just as promised, im going to pretty much blog about my table!! and some other people's table as well.

introducing...

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All in all there are 10 photos.




1957. The first day of Dorothy Counts at the Harry Harding High School in the United States . Counts was one of the first black students admitted in the school, and she was no longer able to stand the harassments after 4 days.




January 12, 1960. A second before the Japanese Socialist Party leader Asanuma was murdered by an opponent student. Photo Credits: Yasushi Nagao, Japan, Mainichi Shimbun




1963. Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk in Southern Vietnam , burns himself to death protesting the government’s torture policy against priests. Thich Quang Dug never made a sound or moved while he was burning. Photo Credits:Malcolm W. Browne, USA, The Associated Press.





Puerto Cabello naval base, Venezuela, June 1962. A soldier who has been mortally wounded by a sniper clings onto navy chaplain Luis Padillo. Photo Credits:Héctor Rondón Lovera, Venezuela, Diario La República.




1965. Loc Thuong, Binh Dinh, South Vietnam, September 1965. Mother and children wade across river to escape US bombing. Photo Credits:Kyoichi Sawada, Japan, United Press International.




1966. Tan Binh, South Vietnam, 24 February 1966. American troops drag the body of a Viet Cong soldier to be buried. Photo Credit: Kyoichi Sawada, Japan, United Press International.




Saigon, South Vietnam, 1 February 1968. South Vietnam national police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan executes a Viet Cong member. Photo Credits: Eddie Adams, USA, The Associated Press.




South Vietnam, 8 June 1972. Phan Thi Kim Phuc (center) flees from the scene where South Vietnamese planes have mistakenly dropped napalm. She survived the attack and has become a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador (photo of Kim Phuc in 2004). Photo Credit: (Nick) Ut Cong Huynh, Vietnam, The Associated Press.




Santiago, Chile, 11 September 1973.
Democratically elected President Salvador Allende moments away from death during military coup at Moneda presidential palace. Photo Credit:Anonymous, The New York Times.




1975. Boston, USA, 22 July 1975. A woman and a girl are hurled down as the fire escape of their apartment building collapses. The girl survived, as her fall was cushioned by her dead mother. Photo Credits: Stanley Forman, USA, The Boston Herald.



I'll post more similar photos tomorrow because Blogger is getting cranky making it impossible to post photos.

Bye

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Perhaps some of you might have noticed we have a reader by the name of "Hann" who often tags our chatbox. For starters, he is my roommate. He also happens to have a talent of fitting himself into the weirdest places. Here is a picture of him in his successful attempt of a stunt to fit himself into the...



... Gym locker. Hehe. Which measure at 1.5ft x 3.5 ft.

Go figure!

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A homophobic statement gets owned with style.

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The picture looks completely innocent until you notice the details especially in the middle... Oh, my God. Look carefully at the details. BTW, this is a lubricant ad targeted at the French.

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Have you ever wonder about what qualities an educator should have?

Should they be caring towards their students? (but then, students might over rule the teacher)Maybe they should be stern while being considerate etc?

What about sarcasm? It has a psychological effect. If an educator is sarcastic and projects a thought towards a student, maybe for example, the student might not do well, that student might be motivated to work hard and proove the educator wrong. But then again, what if it backfires and the student decided that there isn't any hope now since the educator has felt so.

Of course, every educator has different techniques in teaching.

What methods should be used so that students can pay attention and understand the concept clearly? Are presentations by groups of students better than highlighting notes given by teachers/lecturers? What about note-taking while lessons are going on? Would you prefer to use learn about new things by having someone to read and repeat the contents of an entire textbook or giving a lecture spontaneously? In your opinion, which method, to you, prooves to be effective?

On something unrelated, I feel that writing essays is getting harder by the day. Usually, the idea would flow naturally and I would write what i think but now, there are general statements, thesis statements and supporting sentences which I have to identify and make sure that it is there or else, marks will be deducted.

It's 1.29am. I must have had the sudden crave for blogging. ;)

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Bulan kini mengambang,
Cahayanya terang-benderang,
"Aduh, sakitnya!" Dia mengerang,
Tatkala berpuisi terlanggar tiang.

(Edit: Thanks Jared for the tip at the last line!)

This feels really lame, but for the spur of the moment after reading Jasmine's entry, it sparked off something funny to think off.

Jasmine, exactly what is so interesting about your own table in class? You did anything bad on it? Scribbled on your table, huh?

Never knew you could be so naughty, if you are...

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As a gesture of continuing the chain of the "weather patterns", I present to you my poetic sucky pantun entitled "Matahari".

Langit telahpun cerah semula,
Simpanlah payung, sidaikan baju;
Pasang radio, bukalah komputer,
"Connection" internet semakin laju.

To Jasmine:
Hehe, no pun intended. Feeling a little lame at the moment

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nampaknya langit semakin gelap,
hujan telah turun,
guruh mengetuk sini sana,
terpaksalah aku menutup komputer.

*pause*

sial gila babi.

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Here are some of the people mentioned in my previous post.




Jaspreet Singh Kwatra my best friend now and always.





From left, Sugasini, Esther Jack, (name misplaced in my brain), Raja Ezman & Jaziel Tan.

Sugasini Kandiah who may join RANDTS is a good friend I met last year. She's really one kindred soul. Harvard has shortlisted her after an interview. Suga will make a perfect representative of a Dragon year Malaysian there (if she makes it).





My mother (Yap Swee Peng) in China. She has sacrificed so much for me. She's really one of the best gifts from God.





(This picture is taken in Greece)
Another gift from God, my father (Paul Wong Chee Kheon). He really is one of the best father out there. He could win a Father's Day award.

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Stupefied by the light.



How disabled do I look?


Many people do not realise how terribly crippled I am. With my motorised wheelchair, my freedom of movement gives people the illusion that I'm quite able to move my limbs (illusion of mobility). With such a perception people don't understand why I'm closely monitored by my parents and carers. The truth is I need almost 24 hour care (a truly crippled existence). During my stay in hospital nurses even gossiped that I was pampered because my parents took care of me 24 hours a day (nurses don't have the time to take care of people like me).

The only effective movement I can achieve are in my fingers, wrist, neck and face. Yet these movements are fairly restricted. As a result I cannot feed myself, go to the toilet and bathe independently, transfer myself to bed, turn in bed, brush my teeth effectively, move my body, legs and arms out of a painful position, scratch (nobody would guess this) etc. Even when I sleep I need care (usually my father does this). One 21 year old British lad with my disease went as far as soliciting a hooker to experience sex. One of the only thing I can achieve independently is using the computer. I can also write with some help.

Yesterday I went to a party (Jaspreet's birthday) alone. I wasn't able to eat on my own so I didn't eat anything for some time. Jaspreet's relatives offered me food but I had to refuse politely even to the extant of lying that I had food already. Instead of eating and hanging out with the guests, I just kept them company. I did feel a bit left out. Later in the party Jaspreet gave me something to eat. Among my friends only Jaspreet and Sugasini are willing to feed me. I thank God for such kind souls.

Despite how wretched my existence seems I'm actually super-lucky. My parents give me everything I need including love and care. I also have a helper (maid) that takes care of me when my parents are not home. My helper also takes care of me in college. By taking good care of me and instilling positivity my parents brought me to where I am today. RANDTS wouldn't even have me if it was not for my parents.

Bye

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Sorry for not updating for ages. I've been very busy with Chinese New Year and this Taiwanese Drama(nice one).

Daniel Radcliffe goes naked in public.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe makes his West End debut in the revival of Peter Shaffer's play Equus. The former boy wizard has beefed up for the role of Alan Strang, the true story of a young stable groom who maimed six horses with a hoof pick. Richard Griffiths takes the role of a psychiatrist who tries to discover why the boy has begun attacking the animals. The actor also has to strip off for a steamy sex scene with actress Joanna Christie.

Daniel Radcliffe was clearly keen to impress with his physique, pumping up his slender frame in the gym for seven hours a week.

But whether his young fans will be impressed by his transition from Hermione Granger's boy wizard friend to hunky sex symbol remains to be seen.

I don't think i can stand watching the next Harry Potter movies..

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Sex has always been a taboo topic in Asian society. We shrink back from talking about it in public, discuss it in whispers in secret corners, giggling as we learn something "naughty".

Most boys probably only knew about sex through the distorted information they receive through their buddies, or even pornographic material. Girls... well, I can't say anything 'cos I grew up learning in all-boys schools from primary to secondary (perhaps
one of you could enlighten me what your 'early education' was like?).

Hence, what you get is a culture secretly obsessed with sex in every way, from the various positions available for practice to the "alternatives": oral, anal, bestial, etc. Yet we proudly wear our modesty on the outside, blanching the moment someone mentions the dreaded three-letter word.

Of course, it doesn't help that our education system barely touches on the issue. At most, in Form 5 Biology (I'm sure many students remember this part vividly) we were introduced to the human reproductive system. I wouldn't be surprised to find a teacher - or more - who was reluctant to teach this topic, especially if your class is a bunch of hormonally-charged students.

Moral education? Save your breath; other than being taught that this is good, and this is bad, and that you should memorize every single value taught in class word-for-word to get your A1, it doesn't touch on sex much. Issues? Yeah sure, but what's the point when students forget about them the moment the teacher leaves the classroom?

In an age where contraceptives are cheap and small enough to store in your pocket/ wallet/ handbag/ underwear, the youth views sex as a tool for fulfilment, for the quenching of their physical desire for another person. Quite often then, do we find relationships supposedly formed on the pretext of mutual love and affection, but are actually a way for one party (or both) to satiate their thirsts.

In short, sex has become degraded in the eyes of the youth. It's all about getting it off, using a woman as a toy (as shamelessly portrayed in many X-rated material). Makes you sick to your balls stomach, doesn't it?

Hence, I recommend reading this blog: Sex in the Public Square. It features many interesting discussions regarding things like homosexuality, sex and the family, the role of the law in protecting minors from exposure to sex, etc.

Besides that, what else could we do to ... enlighten, as it were, the youth about their misconceptions of sex, as well as introduce issues related to sex (and sexuality, for that matter) to them? I'd like to hear your opinions and thought about things.

~verus rara avis~

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Here are some surreal photos from this page. Two are original pictures and one is doctored. The pictures are of Mont Saint-Michel which is located on a tidal island in Normandy, France.

The castle invokes a Tolkien-esque fantasy feel.

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Question of the day: Do you feel proud to be Malaysian? If so, what is that makes you feel proud to be one?

I was thinking. I am proud to be Malaysian but what is it that makes me proud to be one? Could it be the glorious food like rojak, nasi lemak, roti canai and char kuey teow? Or would it be the monuments like Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower and Penang bridge? Instead, why not something abstract and not physical like the harmony and peace among the multi-racial ethnics?To achieve unity, harmony and national integration wasn't easy but as you can see today, we all get along together as one. This special bond was something I experienced here and not in other countries which I have been to. The people here are more friendly and they try their hardest to communicate with you.

When I was overseas, people there would ask me about the location of Malaysia after telling them that I'm Malaysian. I would proudly tell them, that it is the land between Thailand and Singapore while East Malaysia is across the South China Sea, near Brunei.

Then, they would ask me what living in Malaysia was like? I would say that it is the best place to live because the weather is humid throughout the year and things are affordable there. There is a variety of food which you can't find in other countries and there is harmony. Despite the different mother tongue, we can communicate in English and Malay. Malaysia is a developing country and people here don't suffer much because of poverty. After that, I would promote other things about Malaysia like why they should tour Malaysia by telling them how unique the culture in Sabah and Sarawak are.

I was saying the same thing over and over again for the first two weeks when I was in South Africa. It was not an easy thing to say. One thing which surprises them was when I. told them that I'm Malaysian Chinese when they asked me if I was Chinese because they didn't know that Malaysia is a multi-racial country. They even asked me if people there (in Malaysia) knew how to speak English and how they dress. Of course there are also other aspects which I didn't cover like the economy of this country but heck, I'd sound as if I'm giving a talk when it was suppose to be a get-to-know-you-more conversation. =)

In conclusion, having to live and brought up in Malaysia is probably one of the best things which happened to me. Proudly, I can say that the grass on this side is greener than the other side. (It's twisted if you noticed). So, are you proud to be Malaysia?

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So I've been having a number of light bulb moments considering education lately. Maybe its the influence of the education majors I'm around, maybe its the influence of living 24/7 for 7 months in an institution of higher learning. Whatever it is, I seem to have a lot to say about education recently. Today, what is bothering me is the absence of music in education.

If you had Malaysian public education like I did, then the only music education you ever got was probably something like mine. 6 primary school years of being taught songs by my piano-playing music teacher; songs that talked about telephones, fruits, patents, playgrounds and the like. Also, a couple of lessons on how to hit different notes on a recorder. Other than that, I pretty much had to take all my music lessons privately.

What boggles me is that our country seems so indifferent and unenthusiastic about teaching kids music. Music was the 'waste' time period during my days at La Salle primary which often got replaced with English and Science come the weeks leading up to UPSR. Music is still seen by many as something we should know just in case we can't get a "real" job. Worse case senario: be a music teacher LAH.

What a load of crap man. If I were to ask, how many people don't listen to music, and I mean any kind of music, be it classical music like Bach or Mozart, or oldies like Sinatra and Nat King Cole, or cheesy pop music by Britney and Paris Hilton, or the talking thing, "rap" that they call music, or the bling bling crap that I never get, if I were to ask how many people didn't listen to music, no one would put up their hands. If I were to ask how many people were unmoved by music or had never found a song inspirational or emotionally heart robbing, again, no one would put up their hand. We all hate "My Heart will go on" from Titanic, but you have to admit, as sloppy and cheesy as it is, in the moment (the I jump, you jump moment and the Jack I'm flying moment) the song did move and stir up emotion.

Maybe I'm a romanticist and a greater proponent of the humanist and emotional side of life. But somehow, I think that there is no emotional depth or passion in our education system. All that is important seems to be our ability to memorize and puke. What has happened to the humanist side of it all. Where is the love for school, the thirst for education, the passion for life? Why aren't we teaching our kids about the things that move us. Things like music. Isn't emotional self expression just as important as the sciences. Or do we really think that it is a par below everything else. On a side note, no one has ever thought of music in math?!? Or math in music. There is a 'science' of music too. Why don't we explore all that.

So, my proposition is this: bring music back to schools. We don't need to make it compulsory or anything, at least not at first. I admit the cost of implementing music is pretty high taking into account the cost of instruments and all. However, if we start by offering it as an elective, allowing our kids the option of studying something that at least they have interest in, like pop culture, the basics of music, the wisdom of Bono, anything that involves and evokes the passion that comes forth from music, if we can do that, then I think we're are giving kids a REAL sense of education.

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Current time: 0545 hours
Hours of sleep: 5 hours
Buddies awake: None
Current emotion: Unusually depressed
Current desire: My best buddies' company

Ladies and gentlemen, you can see that I am certainly not in my best of times. This is rather queer and quite a first-time experience for me to be having depression after a relapse from a previous depression.

My previous experience of depression (which was about two months ago) started off with the feel of loneliness. Ironically, this time, it wasn't loneliness that sparked off my depressed mood (how could I feel lonely when I have friends around in university, right? After all, I looked forward to university life so much after spending seven weeks of holidays at home), but rather my thoughts.

Thoughts? It is strange, I know, that mere thoughts can make one depressed, but lately I have not been able to control my thoughts. My mind keeps flashing about things in the past, things that have recently happened and what might happen in the future. Had my mind flashed about the good times I had, perhaps I would not have felt so bad. Today, as I stated earlier I slept for only five hours before deciding to write an entry here. Within the five hours, I woke up three times, with three similar flashes in my mind. In those flashes I saw myself alone, in utter silence and disbelief, shunned away by all whom I know.

Previously, prayers had always worked wonders to me whenever I feel down. I have always believed in the power of prayers but lately they have only been a temporary consolation for me. Am I falling? Is there unbelief in my heart?

Still, I'm thankful to God that during my moments of desperation, He sends some Good Samaritans to my side. Either Jared would just drop by my room and I could find comfort in him, or while walking aimlessly Joe would just appear before me and I would be able to seek refuge. My roommate, Brian, would ask about my condition and be concerned about me.

There are times when I felt that I could walk no more. There are times when I felt my whole world would just collapse right before me. Still, I try my best to stand steadfast, with unwavering faith.

Many things have happened lately to me, some are bitter moments which I think contributed to my predicament. Jared, Joe and some of my other friends would undoubtedly comprehend my condition (as I've told them about what had happened). Things are going rather too fast for me, and I can't seem to swallow everything at one go. Much as I like to take things slowly now, they accumulate fast. Still, I find great comfort in these words that Joe, Jared and some others offered:

1. "Fill it with God's love."
2. "Thanks for sharing with me!"
3. "Be true to yourself and you will always have us to count on."
4. "Amazing grace."
5. "Are you OK?"

...and many more.

I have given myself enough time to make a come back. For now, I just want to lay back and try, again, to just let things be.

I certainly hope that things would turn out well again for me. I am sorry to have vented this personal matter here, but believe me, I really need to share with all of you.

Current time: 0645 hours
Current emotion: (as above)
Current desire: (as above)
Status: Peace out!

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Dolphins are considered very intelligent creatures. I think killing them in a barbaric fashion is just sick. If people want to eat dolphins they should find a more humane way to kill them. Do these barbarians need to hack them to death? Do these people have a sadism fetish? Why no action is taken by the Japanese authorities? Are you people too arrogant?

Bye

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I have to share this piece of news. Just today a giant sinkhole swallowed dozens of homes and killed two people in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The sinkhole is said to be 100m deep and 40m wide. Definitely a hole of monstrous proportions. Here are some pictures of the HOLE from this web page.



Try bungee jumping down this sinkhole.


Top view of the sinkhole.


Scary hole.


Bye for now

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I'm sure everyone has heard of The Simpsons. This show needs no further introduction, it's so famous until some enthusiast has gone to an extent of making the real life video of the show's intro. Have fun comparing!

I'm impressed.

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I've finally found the time and motivation to finish up my intended three part discussion on education, that began here and continued here.

Tertiary education should naturally be the most specialized educational institution out there. It is the final step before the 'real' world so it should seem natural that it provide the most detailed information about specific careers. The head knowledge and information I've been calling to be held off in both primary and secondary education should rightly take its place in institutions of higher learning. To critics who think that there is too much knowledge to be crammed into a 3 or 4 year institution, I say, after 10 years of learning processes of learning, rote learning in 4 years will not turn out too difficult. Plus, how much information cramming will we really need to do in college.? Probably not a lot. The reason why we have books and computers is so that we need not store all the unnecessary information in our brains.

Anyway, relating the above paragraph back to our Malaysian context, I think in general sense that our institutions of higher learning set out to accomplish these goals. I emphasize 'general sense' here because it is a known fact that out public universities love chasing pointless medals at university fairs in East Europe (*ahem* UiTM and USM *ahem*). But yea, in general, the purpose of our Malaysian universities is pretty much on the spot. Execution however, that is a whole new topic of its own.

The only way to save our public universities is to plough tons of money into it. I'm not saying their current shortcomings are a result of lack of funds, but with a handsome budget, I can think of a million and one things to do to improve our public universities. My suggestion for the source of that money: PSD scholarships. We spend so much sending thousands of PSD scholars abroad when really (no offence to PSD scholars, you guys are geniuses to be able to get a PSD scholarship in the first place) we should be investing our money at home. We should be using those millions of dollars to pull in great professors to teach in our local universities, starting with well qualified Malaysian professors who are teaching abroad. By sending one student abroad, we are making a difference in one life. By bringing one well-qualified professor into Malaysia, hundreds if not thousands will be changed. Instead of continuing to export our talent out for training, we should be working harder at improving our public universities at home.

I've been hearing stories of PSD scholars having their bonds waived because the government has no place for them in the PSD. Sounds dumb to me to give out scholarships when you don't need the manpower but what is worse is that these talents ultimately don't return. Once you take away the bond of a student who is very comfortably living in the US, Germany or the UK, what are the chances that they are gonna come home. Kinda close to ZERO, I think.

If we had excellent universities locally, then when these people graduated, we'd be able to keep the talent. Hopefully they'd find jobs locally and go on to bigger things in Malaysia and for Malaysia.

Invest at home. That's my call for tertiary education. Start with Malaysian professors teaching abroad, but ultimately hired anyone and everyone who is well qualified to teach in our public universities. If we bring in excellence, it will breed excellence.

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... but this is pretty important.


It's a private group, but I'll accept your friends whom you think might be able to contribute to the development of this blog... as long as you let me know in advance. *wink*

By the way, the picture links directly to the Friendster group.

Cheers!

~verus rara avis~

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I recently came across this post on the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order while I was preparing my slides for my Moral Studies class; it's titled "Sex and the Single-minded", written by Maitreyabandhu in the summer of 1998. An extract:

Shortly after I encountered Buddhism I confidently predicted that I would be celibate within three years. Why it was three years rather than two or five, I do not know. What I did know was that I wanted to get on with living the spiritual life as wholeheartedly and uncompromisingly as possible. To me that meant being celibate within three years.

About 12 years later I am still sexually active, still involved in the same sexual relationship, and still trying to live the spiritual life in a wholehearted and uncompromising way. It is not that I have given up on celibacy, nor that I no longer experience sexual relationships as a compromise (in some ways I feel the compromise more acutely than ever). But I have a more realistic view of the forces I am trying to transform. I have grown up a bit, and my naive confidence has been tempered by a deeper understanding of the difficulties of trying to transcend sexual desire.

The spiritual life involves transforming one′s whole being, and resolving within oneself the seemingly paradoxical tensions which that throws up. One such tension, you could say, is between the two great poles of meaning and pleasure; and spiritual life involves an attempt to unite and transcend them. A life without meaning is shallow and paltry; a life without pleasure is almost unliveable. In trying to unite and transcend them we need not only to face up to uncomfortable truths about sex and romance but also to find more genuinely satisfying sources of pleasure which, instead of distracting us from meaning, augment it.

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Not that I mean to preach here (thought: do Buddhists preach?), but the way this article deals with relationships (not just sex) is pretty interesting. Most of us are still in that turbulent period of life when we experience the often painful but blissful ignorance happiness of 'love'.

This article pretty much sums up our dilemma pretty much in a (rather large) nutshell. His insight into this complicated part of our lives proved very... true, at least in my case. I think the rest of you will find it just as interesting too, if not more.

When we enter a relationship at this age, what do we expect from it?

1. Companionship? [I don't wanna be just a friend!]
   
2. Love? [I love you, you love me, we are one big family...]
   
3. Sex? [Banzai!]
   
4. Status? [I've got one. Have you?]
   
5. Pretty presents? [Roses and bouquets and chocolates and teddies and trinkets...]
   
6. Fun? [I'm so bored; will you be my boyfriend?]
   

Seriously, when I got involved in my first relationship - well, it was in 2004, but I don't think it'd qualify as a 'relationship' per se, since it was mostly a one-sided affair on my part - I thought I was looking for 1. and 2. In the end, after countless painful moments and unreturned love - made all the more hurtful due to my reluctance to confess (and the constant circulating rumours) - I gave up entirely. Took me quite awhile to patch up the wounds, though.

In the end, I still have no idea what I was really looking for. I suppose the closest explanation would be that I was looking for someone to cherish, and to be cherished in return as well. Perhaps it was partly because of 4. too; the girl I loved liked had a crush on was one of the crowd favorites. Haven't fallen in with anyone since then.

Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway. I'm sure some of you will understand my meaning. *wink* Hope you find this article interesting. Share it with some of their friends and note their reaction. I guess some things just transcend religious boundaries, eh?

~verus rara avis~

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Why am i suddenly obsessed by this car? Well for starters just look at it.

Now get this ...
*It can outrun a Porsche 911 Carrera in a straight line.
*It can tow a Boeing 747. (the only production petrol engine to achieve this)
*Its a certified off road vehicle. (no modifications needed to go off-roading)
*The body and chassis are Aluminum and its Titanium armored. (it will stop a bullet from an
AK-47 assault rifle!)
*Its a Luxury Car Inside!
*Production has ceased. (its a future classic)
*Makes a Hummer look stupid! =P

So tell me ... Do YOU want one? ;)

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I'm gonna review an anime called Pumpkin Scissors. It's a manga-turned-anime. The manga was created by Ryoutarou Iwanaga & the anime was produced by GONZO & AIC.

This anime is about the war between the Royal Empire & the Republic of Frost. After a 3 year war, an order to cease fire was signed between both sides. Unfortunately, both countries suffer the after effects of the war. Poverty, starvation & plagues scarred the lands. But worse of all, there are soldiers who refuse to give up being soldiers & ended up becoming bandits to make a living. That is why the Empire decided to organize a special section in the army to aid in war relief which was called Section 3, Pumpkin Scissors.

The name Pumpkin Scissors was created by 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin, the heir of the Malvin family,one of the Thirteen Appointed Families who contributed to the war.

The Pumpkin resembles those who protect themselves from the law by doing injustice,taking advantage of people & disturbing the peace which is like the hard skin of the pumpkin. Section 3 is the Scissors who will cut through all the pumpkin layers that protecting them, making them vulnerable & punished them in the name of justice.

The story begins after the war in a village. The village was terrorized by a group of soldiers & Section 3, Pumpkin Scissors decided to look into this matter. After investigating, they realize that the enemy is not that easy to overcome. The soldiers were fully armed & they had a tank. Machs & Oreld,who were both Warrant Officer decided to call for backup to handle the problem but Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin insisted on attacking immediately.



Fortunately both of them manage to talk Alice out of it & decided to investigate the nearby village to see the damage they caused. Meanwhile in the village, a big guy by the name of Randel Oland, who was a veteran during the war with the rank of corporal came to the village for a meal. As he was having a meal, Alice,Machs & Oreld came into the inn & asked the inn keeper about the soldiers. Then Alice meet Oland & had this strange feeling that something was going to happen. Before she could say anything, a shoot was fired & the soldiers came to the village to ask for food.

The mayor of the village told them they were nothing left to give but the didn't believe what they said. Alice bravely stood in front of the enemy tank, declared them as a war aggravator & told them to surrender. Instead of surrendering, they shot something in the air & left. Everyone thought that it was a blank shot but later they found out it was a K-3 chemical round or Kirsche-3 round. It dispersed in the air & poisoned almost everyone in the village. Section 3 together with Corporal Randel Oland decided to fight back.

While Machs & Oreld handled the foot soldiers, Alice & Oland went to find the antidote for the poison. Later Oland told Alice to find the antidote while he handled the tank. Alice wanted to help but Oland insisted that he'll take care of it. He said that no normal man can face a tank but he can...

The reason why he can is because he is no ordinary soldier. He was part of an experimental unit know as the Invisible 9. They were special units that were created during the war to turn the tides around. He was part of a platoon named 901 ATT (Anti Tank Trooper). Together with his 13mm anti tank gun & his blue lantern, his units charged at tank without any fear, jump right on the tank & fire at point-blank range. Olands' units are also known as Gespenst Jäger, or Soldiers Ignorant of Death. They do not feel any pain due to the power of the blue lantern that shines on their body. They can get shot by a tank & still be walking forward towards the enemy!






The leader of the soldiers turn bandits, General Wolf was also part of the invisible 9. He was part of the platoon known as 903-CTT (Chemical Tactics Trooper) which is also know as Sowers of the Ashes of Death.. With the cooperation of Alice & Oland, they manage to defeat General Wolf & obtain the antidote. Later Oland was offered by Alice to join Pumpkin Scissors to do more war relief & create a better future for all.




In the later parts, they will begin to reveal Oland's dark past & a plot that is being schemed by an unknown organization who is threatening to disturb the peace of the country. Although the story moves very slowly but it explains every character in detail that it makes you want to appreciate every character in the anime. If your looking for an anime set in an after war situation full of action,drama & lovable characters, then this is the anime for you. Give it a try & tell me how is it. Till then, I think I'll take an afternoon nap....feeling kind of sleepy....(-__-)""Zzzz...Zzzz

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