The Right Words, The Right Time

My aunt was recently diagnosed with cancer and has been given 6 months to live. I have been avoiding a direct conversation with her. Partly, cos I was sure she will break down and I will fail miserably in trying to get her to stop tearing and make her feel better.

So I started writing her a card. I got the first sentence written and damn I was stumped. She needed hope and I suck at writing. I gave up. Placed the card aside and was surfing the internet once again, a little lost yet thinking what exactly am I to put down in that card. I was sure I wanted the card to inspire her, help her pull herself together, to believe that she can recover. By the way I have this strong feeling that she will prove her Doctor wrong and will recover fully. Miracles occur don't they? Doctor's don't have a cure for Cancer hence they assign time limits to a person's life.

While net surfing, I was reading Muchacho's latest post on When does one become a hero? His friend is severely ill and was said to have only a few months left to live by his Doctor. Now, that was said 2 years ago. Our Hero actually lived over 6 months and is now into 2 years and running. Due to his illness he cannot physically exhaust himself so he doesn't hold a job. BUT Hero is instead putting himself through lotsa pain and drug experimentation for the benefit of others who might be similarly diagnosed in the future. Besides that he also serves as a guitar teacher for kids. He is not worried about the oncoming death but is living his life to the fullest. Hero is making sure that least the remaining time he has will not go to waste.

Aint Hero truly a HERO?? :D

I guess now I know what to write :)

'Post-Racial' US of A???

This post is rather late but the issue has not blown over so I guess its still relevant :)

Well, after the recent arrest of the Harvard Professor, the significance of racial differences in the American society has come under scrutiny once again. After a Black man took over the throne in United States of America, the whole world was looking forward to a changed America and Americans. Looks like very little has changed.

Race still plays an important role in how the Americans tend to judge another. The color of your skin is gonna convey how they intend to react towards you. That was how life for many, has been and will still be if the remaining citizens choose not to break racial barriers and stick to their narrow principles that were cultivated over the years.

If you guys voted for a black man as a President in the hope for a change then you will have to change the way you relate in your everyday lives as well. Your leader is a black man and you find your black neighbour suspicious? Doesn't say much about your developed country.

Sabine Charles is married to a black man and lives in Hyde Park. Her experience is one of the many situations that still exist in modern day America. People have often approached her with "Is this man bothering you?", referring to her husband. Even in a decent neighborhood it seems when black kids are spotted whites begin to freak out without even entertaining the idea that they could possibly live there. (courtesy of International Herald Tribune)

My friends from America often mention how its depressing to see some of the Americans being extremely ignorant to the world around them besides where they live in.But now, it seems they are clearly not aware of the developments in the very nation they live in. Not all blacks or every other minority race live in the ghettos.

There was once this girl from California who asked this fella sitting beside where he was from. He replied Singapore. And she just had to say " so you speak Singaporean?" -_-

Dear George O' Malley,

I am gonna so miss you. I will miss you greatly. Grey's Anatomy is not gonna be the same again. This is so bad. Why did you have to reject a big fat cheque to pursue other interests? You should have tried to sort things out with Shonda Rhimes. This is so depressing! There aint gonna be any flaskback scenes of you either. SOBS.

Let me guess. You are gonna die in the first episode of the upcoming season then? This is REAL BAD!!!

T.R. Knight, I object your decision to leave Grey's Anatomy!

Solar Eclipse

Its 8:34am. At 9am exactly, the solar eclipse will occur over Shanghai. It has been predicted to last at for 6 minutes and 34 seconds. The last time the eclipse took place was in 1532 and also in Shanghai. And the next time Shanghai will experience the eclipse again will be in 2143 (not too sure of the year :s). I am eagerly waiting to see the eclipse or at least hoping the skies will get darker indicating the occurrence of the eclipse. The all powerful Sun will be taken under custody by the Moon for a full 6 minutes; preventing it from spreading its rays.

8:41am. The skies are getting a little grayish.

8:59am: The skies are really dark now. The moon must have started its job already. People staying in the Hotel opposite my apartment are out in their balconies to catch the eclipse as well.

9:01am: THIS IS SO BAD!!! ITS RAINING NOW!!!! And I have dragonflies flying so close to my window I fear they may crash into them just like how Harry Potter's Owl does.

The weather ruined everything. sobs.

9:35am: Guess the weather didn't exactly ruin everything. The whole of Shanghai is in darkness now. SO COOL! It feels like 12 midnight when its only 9 plus in the morning! The rain has stopped. It is completely dark here.

9:43am: Light is seeping in slowly. I can see the buildings now. The Solar Eclipse as come to an end.

9:48am: It feels like morning again. The sun is once again smiling down on Shanghai.

That was so kool!!!

They really don't care about us!

Skin head. Dead head. Everybody gone bad. Situation. Aggravation. Everybody Allegation.
In the suite. On the news. Everybody dog food. Bang Bang. Shot dead. Everybody's gone bad.

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

Beat me. Hate me. You can never break me. Will me. Thrill me. You can never kill me.
Jew me. Sue me. Everybody do me. Kick me. Kike me. Don't you black or white me.

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

Tell me what has become of my life. I have a wife and two children who love me. I am the victim of police brutality. Now. I'm tired of being the victim of hate. You are rapin' me of my pride. Oh. For God's sake. I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy. Set me free.

Skin head. Dead head. Everybody gone bad. Trepidation. Speculation. Everybody allegation. In the suite. On the news. Everybody dog food. Black man. Black male. Throw your brother in jail.

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

Tell me what has become of my rights? Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty. Now. I'm tired of being the victim of shame.
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name. I can't believe this is the land from which I came. You know I really do hate to say it. The government don't wanna see. But if Roosevelt was livin'. He wouldn't let this be. No. No. No.

Skin head. Dead head. Everybody gone bad. Situation. Speculation. Everybody litigation. Beat me. Bash me. You can never trash me. Hit me. Kick me. You can never get me.

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

Some things in life they just don't wanna see. But if Martin Luther was living. He wouldn't let this be.

Skin head. Dead head. Everybody gone bad. Situation. Segregation. Everybody allegation. In the suite. On the news. Everybody dog food. Kick me. Strike me. Don't you wrong or right me.

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

-Michael Jackson-

What is man's greatest achievement?

The title was lifted directly from a CNN online article that posted the question to several people from various cities around the world. CNN reporters were anticipating answers along the lines of the Apollo 11 that left for the moon with Neil Armstrong. So wrong they were. Following were the various answers that CNN received.

"The Computer. It has opened up my world. I can travel whilst in the comfort of my home"
- A Lady from Germany

"The Airplane. It's the easiest way to get from one country to the other. Imagine if you would be able to only take the ship. It would take you ages to go somewhere, so it makes humanity more flexible." - Anonymous

"Fire. Everything started there right?" - A Man from Spain

"I think the most important is that man discovered fire because it's bringing a lot of life."
- An Italian

Many of the Italians also agreed that the Written word, Sanitation and Architecture were also remarkable achievements by men.

"The biggest achievement of mankind? Music, right?" - A woman from Spain

"Video games. It allows you to be whomever you want, in whichever world you want, and lets you live an alternate fantasy life" - A man from New Delhi

"Peace, I'd say peace. That would be the greatest achievement for all."
- An Italian businessman

Man's achievement and the greatness of it varies according to time and its necessity in the present era. 40 years ago, walking on the moon was man's greatest achievement. In the future, the Rover that is being planned by NASA to be sent into space in 2011 might be man's Greatest Achievement. Then again we are not only discussing physical achievements. If man does succeed in eliminating poverty across the globe and achieving peace as the Italian businessman would have hoped for; that achievement alone would transcend centuries that no other invention by man would be able to replace it.

What do you think is Man's Greatest Achievement till date?

A Little late :s

Remember the backpacking trip around China, well here are more shots that should have been up earlier but you know..laziness took over :s

The lone tree standing on the peak of the mountain is considered sacred for reasons I can't recall. People purchase locks and lock them onto the fence in the hopes of having their wishes fulfilled. The sky is the backdrop for this lonely tree. (My favorite shot from the whole trip).

Mountain Hua.

More of Mount. Hua


Besides climbing we also visited Xi'an's Great Mosque built during the Tang Dynasty to facilitate the Muslims that were settling in China.

It was a friday and the prayers had just ended.

To my fellow citizen of the world

Not even a year has a passed since the Mumbai bombings and now The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia is experiencing the same circumstance. Two suicide bombs, 9 people were killed (largely tourists) and lots left injured. Indonesia had to pull itself back after the 2005 Bali Bombings and now history is repeating itself again. Let alone Indonesia, over the past ten to fifteen years continents around the world have been vitimised for similar attacks and in larger numbers.

Throughout my growing up years I have heard about you, read about your actions and the hatred that the world has developed for you. And I still have yet to figure what exactly is your purpose through these mass murdering. We share the same Earth, but our dreams vary. Or at least now you have decided to forsake your aspirations; I will never know. What is the reason for mass murder? Are you fighting for your rights? What rights may I ask? Are you fighting for an Independant nation? Which nation do you represent? I would refrain from asking which religion you are trying to defend as religions do not promote violence. So what is the reason for all these suicide bombings? People are dying in large numbers! They could have been your friends if you had made the effort to change the course of your path.

Why are you known as a Terrorist? Do you feel proud to be addressed that way? Does it give you some kinda adrenaline rush? Are you really that different from the masses or you were conditioned in such a way so that eventually you are rid of emotions and then blow yourself up? Doesn't sound very cool. Has there ever been a family member or a friend of yours that was killed in the same attack you planned? If so, did you ever feel the pinch of losing a loved one? Or is it to avoid that scenario that you blow yourself up first? Sorry, I sound blunt but attacks that kill masses do not require niceties do they?

IF you really do have a purpose, has it still not been achieved yet? So many attacks and I 'm assuming there is more to come and I'd probably never live to see a world where people do not live in fear and imminent death Thanx to you! So, when does this goal of yours gets fulfilled so that many citizens of the world can sleep peacefully, knowing they will still get to see the sunrise the next day?

PS: And I was just wondering; when you die the world dies for you. How the hell for whatever goal you have been working hard for and sacrificing your life, gets fulfilled? Even your descendants tend to follow your footsteps. Am I right to assume many of the suicide bombers out there have clearly no idea what they are trying to achieve through their actions? One dies the rest follows so; for a purpose that got lost somewhere. Wait, what was the purpose once again?

Summer holidays

Its the summer holidays here. Since, I have decided to spend the summer here (without heading back home) I have loads of time on my hands. Feels like 48 hours per day but no I am not regretting it; I am enjoying it.

Yesterday, went to Shanghai city centre to catch the late night show of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was not exceptionally great neither was it a terrible one It was not bad .It was definitely WAAYYY better than Angels and Demons. Though yes, the director of Harry Potter did leave out chunks of information from the J.K. Rowling's book, he added a few newer details that compromises for the missing bits. I won't say it was the best of the Harry Potter series thus far but it is worth a catch. There were some really cool chase sequences and Ron ( my favourite) as always lives up to his character.
3 stars outta 5 on Usha's movie scale ;)

Another recommendation is the movie titled Once starring Glen Hansard (vocalist of the Irish band Frames) and Markets Irglova (some Czech Singer). It is story of two musicians, their love for music, the lack of opportunities and unrequited love. It was REALLY GOOD!! Siras would like the movie but she would probably tear ;) It was not a typical tear jerker but a low budget independent film that conveys the message intended in a simple way. Anyone will understand the story. One information I read was during the shooting of the movie on the Dublin streets the director used long lens, natural lighting to keep the scene real. In fact, many of the passer-bys were not aware that a shooting was taking place. Pretty cool huh.

Away from movies, onto a little news that I read: Delhi Highcourt legalises Homesexuality. Never did I thought India would be one of the countries to legalise it given its conservative nature. Nevertheless, that was a great decision made by the Delhi High Court. Homosexuals can now live their life and not feel like outcasts. They are not involved in anything illegal; officially now! Democracy in its true sense. :)

Truly a Global Citizen

Over the course of a year in Shanghai, not once have I had anyone ask me if I am from Singapore. Maybe wanting to be known as a Singaporean just by looking at me is kinda too much to ask for :s Well at least these Chinese should be able to identify me as an Indian. But NO! Besides Singapore and India I have been indirectly adorned with multiple nationalities.

I have been assumed to be a Pakistani (God knows why, I'm not even fair to start with!), a Thai, a Malay and recently after the trekking trip some of them are asking me if I am an African American! -_-

And today some random guy on the street vehemently objected that I could be an Indian. Firstly, he was not aware of the Indians in Singapore and secondly he was going on and on how Indians are tall and not as dark hence that eliminates me of being an Indian. 165 cm is not tall for him and brown skin is black for him!

Conclusion: IIFA Awards in Macau and Bollywood movies circulating in China has presented a different image of Indians.

Angels and Demons

Disappointing!

A request to directors out there who attempt to remake great books into movies: Please if the script is not even half as good as the book don't make the film.

Its depressing to watch bad films based on great works of fiction. :(

Short, a Trip. Awesome, an Experience.

I'm Back!!!

Back from a eleven day backpack-ing trip to Guilin and Xi'an in China. Mountain climbing, trekking, rafting, sightseeing and what not. All packed into a 11 day trip. 3 flights, several hours of travelling by bus, bicycle, walking and sailing. Tiring yet superb.

Pictures say more than I can ever describe this wonderful trip and its sights. Hence, I shall stop here.


The above picture shows the Longji Rice Terraces in Guilin. The wooden house we stayed in was 500m above ground. The highest scenic point is located at 800m. Took us about 2 hours to climb to the peak.

Now at 800m, the clouds are just by your side. Near yet far.

And if that was not enough we scaled the heights of Hua shan (Mount. Hua). Standing tall at 2159.4 metres, it is one of the scared mountains of China. It had 5 peaks in total. With just a day planned for the climb, we only climbed to the highest point.

Exhilarating!

More photos on the way :)