Big Bad Jaguanna

What to do Tomorrow?

2009-11-22T01:55:56Z

Like many of you, I am now done with my first undergraduate degree (Provided I pass all subjects ... namely DIM).

In the months and years that lay ahead, there hovers the question of what to do? The question of what path to take? And dare I say it, what journey of growth that will transform me to what I will be?

It is easy to let the days pass by. Take life as it comes at you. I for one, have been tilling away studiously at my farmville plots, levelling up feels good you know?

In the grand scheme of things however, does harvesting a wild turkey really matter? Probably only to Zygna. For myself, its not so smart a use of my time.

As we approach the halfway mark to 44 (some of us are already past that, in which case there is probably no hope for you), more and more responsiblities are thrust upon us. We can sink into denial or we can face it and rise up to it. Despite laughing about going on the dole, I am pretty sure that is not the path I would want to take.

A recent talk with family and friends has got me thinking about what to do after uni ends. Pretty much what I have been doing so far in life is to follow a pegged out route of primary, secondary and tertiary education. After this, I am on my way to commence my first grad role. Now I have a few choices: one, the most obvious and probably the one that requires the least planning is to continue onwards as a contributive IT worker full time, and devote most of my life to that career. However, appetizing as it maybe, something tells me, thats not all I want in life.

Having a family of my own is part of the definite future, but for now, that future doesn't seem to be emminent. After all, financial security and self-sufficient independence are milestones I've yet to reach. Before I reach those, I don't believe I am qualified to aspire for domestic bliss. It is unfair to burden your significant other with the job of upholding the future.

I've recently read an article about multiple streams of income. It makes perfect sense too. Aside from your primary source of income, i.e. your day job, having other sources of income buffer you from financial fall out. Of course, these sources of income must not overtly distabilize your primary goals. To this end these sources of income can be labelled passive and active sources. Active sources are ones you have to continously work for, for example selling stuff on ebay or keeping a sponsored blog. Passive sources is where money makes money on autopilot, generally they can be long term hedge funds or even the interest you earn on your term deposits in the bank.

Now as I see it, for Active sources, the initial investment is less, but the contribution is ongoing or the stream of income dries up. For Passive sources, the initial upstart capital is larger, however, once you get the ball going, you can depend on it even if you go into a coma.

In the next few months before I initiate my grad role, my plan is to set up a few peripheral sources of income. Not everything needs money, but for everything else theres Mastercard, and for the Mastercard, theres a plan.

What are you doing after uni?

Typical Uni Day

2009-09-09T15:59:04Z

Hahaha some friends of mine putting out some pro stuff

5 mins of hilarity! watch!

Your Call - Secondhand Serenade (JP Cover)

2009-07-17T13:39:01Z

RIP MJ

2009-07-02T03:22:11Z

Facebook Graffiti... about 2 Hours...

ghostmosquito @ 2009-06-13T20:38:00

2009-06-13T10:41:17Z

走进新时代——中国接吻通史

六十年代叫"那个"

女（低头轻声）道：哎，你能不能"那个"我一下？！男（疑惑不解）道：那个？！哪个呀？！
女（面露羞涩）道："那个"就是……傻样……
男（恍然大悟）道：噢……嘿嘿……俺还怪不好意思的！
接着传来"啧啧……"声

七十年代叫"亲亲"

男：二丫。
女：嗯？干吗？狗剩哥？
男：我……能不能……亲亲…………你……啊？！
女（假装生气）你？！……讨厌。
男（害怕讨好状）：我……我……对不起……二丫……
女（扑哧一笑）：就一下啊。
接着传来：狗剩哥再来一下好吗？！……啧啧……声音

八十年代叫"吻"

男（两眼放电）：玲，可以吻你吗？！
女（两眼接电）：我还以为你不说了呢？！
接着：玲，你不会晚上还吃的韭菜馅的饺子吧？！

九十年代叫"波儿"

男（一进家门边换鞋边说）：老婆我回来了！！
女（边解围裙边扑向男喋声）老公，你回来了，想死人家了！
男：我也是，"波儿一个先"
画外音：你是不是又喝酒了？再喝就别回来了

现在叫"嘴"

男（不屑一顾）：猪猪，来，嘴一个。
女（无所谓状）：OK！
画外音：女：小子！还我口香糖！

in other words. Taylor Swift has my heart.

bump

2009-04-08T04:28:15Z

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Work is tiring. XKCD time!

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T05:51:24Z

Change you can believe in

2008-11-02T02:30:58Z

Im procrastinating

haha tricked you! Well anyway Asian Kung-fu generation's After Dark has such a cute PV!

Basically this nerdy guy wakes up one morning to find his pajamas jiggling... turns out he grew a pair of mini wings during the night... now most people would freak outta their pants, but wing-kun just wraps his back in bandages and goes to work as normal... well as normal as possible... his wings keep getting bigger! You see him in all sort of situations trying to appear normal, such as keeping his back to the wall and spinning around everytime someone walks across his pod, suffocating in heat but afraid to take off his suit... and he cant sleep at night on his back... aww poor wing-kun. Add to that the fact that there are so many cosplayers in Japan... he feels like a freak :( Wing-kun looks sadly at a trio of surf boarders walking bare shouldered into the waves, thinking he would never get to do that ever again.

One day going about as if nothing happened, Wing-kun sees an accident about to happen. Realising he is probably the only one who can save the window cleaner, Wing-kun runs towards the building, finally accepting his wings, and flying and saving the man *wipes tears*

I couldnt make it to Matt's bday :( due to thesis proposal so...

happy birthday mattster by ~jaguanna on deviant ART

Tassie Devils Appeal!

2008-10-19T07:49:42Z

Hello,

I have recently joined the Tassie Devil Appeal. Please sponsor my Devil with a tax-deductible donation that will help prevent the extinction of one of Australia's most unique marsupials. You can also Join my Devil family. It’s a fun way to support a really important cause.

The Tassie Devil Appeal is a group of zoos and wildlife parks from all over Australia who need help urgently to breed Tasmanian Devils to build an ‘insurance’ population to protect against a deadly disease that is wiping them out.

You can breed your own devil or create one to represent a company or school. Feeding and breeding your devil will increase its rank and the top devils will get naming rights over real devils born into the insurance breeding program next year. It’s a fun way to support a really important cause.

This may be our last chance. Be a Devil saviour!
Warm regards,
Ann

Support the Devils cause!

steam punk

2008-09-06T12:15:38Z

Every once in a while I come through and start finding new topics to interest myself...and this time its Steam punk

Have a look at what a guy did to this, and this, and this, and this. It's pretty blow my mind away. There is even steampunk music.If you want something more rock try listening to them rehearse, I think they're not bad.

Steam punk brings to mind The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, the Difference Machine, and oddly Disney's treasure planet. Not to mention Professor Layton and the curious village by level 5.

I'm not quite happy with where I am at at the moment. I can do so many things so much better, but every time I come to it, I put it off. Oh what a PA personality I am developing. For the past 2 days I've avoided work simply because I can't finish it. I'm sick of doing the same mechanical repetitive things and chasing up people. Neither am I satisfied with my interpersonal relationships. What I really need is to run away, and capture a whole different environment, and then, maybe, I can forge a new life for myself. So to that end. I am saving up money. Then one day I can go fly off into the sunset.

Autumn Harvest

2008-05-31T07:55:44Z

I wouldnt say I have a green thumb, but I do love getting messy in the garden, as long as it is not mowing the lawn. This arvo, seeing as our pantry and fridge are somewhat low on supplies (SHOCK), I decided to reap the fruits of my labour :P

Behold: sweet potatoes

We harvested about 25kg of sweet potatoes tonight, about a third of the total in the garden.
These grow real well, in fact, it is impossible to eradicate my garden of these sweet orangy tubers.
I must say the quality of the sweet potatoes at this time of the year is wonderful. They snap crispily, and are not too dry or fibrous. I'm planning on steaming them with rice. And possibly stewing the rest with dates in the slow cooker.

Next: pumpkins
Theres about 15 melons on the vine at the moment, we already picked 6 earlier this year. I love pumpkin stirfry, and creamy soups with a dollop of sour cream.

Sorry the pics aint that great... my camera phone doesnt interpret colour at dusk very well..

Now I'm off to turn those into edible food! Yummo.

Edit: Food created!!!

Raw celery doused with rice vinegar. Clear ox tail soup. Pumpkin bingzi (bread with pumpkin stuffed into it). And sweet potato stew. Yummo.

cosplay

2008-05-23T10:32:17Z

I havent cosplayed for a while and really want to find a suitable character
been looking at a couple of pro cosplayers

VAIR
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-SjmlMZsidq9VairZili3z4vGdKUoQuFl?p=171

Jesuke
http://jesuke.deviantart.com/
http://diary.blog.yam.com/jesuke/article/4139583

Behind Infinity
http://behindinfinity.deviantart.com/art/Bleach-Trial-Cosplay-Ishida-65111411

Ereptor
http://ereptor.deviantart.com/art/Gaara-cosplay-megacon2007-49658132

Cadefly the Emo Guy
http://cadeflytheemoguy.deviantart.com/art/Ouran-Host-Club-Cosplay-44909869
as well as

http://www.cosplay.com/photos/

ahhh
but have to study now =____________=

i dont need an excuse to do a meme

2008-05-10T14:47:50Z

From Janice (STOLEN)

STORY OF MY LIFE
Hi, my name is: Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV Francis Appledehli --- I wish. I'm actually J A Pan
When I’m nervous: I pull out my hair
By this time next year: I'll be scrood
Last night I: OMG JESS's PARTY... it was fun

PART 1: YOU
Were you a planned baby?: Accident & Bastard rolled into one
Were you the first?: mmm sort of. Half sister discounted

PART 2: YOUR PERSONALITY
Do you have low self esteem?: I refuse to answer this question.
Do you get depressed about things easily?: I do
Are you happy right now?: No. I am GREEDY

PART 3: APPEARANCE
Are you comfortable with the way you look?: I could do better.
Describe your hair: i havent washed it in 3 days. Starting to resemble snape's

PART 4: RANDOM
Ever been kicked out of a bar?: Lol maloneys
Ever been arrested?: sort of... can I worm myself out of this one?

PART 5: THE OUTDOORS
Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?: Outdoors when it sunny. In bed when its raining.
Do you like walking in the rain?: Depends on my mood
Do you like thunderstorms?: I agree with Janice on this one. Only when it's pouring and I'm at home so I can stand outside for a while then shower.

PART 6: FOOD
Are you a vegetarian?: NO
Anything you absolutely could eat forever?: fava beans
What is your favorite dessert?: vanilla icecream

PART 7: RELATIONSHIPS AND LOVE
Do you want to get married?: yes.
Have you ever been in love?: yes.

PART 8: RANDOM QUESTIONS
Where is your cell phone?: in my hands. kristina messaged.
Cheesecake?: yummo. but i had that for breakfast 6 weeks in a row.
Your dream last night: johnny dancing on stage and getting famous on youtube!!! hahaha
Car you want?: Eliica --see below

Your fears?: I'll be a burden
Who are you hanging out with tonight?: My mum - it's mothers day tomorrow!
One of your wish list items?: a Wii
Where did you grow up?: I didnt grow up.
What are you wearing?: white t-shirt and pj pants.
Tattoos?: haha someday
Ketchup?: on chips
Your computer?: is love
Your life?: is scrood
Your friends?: I miss you
What are you thinking about right now?: this song is nice
Your work?: unemployed... sort of/soon coke
Your summer?: Passed too fast
Your favorite color(s)?: neon orange, sky blue
When is the last time you laughed?: 2 secs ago. Scaring Yao.
Last text?: "OMG you know what you said about vagina with teeth? There really is a movie about it - vagina dentata. The movie is called - TEETH"
Last received call?: Will i think. I forgot what we said.
****

Who knows the most about you? I try to keep it in
Who do you blame for your mood today? Decler.
Have you ever seen a dead body? Debatable
What should we do with stupid people? put them in Chaser
What is making you sad right now? Whaling
What was the first thing you did this morning? The electrician came...
Last person you went out to dinner with? wow there was a whole lotta ppl there. Fob group n optoms
Are you spoiled? A little
Do you drink lots of water? I drink junk
What toothpaste do you use? MacCleans
How do you vent your anger? I dun get angry much
The last compliment you received?: You think grand.
What did you do last weekend?: madly coding
When was the last time you threw up? too much food at buffet tonight
Are you a mama’s child or a daddy’s child? daddy's
Would you ever join the military? I'm to unfit
The last website you visited? Wikipedia
Who was the last person you took a picture with? Jess & Lucy at Martin's place
Last person you went to the movies with? ticket for one please.
What did/will you do for your birthday this year? Tennis + Dinner at Peruvian place
Number of layers on your bed? 2. theres an electric doona
Is anything alive in your room? sides me?
Today, would you rather go back a week or go forward a week? back a week. Yday was fun.
What are you looking forward to right now? Wednesday when I can scare Yao...mwahahaah

IF YOU HAD TO:
If you HAD to get a tattoo, where would you want it? Those wings on my back :3 yeah they're hot
If you HAD to dye your hair a color what color would it be? Neon sassy orange like orihime or Ichigo's from bleach
If you HAD to get a piercing (THAT ISN’T YOUR EARS): eyebrow
If you HAD to change your name, what new name would you choose? Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV Francis Appledehli --- I love her. (Cowboy bebop)

The “WOULD YOU?” section:
If you could go bungee jumping, would you?: sure!
Would you move somewhere else, if you could? YES!
If you were given the chance to go to Paris, would you go? YES!
If you found 10 million dollars, and it was YOURS to spend, what would you buy? A Harpoon. To sink stupid politicians.

The “LETS SAY” Questions:
Let’s say you see a big ship sink...only 3 people have a chance to survive. The 3 people are Your Best Friend, Your Boyfriend/Girlfriend, and a long lost friend, You can only save one, who would it be? Lucy, she'll make sure I'll go to hell if I dont :P
Lets say you had to eat a live tarantula for $1,000…would you? no. Unless theres something desperate in the works.
Let’s say you could star in any movie (made or in the works) what movie? mmm Ouran High School Host Club!... technically thats not a movie. FINE. Matrix. I wanna meet the wachowski brothers.

The “OTHER STUFF” section:
What makes your bedroom unique?: my mum designed it, I painted the walls, chose the lighting... the flooring, paved and grouted the bathroom, installed the plumbing... :P
What’s your favorite season of the year? autum for the fall
Do you like cheese?: camembert

the 2008 section:
Have you had your birthday yet? yes
Are you the same person as you were at the beginning of 2007? i've changed i hope
Are you still in the same job? no. I was at RTA
Is your favorite color the same color? Yes
Have you got the same style/colour hair? Mmm its same length but I had it cut into 5 or 6 different styles in the meanwhiles, curled coloured straightened...
Have you bought a NEW car this year? haha is this a trick question?
What kind of car? N/A
Have you been involved with the police this year? this is another trick question.
Is your best friend still your best friend? Yep. Tho shes sort of found another one.
Gotten any tattoos/piercings? not this year
Had a haircut this year? haha yes.
Been in a hospital this year? Trice
Lost someone you cared about? No *cross fingers*
Been on a vacation this year? mmm extended... last one for a while
Been kicked out of a public place this year? not yet
Best thing that happened this year? All the times being goofy and stuff. Jess's bday cause it just happened

Chi's sweet home

2008-04-25T01:13:56Z

lol I'm addicted to the antics of this sweet kitten

It's hapless encounters and amusing imagination makes my trials and tribulations seem so small. FIGHT CHI! I root for you!

Also I dont agree to have Australia as a republic. Republic of Australia just doesnt sound good. Neither does the People's republic of Australia. Imagine it. ROA = return on assets but also REPUBLIC OF AUSTRALIA...
.sigh... I strongly detest accounting.

Absolute Boyfriend

2008-04-23T17:08:45Z

hahaha I almost forgot about this manga (a light fluffy read with hot guy characters), but for lucy sending me the link to the live version. It's by Yuu Watase, author of Fushigi Yuugi and Alice 19th so expect very yummy bishies!!!

Seriously the best Jap series/asian drama series all steal their plots from manga... blatantly... =_=

Neway I'm pissed because the girl isnt cute!

practically a witch in comparison to:

I suppose the guy who acts for Naito kun isnt too bad looking

Naito kun is a robot... programmed to love only Riiko, but the love that he has for Riiko slowly kills him (o love makes him more intelligent... sorta like chobits story)
and Soshi the childhood friend love interest ->changed to the unruly brother of the CEO...

girly just like lucy likes it. Neways Naito tells him to take care of Riiko in the end... damn riiko... 2 hot devoted guys in a lifetime!

Also I dislike the changes to the storyline...

A pool filled with non-newtonian fluid

2008-03-27T06:34:40Z

Its not exactly water, but they walked across it!

how many days does it take to write a retarded report?

2008-03-25T09:02:52Z

2 weeks before report is due

Dutifully writes report due date in red marker in uni diary. Underline it. Twice. Whoohoo lets engage in Azn socialisation activity - K! WHAAA WHAAA I can't sing in tune... WHAAA WHAAAH listen to me wail like a dying cat....OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!XD...

1 week before report is due

Oh, umm, lets go on WebCT and download everything... dum dee dum, omg its soooo slow.... lets watch something on youtube!!!! aww that is the cutest thing I have ever seen!Omg I must watch more diaper commercials in the future!

5 days before report is due

I better start on that report for security... oh it's only 600 words... omg PEARL Harbour is on channel with long commercial breaks I have to watch it! Oh it's so sad. No Danny! Danny! *sob*

3 days before report

Where is that stupid diary with all the dates in it... Grr, stupid o-week ads... my god I can't find anything... Calls friend "Oh Hai Munchkins mmmmwah... Can I get the due date for..."... "OMG did SHE sleep with __________ on the porche?"..."OMG I'm coming over. We like need to have a gossip session"

2 days before report due

O mai, so dead from booze nite before... I fink I'll sleep in a bit more....
Fook, it's only 3pm ... so waaaaystaaad

1 day before report due

Have intense bitch session about how scrood i am to anyone who would listen on msn.
Write a huge note on FB detailing my scrood up lyf. OMG AIM SO SKROOD!

1 am on day report is due

Mmm I'm hungry lah... lets fix a tastee sambwich lah... mmm
Fhhhh, so ... emasculation, sublimation, buhhhhhhhhh National piracy law....

8am on day report is due

need sleep, gawd why assignment so BS... omg got to get up to uni to hand this in hard copy no wai.... JUST SCROO IT I'll do it tomolo lah... *snore... oink oink*

1 day after report is due

GAH printer jammage... WHY ME... why god hate me lah. I can't do anything. so scroo.... *bitch somemore on fb & lj*

2 day after report is due

Damntydamndamn -20% for each day report is due late... wah unless illness or misadventure?... *spends rest of day trying to forge a med cert*

3 day after report is due

mai gawd, I already lost 60%, sooo scroo
gah teh gay... I'll try more on next major assignment lah... I'm gonna go K to sing my depression off....

Risk assessment

2008-03-20T01:15:12Z

-buffer overload
-power breakdown
-loss of requirement
-language misunderstanding
-family issues
-group disagreements
-mental illness
-facebook addiction 
-msn addiction 
-procrastination
-too many risk – emotional pressure – can’t take it…
-mental break down
-midlife crisis
-hurricane
-tornado
-other assignments
-midsession crisis
-stress
-harassment
-stalkers, fangirls/ fanboys, too popular for own good
-BITSA roles
-Smash into bedpost
-Tsunami
-Easter chocolate addiction – digestion problems
-general highness
-gang fights
-loss of hardware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-chinese medication
-spacing out
- TENNIS
- other occupations
- Distractions
-Television
-Death or injury or misadventure of participant’s risk factor 50.7%
-run out of time 100%
-need to learn/revise skills (use up time)
-illegal requirements
-computer misadventure

people died from this stuff?

2008-03-04T12:34:35Z

I always thought ppl dropping dead as dong from playing WOW was a plausable but unrealistic urban legend... ppl actually do
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article553840.ece
and beware fb!!! I so see so many people around me as well as me... succumbing to IM (msn), compulsive email checking and spamming... and facebook!!! youtube... it's a dire strait we are in folks.... and wikipedia (why!? the holy wikipedia... NEVER)

apparently its called information addiction... cousin to ADHD and heres an interesting article about it... so if you guys every get sweaty palms thinking about your wallpost count... you should go out into the sunshine (if only to take some photos of clouds to post on flickr or deviantart under the title "alien looking outside stuff")
http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2005/feb/16/iwarning-you-too-could-be-addomg two posts in a row...1111shifty one!!!!!

lol this LJ?

2008-03-03T06:49:58Z

hey chudes, if anyone still reads this LJ...

Basically I'm just keeping this account alive so I can go yaoi_daily TT______________TT ahhh thats very low Ann very, very. Damn you facebook!!! and Last.fm!!!!! and social life???

mmm

in desperation to write something constructive: I have... after all the coolness has rubbed off this show, and nobody watches it anymore because it is OLD news...

I AM STARTING TO WATCH PRISON BREAK... OMG so ADDICTED to the bald guys!!! Hawt. *breathe* hawt.

Theres a good thing to watching it after all the dust has settled from everyone hyping it up - most of the episodes are out - and theres no need to scrapple for the remote (not that anyone watches TV in this house).

other recent news? Got back 1 week from a 3 month stint in China. It's pretty different.

I resolve to cut my internet addiction this year.

I resolve to become a hero. In fact, your hero. Yup.

- adious amigos from your lazy Hero

The Legend of the GUI

2007-10-14T03:33:49Z

Part I - Genesis

A long long time ago, in a faraway land, there was a magical kingdom in the middle of the desert; it was called the Silicon Valley and all was good.

To get to the bottom of this story, we better delve into an ancient legend about the early history of Graphic User Interface (GUI). The yarn, first told to me by my legal instructor, Bruce, involves Xerox, Apple Computer and of course the inevitable Microsoft Corporation.

In the beginning, there was Xerox. Hardworking and brilliant folks of lore, forging a magic for the good of more.

In the early 1960s a bunch of brilliant and quirky computer geeks were working at Xerox, this team was Xerox PARC, still one of the leading teams of research and innovation today. They were a remarkable lot, because a number of them had been previously on the development team for “On Line Systems” at the Stanford Research Institute.

Xerox’s aim at the time was to develop an interface that would transcend language barriers and enable people from all around the world to use their photocopiers. The Xerox PARC team realized that the best way to do this was to create an interface that uses pictures rather than words of any language. Heretofore, computers were represented by predominantly text (mostly computer codes and commands) and were difficult to use by the common populace. Xerox PARC was able to codify the WIMP paradigm (windows, icons, menus, and pointers) on their custom built (that is, they built it themselves from scratch in the back of a garage) Xerox Alto experimental computer.

As the Xerox PARC team were well and truly computer geeks, that didn’t know anything about the law, they didn’t register themselves the patent for a GUI. And that is why there is a story to tell.

Along came the Apple Job, tempting those of the smithy to join another power, to rise up above all others, in a modern office tower!

One day in the early 1970s, Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple Computers Inc, and who, incidentally, used to work for Xerox, decided to go out for lunch with a couple of his old colleagues back at Xerox. Over lunch, the excited Xerox PARC members spilled the latest on their impressive development of a GUI. Steve was hooked. In true geek fashion, the Xerox PARC members invited Jobs to “come round, and have a look at our latest cool new thing”.

Steve, in true entrepreneur fashion, took up the invitation and sauntered around to Xerox for a snoop. Wow. This was a computer geek’s equivalent of a golden ticket to the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. Everything was familiar, but different. What happened there, a number of anecdotes can testify, but the long and the short of it is, the encounter led Apple to jump on the GUI boat.

On retrospect it seems predicable, but over the next few years more and more of the Xerox team were recruited to join Apple Macintosh. Eventually, in 1979, Macintosh was released. It was the first commercial computer that used a GUI interface.

Despite the move from Xerox to Apple, and Steve Jobs being an entrepreneur, they were still geeks on the inside, and the law seemed out of their universe and irrelevant. And that is why, a new age had began to dawn.

--- to be continued...

facing up to the challenge

2007-10-04T13:08:04Z

Quote

standing up to the challenge

I was searching for the lyrics of one of my favourite U2 songs, Miracle Drug, when I came across a little bit of the back story and how the song came to be written in the first place. Quoting Bono:

We all went to the same school and just as we were leaving, a fellow called Christopher Nolan arrived. He had been deprived of oxygen for two hours when he was born, so he was paraplegic. But his mother believed he could understand what was going on and used to teach him at home. Eventually, they discovered a drug that allowed him to move one muscle in his neck. So they attached this unicorn device to his forehead and he learned to type. And out of him came all these poems that he'd been storing up in his head. Then he put out a collection called Dam-Burst of Dreams, which won a load of awards and he went off to university and became a genius. All because of a mother's love and a medical breakthrough.

I was really intrigued and decided to look deeper into Christopher's story

He was born with cerebral palsy, from birth complications, and writes using a special computer. His mother, Bernadette Nolan holds his head in her hands as Christopher painstakingly picks out each word, letter by letter. He communicates with Bernadette, his father Joe and sister Yvonne and close friends - mostly using his eyes as a signal system.
My first thought was, what a strong woman his mother is. She didn't give up, even faced with such impossible odds. I wonder if I could be so strong if I was in such a position. I don't know if I could. Could you?
Many heroes begin as ordinary people. When faced with a calamity, somehow they find the strength to face up to the challenge. The spirit of resistance makes them admirable, because they have the courage to change themselves. Maybe that is the hardest thing to change. It is easy to preach, but hard to practise. Being good is an accumulation of everyday acts, persisting throughout a lifetime. I think that's what makes a hero for me. Not someone who does one off things.
Which brings me to talk about one of my favourite heroes. Terry Fox. Fox was a Canadian, born into an average home, an avid athelete, and studied in Simon Fraser University to become a PE teacher. However, when he was 18, he was diagonosed with cancer of the right knee. The only treatment at the time was amputation. So when he was 18, Terry Fox lost his leg, and given a prosthetic leg.
Terry didn't let the loss of his leg interfere with his life. In fact he decided to run from coast to coast in order to raise money for cancer research. This was the legendary Marathon of Hope, and Terry's goal was to raise $1 from every Canadian Citizen.
Fox began by dipping his leg in the Atlantic at Newfoundland. He intended to dip it in the Pacific when he arrived in BC. His plan was to run about 42 km (26.2 miles) a day, the distance of a typical marathon. No one had ever done anything similar to the task Fox was undertaking.
Fox was unable to finish his run. X-rays revealed that Terry's right lung had a lump the size of a golf ball, and his left lung had another lump the size of a tennis ball. The lumps were not lung cancer; rather, they were bone cancer that went into his lungs through his bloodstream. He was forced to stop the run after 143 days. He had run 5,373 km (3,339 miles, or around 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.
Terry Fox died one month before his 23rd birthday. The Canadian population at the time was 24 million, Terry Fox's Hope run raised more than 30 million dollars for cancer research, and is now held as an annual event with millions of participants.

Don't think that just because you are just one individual the things you do everyday won't make a difference. Take a little feeling out every day, to care about the issues around us. Wether if its global warming, AIDs in Africa, the violence in Burma or just helping out a neighbour with mowing the grass, you are making a difference.
Last thing today: have you ever heard of sand bubbler crabs?
Well they are little crabs about 2 or 3 cm big each. And each night, they come out on the beach and make little sand balls as they lick off the microbes in the sand.

The tide comes in and washes away the sand balls all the time. But, in a few hours, a colony of 50 or so sand bubbler crabs can do this:

DIM SUM GIRL

2007-08-18T04:21:38Z

Il Divo - Mama

2007-08-18T03:39:52Z

new musics

2007-08-04T07:14:22Z

addicted!

link here http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/GoodCharlotte/audio/GoodCharlotte_DanceFloorAnthem.mp3