This is the first full length novel of Archer I have read. The central idea is preposterous! Imagine stealing the Declaration of Independence!
Now that Sadam Hussein is dead and gone, I could well imagine him paying the crooks big money to humiliate all Americans. Of course the CIA would come to the rescue to counter steal the valuable piece of parchment. After lots of bullets were shot, the hero and the heroine were the only ones who escaped with their lives to tell the tale. The anti climax of the story came when it was discovered that what came back from Iraq was another fake. Then the action went to the crooks' hideout. Imagine big wig and hero arrested and thrown in police lock-up! That was what it took to recover a national treasure for posterity.
If I am a cinematic director, this story would make an exciting movie to add to my box office successes!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
(63) Darkness
Once Michael lived in a sublet room in an apartment near his campus. His bathroom (shared by three students) was leaking water above the shower unit for a full nine months before the chief tenant managed to obtain the land lord's consent to repair it.
On the day the plumber turned up, Michael saw him came up with his ladder before Michael hurriedly cycled off for classes. That evening, the leak was fixed. But the plumber, who disconnected the wiring near the leak for his own safety, forgot to reconnect the bathroom light. At that time, the plumber was happy as he earned his afternoon's fee. The land lord was satisfied, the bill was sent and the repair fee was duly deducted from that month's rent. He had done the right thing for his tenants.However, the chief tenant felt like a fool every time his three housemates shot dirty looks at him every night.
Thus the three hapless students began the period of their lives walking into a dark bathroom/toilet after each sunset.
On the day the plumber turned up, Michael saw him came up with his ladder before Michael hurriedly cycled off for classes. That evening, the leak was fixed. But the plumber, who disconnected the wiring near the leak for his own safety, forgot to reconnect the bathroom light. At that time, the plumber was happy as he earned his afternoon's fee. The land lord was satisfied, the bill was sent and the repair fee was duly deducted from that month's rent. He had done the right thing for his tenants.However, the chief tenant felt like a fool every time his three housemates shot dirty looks at him every night.
Thus the three hapless students began the period of their lives walking into a dark bathroom/toilet after each sunset.
Monday, September 24, 2012
(62) Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
This is the Nestle Smarties Book Price Winner, 2002.
Interestingly Reeve used to write plays and film scripts. He also illustrated the Horrible History series. He is indeed a man of many talents.
Even though the book is probably targeted at teenagers, adults might still find it fascinating. The world in the book is divided into moving cities that gobble up towns and stationary cities that hide behind mountain ranges or beyond the oceans.
In our world, metropolitan cities grew and "swallowed" other suburbs and little towns nearby. That is more of incorporation. In the book, the machinery literally swallowed other towns and recycle every part possible. People were captured and possibly enslaved. The great London movable City acted like a huge land based pirate ship on wheels.
I am glad that this story is mere fiction!
Interestingly Reeve used to write plays and film scripts. He also illustrated the Horrible History series. He is indeed a man of many talents.
Even though the book is probably targeted at teenagers, adults might still find it fascinating. The world in the book is divided into moving cities that gobble up towns and stationary cities that hide behind mountain ranges or beyond the oceans.
In our world, metropolitan cities grew and "swallowed" other suburbs and little towns nearby. That is more of incorporation. In the book, the machinery literally swallowed other towns and recycle every part possible. People were captured and possibly enslaved. The great London movable City acted like a huge land based pirate ship on wheels.
I am glad that this story is mere fiction!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
(61) The Minpins by Roald Dahl
Illustration by Patrick Benson.
The lovely pictures looked mighty familiar. I could have borrowed it fifteen years ago from the Silver City Library for my children.
This is contemporary imaginative children's tale at its best. Kenneth googled it as I was reading. He said it was the last picture book Rould Dahl wrote. Only thing that was different was that he used a new illustrator. This is the best illustration I have seen for at least a year.
Imagine worlds filled with tiny people called Minpins, just like Enid Blyton's elves, and the world of outdoor becomes exciting and fascinating. But, we are still cutting trees and clearing land in many parts of the world. Will my great-grand children have any wood left in their world?
The lovely pictures looked mighty familiar. I could have borrowed it fifteen years ago from the Silver City Library for my children.
This is contemporary imaginative children's tale at its best. Kenneth googled it as I was reading. He said it was the last picture book Rould Dahl wrote. Only thing that was different was that he used a new illustrator. This is the best illustration I have seen for at least a year.
Imagine worlds filled with tiny people called Minpins, just like Enid Blyton's elves, and the world of outdoor becomes exciting and fascinating. But, we are still cutting trees and clearing land in many parts of the world. Will my great-grand children have any wood left in their world?
Monday, September 17, 2012
(60) I'll be Home for Christmas
This version is a hilarious comedy from Walt Disney starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
From the few Christmases I spent in USA, I know this is the type of show a clan of 20-30 would be watching when they were snowed in around the Christmas-New Year holidays. It is a show that the old, the young, the mothers, the grandfathers, the romantic as well as the cynics could find something to relate to.
From a tropical paradise, such a movie evokes the nostalgia in me. I will probably never be in a temperate country again in the Christmas season, not that I do not want to. It is simply prohibitively expensive to fly during such super peak season. So it is just as well I could relive the best of Christmas through the TV screen.
I love the different geographical regions Thomas traveled through. A lot of the mountain scenery, I have not had the chance to see in person. Whatever parts of America I have been to, I am most grateful that as a student people have driven me through hundreds of miles to take me to their homes. It is a privilege that I live in the digital TV signal age that I get to see Sky TV showing me panoramic views of Colorado and the New England. I am well content with armchair traveling.
I like the theme of this movie: that Christmas is about what we can give others, whether it is a present, time, a helping hand , attention, company, love, or money. Being a taker pales in comparison.
From the few Christmases I spent in USA, I know this is the type of show a clan of 20-30 would be watching when they were snowed in around the Christmas-New Year holidays. It is a show that the old, the young, the mothers, the grandfathers, the romantic as well as the cynics could find something to relate to.
From a tropical paradise, such a movie evokes the nostalgia in me. I will probably never be in a temperate country again in the Christmas season, not that I do not want to. It is simply prohibitively expensive to fly during such super peak season. So it is just as well I could relive the best of Christmas through the TV screen.
I love the different geographical regions Thomas traveled through. A lot of the mountain scenery, I have not had the chance to see in person. Whatever parts of America I have been to, I am most grateful that as a student people have driven me through hundreds of miles to take me to their homes. It is a privilege that I live in the digital TV signal age that I get to see Sky TV showing me panoramic views of Colorado and the New England. I am well content with armchair traveling.
I like the theme of this movie: that Christmas is about what we can give others, whether it is a present, time, a helping hand , attention, company, love, or money. Being a taker pales in comparison.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
(58) My Beautiful Brain
By chance I watched part of this TV program: scientists examined the MRI brain images of two women. One was a woman chess grand master and the other is a color blind woman.
Interestingly, both women made use of the same parts of the brain for different purposes: for the chess prodigy - pattern recognition to decide how to make the next move and for the color blind woman - to recognize faces of people without the help of hair and eye color.
This chess prodigy was trained by her father since she was very young. By the time she was six years old, she spent up to six hours a day memorizing chess moves. Apart from the unique ability to be able to focus at such a young age, she was disciplined and happened to have a father willing to spend years training her and her two sisters. All three women excelled at chess as adults.
Elizabeth and I laugh at ourselves, we are both not very good at facial recognition. No wonder we are neither any good in chess.
Interestingly, both women made use of the same parts of the brain for different purposes: for the chess prodigy - pattern recognition to decide how to make the next move and for the color blind woman - to recognize faces of people without the help of hair and eye color.
This chess prodigy was trained by her father since she was very young. By the time she was six years old, she spent up to six hours a day memorizing chess moves. Apart from the unique ability to be able to focus at such a young age, she was disciplined and happened to have a father willing to spend years training her and her two sisters. All three women excelled at chess as adults.
Elizabeth and I laugh at ourselves, we are both not very good at facial recognition. No wonder we are neither any good in chess.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
(57) The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
I was a science student in High School and College. If I had gone on to a Masters, it would have been in artificial intelligence. (That explains why I have tried peeping into any learning disabled brains for years, I guess.) The scholarship offer was there, but I changed my mind after God told me to return to my home country. I used to hang out with English Lit and Art History majors. Many a time they had discussions on topics like Dante's inferno, Virginia Woolf, Art Deco ... At that time, I could not even catch 5% of what was thrown around. Yeah, I could not even get past 1 chapter of any Woolf books.
When Elizabeth(my daughter) borrowed The Tenth Circle, my own life has turned full circle! Finally I am a little less square, I can begin to sense, to feel and perhaps someday to understand subtle nuances Lit majors are so good at portraying, whether in words(verbal or written), or in behavior.
In this book, a daughter was raped, the father punched the rapist(a student in school), and the mother (being insulted) pushed the fiend into the river and he died. I know it is probably 100% fictional. Yet this story has a hold over me and it was gripping to read. I suppose any mother worth her salt would find super human strength to free her child pinned under a heavy vehicle. It is probable that given overwhelming provocation, I could have done worse. I totally sympathize with the poor woman. Yet, the rapist's mom had only one son. And as judges are so fond of saying, but for the rape, he was going places, had an upcoming sports scholarship and a "bright" future! Here in my country, two child rapists (the victims were underage) were set free recently because the victims consented to sex with men twice their ages. I would root for any rapist to be jailed, but to die for one assault?
Picoult has a magical way of weaving unlikely topics together into a seamless whole. Here in this book we are treated to cartoons galore. If it is to be made into a film, a sizable chunk would be shot near the Artic Circle. I can relate to Eskimo traditional beliefs, they are pretty close to what my grand ma talked about. Imagine a mother who teaches about hell fire in college and a stay at home father who illustrates cartoons, you have the daughter's background nailed. No one could have more artistic influence than her. No wonder her life evolved around building a relationship with her dream boy. She was willing to take party drug to do away with any inhibitions, to turn herself into a tart, to strip in public to win back her lover. No wonder in the Chinese language the character sex had a radical of knife on top! In traditional Chinese community, it is tragic to have any daughters who are passionate, such women usually die by lengths of cord or might jump into wells.
If Picoult's aim in writing is to provoke individual deep contemplation about issues, she has more than achieved it with this book. Hereby I vote it as the best of her books that I have read.
When Elizabeth(my daughter) borrowed The Tenth Circle, my own life has turned full circle! Finally I am a little less square, I can begin to sense, to feel and perhaps someday to understand subtle nuances Lit majors are so good at portraying, whether in words(verbal or written), or in behavior.
In this book, a daughter was raped, the father punched the rapist(a student in school), and the mother (being insulted) pushed the fiend into the river and he died. I know it is probably 100% fictional. Yet this story has a hold over me and it was gripping to read. I suppose any mother worth her salt would find super human strength to free her child pinned under a heavy vehicle. It is probable that given overwhelming provocation, I could have done worse. I totally sympathize with the poor woman. Yet, the rapist's mom had only one son. And as judges are so fond of saying, but for the rape, he was going places, had an upcoming sports scholarship and a "bright" future! Here in my country, two child rapists (the victims were underage) were set free recently because the victims consented to sex with men twice their ages. I would root for any rapist to be jailed, but to die for one assault?
Picoult has a magical way of weaving unlikely topics together into a seamless whole. Here in this book we are treated to cartoons galore. If it is to be made into a film, a sizable chunk would be shot near the Artic Circle. I can relate to Eskimo traditional beliefs, they are pretty close to what my grand ma talked about. Imagine a mother who teaches about hell fire in college and a stay at home father who illustrates cartoons, you have the daughter's background nailed. No one could have more artistic influence than her. No wonder her life evolved around building a relationship with her dream boy. She was willing to take party drug to do away with any inhibitions, to turn herself into a tart, to strip in public to win back her lover. No wonder in the Chinese language the character sex had a radical of knife on top! In traditional Chinese community, it is tragic to have any daughters who are passionate, such women usually die by lengths of cord or might jump into wells.
If Picoult's aim in writing is to provoke individual deep contemplation about issues, she has more than achieved it with this book. Hereby I vote it as the best of her books that I have read.
Friday, September 14, 2012
(56) One-man international aid organization
This article is found in the January 2003 issue of Reader's Digest. I will just give a few details:
Name: Hannes Urban
Nationality: Austrian
Occupation: Taxi driver
Projects: 1. Bringing clothes for South African homeless children
2. Bringing boxes of medicine to indigenous Mexicans
3. Providing clean and safe drinking water in needy community in a South African village
Organization: Wir Helfen (We help, in German)
Internet site: www.wir-helfen.org
Donors: Friends, passengers, pharmaceutical companies, shipping companies, airlines
Peter Langthaler(provided $5000 to transport medicine to Sudan)
Helper: Christine Urban (sister-in-law of Hannes)
Contact: Dr. Juan Romero, Cuautepec, Mexico City
Thobeka Sidlayi, Rohlweni, 320 Km from Durban
From the article, Hannes started with travelling, then he was called to do this work.
Name: Hannes Urban
Nationality: Austrian
Occupation: Taxi driver
Projects: 1. Bringing clothes for South African homeless children
2. Bringing boxes of medicine to indigenous Mexicans
3. Providing clean and safe drinking water in needy community in a South African village
Organization: Wir Helfen (We help, in German)
Internet site: www.wir-helfen.org
Donors: Friends, passengers, pharmaceutical companies, shipping companies, airlines
Peter Langthaler(provided $5000 to transport medicine to Sudan)
Helper: Christine Urban (sister-in-law of Hannes)
Contact: Dr. Juan Romero, Cuautepec, Mexico City
Thobeka Sidlayi, Rohlweni, 320 Km from Durban
From the article, Hannes started with travelling, then he was called to do this work.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
(55) Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Whatever problem I may face in my marriage, infertility is not it. Reading Sing You Home opened my eyes. I could not understand why my old friends who had miscarriages disappeared from our reunions. Perhaps the children came into my life without much effort in terms of not needing fertility treatment. I did not envision the heart breaks others could have faced. Instead, I saw the beautiful and neat homes childless couples have. I imagine the luxury of personal time they have individually and as a couple. Having looked after a sick child for several nights consecutively, I would actually envy those childless friends of mine who could sleep through the night without having to attend to a child who woke up a few times to throw up or had soiled the bed.
While I have spent one summer hanging around a landlady who happened to be the best friend of a gay man, I didn't have any friend who is a lesbian. Personally, I found that gay man very personable, often times he was really a friend in need. Whenever his partner was out of town, he would come and have Sichuan dinners with us (my landlady and I). He was fun, very knowledgeable, entertaining, and he was extremely articulate for being an IT man. Putting religion aside, forgetting about middle-class morality, he was easily one of the best guy friend I had met in America.
Imagine a girl who has a biological mother married to her birth mother, her biological father is actively participating in her life. What do you think her life is like? Well, it is not the typical scenario in most parts of the world. I would not want any one of my children to grow up in a family with two mothers or two fathers. Neither would I want any of my brood to hang out and spend extensive time in such a household. After saying that, I admit that I am rather conservative in these issues.(Liberals, shoot me!) But after reading the book, I do see the other side of the coin: namely Zoe and Vanessa have the right to decide to live the way they want. They could seek to parent a child by adoption or have a donated sperm to fertilize eggs from Vanessa. The constitution in America probably could be interpreted in such a way in some states to allow them to fulfill their desire to bring up their child in that respect.(Conservatives may shoot me now!) I did not grow up in a church, I chose Christianity as an adult after college. I find that I belong to the small group who do not see things as black and white. While I may choose to keep my opinions to myself, it does not mean that I agree with others in my fellowship group or church. Perhaps that is the precise reason why I chose the net as a platform to present my views.
While I have spent one summer hanging around a landlady who happened to be the best friend of a gay man, I didn't have any friend who is a lesbian. Personally, I found that gay man very personable, often times he was really a friend in need. Whenever his partner was out of town, he would come and have Sichuan dinners with us (my landlady and I). He was fun, very knowledgeable, entertaining, and he was extremely articulate for being an IT man. Putting religion aside, forgetting about middle-class morality, he was easily one of the best guy friend I had met in America.
Imagine a girl who has a biological mother married to her birth mother, her biological father is actively participating in her life. What do you think her life is like? Well, it is not the typical scenario in most parts of the world. I would not want any one of my children to grow up in a family with two mothers or two fathers. Neither would I want any of my brood to hang out and spend extensive time in such a household. After saying that, I admit that I am rather conservative in these issues.(Liberals, shoot me!) But after reading the book, I do see the other side of the coin: namely Zoe and Vanessa have the right to decide to live the way they want. They could seek to parent a child by adoption or have a donated sperm to fertilize eggs from Vanessa. The constitution in America probably could be interpreted in such a way in some states to allow them to fulfill their desire to bring up their child in that respect.(Conservatives may shoot me now!) I did not grow up in a church, I chose Christianity as an adult after college. I find that I belong to the small group who do not see things as black and white. While I may choose to keep my opinions to myself, it does not mean that I agree with others in my fellowship group or church. Perhaps that is the precise reason why I chose the net as a platform to present my views.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
(54) A look at my voice box
The other day I went for my half yearly check up. I said yes to participating in a ENT graduate research project. The first visit involved a voice recording by a computer. A few days later, I went to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department and a flexible scope was lowered through my nostril into my throat to view the voice box. The image was in full colors, real time and is a moving video. It beats all the diagrams I learned by hard in my anatomy text books.
From the recorded video, I can see that the moving parts are actually little bones that make up a joint. Since my voice box looks perfectly normal and the sound recording passes whatever standard, there was no need for me to go again. I would become one number in the normal group.
From the recorded video, I can see that the moving parts are actually little bones that make up a joint. Since my voice box looks perfectly normal and the sound recording passes whatever standard, there was no need for me to go again. I would become one number in the normal group.
(53) Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
Reading the second half of this book is like watching the World Trade Tower being hit by the plane, I felt my stomach sinking ...
I totally relate to the woman (Mary Beth) in the book who talked about how she befriended her neighbor as the two sets of children played together. A home-maker's world is generally as big as her house if she does not own a car.(after the third child arrives, it gets increasingly difficult to take the entire gang out anyway!) After talking to a few children under the age of six days and nights for a few weeks, it would be stressful to suddenly have to converse with more than two adults at one go.(Around that period of my life, I was living in a small town, involved with a group of mothers from other big cities.) How was Mary Beth to know that her neighbor's marriage would unravel after the second child drowned in front of her own eyes? Or who would foresee that the lovable boy(the elder boy of the neighbor) would grow up to stalk her daughter, and later to kill her husband, son and daughter all at one go?
If there is any one point she could turn back, it was in avoiding her neighbor's husband with roving eyes like plague right from the start. But I suppose she is not perfect. Once her affair with that unfaithful neighbor was known to his wife, I suppose the die is set. She not only lost her best friend, she made a life-long enemy. Goodness know what the neurotic woman did to drive the elder son to Mary Beth's house.
After spending hundreds of thousands of hours in Mary Beth's house, this boy ate numerous meals but turn around and at one swipe murdered three and hurt one seriously. It is proverbial like biting the hand that feeds him. Of course it is an incident that is one in a million, probably. Interestingly Mary Beth's husband actually did not want his wife to socialize with that family. I wonder if he objected to the father's philandering or he did not like his wife to spend too much time with a woman that his children referred to as crazy. I guess we are all affected to some extent by the company we keep. Certain decisions have a drastic effect on our lives!
I totally relate to the woman (Mary Beth) in the book who talked about how she befriended her neighbor as the two sets of children played together. A home-maker's world is generally as big as her house if she does not own a car.(after the third child arrives, it gets increasingly difficult to take the entire gang out anyway!) After talking to a few children under the age of six days and nights for a few weeks, it would be stressful to suddenly have to converse with more than two adults at one go.(Around that period of my life, I was living in a small town, involved with a group of mothers from other big cities.) How was Mary Beth to know that her neighbor's marriage would unravel after the second child drowned in front of her own eyes? Or who would foresee that the lovable boy(the elder boy of the neighbor) would grow up to stalk her daughter, and later to kill her husband, son and daughter all at one go?
If there is any one point she could turn back, it was in avoiding her neighbor's husband with roving eyes like plague right from the start. But I suppose she is not perfect. Once her affair with that unfaithful neighbor was known to his wife, I suppose the die is set. She not only lost her best friend, she made a life-long enemy. Goodness know what the neurotic woman did to drive the elder son to Mary Beth's house.
After spending hundreds of thousands of hours in Mary Beth's house, this boy ate numerous meals but turn around and at one swipe murdered three and hurt one seriously. It is proverbial like biting the hand that feeds him. Of course it is an incident that is one in a million, probably. Interestingly Mary Beth's husband actually did not want his wife to socialize with that family. I wonder if he objected to the father's philandering or he did not like his wife to spend too much time with a woman that his children referred to as crazy. I guess we are all affected to some extent by the company we keep. Certain decisions have a drastic effect on our lives!
Monday, September 10, 2012
(52) Friends with Benefits
I have three friends, Amy, Betty and Cathy. They each have one, two and three sons respectively.
One day we talked about the morals of teenagers. Each of them had something to say. Amy lives in New Zealand. She related how her son had a girl friend while in University. While the son and the girl friend had never shared a room in her house, she knows that they had sexual relations in Uni and on trips. Since she is old fashion, she did talk to him about ruining the girl friend's prospects of a good marriage if he uses up her youth and then dumps her. Anyway, they broke up upon graduation. What she could not understand is the fact that they broke up amicably after a three night and four day stay in a really out of the way beach resort.
That disclosure brought confession out of Betty, remember Betty has two sons. Her second son had a girl friend in Pre-University. Although the son went to study in UK but the girl friend went to Australia, the on and off relationship lasted five years before they called it quits. Once again, both went on a week long farewell trip before parting.
Cathy has three sons. The youngest has the best look and is six foot tall. He studies in Singapore. According to the mum, he is in his second year in engineering but is currently dating his third girl friend. Needless to say, it is like the TV show "Friends with Benefits". She sighed and said she did not know what this generation has come to! After all, all of us know that Amy, Betty and Cathy each married their first boy friends. Although all three met their beloved abroad, it was unlikely they could move in with their heart-throbs. They have brothers and sisters in the same apartments watching over the conduct of each other.
They all look at me, I said nothing about my sons. Well, neither have brought any girl home. As long as each is serious about his walk with God, it is unlikely they would get ensnared in illicit sexual relationships. Kenneth is preparing to be a missionary. Not only he needs to find a spouse who loves and obeys God, he really needs to find someone with the same type of calling so that she would be willing to relocate to the ends of the earth for God's purposes. At this point it hits me that as believers, we are in the world but not of the world. We may reside in South East Asia but our citizenship is really in heaven. We are but travelers passing through for seventy to eighty years.
One day we talked about the morals of teenagers. Each of them had something to say. Amy lives in New Zealand. She related how her son had a girl friend while in University. While the son and the girl friend had never shared a room in her house, she knows that they had sexual relations in Uni and on trips. Since she is old fashion, she did talk to him about ruining the girl friend's prospects of a good marriage if he uses up her youth and then dumps her. Anyway, they broke up upon graduation. What she could not understand is the fact that they broke up amicably after a three night and four day stay in a really out of the way beach resort.
That disclosure brought confession out of Betty, remember Betty has two sons. Her second son had a girl friend in Pre-University. Although the son went to study in UK but the girl friend went to Australia, the on and off relationship lasted five years before they called it quits. Once again, both went on a week long farewell trip before parting.
Cathy has three sons. The youngest has the best look and is six foot tall. He studies in Singapore. According to the mum, he is in his second year in engineering but is currently dating his third girl friend. Needless to say, it is like the TV show "Friends with Benefits". She sighed and said she did not know what this generation has come to! After all, all of us know that Amy, Betty and Cathy each married their first boy friends. Although all three met their beloved abroad, it was unlikely they could move in with their heart-throbs. They have brothers and sisters in the same apartments watching over the conduct of each other.
They all look at me, I said nothing about my sons. Well, neither have brought any girl home. As long as each is serious about his walk with God, it is unlikely they would get ensnared in illicit sexual relationships. Kenneth is preparing to be a missionary. Not only he needs to find a spouse who loves and obeys God, he really needs to find someone with the same type of calling so that she would be willing to relocate to the ends of the earth for God's purposes. At this point it hits me that as believers, we are in the world but not of the world. We may reside in South East Asia but our citizenship is really in heaven. We are but travelers passing through for seventy to eighty years.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
(51) The disposition of an estate
A childhood friend's father passed on recently. It was sudden and unexpected, he died of a massive heart attack. About a year before he died, he went to a lawyer and drew up a will. He told my friend the details as she was his favorite daughter.
The sad part was that after his death, my friend could not locate the will. Either her father hid it so well that she could not find it or it had been destroyed by a sibling who was not in favor of the key clause in the will. She was very determined to find it, she spent every week end searching through every item in every room systematically through the 3,000 square feet house.
It was her father's wishes that she be given the opportunity to purchase his house from the other children by staggered payments through a few years. Until the will is located, the other siblings would probably apply for a letter of administration and have the house sold and the proceeds divided equally among the seven siblings.
From this true story, we can see that it is not just important to write a will; but it is equally important that it be kept in a safe place and the executor of the will be given access to it. Contrary to popular belief that a testator should keep his will in his safe deposit box, such a box would be frozen as soon as the death certificate is issued or the obituary appears in the local newspaper.
The sad part was that after his death, my friend could not locate the will. Either her father hid it so well that she could not find it or it had been destroyed by a sibling who was not in favor of the key clause in the will. She was very determined to find it, she spent every week end searching through every item in every room systematically through the 3,000 square feet house.
It was her father's wishes that she be given the opportunity to purchase his house from the other children by staggered payments through a few years. Until the will is located, the other siblings would probably apply for a letter of administration and have the house sold and the proceeds divided equally among the seven siblings.
From this true story, we can see that it is not just important to write a will; but it is equally important that it be kept in a safe place and the executor of the will be given access to it. Contrary to popular belief that a testator should keep his will in his safe deposit box, such a box would be frozen as soon as the death certificate is issued or the obituary appears in the local newspaper.
(50) The Big Footprints by Hammond Innes
This is a story set in the big game country in Africa. As a reader who knows little about elephants, I was mesmerized by the will, courage, intelligence and resilience displayed by the biggest land animals in the book.
White foreigners went to Africa for gold, glory, power, God, control, business and myriad other reasons. Some probably fell in love with the big, wild continent. Others could have become rich dabbling in one thing or another. A few could have fallen in love and make animal cause their life work like Jane Goodall.
Among the newsmen who went to attend the conference in the book, three remained behind at the end of the conference: Abe Finkel, Mary Delden, and Colin Tait. They were guests of the Government to witness and record the scientific culling of the elephants to feed the starving folks in the northern drought region.
With population increase, imminent famine, political upheaval and the threat of poachers, the survival of wild game outside of well run reserves is a big question mark! As we witness the pollution of land, air and water, how can we expect the conservation of animals to be undertaken better than how the poor and homeless are being treated in most countries?
White foreigners went to Africa for gold, glory, power, God, control, business and myriad other reasons. Some probably fell in love with the big, wild continent. Others could have become rich dabbling in one thing or another. A few could have fallen in love and make animal cause their life work like Jane Goodall.
Among the newsmen who went to attend the conference in the book, three remained behind at the end of the conference: Abe Finkel, Mary Delden, and Colin Tait. They were guests of the Government to witness and record the scientific culling of the elephants to feed the starving folks in the northern drought region.
With population increase, imminent famine, political upheaval and the threat of poachers, the survival of wild game outside of well run reserves is a big question mark! As we witness the pollution of land, air and water, how can we expect the conservation of animals to be undertaken better than how the poor and homeless are being treated in most countries?
Thursday, September 6, 2012
(49) To act justly?
My country is still in the anticipation of the next general election. The other day we were talking about the natives' ancestral land was being usurped by the corporations in northern Borneo. While that is really nothing new, this time someone said that the huge commercial group that attracted the spotlight this time is owned by Christians. That really rung a bell in my head.
A few days back I read that after the conversion of John Newton, he was practicing his faith sincerely but he was still captain to a slave ship. I suppose that these hard working and rich Hock Chew folks originally from the coastal area of southern China probably think that the aborigines as non-people. They might see that God has blessed them with wealth so that they could convert every inch of northern Borneo into oil palm plantations. The green oil would generate more and more money so that they could become wealthier every year. That in itself is probably alright; but think of the aborigines who would have no means of surviving outside of the jungle, they would probably be left with few choices: servitude, prostitution, crime, living near mountains of rubbish as scavengers ....
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
A few days back I read that after the conversion of John Newton, he was practicing his faith sincerely but he was still captain to a slave ship. I suppose that these hard working and rich Hock Chew folks originally from the coastal area of southern China probably think that the aborigines as non-people. They might see that God has blessed them with wealth so that they could convert every inch of northern Borneo into oil palm plantations. The green oil would generate more and more money so that they could become wealthier every year. That in itself is probably alright; but think of the aborigines who would have no means of surviving outside of the jungle, they would probably be left with few choices: servitude, prostitution, crime, living near mountains of rubbish as scavengers ....
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
(48) Dividing gold
As gold price was very much lower thirty years ago, older women tend to have accumulated some jewelry over their lives.
My childhood friend, Jane, married a man who happened to be the youngest of six brothers. Since all the other brothers bought houses and moved out after they got married, Jane and her husband stayed with his parents. During one of her mother-in-law's illnesses, Jane actually suggested that the old lady decide what to give to who, putting her jewelry into six envelopes and mark clearly the recipient on each envelope. For whatever reason, the old lady decided to do nothing.
The day her mother-in-law passed on, Jane passed over the entire caboodle over to her eldest sis-in-law according to Chinese rules. Now, that particular sister-in-law is actually a very rich woman, far richer than the others. When the time came to divide the "loot", the eldest sister-in-law declared that her mum-in-law told her she was to have the most beautiful diamond pendant and the most costly jade bracelet. The rest of the pile was divided into six somewhat equal sub-groups that they drew lot to determine who got which. Of course Jane knew that her eldest sis-in-law was greedy and lied. But what was there to argue about, as there was no way to call the deceased back to prove anything. We both surmised that we are just keepers of such treasure for a certain number of years before passing them to our heirs. None of us can take such things with us at death.
In contrast to Jane's mum-in-law, my mother was a little poorer and own far less jewelry. She is hale and hearty today, still able to complete her forty minute brisk walk every morning. She has already divided her life time collection. Each daughter-in-law, grand daughter, daughter and grandson's future wife gets a little keep sake. I was given a thin necklace upon my marriage many years ago. Her grand daughter from her eldest son was given her tiny diamond ear rings. My children each received a tiny golden cross when they were born. Other grandsons received a ring each. Daughters-in-law each received a bracelet. In this way, the division was fair and equitable. No one was missed out. Lately my mum is wearing the 14k gold ear stud I gave her. Actually this is a much better way of handling such affairs, as later there was no need to arbitrarily divide such inheritance which might cause ill feelings. Isn't it much more important to keep good will and have close relationship with our siblings even after our parents' deaths?
My childhood friend, Jane, married a man who happened to be the youngest of six brothers. Since all the other brothers bought houses and moved out after they got married, Jane and her husband stayed with his parents. During one of her mother-in-law's illnesses, Jane actually suggested that the old lady decide what to give to who, putting her jewelry into six envelopes and mark clearly the recipient on each envelope. For whatever reason, the old lady decided to do nothing.
The day her mother-in-law passed on, Jane passed over the entire caboodle over to her eldest sis-in-law according to Chinese rules. Now, that particular sister-in-law is actually a very rich woman, far richer than the others. When the time came to divide the "loot", the eldest sister-in-law declared that her mum-in-law told her she was to have the most beautiful diamond pendant and the most costly jade bracelet. The rest of the pile was divided into six somewhat equal sub-groups that they drew lot to determine who got which. Of course Jane knew that her eldest sis-in-law was greedy and lied. But what was there to argue about, as there was no way to call the deceased back to prove anything. We both surmised that we are just keepers of such treasure for a certain number of years before passing them to our heirs. None of us can take such things with us at death.
In contrast to Jane's mum-in-law, my mother was a little poorer and own far less jewelry. She is hale and hearty today, still able to complete her forty minute brisk walk every morning. She has already divided her life time collection. Each daughter-in-law, grand daughter, daughter and grandson's future wife gets a little keep sake. I was given a thin necklace upon my marriage many years ago. Her grand daughter from her eldest son was given her tiny diamond ear rings. My children each received a tiny golden cross when they were born. Other grandsons received a ring each. Daughters-in-law each received a bracelet. In this way, the division was fair and equitable. No one was missed out. Lately my mum is wearing the 14k gold ear stud I gave her. Actually this is a much better way of handling such affairs, as later there was no need to arbitrarily divide such inheritance which might cause ill feelings. Isn't it much more important to keep good will and have close relationship with our siblings even after our parents' deaths?
Monday, September 3, 2012
(47) Abortion
I watched part of a program by Aljazeera on the issue of abortion in America.
Personally I need not think much about abortion in my country. After all, abortion is illegal in this place where the majority of the citizens are Muslims. It is also clear cut that if I am serious about following Christ, aborting an unwanted foetus is actually murder.
However, the people around me are not Christians. My mother has aborted a few times after I was born. Of course I cannot judge her, until today she held on firm to her Taoist upbringing. To her, souls are reborn. Whether a person lives to be ninety nine or was aborted before birth, he or she would undergo endless cycles of lives. I used to think that she could not keep those unborn siblings due to economic pressure. But after she explained I realized she did not want to be house bound anymore after I was five, when my father could finally afford to take her back to his hometown for a week long visit after about ten years of marriage. You may find this funny, but I understand it well as she is still a timid woman who dare not travel out of town alone. It is just as well that I take after my dad who was adventurous. To me, it would be no hardship to pack my bags and travel to any part of the world alone.
I have two other close friends who have aborted more than once during their married years. Mary has three girls, she has aborted twice, once after the birth of her first girl. She works full time in a demanding job and her mother was not willing to look after two babies at one time as both would be under the age of two. After the birth of her third girl, she became pregnant again unexpectedly. Looking at their expenses with three girls, her husband and her decided to abort and to ligate at the same time.
Jane has two girls. When she was married barely a year, she was pregnant despite every precaution. Not only she and her husband was financially unprepared, emotionally they felt overwhelmed by the unwanted pregnancy. The second abortion occurred after her first girl was born. Interestingly neither of my girl friends regret nor look back sadly. Both are happy in their marriages and have healthy and intelligent children. It was simply logical to abort due to particular sets of circumstances.
For me, I am glad that I am no longer in USA and be torn in between pro-life or pro-choice. I take the stand that I should "judge not lest I myself be judged". I have chosen not to abort myself. I feel such choices are up to the individuals concerned. Should they have certain religious conviction, then such decisions would be between them and God.
Personally I need not think much about abortion in my country. After all, abortion is illegal in this place where the majority of the citizens are Muslims. It is also clear cut that if I am serious about following Christ, aborting an unwanted foetus is actually murder.
However, the people around me are not Christians. My mother has aborted a few times after I was born. Of course I cannot judge her, until today she held on firm to her Taoist upbringing. To her, souls are reborn. Whether a person lives to be ninety nine or was aborted before birth, he or she would undergo endless cycles of lives. I used to think that she could not keep those unborn siblings due to economic pressure. But after she explained I realized she did not want to be house bound anymore after I was five, when my father could finally afford to take her back to his hometown for a week long visit after about ten years of marriage. You may find this funny, but I understand it well as she is still a timid woman who dare not travel out of town alone. It is just as well that I take after my dad who was adventurous. To me, it would be no hardship to pack my bags and travel to any part of the world alone.
I have two other close friends who have aborted more than once during their married years. Mary has three girls, she has aborted twice, once after the birth of her first girl. She works full time in a demanding job and her mother was not willing to look after two babies at one time as both would be under the age of two. After the birth of her third girl, she became pregnant again unexpectedly. Looking at their expenses with three girls, her husband and her decided to abort and to ligate at the same time.
Jane has two girls. When she was married barely a year, she was pregnant despite every precaution. Not only she and her husband was financially unprepared, emotionally they felt overwhelmed by the unwanted pregnancy. The second abortion occurred after her first girl was born. Interestingly neither of my girl friends regret nor look back sadly. Both are happy in their marriages and have healthy and intelligent children. It was simply logical to abort due to particular sets of circumstances.
For me, I am glad that I am no longer in USA and be torn in between pro-life or pro-choice. I take the stand that I should "judge not lest I myself be judged". I have chosen not to abort myself. I feel such choices are up to the individuals concerned. Should they have certain religious conviction, then such decisions would be between them and God.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
(46) Finding God in the story of Amazing Grace by Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware
Amazing Grace is probably one of the most famous, well loved and often sung hymn.
I have heard that it was written by a reformed white slave trader. It turned out that he used to captain ships transporting Africans to become slaves in the far flung parts of the British Empire. Before I read this book, I was under the impression that he could have converted during his old age. But the truth was that after he knew God and was a practicing Christian, he was still running slave ships and was profiting much from the trade.
The first part of this book was about John Newton, our famous hymn writer. He alone penned the lyrics to 280 songs. In addition to that, he was a pastor (after he gave up seafaring) with much influence over individuals. The second part tells the story of William Wilberforce, who used his position as a man in the parliament, his wealth, his influence, his eloquence and his social graces to persist in the endeavor which lasted 20 years in pushing through the motion of abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.
The book high lights the omnipotent God who patiently used circumstances to humble each man, pain and affliction were their portion to push them away from what would have been the natural paths of men their back ground and temperaments. They were both responsive and obedient to carry out their assigned roles in the big picture of God's will in the ages. Each of us is uniquely and lovingly made for a special purpose. It may not be a huge task like that of William Wilberforce, affecting thousands and tens of thousands across the known world at that time. But if we tune in to the Master's call and obediently follow his leading, we will be the happiest people on earth.
I have heard that it was written by a reformed white slave trader. It turned out that he used to captain ships transporting Africans to become slaves in the far flung parts of the British Empire. Before I read this book, I was under the impression that he could have converted during his old age. But the truth was that after he knew God and was a practicing Christian, he was still running slave ships and was profiting much from the trade.
The first part of this book was about John Newton, our famous hymn writer. He alone penned the lyrics to 280 songs. In addition to that, he was a pastor (after he gave up seafaring) with much influence over individuals. The second part tells the story of William Wilberforce, who used his position as a man in the parliament, his wealth, his influence, his eloquence and his social graces to persist in the endeavor which lasted 20 years in pushing through the motion of abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.
The book high lights the omnipotent God who patiently used circumstances to humble each man, pain and affliction were their portion to push them away from what would have been the natural paths of men their back ground and temperaments. They were both responsive and obedient to carry out their assigned roles in the big picture of God's will in the ages. Each of us is uniquely and lovingly made for a special purpose. It may not be a huge task like that of William Wilberforce, affecting thousands and tens of thousands across the known world at that time. But if we tune in to the Master's call and obediently follow his leading, we will be the happiest people on earth.
(45) Desire Under the Elms
This is a black and white classic based on the play by Eugene O'Neill. Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, and Burl Ives starred in it.
I don't know much about the rules of inheritance in New England in the eighteen hundreds. Could it be that a woman in those days were not allowed to own land legally? Why was it that Eben did not inherit the farm outright from his mother? After all, it was said that the farm originally belonged to the mother. The right to the farm led to much unhappiness of mother and son. After the mother passed on, Eben waited anxiously for his step-father's death. Much to his consternation, his step-father remarried.
The entire story runs around the farm. The deceased woman was adamant that the farm should go back to her natural son. But I suppose she had no way to enforce it. Eben lived and worked on the farm waiting to regain its ownership, which he saw as his birthright. The step-father gloried on being able to control his two biological sons and one step-son. The young and attractive step-mother married the old man because she wanted to eventually own the farm. After the two good-for-nothing sons left for California, the remaining three were thrown to their own devises in one house.
The end result was a tragic ending for all three. The old man was left all alone to live out the rest of his life. The step-son and the step-mother were to be jailed for the baby's murder. Instead of being a blessing, that farm turned out to be a curse to this patch-work family.
This was the Hollywood film debut for Sophia Loren. She was striking, sensual and extremely shapely.
I don't know much about the rules of inheritance in New England in the eighteen hundreds. Could it be that a woman in those days were not allowed to own land legally? Why was it that Eben did not inherit the farm outright from his mother? After all, it was said that the farm originally belonged to the mother. The right to the farm led to much unhappiness of mother and son. After the mother passed on, Eben waited anxiously for his step-father's death. Much to his consternation, his step-father remarried.
The entire story runs around the farm. The deceased woman was adamant that the farm should go back to her natural son. But I suppose she had no way to enforce it. Eben lived and worked on the farm waiting to regain its ownership, which he saw as his birthright. The step-father gloried on being able to control his two biological sons and one step-son. The young and attractive step-mother married the old man because she wanted to eventually own the farm. After the two good-for-nothing sons left for California, the remaining three were thrown to their own devises in one house.
The end result was a tragic ending for all three. The old man was left all alone to live out the rest of his life. The step-son and the step-mother were to be jailed for the baby's murder. Instead of being a blessing, that farm turned out to be a curse to this patch-work family.
This was the Hollywood film debut for Sophia Loren. She was striking, sensual and extremely shapely.
(44) Curse of the Spider King by WTBatson & CHopper
This book was published by Thomas Nelson and won the Moonbeam Children's Book Award.
The story reminded me a lot about Narnia. In place of Narnia, we have Allyra where we find elves, spiders, wisps, Gwar warriors, and other creatures. Eight hundred elves' years ago, seven infant elves born from the blood lines of Over Lords were sent to earth as orphans. At their coming of age, 13, they begun to display their exceptional abilities. While the elf sentinels tried to smuggle them back to Allyra, the dark forces were trying to kill them.
What I really like about the story is reading how each of these Over Lords deal with their extraordinary powers and all the upheavals that forced them to leave their homes and adoptive parents behind. While it is a purely fictional account, it is interesting to find each thirteen year old has a different situation whether in school or at home.
The story reminded me a lot about Narnia. In place of Narnia, we have Allyra where we find elves, spiders, wisps, Gwar warriors, and other creatures. Eight hundred elves' years ago, seven infant elves born from the blood lines of Over Lords were sent to earth as orphans. At their coming of age, 13, they begun to display their exceptional abilities. While the elf sentinels tried to smuggle them back to Allyra, the dark forces were trying to kill them.
What I really like about the story is reading how each of these Over Lords deal with their extraordinary powers and all the upheavals that forced them to leave their homes and adoptive parents behind. While it is a purely fictional account, it is interesting to find each thirteen year old has a different situation whether in school or at home.
(43) A Murder of Crows
Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Tom Berenger acted in the above movie.
Among the older Chinese, they would try to prevent any of their descendants from becoming criminal lawyers. The main reason given is that a good criminal lawyer would find ways to acquit accused who are actually guilty, thus perverting justice.
In this movie, a New Orleans attorney Lawson Russel found it difficult to defend a remorseless man and recluse himself from a heated case. As a result of that, interested parties managed to disbar him. He went to his father's beach house and planned to write his first novel. Alas, it was not everyone's cup of tea to become the next John Grisham! In a clear cut case, he was set up with a story which he was greedy enough to publish as his own. As fame and wealth came his way, he became embroiled as a serial murder suspect.
Russel did have integrity as a person who said "Enough is enough!" to defending the guilty rich for a comfortable living. But he did not have the honesty not to take a dead man's manuscript as his own.
Among the older Chinese, they would try to prevent any of their descendants from becoming criminal lawyers. The main reason given is that a good criminal lawyer would find ways to acquit accused who are actually guilty, thus perverting justice.
In this movie, a New Orleans attorney Lawson Russel found it difficult to defend a remorseless man and recluse himself from a heated case. As a result of that, interested parties managed to disbar him. He went to his father's beach house and planned to write his first novel. Alas, it was not everyone's cup of tea to become the next John Grisham! In a clear cut case, he was set up with a story which he was greedy enough to publish as his own. As fame and wealth came his way, he became embroiled as a serial murder suspect.
Russel did have integrity as a person who said "Enough is enough!" to defending the guilty rich for a comfortable living. But he did not have the honesty not to take a dead man's manuscript as his own.
(42) Bubble Boy
This show was directed by Austin Powers starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Marley Shelton.
It is a usual comedy with some hilarious moments. I particularly like the scene where the bubble boy flown in an arc across the air and ended up in a railway carriage. What are the chances that that very carriage was filled with a number of very odd looking people who starred in shows in a circus?
Then there was a bunch of clean cut youth dressed in white who were on the way to the desert to find enlightenment. Imagine these supposed nice people dropped him out of their bus in the desert while a mean looking biker went out of his way to help the hapless young love sick man to travel to Niagara Falls to stop his beloved in marrying the wrong man. Interestingly life is often like that, help may come from the most unlikely places or people when all hope seemed to be gone!
It is a usual comedy with some hilarious moments. I particularly like the scene where the bubble boy flown in an arc across the air and ended up in a railway carriage. What are the chances that that very carriage was filled with a number of very odd looking people who starred in shows in a circus?
Then there was a bunch of clean cut youth dressed in white who were on the way to the desert to find enlightenment. Imagine these supposed nice people dropped him out of their bus in the desert while a mean looking biker went out of his way to help the hapless young love sick man to travel to Niagara Falls to stop his beloved in marrying the wrong man. Interestingly life is often like that, help may come from the most unlikely places or people when all hope seemed to be gone!
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