Thursday, February 24, 2011

Map ~ Chulia Street

Map ~ Chulia Street

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Fish ~ Pie Chia / Pek Tor

I remember this fish. Read this guys blog. Very interesting.

My mum sometimes cook this for me during Chinese New Year because I love Fish Roe... which reminds me... she said she would do it this year...
...but she hasn't done it yet... mom! MOM! MOM! MOM!...

"...in my growing up years i do not remember we having yusheng for our chinese new year celebrations but we did have another fish dish - the pek tor fish or pie chia fish. the pek tor is especially popular with the teochew during the chinese new year season. however, since all chinese share the view that whole steamed fish is the symbol of long life and good fortune, it is not surprising that other dialect groups also take to the fish. the pek tor (white belly) fish is available all the year round but during the chinese new year season, it is special. that is when the fish start to spawn. the females are laden with roe... read on"

Original Article
the pie chia/pek tor fish
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Labels:
Fish, Fish Roe, Chinese, CNY, Caviar,
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Towgay Pillow for Babies

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I just got this via email. 

If you have problems getting your baby to sleep, 
this traditional 'comforter' may be the answer.

Read on...

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Did you ever have a towgay pillow when you were young? Perhaps you still have one even today!

Just to be clear, these pillows are not stuffed with actual bean sprouts, but the brown husks that have been carefully dried in the sun. yg explains their soothing qualities for young children:

"babies are prone to be startled. i notice this again when i look after my grandson. asians, especially the chinese, believe in the effectiveness of the bean sprout husk pillow in soothing the baby. the elongated, narrow pillow is usually placed either over the chest or the tummy of the baby. it is believed that this provides some form of comfort and security to the baby.

most chinese believe that if you place this pillow across the chest or tummy of the baby, it helps to calm the baby and he or she will not experience those fitful frights that infants seem to have during the first few months of their life."

These traditional pillows used to be handmade for children, but now they seem to be available at stores, and you can even order them online. Read more about these bean sprout husk pillows in yg's post here.


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Art ~ iLLustration ~ Rescue Dogs in New Zealand Earthquake


A good iLLustration...

Interesting to note...
• First they use the dogs to find the humans...
• Second only, do they use the high-technology equipment...

Makes you wonder... doesn't it?

Hmm... I just made a pun.
The word 'Wonder' could mean both '1', '2' or '3'... see definition below.

Wonder has 3 meanings:
1. to think or speculate curiously: to wonder about the origin of the solar system.
2. to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel (often followed by at ): He wondered at her composure in such a crisis.
3. to doubt: I wonder if she'll really get here.

So, every time you say "I wonder" it could mean 3 things... either...
1 ~ you are speculating
2 ~ you are amazed
3 ~ you are doubting

Wow! This word is ambiguous.

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Labels:
Earthquake, Rescue Dog, Dog, Art, Drawing, iLLustration, Wonder, Pun, English,
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NO Hope? Good Things Can Still Happen.

Even if you have NO Hope... good things can still happen.
Apparently... there is no need of hope... good things can still happen.
Check out this news article below.

"...he admitted he had given up hope — as had his mother, struggling for oxygen and badly injured."

"If there was hope it could be found in the rescue of ...Victorian-born Anne Vos ... . Ms Vos, who was born and raised in Geelong, had spoken to media outlets on her mobile phone after being effectively buried alive during the quake on Tuesday. She had hidden beneath her desk, which was then pinned by the falling roof. Her phone battery ran out overnight, and as the hours ticked by, fears for her safety mounted ... .By mid-afternoon there was cause for a ... celebration when Ms Vos's rescue was confirmed. The receptionist has been taken to hospital suffering two broken ribs and a cut arm. Her son, Robert, who lives in Melbourne, had received a voicemail message from his mother saying goodbye after she became trapped; he then flew to New Zealand. Looking at the images of the PGC Building, he admitted he had given up hope — as had his mother, struggling for oxygen and badly injured. When they finally came face to face, Ms Vos said: ''I'm sure someone's watching over me.'' Had she not just started her shift behind the sturdy reception desk, she wouldn't have had shelter when the building crumbled. ''It would definitely be over,'' Robert, 31, said. ''We are just overjoyed and amazed as well as concerned for the other people as well.''"

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News ~ Little joy as too few emerge from rubble
24 Feb 2011, The Australian

'They got Ann out of the building and God turned on the lights' BOB PARKER CHRISTCHURCH MAYOR

THERE were precious few moments of joy in Christchurch yesterday and a thousand more of despair. This was the day when many families were informed that hope had expired; that the masses of concrete entombing their loved ones were simply not ''survivable''. At the Canterbury Television building, emergency crews had responded to reports that up to 15 people were alive in an air pocket somewhere in the rubble. But with distraught family members gathered in vigil nearby, that report was revealed as a rumour. 

The two teenage children of CTV presenter Donna Manning had been in the middle of telling the media their trapped mother was a ''superwoman'' who could do anything when a police officer knelt beside Lizzie, 18, Kent, 15, and their father Jonathon to deliver the most horrific news. Police later confirmed that, while there were thought to be survivors at seven other sites across Christchurch, no one could have survived at the six-storey CTV building — and that the safety of rescue workers would not be risked. 

If there was hope it could be found in the rescue of two women, including Victorian-born Anne Vos and Christchurch local Ann Bodkin, from the remnants of the Pyne Gould Corp Building about 24 hours after it was toppled by the earthquake. Ms Vos, who was born and raised in Geelong, had spoken to media outlets on her mobile phone after being effectively buried alive during the quake on Tuesday. She had hidden beneath her desk, which was then pinned by the falling roof. Her phone battery ran out overnight, and as the hours ticked by, fears for her safety mounted — especially when rescuers pulled another woman, Ann Bodkin, from the rubble who had been trapped in remarkably similar circumstances under a table. Ms Bodkin emerged in a precautionary neck brace at about lunchtime but she was chirpy, giggling and largely uninjured in what was hailed as a ''miracle rescue''. As Ms Bodkin emerged, giant sunbeams burst through the city's grey, drizzly weather. ''They got Ann out of the building and God turned on the lights,'' Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said. Firefighters at the scene broke into applause when she was carried out. ''Getting her out is just stupendous,'' her husband, Graham Richardson, said. ''I'm a very happy man. I obviously feel for all the other people waiting to hear.'' By mid-afternoon there was cause for a twin celebration when Ms Vos's rescue was confirmed. The receptionist has been taken to hospital suffering two broken ribs and a cut arm. Her son, Robert, who lives in Melbourne, had received a voicemail message from his mother saying goodbye after she became trapped; he then flew to New Zealand. Looking at the images of the PGC Building, he admitted he had given up hope — as had his mother, struggling for oxygen and badly injured. When they finally came face to face, Ms Vos said: ''I'm sure someone's watching over me.'' Had she not just started her shift behind the sturdy reception desk, she wouldn't have had shelter when the building crumbled. ''It would definitely be over,'' Robert, 31, said. ''We are just overjoyed and amazed as well as concerned for the other people as well.'' 

According to media reports last night, another man was pulled out of the same building just before Ms Bodkin's voice was heard. James Faithfull was reported to be in reasonably good shape after the rescue, with his family waiting on hand for him to emerge. Rescuers still hope to find up to 14 more survivors at the PGC Building, meaning that, for many more families such as the Maynards, the agonising wait continues. Mark Maynard's wife, Kelly, worked on the first floor of the building, and he had spoken to her just 20 minutes before the 6.3 magnitude earthquake ripped through the South Island metropolis. He has not heard from her since. ''It is still no good at the moment. I am hanging around waiting. What do you do?'' he told stuff.co.nz. The couple have two children under three, and yesterday morning Mr Maynard was forced to confront their simple but heartrending questions. ''When we got up this morning they asked, 'Where is mum?' and I said, 'She is still at work','' he said. 

The rescue at the CTV building has now become a retrieval, and the news prompted an outpouring of anger and grief. Aaron Waine's mother has not emerged. Susan Chuter had started her job in sales for the CTV network just a month ago. ''She loved it, and she loved life,'' Aaron said. ''To pass away in these conditions, it's one of the cruellest ways to go.'' Mr Parker said about 300 people remained unaccounted for.

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Bitterness, Fear, Hope & God

Someone sent me this via email.
This is what I learnt today.

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Bitterness Is Fear In Disguise
With ref to ~ Ephesians 4:17–31 (scroll down below)

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, 
along with every form of malice." ~ Ephesians 4:31

It's just not fair!' 
~ says the 8-year-old when his parents say they can't afford to buy him a Nintendo DS; 
~ and the 18-year-old X Factor hopeful as she's voted out of the competition; 
~ and the 28-year-old computer programmer when his application for promotion is turned down for a second time; 
~ and the 38-year-old woman when yet another month has passed and she's still not pregnant; 
~ and the 48-year-old who finally gives up on her hope of getting married; 
~ and the 58-year-old who is made redundant years before he is ready to retire; 
~ and the 68-year-old whose children and grandchildren move to Australia without her; 
~ and the 78-year-old who is forced to sell her house to pay for her care; 
~ and the 88-year-old who fears she will die alone. It's just not fair.

'Hope deferred makes the heart sick, 
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life',
says Solomon in the Book of Proverbs (13:12). 

A sick heart can eventually turn into a bitter heart, and a bitter heart into a twisted one. Bitterness takes root when we give in to the fear that our deepest desires will never be met – and we hold it against God. So can a bitter heart ever be made sweet again? Yes, but we need to forgive and we need to let go of our unfulfilled hopes, dreams and disappointments. I don't know why God doesn't sometimes grant us our heart's desire – and, indeed, it doesn't seem fair that other people get the thing we want most. But I do know that God asks that He be our heart's desire above all else. If we put Him first we will never be disappointed.

'Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, 
and he will give you everything you need' (Matt. 6:33, NLT).

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Ephesians 4:17-31
(New International Version, ©2010)

Instructions for Christian Living

17 ~ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 
18 ~ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 
19 ~ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 ~ That, however, is not the way of life you learned 
21 ~ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 
22 ~ You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 
23 ~ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 
24 ~ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 ~ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 
26 ~ "In your anger do not sin"[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 
27 ~ and do not give the devil a foothold. 
28 ~ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 ~ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 
30 ~ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 
31 ~ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Footnotes:
[a] Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)

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Labels:
Bitterness, Fear, Hope, God, Bible Fav,
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English ~ Dates ~ Push Back & Bring Forward

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 11:54 AM
Subject: English ~ Moving Meeting Dates? ~ added Paul Brians perspective of this

This guy explains it very well in his book.

You don't have a problem because... 
as he explains in his book... 
you think like most people.

He explains it clearly in this sentence.

“We need to move the meeting forward” ► is ambiguous; 
“We need to move the meeting forward to an earlier date” is NOT.

BUT... I still think the word Forward should not be used at all... 
...because Forward in Date Terms is really, very... ambiguous.

Forward to the future?
This is not how you think... right?

But... this is how a few of us will think... 
and they (or we) are NOT wrong.
The word Forward and Back 
used in Dates is very ambiguous...
... and the world should stop using it.

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BACK/FORWARD/UP IN TIME
~ by Paul Brians in his book titled 'Common Errors in English Usage'

For most people you move an event forward by scheduling it to happen sooner, but other people imagine the event being moved forward into the future, postponed. This is what most—but not all—people mean by saying they want to move an event back—later. Usage is also split on whether moving an event up means making it happen sooner (most common) or later (less common). The result is widespread confusion. When using these expressions make clear your meaning by the context in which you use them. “We need to move the meeting forward” is ambiguous; “we need to move the meeting forward to an earlier date” is not.

Just to confuse things further, when you move the clock ahead in the spring for daylight saving time, you make it later; but when you move a meeting ahead, you make it sooner. Isn’t English wonderful?

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 11:22 AM
Subject: English ~ Moving Meeting Dates?

I could give a speech or talk on this subject.

This always has problems... but people are still using it.

I just saw Aida get confused... with Peihoon explaining it [B-Type], but I know it is more than that.

I think Peihoon thinks like you... the [B-Type].

Using words like 'Bring-Push, Forward-Back... and Up-Down'... will cause problems in thinking process.

I think it is clearer if we use words like 'Move, Earlier and Later' is better and clearer for both [A-Type] & [B-Type] thinking.

3 Types of Coin Personality
~ [AB-Type] Heads and Tail Person ~ A Balanced Person
~ [A-Type] ~ Tails Only Person
~ [B-Type] ~ Heads Only Person

A balanced person will be able to see both sides of a coin... but sometimes get confused because they're dealing with people from either side of the coin.

A one-track minded person only sees their own perspective... and looks confident and seem not confused... but causes confusion to the other 2 personalities.

[AB-Type] Personality can be further divided into 2 camps.
~ [AB-Type & Well Balanced] Personality is a well adjusted and balanced person with no confusion.
~ [AB-Type & Very Unstable] Personality is a very unstable and susceptible to confusion.

I think you know that I am an [AB-Type & Very Unstable] Personality.

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Moving Meeting Dates?

1 ~ Bring the Date forward / Bring the Meeting forward

2 ~ Push the Date back / Push the Meeting back

Depends on how you think.

1 ~ Bring the Date forward... 
Is it... moving the Date forward to a Future Date... i.e. to a Later Date? [A-Type]
or
Is it... moving the Date closer to the Current Date... i.e. to an Earlier Date? [B-Type]

Same with 2...

2 ~ Push the Date back
Is it... moving the Date back from what it was... i.e. to an Earlier Date? [A-Type]
or
Is it... moving the Date farther from what it was ... i.e. to a Later Date? [B-Type]

Up & Down also has problems.

Up the on the Calendar is Earlier Date... or is it Up the Number of the Calendar which have it as a Later Date.
Down the on the Calendar is Later Date... or is it Down the Number of the Calendar which have it as a Earlier Date.

Note some Dictionary states that Bring means.
Bring = movement towards you. You can bring your friend home (to your home) from the airport. You can ask your friends to bring (you) a bottle of wine for dinner too.
Bring = take or go with (someone or something) to a place.
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Recently, I heard someone say this statement...
that we need to "push forward" the date. I think this is wrong. 

It should always be.
• Push back the date.
• Bring forward the date.

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Here's an example of it's correct usage from the news article below:

"However, after thinking it over, Chang decided it was now better to push back the wedding and let his wife-to-be follow her recovery regimen slowly, without having to worry about preparing for her nuptials."

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News ~ Selina Jen's wedding "delayed indefinitely" says fiance
Posted: 22 February 2011 1501 hrs
TAIPEI: Taiwan singer-actress Selina Jen's fiance Richard Chang has announced that their wedding will be "delayed indefinitely" during an appearance on a Taiwan talk show Monday, reported Taiwan media. "The wedding date depends entirely on the progress of Selina's recovery. "Presently, it is delayed indefinitely, without any sort of time table," Chang said, adding that it was a decision he and Jen made together. "We have been discussing it all along. She (Jen) is OK with it." The 39-year-old lawyer said that he had earlier insisted on marrying Jen, of Mandopop trio S.H.E, on April 1 as they had previously planned, in order to motivate her. He believed it would give her something to look forward to, as she began her painful journey to recover from the severe burns she suffered in a filming accident in October last year. However, after thinking it over, Chang decided it was now better to push back the wedding and let his wife-to-be follow her recovery regimen slowly, without having to worry about preparing for her nuptials. "Jen goes through a lot of pain during her daytime recovery regimen, and cannot sleep at night due to itchiness and the heat, if we stick to the original marriage date, it would be very rushed. "It would be a burden on her body and puts a strain on her emotionally, so we decided to delay [the wedding]," explained Chang. Chang said he will definitely announce it when he and Jen fix a new wedding date. Jen's S.H.E group mates Ella Chen and Hebe Tien have expressed that they would turn up for the wedding, regardless of when it takes place. "No matter when the wedding date is, your sisters (Jen's group mates) will be there," Chen and Tien said, in response to queries by Taiwan media. -CNA/ha

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Free Vocal Tip ~ 2011 Feb 24, 0928hrs

~ Warming Up In The Mornings
~ Using Your Head-Voice (or Falsetto)

Hi ALL,

Please watch this video. It has less theory & more practical 
and gives some good advice of how to warm up in the mornings. 

Notice also the light head-voice (falsetto) used when going higher... 
some of you strain to much when you're singing high. 
You've got to learn to relax... 
and there's nothing wrong in using your "falsetto"... 
if you practice hard enough... your falsetto will get stronger... 
and give you a better quality known as head-voice... 
which can bring your chest-voice much higher and increase your vocal range. 
Sing softly in your head-voice (or falsetto) first... 
and when it gets stronger you can sing louder by trying to mix it with your chest voice. 

Please don't strain... for those who know what it's like to drive a car in manual-mode... 
it's like driving at high speed in low-gear... you can hear the engine strain. 
Your head-voice (or falsetto) is your higher-gear... learn how to switch to it.

Every time we do the Bubble exercise... 
it's suppose to bring you to your head-voice (or falsetto)... 
that's the voice you'll have to use when it gets to high for you... 
never mind if it's too soft... with practice, it'll get stronger... 
believe me... I know... because I was quite a heavy singer.

How To Singing - Sing with Better Vocal Texture


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This video on the other hand, may be a little difficult to understand coz it's all theory so it's optional.

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