To practice what I've preached in my earlier post, I've decided to 'take stock' of my bucket list items on this 10-Year Anniversary of 9/11:
1) To see the aurora borealis (northern lights). Ok ok, seeing the aurora australis (southern lights) will be just as cool. I am really not picky where I see the aurora, but I should be among nice company.
2) To see (or even touch?) fireflies. Again not picky of location, but nice companions preferred.
3) To hug (ok, maybe touch will be just as fine) a marmot.
4) To improve the statistics of 1 child dying every 3 seconds to 1 dying every 3 minutes
5) To collect handshakes from all nationalities
The last 2 items are almost mission impossibles.
Items 1 to 3:
Involve travelling out of Singapore.
Item 4:
The only time I got close enough was when I worked in international civil service. However as an advocate of governance, transparency and accountability, lots of people made sure that they got rid of me at the earliest opportunity.
Item 5:
While working in multinational organizations and international civil service, I managed to collect handshakes from people of up to 101 nationalities/regions. However I realized that there are hands that belong to people so corrupt - ewe- that I rather not touch. Towards the end of my term at the international civil service, my right hand was fractured and I couldn't shake the hand of a Guyana lady who cleared my exit procedure. She passed away a few months later. I still remembered her remarks: "Though you'd to leave, you are leaving with a lot of friendships. I can tell from the signatures on your cast." I regret not substituting a handshake with an offer to give her a hug.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Monday, 5 September 2011
Bucket List - When do one start making one?
... upon reaching a cross-road in life, or upon news of untimely deaths, or upon hitting MIDLIFE CRISIS!!!
In case you don't know what's a bucket list, it's a list that forms in the back of your mind of things that you wanna do - but have yet to do - before you KICK THE BUCKET! So in fact, the list is there all the time!!
For some "want-it-ALL" people, the list just keeps growing and growing. It might take a year's supply of toilet paper to contain such a list. But are you sure you will regret not accomplishing every single item on that long list, as you draw your last breath on your deathbed? MAN, that will have to be some very l-o-n-g last breath.
For others who seriously wanna 'house keep' that list to a manageable number of items - say enough to fit the number of fingers on your right hand (or left hand for lefties) - will spend time to soul search, and will start asking questions like:
1) What matters to me?
2) Do I even matter in this world?
3) What's the matter with you? What's keeping you in the toilet forever!?
The 3rd one is not your mind thinking out loud, but your family members screaming at you for occupying the only family toilet as you soul-search.
It's never too late to start (maybe it is too late when you are about to kick the bucket) - by first recording that list SOMEWHERE, such as
- in your diary
- on Facebook for all friends to read
- in your blog for the whole world to read
- as a video posting on Youtube for the whole world to watch
whatever and however, just start putting it somewhere ...
tic toc ... tic toc ... tic toc ... clock is ticking ... (to be continued)
In case you don't know what's a bucket list, it's a list that forms in the back of your mind of things that you wanna do - but have yet to do - before you KICK THE BUCKET! So in fact, the list is there all the time!!
For some "want-it-ALL" people, the list just keeps growing and growing. It might take a year's supply of toilet paper to contain such a list. But are you sure you will regret not accomplishing every single item on that long list, as you draw your last breath on your deathbed? MAN, that will have to be some very l-o-n-g last breath.
For others who seriously wanna 'house keep' that list to a manageable number of items - say enough to fit the number of fingers on your right hand (or left hand for lefties) - will spend time to soul search, and will start asking questions like:
1) What matters to me?
2) Do I even matter in this world?
3) What's the matter with you? What's keeping you in the toilet forever!?
The 3rd one is not your mind thinking out loud, but your family members screaming at you for occupying the only family toilet as you soul-search.
It's never too late to start (maybe it is too late when you are about to kick the bucket) - by first recording that list SOMEWHERE, such as
- in your diary
- on Facebook for all friends to read
- in your blog for the whole world to read
- as a video posting on Youtube for the whole world to watch
whatever and however, just start putting it somewhere ...
tic toc ... tic toc ... tic toc ... clock is ticking ... (to be continued)
Sunday, 4 September 2011
宮崎駿(Hayao Miyazaki)'s animated film banned by NTV!
Which of the following Studio Ghibli animated film was banned indefinitely by NTV:
A) Laputa: Castle in the Sky 天空の城ラピュタ
B) Spirited Away 千と千尋の神隠し
C) Ponyo 崖の上のポニョ
This was the questions asked in the 《华文？谁怕谁！2011电视总决赛》(Chinese Challenge TV Grand Final 2011). Both the contestant and I guessed A, though I seriously find this to be a 'trick question'. Come on, there is never a hint of any taboo topics - sex, violence, politics, race/religion - in Hayao Miyazaki's animations!
Guess what, answer is
I found the announcement in this link
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-07/newspaper/ntv-not-airing-ponyo-due-to-quake
... and Ponyo's not the only one!
Reason: Because it is “reminiscent” of Japan’s 11 Mar 2011 Tsunami!
For goodness sake, this is an animated fantasy of a goldfish princess and a 5-year-old boy.
What can be more innocent than a goldfish princess and a 5-year-old boy? Below you can see some tsunami scenes from 'Ponyo' and the names of big stars involved in dubbing:
A) Laputa: Castle in the Sky 天空の城ラピュタ
B) Spirited Away 千と千尋の神隠し
C) Ponyo 崖の上のポニョ
Guess what, answer is
"C) Ponyo 崖の上のポニョ"
WWWHAT??? WWWHY ???I found the announcement in this link
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-07/newspaper/ntv-not-airing-ponyo-due-to-quake
... and Ponyo's not the only one!
Reason: Because it is “reminiscent” of Japan’s 11 Mar 2011 Tsunami!
For goodness sake, this is an animated fantasy of a goldfish princess and a 5-year-old boy.
What can be more innocent than a goldfish princess and a 5-year-old boy? Below you can see some tsunami scenes from 'Ponyo' and the names of big stars involved in dubbing:
Have they ever polled any local kids to find out if they have been 'traumatized' by these scenes? If you asked me, Ponyo sure looked like she's having fun.
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