Music for the soul

Ever since Cusco Apurimac III - Spirit, Nature & Pride I was hooked to the sounds of the Native Americans.

Here's one from Alborada - Ananau. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and still do.



Ananau, ananau
Nispaniwashkanky
Ñuqallapiñam chay ña wiky.
Ananau, ananau
Nispaniwashkanky
Wiñaypaqchum ñuqa qawasqaiky
May runallam kakuchkanky
Kaycunallapy waqanaypaq.
Wañuptyqa ñakawanky
Manam munanichu chay pasayta.

Award conferred

Curryegg gave me an award! Read about it here.

Strange how the rants and ramblings of one can be conferred an award but that's the way the world turns these days. I say strange as one who grew up thinking diaries are private items. Today it is blog about it for the world to read. You might say it is also a form of therapy. As the saying goes, "A problem shared is a problem halved."

Well, if that is true it is bad news for the shrinks out there... haha. Speaking of shinks, here's one from the net:

"I've got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody under it. I'm scared. I think I'm going crazy."

"Just put yourself in my hands for one year," said the shrink. "Come talk to me three times a week, and we should be able to get rid of those fears."

"How much do you charge?"
"Eighty dollars per visit, replied the doctor."
"I'll sleep on it," said Bubba.

Six months later the doctor met Bubba on the street. "Why didn't you ever come to see me about those fears you were having?" asked the psychiatrist.

"Well Eighty bucks a visit three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money ! A bartender cured me for $10. I was so happy to have saved all that money that I went and bought me a new pickup!"

"Is that so! And how, may I ask, did a bartender cure you?"

"He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain't nobody under there now !!!"

And the moral of the story is?
Go figure ;-)

Yours...

For your sake, I will forgo mine
For your needs, I disregard my own
For your comfort, I will gladly suffer
For your joy, let me cry in your stead
For your peace, I will say nothing

My arms are yours ever willing to encircle
May it provide you the magic circle
For protection
And yea, for comfort

Yoda says...

Yoda: How feel you?

Anakin: Cold, sir.

Yoda: Afraid are you?

Anakin: No, sir.

Yoda: See through you we can.

Mace Windu: Be mindful of your feelings.

Ki-Adi-Mundi: Your thoughts dwell on your mother.

Anakin: I miss her.

Yoda: Afraid to lose her I think, hmm?

Anakin: What has that got to do with anything?

Yoda: Everything! Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.

Regrets

When I was younger, I was advised not to do things I might regret later.
There are more regrets of "I should have..." then "I should not have...".

LOTR: Arwen's Song (Song of Healing)

A beautiful, haunting song. It never made it as the scene depicted in the video below but post-battle Pelennor in the Houses of Healing scene in the ROTK Extended Edition.

Arwen's Song was originally intended for her vision of Eldarion with Aragorn but was replaced with The Evening Star by Renee Fleming.



With a sigh
You turn away
With a deepening heart
No words to say
You will find
That the world has changed
Forever

And the trees are now
Turning from green to gold
And the sun is now fading
I wish I could hold you closer

Dreamcatcher for a friend

Whether your dreams were a manifestation from the strain of the physical world, or be it spoken as a metaphor, I send thee a dreamcatcher...



In Ojibwa (Chippewa) culture, a dreamcatcher (Ojibwe asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for "spider") is a handmade object based on a willow hoop, on which is woven a loose net or web. The dreamcatcher is then decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads.

The dreamcatcher, hung above the bed, is then used as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The Ojibwa believe that a dreamcatcher filters a person's dreams. Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through. Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day.

Nature Strikes Back!

People just don't listen or perhaps, I should say people listen to the wrong things. We have all heard from years ago warnings on deforestation, global warming etc. Those in power listened, and heeded a different sound.. the sound of money. Who but our children that will suffer the consequences of greed. Lest we forget;
"We do not inherit the earth, but borrow it from our children."

The weather has gone bonkers. During this time of the year, it would be the dry-spell but now we get frequent thunderstorms and when the rain comes down hard and long, flash-floods hit the city. Yesterday, the Gombak river burst its banks.



Last night I heard it was traffic jams of nightmare proportions. The aftermath, parts of the city this morning was a mess with flood-hit roads chocked in mud. My sympathies for the shops affected. Its hard enough to run a business without having to endure calamities.

So what's with the SMART project? More like smarty-pants idea to spend taxpayer's hard-earned money building something for flood mitigation. Wouldn't it have been more prudent to curb destructive development that would have averted these situations altogether. You can't say this was "an act of God". God has nothing to do with wanton development.

No Fairy Dust Required

The dream I had last night was so clear and vivid. The dream was again along the lines of a personal desire, although impossible (for now at least). It was the ability fly with nothing more than just by thinking about it. In my dream, I could fly like how some super-heroes do, or Peter Pan (minus the fairy-dust) but perhaps, closer to Neo in Matrix. You fly, simply because you believe you can.

Back to the dream.

It was surreal.
"I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky"... and that's what I was doing!
I was in some highlands and there was a valley. In the valley were some ruins but more like junked items that had been discarded. They can junk entire buildings now?!? I was exploring the place and I recognized those items! Actually in reality I have never seen those things before but in this dream, it was something from my past. Photo frames with pictures that had been taken (from another dream?) Two of my ex-colleagues were suddenly there too, looking through the items, reminiscing the good old days. It occurred then that the whole place was one of my former workplace. We were rummaging through for sentimental items;

EG: I don't like the pictures in the photo-frame.

Moi: Then take the frame and leave the photos lah.
(Saying that while pulling the photos out of the frame. Then did the same to two other frames, keeping one for myself, one for EG and the other for PL)

There were wine bottles there as well. That's when Kali & Rama showed up. What the heck were they doing there? (in my dream that is) They wanted to take back a lot of stuff but can't carry all. I offered to deliver it personally to their homes (cuz I can fly remember?).

Rummage, rummage...

Next I was in my car, but it is more than that. I can WILL my car to fly... now that is something right? Fly, fly, high into the sky...

Scene shifts. Now we are flying over water and there some scuba diving activity going on. I think I was going diving but don't really recall now. From this point, recalling the dream becomes fuzzy as an incessant alarm becomes louder. I was back on my bed waking up to the physical-bound world.

Word Arrangement

Live and learn,
Learn, and live.

Just a matter of rearranging the words but what a difference in the message conveyed.

Stirred Memories

Was talking to a friend and suddenly the name Agnes Chan popped into my head. The song The Circle Game started playing and I just had to google her name and find out what had happened to her since then. What I found really took me by surprise. Its way too long for me to put here so:

http://www.agneschan.org/aghk/eng/agnes_main.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Chan

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0150781/bio


Another memory popped in and this was a sad one. I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater at the end of the show: 'Haathi Mere Saathi' or Elephant My Friend.

While I was browsing for 'Haathi Mere Saathi', something caught my attention. The lyrics to one of the songs of the show went something like 'chel, chel, chel mere saathi...' but someone in a forum got it mixed up with 'chan mali chan'.

That's when another goldie oldie came up...
Dimana dia anak kambing saya,
Anak kambing saya yang makan daun....
Dimana dia buah hati saya
Buah hati saya yang pakai baju ...
chan mali chan oi oi
chan mali chan oi oi,
chan mali chan ketipong payung

Pinging for reponse

In IT, "ping" is a command that functions like a sonar. An echo response is expected from the target computer. When there's no echo, usually means something is wrong...

But WHAT!?!

*Frustration*

Patellar Subluxation = RM584.01

Not including transport, parking and other trivial expenses incurred. Part of the cost are for a pair of aluminum crutches which will probably sit and gather dust, while one hopes that it will continue sitting to gather more dust. After all, who really wants to depends on them.

Things like these happen, and one can be thankful it is nothing more serious.

More info: Orthopedics - Patellar Subluxation or Kneecap Dislocation

Almost 15!

Has it almost been 15 years? Memories of an infant cradled in my arms remain fresh as ever. She remains as I had named her. That is all that is the same.

Algebra for Everyday Life

After applying some simple algebra to some trite phrases and clichés , a new understanding can be reached of the secret to wealth and success. Here it goes:

Knowledge is Power. Time is Money and as every engineer knows, Power is Work over Time. So, substituting algebraic equations for these time worn bits of wisdom, we get:

K = P (1)

T = M (2)

P = W/T (3)

Now, do a few simple substitutions: Put W/T in for P in equation (1), which yields: K = W/T (4).

Put M in for T into equation (4), which yields: K = W/M (5). Now we’ve got something. Expanding back into English, we get: Knowledge equals Work over Money. What this MEANS is that:

1. The More You Know, the More Work You Do, and

2. The More You Know, the Less Money You Make.

Solving for Money, we get: M = W/K (6) Money equals Work Over Knowledge.

From equation (6) we see that Money approaches infinity as Knowledge approaches zero, regardless of the Work done. What THIS MEANS is: The More you Make, the Less you Know.

Solving for Work, we get W = M x K (7) Work equals Money times Knowledge.

From equation (7) we see that Work approaches zero as Knowledge approaches zero.

What THIS MEANS is: The stupid rich do little or no work. Working out the socioeconomic implications of this breakthrough is left as an exercise for the reader.

The Feb14 Message

Always Together, Never Apart

We are always together
Even though we are apart
Though distance may be between
We are never separate in heart

For when we are together
We make beautiful memories
So we are always close
Even through mountains, vales, or seas

Through the gentle whisper of breeze
Or stars on a moonlit night
Our love talks to our hearts
With words made just right

Our hearts are always one
Though they may be two
You are always here with me
As I am always there with you

- Ethel GG Kent -



Soul Mates

Man does not measure the stars.
It is a gift he cannot count.
So it is with my love for you.
How can I tell you of my love?
Strong as the eagle, soft as the dove,
patient as the pine tree
that stands in the sun
and whispers to the wind...
'You are the one!'

Invention or Innovation?

"If you can't convince them with facts, dazzle them with bullshit!"

I love that quote and whoever said it must be a master bullshitter.

I said something today on-the-fly that would have made sense or at least made me sound like some expert.. haha. If only they knew better. I asked some vendors if they knew the difference between Invention and Innovation. Invention is driven by need said I. Innovation creates the need. Now is that great taurus feces or what?!

One of those feelings

I yearn to hear your thoughts
My heart aches for it
I try to ignore but the silence is too loud
How much more must I endure?
My strength is finite
What must I do?
What have I not done?
Suffer as Wednesday's child I do

Weekends pass too fast

Wait for 5 days only to see the weekend whizz by.
We should collectively do something about this.

Pitiful attempt at poetry

Seeds

Within us all lies a garden
Beginning barren and bare
With work and toil
It flourishes with care

Soon the garden takes shape
Life that springs forth and grows
Shapes and colours of delight
Beauty and peace it shows

What this?
Something else stirs within
It does not belong
Destruction it bring

Quickly must it be removed
Least the garden pales in shades of grey
Weapons of love and care
All thrown into the fray

With ever watchful eyes and hands
Never allowing weeds to prevail
Nor any agents of destruction
Lest the Garden fail