It's back

There is hope

2006-09-06T17:25:00.000+08:00

Forget about anti-wrinkle creams and pseudo-collagen eye and lip gels.. it's time to learn to embrace the aging process and age gracefully. Nefertiti, as captured in that famous bust, was an aging beauty. She had eye bags and wrinkles on her neck. And she's still beautiful. So there..

The strangest random fact I've digested today

2006-06-07T20:02:00.000+08:00

I have to write this out before I forget. Astro, truly "macam-macam ada"...

On some fig trees are these itty bitty parasites that eat the fruit. These parasites are called thrips, and they lay eggs in the figs. On these thrip eggs prey another parasite, the thrip-egg mite (there is a point to this rambling I promise, I'm just setting the scene!). Now, when a female thrip-egg mite comes acrose this juicy thrip egg, she punctures the egg and sucks up the nutrients. This kick-starts the development of her eggs, and the first to hatch within her is always a male. This male, her son, proceeds to inseminate all his sister mites, even before they leave their mother's womb. This is his sole purpose, and once dutifully completed, he dies without ever seeing a thrip or a fig. His sisters will hatch, and (get ready for the next shocker) eat their way out of their mother. Having digested their mother, they then have enough energy to go forth, hunt out another thrip egg and repeat the whole process. No need to waste time hunting for a mate. No wasted energy.

How's that for a macabre dysfunctional family? Shakespear had nothing compared to Mother Nature!

word of the week

2005-06-30T21:06:00.000+08:00

ehemm.. in an effort to learn (and remember) meanings of words that I keep hearing/reading, I'm launching my own "Word of the Week" column.

PETECHIAE
as in "victim shows petechial haemorrhaging of the eyelids"

Petechiae are pinpoint -sized haemorrhages of small capillaries in the skin or mucosal membranes, that result from tiny areas of bleeding into the skin. They appear as flat pinpoint dots, coloured red, blue or purple (colour varies as the petechiae age - like bruises). There are many causes of petechiae or petechial haemorrhaging, from aging to injury... but in CSI speak, petechial haemorrhaging of the eyelids is indicative of strangulation.

how to undress a mannequin

2005-06-15T09:23:00.000+08:00

The mannequin always wears the last piece in my size.
On a diversionary shopping trip (we were supposed to be doing something much more important than shopping), big sis & I spy a reaaallly nice top on the mannequin sitting on a high shelf. All on the rack are size M, and sis is 100% positive that the headless dummy has the last size S, even though she can't see the tag! ooo she is the devil's advocate...

sis: take it off the mannequin!
me: lemme go ask the salesperson.. (i wander around.. there's a tangkachi who may or may not be working here.. she's ignoring me anyway..)
sis: take it off the mannequin!
me: lemme check if it's S first... (this involved pushing a chair to the high shelf & climbing up to see).. it's S!!!!!
sis: take it off the mannequin!! heeehee haha!
so now it's clear there's only one thing to do.. strip the mannequin.. but first I have to get it down.. hoping & praying that it wasn't too heavy, wouldn't fall to pieces in a deafening crash.. hope no one is looking.. oh and the devilish cheerleader is laughing nuts sitting back watching..

after what seems like eternity in the spotlight, the dummy is on the floor.. now what? heh.. amputate the arms onlyy.. sis is quite a sharp cookie - you have to lift the arms up - and out! then quickly dress it in size M and quickly quickly stick it back up on the shelf and triple quickly make our getaway!

phew! too much adventure la...

important lessons not to forget

2005-05-04T16:29:00.000+08:00

It's curious how human beings learn. Despite millions of years of evolution and our ability to pass wisdom from one generation to the next, we learn lessons most effectively by making mistakes. And I've learned some very important lessons by making the mistake of working for X(or ex!) Company so I'm writing it down where I won't misplace/lose these valuable nuggets of wisdom.

Before signing that employment contract:

READ ev-e-ry single word carefully. Watch out for "typos".
Never ever ever sign a bonded contract. Especially without seeing proof of the so-called "training program" that's worth RM24,000. If employer is large MNC with real program, maybe consider it.. but I personally would not recommend it.
Google the company's name and names of the directors. This was something I did in the dying moments of my employment - and guess what?? "Legal action filed against xxxx in 200-". Light bulbs and warning signals flash flash... so THAT''s why "CEO's location is always confidential" and CEO is never around to properly run this show. HAH!
Is there an actual office? Like a real office space with real furniture and real people? With airconditioning? If the answer is NO, very very carefully back away.
Here's the clincher - if by hiring you, the head count increases by 25%, turn and run. Seriously. So what if Apple started with 2 guys in a garage. I'd wait until those 2 guys actually got out of that garage.

And here's another thing I learned. If in a sticky employment situation, never fear because the Labour Department is here! They are very nice, helpful people and it seems that nothing makes them happier than seeing an irresponsible employer squirm. Give them free reign and they'll happily file a court case against said scummy employer.

So there. This little pig went to work and learned a few lessons. At least I'm freed from that stinky scummy Company.

attack of the flying sausage

2005-04-19T16:46:00.000+08:00

Did you hear about the man who got his nose broken by a flying sausage? As if carcinogenic polluting fumes from that lorry in front aren't hazard enough.. so much for driving with the windows open!

This reminds me of the time when I was about 3 ft tall and big sis was 3ft 2in tall.. we used to pick berries from the tree outside school and aim them at passing cars. Score 1 if a berry got squished by a tire. Jackpot if one gets in the window! hahahahah we managed to get one into the car next to us but luckily the lights turned green and we zoomed off :p.....

T is for Toilet

2005-04-14T18:08:00.000+08:00

WTO may be the acronym for World Trade Organisation, but it also stands for World Toilet Organisation. Hehehe.. These guys are organised (they've got conferences! whoooaa).. and creative too - see this. Beats me why anyone would take the trouble of sewing a toilet into a bucket though.

2005-04-11T23:34:00.000+08:00

Now I believe in aliens

2005-04-11T23:14:00.000+08:00

in an alternate universe, crabs climb trees

Is it a chocolate cake on wheels?

2005-04-11T23:12:00.000+08:00

Even more devious... an alarm clock that won't let you snooze for 2 hours.

rock-a-by-baby..?

2005-04-11T23:10:00.000+08:00

daddy used to call me a hairy gorilla

Pass the Panadol

2005-03-09T07:56:00.000+08:00

It's true - MSG can give you a headache! So can coughing, sneezing, laughing (!!! now that's plain mean... ) and spinal taps. They left out the most obvious cause of headaches though.. WORK!

Q: Is it dangerous to take paracetamol (Panadol) with alcohol?
A: Actually, no. Suprised? I am... guess I shouldn't nag my bean about it anymore. But ibuprofen or aspirin and a whole lot of other painkillers and alcohol is dangerous (stomach bleeding, liver damage). I think I'll continue nagging - just to be safe.

2005-03-01T15:24:00.000+08:00

The Amazing Super Furry Canine.