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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Blog Note

It has come to my attention (only yesterday) that quite a number of the files I have attached on my BLOG are non-accessible. This is due to the method I have used, which seems to ONLY allow me to access it. My apologies, this was not my intention. It will take sometime for me to remedy it but if you need something, please feel free to get in touch with me and I’ll try to repair that link.

Thank-you.

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Ad ~ They Give $50 For Your Old Jeans

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Can You Believe It?
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Locked-in Syndrome ~ Rom Houben

Link to View, Download or Print PDF Version
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I saw this on Channel News Asia today and searched for it on the internet. Locked in with no way of communicating must have been very, very difficult --- especially when no one thinks that you're conscious.
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Original Link:

http://www.kansascity.com/105/v-print/story/1589975.html
Posted on Mon, Nov. 23, 2009
Belgian man was conscious throughout 23-year-long misdiagnosed vegetative state
By RAF CASERT, The Associated Press

BRUSSELS. For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of his surroundings but unable to tell anyone or even cry out. The car-crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but apparently was conscious the whole time. An expert using a specialized type of brain scan that was not available in the 1980s finally realized it and unlocked Houben’s mind. Houben, 46, now communicates with one finger and a special touch screen on his wheelchair. “Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learned to live with it,” Houben said, punching the message into the screen in an interview broadcast Monday on the Belgian network RTBF. He has called his rescue his “renaissance.” Over the years, Houben’s parents refused to accept the word of his doctors, firmly believing their son knew what was happening around him. His mother, Fina, said they gave no thought to letting him die. She was vindicated when the breakthrough came. “At that moment, you think: ‘Oh my God. See, now you know.’ I was always convinced,” Fina Houben said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. The discovery took place three years ago but only recently came to light after a study was published on the misdiagnosis of people with consciousness disorders. While a 23-year error is highly unusual, the wrong diagnosis of patients with consciousness disorders is far too common, according to the study, which was led by Steven Laureys of Belgium’s Coma Science Group. “Despite the importance of diagnostic accuracy, the rate of misdiagnosis of vegetative state has not substantially changed in the past 15 years,” the study said. Back then, studies found that “up to 43 percent of patients with disorders of consciousness are erroneously assigned a diagnosis of vegetative state.” The issue is fraught with difficult medical and ethical questions. Patients diagnosed as being in vegetative states with no hope of recovery sometimes are allowed to die, as was done in 2005 with Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged Florida woman who was at the center of the biggest right-to-die case in U.S. history. Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed and she died March 31, 2005. Rom Houben was injured in an auto accident in 1983 when he was 20. Doctors said he fell into a coma at first, then went into a vegetative state. A coma is a state of unconsciousness in which the eyes are closed and the patient cannot be roused. A vegetative state is a condition in which the eyes are open and can move. The patient has periods of sleep and periods of wakefulness but remains unconscious and cannot reason or respond. During Houben’s two lost decades, his eyesight was poor, but the experts say he could hear doctors, nurses and visitors to his bedside and feel the touch of a relative. Houben said that during that time he heard his father had died, but he was unable to show any emotion. Over the years, a skeptical Fina Houben took her son to the United States five times for tests. More searching got her in touch with Laureys, who ordered a PET scan. “We saw his brain was almost normal,” said neuropsychologist Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, who has worked three years with Rom Houben. The family and doctors then tried to establish communication. A breakthrough came when Houben was able to indicate “yes” or “no” by slightly moving his foot to push a computer device placed there by Laureys’ team. Then came the spelling of words using the touch screen. Houben’s condition has since been diagnosed as a form of “locked-in syndrome,” in which people are unable to speak or move but can think and reason. “You have to imagine yourself lying in bed wanting to speak and move but unable to do so — while in your head you are OK,” Vanhaudenhuyse said. “It was extremely difficult for him and he showed a lot of anger, which is normal since he was very frustrated.” With so much to say after suffering for so long in silence, Houben is writing a book. “He lives from day to day,” Fina Houben, 73, said of her son. “He can be funny and happy,” but is also given to black humor. Recently, Houben went to his father’s grave for the planting of a tree. “A letter he wrote was lowered into the grave through a tube,” Fina Houben said. “He closed his eyes for half an hour, because he cannot cry.” There is little hope that Rom Houben’s physical condition will improve, but his mother said she refuses to give up. “We continue to search and search. For 26 years already.”

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Barbershop Pole ~ Still


GIF ~ Exercises

http://www.transformetrics.com/exercises

Warning Note: I think that number '09' or 'Superman Wheel Roll-Out' is dangerous so do NOT attempt unless you're very sure it's safe to do.
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20 images:

View all images or
Download all attachments
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Friday, November 20, 2009

Spell ~ Granddaughter

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Question:
Spelling ~ Do we spell grand-daughter, grand daughter, granddaughter or grandaughter?

Answer:
We spell it as 'g-r-a-n-d-d-a-u-g-h-t-e-r' → 'granddaughter'. Double 'D'. One word.

But personally:
I prefer the hiphenated version as 'grand-daughter' but it is not accepted as correct.
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PEACE IS the path. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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There is no path to peace... PEACE IS the path.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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Thursday, November 19, 2009

God ~ Believe It Or Not

For those who believe, no proof is necessary;
For those who do NOT believe no amount of proof is enough.
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The believers say, "I BELIEVE"
The non-believers say, "I do NOT believe"
The agnostics say, "I do NOT know whether TO BELIEVE... OR... NOT (to believe)".
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The Wonderful Gift Of God

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As there are Catholics who leave and become Non-believers;
So will there be Non believers who leave and become Catholics.
As there are Catholics who leave and become "Christians";
So too will there be Christians who leave and become Catholics.
And this is also true with any other religion or belief.
This is all due to the wonderful gift of God called,
→ The Gift Of Free Will.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Street ~ Singapore Street Directory


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Barack Obama ~ On His Multiracial Heritage



Barack Obama ~ On His Multiracial Heritage
Excerpt from →http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

Of his early childhood, Obama recalled,
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"That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind."
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He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote:
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"The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Passion Of Jesus Christ

This is what passion is all about.


Habits of a Highly Successful Dad

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Focus On the Family
Habits of a Highly Successful Dad
by Dr Bill Maier

“Tell me, Dad, how do you gauge success?”

Ask a dozen men that question and you may get a dozen answers. Some men are driven by money, and others by power, or recognition, or even love.

But in the end, what’s most important is how our family gauges success. And it’s not always what we might think.

Here are a few of my favourite “habits of highly successful dads”:

• He’s not afraid to let his children see him cry.

• Even though he has a lot of work to do, and he’s behind schedule at work, he takes time to play “horsie” with his toddlers.

• He leaves his worries at the office and gives his children the best he has to offer.

• Even on his worst days, he has a smile and a wink for his little girl.

• And he never passes up an opportunity to read his children a bedtime story.

Friday, November 13, 2009

PLAGIARISM

http://www.twainquotes.com/Plagiarism.html

“I know one thing--that a certain amount of pride always goes along with a teaspoonful of brains, and that this pride protects a man from deliberately stealing other people's ideas. That is what a teaspoonful of brains will do for a man--and admirers had often told me I had nearly a basketful--though they were rather reserved as to the size of the basket.” ~ "Unconscious Plagiarism" speech, 1879

“… substantially all ideas are second-hand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources, and daily used by the garnerer with a pride and satisfaction born of the superstition that he originated them; whereas there is not a rag of originality about them anywhere except the little discoloration they get from his mental and moral calibre and his temperament, which is revealed in characteristics of phrasing. . . . It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone, or any other Important thing-- and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his little mite--that is all he did. In 1868 I read Dr. Holmes's poems, in the Sandwich Islands. A year and a half later I stole his dedication, without knowing it, and used it to dedicate my "Innocents Abroad" with. Ten years afterward I was talking with Dr. Holmes about it. He was not an ignorant ass--no, not he; . . . and so when I said, "I know now where I stole, but who did you steal it from?" he said, "I don't remember; I only know I stole it from somebody, because I have never originated anything altogether myself, nor met anybody who had."” ~ Letter to Anne Macy. Reprinted in Anne Sullivan Macy, The Story Behind Helen Keller (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, and Co., 1933), p.162.

The kernel, the soul-- let us go further and say the substance, the bulk, the actual and valuable material of all human utterances--is plagiarism.... ...a grown person's memory-tablet is as a palimpsest, with hardly a bare space upon which to engrave a phrase. ~ Letter to Helen Keller, St. Patrick's Day, 1903

“Nothing is ours but our language, our phrasing. If a man takes that from me (knowingly, purposely) he is a thief. If he takes it unconsciously--snaking it out of some old secluded corner of his memory, and mistaking it for a new birth instead of a mummy -- he is no thief, and no man has a case against him. Unconscious appropriation is utterly common; it is not plagiarism and is no crime; but conscious appropriation, i. e., plagiarism, is as rare as parricide. Of course there are plagiarists in the world--I am not disputing that--but bless you, they are few and far between. These notions of mine are not guesses; they are the outcome of twenty years of thought and observation upon this subject.” ~ Letter to Robert Burdette, circa April 19, 1890

“… all our phrasings are spiritualized shadows cast multitudinously from our readings...” ~ Mark Twain's Autobiography

“But lemme correct you in one thing -- I mean soothe you with one fact: a considerable part of every book is an unconscious plagiarism of some previous book. There is no sin about it. If there were, and it were of the deadly sort, it would eventually be necessary to restrict hell to authors -- and then enlarge it. ~ letter to editor of Grants Pass Observer dated April 2, 1887. Reprinted in The Morning Oregonian, May 4, 1910, p. 10.

“Solomon, when he said there was nothing new, meant also there were no new literary styles under the sun, either.” ~ quoted in Twenty Years in Europe by Samuel H. M. Byers

Hokkien SMS

2009 Oct 30, Friday, 07:16pm
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I'm basically monolingual. But I do speak a bit of hokkien. Here's an example of how bad my hokkien is.
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My wife & daughter was coming to pick me up from work and since we were heading to Toa Payoh I offered my colleague a lift since she lives there. She declined coz her husband was coming to pick her up early while I had to wait for my wife and daughter. It began to rain heavily. It was very late when my wife and daughter finally arrived.
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After I got in the car. I decided to send this email in hokkien to my colleague.
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"Heng ah le mian tan wo. Wa-eh bo n chabo-kia balu-lai. Lo-hor chin tua." ~ 2009 Oct 30, Friday, 07:16pm
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Ok here's what I was trying to say Chinese Translated English:
"Lucky-ah you no need wait me. My wife and daughter just-come. Rain very big".
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Here it is in hopefully proper English:
"Luckily, you did not have to wait for me. My wife & daughter have just arrived. It's raining cats & dogs."
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An update on 2009 Nov 13, 1500hrs: My collegue said that she understood what I was trying to say ONLY after reading this blog entry. This is the main reason why I claim to be monolingual.
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Why the Family Need To Be United

by PGA, 2009 Nov 13, 1112hrs

In 1977, a family oriented show called the Brady Bunch had a closing theme song called “United we stand, divided we fall”.

Here are the lyrics for the chorus.

United we stand, divided we fall
And if our backs should ever be against the wall,
We’ll be together, together you and I.

The phrase "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" has been widely used. Basically it means that unless the people are united, it is easy to destroy them. This is the opposite of the other phrase “Divide & Rule”.

We have to find a way to teach our children that whatever we do affects the people around us. When the family is NOT-Together and NOT-United we are open to attacks from the Evil-Outside-Forces because as family members, it is only natural that we think of each other's well being & future and if we are too worried & busy thinking of each other’s future, we’ll be less productive in other aspect of our lives, and this includes our work.

Other people can take advantage of us (even if they don’t know our actual situation) because we’re not in optimal efficiency.

Evil-Outside-Forces may not come as people but as situations that require our effective reaction and presence of mind. An example may be to avoid an impending road accident.

Granted that we all have our difficulties in life and therefore we have to lean on our family members from time to time. But knowing "Why the Family Need To Be United" will hopefully help us get back on track quickly so that we don't have to lean on our family members too long because they might need us too when they face their own difficulties.

Ω

Tiger


Contact Lenses

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Download PDF Print Version or
Click on picture to enlarge for easy reading.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Family Christmas ~ a Not-So-Tall Wish for ALL

Yup! I'm slowly getting into the mood to celebrate the season. So here's a not-so-tall picture of a not-so-tall Christmas tree for a not-so-tall wish, for everyone, from me. Have a Very Happy Family, Merry Christmas!


Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Vaday Commercial ~ Ad Selling Vaday

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My wife sent me an email which sounds very much like a TV Commercial selling Vaday. Yeah! Has a nice ring to it too.
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Here it is.
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“Gwen bought vaday for me today. It was really nice - like the ones we had at CTK coffeeshop some time back. This one had curry leave and pepper corn - simply yummy - what a day (va-day)!!! haa haaa....”.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Kopi & Bread ~ Uniquely Singapore Joke

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Question:
Which is more talkative
--- kopi?
--- or bread?
--- ?
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Answer:
Bread, because Bread-Talk but Kopi-Tiam!
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Game ~ Fancy Pants Adventure


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It looks like a Stick-Man with Fancy Hair & Fancy Pants. This Online Game looks like a lot of fun. Go ahead, give it a shot.
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How to play? ~ The stickman with the fancy pants has to collect the squiggles and to kill the spiders. He has to defeat the evil bunny and to recapture the frozen treat.
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Control the stickman with L & R Arrow Keys,
Open a door with Arrow Up and
Jump with 's'.
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Let's start the adventure!
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Here are the links where you can play this game:
http://www.fancypantsadventures.com/
http://www.silvergames.com/game/fancy-pants-adventure-2/
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Create GIF Animation Online

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Here are examples for what I've created using this website.

 ~ ascii face ~ 01 ~ fast-fade-in-n-out

 ~ ascii face ~ 01 ~ slow-fade-in-n-out

Note: If the images are missing then we'll know that they do not save the images you've created to host them.

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Original Entry:

http://picasion.com/ ~ No Stamping. Max only 10 images.

http://gifup.com/ ~ There’s a “gifup.com” stamping. Max ~ Here you can upload images up to 1024 Kb from your computer.

Google Search: http://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=creat+gif+animation+online&meta=&aq=f&oq=


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Sunday, November 08, 2009

Teeth ~ Acid Erosion

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This ad has introduced the term 'Acid Erosion' to me. Click on picture to enlarge. You can also find out about 'Acid Erosion' on the internet or go to wikipedia at => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_erosion


Monday, November 02, 2009

Silhouette Tree


Photo Website ~ Declan McCullagh

http://www.mccullagh.org/

Great photography website. All pictures taken with Artistic flair & very refreshing. Visit the link above to get a glimpse of this guy's talent. Quite and interesting guy too, who does computer programming as well.

Here's a sample of his work titled 'Rose Side View ~ by Declan McCullagh'.



Funny Fish Food Ad

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I caught this ad on TV and found it very funny. This is a newspaper version of the ad.

The TV version, in the last scene, had the Small-Red-Fish quickly moving to hide behind the Big-Blue-Fish. The dialog went something like this...

Small-Red-Fish:
{Noticed SOME people looking longingly at them 
and probably wants to eat them in a restaurant}.
I have a bad feeling about this. 
Quick! Look boney!

Big-Blue-Fish: 
{Sucks in belly to appear as 
slim or boney as possible, 
but failing at it.}

Small-Red-Fish: 
{Starts to panic when MORE and more 
people starts look longingly at them}.
Forget boney! 
I've got a better idea! 
--- HIDE! 
{and quickly moves to hide 
behind the Big-Blue-Fish}.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as i did.
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Smiley Emoticon Collection

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Note: If you are not the owner of this blog, you will most probably NOT be able to view this entry due to a technical glitch. I'm very sorry for this inconvenience.
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If you have problems viewing the images in this blog, go here to
download all images or here to view all images.
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