Vegetable

Can anyone tell me what vegetable this is, and what I can do with it?

This morning I had a dream. I dreamt that my mum was still alive, although she was already sick then. And for some reason, she was ordering plenty of soft drinks to be bought, I think maybe for chinese new year. And I was sitting beside her, thinking to myself, what will we do when she's gone?

And then I woke up.

What would you do when a stranger on the street asks you for money?

I used to be unable to somehow say 'no' to them, feeling guilty if I do so. Most especially in Malaysia where you'll get (usually) chinese secondary (or maybe primary) schoolgirls coming up to you in a shopping complex and starting a spiel, (in mandarin usually) which I do not understand but get the gist of, about why I should buy (almost always) something from them to donate to their charity cause. I never did understand the why, as I never understood mandarin, but it was difficult for me to jump in and say "sorry, I don't understand", most especially when they had started going on their (I'm quite certain) pre-practiced speech. There was this one time when they wanted to sell a pack of pencils for RM 20 (or was it RM10). I told them, "I'll gladly donate RM5 to your cause, but I don't want your pencils" to which they replied "Cannot, must buy". Don't think I bought from them, but I think I donated during the very first time I encountered them, and then said no to all the others after that.

Anyhow, that's in Malaysia. In Melbourne though, you have people asking you for change on the streets. The story is always very similar, "Can you spare some change for me, I've a daughter at home to feed and we have no food to eat". And I, being a sucker for sob stories, remember once donating to a guy saying that, only to find that 2 hours later, at the same spot, the same guy came up to me again and asked the same thing, and I asked him "But you already asked me just now". And the moment he heard that, he ran off. But that's only some small change (not so small after you convert it to ringgit though).

The other time, in the train station, this guy came up to me and asked "Sorry, but I lost my wallet yesterday, and I need to buy a daily ticket to go home". I said I had nothing, but he said "Open your wallet and check please". And I actually did. Gave him 4 dollars in coins, had nothing left, he then proceeded to ask me for notes, saying that if I give him 10 dollars in notes, he'll give me 5 dollars back. And because he needed about 8 bucks to get a daily, he continously asked for more money, everytime saying the same thing, whereupon if I give him a larger note he'll return the change. What happened in the end was he took 16 dollars, bought his damn ticket, I asked him for my 8 dollars change, and he only gave me 3 dollars, saying "sorry that's all I have left, no more", and then he walked away. So I lost 13 dollars there.

Most will say that I was stupid, actually taking out my wallet. But my conscience dictates that you should help people in need. Even so, from that incident, I have now decided not to give anyone on the street money anymore, and have rejected a few attempts already, but always feeling guilty doing so. What if they really need the money?

Even yesterday, on the bus, this guy already sitting there, upon seeing me embark, told me to come over, and started his story: "I'm in a little bit of a situation here, you see, I've spent all my money, and I need to get home and blablabla (I zoned out at that point), and there's this shampoo I bought..." I told him that if he was asking for money, I don't have any to spare right now, sorry. The problem is this. I lied.

Of course its easy to say that being an international student I'm on a tight budget. But the thing is, if I can spend money on games, I can definitely spare some money to help someone in need, right? You could say that he was just looking to get some easy money anyway. But I say this. If he was desperate enough to resort to these kind of methods to get money, he definitely was in need of some money. You won't get a business executive who has more than enough money resorting to these tactics. Thus, was it right for me to lie to him?

My conscience is telling me, No.

What would you do?

Slim River Bus Crash

While it is saddening to read of deaths in the news, it is indeed more saddening to read about how it occured. Personally, its difficult for me to actually feel the depths of emotion associated with the death while reading about it in the newspaper. Its easier for me to read it, note it, and then turn the page.

However, when I found out that the particular girl in mention was a girlfriend (I think) of one of my juniors in high school, the reality of it suddenly hit much closer to home. I feel myself put into his shoes, and wondering how it would feel. Sudden death is much harder to deal with, I think, compared to a death that you have time to prepare for. When my mum was struggling with cancer for a year, I had that year to sort of steel myself for her death. As much as I did not want to think about it, sometimes, the thought does sometimes come unbidden to the mind, and in that way, I was sort of prepared to accept the inevitable, if and when it happened; and it did happen.

In this case, a life is taken suddenly, and it all just seems so wasted. That's why my thought goes out to the families and close ones of those who died on the bus.

Which brings me to another issue. With no disrespect to the girl in question, I'm wondering why she got so much more coverage that the other people (peoples?) who died in the same crash. I'm also not sure how many people actually died in that accident. I vaguely remember reading that there were 3 deaths, but then, looking at other reports, there were only 2. The first time I read about the accident, they were reporting that a girl died. A google search on her name turns up the said newspaper report, plus 6 or 7 other blogs on the same issue, all condemning the driver and the bus company, and wishing the girl's family well, and everything, but the same google search on the guy's name (obtained from Jayelleenelial) turns up nothing related.

Why is this?

Is it because she is a JPA/PSD scholar? Is it because she's studying medicine, or because she was a straight A student, a state swimmer, or an accomplished Girl Guide? Or is it because she has more friends, who all have access to blogs and therefore have more means to spread the news?

I hope I don't sound like I think the wide coverage on her death is a bad thing. No it is not. I too hope that the bus driver and the company would have action taken against them. I just want to know, who are the other person (or was it 2) who died? I'm sure their lives are no less valuable compared to the girl's, so where is the coverage on them?

To read more about this, just go to clink on the link to Jayelleenelial's site and there will be other links from there as well.

Let's return to more familiar grounds, food.

Before I begin, I wish to declare that this post is a parody of Ironeaters' post on Lim's Nyonya Hut, and since I do not know each of them personally (no, the 'JW' mentioned in that post is not me), I apologise for parodying their stuff.

So.

Just how far am I willing to go for Char Kuay Teow? Approximately 6372 km actually.

Lol.


Look, there's a huge ass prawn there too. Its camouflaged, though, have to strain your eyes a bit.

There was also Wan Tan Mee. Not really my favourite, but I'll just put it here anyway. As long as it looks nice ya?


Looking at the picture again, I must say it looks rather appealing, this plate of noodles. Even the Char Siew looks very clean and fresh, if 'clean and fresh' could ever be adjectives for Char Siew.

And look! A Dead Fish Head.


I guess the only animals I like are dead ones. On a plate. And this one was particularly delicious. Especially the eyeballs. Oh, yes, the eyeballs. And the cheeks. And lips. Oooh. So succulent and juicy.

But I'm not a cruel person, really, I'm not.

Have you ever heard of the saying "Can't see the forest for the trees"?

I have.

It means that people can be too caught up in the details of a problem that they are unable to see the problem as a whole. It might mean that you're stuck at question 2 of your 100 question paper, and spend 2 hours trying to figure out question 2 that you forgot you have 98 more questions to go. It might also be the reason why people are unable to comprehend why Rafa Benitez did not play Fernando Torres against Birmingham at Anfield last week, a match in which Liverpool failed to win. It is also the reason why I am unable to comprehend why Rafa did not play Torres last week. But I digress.

Its a common saying, well accepted in the proper English speaking world.

However, how about a reverse of the same saying.

How about, "Can't see the trees for the forest"?

I suppose this is when you're unable to see the details due to the sheer enormity of the problem itself. When you are paralysed by the size of the problem, and are unable to take the first step to solve the problem.

Because everything that you do requires you to actually start doing it first.

And I suppose I'm wondering myself, what's the point of this whole post. And I don't have an answer.

I remember English in Form 5. My teacher Mrs Chandra (I think) asked of us to write one article every week. It was called 'free writing' where we could write anything we wanted, and just generally be expressive. I always had no idea what to write. There was once when I even lifted a whole article from a writer that I read on the internet. Of course, I quoted him, but then again, I didn't write anything of my own.

And this is where I shall end this time.

Good day.

I had a dream yesterday.

I saw this ad in the newspaper, claiming that a certain celebrity whom I can't remember was to be performing at this certain shop, which I also cannot remember, on that day.

So off I went rushing to the shop, only to discover a notice on the door of the shop saying: "You have been April Fooled!" I then suddenly remembered that the day was indeed, the first of April, and I chided myself for falling for such a cheap trick.

But I had 2 burning questions in my mind then.
Is today really the first of April?
If it is, is the first of April really April's Fools Day?

What is intelligence?

In his book 'More Games for the Super-Intelligent', James F. Fixx has this to say about intelligence:

... We can agree, too, on at least one other thing: intelligence is well worth having. Intelligence has, to be sure, landed more than a few of its possessors in deep trouble. One thinks, for example, of the student who on a physics examination was asked to describe a method for determining the height of a building by using a barometer. Finding the expected answer obvious and uninteresting, he outraged the educational authorities by giving the two alternate methods: (1) drop the barometer off the building's roof and time the interval until it smashes on the ground; (2) find the owner of the building and say to him, "If you tell me how tall your building is, I will give you a good barometer." ...

There was also a third method proposed: find the owner of the building and say to him, "If you don't tell me how tall your building is, I'll break this barometer over your head."

Haha.

Happy National Day!

Who is the shampoo bandit?

*News alert!*

Residents of Ormond College awoke this morning to find all their toiletries gone. Any thoughts they were isolated events were soon dispelled upon further investigation, whereupon they found the following notice posted up around college walls:


Although the author of this article found the whole event amusing, seeing that he's from Malaysia (and thus paranoid) and keeps all his toiletries in his room, the sentiment was not shared amongst his friends. Here are what some of his friends had to say about the Shampoo Bandit:

"Its not so amusing when you wake up and find that you can't brush your teeth. I had to break open a new toothbrush." -Meisze.

"They took away my shampoo. I have no more shampoo now." -Roland, while shaking his head in disappointment.

"Not only did he take the shampoo, he took everything that could be taken from the bathrooms. I'm gonna kick his ass if I find out who he is." -Eileen, while making a sandwich.

"I'm not affected by it since I keep my stuff in the room." -Jon, nonchalantly.

"Heheheheehehehehehehehehe." -Renata, giggling evilly at other people's misfortune.

"I wasn't affected, but I'm still angry." -Philip.

Some people even scribbled the word 'Asshole' on one of the posters.

Questions must be asked about the Shampoo Bandit's motivation. What drives him to such an act? What did he gain from it? All the items taken hostage were at the vesti to be collected, thus the Shampoo Bandit did not derive any material gain from his act. It only served to inconvenience some of the college residents.

Looking at the poster, one cannot help but think that the Shampoo Bandit is issuing out a challenge to all residents of Ormond. Draping an Ormond gown over his head, complete with sunglasses, he seems confident enough that he will not be caught to even reveal two fingers for identification.

However, is he misleading us? Could it be that there is more than one person involved in this?

Seeing that it was a college-wide event, could it be that it wasn't the work of the Shampoo Bandit, but the Shampoo Bandits? Suspicions abound that there is a secret group working underground, masquerading as one person.

Ignorance is bliss

Sometimes, having less information is better than having a lot of information.

Now, I'm a person that hates being put on the spot. I hate being in a situation where I have to speak to a group of people, or perform something (like a music exam). I hate knowing that everybody is watching me, that I'm the man of that particular moment. If I know I have something like that coming up, I'd have sleepless nights up to one week before the event.

On Thursday, I was asked by my AMS supervisor to attend the ethics committee meeting, during which they'll discuss whether they will approve my project or not. My supervisor said "I don't foresee any problems, and I'll probably be doing most of the talking anyway."

So I went along, not having prepared anything at all, happily spending the night before playing DotA and relaxing.

Had I known that they were going to ask me a whole lot of questions about my project, I'd probably have countless sleepless nights before Thursday morning!

Ormond Minimap

This is an map of Ormond drawn by some of the orientation committee members during orientation week.

I find it amusing and that's why I'm putting it up.

This morning, I braved foggy conditions to obtain my copy of Harry Potter.


I am now going to read it.


On a more amusing note, I took this excerpt from The Age:

"As Pottermania gripped Australia, a 21-year-old Canberra fan took the extreme action of diving into the frigid waters of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin when he dropped his pre-purchase receipt yesterday afternoon.

The receipt provides proof that he - like many fans wanting to ensure they were among the first to read the book - had pre-ordered a copy.

A security guard pulled the man from the water about 4pm (AEST) when he was found splashing around searching for his receipt.

He was stabilised by paramedics after suffering suspected mild hyperthermia and taken to Calvary Hospital in a stable condition."

I know that I shouldn't be laughing at other people's misfortune, but I can't help but think, this guy now won't get to read his copy of the book because he's in the hospital! And I wonder if he actually found his receipt.

Transformers

is

simply

the

most

awesomest

movie

that

I've

seen

in

a

long

time.

Riddle Me This

A boy hit his head and suffered from severe head injuries with profuse bleeding. His father then took the boy to the emergency department and they were sitting there waiting when the neurosurgeon walked in and exclaimed, while pointing at the boy, "That's my son!"

How could this be?

Was in Sunway Pyramid today and as I was leaving, I saw this on my car's windscreen.


They have cleaned it wor. How come they so free wan?

Ooh!


Aah!

I'll be doing my AMS next semester at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre. Been trying out lots of different public transports to get me there, but I realised that the public transport to the place is not good at all.

I have take a bus, then a train to a different stop where I catch yet another train, and then a 40 minute scenic walk in some park, which involves me crossing a river on a creaky one-path bridge, hiking through a jungle trail, walking uphill and then downhill before finally reaching where I want to go.










Of course, this is only the sign. I still have to walk further before actually getting there.

As I was walking back to college the other day, returning from my final exam paper, I felt as free as a bird. I felt as if a big weight that I had never realised was there had been lifted off my chest. It was as if it had accumulated so insidiously that you I just never did realise it was there all along. And the sense of being free was liberating. However, the joy that I expected that I would feel didn't arrive. Instead, I sort of felt a bit sad.

Without exams to keep my mind occupied, it now wandered to other thoughts. Thoughts that I think were there all along, close to the surface, ready to emerge, had I but spared a moment to actually consider and ponder their meaning and implications. The fact that a lot of us will not actually meet up again on a daily basis saddens me.

Semester 5 has officially ended. That means two and a half years since I first came to Melbourne. Seems like a long time, but consider the fact that we still have three and a half years left. One year of AMS research followed by another two and a half years of clinicals. For the AMS research year, most people are doing different units, and some are going overseas to do theirs as well. For the clinical years, we are divided into a few different clinical schools. The final opportunity to actually get together as a whole group of medical students will come and go this Monday, when we have our third year farewell dinner.

I suppose that's what human nature is all about. We always want what we do not have, and when we do get it, we want even more and fail to appreciate what we have already got. I'm sure not many of us actually enjoyed going to lectures every day. I'm definitely not one of the people who enjoys lectures, however, I actually appreciated them for the opportunity for us to get together as a group, which gives us a sense of community, a sense of togetherness, even if I do not actually know a lot of my coursemates. Now that we don't have anymore lectures as a group, I wonder how many people will actually miss the lectures for the simple fact that we won't have any opportunity to get together anymore. Or am I just one of the minority?

Fruits

I have a one week study break before having 4 exams next week, after which I'm done for Semester 5.

That means I really don't have anything to talk about.

But for the sake of not wanting to keep this page stagnant, I shall put some pictures up.

First, we have apples.


Then, some bananas.


And to top it all up, one nice juicy red apple.