and a state exco member.

The last time a journalist or an MP was detained under the ISA act, it was 21 years ago. We lived under a more oppressive regime, a more oppressive leader, a nation that did not tolerate dissent.

Or so we thought.

Echoing the sentiments of the Malaysian Bar Council President, I was under the impression that Malaysia was moving towards being a more open, matured society where dissent was accepted, even cherished. Evidently I have given too much credit to my nation's government.

They still resort to the Machiavellian ways of running the country - by arresting and jailing dissenters as means to threaten and intimidate the general population. And we say that our nation is not in distress.

To the Home Ministry, I ask you this : How is it that you can perceive these 3 Malaysians, especially the two women, Teresa Kok and Sin Chew report Tan Hong Chen to be a grave threat to Malaysian national security? Have they purchased bombs to blow up a body? What have they done, but to fight for justice, for freedom, for the rights of the individuals in our nation of Malaysia?

One can only wonder as to the plans of the Home Ministry. Are more to come?

Of particular concern is the arrest of Teresa Kok. An MP and a state exco legislator. The arrest not only deprives her of the individual liberties supposedly guranteed under article 5 of our constitution, but also deprives the people of Seputeh and Selangor of their right to representation in the Federal and State Parliament.

Only time will tell whether we will shrink back into our holes, cower and hide, just like in 1987, or we will come forward to aid our heroes in a time where they now need us to bear the torch for them. Will we fight for justice, for freedom, and for the liberty of these 3 heroes, now that they are incapable of carrying on our fight?

This is to say that we should help them peacefully, without resorting to violence, for it would become a greater atrocity and blow to our 3 heroes' cause if we were to spiral into a web of violence and bloodshed. We must show that we, the rakyat of Malaysia oppose and will not take the jailing of our people lightly, but we still have the maturity and restrain ourselves.

Before I end, I will leave you with 4 profound, and extremely appropriate quotes:

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism - Howard Zinn

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up." - Pastor Martin Niemoller.

Fight for me, and I'll fight for you! - Teresa Kok

Before one can be fit for the practice of civil disobedience one must have rendered a willing and respectful obedience to the state laws. . . A Satyagrahi obeys the laws of society intelligently and of his own free will, because he considers it to be his sacred duty to do so. It is only when a person has thus obeyed the laws of society scrupulously that he is in a position to judge as to which particular rules are good and just and which injust and iniquitous. Only then does the right accrue to him of the civil disobedience of certain laws in well-defined circumstances. - Mahatma Gandhi

An Epic Lesson On Physics And Politics.

2008-08-12T18:55:00.001+08:00

If you're wondering why this blog hasn't had a new post in ages, you're a little slow, aren't you?

No, not really. Just kidding.
Disclaimer: All facts involved in this article are in fact non-truths.

Anyhow.

Take a look at the title. I lied. This blog post isn't about either of the two charming subjects that start with the letter 'P' and form the member of the trinity (the last member ends with N and has an OR in the middle. Go figure.)

It's about lying.

I lied about that, actually. This is so confusing. I have no idea where I'm going with this.

What to do when an atom bomb hits.

Basically, when an atom bomb drops on you, you're f*cked. Yes, you will die. This is almost inevitable, unless you're Santa Clause - or Chuck Norris.

In case you're wondering how to avoid this plummeting death, wonder on.

20 Seconds Lapse is a dying blog. It's like the famous Hungabilly bird, unable to keep track in a high-paced world that waits for no stragglers. Oh, you poor thing. We so enjoyed the sight of your lush mottled green feathers brushing against the wind.

I want an e-bow.

This computer has a mind of its own.

Oh gosh that was awkward. No, I wasn't ogling your Facebook pic, don't be silly. No. Nope. Ow. OW! Hey, stay away from that! YOW!

Thursday is Formal Day. Well, not exactly, but who the hell cares. For what it's worth, it's Formal Day. That forms the initials FD, conincidentally the initials of that notorious banker-thief Frederick Diggory.

Be running up that hill.

Be running up that building.

Placebo.

What are you rushing around for, you slimy little overachiever? I hate you. Hate, hate, hate.

Let's make up rhymes, childish rhymes. Limes, crimes, dimes, chimes.

Ha ha ha ha.

You're running so fast. Pathetic whiny little voice. This is not fair. Fair- fair. Fair.

An epic lesson on .

Soulja Boy Related To Led Zeppelin?

2008-05-28T20:30:00.001+08:00

Drastic times call for drastic measures! :D :D :D
----

One is truly a musical legend, the other an overnight, over-rated mass media artist. See the link? Nothing obvious, but if we dig deeply we might get one…

Before I start, a side note of things:

DISCLAIMER: Any written words or sentence within this post are merely my thoughts and opinions and are not related whatsoever towards the future success or failure to the mentioned artists. All references and facts are to be cited from Wikipedia and iTunes and claimed to be true. If however, third party sources that are used for the articles from the original two sources are found to be inaccurate are used, tough luck.

Who would have thought that rock can be associated with cheap and cheesy rap? It sure does now.

Let’s start. Led Zeppelin is a classic rock band formed circa 1960s all the way to 1980 with a few reunions later on. Within this time too, bands such as The Who, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith were formed. We mainly classify these bands as ‘Rock’ but specifically (citing Wikipedia):

Led Zeppelin – Heavy metal, hard rock
The Who – Rock, hard rock, pop rock
Thin Lizzy – Heavy metal, hard rock
The Rolling Stones – Rock
Aerosmith – Heavy metal, hard rock

From there, we can see that all five of them are closely related.

How far have we gone from here?

Not far, we still have some distance to go.

For the ‘link’ to be found, we need to get a band(s) that crosses the timeline from the 60s or 70s all the way into the 21^st century. Apart from that, we need the find bands that are a hybrid of rap and rock or rap rock as they call it.

Rap rock was first established or known in 1980s and originated from the United States. Bands that are known to influence (or be influenced by) this genre, were among others, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park and Rage Against The Machine.

There. We have found the link for the age, which is between Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park. Both are active till now, although the former has been doing it since the days of Aerosmith.

For the hybrid band, we have Linkin Park, pioneering the rap rock genre and filling the gap for the leap between rock to rap.

Things are starting to become clearer now. Since we have divulged in rap and Linkin Park, we can start talking about the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Jay-Z and Linkin Park are closely related, especially in their collaboration but their music styles are almost similar, since both are within the rap circle. And within it lies Kanye West too.

And from there again, Jay-Z and Kanye West are also in the list of pop rappers, together with Soulja Boy.

A blasphemous relationship, but hey, the link is there.

So in a nutshell:

Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith [linked by genre]

Aerosmith and Red Hot Chilli Peppers [linked by genre and influence on rap rock]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park [linked by genre and active years]

Linkin Park and Jay-Z/Kanye West [linked by sub-genre]

Jay-Z/Kanye West and Soulja Boy [linked by genre]

Song For MJ.

2008-05-27T21:46:00.000+08:00

It's very sobering to wake up, stare at your own reflection in grotesque fascination, and have no idea who you are.

Why can't it (ever) be the same? (again)
It makes me feel.
'Memento mori' etched out in black ink,
But I already knew that
And we oscillate
Between love and hate.

See, it wasn't my choice.
It struck me by surprise.
And it's so tragic
So.

Ignorance is bliss
I concur.

But when you're nice,
You're nice.
And when you make me happy,

What do you want?
What do I want?
Odd world. Loopy contradictions
Sick irony - black humour.

i want.
it to be straightforward.
knowing that it won't ever be.
i lie deep in muddy waters
drenched in regret
and (personal) failure.
so far out - out of touch
i must have been
Stuttering.

i want.
to hold you tight
to hell with the world
they can't touch us
if we were what i wanted us to be.

So it's a song for MJ.
That I promised.
It's not quite ready.
And it's pretty damn chronic
But, yes.

Hold me tight
Through the night
Babe.

1984

2008-05-19T22:33:00.000+08:00

...is terrifying.

The book is by George Orwell. Get it.

Mission: Big Mac (Vote Now!)

2008-05-18T11:41:00.005+08:00

It is official.

The Gustave Oon has submitted his contest entry for the Big Mac Chant Challenge by Nuffnang.

Dear, fans/readers/lecturers/kind strangers/stalkers/friends, vote for Gustave!

Vote for Mission: Big Mac and ONLY Mission: Big Mac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9-J2GZKLg

His second semester of college fees may be on the line!

Cheers!

Penguin rape.

2008-05-15T18:57:00.004+08:00

No. The Gustave did not random come up with a random title involving animals and sex in order to say "Hah! Now that I have your attention..." and rant on about flying lions with blue...horns... that shoot...

Truth.

Penguin rape is a very real, very scary, and possibly very arousing phenomenon coming to a cybercafe near you.

The following is based on a true story.

Gustave apologises for his absence from blogging.

The following is also a very suitable metaphor for the situation Gustave is in with SAM.

An Antarctic fur seal has been observed trying to have sex with a king penguin.

The bizarre event took place on a beach on Marion Island, a sub-Antarctic island that is home to both fur seals and king penguins.

Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.

Equally, it might be been an aggressive, predatory act; or even a playful one that turned sexual.

"At first glimpse, we thought the seal was killing the penguin," says Nico de Bruyn, of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

The brazenness of the seal's behaviour left those who saw it in no doubt as to what was happening.

De Bruyn and a colleague were on Trypot beach at Marion Island to study elephant seals when they noticed a young, adult male Antarctic fur seal, in good condition, attempting to copulate with an adult king penguin of unknown sex.

The 100kg seal first subdued the 15kg penguin by lying on it.

The penguin flapped its flippers and attempted to stand and escape - but to no avail.

The seal then alternated between resting on the penguin, and
thrusting its pelvis, trying to insert itself, unsuccessfully.

After 45 minutes the seal gave up, swam into the water and then completely ignored the bird it had just assaulted, the scientists report.

Why a fur seal would indulge in such extreme sexual behaviour is unclear.

(The seal may have been frustrated in its attempts to find a partner)

Marion Island is the only place in the world where Antarctic fur seals are known to hunt king penguins on land, so the idea that the fur seal was trying to eat the object of its attention made sense.

"But then we realised that the seal's intentions were rather more amorous."

The researchers speculate that the male seal was too young to win access to female seals, and in a state of sexual excitement, looked elsewhere.

But the mating season was nearly over when the incident took place, leading the scientists to also wonder whether the seal's natural predatory aggression toward the bird became redirected into sexual arousal.

"It was most certainly a once-off and has never previously or since been recorded anywhere in the world to our knowledge," says de Bruyn.

The penguin did not appear to have been injured by the seal, the scientists report.

By Matt Walker on BBC.
____________________________________________________________________

I apologise.

I know this goes against the absolutely -NO- nude photoshots rule.

However, I had trouble finding pictures of decently dressed seals.

Penguins I had no problems.

You know. The whole penguin in tuxedo thing.

But still.

Penguins in tuxedos getting raped by decently dressed seals in their natural habitat and not in the basement of some twisted animal lover with a Yiff fetish.

...yeah.

Cheers!

Just So You Know.

2008-05-12T01:37:00.001+08:00

MANCHESTER UNITED

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
SEASON 2007/2008

Ryan Giggs for Ruler of the Universe!!!1111onee!two

Basic Instructions.

2008-05-09T22:39:00.002+08:00

Basic Instructions is an awesome webcomic.

And here's a sample. It isn't the funniest one there, but it was the last one I read. Oh, and the last panel is full of win.

http://www.basicinstructions.net/2008/02/how-to-deal-with-someone-who-doesnt.html

The point of this post? There is none.

Mother's Day this Sunday, folks.

The Empire Strikes Back

2008-05-08T08:42:00.002+08:00

With the recent charging of influential blogger Raja Petra Kammarudin under the infamous sedition act, one wonders whether the current federal government's promise of reform in really just a thinly veiled lie that 'sounds like it, looks like it, but it is not it'.

Raja Petra was charged under the sedition act, which, in my opinion, is totally unjustified:

1. The Sedition Act charges someone who 'incites the public into violence'. I find nothing seditious about the article, and I don't think anyone has taken to the streets as a result of the article.

2. The appropriate avenue, if DPM Najib is unsatisfied with the article and claims, is to sue Raja Petra with defamation. This obviously falls into the case of civil law; why use the government's resources (AG Chambers) and taxpayer's money? (The Sedition Act is under criminal law) Another example of the government grossly misplacing public funds.

3. Raja Petra has been writing articles like this for years now. Why are the government taking action only now? Is it because Raja Petra's blog was part of the political tsunami that drowned many in the BN? The Empire Strikes Back?

4. Raja Petra has 'kutuk-ed' the PM previously before this. Heck, Raja Petra has kutuk-ed everyone in the corridors of powers at least ten times. No action was taken. One has to wonder: why all the hullabaloo over this one? Does this mean that the number 2 is more powerful than the number 1?

5. With the recent promise of a judicial reform, one has to wonder about the timing of this charge. Sounds like it, looks like it, but is not it?

6. I think the government has taken the wrong route in charging Raja Petra. Now there will be 2 cases for Altantuyah: One is the watered down kangaroo court that is being delayed and delayed again, the other is Raja Petra's trial. By charging Raja Petra, the government has given him the avenue to reveal the information he has, as part of his 'defense'.

Anyone else marveling over the super defense team?

Victor

Queensland State Championships

2008-05-04T17:25:00.001+08:00

This would probably not interest you regular 20secondslapse readers/authors, but I had to post it somewhere, and between this and my badminton blog, this seemed the more appropriate place.

So I woke up t 5:30am to catch a taxi, a bus and a 40 minute train to some ulu place that seemed like 100KM south of Brisbane. After arriving, I realized that I was early, and had to wait outside the doors before they were opened. The next one hour was spent trying to organize the tables, food, registrations, before the Queensland Scrabble State Championships could begin.

Game 1: Lorraine

The game started neck to neck before I spotted JeOPARDY through a R. She then immediately struck back with a bingo, two over 50 power tile scores, and another bingo in 4 consecutive moves to throw me way behind. Spent 15 minutes on the last move trying to find a place for my MUNNIES, but the board was too blocked up. Eventually lost 409-340. Definitely not the start I intended.

Game 2: Rita

The benefit of losing the first game is that you get thrown way down the King of the Hill rankings, and get paired against a weaker player for the second and third rounds. Got SALTIER to win 362-251.

Game 3: Carol

She started off strongly, leading by 50 points all the way until she had to change and I put down AlIMONY. She retaliated with SQUIRMS to pull slightly ahead, but I finished strongly with NIXE (47) to clinch the game by 319-309.

Game 4: Trish

She is the highest rated player in our division, I am told. So logically, I should play conservative and block. For whatever reason, I decided gung ho open up, and for whatever reason, this worked so superbly I got the highest score of the tournament. I score big with BEADIER (78), TRADERS (75), ANTIsERA (82), supported by ZOA (40), DEX (49) and JUTE (40) to win 482-229.

At this stage it was lunch, and I had a feeling the tile faerie will reverse my luck.

Game 5: Erika

At this stage, I was playing the leader, Erika. I was told that she was the second highest rated player in my division, and she was ‘damn good’. No fear, I play gung ho like the previous game. And gung ho it was. Two successive bingos ThRONED and STONIER put me ahead by 100 points, but her power tiles in the late game managed to pull her close. I eventually won 373-351.

Game 6: Sharon

After dislodging the leader, I played the other leader in our division. It was a tight game all the way, with no bingos, but I eventually lost 372-355.

Game 7: Wendy

Notice a trend here how all my opponents seem to be women? At this stage I had a slight fever, but ploughed on bravely. Her two successively bingos and power tiles took her 200 points ahead of me by the 6^th move, but I never gave up and kept smiling. The tournament organizers gave me a gift for continuously smiling even though I was 200 points down. My spectacular comeback did materialize however, with my bingo STAINER and SATIRES and stinker XI, but her powerful outplay but her firmly out of my reach. Lost 397-353, but earned the praise of many for not giving up :D.

During the break, when Glenys Logan called the tile fairy a ‘bitch’, I wholeheartedly concurred.

Game 8: Jeanette

Another woman continues my spectacular collapse. She bingoed early on with SEQUOIa (94) and extended it to SEQUOIAS with her JUTES to score (52) in the next turn. Desperately trying to save the game, she pulled ahead with another bingo which scored her 68 points. Lost the game 462-338.

From 4-1 to 4-4. From near first place to god knows where. Fucking brilliant.

Game 9: Trevor

Finally, a guy. This Trevor was extremely friendly and funny. When I opened with JOCKS for 52, he commented: and I thought this was going to be a friendly game. At this stage I was extremely exhausted, and just opened the board and powered my way through, much to the dismay of Trevor. Got LENDERS and RAZED for 65 and 45 respectively. However, when I noticed that he was keeping a blank, and although I did not tile track, had the feeling he was going to attempt to outplay me by a bingo, I closed up all the openings that I opened. I think he noticed that too, and tried to open up. I did it just in time to prevent him from outplaying with a SEAGIT? Rack, to win 397-280.

And you thought the excitement for the day stopped there. Of course not. Exhausted, I took the 40 minute train back to Brisbane. On the train, I met an extremely cute Korean girl that attempted conversation. You know Victor is very exhausted when he doesn’t make a conscious effort to try to flirt with a woman, especially one who likes the music of Big Bang. Fell asleep on the train, but was woken up by the nice Korean girl when the train reached my station.

At the railway station, I was supposed to wait 30 minutes for a bus, but decided to hail a cab. After 10 minutes of failed hailing of a cab, I finally called the taxi company to send a cab my way (for a 2 dollar surcharge: I initially wanted to save the 2 dollars…stingy university students ma…). On my way back to my unit, I suddenly had diarrhea and had to stop at a toilet on the way back.

And now I am typing this on my 40 minute train ride to my second day of the Queensland State Championships – This tournament is certainly shaping up to be the most eventful of all tournaments I have ever been to!

Am typing this just after I’ve missed my train and have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.

Game 10: Svendt

He puts the first bingo down, DEcORATE for 72 before I retaliate with PaLMERS for 75. We then trade power tile moves with ZEA for 48 and DIX for 40. My SOLVITE* got challenged off, and he bingos the next move. Lose 422-325. Definitely not the start I want.

Game 11: Arnold

I open with 3 unusable (literally) racks when he powers tiles his way to a 50 point lead. I eventually pull back with a 78 point bingo. When he challenged it and I got up, I accidently saw that he had a J on his rack. The next move, he tried to bingo futilely with a word without J. My suspicion is that he is keeping tiles. Win eventually by trapping him with both Vs (351-301).

Game 12: Anne

My karma in this game was at its all time low. She bingos 4 times, got all power tiles to win 421-330. I managed to bingo once, but was too depressed to write it down.

At this point I am 6-6 and I am depressed. But then the most extraordinary this happens.

Game 13: Keith

I feel bad for bullying this man by time pressuring him. His score got deducted by 40 as a result of the time penalty. I, on the other hand, got NAILERS, EXIDE and AZON for 72, 50 ad 48 to win comfortably by 384-236.

Game 14: Anne

I was drawn against the player with the least wins in my division as a result of the no repeat rule. She applies a brilliant strategy of restricting my (perceived) bingo power, but I eventually manage to win by trapping her with the Q and both Vs by 308-268.

Game 15: Noni

Noni is the leader and eventual winner of this tournament. She has been undefeated all day, and played an open game, much to my delight. I open with GLEANERS and ENTAILED for 71 and 70 respectively to bring my score to 223-106 after round 4. I follow up with VoTings for 83 to defeat her for the first time today at 435-390.

Game 16: Sharon

That’s right, the same Sharon from day 1. Everyone was asking me to ‘kick her arse’… Apparently she is not too popular over here. I bingo with ANTIAiR and ARRESTS to win 437-252.

Game 17: Trish

This is the same Trish from day 1 whom I beat by 250+ points. When she found out she had got me, she cried in dismay. I told her that it would be a good time for her to exact her revenge. Apparently the tile gods liked me better. My ZO, WAILeRS and XI managed to get 69,72 and 53 points respectively for me to win by 483-298.

I ended up at 4^th place, but could have gotten 2^nd place if Noni won her last game and Trevor lost his last game. So I go home empty handed and nearly broke. Mission failed.

One note about the players in division 2: Division 2 players in Australia are not as ‘easy’ as division 2 players in Malaysia. Don’t pray pray with them! They are extremely lethal with very impressive word knowledge/strategy. But I was glad I was able get from 6-6 to 11-6 with sweeping wins. The average age of the players on the other hand, is perhaps 4 times mine.

In the masters division, Chris May amazingly won 16/17 games to beat a strong field of Joanne Craig, Bob Jackman, Olga Visser to the title.

Number of bingos: 24 (Average 1.4 per game)

Average points scored each game: 355

Average points per move: 21.4

I think those are OK statistics.

Babies seized by Robert Mugabe's forces as Zimbabwe hounds voters

2008-04-27T07:40:00.002+08:00

(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3822569.ece)

Scores of children and babies have been locked up in filthy prison cells in Harare as Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, sinks to new depths in his campaign to force the opposition into exile before an expected run-off in presidential elections.

Twenty-four babies and 40 children under the age of six were among the 250 people rounded up in a raid on Friday, according to Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Yesterday they were crammed into cells in Southerton police station in central Harare.

“This is ruthlessness of the worst kind. How can you incarcerate children whose mothers have fled their homes hoping to give their children refuge?” asked an emotional Chamisa yesterday. “In Mugabe’s Zimbabwe even children are not spared the terror that befalls their parents.”

The families were rounded up from MDC headquarters, where they had sought refuge from violence in the countryside.

Thought to be directed by top military officers, Operation Where Did You Put Your Cross? has prompted thousands to flee. They are trying to escape the so-called war veterans, who are attacking people and burning down hundreds of houses for voting “incorrectly” in last month’s elections.

“What we’re seeing is an undeclared civil war,” said Chamisa. “It’s genocide. This situation is out of control, it’s now beyond the capacity of the MDC alone. It requires the region, the continent, the international community to act.”

Four weeks after the elections, official results have still not been released for presidential polls widely thought to have been won by Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader.

Simultaneous parliamentary elections saw the ruling Zanu-PF party lose its 28-year-long majority. The election commission is engaged in the recount of 23 constituencies after regime claims that they had been rigged by the opposition. None of the results has been overturned in the 14 so far announced. Even if the remaining nine were to go to Zanu-PF it still would not have won a majority.

While some Zimbabweans see a glimmer of hope in this, Mugabe has remained defiant in the face of international condemnation. Most expect the regime to announce that no candidate won a majority in the presidential election and to order a run-off next month which Mugabe will ensure that he wins.

“The only game in town is a run-off,” said George Sibotshiwe, Tsvangirai’s spokesman. “The recount was just to buy them time to smash people’s heads in, so when they go for a run-off nobody will even be thinking of voting.”

The regime’s strategy is to ensure that by the time of the run-off, Mugabe would have a clean sweep in rural areas, where 70% of Zimbabweans live. A police officer admitted yesterday that he had been instructed not to interfere with war veterans as they carry out their campaign of terror.

At the same time the opposition leadership has been driven into hiding or abroad. Tsvangirai fled Zimbabwe two weeks ago after he was charged with treason for “conspiring with the British to oust Mugabe”.

“I am unable to return home for fear of my life,” he wrote in The Washington Post last week.

On the ground the party’s network of district officials is being decimated. Tichanzii Gandanga, the MDC election agent for Harare province, can barely walk after he was beaten and left for dead.

Four men arrived at his offices in central Harare at about 6pm on Wednesday. “They told me I knew my crimes and so I had to confess,” said Gandanga. “They blindfolded me, bundled me into a truck, then drove for a long distance, beating me on the head, on the back, everywhere. They played loud music so that no one could hear my cries. I don’t know how I survived.”

As he was being beaten, Gandanga was questioned about the whereabouts of Tsvangirai. Eventually he was dumped in the bush. He managed to crawl to a main road where he was picked up and taken to the head of a nearby village.

For two days Gandanga was nursed by villagers. Eventually he got word to his relatives who moved him to a private hospital.

Ten people have been killed so far, according to the MDC, including a five-year-old boy who was burnt to death in a hut. The first victim on April 12 was Tapiwa Mubwanda, 54, the organising secretary for the MDC for Hurungwe East.

According to his widow they were on their way back to their village when they saw a group of Zanu-PF youth militia. While she fled into the bush with their children, her husband and his elder brother were beaten with rocks. “They said, ‘You voted for the MDC, now we want to do this in order to teach you to vote. You wasted your vote by voting for Tsvangirai. He will never be the president of Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe will remain, so we want to teach you to vote’.”

When she crept out of hiding her husband was dead.

Another MDC activist, Manyika Kashiri, 55, of Chigumbu village in Uzumba, had his foot smashed by an axe when militias stormed into his shack at midnight on Tuesday. Kashiri woke after a bang at his door and rocks smashing against his windows. When he emerged, he was hit with a log by one of the militias and another tried to chop off his right foot with an axe in front of his grandchildren, one of whom was just four.

“We’re seeing a major increase in government-sponsored violence,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“The ruling party has been sending its allies after people it thinks voted for the opposition. Now anyone seen as opposing Mugabe is in danger.”

One activist, a 25-year-old fitter in hiding in Bulawayo, told The Sunday Times how he and two colleagues had been picked up by intelligence officers and forced to eat a poster of Tsvangirai. “You like him so much, now eat him,” they told him.

“Every day that passes, hope is seeping away,” said an aid worker in Zimbabwe. “This could very easily end up being yet another stolen election.”

Zimbabwe’s churches said yesterday that they had opened up their premises to victims of the violence.

Church leaders worldwide have declared today to be a day of prayer for Zimbabwe. “The current climate of political intimidation, violence, vote-rigging and delay has left the presidential election process without credibility,” read a statement from two senior Anglican archbishops, Rowan Williams and John Sentamu. “Now the people of Zimbabwe are left even more vulnerable to conflict heaped upon poverty and the threat of national disintegration.”

International pressure has continued. The top US envoy for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state, has declared Tsvangirai the clear winner of the presidential vote.

Tsvangirai has spent the past two weeks travelling round Africa trying to drum up support to pressure Mugabe to step down. After the weak response from Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, focus has shifted to the African Union (AU). Its chairman Jikaya Kikwete, president of Tanzania, has privately said that he would be willing to consider convening a summit on Zimbabwe.

Britain is hoping to get the United Nations involved and has managed to put Zimbabwe on the agenda of the UN security council this week. Proposals include an arms embargo and sending a UN envoy to Harare “with a tough message”.

At the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe was defiant. “When the West, led by the British, shamelessly continue to denounce our country, what is our crime?” he asked. “We are simply defending our hard-won national sovereignty.”

Paradoxes... Part One.

2008-04-25T13:20:00.002+08:00

Don't know what a paradox is?

Click here.

Here are a couple of paradoxes to think about. The paradoxes are obtained from:

Falletta: The Paradoxicon
Sainsbury: Paradoxes, 2nd Edition
Smullyan: What Is The Name of This Book?
Morris: The Ivan Morris Puzzle Book

I know, it's weird to put sources first, but I'm too damned lazy to type them out afterwards.

God is not all-powerful as he cannot build a wall he cannot jump .

A Paradoxical notice:
Please ignore this notice.

Ham Sandwich > Eternal Happiness.
Which is better, eternal happiness or a ham sandwich? It would appear that eternal happiness is better, but this is really not so! After all, nothing is better than eternal happiness, and a ham sandwich is certainly better than nothing. Therefore a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness.

The Simplest Liar Paradox:
This Sentence is False.
Is that sentence true or false? If it is false then it is true, and if it is true then it is false...

Tortoise > Achilles
Zeno's second paradox of motion, of Achilles and the tortoise, is probably the best known of his four paradoxes of motion. In this problem, the fleet Greek warrior runs a race against a slow-moving tortoise. Assume Achilles runs at ten times the speed of the tortoise (1 meter per second to 0.1 meter per second). The tortoise is given a 100-meter handicap in a race that is 1,000 meters. By the time Achilles reaches the tortoise's starting point T₀, the tortoise will have moved on to point T₁. Soon, Achilles will reach point T₁, but by then the tortoise would have moved on to T₂, and so on, ad infinitum. Every time Achilles reaches a point where the tortoise has just been, the tortoise has moved on a bit. Although the distances between the two runners will diminish rapidly, Achilles can never catch up with the tortoise, or so it would seem.

Sorites Paradox of the Heap:
Suppose you have a heap of sand. If you take away one grain of sand, what remains is still a heap: removing a single grain cannot turn a heap into something that is not a heap. If two collections of grains of sand differ in number by just one grain, then both or neither are heaps. This apparently obvious and uncontroversial supposition appears to lead to the paradoxical conclusion that all collections of grains of sand, even one-membered collections, are heaps.

Proving that 2 = 1

Here is the version offered by Augustus De Morgan: Let x = 1. Then x² = x. So x² - 1 = x -1. Dividing both sides by x -1, we conclude that x + 1 = 1; that is, since x = 1, 2 = 1.

Do you think monkeys speak French?

2008-04-22T00:22:00.005+08:00

It is generally inadvisable to slip on a banana peel strategically positioned next to an upright katana.

Even if you are not a video game character.

C'est la vie.

Choices, Choices, Choices!

2008-04-22T00:19:00.002+08:00

To clear things up, I am going to explain what a ‘posting window’ is. From the start, we’ve decided that each individual author take turns posting, with a days gap. Being a goody-goody I followed it.

Somehow the rule didn’t stick and there’s a flood of post ever since, which is good.

BUT I’m missing turns!

To amends things, I am barging in right now, regardless of what’s the date…

---

We face many in our lives, from the truly trivial to down right life-threatening.

An iPod or a Sony? No wait. That’s not a choice. The iPod gets it, regardless of what model, hands down.

Scorpions or Eagles? Urm… a bit difficult, but can I have both?

Frappuchino or Mocha Latte? See. Even a simple trip down to the local Starbucks can be a difficult thing, especially when you go during lunch breaks and you’re holding up the queue because you can’t make a decision.

And hand phones. Problem arises when we have an unlimited amount of budget, and when we have a limited amount of budget. Either way we will have a problem choosing a new phone.

No too mention the scholarship and university placement offers either. They fly out from every corner and sometimes you regret applying for so much.

Only that we wish a dice could be thrown or a coin be flipped to settle the debate.

But what if, one day, you receive a note, a random one. Straight to the point, without any riddles. Just simple and clear…

If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blonde school teacher.

If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work.

You have six hours to decide.

The choice is yours…

Dean Koontz, Velocity

So, what's it then?

Twack : Too damned good to be missed

2008-04-20T22:07:00.002+08:00

I know we're not supposed to over-post or it'll just kill it but this is just too damned good. Or so I think. ;)

Never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation.

“Idiot” says:
heya
“me” says:
hello : D
“Idiot” says:
watching pursuit of happyness
“Idiot” says:
the starting is damn sad
“me” says:
lol eh i read abt that movie
“me” says:
isit abt a rebellious kid?
“me” says:
eh wait no
“me” says:
its abt a man and his kid right
“Idiot” says:
rebellious kid
“Idiot”:
lmao
“Idiot” says:
its yea the man and his kid
“Idiot” says:
damn nice show
“me” says:
lol oh den he lost his job or smth right?
“me” says:
read on cleo
“me” says:
hoho now i sound smarter den i actually am coz i read cleo
“me” says:
YAY
“me” says:
lol.
“me” says:
ur busyyyyyyy
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot” says:
he lost one of his machine
“Idiot” says:
to save the car pay
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot”) says:
oh wow
“Idiot” says:
this is damn sad
“me” says:
hahahahahaha
“me” says:
are u depressed?
“Idiot” says:
OH SHIT
“me” says:
damn ur funny
“Idiot” says:
HIS WIFE IS LEAVING HIM
“me” says:
oh ok oh shit?
“Idiot” says:
eh its not a funny show ok
“Idiot” says:
oh mannn
“Idiot” says:
damn sad
“Idiot” says:
damnnnn sadasdasdasdasdfasd
“Idiot” says:
fas
“Idiot” says:
dfgs
“Idiot” says:
dfg
“Idiot” says:
s
“Idiot” says:
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH
“Idiot” says:
GRARRRRRRRRRR
“Idiot” says:
GODZILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
“Idiot” says:
oh wow.
“Idiot” says:
he got the job offer!
“me” says:
YAY!
“Idiot” says:
when his family left!
“me” says:
HE GOT THE JOB OFFER!
“me” says:
oh
“me” says:
no yay?
“Idiot” says:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo
“Idiot” says:
sighhh
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot” says:
so sad
“Idiot” says:
so sad
“Idiot” says:
wahhh
“Idiot” says:
wahhhhh
“me” says:
u are one weird handsome man lol.
“me” says:
boy
“me” says:
person
“me” says:
lolol
“Idiot” says:
damn sad
“Idiot” says:
...
“Idiot” says:
i feel like slapping u
“Idiot” says:
lol
“me” says:
ouch
“me” says:
: (
“me” says:
what happened to the "i feel like hugging you" phase
“me” says:
: (
“Idiot” says:
yalar ur spoiling my movie mood
“Idiot” says:
XD
“Idiot” says:
yalar hug
“me” says:
LOL
“me” says:
idiot
“Idiot” says:
hugz
“me” says:
can i copy paste this in the blog
“me” says:
lol i'll change ur display as idiot
“Idiot” says:
copy paste what?
“Idiot” says:
lmao
“Idiot” says:
change la change la
“Idiot” says:
then i
“Idiot” says:
will
“Idiot” says:
er
“Idiot” says:
i loseeee
“me” says:
hahaahahhaah
“me” says:
YAAAAY
“me” says:
lol i win woohooo
“Idiot” says:
yea
“Idiot” says:
lucky u
“me” says:
hahaah excuse me
“me” says:
takes more than luck darling
“me” says:
it's skill
“me” says:
HOHO
“Idiot” says:
rofl

Hah. who knew chatting could be so amusing. Or not?

TWACK : 5 Great Reasons.

2008-04-20T17:52:00.017+08:00

You take the breath right out of me.

You left a hole where my heart should be.

You got to fight just to make it through,
'cause I will be the death of you.

- breath

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

Five good reasons why you need to play your part this 22nd April.

1. My sister & her family plus my niece stay in Australia.

No I don't want them to get skin cancer and you don't either. Coz I'll hate you. RAWR!

Australia exposed to more UVUltraviolet (UV) radiation levels in Australia are higher than in Europe, even during summer. Being located close to the ozone hole over the Antarctic means much higher, more severe levels of UV radiation get through to ground level.During summer, the earth's orbit brings Australia closer to the sun than Europe during its summer, resulting in an additional seven per cent solar UV intensity. This, coupled with our clearer atmospheric conditions, means Australians are exposed to up to 15 per cent more UV than Europeans.

2. Polar bears are too cute to die due to melting of icebergs.

Scientists are very worried because ice is melting in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Animals, including polar bears, are also at risk of extinction.

This is because in the last 40 years, the ice has got thinner by 40%.
And with less ice around, polar bears don't have enough hunting ground for the seals they like to eat.

3. There'll be too much junk.

Till there won't be place for more shopping malls! :(

Imagine a world without malls =O

This modern world functions as a throw-away society. The price for that is a growing problem of how to handle all the waste that is generated. Precious space for it is decreasing. The solution is not just reducing, reusing, recycling and composting, but also a complete re-education of how we live. Fossil fuels, non-renewable natural resources that originate in the earth's crust, are being extracted from the earth at breakneck speed simply for human consumption. The chronology ratio of mineral formation to mineral extraction is remarkably high.
There are two ways to manage municipal solid waste (MSW). The high-waste approach involves leaving it somewhere, burning it, or burying it. Landfills, the symbol of the high-waste approach, have the proven reputation of preventing MSW from degrading, not to mention attracting a lot of traffic, noise, and dust to the surrounding areas.

4. Trees will die, Plants will die, Flowers will die.

Now where'll you get your roses for me from?

P/s I love white roses TQ.

There are between 5 and 30 million species of flora and fauna. The bulk exist in the tropics -- ten one-hectare plots of Borneo rain forest (below) can contain as many species of trees as all of North America. But we are destroying habitat and the biodiversity it sustains at between 1,000 and 10,000 times the rate of extinction before human intervention.

5. Earth Is God's Creation For Us.

And we want it to not only be here for us, but for our kids too. So please do your part and take great care of God's greatest creation for both you and I.

Whether you're a Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim or a freethinker like me, it doesn't differ much because the EARTH is God's creation for us mankind. Let it be Allah, or Jesus, or the idols you worship to, either way it was created just for us.

And if you love God as much as I do, please do what you're supposed to do. In fact do what you're supposed to do not only on Earth Day, but every single day of your entire life. :)

TQ & have a great day ahead!

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

This is about me. Me. ME!!! Okay.

Just the other day I had buffet dinner with my childhood best friend & her family. & I fell. In the restaurant. Note, I was carrying a plate with keropok & I was wearing a denim skirt with my pair of highest heels.

Yes my skirt was short so it sorta adds to the embarrassment : (

Nooo I didn't ambil kesempatan to publish my picture here tsk tsk I was merely showing you my skirt! Grr. Wth.

And my heels were that high.

I wasn't sure how I fell but I was quite certain I ended on the floor like that :

And all the keropok fell onto the floor :(

Then the woman working there was staring at me like I was some freak.

What? Haven't you seen anyone falling in a buffet restaurant? Pfft

Cheers.

Twack : Last day with Hewlett Packard

2008-04-18T08:15:00.003+08:00

good morning world ; )

Ah, beautiful day isn't it? Just wanted to let the world know I'll be blogging on the 22nd of April.

Special tribute to Earth Day.

Hah so much from me, the one who throws papers into the rubbish bin.

tata peeps.

-- A cheerful heart is good medicine.

Watch your mouth kid

2008-04-16T18:26:00.005+08:00

I seriously wonder why am I here...
How did I ended up blogging for the sake of the readers and not my personal interest...

But whatever the reason could be...
I have to blog..
I was admonished for my lack of responsibility and therefore I'm here..
Because I'm stuck between the devil and the deep sea..
Haha.. One is self pride and another is him.. XD
Ok enough about me... We shall move on to
________________________________

"Watch your mouth kid...."

Do you notice that people from all education level
speak the word of profanity?
people apparently love to swear...
yes curse!!

one of the famous ones is________.

Fill in the blank... I'm sure everyone is very familiar with this ilk of word....

Teenagers especially love to sing the words of profanity...

How unlikely would it be for you to not listen to this phrase at least once a day
"What the ****"

Pretty unlikely unless you are half deaf or you are acting all goody goody infront of your parents...

And the reasons (masks for lies) for profanity are

expression of anger... HAHAHAHA
everyone is using.. It is a culture.... cough cough
it is not that bad....

As the matter of fact...
IT IS BAD....

Can you image how painful it is to see this?
It may seem hilarious.. XD which in my opinion it is.. xD
But it is not good...
Because all of us are so used to this...
This ilk of profanity are no longer offensive!!

Imagine the anger in you when you are seriously angry showing this and the others just laugh it off thinking it is cute.. What the.....

Preserve it so it would be more meaningful.. XD
stop showing it off every once in a while...
Give the others a chance to prove it worth more than laughter
come on...
ops..
I mean.. stop this ignorance towards the this ill existence in humanity...
Proving us as nothing but a bunch of uncivilized and uneducated animals...
Stop this.. kill it

It is not like the dictionary is lacking of words for us to use right?
Come on, wake up and stop sitting on the dictionary of yours...
Be civilized.. And preserve foul words..
I mean.. Prevent foul words..
Watch your mouth kid...
Cause everyone is listening....

_____________________________
seriously... you may take the honor to kick me out of this now.. XD
I know I have brought disgrace to this Gaia...
kakakka
posted by
A girl filled with reasons for being lazy..

Hammarskjold Trophy Competition Speech

2008-04-16T12:45:00.001+08:00

This address was delivered by Victor Ching at the closing stages in the final impromptu round of the state finals of the Hammarskjold Trophy Model United Nations Security Council Competition, held in the Inner Chambers of the Western Australia Parliament house. This was a last ditch effort after a day of negotiations to convince the People's Republic of China to exercise its veto power to block a resolution placing full sanctions on North Korea.

Honorable President of the United Nations Security Council,

We have congregated here today to discuss the fate of Democratic Peopls's Republic of Korea, and to discuss whether to place sanction on the country. With reference to the Republic of Slovakia's earlier addresses, we would like to stress than while it might seem to right thing to do, we are strongly against against such blatant disregard for the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Who are the ones that suffer when embargoes and sanctions are placed on a country? The people. Who are the ones that have to cut back, from two meals a day, to one, when embargoes and sanctions are placed on the country? The people. Who are the dying ones in the street, desperate for one extra crumb of bread, desperate for one extra grain of rice? The people. We sit in luxury here deciding the fate of this nation, but we fail to recognize we are putting a death sentence on millions of North Koreans. Innocent people, who's only crime was to be on the wrong side of the earth. We particularly express our disappointment for the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in stopping such an overly harsh resolution from passing through this chambers.

The Republic of Slovakia further expresses its alarm in the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in blocking this resolution, seeing that if this resolution is passed, the United Nations will be authorized in invading this country. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's sovereignity is about to be breached here, if this very resolution passes this chamber. Was is not the United Nation's sworn duty, as highlighted in the preamble of its charter, to safeguard the sovereignity of nations? To prevent the scourge of war? This action is an invasion of the sovereignity of this nation. We once again, express our utmost disappointment in the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in trying to aid its ally.

Honorable President,

Who are we, a western dominated organization, to infringe upon the sovereignity of this country, this country with a proud history reaching back to more than a thousand years. Who are we, the outsiders, to execute the basic decisions for the country, and by that, taking the sole privileged of the country to decide upon where it wants its people to go, what it wants to do. Who are we, the Security Council, to decide why or what another state can't do. We say North Korea might causes a war. Well, the US has nuclear weapons and caused the Iraq war. Should it be taken away from them? We all take the assumption that what we decide is what is best for this society. By invading the sovereignty of this country, we are taking away its sovereign, its pride, its independent existence. Do we want another Iraq? I am sure most member of states voted against that war that the US indefinitely decided to ignore the UN and continued, even as the world opposed. This is why, I pledge to all members states, especially the People Republic of China, which the Republic of Slovakia wishes to extend its utmost alarm and disappointment, to vote against this resolution. Thank You.

PS: The resolution went through, with one opposing (Slovakia), one abstentions (People Republic of China), and thirteen approvals.

Fruitcake.

2008-04-15T15:20:00.005+08:00

This is the Gustave, reporting in.

College life is fast, hectic, and exciting.

Kind of like sex.

It may even be over before you know it.

And like sex, profound words of wisdom and acts that defy the laws of physics may even occur amidst the mind-blowing pressure and sweat.

MIND-blowing.

"Maybe some people have genetically straight pubic hair."
-Qirby, 1311, 09-04-2008.

Yes. She did say that.

No. We were in Asia Cafe enjoying roti telur bawang and puble tea.

Yes. That is spelt right...after Qirby found a "pubic" hair on the cover of her bubble tea.

No. It was not my hair. Pubic or otherwise.

And yes. Qirby made the quote of the week after I tried to convince her that pubic hair is curly.

Sarah: "You want to have Sex on The Beach?"

Gustave: "...Which beach?"

*Sarah bursts out laughing*

Gustave: "Oh right! It's a drink. Heh. Right?"

...Sometimes, during college (or sex), we reflect on the past, possibly even our high school life...

"My friend got suspended for a few weeks. I think he started a Mexican Wave in class."
-Victoria, 27-03-2008

...sometimes on the way to class in the morning we hear Chinese radio hosts trying to be the next Zen Tao Guru thing...

(translated from chinese)
"A kindergarten teacher shows her students a painting of a black dot on a sheet of white paper. She asks them what they see. They reply :'A black dot!' The teacher then says :'Class, that's the case in life. People will always focus on the bad parts of your character and miss all the good in you. It's time to look at the bigger picture of life.'"

...that actually seemed very profound and touching, taking into the account that I had about 5 hours of sleep and tend to be very groggy in the morning. But it makes perfect sense and fits as a metaphor just as an XL ribbed condom fits on 5-year-old's fist.

Ungh.

Yeah.

...what?

Fruitcake!

What if the kindergarten teacher showed them a picture of a WHITE dot on a sheet of BLACK paper?

I highly doubt that the answer would have been "A black mass engulfing a circular white spot."

A white flaggeracking spot.

That's what.

Speaking of Chinese wisdom...

"In waking a tiger, use a long stick."
-Mao Tse-Tung

Hmm.

That is definitely a war tactic.

Or practical advice for adrenaline-junkies.

Or a metaphor for sex.

Yeah. Probably a metaphor for sex.

...Aganrmas are wrods or prhaess mdae by minixg up the lterets of ohter wrods or pshraes...

The eyes
They see

Mother-in-law
Woman Hitler

Debit card
Bad credit

Astronomer
Moon starer

Desperation
A rope ends it

Election results
Lies - Let's recount

I'm sure we Malaysians can relate to the last one.

...and to cheerily top off this cherry ridden cherry fruitcake with big juicy banana...

Conversation.
VoicesRantOn.

Rock on.

Rock hard.

This is the Gustave, over and out.

20 Seconds Lapse - The Song.

2008-04-14T21:47:00.001+08:00

Note: We'll be cutting people end of this week.

20 SECOND LAPSE

Severing mountains above us
Stuffed rolls of cloud all fall away.
Echoing in a garbled mash of thick reverb
Meaningless and feverish.

oh.
how you hypnotise
remastered to lose the flak
with a world of expectations on your back
swirling thoughts tickle your mind
searching without hope of finding
because you don't know what you're looking for.

Feverish words.
Tell-tale migraines bursts
Felicitations in a morgue,
Dancing to the sound of the gat
Did you count on that?

for all the days,
parched lips so hurt.
both cracked and blistered.
you look so hurt
reality as a blank abstract dream
You look so hurt.

Things Fall Apart.

2008-04-14T20:52:00.006+08:00

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
WB Yeats (The Second Coming, line 1-4) - Featured prominently in the book Things Fall Apart

“People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them. This is what people have come to expect. It's not viewed as a serious continent. It's a place of strange, bizarre and illogical things, where people don't do what common sense demands.”

Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
WB Yeats (The Second Coming, line 5-8)

...Mugabe's government has come up with a brilliant plan to deal with the situation:

The central bank’s latest response to these problems, announced this week, was to declare inflation illegal. From March 1 to June 30, anyone who raises prices or wages will be arrested and punished. Only a “firm social contract” to end corruption and restructure the economy will bring an end to the crisis, said the reserve bank governor, Gideon Gono

Daniel Drezner, author of "Things Fall Apart in Zimbabwe"

"South Africa has had to tread a very careful path around the minefield of being portrayed as a Western puppet by Mugabe"
Chris Maroleng, Zimbabwean analyst

Twack : Really weird shiz.

2008-04-13T12:03:00.012+08:00

Editor's Note: Bear with it.

why hello earthlings. ;)

So just yesterday I was in mid valley, yes that super duper huge mall with hell lotsa people and beautiful things. i.e:my very very beautiful halter ;D no don't close the window but read on because this isn't any personal emo emo blog entry unlike my usual entries on my previous blogs. tsk, not like you ACTUALLY know who I am anyway.

So yes, sister and I went to gardens instead where it's pretty empty throughout the entire day, every single day of the week. Oh boy this is soo draggy. So okay we were at borders and I was reading this book when all of a sudden this HOODED STRANGER (green jumper with hood on his head) who sorta looked like that :

walked up to me and asked me for the time. Btw I lost my watch in the office and I'm really sad although it didn't work properly so I just wore it 'coz it looked nice. loool.

Okay anyway I told him the time after looking at my mobile phone and he took out a tommy hilfiger perfume out of his bag. Really weird.

So he said, "Hi, we're having a launch here later, so have you heard of this brand?This is not direct sales you can ask your friends to come along"... yada yada yada goes on and on. See it wouldn't be HALF as freaky if he wasn't in that hood of his.

No I didn't get abducted 'coz my sister came to the rescue. Apparently he asked her really weird questions when she went to the audio books section like "Have you watched this movie?"

No that isn't HALF as freaky if he wasn't in that hood of his. BUT REALLY why would you be walking around with a hood on your head IN BORDERS, GARDENS??? And why would you be askiNG RANDON QUESTIONS TO RANDOM PEOPLE! Even weirder WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THERE'S A LAUNCH FOR A TOMMY HILFIGER PERFUME when there isn't!

HOLY SHIT IS THIS FREAKY OR WHAT?

yes it's freaky. trust me I was shit scared.

I hope Wayne Paul Simon doesn't kick me out of 20secondslapse 'coz of this UBER boring blog post. No he wouldn't coz he's nice. tsk tsk, I'm such a suck up.

Okay so that was ONLY freaky event #1.

After walking in Gardens, sister and I went to Mid Valley to meet up with mom. Dropped into McD to get 2 cups of drinks. We were at the front of the line and suddenly this old woman came up to us speaking in canto asking us to buy her a cup of coffee. Don't remember if she touched us but she kept asking us to buy her coffee. So my sister just made that hand movement and said sorry. Hell I was scared of this old lady.

Not that she could carry us both into a super huge crane and chop us both into bricks to build a sewage but I WAS STILL AFRAID COZ IM A COWARD. But it's alright to be a coward 'coz I'm a girl and I'm Twack so everything I do is alright and everything I say is correct :)

Still the old lady wouldn't budge and asked for a buck instead. See what WAS really weird is that why would weird people be walking around McD & Borders but none of the staff shoo-ed them away! (not shoot, shoo-ed)

I mean THEY SHOULD coz i don't think I'll ever have the guts to go into Borders alone in my entire life coz I feel so violated now! : ( aww.

It's A THREAT TO THEIR CROWD AND CROWD BRINGS THEM BUSINESS SO HELLOOOO can't they at least ensure that there ARE NO WEIRDO FREAKOS who scare people out of their skin?

Man. This is long.

Conclusion : Gardens & Mid valley are scary places to shop in but they're still filled with beautiful things which I would buy once I'm filthy rich :) wheeeeee~

Things I pretend to know although I don't really know :

1. Think TNB Think Ten. (I'm Soo sorry I stole this)

2. What soap opera REALLY means.

3. What hudud is.

4. How to pronounce Caucasian.

5. How to put on make up.

Lmao. tata peeps.

p/s 22nd April's World Earth Day so do play your part in saving the world ;)

The Trilogy of Guitar Lessons.

2008-04-09T11:38:00.005+08:00

When my 'linkinwayne' account was still active (read: unbanned) on Ultimate-Guitar, I posted three guitar lessons on the site, and I'll be posting the exact same lessons here. For free. Un-edited. Which makes me cringe a bit, since I wrote them a long time ago.

The First Ever Lesson (True Blues Soloing):

This guide offers a basic overview of the Blues scale, with ideas and concepts which should lead you to a much better understanding of this wonderful scale. Who knows, you might even fall in love with it.

The Blues Scale:

|-1------------4----------|

|-1--------3---4---------|

|-1--------3--------------|

|-1---2---3--------------|

|-1®---------4----------|

Basically you play it in this way:

|------------------------------------------------------------------1-------4-|

|-------------------------------------------------------1------4-------------|

|--------------------------------------1-----3-----4-------------------------|

|----------------------------1-----3-----------------------------------------|

|-----------1----2-----3-----------------------------------------------------|

|--1---4---------------------------------------------------------------------|

That’s how the blues scale works. The ® marks the root of the whole scale, so if you’re playing it on the fifth fret, it becomes an A Blues Scale. Simple as that. Try remembering this progression and play it with increasing speed. For variations, play it backwards (note: for some reason, playing scales backward is faster 90% of the time).

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with this scale, we can start with all the nitty gritty stuff. Here’s a progression to try out:

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------1----4|

|-------------------------------------------------------------------1-------1--------|

|--------------------------------------------------1-----3----4-------4-------------|

|--------------------------------1----3----1/3--------------------------------------|

|----------1-----1----2---3---------------------------------------------------------|

|--1---4-----4----------------------------------------------------------------------|

This progression is a straightforward manipulation of the blues scale. Basically, you just play following the scale with a few skips here and there to create effect. It’s a very basic progression, without any guitar tricks (except a single slide to add depth), so it shouldn’t be any problem to master.

Alternately, move the whole progression down to the fifth fret, which makes it slightly easier to play. Once you can scale through this progression easily enough, try editing it to add your own feel to it without actually changing the original progression. I’ve left plenty of places to insert hammer-ons, pull offs, slides, and bends. An interesting thing to try in this progression is a double slide on the third string. Slide from (1) to (3), quickly pick it and slide down to (4).

An important aspect of the Blues scale is texture and feel. That’s exactly what you have to insert into every Blues-based solos. Blues scales work especially well with tricks like bending and sliding. Pepper this throughout your solo, and insert licks to maximize the scale’s potential. A good trick is to use licks based on the minor pentatonic scale (the one which corresponds with the Blues scale). So if you’re playing your Blues scale on an A, use licks based on the A minor pentatonic scale.

Back to progressions. Here’s an intermediate level one to try out:

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|------------------------5h7p5/7/8--[9b]---8/7b----------------------|

|---5--------------5h7---------------------------------------------------|

|------7--6--5~----------------------------------------------------------|

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

This is the first part. Very basic stuff, just work on the speed. You have to play this real fast, with expression and accent, to make it sound good. Note the [10b] which is a bend on the 10^th fret. This is from the A minor pentatonic scale and not from the Blues scale itself. Mixing a minor scale into the Blues scale creates an extra expression. On to the second part, then.

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|----------------------------------------------585858--[10b]--85-----|

|--------------------------57~--7----5~--------------------------------|

|-------------------57---------------------------------------------------|

|---5h6--7--765--------------------------------------------------------|

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

There. Slightly more complex in certain parts. Start out with a regular speed, around 2 notes per second, then when you hit the ‘765’ on the 5^th string, speed on at around 4-6 notes per second. Aim for a bluesy vibrating sound at the ~ areas. The group of ‘58’ at the second string has to be played very very quickly, and make sure you pick them out clearly. Once again, the [10b] is brought in from the pentatonic scale to add spice. Give it a nice quick bend and hit in the last two notes. The next part is all about speed.

|-----------------------00-----------00----------------------------------------|

|---------------------------------------------------------55--------------------|

|----5/7h8-57b--75---------------------57875~--5--77--57b--5(hold)---|

|-----------------------75~--5757~57~------------7-------------------------|

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

And that’s the end of this progression. Observe how you have to come in flying with a slide, hammer and bend rapidly in succession. Then, spam the notes (make sure you play the empty string too) with expression wherever needed. For this section, double string playing is used towards the end. You can pluck both strings quickly if you want, but an easier way is to strum both very quickly, creating a single note sound. Put all the parts of the progression together, familiarize yourself with it, and soon enough you’ll be able to personalize it to your liking.

That’s about it for Part One of this lesson. Really short I know, but it’s enough for basics. Play around with the scale and come up with your own progressions. For next lessons, I’ll show you how to mix scales professionally into the Blues scale and offer some riffs and licks. Till next time.

Needless to say, I never got to part two. Now for the other two lessons, which thankfully have more substance.

The Second Ever Lesson (Know Your Notes):

I originally planned to release a book combining my Absolute Guitar Beginner’s Foundation lessons with three different guitar systems that greatly accelerate learning.

Then my band turned into a solo project and I end up typing this as a single free article. Note that this lesson covers a single system that shows a quick and efficient way to memorize notes.

I noticed early on in my guitar playing history that there was a certain pattern to some notes. To be honest, I could not find any coherent way to link them and put them down to coincidence. Then I started dabbling more into the intricacies of the guitar and realized music theory probably covered such a system. I tried studying music theory, failed miserably, and decided that it did not, in fact, cover such a system.

After a couple more months of playing, I decided to write down all the ‘patterns’ I could find. My Christian Praise and Worship book helped me on this one. There’s a guitar fingerboard chart at the back of the book, see.

So anyway, the first pattern I noticed was the diagonal ‘F-B’ pattern. I got this my looking diagonally from the 6^th string. This meant I looked at 6^th string 1^st fret, 5^th string 2^nd fret, 4^th string 3^rd fret and so on. I got an ‘F-B-F-B-E-A#’ pattern for this. I got excited and checked it out on the other strings. It obviously did not fit. But I wasn’t disheartened. I cut down the number of notes in the pattern and got it down to the diagonal ‘F-B’ pattern. That seemed to work. And it did work for every single fret. Until I saw the 3^rd string 10^th fret was an ‘F’ note and the 2^nd string 11^th fret was an ‘A#’.

And so it went on. I spent a couple of hours everyday trying to discern a pattern. After a while, I decided to look directly downwards instead of diagonal. That seemed to work, but not every note fit. I got it down to a ‘D-G-C-F’ or something like that, working from the 6^th string downwards. As soon as it hit the 2^nd string, the ‘code’ stopped working. Very annoying, that. I looked directly at the open frets. From the 6^th string downwards, that’s ‘E-A-D-G-B-E’. The ‘D and G’ fit into my initial pattern. Nothing else did.

I spent some time on the Internet and checked out most of the major music forums. And I realized I wasn’t the first one to realize there was such a system. A note-unifying system, if you like. One particular thread coded out a particular pattern of ‘A-D-G-C-F’ with the note of ‘repeat pattern with #, then B and E’. Ah ha.

Take a look again at the open frets of the six strings. It follows the pattern perfectly, up to the 2^nd string. Let’s cut this tedious story short, shall we. Here’s a ‘natural order’. We’ll use the 6^th string as a direct reference. The number refers to the fret number of the 6^th string.

0 E

1 F

2 F#

3 G

4 G#

5 A

6 A#

7 B

8 C

9 C#

10 D

11 D#

Note that the 12^th fret is an E note, and the order repeats from there.

After a bit of charting out the notes (thanks to the help of my band members), I made the same conclusion hundreds of other musicians before me have probably made. I found the secret order of the notes.

Okay, I didn’t actually find it. But I did put in a considerable amount of hard work to work out the patterns. Anyway,

Use the ‘secret code’ from the 6^th string downwards. When you reach the 2^nd string, use the note that will precede it in the natural order. If it sounds confusing, take a look at the secret code and back at the natural order. It’s easy enough but I’m not sure how to further simplify the explanation.

As to how to memorize this secret code, any mnemonics will do, really. A simple one is to remember this acrostic:

All Dogs Go Crazy for Baked Eels.

Some time after I ‘discovered’ the secret code, my friend sent me a link to the Fret 2 Fret website. I bought the program. It was definitely a great method to memorize the pattern. The best part was the tabs, though. All in all, I didn’t regret not finding out the program earlier. All that hard work only served to further imprint the secret code in my mind. For those reading my article and are STILL not clear about how it works, please do check out Fret 2 Fret. I can’t remember the name of the guy who made it but it’s pretty user-friendly. And it’s a program so all the diagrams and stuff are nicely arranged.

The secret code is:

A-D-G-C-F-A#-D#-G#-C#-F#-B-E

Now for the final lesson, a really good one, this. Not just for guitarists, either.

The Third Ever Lesson (Song Structure: Plotting a Masterpiece):

You’ve got a great concept. You have a truckload of inspiration. The melody is impeccable. You’re all geared up to write the mother of all songs.

What next?

At the base of every great song is an amazingly solid structure. Everything else is a sidenote. The one thing that must be crafted with exceptional care is the structure. This is true for basically every possible song, even if you decide to sing blather over random free verse chords. The song structure has to be planned out clearly and coherently, and this guide is aimed at helping you do just that.

To make visualization easier throughout this article, I shall liken a song to a story. Let’s take a look, then, at a couple of normal parts of a song:

Stanza, Refrain, Chorus, Bridge, Instrumental, Narration, Coda

The stanza is the meat of the story. It serves to further the story, offer descriptions and basically tell the tale. The number of verses used is entirely up to you. It is vital, however, to maintain the momentum of the story. It’s better to have two clever verses than five incoherent, sub-standard ones.

What is the difference between a Refrain and Chorus? Quite simply put, the Refrain tells what MIGHT happen. It predicts the story outcome and is unsolved. The Chorus, on the other hand, covers what has already happened. In a song featuring Refrains, the final Refrain is commonly replaced with a Chorus to ‘reveal’ the conclusion. In other cases, the songwriter might decide to reveal the conclusion after the last Refrain. This is, again, completely up to personal taste.

The Bridge is basically a part of the song played over a melody distinctly different from the other parts. It usually acts as a climax. In Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, a ‘female’ voice is used for the Bridge to humorous effect. In this particular example, the Bridge also acts as climax and conclusion. An instrumental section is, of course, pretty much self-explanatory. A Narration is a section where you ‘talk melodically’. Hardly used nowadays, but there are some tweaked variations. Josh Woodward’s ‘Gallows Hill’ can be said to be a variation of the Narration technique. The Code is the ending section and usually refers to a fade-out ending.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at musical devices and the key factors in plotting a song. Here are three formulae that are simple and important.

Pitch + Volume = Tone

Tone + Rhythm =Melody

Melody + Lyrics = Song

Now to figure out everything we need to know about each of these aspects.

Pitch refers to a note range and is commonly divided into sharp and flat (or high and low). Volume, also known as dynamics, is the variation of softness or loudness. Take a look at another simple set of formulae below:

SHARP + Soft = False-voice

+ Loud = Sharp

FLAT + Soft = Breathy

+ Loud = Deep

False-voice and sharp are classified as TREBLE. Breathy and deep are classified as BASS. Note that flat + very loud gives us something unofficially termed as ‘Power’.

These formulae show you how you can modify volume and pitch to achieve a certain tone. Plan beforehand what type of voice you wish to use. Refer to the melody to make sure everything you sing fits. A simple tip is to modulate your volume according to the sections. Sing a bit louder at the chorus than at the verses. When the drum kicks in, you should also generally sing a tad bit louder.

Now that you have a strong foundation, here’s an insanely short guide to vocal techniques. At its loosest meaning, vocal technique is the usage of vocal production for every vocal mechanism. This refers to the unifying register (head, middle and chest). Get yourself a good vocal teacher to guide you through posture, breathing, phonation and vocalization. In case you didn’t know, you should practice dropping only your lower jaw when opening your mouth when singing.

There are tons of great columns on writing melodies and good lyrics, so I doubt I’ll touch on them in my short tutorial. Check them out, decide what works for you, and keep practicing. Songwriting is an art form in itself and should be treated thus. I can, however, give you a couple of words of advice for writing strong lyrics.

Never force your lyrics. Be natural. Rhyming dictionaries can be used online and can come in handy sometimes. Familiarize yourself with them to enhance your skill. Always remember that, above all, the way the words sound over the melody is the most important part of the lyrics.

Broaden your mind. I’ve written songs about my emotions, my friends, degeneration of society, the end of the world, love and an anarchy movement, among others. Everyday life serves as the ultimate tool for your creative juices to flow. For example, an expired tomato in a supermarket sparked a song complaining about supermarkets. That turned into a song about closing times (can you catch the double meaning?). That in turn evolved into a song about nights. Which led to shadows, which led to the song ‘Umbrage of the Night’. See what I mean? Inspiration comes from everywhere.

I hope my short guide has given you the confidence to write stronger songs and build on song structure as never before. Always remember, the foundation is the most important part of the song. Happy writing.

Introduction | Why Blogs Fail

2008-04-07T00:03:00.007+08:00

A bit harsh on the topic eh? Still it's on the later part of the post.

But for now...

Welcome all and for those who just arrived, we’ll have a round of flaming cocktails!

And for those who can’t indulge alcohols, here’s some freshly squeezed orange juice.

Cookies are in the jar. Or just on the table.

Everything’s on the house and enjoy your stay. In the meantime, pick up some worthy blogs to read (eg. this one) and don’t forget to share the cookies!

Kicking things off, here’s something that can be put to good use by the people here and the ones just passing by.

Basically everyone dreams of having a blog at the top of the search engine. But getting there in the first place without Googling your own blog name may be something a bit difficult to do with. That is why some people give up blogging altogether as they can’t find readers. Or it ends up as a dark and gloomy place to vent out back at your previous employer.

To achieve Internet success is rather, tedious or quite impossible, taking in regard the amount of people that too are trying to get what we want. So yes it is hard indeed.

That is why after reading through one and scattered thoroughly with my own opinions I have come up with this. Simple reasons why blogs fail and how to not fail them.

Link people (and comment too)
The essence of every blog is basically the readers. No matter how good or famous you are, without them your blog is just a sitting pile of virtual spam.

How to get readers in the first place? Advertise. Sell yourself. Work out the first move. Don’t expect people to randomly stumble upon your blog. Tell your friends. Put it up on your Facebook and whatnot. A signature in your emails.

Other than that you can cling onto more recognized blogs and sort of, spam or drop a comment with your link. And by comment I don’t mean things like:

“Hey, nice blog!”

“Cool. Love it!”

Or simply thick skinned with a one-liner:

“Link me!”

Those will not work no matter how cute they look. Give related comments towards the post. Something natural and doesn’t look like it came from a spam bot.

----

Don’t expect one-way traffic either. One someone drops a comment on your blog, comment back. Links are forged initially through mutual understanding. It is not going to magically attach together.

Most importantly when dropping a line try to refrain from initiating unwanted hostile relationships. You may not agree with his/her opinion but respect it. You can say it out in your comment, but know where to draw the line and stay within it.

Layouts/Presentation
Yes, they are important. Layouts may not have to be fanciful like those top notch artist. A minimalist approach would do. Try avoiding those fanciful glitters that will draw readers away from your writings and away from you blog. Colours and font sizes are essential as well.

I do not want to squint my eyes due to the small fonts or keep on rubbing them from the contrasting colours. And I am very sure the readers too.

Another important note is to try and set a good screen resolution and advise users upfront to set it to the recommended screen size.

----

Your posts will be the centre or the focus point of your blog. It is VERY important. Remember a few helpful hints:

Try not to post a wall of text. Divide your post into a few paragraphs so that readers can see a break between them. A wall of text is very daunting to go through, so expect the same thing when others see it.
Refrain from posting (excessively) with IM slangs and SMS lingoes.

[wut, l8tr, d, u, coz]

It may give the wrong impression noting that you may (but surely not) a little slow during English and spelling class.

Honestly, there’s a full QWERTY keyboard in front of you, not a number pad.

Grammar is not necessarily important as long readers can understand what you are trying to point out.

Content
An engaging content is what most readers look for. Controversial topics can be hot-cakes but avoid them if you are just going to make sweeping statements.

A foot long essay with 10 paragraphs about your pet rabbit that is surely not in the direct interest of your readers will not go down well. Try keeping your posts centred and focused. Random pointless ramblings may be fun, but if I were to read one from a total stranger, I couldn’t be bothered about it.

Applications
It may not give a direct impact but it can surely spruce things up a bit. Music players, chatboxes, photo slides etc. cuts the dullness from the blog. But importantly, try not to make it the main point of your blog if they are just for décor. Make it less intruding, especially music players. Not everyone may share the same music taste as you. Keep it in place where it can be easily seen and the Stop or Pause buttons within reach. Reading a good post with disturbing background music is undoubtedly, a turn off.

There we have it. Some tips that I would have loved to share with the fellow readers. If you have anything that you would like to add on, just drop a comment ;)

So.

2008-04-06T19:28:00.007+08:00

A fake smile to hide away a thousand tears.

What kids say:

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is

different.

You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

Billy - age 4

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

Terri - age 4

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

Bobby - age 7

Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never met.

I love you not because it is right, but because I love you.

Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.

Real loss only occurs when you lose something that you love more than yourself.

What do you live for when all you were living for is gone?

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake

and then subsides.

And when it subsides you have to make a decision.

You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.

That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love catches you when you don't want it to and ensnares you in a trap with no escape.

How It Works Out.

2008-04-04T23:06:00.002+08:00

Once everyone accepts, we'll have seven authors. That's three admins:

Wayne (Dictator-of-sorts)
Yench (Main Poster (boy) )
Hafiz (Graphics and Editorials)

and four normal authors, for those of you who can't do math that well.

This blog will have a maximum of nine authors in total. Why? Pshaw. It's a lucky number, fool.

How do we blog? Simple.

When you have something interesting/intelligent/witty to blog about, blog it. That's all there is to it. All I ask is that you give at least ONE DAY's gap between the last post and yours. Don't overkill. Spread it out.

Thank you.

And blog regularly. Or you'll be getting some warning jabs in the ass. Regularly roughly means once a week or so. Nothing too hectic. Thank you for joining.

P.S. After every post, you're allowed to leave a signature: Name, personal site, etc. Tell me if you want your personal site linked up.

P.S.S If you're going to insert lots of pictures in your post (read: more than 4 or 5), host them on external servers (Photobucket etc).