Saturday, January 31, 2009
never realise my lips can become 'sausage lips'.. super swollen + injured.. e sides are cracking like anythin even though i did nothing..
think e main suspect is e prawn noodle i ate last night but e thing is, i did not eat any prawn!! strange..
now opening my mouth is a chore cos its like e sides of my mouth r glued (e lip is self healing such tt there's dead skin cells ard it to protect e new growing skin) n to open it will be akin be tearing a sealed envelope *ouch*
n my gum condition dont look optimistic too.. lower gum super red.. die la.. i must know wat happen first before i can cure it right? at a lost over what i should do..
n as if things aren't bad enough, my hp is also spoilt during this period.. no wonder there's a chinese saying that accidents/disaster din come alone.. fainted leh.. my phone is onli 4+ months old!!! no wonder ning's bro was telling me e other time tt his frens who got my phone all got it changed by e 4th month or so.. at first im thinkin e phone is jia lat ar? but aft using e phone for several months now, i find that i dun realli like e phone. in some ways its not as clever as a normal hp n now i can see tt it kena spoil easily.. & its not covered by warranty cos e CSO say tt can see tt my hp batt got contact w water before.. idiot..
need to fork out extra $$ to look out for new phone le.. plus also dunno wat phone to get.. sianz..
wat a start to the new yr....
Food for Thought
坎贝拉 Birrigal把我引入 音乐的世外桃源毛佳／国大附中
莫扎特曾经说过，没有出国旅游过的音乐家，是不可能演奏出动人的乐曲的。这句话，我确确实实地在坎贝拉的Birrigal感受到了它真正的意义。一直呆在家里面对着乏味的平日生活和千篇一律的日常活动，扼杀我对音乐的感触与灵感，使得自己弹奏出的曲子失去了“味道”。 庆幸的是，天赐良机，老天把我送到了澳大利亚，也许是想让我有一个机会去“体会音乐”与“搜集经验”。在Birrigal，我深深地感受到了一种莫名其妙的感觉，仿佛把我推入了音乐的世外桃源。
Birrigal自然保护区是一个用耳朵听不到音乐缠绕的地方；人们只有用心才能体会。一踏入保护区内，当头笼罩的树木，芬芳的花香和清脆的鸟叫声立刻把我卷入了另一个陌生稀奇的世界。一个没有被科技感染的地方，只有自然怀抱的圣地。此刻，维瓦尔第的《四季》忽然在我心里响起。《春》活泼的旋律表现了周围的万物充满了勃气；《夏》的优美又有点悲伤的旋律让我领悟到了这个圣地的脆弱；《秋》欢快的旋律正如此刻的心情；《冬》发出的神秘感正表达了我对一切的陌生，不过也代表了我对往下的旅程的期待。
往自然保护区里走了一会后，我们到达了一个大的人造湖。湖的面积很大，前景是一条小溪而背景则是宏伟的大山。湖水平静，没有看到任何动物出没的现象，只有风吹出的小水波。加上周围的寂静，感觉好深沉，仿佛拉赫马尼诺夫沉重的奏曲慢慢地在心里奏起。当时，保护区的导游给我们看了一只鸭嘴兽的标本，说尸体是在小溪里发现的。那时，拉赫马尼诺夫暗沉的音乐更加响亮，我也仿佛了解了他想表达的意思。就好像在这保护区里危险能随时出没，每一个跳出来的音符就代表了突如其来的危机。奏曲里突然重重的鼓响，就好像那2002年的森林大火，狠狠地带走了好多动物。
不过，穿过沼泽，我们看到鹤安静地在泥巴里挑找食物，袋鼠懒洋洋地躺在泥块上晒太阳。动物们互不相干，没有因为在同一个地盘上而干扰对方的存在。整个地方气氛温和，很有和谐的感觉，就好像交响乐团不同的声音恰当地拌在一起，织成了一首动听的曲子。在这个保护区里，生物们也织成了一个生命之网。说到和谐，万事都要有一个平衡。在自然保护区里，管理员们为了确定湖水的干净度，每天都勤劳地为湖水做测试，保护水生动物的环境和生存率，防止破坏整个保护区的“和谐”与“平衡”。管理员们就像指挥家一样，看着交响乐团的每一个部分，以保持音乐的美丽和旋律。
经过这次的旅程，我感受到了前所未有的提升，也得到了很多演奏的心得与经验。莫扎特说的没有错。在这个小小的天堂里，我尝到了音乐真正的滋味。
转载自联合早报
探索澳大利亚紫罗兰山洞 刺激如演武侠片邓晓舟／德明政府中学
紫罗兰山洞犹如童话世界。长短不一的钟乳石，或如一把把的利剑，或如座座银白色的山丘，在照明灯的映衬下，晶莹剔透。洞中时宽时窄，宽处如教室般大小，而窄处即使一个人通过也得弯腰侧身爬行。
2008年11月 13日，作为爆米花游学之旅团队中的一员，我来到了期盼已久的澳大利亚著名景点——蓝山。
蓝山位于悉尼城市的西面，因山上生长着繁密的澳大利亚国树——尤加利树，其排出来的油渍遇太阳光照射会发出淡淡的蓝雾而得名。站在观望台，俯视连绵山峦，可谓独一无二，美不胜收。整个蓝山好似一幅凝重的画，又如一首深邃的诗，我简直被大自然的神奇景观所陶醉。
来蓝山当然少不了游紫罗兰山洞。紫罗兰山洞由8个洞穴组成，洞内有鳞次栉比，形状奇特的钟乳石。我们20名成员通过抽签方式选出10名幸运者，我有幸成为可以跟着导游进入山洞的“冒险家”。签完“生死”合约，我们按要求穿上特定服装，配戴上指定器具，整装待发，犹如电视中的探险家一样，架势十足。
山洞的入口在脚下陡峭的山崖处，进入山洞的唯一途径就是用攀岩吊绳，把人一个一个地往下送入洞中。跟着导游，我们小心翼翼地向洞内前行，“哇”，好惊叹呀！这里犹如一个童话般的世界！路径迂回，奇幻异常，别有洞天。长短不一的钟乳石，或如一把把的利剑，或如座座银白色的山丘，在照明灯的映衬下，晶莹剔透，婀娜多姿。洞中时宽时窄，宽处如教室般大小，而窄处即使一个人通过也得弯腰侧身爬行。
在一个庞大的空洞里，借着休息喘息的片刻，凭借头盔上的照明灯，我好奇的环顾着周围的神奇世界。这里有已被前辈踏平的台阶，墙壁上似乎还有一些黑色的记号。导游阿姨指着我们面前好像“手”形状的记号，对我们说：“谁能猜到这是用来做什么的？”我们面面相觑。导游继续道：“这是在一百多年前，探险家来到这里所做的记号。这种记号是为了给下次来这里的人带路的标志。”听导游这么一讲，我定睛一看，石头上果然隐约写着18xx年的字迹。我不由得暗暗赞叹起来：这些探险家真是太伟大了，他们没有像我们今天佩带的先进设备，却也可以寻找到这么隐秘的地方，实在太可贵了。
接下来，导游让大家把头盔灯都关掉，说：“我们要让你们看一样古时的油灯。”话音刚落，就听到 “嚓嚓”几下，一个导游叔叔的手上突然出现了一簇小小的桔红色火苗，一跳一跳的，十分耀眼。尽管火苗微小，还不时被大家的呼吸吹得左右摇摆，但在黑暗中却犹如雪中送炭。
绕过地下迷宫，我们来到了一条被开凿好的平坦区域。这里，霓虹灯照耀下的钟乳石，更加五彩斑斓。在钟乳石的表面，仿佛缀满了宝石，红的似珊瑚，白的如玉石，绿的若翡翠，黄的像琥珀……沿台阶而上，路旁不时出现各种奇形怪状的石柱，有的相偎相依，仿佛在说着悄悄话；有的昂首挺胸，似乎要对天高歌；有的把脸背向游人，宛如羞涩的少女……
我钦佩大自然的鬼斧神工。虽然探险仅有几个小时，但它将永远留在我的脑海中。我爱蓝山，我爱紫罗兰山洞，我爱大自然。
转载自联合早报
紫罗兰山洞 大自然的魔力宋凌暄／南洋女中
紫罗兰山洞距离悉尼大概要两小时的车程。
临近山洞时，先观其外貌，觉得它没什么特别，就像是从天上掉下来堆在一起的巨石，跟我们游览过的蓝山那些险峻的山峰比起来，并不怎么样，可它为什么如此出名？我且要探个究竟。
此处旅游可有两种方式——游览和探险。经过抽签后我们分成两队，我则幸运地被分到著名的“Plughole”探险。
向导解释，我们所要走的这条路线和水槽的形状一样，因此得名“Plughole”。
要探险，先穿戴好行头。我们头戴具有探照灯的安全帽，身着探险服，准备就绪，出发！第一站——“sinkhole”（污水坑），其实它是一个巨大的石灰坑 (doline)。我们腰间系好皮带，被一条绳子吊着，用沿绳滑下法 (abseiling)，让身体与石壁垂直，与地面平行着下来。
高难度的第一关顺利完成！我们卸下皮带，从一个只有一米多高的小洞钻了进去，开始了真正的山洞探险。
进入洞中完全是另一幅景象。和洞外的酷热相比，洞内干燥清爽，冷风从我们脸颊上吹过，让我们感到格外的清凉舒服。我们借着头盔上的照明灯光，探索洞中景物。抬头望着上面重叠交错的石头，想到它们竟然在那个位置上呆了那么久而没有掉下来，我突然感受到了大自然的魔力和它那令人惊叹的力量。
再往前走一段路，我们看到洞顶上有一群群大小不一的钟乳石。它们有的像拖着长须的老人，有的像闪闪发光的金字塔，还有的像千年寿龟，竟然让我联想起了儿时冬天在松花江边看到的雾凇。
这些钟乳石在照明灯的照射下栩栩如生，感觉如临仙境。别看有的钟乳石只有铅笔芯般粗细，短短的只有几厘米，向导说，光是这点长度就要花上几十年才能形成呢！那眼前的这群，大的有金华火腿般大小，岂不是要花上几千年上万年才形成？
一路上，我们看到很多石头上都有模糊不清的笔迹。据说，这些都是早期探险家留下来的，这一情节让我想起西游记里孙悟空“到此一游”的画面。哈哈，原来澳大利亚人也流行这个。从那些笔记中，我们了解到原来在十九世纪末就已经有人来过。其中还有女士！我的天，在我的印象中，那个年代的女士应该是穿着长裙，拿着扇子去参加舞会的，可竟然还有人去山洞探险!
“Plughole”探险路线像水管可不是浪得虚名。洞内道路弯曲，出口通常都在最不起眼的地方，有的连身体都不能平躺，要以侧面撑地，像蛇一样在窟窿里钻来钻去，惊险刺激不输给武侠片。想想，一百多年前的人们，又是怎么凭着一支蜡烛完成的？第一个人又是怎么找到这些出口的？他们才算是真正的探险家吧！
经过两个多小时，我们终于完成了探险，让我亲身体验到紫罗兰山洞的美妙。那些钟乳石让我明白了何谓奋斗，锲而不舍就能创造出奇迹；一个个藏在角落里的出口，更让我了解了什么是“山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村”。那些外表看似平平无奇的石洞下面，原来蕴含着无限的惊喜与奇迹……也正是这种外表和内在的巨大反差，才使得人们更喜欢紫罗兰山洞。不要“以貌取人”这句话，原来在石头上也灵验。
转载自联合早报
Monday, January 26, 2009
Musical Monday
Summer Nights
John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John
Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin', happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
I met a boy, cute as can be
Summer days driftin' away,
To uh-oh those summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more,
Did you get very far?
Tell me more, tell me more,
Like, does he have a car?
She swam by me, she got a cramp
He went by me, got my suit damp
I saved her life, she nearly drowned
He showed off, splashing around
Summer sun, something's begun,
But uh-oh those summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more,
Was it love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more,
Did she put up a fight?
Took her bowlin' in the Arcade
We went strollin', drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
we stayed up until ten o'clock
Summer fling don't mean a thing,
But uh-oh those summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more,
But you don't gotta brag
Tell me more, tell me more,
Cause he sounds like a drag
He got friendly, holdin' my hand
Well she got friendly, down in the sand
He was sweet, just turned eighteen
Well she was good, you know what I mean
Summer heat, boy and girl meet,
But uh-oh those summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more,
How much dough did he spend?
Tell me more, tell me more,
Could she get me a friend?
It turned colder, that's where it ends
So I told her we'd still be friends
Then we made our true love vow
Wonder what she's doin' now
Summer dreams ripped at the seams,
But oh, those summer nights
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Food for Thought
牌如人生，人生如牌
独家原创 Sharon
玩久了扑克会产生一些感叹，也许就是所谓的人生感悟吧。
德州扑克玩久了，会生一种感慨：牌如人生，人生如牌啊！
有的时候，一段时期总也不来牌，即便来了大牌，要么没人跟，要么被badbeat，痛苦莫过于此；可有时候，牌来得好，上得也好，偏偏又有"鱼"来跟牌，大赢一笔，可谓人生得意；有的时候，既便AA王牌在手，也可能被72O干掉。有时，翻牌圈、转机圈一直占先，最后一张river牌却急转直下，被人斩落马下，可谓乐极生悲;而小牌在手，只要坚持，换来的竟也能是"柳暗花明又一村"。当然有时，牌明明不占优势，但可以通过打法让对手弃牌投降，这自然是经验阅历在起作用了。
真实人生不也正是如此吗？当处逆境时，要坚持，不放弃，自会别有洞天；身处顺境时，万万不可太过得意，须知激流险滩在前，会让人乐极生悲的。人生阅历经验丰富了，会凭此避过一些陷阱，甚至赢得一些东西。当然有的人也会因为经验欠缺一点，关键时刻未能笑到最后。
所以，玩牌久了，会悟出一些道理用来指导自己的人生。知道要做到在顺境中感恩,在逆境中依旧心存喜悦,不骄傲，不气馁。同样，当知道人生并非一帆风顺，而是有波峰，有低谷时，打牌就会谨记：当牌不顺，知道低调处理，不冲动，不失去理智，有如当年韩信能忍胯下之辱，目标在前方，而不只是眼前。当牌很顺时，不会骄傲，乱打，而是更加谨慎，知道低谷随时会出现。
如此，真所谓牌如人生，人生如牌，牌人合一，这难道不是打牌的一个境界吗？
轉載自 http://www.pokerlistings.hk/cards-life
kept nodding my head when i was reading e abv article..
when playing asshole taidi in genting, my cards were quite good..
esp e one time when im e 2nd last n i need to pass my best card to e 'queen' and e 'queen' needs to pass e worst card to me, i was so surprised n was thinking perhaps i can win..
but then i still end up as 2nd last cos i dun have control over e game.. each time i play out a good card someone will throw a better card.. sianz..
tts when my colleague was saying having control is perhaps e utmost importance..
but with control also comes strategising and taking full responsibility cos u now cannot blame on luck, e overall situation etc.. (though these might also be mere excuses)
however once u lose control, u can also follow e tide n may not be able to do things u'll pretty much like to... just like playing cards..
with control, u can 'throw away' ur worst card and preserve your good cards.. if not u'll be stuck with a lousy card which u prob have no chance of getting rid of..
isnt life e same as well?
Friday, January 23, 2009
the budget
from a layman point of view, its a super disappointing budget..
no extra measures to tackle e cost of living.. as if half a month's of SSC discount is going to help
no measures taken to encourage sporeans to spend even though SM Goh has verbally encourage sporeans w e ability to do so.. doubling e GST credit is too insignificant lor n i bet most sporeans wont spend it so wat's e use?
e rest of e measures i dun see it benefitting e normal man on e street.
i know tt e aim of e budget is to preserve jobs..
but i personalli feel that w external dd in big qn mark, is 12% enough to help e export oriented firms?
n then for exec level employees, its less than 12% cos e wage is kept at 12% of 2500 or lower..
for capital int ind, e biggest cost in e production may be not wages.
when there's ext dd, there's also internal dd. then why does e govt always overlook local dd? why dun e govt dish out more incentives for e local to spend?! i know they are going to repeat tt most of local spending will end up in foreign hands anyway so no use.. but like wat i mention in my post sometime last yr, it seems like they are missing out e whole pic. let's face it, any country which does trading will face this prob anyway so wat's e fuss? as long as a portion of e spending end up in local hands, i think its good enough. n 40% is not too small a num leh..
n im also not expecting a big miracle.. even taiwan expects e shopping vouchers to boast GDP by only 0.64%. maybe e govt wanted to see more results so they think its not worth it.. but i also like to point out how much will e other measures help? w most developed economies expected to go into recession, my take is tt any measures tt can dampen/cushion a more serious/painful recession is worth trying..
i realli dun get it....
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
back to school
