I realized that I don't know much about the Nuffnang team. Even though I've worked at Nuffnang for more than 6 months, the total time spent with them cumulatively amounts to just... 1 week, since most of them are across the border. So one day I thought I'd just do a simple survey with all of them to find out more about each person, specifically how they would react to danger.

Now, I didn't intend for this to be a blog post, but after hearing a few of the replies, I thought it would be a pity not to share. Haha.

Q: If I am a cow and you are grass, and I am about to gobble you up, what would your parting words be?

1. skyler says:
i taste like crap.
skyler says:
can you imagine what grass tastes like. grossss
wen says:
but i'm a cow im supposed to love eating you, crap or gross.
skyler says:
ok ok how about i have aids

2. tim says:
do you know that they put holes into cows and seal them up with glass to observe their digestion? it's called cannulation
tim says:
http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/reach-in-and-touch-the-inner-cow.html
(please click on the link, you guys should read it, then you'll understand why I kinda ignored him after that)

3. nicholas says:
HOLY COW!!!

4. michelle says:
hello cow!
wen says:
i'm about to eat you, and you say hello to me?!
michelle says:
oh i would say hello cow! the grass is greener on the other side!

5. ming says:
MOOO

6. Stewie says:
FUCKKK YOUUUUUuuuuuuuu

7. pinkpau says:
ummmm!! the grass is greener on the other side!!!

8. lee meng says:
why would you like to eat me?
wen says:
because cows like grass?
lee meng says:
i got toxin don't eat me. the toxin after u eat me u also will die

9. firdauz says:
if i'm a lover, and i like you very much, and i'm about to ask you out for a date, what would you say to me then?
wen says:
can i bring someone else along?
firdauz says:
i guess u could

*5 MINUTES LATER*
firdauz says:
i'll wait forever until u say "yes, i'll go out with you"

10. Robb says:
I'd say, "I know some other grasses that taste way better than I do. If you promise not to eat me, I assure you that you'll have the best tasty grass to eat for your lifetime!"
Robb says:
Then I'll give him directions towards a cliff. XD

11. Yee Hou says:
Oh yeah Huiwen I get to go inside you.

12. wenqi says:
wait ahh lemme think
wen says:
YOU ARE DYING ALREADY NO TIME TO THINK U FOOLISH GRASS
wenqi says:
munch me slowly.. i hope i'm delicious!

***

ANALYSIS: In times of danger...

wenqi would undoubtedly be the first to die
skyler would attempt to worm her way out with any excuse she can get
lee meng would try to cheat himself
nicholas and boss stewie would start swearing
firdauz would change the situation to his liking
tim would sprout something technical and unrelated
yee hou would flirt with danger
robb would put to good use his knowledge of nursery rhymes
michelle and pinkpau would try to divert attention away from themselves
boss ming would try to make sure everyone is on the same page

***

CONCLUSION: In times of danger...

...I would stick with....

WENQI!!!!!

because I can run away while she offers herself to doom. Yay wenqi are you honoured???

Also, from this 'survey' I've realized why the two bosses make great business partners: they both react on flip sides of a coin. And I think that's very crucial because seeing both ends of a spectrum helps in analyzing and making tough business decisions. Of course, I've overheard their phone conversations so many times that I've already figured a pattern on their personalities, but that's not my story to tell.

"A true friend stabs you in the front." Oscar Wilde

Back then, what my friends used to tell me, while trotting the line between annoyance and endearment, was that they thought my belief in people was childlike.

I always chose to see people by their unassuming exterior; chose to see the best in them, only to have my heart broken when I discovered that what I perceived was not as it seemed. I never learnt my lesson, for I shouldered the pain of betrayal until time decided I had enough.

That was when reality sank in and the veil over my eyes lifted. I saw true colours shine through and it made me understand that ulterior motives were mostly behind the dearest of acts.

There are three types of friends: the ones who embody selfishness and care only for themselves, those who swivel between giving and taking, and those who will always be there for you, despite the ugly character flaws they might have.

I guess the most disappointment one can get, is not a selfish friend not returning the favour, nor the second type of friend expecting you to give more than usual..

... But the third type whom you thought you can depend your life on, becomes a selfish monster.

"Geert Wilders has released a controversial film about Islam which no TV company would broadcast and some politicians in the Netherlands tried to ban..."

"The video includes disturbing images of other terror attacks; bloodied victims; beheadings of hostages; executions of women in hijab, the traditional full-body attire; and footage, with English subtitles, of Islamic leaders preaching inflammatory sermons against Jews and Christians."

Read about it here and here.

You can view the English version of the film here, but I would encourage anyone who views it to do so with an open mind. Personally, I think it's just freedom of speech gone too far. The world has enough problems of its own already, we don't need anymore Nazis in our lives.

If only everyone had tolerance.

*UPDATE*

• My favourite comment: "There are those that strongly believe that the Islam is a religion of peace and love and there are those who abuse the Quran to spread hate."

• Read: "Muslims condemn Dutch lawmaker's film"

• LiveLeak.com pulls "Fitna" from the web due to threats (link) but a copy of Fitna can still be found via Google video (link)
  

• Scientists have found a French recording from 1860, a 10 second clip of "Au Clair de la Lune" . "The recording predates Thomas Edison's 'Mary had a little lamb' — previously credited as the oldest recorded voice — by 17 years..." (more)
  
  
• Click here to listen to the clip!
  

I personally find the recording a little freaky. Listen to how AuClair de la Lune is supposed to sound like here.

Date: Friday, March 28, late night
Running buddies: Brendan and Raj
Lesson learnt: You should never gulp down water right before your run. Never.
Distance: ???? (Circumference of Sengkang + Hougang + Kovan estates)
Timing: 60 minutes (actual running) + 3 minutes (regurgitating my dinner) + 12 minutes (walking)

I was really disappointed that I couldn't finish the 1hr15min run with them. I had reached Brendy's place, demanded for water and after I was done gorging myself, Raj said, "Um, I was about to tell you that it's probably not such a great idea to do that..." One hour into our route I stopped the guys and threw up into a drain by a dark path.

Spent the last 15 minutes trying to find my way back, walking, because everytime I attempted to start jogging the rest of my dinner threatened to leave my mouth. I didn't get to enjoy the whole run at all. Bummer.

So remember guys, even if you are really dehydrated before your run and need to quench your thirst, please wait it out a little before starting.

rock-solid romance, serenity, furry creatures, well-deserved sleep, the beach and sinful divines. (via flickr)

Short Reads

• Transgendered Man Pregnant - "An Oregon transgendered man has revealed to The Advocate magazine that he is five months pregnant..." more
• Paper Pussy - Companion to his friends at lolcats
• Meet the man who exposed private photos of Paris Hilton facebook, who is also the same man who revealed most of the juicy bits of Harry Potter (link)
  
  

I have a standard procedure whenever I log onto my computer, which goes roughly like this:

1. Connect to the internet
2. Connect to MSN
3. Check my personal email
4. Check my work email
5. Browse my feeds/blogs
6. Read news online
7. Click around, play useless games like Wahjong
8. Log off

I try to follow this pattern (I love routine), but because of my absent-mindedness, I miss out on 2. or mix up 6. with 5. therefore sometimes I end up duplicating my actions. It can get quite annoying to log into my email only to realize I've checked it already.

Anyway! I stumbled on Netvibes, this uber cool site aggregator. I can place all my garbage on site, by adding widgets to my page. Everything is Ajax-based, so I can just drag and drop the way I do in Facebook. Basically I just compressed Steps 1-8 into ONE single step:

1. Open www.netvibes.com

"At A Glance"

This is the first page I see when I open up Netvibes. Elements on this page:

Clock - Because I always lose track of time
digg - To read the latest diggs
Google search - My favourite search engine
Wiki search - Perfect for a Wiki freak like me
Webnote - Things I find noteworthy on the Web
To-do list - To organize what I need to do
Flickr photos - Admire the hottest photos online
Slideshow - Photos of my favourite people!

"News"

I can't do without knowing what's going around in the world. OK most of the times I skip the Iraq War and the US elections bit, but I think I'd do pretty okay in General Knowledge. Elements on this page:

CNN.com, BBC News, The New York Times - All placed very high up because they're the first few news site I go to.

Wired.com, The Wall Street Journal, FOXnews.com - Next tier of staple news sites

Channel NewsAsia Singapore, Google News - Sites that I don't really read, just placed there because I want to feel well-informed, haha. CNA's placed rightttt at the bottom because I don't really subscribe to subtle propaganda.

"Internet"

Next up, my "Internet" tab, which consists of my personal sites. Elements on this page:

Email - I can check my Hotmail and Gmail here. Whenever I have unread mail, it shows up on my widgets.

Facebook - At once glance, I can see updated friends' profiles, my inbox and the 20128392 application invites. Stop it with the applications already, people!

Bookmarks - Sites I frequent and URLs of blogs that I read. Not updated yet because I had problems sychronizing my bookmarks (argh, Firefox!) and doing it manually is such a bother.

"Entertainment"

Elements on this page:

Daily Dilbert - My favourite comic updated everyday. What more can a girl ask for!

Sudoku - The only game I can never tire of.

Smashing - Mindless game, played only when I'm bored out of my mind. I think it's meant to be an ornament on this page. Ha!

***

Ok so this is my Netvibes page. I highly recommend it for anyone who have a compelling urge to be organized, organized and ORGANIZED. No more arranging different windows and tabs according to topics. No more checking the same site twice in a day.

Another feature of Netvibes: customization. Initially I had this pink, fluffy page. But that gave me a headache so now I have a colourful, vibrant page with funky widgets. Woohoo.

Apologies to female readers I know this post is boring the hell out of you, if you ever read to the bottom. Geeky wen, OUT!

UPDATE: I was Googling, and I realized that there are many, many other start pages (makes me feel like a turtle living in a well). The other more popular ones are Pageflakes, My.Netscape and YourMinis. You can view a comprehensive list of single page aggregators here.

It had been quite some time since my vision started blurring. I ignored it yet again, reasoning that it was probably a side effect that would disappear on its own.

Funny how I treated all of it so calmly. I couldn't even remember how long ago it was when the doctor revealed that I had cancer. I confided in no one, and the days passed by like cars whizzing by the roads. I felt like I was trapped in a timeless void, my own thoughts swirling around me but not one held meaning that I could grasp.

***

There were people everywhere. Anguished screams engulfed me where I stood, watching with silent terror as the ground heaved upwards, followed by violent shaking and rumbling. Fragments of the road rippled wildly from the raised rubble. The streets were an avalanche of masonry and glass.

It was a moment before I found my legs. I ran as hard as I could, not caring where they might take me. I could taste the rawness of my throat, where my heart was pounding.

I had to leave this madness. I ran and ran.

***

I was leaving the kitchen when I saw the both of them by the gate. My eyes widened in surprise. "Grandma, Grandpa!"

They were dressed really fashionably! My grandmother had this funky hat with a feather in it, her vintage dress had a tinge of elegance to it and she smelt like a blossoming garden. Grandpa was in a tie and vest, his grey hair combed neatly to a side.

"You look great!" I gave Grandma a hug. "I know!" When she laughed she had this tinkle in her eye, something I've never witnessed. My heart was filled with such love for my grandparents, which was odd because we were never close. I wondered if this was God giving me a second chance to bond with them. I also wondered their purpose of visiting because they've never done so all these years.

Why had they come? Did they know? They couldn't possibly..

***

As I ran, my vision blurred and all I could make out were smudged images of the city. I thought of G. I thought of my friends. An emotion which had been lying dormant all the while washed over me - I think it was regret. How could I keep such a huge secret to myself? They all had the right to know. I didn't deserve to suffer alone. I have to tell them that I've been sick for some time before Death kidnaps me!

I grabbed my phone and punched in numbers, but the phone lines were dead. I turned back and saw buildings crumbling into dust, just like the hopes I had inside me.

And then.


I woke up.

The dream was still pulsating through my mind when I woke. It took me a good 15 minutes before fear loosened its grip on my heart. I've never had a dream which was detailed, so vivid before. I just had to check it out.

Below are some analyses I got from Dream Moods, but feel free to help me analyse my dream if you can.

Boyfriend
To see your boyfriend in your dream, represents your waking relationship with him and how you feel about him.

If your boyfriend is away and your dreams of him involve a lot of touching, signify how much you miss his presence and have him being nearby. The dream is telling you not to take the day to day things for granted. Learn to cherish the smaller things in life.

Cancer
To dream that you have cancer, denotes hopelessness, grief, self-pity, and unforgiveness. You feel you are wasting your life away. This dream also represents areas in your life which are bothering you, disturbing you, and hurting you in some emotional way.

Earthquake
To dream of an earthquake, suggests that you are experiencing a major "shake-up" that is threatening your stability and foundation. The dream highlights you insecurity, fears and sense of helplessness. If you find cover from the quake, you will overcome these challenges. If you become trapped or injured during the quake, you will suffer loss of your business and assets.

Grandparents
To see your grandparents in your dream, symbolizes love, security, wisdom and protection.

Running
To dream that you are running from an attacker or any danger, then it suggests that you are not facing and confronting your fears.

To dream that you are trying to run but cannot make your feet move as fast as you want them to, signifies lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. It may also reflect your actual state of REM paralysis while in the dream state.

To dream that you are running alone, signifies that you will advance to a higher position and surpass your friends in the race for wealth. Alternatively, you may be running from some situation or from temptation.

Ha OK I don't actually believe this stuff but some of them are pretty accurate! Anyone has any interesting dreams to share? Please do leave a comment! (Since this is like, my longest post ever. If you read my blog you should know that I'm terribly fond of doing short, random posts.)

Gamer's Worst Nightmare:

When you see your computer screen become fuzzy, with random coloured lines streaked across everytime you load your game.

It's the Graphics Card Protest that occurs about once every two years.

I'm going to say NO! and head down to Sim Lim to shop for my new card. Gah. My most hated shopping mall! Don't understand how people can stand looking at metal pieces for hours. Oh well, one (wo)man's junk is another man's treasure.

I saw this sign against a cubicle door while relieving myself at a shopping mall.

I literally clutched my handbag tight while trying to balance myself in that tiny space, at the same time looking around for any potential thief who might burst in from nowhere to snatch it from me.

The sign says:

Dear Shopper,

For security reasons, please keep sight of your personal belongings while in the toilet.

I felt really stupid afterwards, for looking out for my handbag.

***

Weather's been really terrible. It's March, I don't know why it's been raining all the time. But bad weather sure warrants me an excuse not to stick to my schedule. It's been almost two weeks, and I feel like I'm starting to hate this start-stop thing. To drag myself to the track, as an incentive, I thought I'd just do a really fast run. I almost killed myself in the process.

Date: 20 March, Thursday
Distance: ~3.5 km?
Timing: 19 minutes

wen says:
our bus was super slow

tim says:
mas selamat is it?

wen says:
ya. go on, laugh at my country!

tim says:
haha

tim says:
literally a lame incident.

I'm the perfect example of stereotypical woman. I suffer from paranoia, have an over-active imagination, indulge in gossip and I HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO DIRECTION SENSE.

Just the other day, Glenn was giving me directions to his place.

"Just walk straight from your bus stop," he instructed. "Easy."

Not! The blocks of flats from the bus stop to his place all look the same. Each time I feel like a mouse finding my way through a maze to get to my cheese. And apparently, "straight" is an ambiguous term to my brain. Eventually I get to his place, alright, but every single time, I come from DIFFERENT directions.

But I should be thankful that I even get to my location, right???

Alright, am so zonked out!! Actually I'm not in a mood to blog because I'm suffering from post-event emo-ness.

Anyway, here are my favourite bits of the party:

1. Manning the registration table

I know, right, such a terribly boring job but I just love seeing new faces! Feels so good to say, "Hi, welcome!" and totally mean it.



2. Giving out money

We played a game using Nuffnang cash, where bloggers can use it to bid for items later on. I've never had so many people coming up to me begging for cash. ANDDDD I got my thumb sprained from playing too much thumb-wrestling.



3. Seeing my bosses in their underwear

To be honest, I'd expected them to put up a struggle, especially Boss Ming whom I thought would be more concerned about his reputation in front of so many bloggers. But they wore the undies willingly and I had a great laugh!




I've got something embarrassing to confess. Honestly, the thought of putting so many Singaporean bloggers together on a trip to KL scared the hell out of me. I recalled the criticisms on our first movie event, and I just didn't think Singaporean bloggers would be receptive to one another. I had so many doubts, and I thought we would all be keep to ourselves, go for the event as individuals, and come back as individuals - but I was wrong. You people have surprised me greatly, by the way you guys bonded with one another.

All along I have felt that my 'Nuffnang family' consisted of only the Nuffnang staff and the bosses, but now I feel that you bloggers are such an important part of this family too. I was overwhelmed by the friendships made over these two days, and I'm really motivated to try and bring more bloggers together with every event we host.

Nuffnangers, you guys rock.

Caught Juno the other day, and thought it was wonderful. And I absolutely loved the soundtrack!

Here's one song that's been replaying in my mind since the movie - Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches, but I'm gonna put up the one from Juno itself, by Ellen Page and Michael Cera.

I adore this song. It's so simple, sweet, and comfortable. Unfortunately I kinda detest the Moldy Peaches version, although they were the original singers of the song. I can't figure out how the audio people can sieve through that singing and discover a nice song.

Enjoy and see you guys when I'm back from the Party of The Year.

When Scruffy first arrived at our home, he was very wary of strangers and foreign surroundings. He didn't even dare venture down the steps and out of our home.

One month later, after much encouragement from us, he learnt to trot down the stairs. But he refused to budge anywhere further other than back up the steps.

After some effort, I managed to 'walk' Scruffy - if I could define yanking him by his leash 'walking'.

Another month later, he was absolutely ecstatic to be walked. I guessed that he realized grass and pillars smell OH SO GOOD. He even learnt to demand his walks by barking (he used to be a very quiet dog). We refused, and tried to stick to a regular schedule of morning and evening walks.

Then, he learnt how to let himself out by squeezing through the little holes in our gate.

To counter that, my mum bought wire gauzes and secured them to the bottom of our gate. You would think we had our problem solved. But no, little Scruffy was devising his own plan of letting himself out of the house.

Now, when I return home, he stands by the gate and pretends to welcome me home, wagging his tail and jumping at me. But when I bend down to pet him, he dashes out of the gate which I've forgotten to close. The thing about terriers is that they run REALLY FAST. If you think their little legs won't take them too far, you're terribly wrong. Scruffy is like a released catapult once the gate is opened.

So, most of the time I have to scour the area around my place for a few minutes before I find him sniffing at some pillar, then chase him home. It gets really tiring so sometimes I leave him be until he returns to the doorstep by himself. And apparently he's a big hit among the neighbours. From time to time, I get people reporting to me at my doorstep, Your dog is around the corner, playing with the other dogs!

Today he ran out when I reached home again. When I went out to look for him, a complete stranger came up to me and said, "Looking for your dog? He's over there on the other side."

My dog just succeeded in embarrassing me. ARGH!

Was holed up in my room watching Prison Break all day, when something in my head starting yelling, EXERCISE!!!

So I changed into my running clothes, put on my shoes, got out and hid my key under some potted plants (forgot to wear the running shorts that had those inner pockets). It was my first run in about a month, since I stopped gyming with Raj.

Best Moment: Half an hour into my run, when I felt my legs on fire and the air was flowing freely through my lungs. I think that's what they call "Runner's High".

Most Regretful Moment: When I realised I should have paid more attention to stretching prior to the run. My muscles were all tensed up and I started having stitches.

Most Heartwarming Moment: There's this condominium near my place called Starville, and when night comes you can see mini lights flashing on the building, like stars sparkling against the sky. And there was this couple standing at the bridge, savouring this man-made beauty.

I've been known to give up my jogging regime easily, so I've decided to record this on my blog, since I'm a pretty proud person and failing to stick to my schedule will be too embarrassing. Anyway, I tried a longer route than usual today, sad to say I'm not up to standard yet.

Date: 9 March, Sunday
Distance: ~5.2 km
Time: 42 minutes

IS BECAUSE THEY LEAVE THEIR SANITARY PADS LYING AROUND!!!!!

And when you think you're doing her a favour by throwing it for her, A SWARM OF ANTS DECIDE TO ESCAPE WHAT THEY MADE THEIR NEW HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Totally grossed me out.

Sorry. You're my readers, so you guys have to share this whole ARGH (i don't even know what to call it) with me.


Lesson Learnt: Never throw sanitary pads that your sister leaves around, because she makes a habit out of not throwing them. !@#!@%$!#@!#!

Scruffy is a real greedy dog. Whenever he smells food, he'll be right there, his little tail wagging furiously. Whenever he HEARS food (like the opening of a potato chip bag), he'll be right there too.

It can be pretty cute sometimes. But it can be really annoying too, especially if you're busy and he's getting in your way.

So I bought him one of those raw hide bones to chew on, and it's working! A little too well in fact.

Now, whenever I come home, he's not wagging his tail by the gate. He's chewing his bone.
When I call for him, he doesn't come dashing into my room. He's chewing his bone.
When he's bored, he doesn't come begging for attention. He's walking around with the bone in his mouth.

I've heard of dogs being given a lack of attention, but I've never heard of dog owners getting less attention from their dogs. It's all the bone's fault!

An empty road. No sign of traffic in the distance either. Safe to cross the road, except for one problem - the red man was glaring at me.

Not that it mattered to me, though. Jaywalking has become second nature to me. It's Singapore, anyway.. drivers get partial blame even if I were to dash out at oncoming traffic. I was about to put my foot forward and do the illegal walk when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

I stopped dead in my tracks. He was about six or seven, his little body supporting that overweight bag of his, waiting patiently at the side of the road.

Judging by the way kids grow up nowadays, this little guy probably has a couple of years before he learns how to swear, jaywalk and about the birds and the bees. I wasn't ready to accelerate the process. So I took a step back, and waited with him.

This little incident made me frightened about bringing up my kids in the future. What if my child's a brat, and it's all my own doing? Argh, it' so tough being a parent. Or to even think about being one.

Yesterday I woke up late to an empty house. (Other than Scruffy, who woke up when I did, at my feet.)

I was really hungry, and the leftover CNY goodies couldn't whet my appetite. I needed something warm and salty, not cold and sweet. So I grabbed an egg from the fridge and fried a lovely omelette. Then, I ravaged around to see what treasures I could uncover from the chiller...

Found an entire tupperware of Mum's marinated meat. Hmmm, this thing looks pretty ancient. Oh well, Mum cooked this the other day, and it tasted alright. Opened the cover. The smell! Oh, riggghhhttt, it's probably the XO Mum marinated the meat with. Fried my treasure of the day with some butter. Argh, I don't remember XO tasting remotely like that. But it's probably an acquired taste. I gobbled up my three pieces.

I spent last night and this morning doing sprints to the toilet. HOLY CRAP! How did I let three pieces of bad meat leave the refrigerator, get onto the frying pan, AND INTO MY STOMACH?!

Marinated meat. As sneaky as Mas Selamat.