Friday, October 30, 2009

To Bribe or Not To Bribe

US of A is considering bribing the Afghan fighters to join their side in getting the  nation back on track. Honestly, I find this both interesting and hilarious. Instant reaction: Where did that came from? Some of the security analysts claim, these fighters were frustrated with local leaders, impressed with charismatic leaders from the Taliban, and mostly promises that were made to them if instigated to perform an action. Simply said, Taliban or whichever group they represented promised them things that the government deprived them of. So who shall we point the fingers at now?

I am not encouraging war and will I never do that. Everyone at some point were at the bottom of the lowest pit, and obviously you would not care who pulled you out from the pit, as long as you got pulled out. I am guessing the same worked for these guys when they were in distress.

Let's just take a look at ourselves. We lose our temper at times and only cool down when we have either got it our way, or some sort of a consensus has been reached; largely in our favour. I would call that subtle bribery. And of course, violence on a small scale. We are not different from anyone fighting out there. They kill people. I disapprove of that. We are "killing" people with words. Just a faint line that seperates us from them. Otherwise, all is good. Whether you choose to agree or not.

Another video I watched, had Hindu kids fighting in the name of jihad. That came quite as a surprise. If this was indeed a religious war, where did these fellas sprout out from? And they claim, as always I am gonna quote word for word: "When we pick up guns, we get everything in life". Jihad in its true sense (if I am mistaken, please do correct me) is all about battling the vices within. Which can range from simple anger to ego, jealousy and anything else that may cause harm (both physical and mental) to the self and others.

Back to the 'interesting' American solution, it has been identified as ''the most cost-effective way to get people to lay down their arms, either to negotiate a peace or coerce them". I hail from a nation where Bribery is heavily criticised and is almost non-existent so that would naturally make me one who detest bribery as well. However, in this case if it reduces the amount of violence in the country, then I am all for it. This of course may not be the permanent solution to the rising problem. But it will curb the situation.

Why not we spare some time to combat the Mahabharat war within, then cause destruction and loss of lives on a large scale on the outside? Even it means to accept bribes.

And I leave you with another Josh Groban number - February Song.





Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Pearls For Your Ears




There is a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Keeps her alive

This is how she's dying
She's dying to survive
Don't know what she is made of
I would like to be that brave

She cries to the heaven above
There is a stone in my heart
She lives a live she didn't choose
And it hurts like brand new shoes
And it hurts like brand new shoes

There is a woman in Somalia
The sun gives her no mercy
The same sky we lay under
Burns her to the bone

Long afternoon shadows
It's gonna take her to get home
Each grain carefully wrapped up
Pearls for her little girl

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

She cries to the heaven above
There is a stone in my heart
She lives in a world she didn't choose
And it hurts like brand new shoes
And it hurts like brand new shoes.

- Lyrics by Angelique Kidijo - Sung by Josh Groban -

The lyrics is sadly true till the very last word. And watch out for the bit where both their voices conjoin to sing Hallejuah. It is simply awesome!




Tuesday, October 27, 2009

John Howard Griffin

This was one guy, who during the 1950s went around convincing people he was not a white man, but rather a black. He took Oxsoralen, a drug to fight vitiligo. Plus some standing under a UV lamp and this fella got himself a brand new brown skin. Why did he go through all of this? Just to find out if the color of one's skin really mattered in the  society. Period. He even took up menial jobs that were usually left to the blacks then, to prove that he was not white. This went on for 6 weeks. He travelled with this changed identity of his throughout several American states. Soon enough, many were convinced. He went through the discrimination that the blacks went through, first hand. This six week bizarre exploration is better revealed in his book titled - Black Like Me.

I just found out about him on BBC. It has been 50 years since he has passed on it seems. A white guy went through a drastic change just to prove to people who discriminate other races how shallow, and how much a skin spoke for itself then a person's character did back then. Also, promoting his book and the things he learnt as a 'black man' caused him to be seriously injured by people against his ideals.

It is encouraging to see that things have changed over the past 50 years. :)



Culture, Communism, Censorship,

There has been a widespread mis-understanding when it comes to what defines China in terms of Land. Where does the border begin and end? Though recently I have took to understanding, that perhaps the Chinese border is elastic. It has the potential of encompassing a new area at any time. Watch your back. This post is not exactly a history of China, but more on the provinces and what is the difference between People's Republic of China (PRC) and China as a whole. When we refer to China, the following administrative regions fall under it as well. They include Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet and Taiwan. If these regions are excluded then we are talking about the PRC. The regions are called the Special Administrative Regions (SARs). They follow the 1 nation, 2 system rule. They have their own currency, flag, government ruling, education systems just like any other independent nation. However, they are considered one of the many provinces that China owns. So,guys Hong Kong is part of China! Macau is part of China! Before you decide wage war on these places, remember China will participate. And you are screwed big time! I shall refrain from commenting on Tibet. Tibet is deemed controversial and I shall leave Dalai Lama to comment on that. Blogspot is already blocked and to further aggravate the situation does not seem sensible.

Anyways, the interesting group of people that perhaps were not spoken about much before but recently took to fame due to highly infamous reasons, are the Muslims of China. They are largely from the western province of China called Xinjiang. This province is the largest province of China and probably the only province where religion plays an integral role. 90% of the population here are Muslims. China as a communist nation does not recognize religion. Superstitious beliefs took over. The province borders several Muslim states and India, Tibet, Mongolia and Russia. The residents of this province are referred to as Ughyurs. They do look Chinese with a tinge of Middle eastern look.

These Ughyurs grabbed headlines after the Sepetember 2009 riots that caused a massive number of deaths  (both Ughyurs and Han Chinese) adding fuel to an existing fire. The Han Chinese (referred to as native Chinese) were the frequent targets, as the local and many of the foreign news have suggested. For the first time in such a public uproar, China took to the transparency policy and opened its doors to many journalists to cover the news. Why the sudden change? Perhaps China wants to join the rest of the nations in the race to the top. This particular province has been fighting for its independence for some time now. Though  everyone knows wanting to leave China is never happening. China loves land! Sometimes I really wish these fellas would reach a consensus with the Government. Both are fighting a battle that is heading nowhere. China is a country with its culture, communism and censorship. It is all about the 'C's. Crap included.


Sunday, October 25, 2009

"Why? I don't know."

I have this high level of curiousity. It could be genetic. I find it extremely hard to reply with "I don't know" and I will not let you off without asking at least a single "Why". Though yes, I do give the "don't know" look some times. Often, I try to find the answer or I assure the person asking me the I will get back to them in due time with a response. That's me. I cannot digest the phrase "I do not know". Not that I expect everyone to know every single thing in this world but I do feel an individual will have some sort of an idea at least when making a decision. You may think, one cannot give you the exact same blank look everytime you post a question to them, but no you are wrong.

U: You want this?
X: I don't know.
U: What are you looking for?
X: I don't know.
U: What do you know then?
X: I don't know.

I could have pushed X out the window that instant. 

Saturday, October 24, 2009

China, Learn from your neighbours! Quick!

By 2012, South Korea will boast about its Internet Downloading speed. At present, it is the country with the highest downloading speed and soon it is gonna be 1GBps!

Japan 2nds Korea. Currently, Japan offers downloading speed of 26, 000Kbps!! I am choking while typing this. Yes, internet is my life. And seeing these countries improving their systems at such a rate...And claiming these are just standard speeds in these places..makes me wanna jump on the next plane and fly to either country! Even Singapore does not  run at such speeds. We still deal with 512kbps and I thought it was pretty good already :s

To prove how good their Broadband dial-ups are, I'm just gonna quote one of the users: "You can download a movie faster than you can watch it".

And you can hear me go : It takes me weeks to download a 90min film. Not only am I left with a slow connection, I am faced with a HUGE FIREWALL!


My tiny space

My flat is rather small and my room is smaller and my study area within the room is even smaller. Even so, I love it the most in the whole house. The desk is against the wall looking towards the window. Every morning when I sit at my desk to read the news with my morning tea, I am greeted with the sun and flocks of birds flying in formations. Every evening, the sky is so pretty with lotsa clouds. And when it rains, the rain hits the windows in a lovely manner. I like rains, provided they fall gracefully. Ok that might have sounded dumb but its true. I could never appreciate the rain in Singapore. And at night, the moon parks itself at my window. Be it full moon or a crescent, it's always there just a window a way. Occasionally, I see planes flying past as well. Ain't my tiny space awesome? Of course it is ;)


In the mornings, out my window, stands Mister Sun


In the early evenings when the chilly weather takes over


And the clouds have gathered for a evening get-together


Hong Kong 2



Ocean Park Rides from above


From Hong Kong Island, Kowloon on the other side


Sunset accompanied by screams


Jellyfish Aquarium (courtesy of Jan)


Precise timing by Jan, one of my favourite shots of the day


These Jellyfishes were put into cylindrical like containers, 
with orchestra music playing in the background. As the music changes, 
the lighting inside the cylinders changes from blue, red, yellow and so on.


Beach was the last stop of the trip



And I made my presence felt ;)


Friday, October 23, 2009

Kaboom!


The above picture illustrates a Brain Blast.
It has been identified as an aftermath of a particular Anatomy Class.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Pather Panchali

Pather Panchali, a 1952 Bengali feature film by Satyajit Ray. I was floored by the artistes' performances especially the character Apu and her sister Durga. The movie is about an impoverished family set in 1920s Bengal. Satyajit Ray has done an awesome job. Took me so long to find the DVD and now I cannot stop replaying the scenes . The scenes were heart wrenching! It has been a long while since I watched a movie that had a simple story to tell yet keeping the scenes realistic.

I just need to get my hands on the other two of this Trilogy.

Why don't Indian film makers make such good movies anymore? Sighs.


Monday, October 19, 2009

Hong Kong Moments



City Skyline with the Chinese Junk



They claim this building's height is equivalent to the New York Twin Towers

Skyline in the day
View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peninsula
Bird'e eye view of Hong Kong Island from Victoria Peak.
Mini Big Ben of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Buses
 
Hong Kong Roads at 1am


The Jetty from which a ferry travels to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon
Star Cruise Aquarius  
Ocean Park, Hong Kong


Ocean Park with its Rides
Area surrounding Ocean Park

I miss...

I miss mom...

I miss mom's early morning chai...
I miss home cooked food....

I miss the teddy bears in my room...
I miss my cluttered table...
I miss my bathroom... I really do...

I miss arguing with dad...
I miss Changi Airport...

I miss watching random TV shows at wee hours in the mornings...
I miss messing up mom's clean living room...
I miss 7 Eleven stores...

I miss free and easy Internet surfing...
I miss hanging out at Binz place for no reason...
I miss biking with Sumitha...

I miss my neighbor and his fridge (he has chocolates from all over the world)...

I miss my friends...

I miss Home.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

My Jazzy Diwali

Shanghai Music Festival is on for two consecutive days, beginning today. I attended the festival thinking it was a Jazz only event. Turns out, they had more than Jazz. There was also Rock, Funk, Fusion, Reggae, DJ and some other stuff. I stayed to watch the Jazz performances and some of the Rock performances. There were a couple of Chinese performers as well. I didn't catch much. And of the little bit that I saw, I figured some of the Chinese performers have weird, unexplained hand movements. Majority feels its not unusual; instead they imitate the performer. Puzzles me but well I am in China :)

Anyways, back to the Jazz performances. Let me list out my favourites outta the many that performed tonight. Sinne Egg. Refrain from asking me what that means. It is the name of  a Denmark based Jazz band. They consist of a female lead vocalist, a super fast piano player (most of the time he was playing in staccato), a great drummer and the bass player was playing a quantra bass (its slightly bigger than a cello it seems). The vocalisst sang a few cheerful numbers and ended with an emo song. Very nice. If I had a video cam I would have recorded it for you guys.

The next one was also based in Denmark. They are known as Ibrahim Electric. They are pretty famous back at home for playing numerous genres. They were real awesome. There is no vocalist in this team. The lead guitarist (I'm so in love with this fella now) has magical fingers. I'm serious. He did an awesome job with the guitar. There was this other guy who was playing the organ; he was equally good and a drummer. The guitarist and the Organ player seemed a little hippie-like whereas the drummer appeared like a student. Nevertheless, they were all GREAT!

And the last one and the most entertaining one was the band from Copenhagen, South Africa. They are called FreshlyGround. THEY WERE SIMPLY MIND-BLOWING!!! The lead vocalist was a great entertainer. She had a captivating voice which sang both in English and some other African language. Her band not only stopped at singing they had dance moves together with their songs. Very Lively. The group was pretty big with this particular fella who played the flute, saxophone, and some other smaller instruments whose names fail me. His flute pieces were mesmerising. The whole piece would sound out of the world when accompanied by guitars and electric violin.

These guys are on my lists of favorite artistes now. I'm trying to search for their songs online. If I find them and if Blogger permits I shall upload them for your listening.

Hence, my Diwali was rocking ;)


Friday, October 16, 2009

Happy Diwali!



Happy Diwali to all. Have an awesome time friends!


DO NOT mess with kids!

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher was saying how it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human given its small throat. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, "When I go to heaven, I will ask Jonah". The teacher asked, "What if he went to hell?". The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children as they were drawing. She approached one girl who was working diligently. She asked the girl what she was drawing. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God". The teacher paused and said "But no one knows how God looks like". Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her 5 and 6 year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'honor' thy Father and thy Mother, she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat brothers and sisters?" One little boy (the oldest of the family) answered, "Thou shall not kill".

The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer she's a lawyer', or 'Thats Michael, he's a doctor'." A small voice at the back of the room said, "And there's the teacher and she is dead".

A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now class, if I stood on my head, the blood will rush into and my face will turn red." "Yes", the class agreed. "Then why is it that when I am standing in an ordinary position, the blood doesn't rush to my feet?" A little fellow shouted, "Cos your feet ain't empty."

The children were lined up at the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the tables was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note and pasted it on the apple tray: 'Take only ONE. God is watching'. Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end was a large tray of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note that read: 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

Thursday, October 15, 2009

A heartbroken lover

I saw him.
He saw me.
We stared at each other for what seemed like eternity.
And I walked away,
His cries fading away behind me.
I left Carrefour as a torn lover,
His words still echoing in my ears: You need me! You need Lays Potato Chips!

You know how people go through Detox to cleanse the body; similarly I'm going through DE-Lays. And let me assure you its difficult. Kids, please do not try this at home!


Casting off Caste

US Human Rights Watch have urged India to recognize caste segregation as a form of discrimination. Given the fact that the basis of the whole nation indirectly rests upon the ancient caste system, will India acknowledge it? The official documents carry the column for caste status. If India does agree it is a form of discrimination, it will have to make major amends and eradicate the system. Will that be possible? If not for the urban areas, the rural areas are still heavily dependent on the caste system. According to this documentary, a middle aged villager; father of a 4 year old was saying that his daughter will be married off to someone of a similar caste when she is 12 or 13. The world's largest democratic nation has some thinking to do...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The 'Why's of existence

In my dream, children sing a song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue and fields are green and laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see, is a world full of people of need.

Tell me why does it have to be like this?
Tell me why is there something I have missed?
Tell me why cos I don't understand
When so many need somebody, we don't give a helping hand
Tell me why?

Everyday I ask myself, what will I have to do to be a man?
Do I have to stand a fight, to prove to everybody who I am?
Is that what my life is for, to waste in world full of war?

Tell me why? Tell me why?
Just tell me why. why, why?

Why, why does the tiger run?
Tell me why?
Why, why do we shoot the gun?
Tell me why?
Why, why do we never learn?
Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?
Why, why do we say we care?
Tell me why?
Why, why do we stand and stare?
Tell me why?
Why, why do the dolphin cry?
Can someone tell us why we let the ocean die?
Why, why if we're all the same
Tell me why?
Why, why do we pass the blame?
Tell me why?
Why, why does it never end?
Can someone tell us why we cannot just be friends?

Why, why do we close our eyes?
Why, why do the greedy lie?
Why, why we fight for land?
Can someone tell us why cos we don't understand?

WHY? WHY?

- Tell me Why - Declan Galbraith -

Sung by the singer when he was a young kid. The whole idea of using a kid to sing this number strikes a chord.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Hong Kong: Day 2 - Bad Luck!

Luck is so not on my side. Just when everything was working fine, the memory card appears corrupted. It has been showing FORMAT ERROR the whole evening. I now will have to reformat the memory card. In other words, I have lost the photos that were shot during the last two days.

DEPRESSED!

Its during times like this that I really miss my traditional film rolls. Yes, I cannot delete shots but at least  I will not lose them!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Hong Kong: Day 1

19 hours on the highest bunk of the sleeper cabin with some really inconsiderate cheena bunkmates below, was not the start of a trip I was anticipating. Sighs!

Once we were off the train, the trip got better. Hong Kong is a city island with sky scrapers and overwhelming number of Blacks. I am serious. The number of Blacks I passed by within a distance of about 100 meters was close to 5 or 6. And this continued every 100 meters. Indians second the list. There were a significant number of them here compared to back home in Shanghai. There were a whole load of other nationalities as well.

Jan and myself are currently residing in the Tsim sha Tsui area. It is pretty near to the main city centre and the CROWDED Mong Kok area (This Mong Kok arena is the sight that many are greeted to in magazines and travel shows when talking about Hong Kong). This Mong Kok area was full of expatriates and Chinese. You can sense a 60- 40 proportion of either parties respectively. It was the most crowded compared to other locations in Hong Kong. There is a Levis' store in this area that sells the cheapest original Levi's Jeans on the planet it seems. How genuine? I'm gonna find out tomorrow. There is also this really long street where you can find all kinda stuff from clothes to bags to toys to god knows what. It is at this place where one can bargain and get the stuff at a cheaper rate as well. The street, for reasons unknown, is called 'Ladies Street'.

Hong Kong has interesting sights if one is keen in exploring a city and not wander of to search for nature spots.

There is another street; 'Canton Street'. This street however is along the coast of Kow loon facing the awesome view of Hong Kong Island on the other side. ( In this case I ought to mention that the Bigger Hong Kong is devided into Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula.) Hong Kong Island has the awesome night view with the lights from the skyscrapers brightening up the night sky. This Island is also the main Central Business District of the region.

Back to Canton Street, this street lines with boutiques of famous brands. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and other brands that I have haven't heard of stood guard on both sides of the Street. No, I did not walk to any of them. Firstly I appeared as if I was from the slums of China and secondly I knew that walking in would mean a BIG FAT HOLE in my pocket and I cannot afford that!

Walking along the streets at 11pm was better than walking into any of those stores. Trust me. You can sit along the coast of the river that parts the 2 regions of Hong Kong and admire the view. Or, you can take a city walk along the Britsh style infrastructures. City walks at nights is an awesome activity one should try. It is as good as taking a morning walk along the beach before sunset. And  that was when I spotted this  somewhat look alike of the Big Ben left behind by the British occupation. It was a rather cool 'Made in Hong Kong Big Ben'. An interesting aspect of Hong Kong would be the Bristish old style buildings. The Hong-kees have decided to used these very same buildings for the boutiques and further accessorized it with hotel style lighting. A bit of both the West and the East is what Hong Kong is all about :)

When taking a walk along the river, one is actually walking  along the Star Avenue. I cannot recall the exact name for the walkway but yes stars of Hong Kong have left their palm prints together with their autograph on tiles in the ground. These tiles have the celebrity's name and respective prints on it. There was also a statue of Hong-Kee Bruce Lee. He was a little chubbier as a statue.

Took loads of pictures but sadly Lara (my laptop) refuses to read the memory card. :( Gonna get a memory card reader tomorrow. Hopefully that helps :)

Today was a pretty long post, tomorrow the pictures will do the talking. Nights!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

I Return...

The Great Firewall of China was impenetrable till recently as DIT has released an updated version of Freegate. So, here I am on my rounds again :D

I Am currently getting set for a 19 hour train ride to one of the Special Administrative Regions of People's Republic of China; Hong Kong. I hope to update this blog on a daily basis (least for the next week) to give you an experience of Hong Kong the way I see it. :)

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