ever thought about not thinking: 03/01/2006

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant... vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified! And has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and the voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

From the "I've-said-it-once-and-I'll-say-it-again." dept.

I can't understand why this must be so. In fact, I think it's totally disgusting and makes me wonder what kind of fucked up people they must be.

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.
[...]
"Cut off his head!" he exclaimed, sitting in a courtyard outside Herati Mosque. "We will call on the people to pull him into pieces so there's nothing left."(source: CNN, in TFA)

A pristine example of a bigot. And he is not alone.

"But Said Mirhossain Nasri, the top cleric at Hossainia Mosque, one of the largest Shiite places of worship in Kabul, said Rahman must not be allowed to leave the country.

"If he is allowed to live in the West, then others will claim to be Christian so they can, too," he said. "We must set an example. ... He must be hanged."" (source: CNN, in TFA)

Bear in mind that these people are supposed "leaders" and hold respectable (*ahem*) positions in their religious communities. I'll leave it up to you to form an opinion about their followers based on such leaders.

"We are a small country and we welcome the help the outside world is giving us. But please don't interfere in this issue," Nasri said. "We are Muslims and these are our beliefs. This is much more important to us than all the aid the world has given us." (source: CNN, in TFA)

But withdraw their aid, they'll be crying foul and making statements that the "western world" is bent on repressing their progress or some other infantile rant.

It seems that to them, Islam is the only "true" faith, in the sense that you can convert to Islam and they will welcome you with open arms, but once you decide to renounce your faith in Islam, you're considered a sinner and they take it upon themselves to kill you to uphold their God's honor. Err, newsflash idiots, if your God is so powerful, I'm sure he wouldn't need your floundering attempts of gallantry.

Additionally, they'll always whine and cry foul (and blow up a thing or two) when they perceive that someone is disrespecting their religion. However, when the tables are turned, they'll argue that the world is intolerant (*ahem* look who's talking - ask the Dutch), and disrespecting their religion (again? give it a rest will ya) and then whine and cry foul (and blow up another thing or two). Whine whine whine. Cry cry cry. Blow blow blow. *Yawn* this is getting really repetitive.

Personally, I believe whatever goes on between god and me, it's up to me to deal with it. I don't need anyone telling me the proper forms of conduct, when nobody is even sure that "God" exists anyway.

Note: I have absolutely NOTHING against Islam as a religion. I believe it was started by a very wise person. I just have a few unkind words to say about the people who use Islam as a tool (and religion is a very powerful tool) to further their own agendas.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Here are a few Apple-related tidbits I sourced from youtube.com (yes, the night was boring).

This one's for all you ER fans out there.

and this one's about the Apple/Microsoft "partnership" *ugh*

Saturday, March 18, 2006

As long as Microsoft continues to roll out their Internet Explorer, computer security professionals around the world have no worries about their jobs.

I had a kitten for 3 hours.

Today, I owned a kitten for 3 hours. It was a tiny little girl, spotting the latest fashion trend of a cats - a miasma of black and white. My bunch of friends found her literally "sleeping behind the wheel" of a vehicle at Marina Square's carpark. Leaving her there would guarantee that she would be run over by an unsuspecting car, so they brought her to the open field next to the Esplanade, just a stone's throw away from the river.

I wasn't there then, and only met them slightly later to catch Jason Mraz's awesome performace. I expected the acoustic gig to be low key and maybe during the bad spots, downright boring, but Mr. A-Z didn't let me, or the audience for that matter, down. Sure, it got a little slow during the songs that I didn't recognize, but his clever wordplay within the lyrics kept me smiling. Jason's excellent vocals, from the perfectly executed falsettos to the beautiful operatic rendition, were spot on. And when it came to the songs on his second album, of which I was more versed in, I was happily singing and clapping along. Kudos, also, to Mr. Toca Rivera for delivering a fine accompaniment.

After the concert, Kailing and the girls went to check up on the poor kitty. Being a sucker for animals and kittens, I ditched the Rivermaya set, and trailed after them in search of the kitten. Then I saw the her. She's so tiny, measuring from my wrist to the tip of my finger, and so cute. Her eyes were still closed and her paws were a little gritty. Kailing tried to feed her some milk, but she was having none of it. Probably wanted her mother's own. So we sat around, debating what to do with the poor thing. Nobody wanted to adopt her, but leaving her out here would mean she'll probably starve to death. Finally, after holding her for a long time, I decided to take her in for the night, with the intention of bringing her to the SPCA the next morning. We bundled her into a small shoebox, courtesy of Amanda, and went to have grab a bite.

When I finished my supper with the group, the kitten and I took a lift home from Amanda's friend Mel (thanks mel!). During the car ride, the little cat fell asleep in the box. Awww. Before I got out of the car, Mel asked me what would I be naming her. I never thought of it, since the kitten would be with me only for the night, however since she was found during the Mosiac Festival at the Esplanade, then I shall christen her Mosiac.

I went got home and called the SPCA's 24-hour hotline and the guy at the other end advised me that in such cases, they would have no choice but to put the kitten to sleep as its chances of survival is very low.

Hmm.. on one hand, i couldn't find anybody to adopt her, and i most definitely would not be able to look after her as I would be going overseas in 3 month's time. So that meant abandoning her on the streets, or handing her over to the SPCA to be put to sleep.

This is the second time in my life where I was played a decisive role in ending a life.

I figured, putting her to sleep would mean she suffered less, and it's definitely a more humane death as compared to starvation or dying of exposure. Or worse, being tortured to death by sick people.

And so I told the SPCA to go ahead and come collect her.

While waiting for the guys to come, I made some warm milk and found her sleeping soundly in the corner of the shoebox. I picked her up gently, but she still woke up with a start and began mewing incessantly. Mosiac only stopped when I cuddled her near my stomach, probably due to the warmth and security that she felt. (Hey, I'm a big guy.) Just like the previous time she was offered milk, Mosiac didn't want to have any and instead she just clambered around my arms and clung on my shorts and t-shirt.

After exploring most of my shorts and the lower half of my t-shirt, Mosiac yawned a big yawn and snuggled into my cupped hands. She then proceeded to do something that looked to me as if she was sucking her paw! Satisfied after a few contented paw-suckles, Mosiac laid her head down on my fingers and slept. I figured, if she knew what I've just decided for her, I guess this is her way of reassuring me that she forgives. I stroked her small feline form gently, and found that Mosiac was exactly the same kind of sleeper that I was - she's a "twitcher". She would shake her tiny tail occasionally, or her body would have some kinda spasm, but she would still be in deep slumber. (When I sleep, I would twitch my arm or leg. Or even mutter something.) I sat there, outside my door, with Mosiac in my arms and just looked at her while she slept...

Soon thereafter, the SPCA guy came, and I went down with Mosiac. I asked the guy if I could accompany him back to the SPCA and hold Mosiac while she was being put under, but it wasn't convenient for him as he might have to make some other rounds. Sadly, I signed the papers, stroked Mosiac, who was still sleeping peacefully in my hand, and gently tapped her awake. The SPCA provided a little carrying cage where Mosiac would lie in and I wrapped her up with a little navy blue towel. Whispering a soft "goodbye", I gently laid little Mosiac down in the cage. I thanked the SPCA representative and watched as the van pulled out of the carpark.

Good night Mosiac. Please don't blame us for not giving you a chance at life. We all did what we could and decided what's best for you in the long run.

I hope it's warm and sunny over on the other side.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Beauty and the beast...

Monday, March 13, 2006

It's another Season finale and we've both agreed that the most fitting theme song for this would be Jason Mraz's "You and I Both". So without further ado, here are the lyrics...

Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen but not to me
Oh things are gonna happen naturally
Oh taking your advice I'm looking on the bright side
And balancing the whole thing
But often times those words get tangled up in lines
And the bright lights turn to night
Until the dawn it brings
Another day to sing about the magic that was you and me

Cause you and I both loved
What you and I spoke of
And others just read of
Others only read of the love, the love that I love.

See I'm all about them words
Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words
Hundreds of pages, pages, pages forwards
More words then I had ever heard and I feel so alive

You and I, you and I
Not so little you and I anymore
And with this silence brings a moral story
More importantly evolving is the glory of a boy

Cause you and I both loved
What you and I spoke of
And others just dream of
And if you could see me now
Well I'm almost finally out of
I'm finally out of
Finally deedeedeedee
Well I'm almost finally, finally
Well I'm free, oh, I'm free

And it's okay if you have go away
Oh just remember the telephone works both ways
And if I never ever hear them ring
If nothing else I'll think the bells inside
Have finally found you someone else and that's okay
Cause I'll remember everything you sang

Cause you and I both loved what you and I spoke of
and others just read of and if you could see now
well I'm almost finally out of.
I'm finally out of, finally, deedeeededede
well I'm almost finally, finally, finally out of words.

cute hamster! [myspace.com]

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Saturday, March 11, 2006

A month of losses.

If my life was charted out like the stock market, this cursed month of March would've showed the biggest downhill trend in the past few years.

First I lost the use of my main mode of transportation. No, not my legs you dimwit - I crashed my dad's car.

Secondly, I lost my hair. No, it's not male pattern baldness you doofus. I voluntarily shaved my head bald.

Lastly, I lost my identity and my travelling companion. Yes, my gym bag got stolen and together with it were my identity cards, credit cards and a bunch of cash. Also, my beloved iPod mini was cruelly taken away from me.

My handphone is gone as well, but since I've not exactly been current with my subscription payments, I've been weaned from it's oppressive grasp for the past week. As a result, its departure isn't as painful.

And I really hate it when my parents give me a whole big speech about me not being responsible when it's obvious that they are not exactly St. Parents, patron saints of responsibility and all things right themselves. I could go on and on about my hypocritical parents, but it is best not to wash thy dirty linen in public. But let's just say that if my parents were there when Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.", Jesus would've had two nice big unexpected gashes on the head.

Also, Whomever is the thief, I curse you and your family with never-ending pestilence and may your sons and daughters curse your very name and you will woe the very day you decided, in your cowardly ways, to covet my belongings. May your blood relations and people whom you hold dear perish before your eyes from horrible diseases and be ripped apart by savagery.

You motherfucker!

Only the true Apple fan will fully understand the humor in this

This is dedicated to jeevan, my friend who's crazy over WoW. who knows, he might empathise with the protangonist of this video.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

The next war..

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jcnewman/SterlingEssays/sterling1.html

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Just because I'm bored, and more importantly, just because I CAN,

i've posted a nice comment to this lenghty Friendster blog post.

In the event that my comment was removed as a result of the said blogger having NO SENSE OF HUMOR, here is the comment that i appended.

(the sentences encased in quotes are the blogger's own. my comments follow behind.)

=== Start comment ===
Quotable Quotes:

"Juz taken my bathe"
- snigger. snigger.

"heard my phone ringing and found a msg.. It was Him.."
- did God message you? snicker.

"due to unmatched lunch hours"
- i do believe the word is "MISmatched".

"Plays drum in pub.."
- is that a new instrument? "drum in pub". snicker.

"back to the track,"
- hahaha thanks, after reading your postings, i really did believe that i've been lost in the grammatical wilderness! but sadly, you didn't bring me "back to the track".

=== End Comment ===

UPDATE: after checking out her Friendster profile page, I have this gem to share with all my readers. (all 11 of you.)

(click on image for a larger view.)

Friday, March 03, 2006

Prostrate yourself before me,

and begone, ye of who cannot speak proper english. (like this girl.)

(this award is specially dedicated to grace and amanda.)

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

Congratulations! If your mission in life

is not already to preserve the English

tongue, it should be. You can smell a

grammatical inaccuracy from fifty yards.

Your speech is revered by the underlings,

though some may blaspheme and call you a

snob. They're just jealous. Go out there

and change the world.

How grammatically correct are you? (Revised with answer key)
brought to you by Quizilla

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Best Fuckin' Band EVAH!

... goes to Screaming Headless Torsos.

I first heard of this spectacular band when I was studying in secondary school (St. Pat's), from a friend of mine, Andrew Chiu (who is a truly singular person, the subject of which will be explored in a future article).

The band consists of 5 members,
Dave Fiuczynski - Guitar
Dave Bowman - Vocals
Fima Ephron - Bass
Daniel Sadownick - Percussion
Gene Lake - Drums

It's been almost 10 years since i've heard of this amazing group and their sound, color, groove and technical prowess remains unequalled in my world. They play an eclectic of jazz/funk/trash/punk/rock and were my first introduction to the concept of Jam Bands.

I can safely say that this is one band that i would never get bored of listening to, due to the intricate compliments and playoffs between the different members of the band. Whenever I play a track from SHT, i will never skip it. And i've been listening to some of their songs (e.g. Jazz is the Teacher Funk is the Preacher, Word to Herb) for almost a decade now and every time i do, it still sounds fresh.

It's my dream to play in a Screaming Headless Torsos cover band. or if not, at least a band that's almost like SHT in principle.

ever thought about not thinking