Ah Lau had an old grandmother that lived with his family in the flat above ours. She was a wizened old woman with hoary hair and she wobbled when she walked. She always wore a black cheong-sam. And she had a benign face, one of those faces that tell a story about the person behind that face. Ah Lau’s grandmother was at peace with the world, and I think her life had been a good one.
Ah Lau’s grandmother was a hawker. At about four every afternoon, she would set up her store near the main road where the big shops were. She would put up a small wooden table around which she would place a few wooden stools. She would then squat next to a large black pot, stirring a mysterious noodle soup whose secret recipe only she knew. For Ah Lau's grandmother’s noodle soup, which we bought for 5 cents, was probably one of the most wonderful things that this world has ever tasted! I don’t know how she concocted this exquisite culinary miracle, nor did I care. Sitting around the low table, we kids happily slurped away the contents in those small bowls that never seemed to contain enough. It was our 5 cents worth of paradise.
After my family moved away from my childhood neighbourhood, I never saw Ah Lau or his grandmother again. But, over the years, I used to think about them. Both Ah Lau and his grandmother, one very young, the other very old, had the imagination and the courage to do something that would never have occurred to me. They were earning their own pocket-money. They were being independent. They were not being a burden to anyone.
To be independent. Not being a burden to anyone. To be Yourself. How wonderful! But it took me a long time to learn the lesson, to be fully aware that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, that no one owes you anything. It took me a long time to wean myself of my family, to shake off the warm shackles of friendship, to ignore the condescending crumbs thrown by the State. But the seeds were sown, I now know, many years earlier, when my friend Ah Lau transformed grasshoppers into a sellable commodity and his grandmother sold her wonderful noodle soup in a little street in Singapore.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Story of Stuff ( that everyone must see)
It's not global warming that we should worry about. It's not bird flu that we should worry about. Not peak oil. Not terrorists. You know what we should worry about? This...
Je suis un musulman
Tuez-moi et appelez-le des dégâts collatéraux,
Jetez-moi en prison et appelez-le mesure de sécurité,
Exilez mon peuple en masse et appelez-le le Nouveau Moyen Orient,
Pillez mes ressources, envahissez mon pays,
Détruisez mon gouvernement et appelez-le
La démocratie.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Obama song sets the Web ablaze...
It's an understatement to say that it's proven to be popular - it's been viewed 10 million times on YouTube since it was posted online this past weekend. And it's a dramatic piece of evidence that it's not your father's or mother's (or even an older sybling's for that matter) presidential election any more. The Internet and social networking sites are dramatically altering the way candidates and their supporters are reaching out to the public - particularly young people.
You can watch the video in high resolution here
You can watch the video in high resolution here
Iraqi woman and her son
A woman takes her dead son into her arms, as she grieves for her six-year-old son, Dhiya Thamer, who was killed when their family car came under fire by unknown gunmen in Baqouba, capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007. The boy's ten-year old brother, Qusay, was injured in the attack as the family returned from enrolling the children in school, where Dhiya was to begin his first year. (Adem Hadei, Associated Press.)
How to eat at a Sushi bar! Hilarious!
However in the case of 1, you should always show a little guilt with your eyes!!
Pas de CD de réinstallation de Vista? No worries!
Si, comme beaucoup de gens, vous n'avez pas unCD de réinstallation de Windows Vista, pas de souci. Voici la solution.
Sachez aussi que Microsoft va sortir Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) trés bientôt.
Sachez aussi que Microsoft va sortir Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) trés bientôt.
Money for Nothing and Chicks for Free. Oh yeah?
Well, you know, as they say, a sucker is born every minute...
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Wikipedia and images of Mohammed...
An article about the Prophet Muhammad in the English-language Wikipedia has become the subject of an online protest in the last few weeks because of its representations of Muhammad, taken from medieval manuscripts.
In addition to numerous e-mail messages sent to Wikipedia.org, an online petition cites a prohibition in Islam on images of people. The petition has more than 80,000 "signatures," though many who submitted them to ThePetitionSite.com remained anonymous.
In addition to numerous e-mail messages sent to Wikipedia.org, an online petition cites a prohibition in Islam on images of people. The petition has more than 80,000 "signatures," though many who submitted them to ThePetitionSite.com remained anonymous.
Verizon says "No!" to Hollywood...
Verizon are being smart here. They know very well that most people, if prevented from downloading music and films, will simply cancel their their broadband internet connections. It's simply not in their interests to do this...
Loft Story russe! Ca ne rigole pas!!
This is the Russian version of Big Brother. No Shilpa Shetty shit here but wow! can they fight!!!
«Loue studette contre pipe»
Antoine n’est pas le seul à pratiquer ce type d’échange - appartement contre sexe - à Paris. Dans un contexte de crise du logement, la formule semble s’être répandue. Sur Missive, la rubrique parisienne «A louer» recense de nombreuses offres d’hommes proposant des colocations ou studios indépendants «contre services sexuels».
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
The Recycling Myth: a look at the Swedish model..
The consumer society's biggest problem; garbage. Is it worth "cleaning" your rubbish before throwing it away? Or maybe all this has nothing to do with the environment but is just another attempt at producing docile, obedient citizens...
Wow! C'est incroyable!
Monday, February 04, 2008
L’Année du Rat, et les chinois grelottent !
Il fait un hiver sibérien en Chine, il a neigé en Israël, en Irak et à l’Arabie saoudite, et on nous dit que la planète se réchauffe !!! Imbéciles ! Mais ces pauvres chinois qui crèvent du froid pour l’inauguration de l’Année du Rat…
Un jeune suisse aveugle tient son blog. Bravo!
Un jeune suisse aveugle, Cédric Fardel, avec le soutien de son chien Neptune, tient un blog depuis 5 ans, montrant que sa cécité n'est pas un handicap. Un bel exemple pour nous tous! Bravo mec!
Free and Legal Music Downloads? Is this a joke?
I don’t know what really is going on here but this is simply too good to be true. With the RIAA and the rest of the music industry on the warpath, there must be a catch somewhere. If anyone is familiar with this site, can you tell me if this is really serious or just a gimmick?
Quarante logiciels gratuits pour tous les usages
Cela vous dirait d'équiper votre ordinateur en logiciels sans débourser un centime ? Bonne nouvelle ! A l'exception de Windows (mais ce dernier est presque toujours fourni avec les PC), c'est possible. Et contrairement à ce que vous pourriez croire, certains logiciels gratuits s'avèrent souvent aussi complets et performants que les logiciels du commerce. Quasiment tous les domaines sont concernés.
When sports becomes ugly and vicious...
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) says Spanish circuits risk punishment after claims Lewis Hamilton was racially abused at testing.
Last year Hamilton and Spanish McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso had a tense relationship, and he was allegedly taunted by Circuit de Catalunya fans.
Last year Hamilton and Spanish McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso had a tense relationship, and he was allegedly taunted by Circuit de Catalunya fans.
Anonymous déclare la guerre à la Scientologie
Nous sommes Anonymous
Depuis des années, nous vous observons dans l'ombre. Vos campagnes de désinformation, la répression des dissidents ainsi que votre nature litigieuse, tout cela a attiré notre attention. Avec la diffusion de votre dernière vidéo de propagande sur Internet, l'extension de votre influence nefaste sur ceux qui vous font confiance, ceux-la meme qui vous appellent dirigeants, est devenue claire a nos yeux. Anonymous a donc décidé que votre organisation devrait être réduite a néant. Pour le bien de vos adeptes, pour le bien de l'humanité et pour notre propre amusement, nous nous devons de vous expulser d'Internet et de démanteler la Scientologie sous sa forme actuelle.
Nous vous reconnaissons comme un adversaire de taille, ainsi nous nous préparons pour une longue, très longue campagne. Vous ne pourrez lutter éternellement contre la conscience populaire. Vos méthodes, hypocrites et souvent frauduleuses, ont sonné le glas de votre organisation.
Vous ne pouvez vous cacher car nous sommes partout, nous représentons toutes les classes de la societé actuelle : nous sommes vos facteurs, vos bouchers, vos cadres, vos médecins, vos voisins, vos amis. Anonymous ne peut etre éradiqué car nous sommes une volonté présente en chacun, pour chaque Anonymous qui tombe, dix prendront sa place.
Anonymous est Légion car nous sommes Innombrables, dans chaque villes, de chaque pays.
Il ne fait aucun doute que vous utiliserez l'action d'Anonymous en tant qu'exemple de la persécution subie par vos membres. La Scientologie classifiant comme "SP" les personnes à traquer et à faire taire, nous acceptons cette étiquette. Vos croyants se reveilleront et verront que leur salut n'a pas de prix. Ils comprendront alors que le sentiment de frustration et d'injustice qu'ils ressentent n'est pas issu d'Anonymous mais bien de la manipulation à laquelle ils ont été soumis depuis des années.
Pour défendre notre cause, Anonymous demande à tous ceux qui défendent les mêmes idéaux de déscendre dans les rues le 10 février, date anniversaire de Lisa McPherson décédée entre les mains de la Scientologie.
La connaissance n'est pas a vendre
Nous sommes Anonymous.
Nous sommes Légion.
Nous ne pardonnons pas.
Nous n'oublions pas.
On-line pirates win a battle in Spain...
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has now ruled that file-sharing network users in Spain have a right to privacy protection. Accordingly, internet providers in Spain must no longer forward online pirates' private information to music industry officials.
As always, women are the pariahs of religion
Saudi Arabia's religious police stopped schoolgirls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing correct Islamic dress, according to Saudi newspapers.
In a rare criticism of the kingdom's powerful "mutaween" police, the Saudi media has accused them of hindering attempts to save 15 girls who died in the fire on Monday.
In a rare criticism of the kingdom's powerful "mutaween" police, the Saudi media has accused them of hindering attempts to save 15 girls who died in the fire on Monday.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Yes We Can, Brothers and Sisters, Yes We Can!
I'm not for any political candidate, and I am not very hot on voting, but this is so well done! And Scarlett Johansson is just ...wow!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Grasshoppers and Grandmothers (1)
When I was growing up in Singapore, I had a friend called Ah Lau. I was about ten then, and he was slightly older. I used to follow him around because he knew things. And I didn’t. Sometimes I would surprise Ah Lau talking to my older brother but he would stop whenever I appeared. Whatever they were talking about was deemed inappropriate for my younger ears!
Ah Lau used to catch grasshoppers. There were stretches of dried grasslands in Singapore in those days and these were Ah Lau’s hunting grounds. He would prod the grass with a stick and, when a grasshopper jumped from its hiding place and revealed its existence, not realising that it’s grasshopping days were almost over, Ah Lau would crouch, and expertly catch the insect with his bare hands. Being an incompetent grasshopper catcher myself, I would just watch.
Ah Lau would then put his victim into a box that he had made. It was a wooden box with wire gauze covering one side, and it had a small opening that had a piece of rubber nailed around it. This allowed the grasshoppers to be slipped inside but made it impossible for them to get out. It was an ingenious contraption. Ah Lau was an Edison of sorts, in his own small way.
When he had caught enough grasshoppers, we would walk back leisurely to our neighborhood. This usually happened during the school holidays and we had plenty of time on our hands. Ah Lau lived in the flat above mine and, as soon as had deposited the grasshopper box in a safe place, he would come out again, and we would sit on the landing, talking about all sorts of things. Until my mother opened the door and nagged me to get inside.
The next morning, Ah Lau would take his grasshopper box and we would take a walk to a coffee-shop a few kilometers away. Even before we arrived, we could hear them. The birds. In those days, it was not unusual for people to keep birds in cages as pets, just as it is now fashionable to have a dog or an aquarium in the house. For, hooked to the ceiling of the coffee-shop were numerous cages with all kinds of birds singing their throats away. And this was the source of Ah Lau’s business; he came here to sell his grasshoppers to the bird owners who would then feed them to their birds.
Ah Lau would then begin his bargaining. With a few of his regular customers, he would try and dispose of his merchandise as quickly as possible. The transaction over, we would leave, after witnessing some of the birds swallowing the grasshoppers that had been hopping about only the day before. On the walk back Ah Lau would buy a packet of cigarettes with the money that he had earned. But he would never offer me one, saying that I was too young for such bad habits! Which is probably why I have never smoked.
Ah Lau used to catch grasshoppers. There were stretches of dried grasslands in Singapore in those days and these were Ah Lau’s hunting grounds. He would prod the grass with a stick and, when a grasshopper jumped from its hiding place and revealed its existence, not realising that it’s grasshopping days were almost over, Ah Lau would crouch, and expertly catch the insect with his bare hands. Being an incompetent grasshopper catcher myself, I would just watch.
Ah Lau would then put his victim into a box that he had made. It was a wooden box with wire gauze covering one side, and it had a small opening that had a piece of rubber nailed around it. This allowed the grasshoppers to be slipped inside but made it impossible for them to get out. It was an ingenious contraption. Ah Lau was an Edison of sorts, in his own small way.
When he had caught enough grasshoppers, we would walk back leisurely to our neighborhood. This usually happened during the school holidays and we had plenty of time on our hands. Ah Lau lived in the flat above mine and, as soon as had deposited the grasshopper box in a safe place, he would come out again, and we would sit on the landing, talking about all sorts of things. Until my mother opened the door and nagged me to get inside.
The next morning, Ah Lau would take his grasshopper box and we would take a walk to a coffee-shop a few kilometers away. Even before we arrived, we could hear them. The birds. In those days, it was not unusual for people to keep birds in cages as pets, just as it is now fashionable to have a dog or an aquarium in the house. For, hooked to the ceiling of the coffee-shop were numerous cages with all kinds of birds singing their throats away. And this was the source of Ah Lau’s business; he came here to sell his grasshoppers to the bird owners who would then feed them to their birds.
Ah Lau would then begin his bargaining. With a few of his regular customers, he would try and dispose of his merchandise as quickly as possible. The transaction over, we would leave, after witnessing some of the birds swallowing the grasshoppers that had been hopping about only the day before. On the walk back Ah Lau would buy a packet of cigarettes with the money that he had earned. But he would never offer me one, saying that I was too young for such bad habits! Which is probably why I have never smoked.
End of Part One
Is Smart Celebrity an oxymoron?
Yes, there are celebrities who are smart, no doubts about that! Just one question though, why are there no blacks on this list?
Voilà ce qui se passe à Gaza. (Images affreuses)
This is what's happening in Gaza. Very graphic and terrible images.
Swisscom lance Infinity!
Surfez désormais sur Internet à la meilleure vitesse disponible et téléphonez sur le réseau fixe suisse sans frais de conversation.
Tout cela avec l’abonnement Infinity, pour CHF 69.- / mois seulement.
Tout cela avec l’abonnement Infinity, pour CHF 69.- / mois seulement.
Friday, February 01, 2008
UBS. Union Bank of ... Singapore?
On sait qu'il existe une bonne cinquantaine de fonds souverains ou fonds d'Etat d'origine essentiellement asiatiques ou du Moyen-Orient pétrolier. Ces fonds, qui soi disant gèrent les réserves monétaires des Etats, représentent une capacité d'investissement de l'ordre de 2'800 milliards de dollars. Personne au juste dans nos grandes banques n'est capable de dire qui en sont les réels titulaires économiques, tellement l'opacité règne dans ce domaine.
Deep Throat goes "live" on Dutch Public TV!!
A lot of Dutch people will be glued to the TV on 23 February. The public television will beam Deep Throat, the most famous pornographic movie of all time. The manifesto of oral sex, realised in 1972, will be the pièce de résistance of the programme Sex and Drugs. In the liberal Netherlands Deep Throat is considered a landmark of the big screen and, in a way, this film is really a milestone for the big impact had on the society.
Visage de la Mort
Cliquez sur l'image et vous verrez les photos des soldats tués en Irak.
Click on the image and you'll see the photos of soldiers killed in Iraq.
Click on the image and you'll see the photos of soldiers killed in Iraq.
Penniless but walking all the way to India...
A man has started a two-and-a-half year walk from Bristol to India without any money - to show his faith in humanity.
Equipped with only a few T-shirts, a bandage and spare sandals, former dotcom businessman Mark Boyle is set to cross Europe and the Middle East.
On his 9,000-mile trek to Gandhi's birthplace, he will have to pick his way through war-ravaged Afghanistan.
Equipped with only a few T-shirts, a bandage and spare sandals, former dotcom businessman Mark Boyle is set to cross Europe and the Middle East.
On his 9,000-mile trek to Gandhi's birthplace, he will have to pick his way through war-ravaged Afghanistan.
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