american idiot?

while searching for the answers to why i chose to have an education here, i've never been able to come up with a comprehensive reason. it has always been something like "i've always wanted to see what it's like in america".

it might have something to do with the images in popular culture that have been subconsciously stamped into my mind as a child growing up in an oppressive society. such are the effects of the well-oiled institution that is globalization, or more aptly americanization. i prefer to think of it as an institution rather than a process, because it's a well-orchestrated, concerted efforts by a group of individuals guided by fundamentally capitalist principles.

and then the thought suddenly occurred to me - maybe it's because i've always been attracted to the american culture. it has nothing to do with mcdonald's, disneyland or playboy. that's what most people think of when the term american culture presents itself. and then there're the skeptics - they prefer a non-existential view on the whole idea of an "american culture". i'd like to think that there once was an american culture, an anamorphic variety from old world european principles.

now where do we begin? we need some focus and perspective. let's start from the story of the jean, your beloved everyday, everywhere pair of pants. that rugged, simple pair of pants that levi strauss invented around the turn of the last century has become the defining piece of garment that people around the world have grown to love and embrace. in someway it has become the de facto uniform of the modern society; it transcends cultures and classes. yet, it hadn't always been that way. it started out as a solution to a perennial problem for miners looking for more hardy work pants. its humble birth was anything but stylish; the silver screen made the jean cool.

say what you may about the present day iteration of hollywood, but a lot of insights can be gleaned from those repetitive yet addictive flicks that they churn out on industrial scales. even with the dramatization and the romanticism associated with mainstream films, it's still a window for us to peer into the lives of people. american people.

westerns portrayed early settlers in the frontier towns of the west, faced with all sorts of obstacles and challenges that they would never have encountered otherwise. there was that sort of pioneering spirit that was so admirable, and it embodies the whole notion of liberty for all who seek it. it was on the great plains and the wild west that a distinct cultural identity was forged, and hollywood milked every cent of that noble heritage.

the harsh conditions and rugged landscape took its toll on the people and their possessions, and necessity dictated that clothes and objects be made more hardy to withstand the elements. like how the british weather gave birth to the famed barbour waxed cotton jackets, america's native sons gave us the jean (levi strauss), the flannel shirt (carhartt) and steel-toed boots (red wing). quality reined supreme as the hallmark of a great product and swayed people's purchasing decisions. it used to be that if something broke or wore out, you would send it back to the dealer and they would repair or rebuild it. in this day and age, we all live in a disposable culture and the determinants of consumption for the majority of people have shifted to the lowest price, the latest and the trendiest.

i must admit that i'm a sucker for all things authentically american made. i hope one day i could say the same thing about goods manufactured in my own country. but sometimes it does take a whole different approach, and a whole different cultural mindset to do things right.

it is very well true that there're certain times when the can-do, bigger, stronger, faster american attitude gets blown out of proportion and things run a muck as a result of a symptomatic degradation of cultural ideals, we have to admit that there's still a whole lot of positives to be taken out of those seemingly primitive and austere philosophies: build things that last.

i leave you here with a closing thought: the businessman in henry ford wanted every american to own a model-t, but the american in him also designed the model-t to last 20 years. that is the old america you don't see too often these days.




this exposition presents merely my own biased views.
recommended reading (for a taste of true blue americana):
the selvage yard http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/


+listening to: nothing

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the pursuit of perfection

woke up this morning with a slight headache, the good news didn't seem to help: BP says no more oil flowing into the gulf. as much as i wanted to, i find it a little hard to believe even if it is true. it was on both CNN and larry king's twitter feed, so it must be credible.

watching the coffee drip into my glass had an unexpected calming effect. there's something oddly obscene with a cup of dark coffee, or a tastefully built up lugged track bike, or simply a curated selection of beautiful objects.

the pursuit of perfection may seem synonymous with minimalist ideals. well maybe it is. the old adage still applies in this day and age: less is more. indeed.

+listening to: i never told you by colbie caillat

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i challenge you...

to click on the following link and watch a film if you dare.

it is two hours long, but i promise you it will OPEN your eyes, to things you've never seen, and to things you've never known.

there have been countless books and films documenting the environmental catastrophe of our era, not many have offered solutions. and this film does EXACTLY THAT.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/158468/fuel

if you don't feel the urgency or the impetus to take action right away, i daresay your soul is devoid of any humanity. so take the plunge. it will be the best two hours you've spent in a while. in case your region does not permit you to watch the film, more info is available at: http://thefuelfilm.com/

i was watching the tragedy in the gulf continue to unfold on the news, and this pearl jam song came to mind. and this video pretty much sums up all there is to say about it.

our oceans are beautiful, and only someone who has been truly touched by its magic can write a song that delicate and emotional.


Pearl Jam Oceans from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.

if i ever get a pet rabbit, you know his name would be mr. vedder.

+listening to: oceans by pearl jam

» Read the Full Post of " i challenge you... "...

hey stupid

smart had one good idea. and that idea was stupid.

so don't be afraid to be stupid. but just don't be ignorant.

being stupid and being ignorant are two distinctly separate notions. while being stupid might land you a few snickers or a helpful hand, being ignorant affords you no tangible outcomes. nobody is going to point out your ignorance. by the time you think you have it all figured out, regret ensues. so it doesn't take a genius to figure out that ignorance inevitably leads to regret.

i wonder if my generation has the foresight to recognize our ignorance. to issues bigger than ourselves. environmental issues, economic/political issues, social issues. and if we do, are we able to change anything? to effect change to humanity requires us to rally. i don't think anyone who was born after the 70s knows how to rally anymore.

sure we already have overwhelming numbers of facebook groups and online petitions to gather enough signatures to make the earth spin the other way but do those things actually have as big an impact as say woodstock or tian'anmen square?

if we want change, we have to demonstrate it. starting from yourself. how about taking a few simple steps to help out the environment? it doesn't cost you a dime, but may make you feel better about living on this earth.

have a permanent waterbottle instead of drinking bottled water.

ride a bicycle the next time you decide to grab a cup o coffee. borrow one, buy one on the cheap 2nd hand. 60% of all journeys made in the US are under 1 MILE, and 90% of those trips are made in CARS. makes you go WOW doesn't it.

...

do something. so that you know you are not being ignorant.

+listening to: throw your arms around me by mark seymour

» Read the Full Post of " hey stupid "...

i don't know what to say

if 15 million dollars can be spent on a brand new ad campaign, why not try to reverse what you have done instead? it has been 47 days.

i'm totally disgusted. i used to hold you in high regard. "beyond petroleum"... looks like it's gonna be a WHILE.

+listening to: one world away by mr big

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black or white

as i opened google reader this morning, i again found myself amused by the title of yet another poll on the US election much like the last time. it read "Poll Finds Obama’s Run Isn’t Closing Divide on Race".


yea sure there's all the hoo-ha over the race issues. black people thinks they're being treated unfairly and subject to racial prejudices and white people think that black people are too sensitive and that they are not being treated unfairly. black people think that racial relations have not made any progress over time while white people think that there have been real improvememnts. then the black people went on to hypothesize that under an obama administration, their rights and well-being would be better looked after while the white people think that obama says what people likes to hear rather than what he believes.

you follow the logic? neither do i.

what i wanted to ask is if everyone were a statistic, then where are the brown people, yellow people, beige people and all the other colours that are derivatives of the major shades? what are people who do not belong under the "cirle one of following: black/white" category supposed to do? do they just not turn up to vote since neither candidate represents them in colour?

i think it's polls like these that are driving the racial divide. imagine the reactions of both races when they read the report: one party would think that the other is foolish (just like they have always maintained), and the other party would label the former infidels and incapable of change, and so the vicious cycle continues. and then there's the question about how many people actually responded truthfully. there's already the widespread syndrome among white voters to not share their views truthfully and only reveal them at the last minute when the voting actually counted.

so to all the black people and white people, do what the brown people, yellow people, beige people and whatever other people have always done:

shut the fuck up and get over it.

you don't get any brownie points for being darker/fairer than all the other colours in between. you don't see brown/yellow/beige/misc people go bin laden every time someone calls them a paki/chink or whatever, do you?

look on the bright side: at the end of the day, whoever gets elected, it doesn't really matter a whole lot. because the government have, and always will eff you up in the A eventually. in fact it doesn't really matter what colour or creed you are, because it will always remain true that the US of A is the only country on earth where a black man can become a white man and pretend that he doesn't know anything about it.


+listening to: cold shot by dr. john

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the world grinds on

north korea will soon be taken off united states' terror list:
score 1 for the yanks, nil for kim jong-il

the US supreme court overturned a ban on handguns in washington d.c.:
score 1 for the gun-loving rednecks, nil for rest

how ironic then that while the united states has finally succeeded in getting one of the "axis of evil" to give up its nuclear program, it hasn't come to terms with the interpretation of its own constitution regarding the right to bear arms.


a lot of times, things happen that don't make any sense at all. and then there are other times that our prayers seem to be answered. i don't get the most heavily armed nation in the world and its obsessions with guns. on one hand they seem to advocate justice and equality for all throughout our civilized world while on the other hand propagating its ideals and expanding its interests by all means necessary, including violence.

and once in a while when the clear and present call to arms does come knocking in genuine situations such as the occurrence of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in recent history, the world's only superpower had repeatedly turned into the benevolent creature who rather pressed for passive diplomacy instead. the images of rwanda, darfur,burma... need i say more?

don't get me wrong, i'm not against america per se. but the headlines piss me off sometimes. it's the notion that in the land of the free, people can do as they please as long as they deem the acts justifiable. even with the explicit separation of powers, where the three estates of the executive, legislative and judiciary branches are designed to create checks and balances, events can be allowed occur that defy all common sense.

and so we're left with the fourth estate: the press. thank god that the freedom of press is still guranteed under the constitution. or... is it? in this day and age journalists seem to have a penchant for turning a blind eye (or at least a partially blind eye) to the moral compass that is supposed to guide them in reporting on the most pressing and relevent issues with the utmost integrity. ethics then have at times played second fiddle to fame, ratings and profits while newspapers reported on stories that would be guranteed to sell.

darwin might have come up with the theory of gentic evolution, but what he didn't forsee is the invisible but certain de-volution of morals. what will become of us in a million years? call me cynical, or a hypocrite or whatever you like. i'm just another brick in the wall of this ongoing de-volution.


+listening to: bombay vindaloo by dream theater

» Read the Full Post of " the world grinds on "...

is there an option C?

as i opened google reader this morning, several identical news flashes were at the top of the pile of the latest updates. and the title reads: CBS Poll: Race, Age Are Issues For Voters.

i secretly chuckled to myself. has america ever been presented with a more atypical electoral dilemma like this before? even in the lead up to the official announcements of candidacy by both parties, the bizarre and eclectic mix of a blac... pardon me, african-american, a woman, an old hack/former POW, a mormon among other interesting characters in the primaries were enough to make many people's head spin in circles.


thus it is no surprise that the final duo of the strongest nominees both present major points of contention. one guy "has got a funny name, and did i mention he is black?" while the other seems to think that the correct answer to the question "what should america be looking for in our next president?" is "certainly, someone who is very, very, very old."

the only thing that's certain is that i'm not amused by the humour of either.

so the question on many people's mind remains: the black dude or the 71-year-old? it's really a tough call. the cbs poll shows that 30 percent of voters admit to having racial prejudices and find john mccain's age to be problematic.

research have also shown that white voters are less likely to reveal their racial prejudices in polls before the actual election. this may seem advantageous to mccain riding on a less-than-stellar performance in the primaries and lagging behind hugely in campaign funding donations to obama. on the other hand, is america ready for the oldest first term president in its history? and then there are the fundatmental questions of the merits of electing either. will obama pay more attention to the neglected poor and the african-american community because of his background? will mccain show more concern for the ailing health care system taking into account his age? there's only questions and no real answers.

in fact, some have resorted to discussing about the prospect of alternative theories: what if the nominees hadn't been these two? what then? the answer is pretty straight forward actually and could be presented in the form of another question: would you have preferred a woman and a mormon? those choices aren't exactly no-brainers either.

i think it's high time that the american people stop living in a bubble. the reality is that the whole world is evolving. and with changing times, the civil prejudices that have dogged them in the past like race, gender, religion, etc. cannot continue to be the sole impetus or the deciding factor of the outcomes of major choices that concern their own fate. but having said all that, do i think that race and age will be the defining crossroad of this election? MOST DEF.

come november i'll be eagerly waiting for the result in obama's home state of illinois. seeing all the events unfold is much like watching a circus - you never know what's going to come next.


+listening to: hideaway by freddie king

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a not-so-proverbial case study in cultural differences

so today i was on the receiving end of some of the warmest and most detestable services offered by the people who work in the same organisation, the same building, and the same room. the crucial difference is that one of the parties is a person from another country and the other is local.

the check in process at uncle sam's embassy was smooth enough with the usual security screening and every thing. evidently they take security very seriously and it really did seem like a fortified castle wherever you went. the walls are thicker and everything is in the dullest shade of gray possible.

subject #1:
then there was the usual waiting process. and when it finally came my turn to pay the application fee and submit the documents, i walked briskly up to the counter and was told (in a very inhospitable tone) by the lady at the counter to read the instructions pasted on the window and follow them. now you could tell she was local from her accent, and all the while she didn't even bother to establish any sort of eye contact. it really made me feel like she's got better things to do than sitting there and doing her job. and then after some fumbling for documents, she returned one of those forms and asked me to sign it. when i asked her "may i know where?..." she snapped at me impatiently "flip over the page and read the instructions!" i got quite the rude shock, signed it, apologized and left hurriedly to wait again.

subject #2:
then when my turn came for the interview, the person attending to me at the counter was this cheery dude with a half-shaven beard. i guess he was in his early thirties and obviously a consulate official from the states. from the moment he said hello till i left, our conversation was so easy going and relaxed and he even managed to crack a joke. i totally forgot that it was supposed to be an "interview" and that my heart was threatening to explode and leave nasty blood stains on my shirt just minutes before i was called. you could feel the energy in his voice and that he really loved his job. in fact it took only about 5 minutes for him to give me the big grin and tell me that my visa was approved. and keeping in mind that it is i who's seeking a favour from them and not the other way around, it's surprising, by any standards, to see the kind of hospitality shown to me. he just sort of reminds you of your favourite teacher in school - funny, capable and just a joy to be around with.

it got me thinking, what made it so different the attitude between us in the east and those in the west who are in the "service" industry. somehow we think of it as something only fit for the lowest rungs of society while over in the west people do their jobs with the same kind of pride that they do everything else. and it really made all the difference in the feel-good department of your head. maybe it has also got something to do with the way they were brought up?

i gotta hand it to uncle sam for putting some of the friendliest people in their embassies across the world.

and oh, thanks for the visa again.


+listening to: isis by bob dylan

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make knowledge not war

finally got everything ready (i hope) for the student visa application. it was really a huge sigh of relief because everything seemed so confusing. and the amount of paper work is staggering, with all sorts of preposterous forms and fees.

and so as i was finally able to enjoy some moments of self-satisfaction, i was also equally and utterly shocked while reading the story on how the united states withdrew 7 fullbright grants from gaza because israel refused to grant the students permission to leave.


i've always been neutral on the subject of the israeli-palestinian crisis. to me, the middle-east peace roadmap is about as significant/symbolic as me having an occasional constipation - in other words, i just don't give a shit. honestly, i put more thought into which finger i'd use to pick my nostrails.

but today something stirred inside me. the actions of the israeli government not only seem extremely discriminatory, but it's also truly a step backwards in building a more cordial relationship with palestine. and you wonder why the roadmap never seem to point to anywhere, maybe it's because one of the parties responsible for drawing it up is really a cock and has no sense of direction at all?

the claim on the israeli's part is that that education has no relations to humanitarian concerns in gaza and hence it would be pose too much of a risk to the israeli soldiers. too much of a risk for what? that the soldiers would inadvertently soil themselves upon letting 7 students out of gaza? or that letting 7 students past the checkpoint would make them seem a bit weak and homosexual?

it's quite pointless to continue the argument knowing there's nothing anyone can do to change the israelis' mind, because obviously the israeli government has got its head stuck so far up its ass that it would be akin to telling a cow to milk itself - wishful thinking. peace is an ideal, and education can help to inculcate and spread that ideal to the masses and nurture people who cherish that ideal. so apparently it's not peace that the israelis want?

now you know why people often express their frustration towards certain irrational individuals with the phrase "(someone) is being so jewish". in the case of the israeli government, i can't help but snicker at the irony of the double whammy there. classic.


+listening to: jesus just left chicago by gov't mule

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of earthquakes and schools

Image via Wikipediafunny how a commentator (can't remember from where) said that in an earthquake, he'd probably be safer with a bunch of nuclear warheads in some military building than in a school.

sad isn't it? the fact that it's almost seemed as a no-brainer that a military installation has to be built to be unusually sturdy while it's acceptable for a school to go down like a deck of cards under the slightest tremor, and that we value stuff that have the potential to kill millions over people that have the potential to shape our future.

the earthquake in china did not just expose a localised problem. i believe it has highlighted a worldwide pandemic of a social disease, that "we'll fix it when it's broken". but the thing is, we're not talking about something that you can just chuck some dollars in and then expect everything to get back to normal.

of course there have been efforts in earthquake prone countries like japan to make the schools safer, but for the rest of the impoverished countries in asia, what then? i think countries are sending out the wrong message that they care nothing for the keystones of communities. and it seems like the problem not only exists in poor countries. even developed countries like canada and america are facing similar situations. in their case, it's rather not an issue with money or technology, but with societal inertia, the lack of access to basic safety information or knowledge of simple ways to bolster buildings so they'll survive an earthquake.

i have no idea why i feel so strongly about this. it's just that i can't get the images of children being crushed to death in school buildings out of my head. it's just really sad, and it's so so aggravating that something totally avoidable caused so much grief.


to those who perished: R. I. P.


+listening to: waiting on the world to change by john mayer

» Read the Full Post of " of earthquakes and schools "...

we can solve it? really?

i'm not a person who assumes a clear-cut stand over political issues at the blink of an eye. i don't like being force-fed ideas. in fact i'm skeptical towards most of such "campaigns", anti-global warming included.

i'm not anti-global warming per se (though i still do my bid to conserve the environment), neither am i an advocate of wasting away precious energy resources. for that you have to look to petrol-heads like jeremy clarkson on top gear going "POWERRRRR" every other episode. he ought to have a conspiracy theory or two of his own about what global warming is all about.

now al gore, the former US vice president and author of an inconvenient truth (i've seen the movie, which proves my point), and his nonprofit climate group have begun what they say will be a three-year $300 million advertising blitz to recruit 10 million advocates to seek laws and policies that can cut greenhouse gases. check out their initiative at http://wecansolveit.org.


while i applaud their spirit to change the world, i think $300 million dollars over a period of 3 years is simply too little, too late, and for too short a time. guess how much pepsi or coke spends annually on promoting their brand name in hopes of swaying the population towards each of their own product? over $1 billion EACH. they call it "brand preference". that is the kind of money you need to have even the slightest impact on people's awareness.


just imagine what kind of money and effort is needed to suddenly influence the population to become environmentally conscious. personally i have my doubts. but then again what do i know? the last time i checked i had the intelligence of a 6-year-old and the intuition of a door knob. so i guess nothing is impossible as adidas would put it. i didn't think people were gonna really turn off their lights during Earth Hour, neither did i expect to see people wear green for the Live Earth weekend. both happened, in fact i saw some kid in green from head to toe (yea that includes shoes) on a bus.

and finally on a totally unrelated note: have you often been feeling tired lately? or experiencing temporary blurry vision? maybe it's time to get your eyes checked. xD




+listening to: any fule kno that by deep purple

» Read the Full Post of " we can solve it? really? "...

dirty little politics

politics is perhaps one of my least favourite subjects, not because i'm against it in principle. in fact i think it is absolutely necessary because without politicians, we'd all become a bunch of barbarians and savages. rome would not have been the mighty republic without its senate, even though it's filled with aristocratic scumbags.


however the reason with my dissatisfaction with politics in general lies with the fact that politicians are all two-faced fucks (pardon my french). The taiwanese election just concluded on saturday. as expected Ma Ying-jeou from Kuomintang (KMT) beat Frank Hsieh of the ruling party.

in principle he's against Taiwan's independence, calling to boost economic ties and normalisation of cross-straights relations and what not. but isn't that what the notorious outgoing President Chen promised before he came into office? well, minus the anti-independence part. it turned into another story once he actually got his grubby meathooks on the steering wheel of the behemoth bureaucratic machine. like i've always maintained, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

there is simply no certainty in the politics business. it's as much about dirty deeds and power plays behind the scene as actual politicking as seen by the noble citizenry. and oh yea, i love watching the parliament in taiwan on tv. well not particularly the topics up for discussion - those are usually about as interesting as the life story of a sloth.

the main attraction is how they take democracy to the next level. i think chinese people as a race do not mix well with democracy, because in my opinion it's in our genes to be hot-headed and and get carried away with what we do. effective democracy demands a rational, well-informed citizenry, who possess their own opinions and judgments and are not easily swayed by nonsensical hearsays or become cantankerous mobsters at the slightest provocation. we (chinese people) either go for outright dictatorship ala ancient china, pseudo multi-party socialism ala present-day china, *self censored in fear of persecution* democracy in singapore, or steroid - laden - about - to - explode - in - your - face kinda democracy in taiwan.

the drama in the taiwanese parliament amazes me: people spitting on one another, throwing coffee mugs at each other, outright bar-brawl style kungfu fights breaking out at random, speakers screaming profanities at the top of their lungs into the microphone. and these are just some of the more common "happenings" to say the least. to an outside observer, it's nothing short of jaw-droppingly hilarious.

and interestingly, i actually read the news article about the taiwan election at al jazeera. it's not half bad really, somewhat a refreshing change from your everyday western observers' point of view.

read more: Taiwan's Opposition wins election

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why wash your car?

on a fine beautiful sunny morning, the common sight in the car park downstairs staggers me: middle-aged men washing their cars.


what a meaningless way of passing the time. you don’t wash your vacuum cleaner or your television set, you have a machine to wash the dishes and you employ a maid to clean your windows. so how much do you have to hate the sight of your wife and children before you think, “i’d rather go outside and spend a couple of hours shining my wheel nuts”?

i am aware, of course, that many men do hate the sight of their wife and children. doctors even have a name for these people: “anglers”. but even the concept of sitting in the drizzle by a canal for six hours fishing for an elusive luohan fish is not as daft as washing a car.

first of all, it’s very hard work. you have to do all the exercises favoured by homosexuals in gyms. bending over, stretching, rubbing. but at least when homosexuals finish, they have glistening, toned bodies that make them look good. you? you’re just going to end up with a slipped disk in your spine, while losing what's left of the 20 or so strands of hair you have left by the mili-seconds. and the more you clean, the more you’ll notice is dirty. if you’re not careful you’ll end up polishing the inside of the tyre valves and then not wanting to use your car if it’s raining.

and i see you armed to the teeth with your arsenal of weapons? are those the uber - secret - formula - developed - on - mars cleaning products that are available in supermarkets? “simply spray onto the glass,” it says on the tin, “then, after two minutes, wipe down with a clean cloth.” rubbish. you can never trust any instruction that begins with the word “simply”.

why are you washing the car in the first place? a car will not get smelly armpits or soggy groin. bathing it will not increase its life expectancy or decrease the chances of a breakdown. all it does really is demonstrate to others that you have a tiny mind and an empty life. i want you to think carefully about this. can you picture in your mind george clooney washing a car? quite.

look to our middle eastern counterparts like qatar, they have realised that it rots the mind (and thirsts the people) and that's why washing your car is forbidden and heralds death by stoning and a fine of QR 15,000.00, though the methods by which you'll pay the fine after getting stoned to death escapes me. nevertheless there's simply no place for such extravagance and useless nonsense.

oh, and here’s another thing. washing a car is the only time you ever get up close and personal with all of its panels. which means you will find a million depressing little dings and scratches that you would never have spotted had you left it caked in grime.

and in the ultimate hypocrisy, let me proclaim: get a life gentlemen. i'm tired of watching you wash your cars from my window =D

» Read the Full Post of " why wash your car? "...

The American Man

The rest of the world often look to the United States of America in awe. after all, it is the land of the free, the home of the brave and the essence of the "American Dream"... or is it?

Oil price hikes are not uncommon. Flashback: in 1980 it went up record levels, adjusted to inflation it would probably be at around $102.53 a barrel. At present: on Jan 2nd it crept past the $100 mark, hovering at around $100 ever since. and it hit an all time record of $103.05 last friday.

For the largest carbon emitter in the world, this should have some if not major impact on their lives, since it would mean the prospect of $4-a-gallon gasoline. Thanks to the geniuses of the American motor industry, for owners of the average American family cars like the Dodge Durango SUV (voted one of The Worst American Cars 2006 by Forbes, and does 12 miles to the gallon which is the same as a Lamborghini Murcielago fyi), it would be hell expensive to drive at the moment. just imagine: a typical 25-mile school run would turn into a $16 affair daily, which translates to about $80 a week. Yikes!


And what is the president of the US of A doing about it? the following excerpt should shed some much needed light on the status quo:

Peter Maer of CBS News Radio asked: "What's your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4-a-gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing ... "

"Wait, what did you just say?" the president interrupted. "You're predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline?"

Maer responded: "A number of analysts are predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline."

Bush's rejoinder: "Oh, yeah? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that."

Read More: $4-a-gallon gas? Predictions surprise Bush

Hadn't heard? I wonder whose tune Mr. Bush has been listening to. Wait a minute, does it mean THIS is what he has been like for the past 8 years?

Maybe it's about time that all Americans take a moment and re-evaluate their positions, perhaps seriously taking a cue from their infamous national anthem - The Star-Spangled Banner, once a symbol of hope and freedom.

The last stanza reads in particular "...And this be our motto: In God is our trust." Indeed, it sure does seem like God is the only bloke whom they should put their faith in at the moment.


Edit: seems like i'm a bit outdated. Oil prices have climbed to a staggering $104 a barrel on wednesday. ouch!

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The world as we know it... post armageddon?

While aimlessly hopping through stories of prince harry's adventures in afghanistan, now that it's literally splashed everywhere (i wouldn't say i'm a fanatic of the british royal family, but i have always been curious about the establishment) i came upon a rather interesting article in the new york times dated Feb 29th.

pretty cool entrance to the global seed vault huh?

It seems that scientists and other concerned individuals really have put in some serious thoughts about the possibility of a post armageddon world, and they've already started stockpiling seeds from around the world at the Global Seed Vault, bored into the middle of a frozen arctic mountain topped with snow, buried 500 feet under the permafrost and the entrance tunnel to the seed vault is designed to withstand bomb blasts and earthquakes. The editor dubbed it the "Fort Knox of Food" (in case you don't know Fort Knox is where the US treasury department houses its gold). Apparently the vault’s goal is to store and protect samples of every type of seed from every seed collection in the world. And it's got a digital monitoring system to maintain stable temperature. Does that sound serious or what.

Now i'm not ususally a pessimist, but it really got me started thinking, where would i be if there really was an armageddon in my lifetime. It could result from anything: the impending fuel crisis, a global pandemic, food shortage, war, or hell a giant meteor. We have seen tell-tale signs of what those things can do. People rioting over fuel price hikes, SARS, mass starvation in third world countries, the world wars, etc.

Just a case in point: did you know that all the bananas that you eat everyday, in every corner of the world are identical genetically because they are of a single species from india. and now there are no longer any wild specimens left because of deforestation. that means its gene pool has literally dried up. Even the seed vault wouldn't have helped because if you still remembered the stuff you learnt in primary school, bananas don't produce seeds, they reproduce by grafting. which also means if some unforeseeable "disease" were to strike bananas, the whole world would literally all go bananas because there wouldn't be any bananas left! what'll happen next? I don't know.

you know what, i am kinda thirsty now, i better go grab myself a banana milkshake before they become all extinct...


See more photos of the Global Seed Vault: The Photo Slideshow

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A little flattered

Sometimes we go through our daily lives in a fashion akin to passing motion, uneventful and i definitely wouldn't say filled with gratification (unless of course you are some nut who lives for your morning crap). It's just the way it has been for most of us. We don't live to seek out gratifying experiences on a daily basis; we do what has to be done. but when something really nice or touching comes your way, it just feels that much more meaningful.

While talking to my mum over the phone an interesting subject popped up. as usual the mums' gossip network has been running at full tilt. and my mum told me that while chatting with the mum of one of my childhood friends, my friends mum told my mum that I was the subject of my friend's college application essay.


I didn't know what to say. i mean besides feeling honoured, i'm really surprised because i had no idea that whatever i did had any impact on a person's life, let alone one of my best friends. I guess it's nice to be recognized for your deeds and efforts, it's really a sweet experience. Just a simple thanks or a smile, especially when you're not expecting any genuine, sincere hospitality, can make your day. And it pays to be nice once in a while, to tell the people who really mean something to you that they matter.

I'm gonna start by giving my parents a call, to tell them that how much they mean to me. well i think that's way overdue now, but hey... it's better late than never right?

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INfidel WE TRUST

If you haven't heard the best/worst piece of news for a long time, Fidel Castro has finally decided to throw in the towel. It does come as a surprise though, considering how everybody thought that old fart (pardon the french) would never give up.


but in all fairness he had been a symbol of hope for quite a few dozen people over the years. he was the one who started the revolution, transformed cuba into a marxist-leninist state modelled on the soviet union, and probably had a role to play in the cuban missile crisis that nearly started world war 3, not to mention the driving force behind perpetuating the gloomy state of the economy.

We must thank him however for jacking up the world's cuban cigar prices, without him there would probably have been a few billion more cuban cigars floating around in the market, and it probably wouldn't be treated like the precious gem it is today. Oh and not forgetting kudos to him for giving us mortals hope, that immortality really exists and can be sought. When's the last time you heard that old fidel was dead? 10 years ago? 5 years ago? last year? yesterday? Don't you find it exciting/mortifying that time and time again he has risen from the dead and proven us wrong?

For some of us it's a beacon of shining hope on the hill of horse crap of a world today that miracles do occur. For others, such as employees of CIA, FBI, and a dozen other dodgy organizations who call themselves by alphabets and are living under the illusion that it's pretty cool, it's a case of chronic migraine - imagine having to haul yourself out of bed in the morning and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is "Oh Cock! Fuck me. He's still alive."


Yet it's his precise eccentricity that has charmed millions of us. People worshiped fidel, he was a hero in many people's eyes. Some say he shits bricks and that his eyes can blink horizontally, all we know is that he's called fidel. There was always an air of mystique around him wherever he went and whatever he said. So we ought to give it to the old man for at least having some charisma, charm, and that elusive ability to not mince his words even when he knows whatever he's saying is complete rubbish - such enduring qualities (especially the last one) that George W. Bush could never even dream of having in his lifetime or thereafter.

And our dear leader's last words before retirement?

"I will not aspire nor accept - I repeat I will not aspire or accept - the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief"

published today in the now probably more than 50 years old Cuban Communist Party's daily publication aptly named Granma.


Fidel, you did the right thing. now enjoy life and go shack up some grannies already.


Read More: Fidel Castro Resigns Cuban Presidency After Half-Century in Power

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Mama, put my guns in the ground

 
While casually scrolling through my playlist, "Jeremy" came up again...

Play "Jeremy"

... the quiet boy who draws during lessons, whose parents are too busy to pay him any attention, finally shoots himself in front of his english class. It actually did take place at Richardson High School in Texas on the morning of January 8, 1991.

Fast forward to 20 April 1999 - Columbine, Colorado. Then to 16 April 2007 - Blacksburg, Virginia and finally to 14 Feb, two days ago - DeKalb, Illinois. Why do these shootings keep taking place? What are we doing? Why are we here? Is it because of anger, sorrow or just some inexplicable reason which causes such irrational behaviour which calls for taking another person's, or in numerous cases, multiple persons' lives?

Eddie Vedder once commented in an interview regarding the song Jeremy. He said "The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back." And I can't help but agree with him. The reason for taking one's own life as I can only imagine is to seek the end, an end to all the drowned out sorrow and misplaced judgements. But would the end be a peaceful one if all it does is lead to the pain of even more people. I dunno, maybe that's the objective after all.


If you've watched Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore, you probably would have known certain facts about the United States and its state of catastrophe with firearms. I've always thought it's completely retarded to allow civilians to own firearms. I mean I dunno how the average Joes in US live with it, but imagine if you live in Singapore, how would your everyday Ah Pek and Ah Mah react when they walk into your friendly neighbourhood NTUC Fairprice and right by the Sunshine bread and Tops kaya spread shelves, there's a cabinet stocked to the brim with Kalashnikovs and Carbines and your asortment of Paras and Arctics? All displayed there proudly with a shiny FOR SALE sign on it targeted at every bum on the street. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but think about it, the least it would do is to make every sane human being go like "knnsmljccbwtfbbq?" or translated to english loosely it would be something like "holy mother of... WHAT T H E F U C K B B Q?" (the "bbq" at the end simply symbolizes the speechlessness one would feel after saying fuck, yet yearning to say something to continue expressing one's bewilderment). well you get what i mean.

Anyways it's just the sad fact of reality and society that we may never know the true motives or causes behind some of the things that happen. we can only offer our prayers and hopes. But I think it's also time that people examine some age old traditions/rights which doesn't really help with the situation in this screwed up new era. e.g. the Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms in the US.

And on a final but ironic note, the guy who committed the massacre just 2 days ago, he's currently (well he was before he killed himself) enrolled at UIUC as a graduate student. and the thing is UIUC is one of the schools that I have applied to and it is pretty high up on my possible-schools-to-goto list. i cringe at the thought of what other possible nutjobs are still in there...

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bumpity bump bump bump bump bump

yesterday was valentine's day, traditionally celebrated by couples, as an event to express their affection for each other, also much celebrated by mega corporations and SMCs alike, as a tribute to a very successful marketing scam/brain-washing campaign which feeds on the hopeless naivete of the general public.


as you should have known by now, the original valentines's day, in honour of st. valentine of rome, and some other st. valentine of some other city, and a dozen others, have nothing to do with love or couples or anything like that. in fact there was no mention of it being celebrated for a useful purpose, other than for the sake of the few st. valentines. oh well... anyways vday this year is, well, uneventful. i didn't even step out of the house. not much of a romantic mood. anyways it's only for people who are attached, or whatever...

i have finally decided on something interesting to fill out my rather uneventful life, i have decided to turn to the dark side, to sell my soul to the devil, to head out on the highway to hell... i have decided to start watching Family Guy. and i have to say... IT'S BRILLIANT! the humour is just so twisted, much like south park but not as vulgar. haha and i love stewie, and brian the dog, who talks!


those two gotta be my favourite characters in the show, especially brian. he gives such funny ideas that it seems like peter is the dog and he is the owner. and it doesn't help that brian walks upright and talks. on the other hand only brian understands stewie, which is strange but funny as hell as it seems that brian is the only person (dog) who understands what stewie's up to, and doesn't pity him at all. anyways, highly recommended if you have time to burn.

also on another bombshell, i've stumbled upon the molson beer ad again, the last time i saw it was a few years ago. never seizes to crack me up! enjoy!

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