Date: 12th May 2012
Time: 7pm
Venue: Whole Earth Peranakan Thai Vegetarian Restaurant Singapore
"Leisure"
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad day light,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad day light,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
from Songs Of Joy and Others (1911)
Leap year: 2012 is a Leap Year
Why do we need Leap Years?
Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (a tropical year) – to circle once around the Sun.
However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!
The Chinese Leap Year
The Chinese leap year has 13 months, with a leap month added about every 3 years. The name of a leap month is the same as previous lunar month. The leap month’s place in the The Chinese calendar varies from year to year. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, 2006 was a leap year in the Chinese calendar. To determine a leap year, calculate the number of new moons between the 11th month in one year and the 11th month in the following year. A leap month is inserted if there are 13 moons from the start of the 11th month in the first year to the start of the 11th month in the next year. The leap month does not contain a principal term (Zhongqi).The Chinese calendar has been used for centuries and observes the movement of the sun, moon and stars.
'Twenty years from now
you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do
than by the ones you do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.'
- Mark Twain -
Total Defense Day
1942 - Remembering 15 February
By: Derek Liew
The date 15 February holds a special significance in Singapore's history. It was on this date 70 years ago that Singapore, then under British rule, fell to the Japanese. This day not only marks the Fall of Singapore and commemorates those who died during those tumultuous years, but is also designated as Total Defence Day, a day to remind all Singaporeans of the need to be self-reliant in the defence of our country.
After landing in northern Malaya and southern Thailand on 8 December 1941, it took the Japanese 25th Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita only two months to sweep down the length of Malaya and reach Johore Bahru, forcing the British, under General Arthur Percival, to retreat all the way to Singapore. On 8 February, the Japanese crossed the narrow Straits of Johore into Kranji and Sarimbun, beginning their invasion of Singapore. For the next seven days, the British put up stiff resistance but were no match for the Japanese. They were steadily pushed back to the city perimeters, losing control of the reservoirs along the way. On the morning of 15 February, the beleaguered General Percival consulted his senior officers on the best course of action. The consensus was to surrender. That very afternoon, General Percival led a delegation to the Ford Factory and around 6.10pm, the surrender documents were signed, signalling the start of the Japanese Occupation.
During the three and a half years of Japanese Occupation, both combatants and civilians suffered greatly. Most of the prisoners-of-war were incarcerated in the Changi area, with many sent to work on the Death Railway in Thailand. The civilians were not spared from the brutalities of war too, as they had to endure the Sook Ching Operation in the early days of the occupation, live through constant shortages of food and were deprived of the most basic human right - freedom. Salvation came on 12 September 1945, when the Japanese formally surrendered to Lord Louis Mountbatten at the City Hall. From then on, 15 February was used to commemorate the Fall of Singapore and those who died during those times.
In remembering this day, it is important to understand the lessons that war impart to us. Firstly, to prevent such scenarios happening to Singapore again, we must never take our defence for granted. Secondly, war does not just affect the combatants who fought but also the civilians of the defeated country. Lastly, the defence of the country does not rest solely on the shoulders of the military but is also dependant on the efforts of its citizens, particularly in Singapore's context, where the armed forces is largely based on National Service.
In view of the historical significance of 15 February, Total Defence Day is also held on this day to remind and educate Singaporeans of the roles that they can play in contributing to the peace and security of Singapore. Total Defence was introduced in 1984, in line with similar concepts in Switzerland and Sweden. The concept of Total Defence is that the defence of Singapore is not just the military's responsibility, but also that of the citizens'. This defence can be enhanced with the active participation of all Singaporeans through five aspects - Civil Defence, Psychological Defence, Military Defence, Economic Defence and Social Defence. It is through the concerted efforts of the SAF, other government agencies and every Singaporean that we can have a total defence against any threat, military or non-military.
Missing Thumbdrive
I've lost my thumbdrive. :(
Chap Goh Mei considered as Chinese Valentine’s Day
CHAP Goh Mei, which is Hokkien for “15th night”, symbolises the end of the Chinese New Year. The festival’s origins are uncertain, as there are many legends surrounding it.
Legend has it that a beautiful crane flew down to earth from heaven only to be slaughtered by some villagers.
The crane was the Jade Emperor’s favourite crane, and he was angered by its death. He vowed vengeance against the villagers.
On the 15th lunar day, the Jade Emperor planned to send a storm of fire down. But his daughter, Zhi Nu, took pity on the villagers.
She warned the villagers about their impending doom, and they were troubled as they could not see a way out.
Then, a wise man from another village came up with the suggestion for every family to hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets and set off firecrackers on the 14th, 15th and 16th lunar days. On the 15th day, the troops descended from heaven with orders to incinerate the village, but saw that it was already “ablaze” and returned to report to the Jade Emperor.
Since then, people celebrated the anniversary of the 15th lunar day every year by carrying lanterns on the street and setting off firecrackers.
To some, Chap Goh Mei is known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
This is because a long time ago Chap Goh Mei was the only day that young maidens were allowed to dress up and stroll on the street, albeit having to be accompanied by fierce chaperones.
Young men would then go out, hoping to catch a sight of the rarely-seen maidens.
Young women also went to temples to pray, hoping for the heavens to send them a suitable match.
Matchmakers took the opportunity to strike up marriages between eligible individuals.
Another ancient practice saw young maidens throwing oranges into the lakes. The belief was that the man who picked up their orange would be their future match.
The Mandarin oranges would also symbolise the presence of a maiden of marriageable age. This tradition has survived till present times.
Today, Malaysians tend to congregate around bodies of water at night. Lanterns inscribed with wishes are lit, providing a sparse light source, and some are released into the night.
Eligible bachelorettes inscribe Mandarin oranges with their names and their contact numbers, and then throw them into lakes or ponds. Young men hoping to meet new people will wait with nets to fish out the oranges.
These days, single men and women alike throw inscribed oranges in the spirit of celebrating Chap Goh Mei in a fun way.
Some people write good wishes on their oranges, while others are just looking to meet new people. Granted, there are some who are looking for that special person, whether or not they believe in the likelihood of it happening through a chance introduction via a mandarin orange!
For some youths, it’s just a quaint tradition, a day to mark the end of celebrating the lunar new year.
Thank you!
Dear friends, Thank you so much for making my birthday even more special with all your wonderful wishes! Trust me, it definitely means a lot! ♥ Hugs hugs ♥
Trust
Please [do this] by this Friday 6-Jan-2012. I will do spot check and will report to XXX those who do not [do so] by 23.59 this Friday 6-Jan-2012.Got this e-mail from my fellow colleague. I was rather offended by the e-mail. I've been doing this for the past 3 years and we never had any problems with it. So why all of a sudden, there's a need to do spot check and report to XXX? Where's the trust that we have always had? I guess if he framed the e-mail in a nicer way, I'll gladly comply and get it done by the deadline. I totally agree on why we need to get it done by then. But "threatening" your fellow colleague with that is just not right. I think the second sentence is superfluous. Please trust your fellow colleague, they have been doing this as long as you do if not longer. I really do not wish to receive this kind of e-mail any more.
Merry Christmas
˛.°★。˛ °.★** *★* *˛.
˛ °_██_*。*./ \ .˛* .˛.*.★*MERRY CHRISTMAS*★ 。*
˛. (´• ̮•)*˛°*/.♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Π_____. * ˛*
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~＼*. ˛*.。˛* ˛. *。
*(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.｜田田 ｜門｜╬╬╬╬ .
¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯`´¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯`¬´¯
˛ °_██_*。*./ \ .˛* .˛.*.★*MERRY CHRISTMAS*★ 。*
˛. (´• ̮•)*˛°*/.♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Π_____. * ˛*
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~＼*. ˛*.。˛* ˛. *。
*(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.｜田田 ｜門｜╬╬╬╬ .
¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯`´¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯`¬´¯
May this Christmas end the present year
on a cheerful note and make way
for a fresh and bright new year.
Wish your Christmas
be filled with peace and love.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Dr Gerald's P&T Treat cum R3 Retreat
Date: 23rd December 2011
Time: 6.15pm
Venue: Hyatt Hotel (Straits Kitchen)
Jane, Ken, Chun Yian, Yiwei and Yan Yan joined us for the dinner too. It was great being able to catch up with the graduated RAs after almost 1.5 years.
You know you´re ...
... a biologist when
You open the toothpaste with one hand.
You wash your hands before and after using to the washroom.
When you hear tween, you think of the surfactant not the age group.
For you, media is something which increases your culture.
You can identify organs on roadkills.
You have a callus on your thumb.
You use the word "aliquot" in regular sentences.
Sometimes you momentarily vanish from social activities because of a timepoint.
You've never worn a clean lab coat.
You don't fear rodents, rodents fear you.
You say "orders of magnitude" in regular sentences.
You flinch when you hear the word "significant".
Showing up at 10AM and having a coffee is a productive day.
You can't stand god-like physicians, while secretly wishing you had their job.
You're very good at diluting things.
You're also very good at transferring small amounts of liquid between containers.
You are fed up of people saying alcohol, when they mean ethanol.
You hear the word ‘Molar’ and teeth are the last thing on your mind.
You say “conjugation” instead of “sex”, and "pili" sounds dirty.
SOB is not an insult, it's what you grow your bugs in.
You say "mills" and "megs".
No-one in your family has any idea what you do.
You can make a short film in power point.
You consider a green laser pointer to be science bling.
A falcon is not a bird....
And you have 5 of them with different types of water.
When your fruits go bad and you get fruit flies, you can't help but check their eye colour
You own invitrogen t-shirts and actually wear them.
You think that drosophila geneticists have a good sense of humour.
You refer to your children as the F1.
You've suffered carpal tunnel from the pipetman.
You've used kimwipes as kleenex.
A timer clipped to the hip is not only practical, but dead sexy.
You've played Battleship using tip boxes.
The front pages of Science is your light reading.
You think the following is a quality insult: "I've seen cells more competent than you!".
The scent of latex reminds you of work, not play.
You're looking for a cooking book by maniatis.
You've made dry ice grenades.
You've lost many friends to ice grenades...
You open the toothpaste with one hand.
You wash your hands before and after using to the washroom.
When you hear tween, you think of the surfactant not the age group.
For you, media is something which increases your culture.
You can identify organs on roadkills.
You have a callus on your thumb.
You use the word "aliquot" in regular sentences.
Sometimes you momentarily vanish from social activities because of a timepoint.
You've never worn a clean lab coat.
You don't fear rodents, rodents fear you.
You say "orders of magnitude" in regular sentences.
You flinch when you hear the word "significant".
Showing up at 10AM and having a coffee is a productive day.
You can't stand god-like physicians, while secretly wishing you had their job.
You're very good at diluting things.
You're also very good at transferring small amounts of liquid between containers.
You are fed up of people saying alcohol, when they mean ethanol.
You hear the word ‘Molar’ and teeth are the last thing on your mind.
You say “conjugation” instead of “sex”, and "pili" sounds dirty.
SOB is not an insult, it's what you grow your bugs in.
You say "mills" and "megs".
No-one in your family has any idea what you do.
You can make a short film in power point.
You consider a green laser pointer to be science bling.
A falcon is not a bird....
And you have 5 of them with different types of water.
When your fruits go bad and you get fruit flies, you can't help but check their eye colour
You own invitrogen t-shirts and actually wear them.
You think that drosophila geneticists have a good sense of humour.
You refer to your children as the F1.
You've suffered carpal tunnel from the pipetman.
You've used kimwipes as kleenex.
A timer clipped to the hip is not only practical, but dead sexy.
You've played Battleship using tip boxes.
The front pages of Science is your light reading.
You think the following is a quality insult: "I've seen cells more competent than you!".
The scent of latex reminds you of work, not play.
You're looking for a cooking book by maniatis.
You've made dry ice grenades.
You've lost many friends to ice grenades...
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