Think

I came to realise that i am surrounded by some people that don't really use their brains much. Sometimes, when I am stressed, I envy these people that live 'simpler less complicated lives'. At other times, I have extremely low tolarance for people who dont exercise their brains much.



Where do most people do their thinking ? In a quiet place, a private place ?



I have a friend that I meet up with once every year or so. But we are regular MSN, SMS and email buddies. Neither of us really remembered how we became such good friends and why we don't meet up that often. We regularly exchange ideas on life, philosophy, love, career, lifestyle, everything under the sun. I enjoy the correspondence trememdously, our back and forth questions often put me in deep thoughts, in my little world during lunch breaks etc.

Sharing with you guys, some of our thoughts on matters of the brain...

Is it really possible to think of Nothing?
How can sure is someone when he / she says she is a indecisive person ?
Why is it that the harder you try to think the more difficult it is?
Have you ever wondered what people are thinking while you're talking to them, like seriously what have they interpreted your words into ?
Have you every stopped to think how humans think?
Do animals think visually like us ? in colour, back and white ? Can they recall audio sounds ? And how would we ever find out?



If you thought a thought, but the thought you thought you thought wasn't the thought you thought, was the thought you thought the thought you thought or the thought you thought you thought?

If you stop to think about when you first started thinking, would you ever find out when you had your first thought?

( I think I found this thought online ! )

To the other Miss C

Sometime ago, when we were still living together in the same house on Federick Norris Rd, we sat in the sunroom at night studying and you told me this..

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss

Today, this quote popped up on my google home page and it reminded me of you !

Hugs, cant wait for October to roll by and see you again !

-----------------

Then I realised that my two good friends in the world totally live by this rule, and I am happiest when the both of them are around because I can totally be myself and I know if I dont make sense, they dont mind, or if i do, they listen and give me their opinions.

Sometimes, they laugh at me and call me silly, sometimes, they go out of the way to make me change my mind but eventually, they stood by my silly, crazy and sometimes stupid decisions and they help me laugh at myself. And at the end of every adventure, they are the friends that really matter.

A shoutout to Turkey and Germany, you guys ROCK my world !

my country and I

I never blogged about the National Day Celebarations not because I don't love my country but because I never got to tickets to see the parade. I love Singapore, and I watch the National Day Parade each year without fail on TV, when I am overseas, I download and read the National Day Rally Speech.

Living overseas has made me aware of the many different views people have on my country. As much as I agree with some of them I still defend my nation fiercely. Peers of my age would readily do so too, even the guys who has two precious years taken away from them to serve National Service would fiercely defend Singapore should we hear bitter remarks about Singapore.

I dont hang my flag during National Day but I wear Red and White on August 9th.Whichever part of the world I move to, I always packed a Singapore Flag with me, Strangly enough, no room is complete without it.

I hate it when we are so small and no one really know where we are so whenever I walk into a bookstore abroad with foreign friends, I always pick up an atlas to show them where we are located, 4 degrees from the equator. I attempt to educated my friends that Singapore is NOT part of China.

I dont sing my National Anthem often but I do it with a lot of pride. National Day Songs still give me goosebumps and watching my country's flag go up at any sports meet or international convention can make me cry. We are one of the smallest contigent at world sport events but I still look out for them.

Sometimes, I get fustrated with red-tape or government regulations but watching a MTV like below can instantly recharge my patriotism.


My Prime Minister said in his National Day Rally Speech :

Singapore is an improbable nation

We are a small country in an uncertain world we should never take our future for granted. Many have put their heart and soul into building this country. Through hard work and clear thinking, our forefathers have created a unique and precious home here for us . They planted the trees that now provide the shade for us
Now our duty to continue to plant the trees of hope and strength for our next generation.

Do this not because we happen to be born here or to carry a Singapore passport
But because we have something valuable here – our family and friends, our hopes and dreams, our home and nation – because we believe in Singapore

It made a lot of sense and this can be termed 'Propaganda' but it has hit home for many Singaporeans.

Now that I am back home, I relate to the songs that are sung on National TV. And I can watch them over and over again without getting bored. 3 or 4 Times.. I can probably sing it in perfect pitch. Enjoy !



There are things you cannot trade for, good education accessible to all, low crime rates, subsidied medical benefits and a good government.

So I am celebrating my National Day by believing a little more in my country, a little more trust and faith in my government and staying here just a little longer before I travel the world again ( and come home again. ) Finding the little joy of paying income tax ( one of the lowest in the world ) and find comfort in paying for my expensive dream car( knowing that no one will be stealing )

Besides, how can you not smile when you watch this.

A good question...

Q. Why does a goods train sometimes move backwards briefly before starting to move ahead from a stop?

There are a few different reasons that this happens. One reason (and the official one stated in working timetables) has to do with ensuring the couplers (CBC's) along the rake are all engaged and locked before starting off. The backward push forces the couplers to engage if they are loose, not fully engaged, or if the coupler pins had been inadvertently (or maliciously) lifted while the train was stopped.

Another reason is to compress the couplers along the length of the rake, so that when the loco starts moving forward, it has an easier time setting the wagons at the front in motion first before the rear wagons as the slack in the couplers plays out along the length of the rake -- it doesn't have to set the entire train in motion all at once. This is more important with poor track conditions where the loco cannot develope its full tractive effort before its wheels slips, or with older style bearings on the wagons which have much higher starting friction than the rolling friction encountered when on the move. Bad or older designs of bearings can also stick or bind and increase the starting resistance.

A third reason for the backward push is to release brakes where the blocks have stuck to the wheel treads (brake binding); once released by the backward push, there is no further resistance to forward motion. This was more of a problem in the vacuum brake days with poorly maintained brakes. Lastly, in the age before walkie-talkies, the backward push was a way to inform the guard at the rear end that the train was about to set off -- with really long rakes and noisy environments, horn signals might not always work.

yupe ! 2 TN

just waiting for it to be matched and realised !

maybe its possible !

that i will have 2 TNs in my company ! more news later.. we'll see how it goes with my boss and AIESEC !

A visit from the past - Listening and Passion

An ex-client of mine called me up about 40 minutes ago, to catch up with me, find out which industry I am working in and called to take an opinion or two. We talked about the latest happennings in the school scene, the programs that are being implemented and also I figured that if he calls, there is a reason. After listening intensly for 20 minutes. I found out and i understood where he was coming from. And the conversation carried on.

Then he made a distinction, he said : You know the difference between you and your successor ? I replied no, ( simply because I am not there anymore ). He said, you listened and you were so much easier to talk to.

I realised that I have been practicing all the skills I picked up on the crisis phonelines and somehow has came across relating to people. I realised that my hundred of hours of training was not wasted 2 years ago.

I am disappointed however at how my ex-client was treated after I left the company. My client obviously was too, or he would not have called me ! So, doing as much as I could to make the conversation less 'sad'. I touched on the good people that are still working in the company and I touched on a key person that really gave his 150%. Kudos to him, he stayed in the office till late to improve his work, and he keeps going no matter how tired he is.

Then my client asked why I am different, ( yeah ! see two post ago ), I gave him the best answer I could, I said I taught for a long time and it is not difficult for me to get into the mentality of an educator. Then I also realised that its not about the mindset, its the passion that keeps on going and the love for 'right education' that sparks me, kept me going. It was not about the profits, it was not about the commission, it was about the education. Sure, its doesnt always work out in my favour but that is fine coz I know I made a difference to a child's life.

So. to Mr C, you made my day, you reminded me that i did the right thing, standing up against profits but for education. You reminded me that the most important thing in a job, is not the job but the listening.
Its not the commission that you chase but the passion.
Its not how well you can do the job, its how well your clients remember you by and its not how much people talk behind your back, its how well you sleep at night knowing you made a difference to another person's life.
And you taught me, its pride, dignity and quality over money.

Recounting how I spent my Sunday ..

I told a friend who is much younger than myself and not yet in the corporate world.
Anyone can hold a job, but how many really have the passion.

Think about your teachers who have been teaching for 20 or 30 years. Its not their job to nurture you, its the passion that did.

What you tell with a handshake ...( 300th Post )

Over the years, I meet people and naturally, a great deal of handshakes.( with a great deal of bacteria passing on from one person to another ! ha ha ha ) but that is not the deal. I received a comment recently and the person, a guy said I have a pretty firm handshake. At first, I didnt take much notice of it, but it got me thinking...

so.. i googled and found some interesting reads:

Study Shows How A Firm Handshake Affects First Impressions; May Provide An Effective Initial Form of Self-Promotion for Women
( taken from The American Psychological Association (APA) website )

Results of the study, according to lead author William F. Chaplin, Ph.D., show that a person's handshake is consistent over time and is related to some aspects of his or her personality. Those with a firm handshake were more extraverted and open to experience and less neurotic and shy than those with a less firm or limp handshake. The researchers say these results demonstrate that personality traits, assessed through the self-report, can predict specific behaviors assessed by trained observers.

The study did identify some sex differences. Males were generally found to have firmer handshakes than women. Also, women who are more liberal, intellectual and open to new experiences were found to have a firmer handshake and made a more favorable impression than women who were less open and had a less firm handshake. For men, the opposite was found; more open men had a slightly less firm handshake and made a somewhat poorer impression than less open men.

hmm.... And there are sites telling you what consitutes a 'perfect handshake'!

I know I am different, I also know I am happy

I know I am different.

I know a lot of people hope that I can think in a manner that is similar to them. Think in a frequency that is more 'normal' ( define normal anyways.... ). They all hope that they can better understand what I am thinking sometimes and sometimes I make the effort to communicate my crazy ideas to them but I don't, not because I cannot, but i dont see the point of explaining sometimes. I dont bother explaining to the people who calls me crazy... my love for Apple products, nor why I listen to both techno and classical music and no one in the house seems to be musically incline. Or why I studied Geography at university even though everyone thinks that its a useless degree and I dont make sense anyways. I also know that I enjoyed university tremdously because I was in love with what I was studying.

I know a lot of people wish that I can be a little more sensitive to the needs of others. I know I am straight-forward and I say what my opinions are but I also know not many people in the world have the guts, and being straight-forward sometimes, not sugar coating words will bring your message across and constructive critism is what really toughens poeple up. I know I offend a few people this way but if they cannot take it, I guess its no use talking to them anyways.

I know a lot of people feel that I am not a bad person but because of the way I perceive things and the way I go all out to get what I want may appear to be ruthless or a b*tch but I get to the goals I have set for myself. Some people see me as fickle-minded, unable to focus because I job-hopped a little but if I have not done so, I would not have known what I really want as a career and would have hated going to work everyday. I hate to hate going to work so I left my job anyways and found something that I can stay in for the long haul. Sure, it took a long year to find it but I feel its worth it.

And because I dont really care about what other people say, I appear not to be selfish and in a traditional chinese family, I become the brat of the house, the crazy one, the disobedient one. In all honestly, I dont care because I am going to be the one living my life and I am not going to regret my decisions when I reach the end of my career path. And because I appear to be nonchalent about too many things, I become the insentive one, i guess in doing so, i spared myself from the heartaches and all the sleepless nights. From the way I see it, sometimes, you just cannot help the situation so, might as well refrain from it.

And I don't do the normal girl stuff, I like speed, the sound of engines, the smell of the sea and its ok not to conform to what society defines you as. And I dont see the need to whine, behave all girly girl so that the boys will pay more attention to you. I dont see why I have to 'play stupid' because guys won't fall for smart / successful women. I dont see why I cannot challenge guys, i might not always turn out right but at least I put up a good fight. I know I am wrong but I pretend to be right anyways because miracles happen and I am not doing anything morally or ethically wrong. ( grinz )

And my closest friends are the ones who know I am different and love me for the crazy things I stand for. They accept that I am crazy and they love me anwyays, because they know that at the end of the day, if they need help, i will be there in a minute and no matter how grave the situtation gets, tell them that there is always a way out, to help them pick themselves up, not give a shit to what other people thinks of them ( coz I dont care anyways ) and later step away from it like it has not happened.

I know I am different and it can be seen as being difficult but I am not going to change, I aim to stand out from the crowd, I stand by my opinions ( no matter what you think of them ), I aim to take the world by storm with my passion and my beliefs with a few partner-in-crimes and I aim to be me, just me.

I know I am different, I am proud to be different. I also know that I am happier living my dreams.

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits, The rebels. The Trouble-makers.
The round heads in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules,
and they have no respect for the status-quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is to ignore the,
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
--- Jack Kerouac

A geek's quest after Grey's Anatomy...

After watching the whole season 1 and 2 again, I have a list of

DO YOU KNOW !

A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph.

A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.

A fingernail or toenail takes about 6 months to grow from base to tip.

A healthy individual releases 3.5 oz. of gas in a single flatulent emission, or about 17 oz. in a day.

A human being loses an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day.

A person will die from total lack of sleep sooner than from starvation. Death will occur about 10 days without sleep, while starvation takes a few weeks.

A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.

According to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.

According to the Kinsey Institute, the biggest erect penis on record measures 13 inches. The smallest tops off at 1 3/4 inches.

After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink.

An average human drinks about 16, 000 gallons of water in a lifetime.

An average human scalp has 100,000 hairs.

An average person uses the bathroom 6 times per day.

An individual blood cell takes about 60 seconds to make a complete circuit of the body.

Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood we have only 206 in our bodies.

Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.

Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people.

Blood sucking hookworms inhabit 700 million people worldwide.

By age sixty, most people have lost half of their taste buds.

By the time you turn 70, your heart will have beat some two-and-a-half billion times (figuring on an average of 70 beats per minute.)

Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels.

Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.

Every person has a unique tongue print.

Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.

Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

Fingernails grow faster than toenails.

Fingerprints serve a function - they provide traction for the fingers to grasp things.

Humans have 46 chromosomes, peas have 14 and crayfish have 200.

Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

Humans shed and re-grow outer skin cells about every 27 days - almost 1,000 new skins in a lifetime.

If it were removed from the body, the small intestine would stretch to a length of 22 feet.

If you are locked in a completely sealed room, you will die of carbon dioxide poisoning first before you will die of oxygen deprivation.

If you go blind in one eye, you'll only lose about one-fifth of your vision (but all your depth perception.)

In a lifetime the average US resident eats more than 50 tons of food and drinks more than 13,000 gallons of liquid.

In the late 19th century, millions of human mummies were used as fuel for locomotives in Egypt where wood and coal was scarce, but mummies were plentiful.

It takes 17 muscles to smile --- 43 to frown.

Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to bring the back teeth together for chewing.

Lab tests can detect traces of alcohol in urine six to 12 hours after a person has stopped drinking.

Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

Most men have erections every hour to hour and a half during sleep.

On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2000.

One in every 2000 babies is born with a tooth.

Pregnancy in humans lasts on average about 270 days (from conception to birth).

The ashes of the average cremated person weigh nine pounds.

The average duration of sexual intercourse for humans is 2 minutes.

The average human body contains enough: iron to make a 3 inch nail, sulfur to kill all fleas on an average dog, carbon to make 900 pencils, potassium to fire a toy cannon, fat to make 7 bars of soap, phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads, and water to fill a ten-gallon tank.

The average human produces 25,000 quarts of spit in a lifetime, enough to fill two swimming pools.

The average person releases nearly a pint of intestinal gas by flatulence every day. Most is due to swallowed air. The rest is from fermentation of undigested food.

The body's largest internal organ is the small intestine at an average length of 20 feet

The feet account for one quarter of all the human bodies bones.

The human body has enough fat to produce 7 bars of soap.

The human body has over 600 muscles, 40% of the body's weight.

The human brain is about 85% water.

The largest cell in the human body is the female ovum, or egg cell. It is about 1/180 inch in diameter. The smallest cell in the human body is the male sperm. It takes about 175,000 sperm cells to weigh as much as a single egg cell.

The largest cell in the human body is the female reproductive cell, the ovum. The smallest is the male sperm.

The largest human organ is the skin, with a surface area of about 25 square feet.

The left lung is smaller than the right lung to make room for the heart.

The little lump of flesh just forward of your ear canal, right next to your temple, is called a tragus.

The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius. This narrow muscle of the thigh passes obliquely across the front of the thigh and helps rotate the leg to the position assumed in sitting cross-legged. Its name is a derivation of the adjective "sartorial," a reference to what was the traditional cross-legged position of tailors (or "sartors") at work.

The most common blood type in the world is Type O. The rarest, Type A-H, has been found in less than a dozen people since the type was discovered.

The Neanderthal's brain was bigger than yours is.

The only bone in the human body not connected to another is the hyoid, a V-shaped bone located at the base of the tongue between the mandible and the voice box. Its function is to support the tongue and its muscles.

The only time the human population declined was in the years following 1347, the start of the epidemic of the plague 'Black Death' in Europe.

The permanent teeth that erupt to replace their primary predecessors (baby teeth) are called succedaneous teeth.

The sound of a snore (up to 69 decibels) can be almost as loud as the noise of a pneumatic drill.

The tips of fingers and the soles of feet are covered by a thick, tough layer of skin called the stratum corneum.

There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being.

There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.

There are four main Blood types: A, B, AB and O and each Blood type is either Rh positive or negative. Blood types in the US - Type O positive 38.4%, O negative 7.7%, A positive 32.3%, A negative 6.5%, B positive 9.4%, B negative 1.7%, AB positive 3.2%, AB negative 0.7%

Three-hundred-million cells die in the human body every minute.

Women burn fat more slowly than men, by a rate of about 50 calories a day.

Women's hearts beat faster than men's.

P A I N

I know what is the most painful to me and i experience it once every 3-4 years. About 3 years ago, it happened to me, today, it happened to me again. I hurts so much I cannot cry anymore and it is killing me...

Make a guess what is causing the pain... leave your comment.

Hopelessly Addicted to

I am so extremely hopelessly in love and addicted to Grey's Anatomy.

Wonderful sister has DVD for Season 1 and 2 ... ooooooooo....... a total of 36 episodes..



I spend two whole days watching all 36 episodes.. not just that, I even researched into each episode, checked out the strange medical names, the equipment.....

I am such a sucker for intelligent people, in love with the surgical team ( even if they are FICTION ! ) I guess in the real world, surgeons do have to go through a lot to get to where they are.

In each episode, i saw how patients trusted each word the doctors said, how they put 150% trust in their surgeons, no questions, no doubt. I also saw how passion can lead doctors to work long shift and keeping awake and alert !

ARGH ! I am sooo addicted. i am going to go back and watch it a second time.