Story of an Eagle

A very meaningful way to learn of life - only parts of it.

-The eagle has the longest life-span of its' species.
-It can live up to 70 years
-But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision
-In its' 40's, its' long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food
-Its' long and sharp beak becomes bent
-Its' old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its' chest and make it difficult to fly
-Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days.
-The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its' nest
-There the eagle knocks its' beak against a rock until it plucks it out
-After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its' talons
-When its' new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its' old-aged feathers
-And after five months, the eagle takes its' famous flight of rebirth and lives for ... 30 more years.
Tags: Inspiration, Eagle

Football Referee Pulls Out Gun

I was quite shocked with the five red cards being shown in nine English Premier League matches that played on Boxing Day, 26 Dec 2007 especially the Chelsea vs. Aston Villa match that contributed three red cards.

But then it can never topple the incident in Batu Pahat, a district in the state of Johore, Malaysia. A referee had red carded a player from the Kampung Bumiputera FC just 5 minutes into the second half in a match against Rejosari for the Rengit State Assembly Open Cup. The players from Kampung Bumiputera and their fans were not happy with the red card stomped their way to the front of the referee.

Fearing for his life, the referee ran and they chased. Upon reaching his car, mind you a police car, he reached for his gun and fired into the air. This is to show that he, as the referee, is in control and his decision is final .................... haha. He's a certified football referee by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) but I guess not anymore.

But it's not that funny anymore for five players from Kampung Bumiputera who have been detained under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting. The policeman, attached to the traffic division, has also been detained under Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960. Usually, an off-duty policeman doesn't carry a gun around.
Tags: Policeman, Football Referee, Batu Pahat, Johore, Malaysia, Red Card, Kampung Bumiputera FC, Rejosari, Rengit State Assembly Open Cup, Football Association of Malaysia, FAM, Penal Code, Firearms Act 1960

Antique Copyright Law in Egypt

Remembered seeing this head somewhere before? Yeah, it's the sphinx located in Egypt.

Recently, the Egyptian government has cleverly thought of a money generating source of income. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities will be passing a copyright law in the country that would made all copies of the ancient sphinx or pyramid illegal. In a way, pay up before you can use the replica of such.

There is a relief somehow whereby if your design is not the same as those found in Egypt, you don't need to pay up. As long as it's a same replica and it's being used for commercial purpose, you have to pay royalties. And if you wanted a replica in your large garden, a permission is required from the Egyptian government first.

Soon, this copyright law would be applied throughout the whole world. Does Malaysia has any of these replicas???? Can't think of any now. The only place that I could think of is the Las Vegas tourism area.

A good example is the Luxor Hotel and Casino itself.
Reading: Egypt 'to copyright antiquities' - BBC News/Africa

Tags: Egypt, Egyptian, Sphinx, Pyramid, Supreme Council of Antiquities, Antique, Copyright, Las Vegas, Luxor Hotel and Casino

Christmas Day 2007

Our Christmas service started at 10am with a children's fast dance. Unable to capture photo as I was preparing my stuff. Next thing was the praise & worship session where Kok Yen was the songleader.
The hall was packed with lots of visitors.
Towards the end of the service, our senior pastor encouraged the congregation to cross the bridge to signify us giving our life to God. How useful was that bridge after all. It brought great significance as the bridge represented Jesus that bridged between earth and God.
Well, that's the end of the The Bridge series and it was a tough path to walk from the birth of the drama ideas till Christmas Day but no doubt, it was worth the journey. Lots of good memories indeed. It's back to normal life for me after hectic months in preparation for the five dramas.
Tags: Christmas Day 2007, Christmas Drama, Christmas, Bridge Finale

Seven Great Medical Myths

Rachel Vreeman of the Indiana University School of Medicine and Aaron Carroll of the Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, wrote in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, that the following medical myths have been heard in many generations but medical evidence didn't proof anything correct but neither has it been proven wrong:-

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day
This advice derives from a 1945 recommendation that adults should consume 2.5 litres of the stuff daily, or one millilitre for every calorie consumed. The crucial part of the recommendation – "most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods" – is often ignored. Drinking too much water can be dangerous.

My comments - That's what my mom has been telling since I was young.

Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
It causes eye strain, difficulty in focusing and dries the eyes because of reduced blinking while squinting but there is no evidence it causes lasting damage.

My comments - Same thing I have hearing from my mom and many other concerned adults. Is this one of the main reasons that caused countless of people wearing glasses today?

We only use 10 per cent of our brains
Studies of patients with brain damage suggest damage to any area of the brain has lasting effects. Brain imaging studies have shown no area of the brain is completely inactive and despite "detailed probing" the non-functioning 90 per cent has not been located.

My comments - I agree on this for certain people that I meet in my path of life.

Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
They don't. It is an illusion caused by the dehydration of the body which results in the skin retracting. This gives the appearance of increased length to the hair and nails – actual growth requires hormonal regulation which is not sustained after death.

My comments - That's what the Hong Kong movies potray especially on those ghost movies where the vampires (geong si) came to life with long fingernails jumping around the town looking for blood.

Shaving causes hair to grow back faster or coarser
Shaved hair lacks the finer taper seen at the end of unshaved hair. It has also not been lightened by the sun, so it appears darker.

My comments - Couldn't care, just shave only when I think it's required. I think the ladies will worry more on this.

Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals
Many hospitals still ban them, despite the lack of evidence that they interfere with electronic equipment, except in rare instances and at close quarters. Technological improvements have reduced the risk further.

My comments - Hospitals in Malaysia do put up this sign where mobile phones are prohibited to be switched on especially at Intensive Care Units ("ICU") area. I do switch it off just in case it caused malfunction on equipments. Imagine you were the one lying inside the ICU. If this was a myth, on what medical basis did our hospital relied on?

Eating turkey makes people drowsy
This myth is based on the assertion that turkey contains high amounts of tryptophan, an amino acid involved in sleep. But turkey contains no more than chicken or beef. Its sleep-inducing effects are due to the quantities eaten.

My comments - Seldom eat turkey so unable to comment on this.
Tags: Health, Medical Myths, Medical Evidence

Malaysian Drafs

A truly Malaysian joke!

Hindraf has awakened other races in Malaysia. Now 4 more new action fronts are being formed. Maldraf for malays, Chindraf for chinese and for other races, Dandraf (dandruff).
But a majority of Malaysian drinkers have appealed to be represented as Beerdraft. Cheers!

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S!
Tags: Christmas, Merry Christmas, Hindraf, Chindraf, Dandraf, Beerdraft, Funny, Humour

Bridge Finale

Tomorrow is the finale for the Christmas season's dramas. Got the best of the best of the actors/actresses for this drama. They are the drama veterans in my church and hopefully this comedy drama would make everyone laugh.

This drama is set in the contemporary time and the story is still there where Joseph & Mary reaches the town of Bethlehem. They tried to check into a hotel but it was fully occupied but was offered elsewhere - the luggage room ...... hehe.

Then the wisemen scene appeared (where the video was shot in Hotel Maya) followed by the shepherds who were businessmen dealing with sheep products. All in modern settings.

The Bridge Finale drama will be followed by a dance finale to cap a fine month of dramas. This dance will see the participation of the actors/actresses, props team and stage decoration team.

That's my abode up in the balcony where I usually gave commands on the lightings, sound and videos.

The singers and the songleader (sitting down with a guitar) practising their songs for the opening of the Christmas service.
Two of the ladies trying to translate the english song into mandarin language. The Christmas service tomorrow morning will be bilingual (English/Mandarin) as our chinese church will be combining with the english church.
This is the group that was practising for the dance finale. The leader, Esther Wong (in black, on stage) was our dance choreographer.
It was an easy song to follow and it required two practise sessions only (those who usually don't dance found it hard to follow the steps but they tried really hard to follow).
Resting time as this practise was done right after service, the children's dance and song practise and just before lunch .............. hehehe

Tags: Christmas Drama, Christmas, Bridge Finale, Dance Finale, Dance Choreographer, Christmas Service