Friday, June 30, 2006

a tiring day

today has been a tiring day - been to seremban n nilai with the children (again). but this time is really tiring, coz

1: i didn't have enuf sleep. i knew tat i have to wake up at 6am++ today, but somehow, i just do not want to sleep yesternite, until i finished watching fear factor, and continued with "2 and a half man" comedy. it was a funny one - yesterday's episode was abt sex - literally, in a comedy manner. but it's universal - meaning even children can watch this.. so dun think too far folks..

2: one person managing 80ppl++. well, that's made up of abt 60+ children, and 20+ teachers. it's quite managable tho', but the fact that everyone needs some attention once in a while scavanged my entire energy. but i'm stil ok... until we went to the dragonfruit farm at 3pm, when the sun's scorching my skin. that's ok still.. until.. the 100+ children spotted a few 2-3mth old puppies wandering there.

at first, they point fingers.. then chase.. then hold up the pups.. then started kicking and throwing stones at the poor pups while laughing and running happily. poor pups were trying hard to find some hiding spots -in vain of course, coz the children were just too excited, they chased n screamed and bombarded the pups with stones and stuffs. And I was there, all the while shouting, giving warnings, and sometimes even slapping the children at the arms. it's tiring.

until the end i got really fed-up, i made up a horrible look, pointed at the exit, and shouted, "ALL OF YOU, OUT OF HERE NOW! OR ELSE I'LL START BEATING EVERYONE. BY THE COUNT OF THREE! 1...2..."

Most children started turning to the exit, but there are of course, the few stubborn ones who didn't believe that meant what i said. but eventually the crowd ceased...

3: it was a hot day. I brought only 700ml of water.. i was dehydrated. perhaps 5%. :p

Thursday, June 22, 2006

If a dog were a teacher...

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout..! run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

* an interesting article by www.petplace.com. =)

Thursday, June 15, 2006

John Q

Wow! few hours ago i just watched a wonderful movie by rtm2 - so wonderful tat i couldn't take my eyes n ears off it! oh boy.. the title of the movie is John Q, starring Denzel Washington (yep, i'm talking abt the handsome chap ;)

here's a critic from http://www.movieeye.com/reviews/get_movie_review/308.html, by Gareth Von Kallenbach. The reason why i chose him is bcoz i like the way he wraps up the story, n of course, i couldn't help but to agree with it. =)

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How far would you go to save a loved one? This is the question that for many of us thankfully will remain a hypothetical pondering. However for John Archibald (Denzel Washington), in the new Drama "John Q" the question drives him to stage a high stakes crisis where life and death are the only options.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes, "John Q" tells the story of John Archibald and his family, wife Denise (Kimberly Elise), and son Mike (Daniel E. Smith) as they struggle to cope in difficult economic times. John is working part time at his factory due to hours being cut, and his wife has just started at a grocery store. Despite the financial hardships, they are a loving and happy family who have good friends and are respected by their congregation and community.

Tragedy strikes the family unexpectedly when Mike collapses during a baseball game, and is discovered to have a failing heart by the doctors attending him. It is revealed that short of a transplant, Mike will not live much longer. The cost of the transplant is a quarter of a million dollars, and John is informed that his insurance will not cover the procedure.

Unwilling to let his only child die, John and Denise set about contacting various relief and assistance agencies in an effort to raise the money and save their son. Desperate to pay the rising costs, the Archibalds soon take to selling their possessions and accepting charity from their congregation but it is still far too little as they are denied assistance time after time by the bureaucracy.

Desperate to keep his son in the hospital after being informed of his pending release due to lack of funds, John takes matters into his own hands and takes the hospital's emergency room and several people hostage. John has a very simple request, all he wants is to have his sons name placed on the donor list so that Mike might have a chance to live.

During the hostage standoff, John has to negotiate with veteran police officer Grimes (Robert Duvall) who wants to end the standoff quickly and quietly. The efforts are hampered by the Chief of Police (Ray Liotta), who is more concerned about election year politics and his media image than in doing what is right for all parties involved. Further complicating the situation are Rebecca Payne (Anne Heche), as a hospital administrator more concerned with the bottom line than helping the public and Dr. Turner (James Woods), as the surgeon that can save Mike, but who is more concerned with policy and procedure than the human issue at hand.

The hostages John holds are a mixed group including a Hispanic mother, an expecting couple, an abusive rich snob and his girlfriend, nurses and guards and a smooth operator known as Lester (Eddie Griffin). It is the diversity of the group that leads to some of the more memorable moments in the film as the notion of health care in America is seen differently by each member of the group, and the film avoids the racial issue and instead relies more on the economic factors that for many determine the type and quality medical care they can receive.

While the film is dramatic, it rarely seems forced or contrived and the issues raised by the film are valid with no easy answers. The film also takes steps to show the other side of the issue, as while the bureaucracy is painted in a bad light, the audience is given some of the reasons behind their actions and decisions.

The cast is very good and Washington and Woods give outstanding performances without stepping on each other's toes. The ensemble cast works well and there is solid chemistry amongst all the characters. Perhaps the most enjoyable things about "John Q" other than the fact that it entertained, was that it informed without preaching nor making broad generalizations. The situation in the film was shown as what happened to one family without making broad references about this sort of situation happening to everyone. "John Q" is a well-made and informative film that was a pleasant surprise.
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The thing that really captured me in the movie was how loving the dad, mom n child were - they have respect n love to each other, and best of all, they have faith in God. There were sentimental moments where John talked to his wife Denise & son Mike over the phone during the hijack in the hospital's emergency room. One of the hostages is a cardiologist capable of doing heart transplantation. At the end of the day, as John was pushed even further to the corner by the negotiator & policemen preying on him outside the hospital, he decided to give up his own life and transplant his heart to his son (he was tested a suitable donor). This is the climax of the movie when John gave his few last words to his son, among which he told Mike that he'll always be with him, while placing his hand onto Mike's chest. Heart.

So did John die in the end? Haa... if the main character dies, then the movie will not fit into the list of my favourite movies. ;) Watch the trailer: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0251160/trailers-screenplay-E15629-10-2

ps. I recommend another movie - a similar one, "The Negotiator" starring Chicago's two top negotiators, Samuel L. Jackson as Lt. Danny Roman who desperately needed to prove his innocence by holding hostages and Kevin Spacey as Lt. Chris Sabian who tried to help Danny find a way out of the mess. Great movie. =) Watch the trailer here: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0120768/trailers-screenplay-E10026-10-2

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Fog vs Mist vs Cloud

I was on the top of the hill sometime ago enjoying the beautiful scenery with fog flowing past me. Then a question provoked me, "Y do u call it fog, and not mist? wat r the differences? y fog and not cloud?"

so i did some homework and heregoes...

definition from Compact Oxford English Dictionary; www.wordsmyth.net; pamela's conclusion:

FOG: a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface which obscures or restricts visibility; a thick cloudlike mass or layer made up of tiny water droplets suspended in the air near the ground; fogs are near earth surface

MIST: a cloud of tiny water droplets in the atmosphere, limiting visibility to a lesser extent than fog; a concentration of droplets of water or the like suspended in the air; mist is much lighter & smaller & simpler than fog

CLOUD: a visible mass of condensed watery vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the general level of the ground; a visible body, usu. white or gray, of fine water droplets high in the earth's atmosphere; cloud is a body.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Fixed # 7

it's been almost 6 mths since i last updated my Fixed! oh goodness.. ok, here goes..

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KL, 26 December 2002

It was a sweet day indeed, Jack, he's back to my life, finally! Tassy smiled ear-to-ear all the way back to her home. She took out her photo album and held it close to her chest. Jack.. she smiled, how I missed you! She flipped the first page. It was her friends' convocation pictures. She smiled. Flipped.

Her heart sank suddenly. Staring straight at her was her little pet chick at his cutest points in life. The pictures of Kiki, from few-day to few-week-old were nicely cut and decorated in her album. Tears started pooling in her eyes. It was 2 years ago. Yet it was like yesterday.

Everyone had advised against her idea to relocate Kiki in her friend's horse ranch - a place where birds of all kinds get to roam and eat freely, in short, it was a heaven for chicken. At least in her eyes. The day she first brought Kiki to the ranch, all other chicken had isolated him. Poor Kiki was so terrified of his new environment, he kept running for safety under Tassy. Kiki had trailed after her everywhere in the ranch, longing for her to bring him back home - to her house. Though her heart was very heavy and sad, she had thought that that was the best decision for Kiki. All he needed is some time for adaptation. I'll visit him every evening.. he'll be fine.. How wrong was Tassy.

5 days later, she received a call from the ranch telling her that her chick was sick, very sick. Troubled, she rushed to the ranch , wishing for Kiki to be fine. She walked around the ranch calling out for Kiki in the dark, hoping to find him quickly. Then she heard the familiar peeps n chirps answering her calls. She followed the sound. Fast. Kiki? There he was, in a cat cage. "I've placed him in a cage... afraid that he'll be hurt.. injured.." she recalled her friend's voice.

Quickly she took Kiki out to the ranch office where the lights were on. To her horror, Kiki's right leg was very swollen, right up to the thigh. It was greenish (gangrenous) and smelt putrid. Dried muds stuck around and stained his once cute yellow feathers. Tears started streaming down Tassy's cheeks. Kiki.. I'm sorry.. u must have suffered.. I'm really sorry.. sorry... dun worry, I'm here now.

Kiki was not able to touch his right foot onto the ground. All he could do was to hop with his left foot. Tassy brought him home immediately, washed him clean with warm water and cleaned the wound. You're gonna be fine.. promise me you will.. All the while warm tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Tassy's family members were unusually quiet that night. Her mom had quietly watched her clean Kiki's wound with tears making puddles on the floor.

Early next morning, Tassy had brought Kiki to her trusted vet, wanting only one answer, "He'll be fine." Lady luck was not on her side. "The leg can't be saved... septicemia.. chance of survival.. dogs may survive with 3 legs, but a chicken with only one?" Her heart felt a pang. Mind messed-up. Her lacrimal glands had stopped listening to the brain and poured out its content uncontrollably. Tassy had wished someone was there telling her what was the next best step. But she was Kiki's owner. Guardian. Parent. She decided to stop Kiki's pain.

The vet took out a syringe filled with pentobarb & looked at her. "I can do it for you if you wish. But ur going to be a vet one day... there are situations which you must learn how to handle..." She nodded. She knew it, understood, but there was no way she could accept it. How?

Her right hand took over the syringe. She had started sobbing, her entire body trembled. She took Kiki out of the box. His eyes were half closed, barely responded to her – too tired, or perhaps too much pain? She took a deep breath, held Kiki firm, and poked the needle into his peritoneum.

Suddenly, Kiki’s eyes opened wide and he gasped. Tassy gasped in shock. No! What happened?! She had almost screamed but at the instance Kiki’s eyes closed and laid still in her palm. She looked up at the vet, horrified. “He’s in peace now,” he gave her an empathic slow nod. Behind him, through the tinted glass she saw her senior who was already a vet then, standing there watching her - his eyes melancholy.

She closed her photo album. It was still like yesterday. I’m sorry Kiki, I am.. really… Kiki…

Thursday, June 08, 2006

mosquis-extermination!

today im going to talk abt a popular, infamous subject - the mosquitoes.

as you know, there are many genera of mosqui like Aedes, Culex, Anopheles, just to name a few. but im not talkin abt their names today, i'll talk abt how to eLiMinaTe them. total annihilation, if possible. ahem.

our gov will sing songs like, "jangan biarkan air bertakung" n sorts, which is true. but if there are mosquis buzzing around ur head, wat do you do? dun tell me you'l go pouring the water in the tanks... prevention is important of course, but killing-without-questioning is just as important (to immediately alleviate the level of stress in us).

ok. first. go purchase a zapper - mosquito electrical racquets. it's widely available in the market, n u can get them home at less than RM10. (dun buy insecticides! 1st they pollute the air, 2nd they're poison, 3rd they're super temporary. 5-10min, n the same mosquis are back haunting u).

Get one with good quality, in the sense tat the electrical wires are knit closely together, to reduce chances of the mosquis flying THRU ur zapper. Make sure the batteries function well. Bring along some papers to crush the mosquis. Zapping shocks the mosquis off consciousness, but the papers kills em. Wear short-sleeved shirt n short pants. They're wonderful baits. ;) *slurrp

Take a deep breath.

Then run quietly to a dark corner in ur hse, turn on the lights. immediately u'll see mosquis squirming around u, without any hesitation, start zapping! After each successful zapping crush the mosquis using the papers! Repeat this until u hear no more buzzing.. then take a look at the papers..

huh.. sigh of relief.. you have killed at least 10mosquis in less than 10min. now you can return to your work (play pc/watch tv/etc) knowing tat at least 10mosquis are now dead.

Now, if the mosquis r ur die-hard enemies: go to all corners of ur hse, doing the same zapping procedure. And also, prepare a dark container/cup, fill it with abt 100ml of water, put it in a dark, sheltered place. Every 4 days, pour the water onto the road. Within a month's time, you'll realize tat the mosqui population have significantly reduced.

ahah... showing that my trick worked. Oops, u dun have to thank me.. just spread the info around.

ps. if u stay near upm, do go to the aquatic unit, grab some copepods there and start culturing them at ur home. it works. Trust me. =)

Have fun...

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

making chocolates is eZ

i remembered when i was small, there's this fantasy story book by Roald Dahl, "Charlie and the chocolate factory" talkin abt the adventures in a chocolate factory.

last monday i went to one, I'm sure my fellow coursemates are very familiar with this, "Beryl's Chocolate Factory" in Seri Kembangan. it was a simple factory, i mean it's simple and small, compared to a bread factory. n definitely not as complicated as i remembered in the story book.

Making chocolates is easy. First the 4 main ingredients: cocoabutter, cocoa mass, milk and sugar. These 4 items are ground and blended into one: chocolate powder. Deng deng deng! so chocolates are made using this chocolate powder. ;) easy, rite?

Now for a little advanced technology. Remember the round/oval hazel nut, almond chocolates in the supermarket? ever wondered how they're produced? Very simple also, first they pour all the nuts into a revolving pot, then slowly n steadily the chocolate powder is poured into the pot, a process tat lasted for 1hr +. the revolving activity allows the chcolate powder to stick onto the nuts, tat's how we got those round chocolate with nuts in the centre. ;) easy, rite?

on the way back to tadika school, as i was bz sending sms in the bus, the children suddenly chorused - word by word, very clearly. i was wondering, "wat's going on?" soon i found tat they're actuali singing in chorus the song, "tong hua" by guang liang. wow! they're just kindergarten n std 1 & 2 kids! n all of them were singing so loud, so proud of their voices even tho' most of them went off tune. n tat made me so proud of them also. After tat they followed with another song, "Lao Shu Ai Da Mi!"

oh my... i was reali amused with the kids, smiling ear to ear all the way till they reached the tadika. And one of them, an 8-yr ol boy looked exactly like Junior - Patrick's 10-mth-ol son - with the same grinny eyes, and smile. I wished i had my digi cam with me, then i can take his pic n keep it. ;)

adorable kids.