I DON'T NEED FACEBOOK TO......

I admit that I am a frequent facebook user and I guess at the moment there must be millions of people all over the world who are using this social networking website as well. While there is nothing wrong with facebook itself, I am saddened by the fact that there are many of us who have become quite dependent on some of the applications. Some would even go to the extent of consulting these applications to start their day or week. I believe that the users must have had some kind of modern education and I guess I am not wrong in saying that many of us have completed or in the process of completing our tertiary education. But why do we have to depend on facebook to tell us our future, who we will meet today, the colour of our aura, what kind of friend or parent or teacher we are, when we will get married, when we will die, who our secret admirer is, the most suitable job for us et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Really foolish and total bull, I would say. Anybody with a brain can see that computers and these applications can't tell us anything if we don't feed them any input. Even if we provide the input, the output is not necessarily accurate and cannot be accepted as 100 percent true. Nowadays, facebook has become a place where users go to to boost egos, confidence, self-esteem and assurance. Wrong place, guys! We might as well :
i. pay a visit to the funfair/video arcade and slot some coins into the fortune teller machine

OR

ii. eat at a Chinese restaurant and let the complimentary fortune cookie decide our fate.

Don't we have faith in our ability that we have to consult these applications? Aren't we educated enough to know that no prediction comes with a guarantee? We are sophisticated and modern enough not to believe in superstitions, aren't we? What really bugs me is that some of these applications even use religious images and terms. There might be some users who say that they are using these applications just for fun when they are bored and that they don't really believe in what these applications say. Well, it's like saying we don't believe in horoscope and yet that's the first section we go to when we get our daily newspaper. Who are we trying to fool anyway?

Madame Zelda, what will I do today?

A LOVER SPURNED (YOU BREAK MY HEART, I HACK YOUR SITE)

So what do you do when your lover turned against you? You don't get mad but you get even (unless you feel that you can't be bothered with it and are very much happier with your current inamorata/o). So how do you take revenge on somebody like that? Spreading gossips about him or her is so passé. Public confrontation is so childish and begging is definitely a no-no (have some pride please!). You don't even have to ruin his or her reputation and you don't even have to break a sweat. You can sit back, relax and do it the ICT way (while sipping a cup of latté). You definitely need to be ICT savvy in order to do that but a smart guy or gal will definitely have no problem in figuring out what to do. Photoshopping his or her pictures in the form of nude porno stars or ugly creatures is time-consuming and doesn't really do any damage (unless the pictures are real). Now, you can hack into his or her MSN account, facebook, blog or whatever that takes your fancy. You can even clone his or her credit card and spend it to your heart's content (or you can make a donation to worthy causes). You can (accidentally) delete all important folders, documents and files in the computer or you can ___________________ (fill in the blank with your own choice). I am not advocating any of these actions since everybody and his mother know that crime doesn't pay and your hideous action(s) can still be traced back to you. Still, isn't it wonderful if you can get away with them?

A lover spurned
A lesson learned
On love you've got
Your fingers burnt

Shed bitter tears
Now love has turned
The sweet revenge
Of a lover spurned

A passing phase
A week of love
But all at once
You had enough

It pales so soon
Waned with the moon
No deep concern
For a lover spurned

She'll destroy you with her little games
See you swallow all the blame
Make you pay in many ways
For the pleasure of watching you squirm

She'll tell her friends to treat you rough
That you just weren't good enough
Make the going really tough
For the pleasure of watching you burn in hell

And every day
More guilt to pay
A lesson learned
From a lover spurned

It was all so cosy for you
You had a wife, two children
And a beautiful house
And me, well you wanted me
When it suited your needs
And now, now I have nothing
Just a handful of faded photographs
Nothing but a cold empty heart
But I'm not easily forgotten
I'll appear when you least expect
To make you pay
You asked for it that way

She'll come to get you with a knife
Write poison letters to your wife
Totally destroy your life
For the pleasure of watching you squirm

She'll make a fool of you at work
Drag your name through the dirt
Make sure that it really hurts
For the pleasure of watching you burn in hell

A lover spurned
A lesson learned
On love you've got
Your fingers burnt

Shed bitter tears
Now love has turned
The sweet revenge
Of a lover spurned

The sweet revenge
Of a lover spurned

SESAME STREET AND CUMI DAN CIKI

Sesame Street is already 40 years old and is considered as a pioneer in edutainment for young children. The show is watched by children all over the world and up until now, it still has not lost its appeal. It is safe to say that it has managed to fill in the void for wholesome children's edutainment without sacrificing the elements of fun and knowledge. I wonder if the same thing could have happened to Cumi Dan Ciki, a local programme aired on national television in the 70s if it has not been discontinued. Unlike Sesame Street with its various puppets, Cumi Dan Ciki had only four. I remember sitting in front of the black and white television mesmerised by Cumi the butterfly, Ciki the monkey, Bad the hippo and Cik Tam the crow. And who can forget Abang Wazata and Kak Ain? Of course, the programme was childish but it was for children anyway. So a lot of things which do not make sense to adults actually are very valid for children. I don't remember any other local programmes utilising puppets as a means of educating children except Cumi Dan Ciki (there might have been others but I don't remember). There were various segments in the programme just like Sesame Street. Children will still be children and I believe that puppets, toys, dolls and action figures will always be part of our children's lives. Why not go back into their world and discover the wonder of discovering something new and amazing every single day? Unlike Sesame Street which is produced by a non-profit organization and broadcast on public television, many local children's edutainment programmes nowadays are produced by multimedia companies. These companies are definitely profit-oriented and they might or might not have enough solid background on children's learning development and child psychology. Despite their expertise in graphics, animation and multimedia production, we can't ignore the fact that research is also an integral part of such programmes. These companies know that the television is a powerful medium and its impact can be quite astounding sometimes. It's high time the experts on children's learning development and child psychology put their knowledge to use and work together with these companies to produce a local programme with a strong national identity which can have the same impact and endurance as Sesame Street. And to the local producers who have kept the balance between education and entertainment, keep up the good work!

BEWARE! VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE

Everyone is into vampires nowadays but strangely enough, not me. I used to love watching vampire movies. I didn't know why but there was something about that dark world that really appealed to me (don't start analysing me psychologically, okay?). Last night was a vampire movie marathon for me. It started with 'The Lost Boys' (my favourite) followed by 'Fright Night' (another favourite), 'Blade' and ended with 'Interview With The Vampire'. When I was in college, I made friends with a group of vampire movie fans. Most of them slept during the day and went out at night fantasising of being bitten by a vampire or two! They were dressed mostly in black and had very pale complexion since they tried to avoid the sun altogether. They had this plan that if ever one of them was bitten by a vampire and turned into one, he or she would bite the others too. Talk about being weird! It seems to me that humans who desire to become vampires are running away from a reality and life that they can't handle. Well, reality bites but I don't think there are any vampires who can do that. I don't think I'll be watching 'New Moon' from the Twilight Saga since I was quite disappointed when 'Twilight' came out. I'd say that the cinematography in that move is fantastic but the movie itself is too slow for my liking and the storyline is quite shallow. Well, I shouldn't have expected much from a movie adapted from a teen novel written especially for young girls. The series itself is simply a love story about an average girl who finds love. It's just another story about forbidden love and we know how much people love stories when love triumphs in the end. That's the basic premise of this story and what happens between the beginning and the end is just fillers to keep the story going. At the same time, there are many out there who have become addicted to 'Vampire Wars' on facebook. I guess I must have outgrown my 'vampire' phase since I'm not playing 'vampire' anymore. These days, I'd rather join the Mob and start killing people with real weapons instead of sucking their blood. On a lighter note, I love garlic too much to become a vampire...

p/s How do you like my new fangs?

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Another victim has been added to the long list of child abuse victims and this time the culprits are her own mother and her mother's boyfriend. I can't understand how a mother who is supposedly a loving person can turn a blind eye towards the suffering of her own flesh and blood. Is love so powerful that one can become so weak and cruel? I am not a violent person and I don't believe much in violent acts but this time, I truly wish that these two devils would die slow agonising deaths. Neither am I judgmental but I can't help but curse them to the lowest depth of hell. Whatever their reasons are, none can be justified. The pictures of the little girl were all over the papers and it is sad to witness how two mature adults can do such things to an innocent child. What's love got to do with it? Nothing and everything, I'd say.

NIPPY'S ALMOST NIPPLEGATE INCIDENT

Whitney Houston performed 'Million Dolar Bill' on the British show 'The X Factor' and she had a wardrobe malfunction. While not as famous and as revealing as Miss Jackson's 2004 Superbowl incident, it was a wardrobe malfunction nevertheless. The back strap of her dress came undone in the middle of her performance but she was fortunate the dress was held together by the top straps. Talk about luck! Whitney (sometimes called Nippy by her family and fans) could have shown a 'nipple' (or two) and I'm sure the incident would be bigger (no pun intended) than her comeback story. It could also have easily been referred to as the real 'Nipplegate'. Making light of the situation, she said,"I sang myself out of my clothes". From now on, I'm going to make sure sure my fly is done properly every time I step out of the loo. Pray that I will never have to say 'I peed myself out of my pants'.

BARBRA AND MARIAH - LEFT AND RIGHT

Barbra Streisand has got herself a number one album at the moment and Mariah Carey is not really too far behind (no pun intended). So what about them and why am I writing about them in this entry? Well, there is no specific reason actually. I'm just curious and I wonder if anyone shares my curiosity. Everybody knows that most of Mariah's pictures show only the right-hand side of her face but it totally escaped my attention that Barbra has been doing the opposite for decades.

I wonder why...

SLEEPING BEAUTY

I am a person who needs a lot of sleep. At least eight hours of sleep per day and I'll be able to perform my daily tasks well (most of the time but not all the time). Less than that and I'll be bitchy, moody and groggy. Well, I'm always bitchy, moody and groggy anyway. More than that and I'll be as happy as a lark. I used to feel really guilty about my sleeping habit since I know a lot of people who don't sleep as much as I do but can still get up feeling fresh and rejuvenated. No more of that guilty feeling! Thanks to Ying-Hui Fu, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco who conducted a study and says that some people simply have shorter sleep requirements. It seems that I am not genetically programmed to have that kind of sleep. Now, I can blame my genes (or should I thank them?) for not providing me with whatever that I need for shorter sleeping periods. I can sleep almost anywhere and anytime actually. I don't even need a proper bed to sleep. Just make sure the lights are low and the weather is cool and I will soon be off to Dreamland. I've been known to sleep through long, boring and meaningless meetings and short, interesting and important ones too! To me, sleeping is almost like an escapism. It is akin to reading a wonderful fairytale where you'll be on the adventure trail with fairies, goblins, princess, princesses, dragons et cetera et cetera et cetera. It soothes the aching body, heals the wounded soul and feeds the imagination. A good night sleep can do a lot of wonders for a person and a siesta doesn't hurt either. In fact, afternoon naps can be quite rejuvenating especially on a hot day when the wind doesn't blow and the world is just too much to take.

p/s Don't ask whether I snore or not during my sleep but I've been told that I am a restless sleeper.

THANK YOU, MISTER POSTMAN

I was expecting a parcel from somebody to be sent to my house (my Whitney Houston's cd singles actually) and I was surprised when it was sent to my workplace instead of to my house. I don't even know the postman personally and I seldom said even two words to him except the occasional thank you when I happened to be at home. I guess he knew that nobody was at home when he was delivering the parcel and instead of leaving a note asking me to pick up the parcel from the post office, he sent it to my workplace. That was really nice of him, wasn't it? It is quite rare nowadays to find people who will go out of their way to do something for someone else especially if they don't know that person. I doubt that I will either. To that Mister Postman, bravo and thank you very much.

I'M A PROUD (BUT TIRED) PARENT OF SEVEN...

... kittens! Yes, seven of them and at the moment, I'm feeling a little bit like an overworked Snow White with the presence of the mischievous Seven Dwarfs. I still haven't decided what to do with them since I don't plan on having more cats in my household (four is enough). Some of my friends have expressed their wish to adopt these furry creatures since they are quite cute (the young are always cute anyway but wait until they grow up). As much as I love them, I guess I have to let them go...

p/s The above picture is definitely not of the Seven Dwarfs mentioned earlier since I can never keep all of them still at the same time.