New Straits Times's Hulla-Hulla!!

Well, this Saturday was interesting as I accompanied my wife to her company's family day celebration titled Circulation Hulla Night 2007!

Ha Ha....what a celebration it was. Held at the Mines Golden Spa and Resort, it was an entertaining night with loads of laugh too.

The food was appetising with overflowing dishes of sea food....Prawns, crab, oysters and there were the usual BBQ chicken and sausages. Of cause, not forgetting Satay, fried rice, mee hoon, apple pies, chocholate fudge cakes etc....etc.

to add to that ambience, there were loads of games and tonnes of prizes to win. There was the "Guess the number of Peanuts in a jar" game, bursting of balloons and Karaoke sessions that depicted many talents (and the not so talented...like those who can break glasses with their voices).

For me, I thought the highlight was the Limbo Rock. Gosh, watching the young and old bend over like that drew so many laughs from the audience.

It was an enjoyable night with food to satisfy my tummy. And my wife won the grand bonanza prize of Ikea shopping vouchers during the lucky draw. So, I am not complaining! Ha Ha.

When the children speak!

"Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone. This simple goodness shines straight from their hearts and only asks to be lived." - Michael Jackson

My recent visit to the Shelter 1 home with my students was truly an eye opener. I seem to have forgotten what it takes to be a kid and how it is to be loved.

The 15 odd kids in the home were all smiles when they saw us there. Jumping and screaming, they seemed to have walked into a Disneyland of sorts. Never letting my students any time to breathe, they danced, sang, ran and mingled with them making it a blissful moment to witness.

The sad part ot all this is that these children are neglected, sexually and physically abused.....by thir own parents!

I sometimes wonder what defines us as human beings. How is it we walk through life by setting moral examples and in the very next instant, we can resort to unthinkable violence! I mean....CHILDREN.....what do they ask of us but love and care? Did they ask to be brought in to this world to be the brunt of our sick and erotic jokes of life?

Take Madeleine McCann for instance......missing for 128 days (to date). Her own parents have become suspects in her sudden disappearance.

I have a younger brother who is 25 and he is a slow learner. He never asked to be put in such a situation in life....but he strives to make the best of what he can. Innocent as he is, he is my kid brother. And, as my parents always say, he is God's child.

And believe it people....All children are God's children.

Today's visit to the home was part of a community service project that me and my students are working on. It's called Pack the Floor for 24; A 24-hour dance marathon cum fund raising event for the children out there. Log on to http://www.p24dancerathon.blogspot.com/ for more information.

So, let us all wake up. Let us all stand up and dance for the kids. Why? because we can! And, because children are God's blessings to each and everyone of us.

The Gundam tale

G.U.N.D.A.M - General Purpose Utility Non-Discontinuity Augmentation Maneuvering Weapon System (Gundam SEED Anime)

G.U.N.D.A.M - General Unilateral Neuro-Link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver System

G.U.N.D.A.M - Generation Unsubdued Nuclear Drive Assault Module (anime)

G.U.N.D.A.M - Gigantic Unilateral Numerous Dominating Ammunition (Anime)

G.U.N.D.A.M - Gunnery United Nuclear Duetrion Advanced Maneuver System (Gundam Seed Destiny Anime)

Mobile Suit Gundam was developed principally by Yoshiyuki Tomino, along with a changing group of Sunrise creators who went under the collective pseudonym "Hajime Yatate".
During its conceptual phase, the series was originally titled Freedom Fighter Gunboy or simply Gunboy, because the title robot was armed with a gun and the target demographic was young boys. In the early stages of production, there were numerous references to the word freedom, such as the White Base being originally named Freedom's Fortress, the Core Fighter as the Freedom Wing, and the Gunperry named the Freedom Cruiser. The collective Yatate team combined the English word Gun with last syllable of the word Freedom, Dom, to form the word Gundom. Tomino then changed the name to the current title Gundam, suggesting that the name Gundam signifies a power wielding a gun that is strong enough to hold back enemies like a dam holds back floods.

Gundams are usually not sentient robots, but rather large, bipedal vehicles controlled by their human pilots in cockpits. Like many of the "mobile suits" appearing in the series, a Mobile Suit (the name for these vehicles, including the Gundam) is usually piloted from the torso area with a camera built into the head, transmitting the image to viewscreens in the cockpit, allowing the pilot to perceive the outside world. Some exceptions have been known to mount cockpits on other areas (Like the mobile suit's head, which is the case in the Guntank model). There are sentient ones, however. In the plot of Gundam Sentinel, the computer called A.L.I.C.E. was specified to have developed its own emotion, wanting to become human at its destruction in the very end of the story. In the Story Blue Destiny, four suits (in which one of them is not a Gundam and one got a GM head but have an RX-79[G] body) mounted with the EXAM system all shared a Newtype human soul inside them and can act on their own and will go berserk when meeting each other since it will be like asking a human to attack him/herself. These are, however, the only canon and specified plot that contains sentient Gundams.

The Master Chief Returns

Anyone who has played Halo will agree that this game's redefined combat entirely. It's no wonder they call it Combat Evolved.

Well, I am keeping my adrenalin under check just anticipating the arrival of this third rag-tag gun battle game!

To hell with Rambo! The Master Chief rocks!!

All "Wired Up"

Sex, drugs, traffickers, homosexuality, gang land murders, corruption....these are the essence of the hit T.V. series, The Wire.

It takes a look at the harsh realities of life in West Baltimore where cops live a thin line trying to penetrate the over run high rises of the drug stronghold.

Bit by bit, The Wire delves into the horro of the drug menace, corrupt politicians and the judiciary that the local cops face day by day in trying to nail the drug kingpins and wrapping up their cases.

I have to admit it....The Wire stirs up terribly disturbing scenes, sexual situations and is pumped up with loads of profanity. But, it is the reality of life, and The Wire spells it out loud and clear.....No holds barred.....on screen.