It's a small world

Today, on my way to work, I saw my ex-tuition teacher in the carpark. What a surprise. Apparently, he has moved in the estate for about six months already. And I didn't realise that until today! All because I went to work a little later than usual (I usually like to arrive at work early.)

I have known him for 20 years. While he only taught me for six years, we have remained in contact, and he is one of those people who had a very strong hand in the forming of my character, in shaping who I am today. I really owe it to him a lot. Many years ago, I even went on a tour of the Silk Road with him.

It really is a small world, bumping into him like this on a day that I chose to leave slightly later for work.

Appeal to Singaporean drivers

Please don't slow down your car to look at accidents. Please don't slow down your car to look at the vehicles involved in the accident... especially to take down their registration numbers to buy 4D. Traffic is bad enough as it is, we don't need a slowdown in traffic because people are busy noting down numbers, instead of driving.

Keep your eyes on the road, not on the accident vehicles.

Time to change

We always like to talk about change, how change is the only constant, how we must change in order to adapt to the changing landscape.

Yet at the same time, we are so afraid of change.

Change requires time. And a tolerance as people need to get used to the new ways of doing things. Before efficiency picks up once again from habit, people need time to build up that habit. This means things get done at a slower pace than before.

But being result-oriented people, we tend to want the results now. So if we need to go back to old ways to get those results, chances are, people will revert back to the old ways.

So while change may be good in the long run, it requires a mature organisation to be able to pull it through. The organisation must be willing to suffer that slowdown in operations that will come about as people adapt to the new ways of doing things. But if it can clear that hurdle, it will find that efficiency in the long run will improve. But, you need to be able to live with the inefficiency in the short run.

Are you willing to be patient for change?

Navigator beer

Found this beer in the supermarket today... Dutch beer from Amsterdam. The Navigator Beer. Just what every sailor needs! At 8.4% alcohol content, this is stronger than your average beer.

Info on this beer at BeerTutor.com

Bewitched

Once upon a time, I used to watch this TV series known as "Bewitched". It is about a witch called Samantha, who is trying to lead a life married to a mortal Darrin. There is a lot of laughter, as she tries to fend off the many spells that her mother casts, in an attempt to make Darrin leave her. In a way, it is a show about marriage, about how couples need to work things out when trouble comes in between them.

"Bewitched" showed between 1964 to 1972... that is a long time ago. The reruns showed in Singapore during the 1980s, if I remember correctly. The earlier seasons (which I did not catch) were in black and white, while the later seasons were in colour. Sony has decided to release DVDs of the series, expected to be all out in 2009.

And a few years ago, Nicole Kidman took up the role of the witch, and starred in the movie by the same name, "Bewitched". The story is a little different, but it has the same elements. A witch falling in love with a mortal man, and her family who does not approve of the union. There were elements of the TV series, such as the house number 1164 (which was the same as the TV series), and the neighbours (the lady somehow always noticed weird things going on in the witch's house). The movie was shown on TV last night, which prompted me to write this post.
And TBS in Japan decided to make a Japanese drama series along the same lines. Called "奥さまは魔女" (Oku sama wa majo, which translates to "My wife is a witch"), it is a remake of the original series, in Japanese with a Japanese context.

Official site for the movie "Bewitched"
奥様は魔法少女, a anime based on "Bewitched"

The Leap Years

2008 is a leap year. And on 29 Feb 2008, a local production was released, known as "The Leap Years". It is a love story based on a novella called "Leap of Love" by local author Catherine Lim.

What is so touching about the story is that it is based on a simple promise, a promise to meet every four years on 29 Feb.

On the first 29 Feb, the couple met. But then, they had to part, and they made a promise to meet every 29 Feb.

On the second 29 Feb, after four years of waiting and silence, they met again. It was a confirmation of their feelings for each other. But they parted on bad terms, when she knew that he was married with a 3-year old daughter.

On the third 29 Feb, they met again, but this time, she broke his heart, by lying to him that she has married and has a 2-year old daughter.

On the fourth 29 Feb, she was really going to get married, they finally realised how deeply they felt for each other, and thus chose to end the "meet-once-every-four-years" tradition by getting married.

Before the seventh 29 Feb, he has gone into a coma, and may never wake up... on the seventh 29 Feb, she got a call from the hospital, rushed down... and he opened his eyes, coming out of his coma and keeping his promise to meet her every 29 Feb.

While the production may not have been the greatest, and the actors may not have been the best, I guess the story was really great. At least for me. I love romantic stories much like those in The Return of the Condor Heroes, which is why this story of meeting every four years (similar to Yang Guo waiting 16 years for his wife) draws me into the story.

By the way, this movie led me to discover the origins of the phrase "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all". It comes from Alfred Tennyson's poem, In Memoriam, 1850, line 27, stanza 4.

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

The phrase "Theirs is not to reason why, theirs is but to do and die" also came from Lord Tennyson.

Catch the movie, or read the novella, and enjoy the story.

Order in chaos

I did a bit of dabbling in chaos theory when I was doing my thesis, which dealt with complexity. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a small town in India (with a population of 2.2 million, it is considered a small town in India). We all have our own ideas about how India is like. What struck me was the traffic conditions.

With 2.2 million people, and cars and trucks and bicycles and all other sorts of vehicles, the roads of the small town that I visited is a bustling mess of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. People cross the roads as and where they like, I have seen only one set of traffic lights during my entire stay, cars honk away like nobody's business and overtake on the opposite lanes. Yet traffic did not come to a standstill, nor did I witness any traffic accidents (although being driven around was quite a hair-raising experience).

Somehow, even though everyone was going about his or her own business, trying to get to their own destinations, they observe hidden, unwritten, unspoken rules. Sometimes, drivers would press on; sometimes, they would give way. Somehow, these unspoken rules actually brought order into the chaotic scene that makes up the roads of an Indian town.

Dragonlance

One of the first fantasy series that I actively read is the Dragonlance series, originally created by Tracy Hickman together with Margaret Weis. One reason why it is so enchanting is that it has a very well developed history, starting with the creation of the fantasy world of Krynn, followed by the time of Huma, how the Kingpriest of Istar brought about the Cataclysm, and subsequently the events of the War of the Lance.

You probably won't expect that a world so rich in history actually started with a series of books written about one of its most recent (at that time) events, the War of the Lance. The Chronicles trilogy was how it all started. While the first book was largely based on how the game module was played, subsequently, the story didn't follow that game modules as closely.

What really draws me into the story is how richly the characters were developed. You can almost hear Raistlin whispering, and imagine how innocently cute Tasslehoff is. Flint really is the rough dwarf with a soft heart, and Fizban is the meddling fool who somehow always manages to pull it off.

While the main characters are the Heroes of the Lance, I think the central character is Raistlin, for he somehow manages to appear throughout the Ages of Krynn, being the Master of the Past and Present. He goes back in time to attain the power he needs to attain godhood, and even when he failed, he still somehow came back to partake in the Test of High Sorcery for his nephew Palin. He played a role in defeating Chaos, and also in foiling the Dark Queen's plans after that.

As with Dungeons and Dragons, the Dragonlance world has evolved over the ages, with its most recent form being the Age of Mortals. But to me, I think the most exciting time for roleplay would be the Age of Despair, during the War of the Lance. Maybe Wizards of the Coast will relook at this time period when they choose to release the Dragonlance campaign setting for the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

The official Dragonlance gaming site
Dragonlance at Wizards of the Coast
Dragonlance Nexus, a Dragonlance fansite
ForgottenLance, a reference site for Dragonlance
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie site

The year of the Rat

Today is Chinese New Year, and this is the year of the Rat. Wishing everyone a prosperous new year ahead!

Chinese New Year Eve

Today is Chinese New Year Eve. The last day of the year of the Pig, and tomorrow is the start of the year of the Rat. I have put my brush to good use, writing my own new year decorations.

Calligraphy piece starting with 剛 and 毅 Part 2

Intrepid's name in Chinese is "剛毅", and she was commissioned today. On this special occasion, I have given her this piece (instead of the previous one), to show her strong and determined spirit.

My table lamp

This was a table lamp that we bought from IKEA some time ago... the only problem is, as it is made of paper, over time, holes started to appear due to wear and tear (and rough handling). So my wife asked me to remove the old paper and paste on a new one. After spending a few hours removing the old paper, and gluing on the new one, this is the result of my workmanship. While it is a bit "rough around the edges", I guess it is still better than having holes in the paper.

PC problem resolved

After more than 2 weeks, my HP desktop has been rescued. After finally getting a HP technician to come over to my place, I had expected my problem to be solved. But that was not to be. After changing a new harddisk, and even changing the motherboard, the problem did not go away... in the end, I had to send it in for repair.

The PC came back a few days later, the problem was with the card reader. Finally, I was able to work on it again, and to start reinstalling all those programs and copying back my files... only to find that the DVD drive doesn't work. Shock.

It turns out that HP, while troubleshooting, disconnected my DVD drive... and forgot to connect it back before they returned the PC. So after plugging it back in, my PC is now back in a healthy state.

Heartland ERP gantries

A letter to the forum, published on 28 Jan 2008:

"Recently, more ERP gantries were built, some in the heartland.

The reason these gantries were built is that the roads they are built on lead to the city. These gantries will be turned on as necessary to ensure these roads maintain optimal traffic flow.

ERP is used on expressways to redirect traffic away from the expressways during peak hours. Drivers who do not wish to pay ERP to use the expressways during peak hours must find an alternative route to the city, such as through the heartland, or take public transport.

Once the new gantries are switched on, drivers will have to pay to get to the city whether they use the expressways or go through the heartland.

Will such a move actually redirect traffic back to the expressways?

If drivers have to pay ERP anyway, why should they pay to use a slower route through the heartland if paying a bit more on the expressway gets them there faster?"

Japanese curry

My wife made Japanese curry today. Eating curry on Fridays reminded me of the Japanese navy (and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force), where Japanese curry (known as "navy curry", or 海軍カレー) is served every Friday, so that sailors know how many weeks they have been out at sea (and thus how many more weeks to go before they see land).