Friday's leap.

Feb 29th should be viewed as a Godsent; it appears every 4 years, as if to give hope, to say that, "All is not lost. Here, have an extra day to be happy, an extra day to make things right, an extra day to love, to yearn and to live. "

Top 5 Songs to commemorate Feb 29th.

1. Leap of Faith by Hadouken (obviously)

2. You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol.

3. Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson.

4. Please Forgive Me by David Gray.

5. New Day by The Cure.

2008 - A leap year.

So did you know that February 29th is also known as bissextile day. Really, go look it up.

The story of how a leap year comes about is all about us Earthians rotating around the Sun, and generally taking 6 hours longer than we should. So that 6 unaccountable hours each year kinda accumulates at the end of every 4 years, giving us an extra 24hours/one day. But the question is, why did they not add it to April, June or September or even November is beyond me. I probably might have learnt of this reason in Science class, but that info sort of escapes me at the moment.

Did you also know that in the 19th century, this would be THE day for the women to get down on bended knees, proposing marriage to their beloved. Also a person who is born on Feb 29th, is known as a leapling.

Really, all this is just useless trivia. Yes sir, I AM mocking you.

Pollution.

Ill winds are blowing. Farmers in the Sumatran province of Riau have begun clearing undergrowth by setting it ablaze earlier than usual. The haze is back.

Singapore Airshow 2008.

A romantic gesture by the RSAF Black Knights.

TGIF Challenge!

Everyone knows how much I love my Fridays, well it's finally here! So from today onwards I've decided to put up a song every Friday. This week I am in a melancholy-kind of mood so I'm going to list the 5 saddest songs to me; so here they come:
1. Seasons in the Sun - (do I need to explain, a few people actually sang this song, and it never
fails to touch me)
2. Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
3. Annie's Song - John Denver
4. Sail Away - David Gray
5. Dance with my father again - by Luther Vandross

Overused Expressions that Bug the Hell out of Me!

The expression?"I'm going to give 110 percent..."I know, I know. It's an obvious one. We hear it all the time, we're probably guilty of saying it ourselves. All the speaker is trying to convey is that they're going to give their utmost effort, whether its for our football team, finishing that project at work, or earning the right to be first big-haired, multi-tattooed, corseted skank to go down on a former 80's rock star blah blah...

But let's face it, if you're already giving 100 percent, you're giving your all, you're giving everything your body and mind have to offer, so where did this extra 10 percent come from?It's not like you can borrow it from your friends ... "Oh, Jack is pretty lazy today so he won't mind if I borrow 10 percent from him so that I can really excel woo hoo."

Anyway, I know there's a zillion examples of when people don't really say what they mean, and say something far more ridiculous , so perhaps I'll try to make this a running commentary when all these peculiar expressions occur to me.

Its Never too Late to be what You might have been.

Of late, I've been feeling somewhat disillusioned, perhaps by the initial lure of more money and a scenic vision of a long time career potential in my current position. However, 10 months have passed, I have yet to see any monetary rewards nor have I felt any job satisfaction. Perhaps the gratifying feeling of a job well done will come when I am in a higher position with more authority. Perhaps it may never come. Either way, I have come to feel almost numb each morning when I sit at my desk to face the next eight torturous hours ahead of me.

It has come to a stage where I can no longer tolerate the menial office politics, the odd KPIs that we need to maintain, the endless but useless processes that we are obligated to adhere to, the unspoken yet unbelievebly long hours that the rest of the people in the office keep to, the unreasonable people we come in contact with, the daily obstacles presented by our third party contractors. All this for a few measly bucks. It was said that our quarterly bonuses were paid based on individual performance, however, judging from the last two payouts, it seems that my hardwork and initiative has met with some indignity. And for this, I should be, and I am, in fact, insulted.

Therefore it has come to this. It's never too late to move on, but it would be tragic to linger around and be miserable.

Short Guys are Cute.

I dated a short guy once, he wasn't shorter than me, but was just about my height, and whenever we went out, I was conscious enough to leave my stilettos at home for fear of towering above him. But on the few occasions that I did wear them, he did not seem to mind. So I guess I was the one who was paranoid about it.

Which leads me to conclude that short guys can be cool and fun. Of course you will find the occasional perve amongst them but let's not have one out seven little seeds spoil the whole crop. Most of my short male friends are extremely aware of the fact that they are vertically challenged, and they take the "short" jokes well in stride. Whatever they may lacking in height-wise, they certainly make up for in intelligence, humor, personality and who knows, maybe even length-wise.

So to the next short guy I meet, I'm definitely going to tell him that he is cute. After all, why not make his day better by paying him a compliment!

p/s this post is dedicate to GT, you know who you are!

B is for ...

...... Beauty is fleeting, dumb is forever.

I'll leave it up to you to figure that one out.

A is for ...

Alcohol Tax.

Budget 2008 revealed a bunch of boring stuff that I could relate to but did not quite interest me or pose any benefit of sorts since there was no reduction in personal income taxes (damnit) .. until it was mentioned that with immediate effect alcohol will now be taxed on the basis of the alcohol content, rather than on its volume. Whether these savings will translate to extended happy hours for the general drinking public remains to be seen; but, oh I hope it will for I'll certainly drink to that!

The 14th.

Superpowers.

Someone asked me the other day; if I could have one superpower, what would it be?

For a long time, I wanted to be able to turn back time, so that I could "fix" things that went wrong in the past. Then I realized that most things just could not be fixed. Or that they were not worth fixing.

Then I contemplated being invisible, but then I thought, "What the hell, I'm a semi-reclusive loner anyway."

Then I pondered on the fun potential of having x-ray vision for a while but the idea of seeing Grandpa in his birthday suit, well, let's not even go there.

I even toyed with the prospect of being able to fly, seeing as how I'm usually late for anything and everything, but I finally made my choice.

I would like to know what people are really thinking.

How about you?

I think, therefore...

Life is unpredictable as we know it. We almost know how it will turn out, but we can't be a hundred percent certain of it.

I Smell a Rat.

In case your calendar didn't tell you it's Chinese New Year. 4706...a good year, eh? It's the year of the Rat...I'm a Rat so it should be a good year for me.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is at its brightest.

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.

Rat (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water): Forthright, disciplined, systematic, meticulous, charismatic, hardworking, industrious, charming, eloquent, sociable, shrewd. Can be manipulative, cruel, dictatorial, rigid, selfish, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, scheming, sturdy.

Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): Dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, generous. Can be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish.

Rabbit (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Gracious, kind, sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-assured, astute, compassionate, flexible. Can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, lazy.

Dragon (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, zealous, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, ambitious, generous, loyal. Can be arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, eccentric, grandiloquent and extremely bombastic, prejudiced, dogmatic, over-bearing, violent, impetuous, brash.

Snake (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Deep thinker, wise, mystic, graceful, soft-spoken, sensual, creative, prudent, shrewd, ambitious, elegant, cautious, responsible, calm, strong, constant, purposeful. Can be loner, bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful, mendacious.

Horse (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy, perceptive, talkative, agile mentally and physically, magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-minded. Can be fickle, anxious, rude, gullible, stubborn, lack stability and perseverance.

Sheep (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering, determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security. Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer.

Monkey (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Inventor, motivator, improviser, quick-witted, inquisitive, flexible, innovative, problem solver, self-assured, sociable, polite, dignified, competitive, objective, factual, intellectual. Can be egotistical, vain, selfish, cunning, jealous, suspicious.

Rooster (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Acute, neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured, decisive, conservative, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous, practical, scientific, responsible. Can be over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, opinionated.

Dog (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of justice and fair play, attractive, amiable, unpretentious, sociable, open-minded, idealistic, moralistic, practical, affectionate, dogged. Can be cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, pessimistic, worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.

Pig (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water): Honest, simple, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hardworking, trusting, sincere, calm, understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent. Can be naive, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic

The Three Questions.

Once upon a time, there was a king, who was quite a philosophical man. He had three burning questions on his mind, which he had no answers to. The three questions were:

1. Who is the most important person in the world?
2. What is the most important thing to do in the world?
3. When is the most important time to do it?

The questions were posed to his ministers, but none, including his wise sages, could give him the answers he was seeking. Feeling frustrated, the king decided to venture out of the palace and take a walk in town.

As night began to close in, the king decided to put up at a little hut, situated on the outskirts of town. The hut was owned by a hospitable old man who lived alone.

In the middle of the night, the king was awakened from his deep slumber by a loud commotion. Someone was banging hard at the door and shouting for help. The King got up just in time to see the old man opening the door. A young man came rushing in, his clothes torn and stained with blood. More blood was dripping down his forehead and his eyes were filled with desperation and fear.

The young man begged the old man to shelter him from his pursuers, who were hot on his heels. Without another word, the old man agreed and quickly hid the young man out at the back in a shack, where it was dark and isolated. Not long after, soldiers came storming into the house, demanding to know if the old man has seen anyone passing through his grounds.

The old man denied and feigned ignorace, and the soldiers left him to continue their manhunt. The young man finally came out of his hiding place, washed and cleaned up his wounds, thanked the old man and went on his way.

The King was stupefied at what unfolded before his eyes, but kept his composure. The next morning, he asked the old man:

"Why did you agree to help the young man last night? Why did you not even bother to find out who he was? What has he done? Or where is he going?"

The old man look the king in the eye and replied:

"The most important person in the world is the one who needed your help most. The most important thing to do is to offer whatever assistance you can in his time of need. And the most important time to do it is right then and there - immediately."

The king was stunned for a moment, and it finally dawned on him that the answers he has been searching for for so long, were actually right before his eyes. The old man had taught him the most important lesson he needed to know.

Tiny thoughts.

Little treasures are only missed right after you lose them.