Timely reminder of our attitudes? From AsiaOne.
"But it's the unintended consequence of the fantastic economic success which we have enjoyed. In our headlong rush for more money, a lot of values seem to have been lost.
The ability to communicate with anybody else is less evident, and people now, generally, want to interact only with people of their own perceived social group.
So we're now a more stratified and polarised society, which is why you hear people longing for the return of the kampung spirit."
I always hear this refrain from a colleague of mine every new year - "Less work, more money!" - but we still work as hard as we did before.
26 January 2015
22 January 2015
Pogba to MUFC rumours
This is probably untrue, and feels like the usual "fishing" for more money rumour planted by his agency.
But the amounts being bandied about just confirms Pogba's stature right now as one of football's emerging superstars.
And to think, SAF basically allowed him to leave, and stiffed him over his weekly wages by offering only £15k when Juventus were already offering £40k. One of his few (but huge) mistakes.
But the amounts being bandied about just confirms Pogba's stature right now as one of football's emerging superstars.
And to think, SAF basically allowed him to leave, and stiffed him over his weekly wages by offering only £15k when Juventus were already offering £40k. One of his few (but huge) mistakes.
Tim Smyczek, take a bow
Sports is better off for people like this - article from Rohit Brijnath, ST
"Smyczek is not done. At 6-5, down 30-love in the fifth set, as Nadal serves for the match, an idiot calls out just as he strikes the ball and it disturbs him. Nadal's first serve is a fault. It is bad luck. It is unfortunate. It is life in sport now where spectators intrude on the play.
Smyczek is not expected to intervene, it is not his fault, no one will think poorly of him if he stays silent. Furthermore, he knows his tired, almost dizzy opponent is just holding on. Facing a second serve, at this juncture, is in fact to his advantage. It suits Smyczek to do nothing. Till he does something.
He tells Nadal to take two more serves, to replay the point, to hit the first serve again. It is almost unthinkable and thus it is beautiful.
Nadal serves a first serve again. Smyczek loses the point. Then the match."
"Smyczek is not done. At 6-5, down 30-love in the fifth set, as Nadal serves for the match, an idiot calls out just as he strikes the ball and it disturbs him. Nadal's first serve is a fault. It is bad luck. It is unfortunate. It is life in sport now where spectators intrude on the play.
Smyczek is not expected to intervene, it is not his fault, no one will think poorly of him if he stays silent. Furthermore, he knows his tired, almost dizzy opponent is just holding on. Facing a second serve, at this juncture, is in fact to his advantage. It suits Smyczek to do nothing. Till he does something.
He tells Nadal to take two more serves, to replay the point, to hit the first serve again. It is almost unthinkable and thus it is beautiful.
Nadal serves a first serve again. Smyczek loses the point. Then the match."
21 January 2015
20 January 2015
The Golden State Warriors are for real
Check out this boxscore from their recent game against the Denver Nuggets.
A few stats jump right out -
1. All 13 players played, and scored.
2. Curry and Thompson both got 13 shots, but everyone else, except for Rush, got between 4 to 7 shots.
Their unselfishness is amazing. 16 consecutive home wins and counting.
A few stats jump right out -
1. All 13 players played, and scored.
2. Curry and Thompson both got 13 shots, but everyone else, except for Rush, got between 4 to 7 shots.
Their unselfishness is amazing. 16 consecutive home wins and counting.
19 January 2015
3D-printed house, anyone?
A Chinese company just 3D printed a HOUSE.
Wow. Is there anything you cannot print in 5 years' time?
Wow. Is there anything you cannot print in 5 years' time?
Stylus to ship with the new iPad (pro)?
New rumour from Kuo Ming-Chi - MacRumors
This one's interesting. I'm sure the "pundits" will start ridiculing Apple for a major "U-turn", given what Jobs said about styluses and fingers.
But from the article, I think Apple's idea of the stylus might surprise a few people. I'm guessing a Wacom-style tablet + pen coupled with desktop-class apps on the new (bigger?) iPad.
That'll start moving the iPad closer to what it's truly capable of.
This one's interesting. I'm sure the "pundits" will start ridiculing Apple for a major "U-turn", given what Jobs said about styluses and fingers.
But from the article, I think Apple's idea of the stylus might surprise a few people. I'm guessing a Wacom-style tablet + pen coupled with desktop-class apps on the new (bigger?) iPad.
That'll start moving the iPad closer to what it's truly capable of.
Man Utd update - QPR (away)
5 thoughts on the game - from Republik of Mancunia.
I agree with the 5 key points.
United's players are built for, and comfortable in, a 4-4-2 formation, especially the defenders. There's no point in having Di Maria up top, when he's got no space to run into, and receiving the ball with his back to goal all the time. That's what Falcao or RvP ought to be doing.
It's time to push on, and for once, I think it's good that we're not playing in mid-week, so that focus is on the weekend's games.
I agree with the 5 key points.
United's players are built for, and comfortable in, a 4-4-2 formation, especially the defenders. There's no point in having Di Maria up top, when he's got no space to run into, and receiving the ball with his back to goal all the time. That's what Falcao or RvP ought to be doing.
It's time to push on, and for once, I think it's good that we're not playing in mid-week, so that focus is on the weekend's games.
16 January 2015
Playboy Interview of Steve Jobs, Part 2
I'm sorry to belabour this (well-worn) point, but I think Steve Jobs was way ahead of his time. Check out some of his quotes from this interview.
About Japan -
"Japan’s very interesting. Some people think it copies things. I don’t think that anymore. I think what they do is reinvent things. They will get something that’s already been invented and study it until they thoroughly understand it. In some cases, they understand it better than the original inventor. Out of that understanding, they will reinvent it in a more refined second-generation version."
Predicting the Internet?
"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people—as remarkable as the telephone."
Remember, this was 1985, when the computers being sold where I lived were IBM PC and Apple II clones and the Macintosh had just been launched in the US. The default OS was MS-DOS on most computers. Kids, like me, were learning to type DOS command-line instructions like "dir", "cd", "chkdsk", and other such jargon.
Predicting the iPad?
"They are OK if you’re a reporter and trying to take notes on the run. But for the average person, they’re really not that useful, and there’s not all that software for them, either. By the time you get your software done, a new one comes out with a slightly bigger display and your software is obsolete. So nobody is writing any software for them. Wait till we do it—the power of a Macintosh in something the size of a book!"
The above was in answer to a question about smaller portables, which in 1985 meant stuff like portable machines with very specific functions, like typewriting, spreadsheet, etc, like this one. Or these.
About life
Predicting the Internet?
"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people—as remarkable as the telephone."
Remember, this was 1985, when the computers being sold where I lived were IBM PC and Apple II clones and the Macintosh had just been launched in the US. The default OS was MS-DOS on most computers. Kids, like me, were learning to type DOS command-line instructions like "dir", "cd", "chkdsk", and other such jargon.
Predicting the iPad?
"They are OK if you’re a reporter and trying to take notes on the run. But for the average person, they’re really not that useful, and there’s not all that software for them, either. By the time you get your software done, a new one comes out with a slightly bigger display and your software is obsolete. So nobody is writing any software for them. Wait till we do it—the power of a Macintosh in something the size of a book!"
The above was in answer to a question about smaller portables, which in 1985 meant stuff like portable machines with very specific functions, like typewriting, spreadsheet, etc, like this one. Or these.
About life
When asked what he was going to do for the rest of his life (he was 30 at the time of this interview), he quoted a Hindu saying, and said this -
"The key thing to remember about me is that I’m still a student. I’m still in boot camp. If anyone is reading any of my thoughts, I’d keep that in mind. Don’t take it all too seriously. If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. What are we, anyway? Most of what we think we are is just a collection of likes and dislikes, habits, patterns. At the core of what we are is our values, and what decisions and actions we make reflect those values. That is why it’s hard doing interviews and being visible: As you are growing and changing, the more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you that it thinks you are, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to go, “Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.” And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently."
Playboy Interview - Steve Jobs
This interview was done almost 30 years ago, in February 1985.
Jobs had just launched the Macintosh and the PC revolution as we knew it had hardly just started.
Read the whole interview and it's profoundly amazing how far we have come in just 30 years.
Jobs had just launched the Macintosh and the PC revolution as we knew it had hardly just started.
Read the whole interview and it's profoundly amazing how far we have come in just 30 years.
Man United's scoring struggles
If you've been wondering why MUFC has been struggling to score despite such wonderful forwards, read this (ESPN link) from Michael Cox.
Quite informative and educational.
Quite informative and educational.
Journey to Jihad
Journey to Jihad - from TodayOnline
A very discomforting read.
There's also a link to a New York Times video (~ 8 mins). I watched it, and came away extremely disturbed.
Mohd Lotfi is certainly not representative of Malaysian Muslims, but it's telling that he is able to raise funds from his "fame" as a fighter during the Afghan war to build a madrasah, and the fact that his own family members are "relieved" and even "happy" that he's died in another country's civil war being fought thousands of miles away.
The motivations behind Lotfi's decisions are incomprehensible to me.
But I'm not Muslim, and I suspect it will take a lot more effort from all Malaysians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to even start to turn this tide around.
A very discomforting read.
There's also a link to a New York Times video (~ 8 mins). I watched it, and came away extremely disturbed.
Mohd Lotfi is certainly not representative of Malaysian Muslims, but it's telling that he is able to raise funds from his "fame" as a fighter during the Afghan war to build a madrasah, and the fact that his own family members are "relieved" and even "happy" that he's died in another country's civil war being fought thousands of miles away.
The motivations behind Lotfi's decisions are incomprehensible to me.
But I'm not Muslim, and I suspect it will take a lot more effort from all Malaysians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to even start to turn this tide around.
15 January 2015
Celebrities from Singapore's past
22 "chio bu"s from Singapore's past - link from mothership.sg.
Lisa Ang and Irin Gan were hawt.
Damn, I feel old.
Lisa Ang and Irin Gan were hawt.
Damn, I feel old.
Forgotten images from Singapore - 20 years ago
Singapore from the past.
Pictures that will bring back memories.
For me, it's the picture of Plaza Singapura, back when Ponderosa was the biggest and best buffet around.
There's also a video embedded in the article that's well worth watching through.
Pictures that will bring back memories.
For me, it's the picture of Plaza Singapura, back when Ponderosa was the biggest and best buffet around.
There's also a video embedded in the article that's well worth watching through.
A better way to say sorry
Read this a while ago.
Something for me to keep in mind, when mediating disputes between fighting kids.
Something for me to keep in mind, when mediating disputes between fighting kids.
14 January 2015
Ballon d'Or 2014 - who voted for who
The strange world of Ballon d'Or voting - Guardian
A few interesting take-aways -
1. The top 2 players in the world refused to acknowledge each other with their votes. Ronaldo has Sergio Ramos as the world's best player. Seriously?
2. Roy Hodgson voted for Javier Mascherano and Phillip Lahm as his top two. Enough said.
3. There is a link in the article (click here) to the full voting results on FIFA's website. You'll want to download this if you're a football fan (yes, we call it football around here, not soccer).
4. Malaysia's captain and coach didn't vote.
5. Singapore's coach voted for Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller as his top two. Patriotic chap, he is.
A few interesting take-aways -
1. The top 2 players in the world refused to acknowledge each other with their votes. Ronaldo has Sergio Ramos as the world's best player. Seriously?
2. Roy Hodgson voted for Javier Mascherano and Phillip Lahm as his top two. Enough said.
3. There is a link in the article (click here) to the full voting results on FIFA's website. You'll want to download this if you're a football fan (yes, we call it football around here, not soccer).
4. Malaysia's captain and coach didn't vote.
5. Singapore's coach voted for Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller as his top two. Patriotic chap, he is.
13 January 2015
Man United current league position ...
... is rather illusory.
Interesting note from article - MUFC has the same number of points after 21 games as last year under Moyes, but we're in 4th instead of 7th.
Interesting note from article - MUFC has the same number of points after 21 games as last year under Moyes, but we're in 4th instead of 7th.
Tech security vs privacy
UK Prime Minister Cameron wants backdoor to messaging apps.
"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn't possible to read?" Cameron said Monday while campaigning, in reference to apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other encrypted services. "My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not.'"
The next battle front in technology. It'd be pretty easy to sit on the liberal side of this fence, but I'm not sure I'd trade less security for more privacy. Then again, there's nothing in my messages I wouldn't want anyone else to read.
"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn't possible to read?" Cameron said Monday while campaigning, in reference to apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other encrypted services. "My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not.'"
The next battle front in technology. It'd be pretty easy to sit on the liberal side of this fence, but I'm not sure I'd trade less security for more privacy. Then again, there's nothing in my messages I wouldn't want anyone else to read.
12 January 2015
2015 - New Year reflections
I know, I know, this is a bit late. Anyway, I hope you will bear with me.
Another new year has arrived, and I'm glad 2014 is over and done with. For very personal reasons, 2014 wasn't particularly a good year for me and my family.
Illnesses took center stage, and it was pretty hairy for a good while. Thank God, we managed to pull through and hopefully, the worst is behind us.
Good health is not a guarantee, not with the food we consume, nor the lifestyles we keep. Then there are the things you can't control, like radical weather changes, natural disasters, accidents and other acts of unspoken terror.
It's hard not to take things for granted, and to cherish each day that comes before us, each word you write or draft (that's what I do for a living), or every moment you spend with your wife and children.
Which kinda brings me to my point. My new year resolution.
I've never cared for such promises to myself; can't remember the last time I even made one.
I also said somewhere earlier that I'd probably "wing it" with my resolutions this year, but the truth is, every day is an opportunity for us to do something right. Whatever that may be, whether it is to write better, to hug your kids, to learn to cook. To have the resolve to act. Instead of watching another day, another hour sneak by quietly.
So that's probably my resolution this year - to do something each day. Hopefully, it'd be the right thing to do. Oh yeah, maybe to write more too.
Have a great year ahead, everyone. ;-)
Another new year has arrived, and I'm glad 2014 is over and done with. For very personal reasons, 2014 wasn't particularly a good year for me and my family.
Illnesses took center stage, and it was pretty hairy for a good while. Thank God, we managed to pull through and hopefully, the worst is behind us.
Good health is not a guarantee, not with the food we consume, nor the lifestyles we keep. Then there are the things you can't control, like radical weather changes, natural disasters, accidents and other acts of unspoken terror.
It's hard not to take things for granted, and to cherish each day that comes before us, each word you write or draft (that's what I do for a living), or every moment you spend with your wife and children.
Which kinda brings me to my point. My new year resolution.
I've never cared for such promises to myself; can't remember the last time I even made one.
I also said somewhere earlier that I'd probably "wing it" with my resolutions this year, but the truth is, every day is an opportunity for us to do something right. Whatever that may be, whether it is to write better, to hug your kids, to learn to cook. To have the resolve to act. Instead of watching another day, another hour sneak by quietly.
So that's probably my resolution this year - to do something each day. Hopefully, it'd be the right thing to do. Oh yeah, maybe to write more too.
Have a great year ahead, everyone. ;-)
09 January 2015
There IS a line, you know...
Much has been said and written about this tragedy. Here's my take.
Let's start with the obvious - It's unforgivable and unacceptable that anyone, Muslim or not, should murder another person, because of statements or writings, even if these offend you deeply. It's simply not part of any civilized society. There are other ways to register your displeasure in a proper manner.
What really needs to be asked, and is not being said enough, is whether there is a line that ought not be crossed when it comes to political satire.
I grew up in Malaysia, a Malay Muslim majority country, with significant minorities with other religious beliefs, like Christianity and Hinduism. I now live in Singapore, another pluralistic country where most major religions are observed and respected.
It's unthinkable that cartoons about the Prophet Mohamed would be published in a place like Malaysia or Singapore. It would offend one's neighbours, friends or colleagues, and you simply don't do that to people you live and mingle with.
It's not about the idea of "free speech", or the freedom to speak your mind. Whether the idea of "free speech" ought to be an absolute one or not, is not something I'm about to tackle here. You can Google it if you wish.
When you are amongst friends and colleagues who are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or atheists, you can certainly debate and question each other's beliefs and principles. But you would do it respectfully and certainly not in an offensive way. As an example, you wouldn't show these cartoons of the Prophet to your Muslim friends, or put them up on the wall in your office next to your Muslim colleague. You may not even find them funny at all.
Of course, the circumstances would be different in France or the US or Britain. Each society has it's own cultural quirks. In the US, for example, you would never call an African American the N word, even if he calls his friends that all the time. Even the US government has previously questioned the publication of these cartoons.
The point is - there IS a line that you don't cross when it comes to satire, and almost everyone I know, know where that line is.
This should be even more so, for journalists and writers and commentators, who speak and write and comment in the public space.
It would be inconceivable that the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo did not know that what they were doing offended their fellow Muslim citizens deeply. What they didn't realize was that a small number of those fellow citizens were willing to resort to violence or to kill them for the offence caused.
It's even more inconceivable that, in a society like France, there didn't exist enough common ground or common space, where such differences or hatred could be resolved, or debated, or ventilated, such that individuals with extreme thoughts don't feel compelled to pick up an AK-47 and shoot those who offended them.
That's the real tragedy here.
Let's start with the obvious - It's unforgivable and unacceptable that anyone, Muslim or not, should murder another person, because of statements or writings, even if these offend you deeply. It's simply not part of any civilized society. There are other ways to register your displeasure in a proper manner.
What really needs to be asked, and is not being said enough, is whether there is a line that ought not be crossed when it comes to political satire.
I grew up in Malaysia, a Malay Muslim majority country, with significant minorities with other religious beliefs, like Christianity and Hinduism. I now live in Singapore, another pluralistic country where most major religions are observed and respected.
It's unthinkable that cartoons about the Prophet Mohamed would be published in a place like Malaysia or Singapore. It would offend one's neighbours, friends or colleagues, and you simply don't do that to people you live and mingle with.
It's not about the idea of "free speech", or the freedom to speak your mind. Whether the idea of "free speech" ought to be an absolute one or not, is not something I'm about to tackle here. You can Google it if you wish.
When you are amongst friends and colleagues who are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or atheists, you can certainly debate and question each other's beliefs and principles. But you would do it respectfully and certainly not in an offensive way. As an example, you wouldn't show these cartoons of the Prophet to your Muslim friends, or put them up on the wall in your office next to your Muslim colleague. You may not even find them funny at all.
Of course, the circumstances would be different in France or the US or Britain. Each society has it's own cultural quirks. In the US, for example, you would never call an African American the N word, even if he calls his friends that all the time. Even the US government has previously questioned the publication of these cartoons.
The point is - there IS a line that you don't cross when it comes to satire, and almost everyone I know, know where that line is.
This should be even more so, for journalists and writers and commentators, who speak and write and comment in the public space.
It would be inconceivable that the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo did not know that what they were doing offended their fellow Muslim citizens deeply. What they didn't realize was that a small number of those fellow citizens were willing to resort to violence or to kill them for the offence caused.
It's even more inconceivable that, in a society like France, there didn't exist enough common ground or common space, where such differences or hatred could be resolved, or debated, or ventilated, such that individuals with extreme thoughts don't feel compelled to pick up an AK-47 and shoot those who offended them.
That's the real tragedy here.
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