# Halloween --> Hungry Ghost Festival

The Halloween day fell on Monday, but surprisingly I did not manage to find much celebration at school, on street, nor at the place I stayed. This year, I did not find the enthusiasm to celebrate among friends like last year, when we had lots of fun in the parties. Perhaps it's because of the pouring rain and the lousy weather. :-P

We decided to have a walk around our living vicinity to get a feel of the celebration. However, with the population of our area mainly consisting of Turkish and Middle East people, the festive mood is not strong. Instead of getting 'trick or treat', we had nearly been extorted money from some kids, and that's when we decided to head home earlier.

I remembered hearing from a friend that Halloween originated from the Celts' beliefs that every year on the last day of October, the souls of the dead visited the earth. People dress up in costumes and go for trick/treating, costume parades, community parties, etc.

While the celts started the halloween celebration, other countries have different Fall festivals to honour the deceased. We, chinese, besides having the Grave Sweeping Day (Ching Ming) in April, we have the Hungry Ghost Festival (Taoism) / Yu Lan Pen festival (Buddhism) festival in the 7th month of Lunar calendar. This ancestor-honouring festival which continues for the whole month of the seventh month, centered on the 15th of the seventh month. Unlike Ching Ming which is dedicated to one's own family and ancestors, the Hungry Ghost festival is dedicated to the deads who are not one's own ancestors. Being a festival to commemorates the ancestors, this festival's aim is to pacify the uncared-for and abandoned dead. Scary the name might seem, Hungry Ghost Festival is actually a very compasisonate celebration which encourages filial piety.

In the Buddhists' version of Yu Lan Pen festival, there is a legend of the festival which told about a devout Buddhist monk, Mu Lian, whose mother was suffering in hell due to wrong doings. Mu Lian plead to the Buddha for help to save his mother, and he was taught the Yu Lan Pen canon/ sutra and was instructed to offer this prayer and food on the 15th night of the 7th month. As a result of his devotions and filial piety, his mother was then freed from hell. Since then, Buddhist monks and nuns would chant the Yu Lan Pen sutra to rescue others from hell on the 15th night of the 7th month.

In the Taoisms' version of the Ghost Festival, a more elaborated celebration is observed. The celebration includes special sacrificial ceremonies which involves prayers for the dead and offerings of fruits, sacrifices of animals such as pigs, sheep, chicken and geese. A sacrifical altar and a chair is built at street entrances, and in front of the chair sets the statue of the King of Hell Di Zang.

Incense-burning is also another Taoism practise which is seen as a way to transfer 'prosperity' to the dead. In the streets, and altar of incense would be set every 100 paces, with fresh fruits and sacrifices arranged on it.

In places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, people flown water lanterns on lakes/ rivers. Accodring to the Chinese tradition, the lanterns are used to guide the ghost in the dark. The priests will then invite them to attend the next days' feast. In many other places, stages are set up and there are performances of songs and dances, called 'shi ge er', which mean singing ghost songs, to entertain the dead.

I remembered when I was small, I used to feel scared when the Ghost Festival draws near, afraid of being disturbed by wandering spirits. But after growing up and understanding the significance of the festival, I feel so touched that we have this meaningful celebration to show our compassion not only to our ancestors, but to all other deads. Suddenly, the ghostly statues and the weird-tuned songs don't scare me anymore.

# Art of Procrastination

Just trying out a few more patterns... Still too lazy to start the piling homework.
Low, Pandabonium n Moody, I will just take you guys as guinea pigs then... *^_^*



(P/S: Low, your second character looks uncannily like the 'shan' 善 in Chinese words.)

# Seven

Got tagged by Low to this 7-chain. (hehe you owe me one meal!) As I went on to fill in the blanks, I realized I was more mindful and aware of myself...

7 things I plan to do before I die
1. Travel across the globe (condition: get some money first)
2. Go to Tibet
3. Short term nun (短期出家)
4. Be a mother
5. Make a useful contribution to Malaysia
6. Write a book. (childhood dreams!)
7. Buy my parents a beautiful house at a serene place.

7 things I can do
1. play piano
2. talk incessantly
3. fall asleep in 1 minute (my friend actually counted! geesh..)
4. laugh easily
5. recite ABC alphabets in inverse order, and other kinds of silly games
6. do mathematical proofs, such as
7. spend long hours just walking and thinking

7 things I cannot do
1. dance :-(
2. ride motorcycle (my dad wouldn’t let me)
3. skate (centre of gravity too high, :-P)
4. normal-girl-shopping (I think I m from Mars)
5. drink coffee (I mean, I can drink, but I will end up staying awake for whole night!)
6. sit still for too long (roommate’s comment)
7. body mechanics – cartwheel/ dive/ climb monkey bars

7 things that attract me to another person
1. Sincerity
2. Simplicity
3. Integrity
4. Compassion
5. Open-mindness
6. Considerate
7. Fun & entertaining

7 things that I say the most
1. huh?
2. haha…
3. omigosh
4. thanks
5. Yes-su (Saying ‘yes’ in a Japanese way)
6. …it’s like…
7. okay

7 people I want to do this
1. HF from Taiwan
2. KB from Japan
3. SS from Malaysia
4. EH from UK
5. Lisa from UK
6. NBSM from Malaysia
7. Anyone who feels bored, hehe

# A Melting Pot of cultures

A familiar picture among stacks of envelopes caught my eyes when I was rummaging through the mountain of mails. (There are 4 flats sharing the same mail box, at the place I stay now...)

A postcard from Malaysia! What a delight! It's from my dear friend, Low, who himself loves collecting postcards. Somehow, we have started to exchange postcards, hence started this series of postcard stories. Just two days ago, I was surprised by the appearance of my Big Ben on his blog, 1979.

Anyway, here is the wonderful postcard that tells the story of Malaysia.

Batu Caves (Left), Thean Hou Temple (Top Right), Masjid Jamek (Bottom Right).

Such was the variety of races, cultures, and religions in Malaysia. While Batu Caves has always been a site for Thaipusam celebration by Indians, Thean Hou Temple is one of the grandest chinese temple not only in Malaysia, but in Southeast Asia. Also, Masjid Jamek is a significant starting point of the history of KL.

Besides the historical values exhibited by the places, I am impressed by the implicit meaning conveyed through these snapshots. With the three religious sites of three races, the pictures potray the multi-racial and multi-cultural society of Malaysia. Malaysians have always been proud of the rich culture and strong unity in our country. And the tolerance and freedom of religions have enabled places as such to be built, and cultures to grow and integrate with one another. The wonderful thing is, despite the differences in backgrounds, Malaysians easily mix among races and celebrate various festivals together, no matter what race you are or what religions you have. There is an evolution of Malaysian culture, rather than the distinctive cultures of different races, that makes us feel at home, and feel together.

One special Malaysian culture is the "Open House" culture. During festivals and celebrations, Malaysian fellows love to throw an Open House party, which invites anyone around the neighbourhood to come and celebrate together. With such 'policy', no specific invitation is needed at all, everyone comes and gives good wishes to the host, who happily welcome anybody. With such concept, people are friendly to any visitors, and the atmosphere is filled with trust and friendship.

Another strictly Malaysian culture - Mamak Stalls - the best hang-out place for youths at night. Sometimes people see this as a unique version of pubs for Malaysian, but of course, no alchohol is served. :-) We prefer Teh Tarikkkkk...

Well, I should stop going on and on.. Once I have started, I always get excited and would get deeper and deeper into discussion. hehe...


One last thing I gladly noticed on Low's postcard, the Stamp which depicted the 600th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relation, and showed a picture of the Chinese Junk sailing. I love this stamp! Maybe it's because of my interest in reading Cheng Ho's (or Zheng He) exploration, especially in the recent debate about the extent of his ships' travel around the world, after the "1421" came out. Cheng Ho has left quite a legacy in Malaysia, with some of the chineses today still visit the Sam Po Temple erected to venerate him.

Thanks so much Low, for the lovely postcard, and for the chance for me to launch into another ramble. hehe...

P/S: Thean Hou Temple is a very significant temple for Hainan people in Malaysia, and I am a Hainanese. This means a lot to me, thanks so much.

# Deepest Condelence

This morning I was browsing the news quickly before I left home for school, and the headline that caught my eye was shocking. I was left speechless and a sudden grief overwhelmed me.

"P.M. wife dies after bout with breast cancer"
The line reads at the Star Online.

Such strong character, such gentle heart, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood has passed away.

I could not understand why my heart felt so painful, although I have not known her personally. I think, this is the kind of feeling that grows within us as being part of the nation which we are so proud of. She has been a woman who has shown much personality, character, principle and values. Malaysians have been proud of her, just as Malaysians have been proud of our P.M.

With 5 minutes to class, I would have to stop here. My deepest condolence to her, her family, and to Malaysia. We will remember her.

THE STAR ONLINE

# Rajmohan Gandhi Talk

Today I followed Huifang to the MRA Office in London. They are having a meeting for the preparation of the talk of Rajmohan Gandhi in November, and I tagged along with Huifang to see where I can help out.

Yes, you heard it right. Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is coming to Britain in November for a series of activities. Further information please press HERE.

From the discussions, I jotted down some points to follow up, as I have thought of a few actions we, the youths, can help out as volunteers.

1) Promotion/ Advertising
Was told that the target audience consist of students in social sciences, political and international relations, and the topic would mainly deal with the various issues in today's world - terrorism, peace talks and reconsilliation, relations of Hinduism and Islam as well as between West and Islam, etc etc...

Judging from the target audience and the theme, I found there is some things I can do within my limit.
- contact LSE SU for bulletins in the Beaver, LSESU weekly emailing list and permissions to put up posters on event board.
- contact friends in Islamic society, Malaysian society, BLIA, International Relation repadtment and other societies to help promote the event.
- Discuss with the Communication Officer in LSE for promotion of this event in the community of academic staffs too.

2) Volunteers
As they need volunteers in organizing the events, I am thinking of getting manpower from the students community.
- contact ULUBUDA for prospective volunteers to help out in the event.
- contact LSE Volunteer Centre to register this as a one-off event/project to recruit volunteers.
- Food catering costs seems high to me. hope to ask some catering friends to find some cheaper prices.

Well... i better stop here. Seems I am making this into a notebook to myself of lists of Things-to-do. haha...

Anyway, the full information about this upcoming event is HERE.
The PDF format of the information is HERE.
The summary of the event is

PUBLIC LECTURE
Title: Responding to Today's World - The Relevance of the Gandhian Ethic
Speaker: By Rajmohan Gandhi
Date: Wednesday 23rd November 2005
Time: 7.00pm (doors open 6.30)
Venue: Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1. (facing Euston Station)

Enquiries: 020 7798 6000
Website: www.uk.iofc.org
Email: info@uk.iofc.org

# "Mao: The Unknown Story"

Jung Chang and John Halliday, co-authors of "Mao: The Unknown Story", came to LSE for a public debate organized by the Cold War Studies Centre of LSE. They were joined by Professor Michael Cox,Professor Arne Westad and Dr Athoo Hussain. The interesting feature of this event is such that it took the form of a Q&A session rather than debate among panelists.

From the talks and debates, it can be noticed that the main issues lie in the perspective to see Mao. While Jung Chang sees Mao from a more human side, by exploring his character, behaviour and doings through writing the biography, other academics are looking more towards his ideology, his campaigns, regimes, and the way he made an impact in the landscape of the global politcal map. Due to the difference of perspective and focus, the panelists disagree with one another and argue for own cases. With Jung Chang and Halliday pressing on various cases of Mao's cruelty, and Dr Athoo arguing on the lack of focus on the ideology maoism and the intrinsic value of academic research, political shaping and social impact of the teachings, the event turned into a lively debate with a lot of new fresh ways to see the issue. And as the audience came in with questions and views, I found this session enjoyable, being able to see people making their stand, presenting facts and figures, stating their opinions and arguing different aspects of Mao.

Although this book revealed many new ways to look at Mao, and offered lots of new 'evidence' that has never been made public before, I found there are some limiting factors that open the room for criticism too. From the way the authors described the contents of the book, the way they shape their argument and their emphasis on the issues, I noticed that there seems to be a factor of personal stand towards evaluating Mao as a person. Jung Chang family suffered a lot under Mao's regime (many other Chineses have too), and I suspected this factor weighed quite a lot in the motivation to write the book and shape the character of Mao in this book.

I feel, one issue which needs to be addressed by this book, is that despite Mao's well-known cruelty and sinister policies, how can he manage to attract such huge number of followers? What is his appealing factor that made the Chineses venerated him so much? With his complex character, how can he manage to leave such huge legacy to the current China, with his portrait still looking over Tiananmen? Considering these factors, we note that Mao does have great qualities as a campaigner, a politician and a revolutionist. It would be interesting to look into these aspects of how one leader can influence a population of followers so much, how an ideology can expand with campaigns and policies. Well, such issues will lead to social and political studies then, which I should make way for the specialists. :-)

Another question in my head is the source of information that the authors used for obtaining all the information which have been unobtainable all these years - the speeches, the reports details, the facts, figures, the quotes of words, etc... A Chinese girl in the audience challenged her about the source of information, but the only answer give is 'classified'. I feel there needs to be more clear explanation for all the new evidence put forward about Mao, because every piece of new information matters a lot - in changing the political and historical records in this area, as well as in changing society's views and understanding about China.

The debate ended later than previously arranged in the timetable, but audience found it interesting and informative, and solicited great interest from the LSE community. I myself enjoyed the event, and although I have not read the book, I think it is a good book for sociology/ policical studies material. Despite its controversial and daring views, it presents some new ways to look at the issues, and give rooms for debates and more research studies.

# On My Own

ON MY OWN (from LES MISERABLES)

And now I'm all alone again
Nowhere to turn, no one to go to
Without a home without a friend
Without a face to say hello to

And now the night is near
I can make believe he's here
Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping

I think of him and I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone
I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me

In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone
The river's just a river
Without him
The world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers

I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life
I've only been pretending
Without me
His world would go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known

I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.

# Karma Talk

Quoted from Samyutta Nikaya I (227):

"According to the seed that's sown,
so is the fruit ye reap therefrom.
Doer of good will gather good.
Doer of evil, evil reaps.
Sown is the seed, and
thou shalt taste the fruit thereof."

From a wise friend's blog, Pacific Islander, we got into the discussion of karma. Simple it may seem, but the intricate layers of meaning, and complex field of karmic force, are yet to be understood, and explained by human.

Many of us see karma as 'reaction' upon one's 'action', harvest of our good deeds, comeuppance upon our bad deeds... This is a very common misconception, if not, violation of meanings of karma. We treat the subject too lightly and we simplify it to just like any other physic laws. Although there are some people's effort to categorize the karma into various types, like supportive karma, obstructive karma, destructive karma, etc, the truth is, we still have not completely fathom the idea of karmic interaction, and cannot explain it just like a subject in school.

Definition ot Karma includes "action, doing, word, deed, thoughts, etc". According to Buddhism, there are two types of existence - current existence and transient existence. The first one refers to the form of being currently, although not permanently, existing, such as human, animal, self. The second one constitutes of the fleeting form of mental and spiritual processes which are forever changing, being transient and impermanent. This leades to the five Aggregates in Buddhist teaching - Matter, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formation, and Consciousness. Karma is a process that happens in these entities. Some see it as the result of actions for past life, some treat it as the reaction of our actions, some say it is just a fleeting moment of process, the moments we think, we act, and react.

Classification of karma is hard. Not only we need to take into account of the various types of good/bad karma, we need to realize that there are far more complex interaction among the karma, the cumulative effect, supportive effect, or sometimes, annulling effect. We have to take into account the factor of time of the effect to take place, be it immediate, subsequent or even indefinite. And from some books, karma study even involves the many planes and dimensions of the karmic consequences, the forms and fields the karmic processes take place. Sometimes, karma is treated as some kind of reserve, where good and bad karma decide the content of the reserve as a whole in a cumulative way; but sometimes, an action is independent of the others.

With such intricate net of Karmic conditioning, there might be questions whether it is worth studying, or even worth believing. It is, and it should be. Though the workings of Kamma surpasses our understanding, it provides a teaching of moral and spiritual responsibility for us. The fact that the Law of Kamma does not operate with mechanical rigidity allows us to have a moment of choice to rise above our bad karmic past, instead of being doomed to predestination and definite fatalism. Also, even for good people, there might be a bad karmic past which has not reaped yet, somewhere from past moments/times/lifes. It is with wisdom, and mindfulness, that we can understand the very transient moment, and make our choice.

I still don't know how to explain karma, and I admit I still do not understand karma; but by writing these down, I hope I can arrange my thoughts and have a better understanding about it. Karma, is not just a religious or philosophical topic, it is in the many moments in our life, it is the unseen force that revolves around us, senseless, tasteless, colourless, formless, yet, it is there.

# Climate change - a warning?

Debates have risen after the attack of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, as well as many other typhoons in Asian region, over whether climate change was a direct factor in contributing to rise in hurricane activities.

There were claims that global waming was causing an increase in sea surface temperature, hence resulted in more severe hurricanes and storms. There were also suggestions that greenhouse gases is linked to the increasingly horrific weather. In fact, two prominent studies, as reported by FT, seemed to confirm the theories.

Are the recent disasters a kind of signal? A signal that gives us a warning that climate change is a serious issue to be tackled with high importance? If they are, are human looking at the problem seriously? Or are we just brushing it aside, again and again, as long as we are not too much 'affected' by the rage of the nature?

We must act. Among the key issues relevant to climate change and global warming include the effects on food industry, travel and tourism sector, control of emissions in developing countries, and design of technologies that is 'greener'. However, all talks and no action would not solve the problem of hazardous gases emission, greenhouse effects, global warming, etc... We need ACTIONS, instead of just rounds of talks and debates, with no immediate fruits of actions. Do we remember the Earth Summit in Rio, 1992, or the negotiations for Kyoto Protocol in 1997? But do we remember how long does it take for them to bear results? Do we remember doing what we have been saying?

Climate change is not just a so-called 'environmental' issue that many people tends to ignore, thinking that it is irrelevant to their lifes which have more 'important' things to tend to. Climate change is a global issue, which affects everyone of us, as long as we live on this earth. We cannot stand aside and watch the worsening of our environmental state, we have our responsibility. Earth belongs to everyone; however, sometimes it is ironic to see people claiming the wealth of minerals and resources produced by earth as their 'rights and properties', while shying away when it comes to the issue of tackling environmental issue. As we gain economically from nature, let's not forget that we still have our responsibility to take care of it.

A simple habit is 'Give and take'. Sadly though, we seem to have been taking too much and forgetting to give in return. And most importantly, to give in return means by practical, realistic actions, not just by beautiful words, discussion or promises.

# Where have our ethics gone?

I was shocked to discover that the main tactics used by friends in interview to apply for job/internship is by BLUFFING/LYING. Rather than using concrete examples which show qualitites needed for the job, people make up stories and 'invented' work experiences that make them look good. And most surprisingly, many are actually proud of themselves for being able to bluff through the interviews and get the jobs.

Suddenly I felt so ashamed for our fellow students. I just could not believe that the eagerness to get into a good company can encourage students to start making stories just to meet the requirements. I feel sad for the recent development of 'skills-targeted' employment procedures. As the companies state the 'perfect' qualities of prospective employees, suddenly everyone 'transforms' into perfect humans with lots and lots of wonderful experiences, or should I say, imaginative experiences.

Application forms are filled with bullshit and non-existence flamboyant words and accounts. Interview process, originallly aimed to get to know applicants better to assess their personality and skills, has transformed into a story-telling session. I am 'impressed' by such development in the career pursuing ratrace. Interestingly, with the increasing demands on human resource skills, the quality of worker does not exactly rise, but rather the skills of bluffing enhance.

How low can we get? How far can we compromise our ethics for material gains? How profit-minded can we be? How individualistic and materialistic can we be??

Today I felt disappointed with my own friends, and I felt sad for the society. I hope for a change, a change in culture, a change in mindset, a change in human nature.

# Global Risk: How Civil Society Responds

Just went to a public lecture in LSE Old Theatre, titled "Global Risk: How Civil Society Responds". Speakers include Professor Lord Giddens (former LSE director), Professor George Gaskell, and Professor Mary Kaldor.

The lecture focused on the increasingly important role of risk in the global society, and with the advancing application of risk in everywhere, it is vital to answer a few main questions:

- What is risk?
- Why is risk important?
- How is risk relevant to us?
- Who define risk and its benefits?
- Who does risk management benefit?
- How much of risk is tolerable?
- etc etc etc...

From the lecture, here is what I understand about risk and its implication onto the global society, a.k.a nations across the world.

Formal definition of risk (from ST330 module: Stochastic and actuarial methods in finance) is potential for unexpected events to occur or for expected events not to occur.

More intuitive approach: Risk refers to future, uncertainty and involves calculation and measurement. There is a difference between risk and uncertainty, in a sense that risk is measurable, while uncertainty is immeasurable.

Well, it is getting a bit boring with all the definitions so I should get into the points.

History/Background
In the past accidents are characterized as acts of God, nature or just by luck. There is no sense of insurance and predictive measures to account for risk. Peter Bernstein's book "Against the Gods" mentioned the starting of the notion of risk in the voyagers' exploration records. In 1970's, the notion of risk became exponentially important and suddenly we see risks everywhere, and we find applications of the knowledge of risk everywhere.

Current Situation
Risk is deeply ingrained in our life, as our society is future-oriented and globally integrated, and there is a rise in the incidents of man-made risks. Professor George Gaskell described the phenomenom of a "Risk Colonization", where we see risk measurement, management and control in every sector, from health to law to finance. By employing the notion of risk, we aim to increase efficiency and assist in our decision-making process in uncertainties.

Risk management is observed in various social issues - tsunami preventive measures, terrorism control, climate change management, gender difference, migration problem solving, etc etc. With the widening application of risk management in everyday's life, there is, however, a potential threat of "Risk of risk", in which the process of managing society risk leads to institutional risk, which causes a spiral effect of risk creation. With so much of the 'known' unknowns and 'unknown' unknows, the global society needs to decide which risk is tolerable, and which is relevant?

Besides the spiralling effect of risk that Professor George Gaskell mentioned, Professor Lord Giddens explained about the issue of informing the public about the risks they are facing. There is a fine line between scaremongering and coverup in risk control in public. How much do we want to expose to the public? and how much risk we can take?

With globalization, the notion of risk developed from social contracts, to national policies, and to global convenance. As the knowledge grew, we noticed the gap between political party and the society, and we saw the different weights carried by the rich countries and the poor ones in deciding the risks and methods to counter them. Professor Gaskell raised one crucial point, "Who defines risk and the control methods? Who does it (risk management) benefit? What level of risk is reasonable?"

There is also another issue of the increases in the 'blame culture', reported by the New Scientist. Human have collectively become more inclined to blame than we used to be. The increased frequency and size of litigation and compensation amplified the society's tendency to start blaming one another for any risk and any accidents. Where do we stop, and how far we want to assess the risk in everything?

There is still much room for debate in the application of risk in our society. I do not deny that risk is an important element in our life, in fact, I myself study the subject that deals mainly with risk assessment, management and control. Risk gives security and stability, but the global society needs to have intensive public debates, proper analysis and deep research on risk to manage risk properly, and prevent exploitation of this wonderful idea by certain irresponsible groups. With the notion of risk spreading from finance to larger perspective of global/ social issues, there needs to be a careful examination on the control measures and application.

One last thing I am still waiting for a reasonable explanation: Certain people use the name of risk to carry out pre-emptive actions, supposedly as 'preventive' measures to protect the world. Yet, have we properly assesed the risks, our tolerance for the relevant risks, and the realistic probability, if not, the proofs of the risks? We need to think more, and we need more global participation in decision making rather than power concentration in a few big powers.

# Great Ideas that Shaped our World

The recent cover story of New Scientist really attracted my interest - "The World's Biggest Ideas".

Top Ten Scientific Ideas

1) The Big Bang - the concepts that describes the origin of universe. It was proposed that after a few seconds of the beginning of the universe, the temperature was 10 billion degrees high; radiation, protons, neutrons and "dark matter" were present in known proportions. Then everything cools down, and with action of gravity, density contrasts grow and gradually form our universe.

2) Evolution - Darwinian Theory. Cumulative evolution is guided by the force of natural selection. Life starts with a single bacterium, and diversity stems from successive branchings (Speciation), and evolves into different species. Survival of the fittest.

3) Quantum Mechanics - study of how subatomic particles behave and provide a framework for physical theories. The article linked quantum mechanics to abortion, free will and human identity. Interesting subtle links.

4) Theory of Everything - theory of general relativity, gravity, string theory. Dimensions, forces and particles. We have yet to find such a kind of Theory which encompasses Everything. But we will try.

5) Risk - Quantifying risk and differentiating between risk and uncertainty, measurable randomness or uncontrollable acts of God. Growth of the blaming games, litigation and compensation culture. Risk assesment, management and control. In fact, the fundamental notion of my current study.

6) Chaos - Unpredictable, the world is packed with possibilities.

7) Relativity - Einstein! Mass can be converted into energy, speed of electromagnetic radiation is a special scale of nature. Einstein's relativistic theories also redefines the way we think on intuition, and change the absolute concepts which were once so deeply ingrained in our views.

8) Climate Change - global warming, iceberg melting, fllods, draughts, causes of recent Katrina, etc etc...

9) Tectonics - Study of Earth Sciences, geology, plates movements, plate tectonics.

10) Science - pursuit of truth, to answer everything in the universe. Combination of theories and experiments. Suddenly reminds me of the X-file "The truth is out there". hehe.

Enough blabbering. Back to work now.

# Part-time Catering Assistant

I started work today as a part-time catering assistant in the school cafe. I was quite lucky to get this job because it has been said that students applying to school jobs normally have to queue in the waiting list for quite a long time.

I was stationed at the Plaza Cafe next to the library, although we are told that we might be stationed in any other cafes if needs arise. The cafe is a small one, but a busy one too. My shift is during lunch time, the peak hours of students getting off classes and coming for food. It was hectic to keep everything in order, from maintaining the coffee machines, to refilling food stocks and cleaning up tables and emptying rubbish... etc etc.

Made a few blunders during first time trying. But happy that things are getting into place. It feels nice to be busy actually. Guessed I am not a person who can sit quietly long enough, hehe...

After starting the job, I was quite surprised to find out that some people actually think waitressing is a low-class work. Perhaps these people have always been used to being served upon and being rich. They really needs to learn to respect everyone's job, from the supposedly high status office work/ CEO/ advisors/ etc to lower income workers. There is a need for these people to climb out from their own cocoon to the real world. The world does not revolves around themselves, hehe.

At workplace, got to know a few nice colleagues. Gosha is a friendly girl from Poland, currently finding postgrad courses to study, planning to do IELTS and also finding accommodation. Katy, another Polish girl, is working long hours at cafes and bars to earn a living. Annie, from Malaysia, is the supervisor, and she's on working holiday visa. Leila, Philipine based in Madrid, was travelling from places to places to work. Each person has different stories and background, yet they are a family in this small cafe. I like the friendly atmosphere in here.

Tomorrow I am having another shift. Looking forward to the new day!

# Islamophobia

600% increase in religious hate crimes in UK after 7/7.
Attacks on mosques, arsons and mearing of bacon acros the doors.
Verbal abuse and physical attack of Muslims.

Such was the backlash against innocent Muslims after incidents of terrorism. I was surprised at public's immature thoughts and actions. For terrorism acts by some individuals, the whole community took the blame. Medias have been resposible for shaping the themes which seem to demonize the Muslim community and link Islamic religion with terrorism.

It was unsettling to realize that xenophbia is still wide-spread among the society here. With such developed society and advanced nations, why can't we embrace the simple values of tolerance of each other and acceptance of people different from us? I cannot understand what is the point of racism at all. Why can certain people denounce anything different from their tradition/race/values? It is not like their own values are superior to any other's.

Growing up in Malaysia, I am grateful that I learned tolerance among races since small. It is easy for us to mingle together without being very aware that we are different from one another. Multicultural society in our country seems to have form a strong foundation for our national peace. At least, we are not that sensitive that people are different from us. At least, we do not fear other people because we are not familiar with their culture. At least, we are not too proud of our own values and despise any other different cultures.

Tolerance among races and religions. So fundamental, yet so hard to achieve.

# Incitement Hate Laws In UK

Post London 7/7, the government unveiled plans to ban incitement to racial hatred, to protect people from being abused because of religious faith. It would become illegal to knowingly use words/ behaviour which are threatening and abusive against individual because of their beliefs. When asked to explain the new laws, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer told BBC that people "attacjlomg the values of West" or "glorifying the acts of suicide bombers" would face actions of laws and "deported wherever possible".

Interestingly, these laws seem to have unclear distinction between criminalising words and deeds. With the principal of justice in which prople are held accountable in law for actions rather than opinions, the new thought-crimes-laws seem to hit the freedom of speech right in the face. It is a scary thought to know that now, we can be imprisoned for expressing our though and opinions.

Suddenly we found ourselves attacking at our own democratic principle of freedom of speech. The society today seems to have become so frail to withstand speeches/ opinions and thoughts. Fighting terrorism needs problem-tackling at early stages, but ruling out people' voice does not directly solve the problem. Tackling problems at the root level does not mean censoring speeches or covering up the ears of public. Banning people's voices only gives the impression that their opinions are something worth listening to.

With such increase in pre-emptive action, the world has suddenly become so full of distrust and suspicion. We penalize people for their thoughts, we attack people because we fear to be attacked. Such actions shows our own insecurity and lack of confidence for our own regimes, principles and social structures.

What we need i a more comprehensive plans and actions to counter terrorism and reduce inter-racial hatred. Banning speeches and deporting clerics do not guarantee that the problem will be 'shooed' away. We need open debate, we need understanding among races and religions. In fact, everything boils down to the most fundamental values in society - to respect one another, to tolerate and to understand one another. It is surprising that many of us today cannot even perform such simple task and follow such basic moral values.

# Sick of advertisements

I have to say I am sick of the surging advertisement appearing in my "Comments" Box. They always start like this,

"Hey you have got a great blog. Good work! I have a blog about blah blah blah, welcome to visit my blog to have a look! would be grateful if you drop me some comments... blah blah blah..."

Gosh! it seems that people take every single opportunity to advertise their merchandise. Even the little comment boxes, which are meant to let friends leave messages, are not spared.

Perhaps I shall just set the setting of this blog to be "Private". geeshh...

# Oxford Circus vs Cambridge Circus

A question suddenly popped up in my mind, why is that Oxford Circus is so famous, but not Cambridge Circus?

# Oxford Circus, the intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street.

# Cambridge Circus, the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road.

Both have busy streets, both have a variety of stores. Perhaps the difference is that Oxford Street has more 'shopping'-type stores... I do not know.

Almost all people know the location of Oxford street, but not too many would know exactly where Cambridge Circus is, or even whether it exists.

Snapped some shots at the Street name plates, here's the Cambridge Circus sign:


Here's the more famous one:

# Egg Growing

My Birthday Egg has mutated!

With an unknown reason, my Eggy has grown a patch of black spot on his head. looks as if he has suffered a bruise. Surprisingly he still has the happy toothy grin as ever.

Poor thing... I can't wait for his growth. It is like a mother watching her child grow. hahaha...

Here's his pictures


Day 1 and Day 2

# Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda
'Banjo' (A.B.) Patterson, c. 1890

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
Up rode the troopers, one, two, three
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into that billabong
"You'll never take me alive!", said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by that billabong
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me


A friend suddenly asked this question about what's with the Waltzing Matilda in Australia... Dumbstruck. Another friend answered it effortlessly.

It seems that there are some arguments that the song is a political statement to attack political figures in earlier centuries on the squatters’ refusal to pay shearers higher wages. However, it has been argued that the plot of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is based on the conflict that raged between these two groups in the 1890s before the song was composed.

More information on the National Library of Australia
Waltzing Matilda

# Buckingham Palace Summer Opening

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Royal family since 1837, home and office of Her Majesty The Queen, is opened to visitors on regular basis. The Summer opening ends on 30 September, and unfortunately I missed the chance to go in and have a look as all the tickets are sold out like hot cakes.

Quotes from the Official website of the British Monarchy (www.royal.gov.uk):

"The State Rooms of the Palace are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world."

I missed the chance to stroll in the garden where which potrays the Garden Front of the Palace and the 19th lake.

I missed the chance to see the "White Wardrobe" desinged for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Norman Hartnell. I also missed the spectacular diamond jewellery in Hartnell's creations.

I missed the chance to see Cecil Beaton's famous series of photographs showing the State Visit to France by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in July 1938.

I missed the chance to see all other extraordinary gifts...

All the treasures, awaits in the Buckingham Palace. And yet I missed this chance to visit. I can only wait until next Summer. :-(

# Happy Birthday to me!

Felt quite surprised and touched today to receive many unexpected calls and wishes from friends... Phone calls, sms, email, friendster... A short message means a thousand words... Also felt touched when some went all the way to buy gifts...

I guessed I have been quite cheeky today, forcing everyone that wishes me to sing a Full Happy Birthday Song to me! It was quite fun pestering people to sing, especially to those who had never really sing out loud in public before. But it's great to see that everyone is very sporting! Thanks loads buddies! Will sing to you at your birthday too! hehe...

Thanks so much friends! So many people to thank, I can only express my gratitude and happiness to all of you. thanks especially to YY, sinsin, anthony, Joey, ah phang, tzuenkiat, yuhjiun, voonsan, chunhong, liciang, daryl, phannee, liangqin, chialin, chinloon, johwee.... etc etc etc... pardon me cuz i cannot manage to write down everyone's name... but you know what my heart wanna say, ya!

Special message for YY... Really thanks so much for everything. you've really made me feel 'special' today. and thanks so much for all the help you have given me last time. very very thankful to you. you r a true friend whom i appreciate very much! muaks! lots of love, hugs and kisses...

Some pics...


With the little gifts...


At Wetherspoon with ray n phang, 'wuliao' so take pics while waiting for food.


At Paul Teahouse, Rasberry tartlet, strawberry tartlet, peppermint tea and earl grey. thanks YY for the cute Stitch! Love it! but still i wanna smack you for not listening to me... grwww...
YY insisted that her photo not to be taken. you wish... kekeke..


Yuhjiun's egg gift... will update more about its daily progress. supposedly to grow into a tree that says "Happy Birthday". Let's keep our fingers crossed.

and thanks yiing, I forgot to take pics during our warm and nice lunch at CNR, and a nice little reunion and chats... suddenly realized we have grown much five years after Form 5, Sin Min. Things change, people change, but our friendship stays. Ganbate!

Well, tired after all the meals and walk and talk and shop.... I shall have a good night sleep tonight. Thanks again for all the wishes...

# Our room!

Decided to have some photos of our little room, which manages to fit in two people...


My Study Table


My Decor Corner


My 'bookshelves' made from recycled boxes


My bed secluded in a corner