爱情并非完美

爱情并非完美。无论在你心里想象得如何，一段感情难免有不快和不顺之时。

值得欣慰的是，经历了种种波折后的情侣学会更加尊敬与珍惜彼此。经过考验的爱情因此而坚固。一个人的笑印在俩人的眼眸，一份眼泪由两颗心来体味，一次一次的谅解加深了彼此之间的默契。脚步虽不一致，却谁也没有抛下谁，手拖着手，一起克服困难。

多久以后，经辛历苦的每个回忆成为彼此刻苦铭心的爱情故事。没有电影神话般的火花，完美的结局，却有细水长流淡淡之味，是真实的一种信赖，那两颗心融在一起的细细甜蜜。

爱情并非完美。世上也无完人。但是有些爱情故事，我们会回味一生。有些人，我们会一生迷恋，一生呵护。

June 26th House Party

I apologize for the late post as I have never been active with a camera. Many of these pictures are provided by coutesy of Manuel. I will try and get more pictures up.

Many thanks to the wonderful musical talents who graced us with their music, in particular Adam, Lester and Monica. Also many thanks to the guests that joined us and livened up the party. Then there are those who worked behind the scenes such as Manuel and Judy of Showcase Pianos who are always enthusiastic and provided the chairs. If you like the Fazioli we played on, they are the ones you want to call.

Anyways, this is to celebrate my sister being back in Vancouver and her soon-to-be in-laws guests visiting from Taiwan. The next one will be on the 12th July, where more music merry-making will occur.

Man. I feel old.

Airpod Car

MDI AirPod

The AIRPod is a zero-emissions vehicle capable of reaching 50mph and requiring only air. Yes, that is the same air we run on.

The AIRPod is currently on a trail run by Air French. It will be going for $7,500, and word on the street is it can travel up to 140 miles on a single 46-gallon tank of air. According to MDI just 8 hours in an AC outlet, or 2 minutes at an air station will replenish the sir supply of the vehicle.

The Proposal

Last Friday, I rushed from work to catch the release of “Transformer 2” only to find ridiculous lineups at Silvercity, Riverport. Upon investigation, there was no online ticket purchase possible because the network was experiencing technical difficulties. So everything has to go through the 5 ticket counters. Funny (unless you are among those lining up).

Anyways, I am not one to push my luck so I selected to go for another movie “The Proposal” instead. Released June 19, 2009, I have heard good reviews for the show and when I entered the theatre, I was pleasantly surprised at how many great seats were available which also raises wonder why there were not more audiences.

There has been an increasingly number of comedies based on idiocies or spoofs mockeries transcending into BroRomance nowadays. While a few still possess the classical aspect of fine-tuned humor, it has severely diverted the movie audiences to action-packed and special-effects blockbusters. “The Proposal” however, is a refreshing old-school humor between two talented actor and actress, Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock that should pull some of the audiences back. Sometimes you even forget that Sandra is in her mid-40s.

The plot is old even for Tracy and Hepburn. Two people, who hated each other, somehow warm up and fall in love in …… 3 days. Seriously, 3 days? I can’t get a wardrobe change in 3 days let alone completely change my perspective on someone.

Sandra Bullock is the shrew, Margaret, a cold, high-powered New York book editor (Imagine “Devil wears Prada”) and Ryan Reynolds is Andrew, her do-it-all under-appreciated executive assistant, a younger man who accepts abuse as a media-industry hazing ritual. Then the news hit! Margaret work visa has been denied and she is to be deported back to Canada. (Oh, sweet irony. Where are the friendly and nice Canadians?) Pressured by this predicament, Margaret blackmailed Andrew to marry her in a green-card wedding. He, in turn, blackmails her into getting him the Editor job he has been trying so hard for. (Sexual-harassment lawsuits do not reap the same benefits as a counter-blackmail) But of course, they would need to be like a couple to actually be able to fool the immigration officer, thus a visit to the groom-to-be's family in Sitka, Alaska. Oh, and the adventure begins.

The thing I appreciate most about the movie is the pace of the jokes which helped the story move along quickly while not rushing. The boisterous family dynamics. The fish-out-of-water humor. Bottom-line fun. Oh, and who can forget supporting actor Oscar Nuñez. He plays Ramone, a man who, it would seem, performs virtually every job in Sitka, Alaska, from stripper to convenience store cashier to the priest. Oh, he is good. Then there is the persistent immigration officer asked stupid questions, such as “Which side of the bed does she sleep on?” then “And which side do you sleep on?”.

Overall, a quality rom-com. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

陳怡 (Rola Chen) - Chinese Model

Name: 陳怡 (Rola Chen) ローラ.チャン
Birthdate: May 13, 1987
Height: 161cm
Measurements: B78cm W58cm H84cm
Birthplace: China, HangZhou
Blood Type：Ａ

蒋怡 Coco Jiang

Name: 蒋怡 / Jiang Yi (Chiang Yi)
English name: Coco Jiang
Cantonese name: 蔣怡 / Jeung Yi
Profession: Model and actress
Birthdate: 1977-May-12
Birthplace: Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
Nationality: British
Height: 178cm
Weight: 55kg
Blood type: A
Measurements: 35, 24, 36

Moonbow

A moonbow (A.K.A. lunar rainbow, lunar bow or white rainbow) is a rainbow produced by the moon rather than the sun. Moonbows are relatively faint, due to the smaller amount of light from the Moon and they are always in the opposite part of the sky from the moon.

For a moonbow to occur , several things must happen - good weather, water temperature, sufficient rising mist, wind speed and direction, water clarity, a clear sky and some moon light. First, the moon must be very close to full and be no more than 42 degrees away from the earth, if not closer. The sky must be as dark as possible and completely clear. There must be some sort of rain falling on the other side of the moon, though sometimes the conditions created by a waterfall are enough to create this stunning vision. It may occur before 2 days on certain Full Moons or any strongly moonlit night.

Moonbows are incredibly unique and rare occurrences, and are very difficult to see with the naked eye. It’s rare to have all of these conditions occur at one time, so there are very few places on earth where a moonbow may be seen.

Shaq to the Cavaliers!!

Lately, I have been on the heels with the Cav’s off season news. Surely this year’s disappointing Conference Finals loss to the Orlando Magic indicated that there are areas to improve on before they finally hold the title trophy up high.

They need an athletic wing with some size even though West and Lebron can play the entire game. They also need a dominant center someone who can guard the likes of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol 1-on-1. Cavs are still too thin in the bench which literally disappeared in the playoffs when it matters. But I am confident that these are areas that can be improved this offseason.

Yesterday, after a late dinner, my twitter was buzzing with news that Shaq has been traded to the Cavs for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, 2010 second round pick and $500,000 cash. Hell of a deal for a superstar. Yes, Shaq is 37 years old but he can still be dominant. He may not be effective in pick-and-rolls like Z, but he is a lane clogging force that will change the game for Lebron. 3 all-stars on a Cav’s team? Oh, and by signing Shaq, Cavs will have the cap space to be active come 2010 when Lebron, Chandler, Bosh, Wade, Yao and Amare are all unrestricted free agents.

Anyways, tonight’s draft were be a snoozer since the pool of talent is weak in comparison to previous years, still it would help some teams to fill their roster needs. Minnesota has something like 5 or 6 picks for this year’s draft so that would make them dangerous come a few years down. Oklahoma, Memphis and Portland are also filled with young talents that would make them interesting.

Anyways, NBA season is over and it is time to enjoy the summer with other activities.

U.S. Federal Open Market Committee June 24 Statement

U.S. Federal Open Market Committee June 24th Statement

To summarized, the highlights are as follows:

• Conditions in financial markets have generally improved in recent months.


• Household spending has shown further signs of stabilizing


• Businesses appear to be making progress in bringing inventory stocks into better alignment with sales.


• The Committee continues to anticipate that policy actions to stabilize financial markets and institutions, fiscal and monetary stimulus, and market forces will contribute to a gradual resumption of sustained economic growth in a context of price stability.


• Substantial resource slack is likely to dampen cost pressures, and the Committee expects that inflation will remain subdued for some time.


• Household spending remains constrained by ongoing job losses, lower housing wealth and tight credit.


• Businesses are cutting back on fixed investment and staffing


• Economic activity is likely to remain weak for a time


• Prices of energy and other commodities have risen of late


• In typical fashion, the Fed has attempted to cover all the bases and calm the markets with little success. The Fed remains between an exceptionally weak economy with concern that providing excessive stimulus which will exacerbate fears of inflation given the explosion of the Fed’s balance sheet. The Bernanke Conundrum remains very much in place.

In response, on Wednesday, bonds have sold off in anticipation of a pleasant surprise in the form of an increase in its quantitative easing by the Feds. With the selloff in bonds, interest rates moved higher by approximately 10 basis points and the 10yr U.S. Treasury is now quoted at 3.7%. Equities also sold off with the DJIA and S&P 500 both retracing by approximately 1% after the Fed’s statement. The Nasdaq has held up given positive earnings from Oracle.

It is noted that interest rates are likely to continue to rise given the continuing yet overwhelming funding needs for the foreseeable future. As rates move higher, equities will gradually decline from current levels. Concern over possibility of inflations remains high.

征救世主启示

今岁，金融业界动荡多时，细审评观之，当可以此为鉴。忧者所忧，实业之损，金融之伤，房宅所贷，病患之费，抚育之资，至国源之耗。何以百业之兴，庠序之教，攻伐之术，怀远之道，皆千万庶民忡忡挂怀，彻夜难眠。余尝闻世人有疑，前路何行？渺渺乎其远，如不可达，危险乎其高，若不可攀。

转眼兴亡过手，而今迈步从头。扪心而问，谁人迷恋荣华，谁人贪图富贵？百年岁月，复检变数，一般愚昧尤存。如今，世民绝望哀鸣之际，谁欲挺身而出，声其该声，行其该行？

胜算虽不可知，然昂扬必胜之绝志，成就伟业之壮怀，毕生付诸于此。异人争端，千辛万难，料必有之，须不吝心血，以先贤为榜样，信天自有道，地自有德，禁守尽心尽力，问心无愧之宗旨。

求自觉正道壮志者，年龄无限，学历无需，样貌可谈，慷慨有余，身家亿万即可，易上当得优先权。无薪金，无福利，无假期，无商量。一级（傻蛋）荣誉，百年（上钩）良机。

有意者，为表诚意，请预备厚礼献之。

你懂得承担吗？

沉着和内敛和我扯不上边，毕竟我只是很努力的在压抑着内心激越的热血和野性。我是蜕变了的现代动物，思想依旧活在五百年前。在此，谢绝宾客亲友，闭关反省，放下跨度的借口，抹掉肤浅的脸皮，心情稍微舒坦了些。

绝望的那一刻，往往是希望的开始。危机的尽头，往往就是转机。山穷水尽的地方，往往就会柳暗花明。此为绝处逢生之理，指引我们乐观积极的面对人生无数的挑战。“当我哭泣没鞋穿的时候，我发现有人却没脚”。正所谓，态度决定看法，你的命脉由自己决定。

做人必经之路，学会选择、学会放弃。我们每个人都一样，总是对现有的东西不忍放弃，对舒适平稳的生活恋恋不舍。其实，一个人要想让自己的人生有所转机，就必须懂得在关键时刻把自己带到人生的悬崖，给自己一个悬崖其实就是给自己一片蔚蓝的天空。‘身是菩提树，心如明镜台 。

懂得选择虽然不易却也不甚难。拿得起，放得下，反倒还难些。要说到难能可贵，就得看事后的勇于承担。

何谓承担？有的要在野狼群里生存，有的一生富贵丰衣足食，有的朋友满天下交友广阔，有的孤身一人独往来。不同人经历不同的遭遇，不过有一点不变，每个人都有选择。换句话说，别人永远最多也只是个借口，因为你的所有决定，你都要负上最大的责任。这就是最基本的承担，一种对自己负责所产生的责任感。 承担对很多人而言是包袱，是负担，因此他们只会推卸责任。

自我责任感、家庭责任感为责任感的基础，社会责任感是核心，国家责任感、人类责任感是最高境界。人的责任感是由低级到高级不断深化的过程，必须是打好基础，体现核心，提升境界。关键是你把自己定位为一个人，一个家，一个社会，一个国家，还是一个人类。当你的能力腾跃他人，你是否有义务做得较多，扛下他人无法扛的重任？如此而来，别人的缺点与不足就由你承担。正所谓，能者多劳。也许，你能超越人类的极限，为万物而生存。

承担到底有什么好怕？你看不透那虚伪对与错的定义，所以在意他人的目光。你恐惧承担因为你害怕失败。除了肤浅，你更是愚昧。

对与错本无标准，那么剩下的就只有原则。原则则是，说话要算数，错了要反省，没错则不能低头让步，不然就会变得没有立场，没有性格。

原则嘛，我有一大把。例如，吃软不吃硬，信义为先，做事要问心无愧，做人要顶天立地，有恩必答，又仇必报。警告，千万别惹火了我，我可不好欺负，疯的时候，可以做的比任何人都绝。

是的。我在恐吓你啊。

Chinese Drywall Creating Crisis

TheStar Article Bob Aaron The issue of toxic Chinese drywall may well become the biggest environmental crisis to hit North American homeowners and builders in decades. The defective Chinese drywall emits toxic hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and other gases. It is believed that humidity in the air causes the sulphur in the drywall to off-gas, or migrate into the indoor air. This creates a noxious odour, and can result in serious health conditions and illnesses, such as breathing problems, eye irritation, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, sore throat, bloody nose, and headaches. When the sulphide gas comes into contact with normal home humidity, it gives off a rotten egg smell, and begins to corrode any exposed copper or lead in the home. Affected homeowners have reported blackened and scorched wiring behind wall plugs and switch plates, and corroded evaporator coils on air conditioning units. Light bulbs and fixtures may also stop working. Appliances and other electrical equipment may fail prematurely, and personal jewelery and silverware as well as the wiring in cable televisions and converters can turn black. Hundreds of millions of sheets of the defective drywall were imported into the United States between 2001 and 2007. It has been reported in as many as 14 states, and may have been used in an estimated 100,000 renovated and newly-built homes, with up to 40,000 in Florida alone. In addition, an estimated 929,000 square metres arrived in Canada through Vancouver in the same period. Much of the product imported into Canada was used in the lower B.C. mainland, but some may have reached the Prairies and as far east as Toronto. In addition to being used in new construction and renovations, a huge amount of the Chinese drywall was used to repair thousands of homes damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas. Sadly, many will have to be rebuilt a second time. One prevalent theory about the toxicity in the drywall is that it was manufactured in gypsum mines in China using fly ash, a by-product of coal-powered electrical generation. Coal fly ash can become airborne and emit toxic sulphur compounds. (Coincidentally, defective fly ash was the critical ingredient in ready-mix concrete used in the crumbling foundations of hundreds of homes in Eastern Ontario. This resulted in 16 years of litigation, almost $20 million in damages and another $20 million in court costs.) Several lawsuits and class actions, including one by a group of Florida homeowners, have been launched against German drywall company Knauf Gips KG, a Chinese subsidiary and a number of American home builders. The Environmental Protection Agency, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Florida Department of Health in the United States are all investigating the extent of the problem. In the United States House of Representatives, the Drywall Safety Act was introduced in April. Currently under study in a House committee, it would mandate a recall of drywall imported between 2004 and 2007. Houses built or renovated with contaminated Chinese drywall cannot be repaired. The only possible fix for affected homes is to have the owners move out for several months, gut the house and rebuild the interior. Anything inside the house that may have been contaminated by the sulphur gases will also have to be destroyed and replaced. Industry watchers have estimated that as few as three sheets of drywall in a house can be enough to contaminate it to the point of making it uninhabitable. House insurance policies do not normally cover environmental issues, and there have been reports of some home insurers refusing to pay for replacement of drywall. In cases like these, homeowners could be facing financial ruin. Thomas Martin, president of America's Watchdog, says the crisis is "the worst case of sick houses in U.S. history." The full effect of the Chinese drywall crisis in Canada remains to be seen. If you suspect you have this product in your home, consult an environmental engineer or qualified home inspector.

Mass hysteria, paranoia or just the ugly truth behind the walls? Meanwhile, the Chinese will continue to bear the tarnished reputation of being unethical, corrupted and will-do-anything-for-money.

无药可救的妹子

愤也。枉我和顺之性，早已收敛刁钻之嘴，今日也忍无可忍，需於大众之见证，将其妹之罪行一一道明。

前事不咎，就今日之事而言，你不分青红皂白，以小人之心，虐骂成性，指责于兄。如此不明是非，乃不智不公不正。你不念手足之情，已多次在大堂之上，众人面前，不顾及兄长的颜面，此乃不敬。兄已多次提醒，万分忍让，哪知朽木不可雕也。妹是牛的脾气，猪的脑，蛇的心，会发出臭味的垃圾人，能思考的无脑袋生物。白痴可当妹之老师，智障都可教妹说人话。妹之所性，人神之所同嫉，天地之所不容。最悲哀之处，妹毫无自觉，十年如一日，毫无悔改之心，还有颜面指责他人，让人笑柄。

兄长耻有此妹，如今万念俱灰，终于领悟，血浓于水也有冲淡之时。口干了，心凉了。不盼妹能醒悟，只望日后好自为之。

兄言止于此。以后将避之，远之。

品味女人

有人说我自视过高，我却不以为然，我只是喜欢细细的品味女人，深深的感觉每一个的独特之处。品味女人如品味音乐一般，越品越有味。品味音乐也需像品味女人一样，品味她的灵性。

然而，要享用女人的韵味就需要男人的特殊品味，所以说，最能够品味和欣赏女人的韵味的，只有男人。男人是女人的天敌，也是命中注定的另一半翅旁。男人是女人的忠实读者，也是女人最佳的艺术欣赏家。

然而，在生活中，有很多男人却不懂女人，不懂得去欣赏她们伟大的天性，优美的体态，和种种的与众不同。 女人为了树立良好的形象，往往付出的要比男人多得多。为了证明她们并不逊於男人，除了事业的成就，她们还必须背负怀胎十月，传宗接代和照顾家庭之重任。

其实也没有性别强弱之分，因为万物都有相生相克。她们的温柔，哺育了男人的粗躁，给男人的狂野一个归属。而女人缺乏的果断，勇气和体力，就由男人来补足。

而太多的男人却看不透女人的美，因而看不到她们其他的种种优点。‘色’是男人的致命弱点。也许正因如此，也成了许多女人无法摆脱的魔咒。美丽对于女人来说是一种永恒的诱惑，在这个世界上所有的女人的名字都叫“美丽”。倘若这世界只允许女人们爱一种东西，不用举行民意测验，铁定的大绝数的女人都会选择美丽。 因而，女人一直都是最挑剔，最用心的专家。

以貌取人是人类的陋习，千百年来皆为“有识之士”所摒弃。女人的娇羞，女人的温柔，女人的才干、和让人忘怀的女人味，比诗比画比星月比音乐，更为美丽。这是一种内涵，一种坚持，一种气质。 外表漂亮的女人不一定有气质，有气质的女人却一定很美。因为她懂得“万绿丛中一点红，动人春色不须多” 的规则，散发着娴静之味和淑然之气。这是一种智慧，一种修养。

凭借一举一动，一言一语，一颦一笑，尽现至善至美，动人於无形。

想来，我的要求并不甚高。只是现今的社会被金钱权利地位污染，教育不教修身养性，女人不安分守己，男人昏庸懒散。生错了年代，唉！生错了!

你了解他吗？

作者：吴志强 来源：网络

女人有了外遇，要和丈夫离婚。丈夫不同意，女人便整天吵吵闹闹。无奈之下，丈夫只好答应妻子的要求。不过，离婚前，他想见见妻子的男朋友。妻子满口应承。第二天一大早，便把一个高大英俊的中年人带回家来。

女人本以为丈夫一见到自己的男朋友必定气势汹汹的讨伐。可丈夫没有，他很有风度的和男人握了握手。之后，他说他很想和她的男朋友交谈一下，希望妻子回避一会儿。女人遵从了丈夫的建议。站在门外，女人心里七上八下，生怕两个男人在屋内打起来。事实证明，她的担心完全是多余的。几分钟后，两个男人相安无事地走了出来。

送男友回家的路上，女人禁不住询问：“我丈夫和你谈了些什么？是不是说我的坏话？”男友一听，止住了脚步，他惋惜的摇摇头说：“你太不了解你丈夫了，就像我不了解你一样!”女人听完连忙申辩道：“我怎么不了解他，他木讷，缺乏情趣，家庭保姆似的简直不像个男人。”

“你既然这么了解他，你应该知道他跟我说了些什么？”

“说了些什么？”

“他说你心脏不好，但易暴易怒，叫我结婚后凡事都顺着你；他说你胃不好，但又喜欢吃辣椒，叮嘱我今后劝你少吃一点辣椒。”

“就这些？”女人有点惊讶。

“就这些，没别的。”

听完，女人慢慢地低下了头。男友走上前，抚摸着女人的头发，语重心长地说：“你丈夫是个好男人，他比我心胸开阔。回去吧！他才是真正值得你一生依恋的人，他比我和其他男人更懂得怎样爱你。”

说完，男友转过身，毅然离去。

这次风波过后，女人再也没提过离婚二字，因为她已经明白，她拥有的这份爱，就是最好的那份。

Hush, baby. I'll still here.

Oh cutesy, I’ve got you. It’s okay. Relax, I’ve got you.

There, there. It’s just me and you now, baby. Don’t look at me like that. I’ll manage. We’ll manage.

God, your eyes. Brown buttons. I can see your mom’s shadow in them. Hopefully, you’ll take after your mom. You’re still at that stage. Bright red, eyes swollen almost-shut, deep creases under them. A tight little bundle of heat, warms my heart so now that I’ve got you. Your hair shine with inky black. Just like…. your mom.

Let me just put you back down for a second, baby. Just tidy myself up. Bit of a mess lately. Right, come here. You must be hungry.

I hope this isn’t too cold. Rather that than it burn your mouth. Not one to avoid eye contact, are you? Staring me out like that. You are a curious one, aren’t you? I was never particularly observant or patient, couldn’t hold anyone’s gaze for longer than ten seconds before the awkwardness gets in the way and couldn’t hold attention through. But you, baby, you’re not going to be anything like me. You will be better, because your mom lives in you.

I’ll tell you what, all those jokes the nurses made; all that ‘She won’t let you sleep for months’, I don’t know what they were talking about. I can’t sleep as it is, but if I could…if the sound that woke me up was you crying, well…it’s the best sound in the world. That look again! You know what I mean. The silence of night almost drives me insane and you are my sanctuary.

God, the size of your hand. It’s lost in mine. Not even the size of my little finger. You’ve got a grip on you, though, haven’t you? Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I keep thinking, this is nice, you know? Me, you, here together. The whole world asleep and it’s just us two in the front room. Yet we’re not complete like this. God, looking at you reminds me so much of your mom. She was the most beautiful lady. We were supposed to be a family, blissful together. When you are older, I will tell you about all our dreams and hopes for you. You are our everything, you know? I guess you’ll never know how much this scares me. It’s new for me, being a dad and all. You get that don’t you, being new to the family. Yes, we’ll survive. We are not that fragile. All done? Here, let’s put this down.

Oh, don’t go to sleep. I wish you’d stay awake, talk to me. How long before you start talking? I can’t wait for you to be doing my head in, pulling at my shirtsleeve, begging me to take you out to the ice cream van, to the shop, to the park. I can’t wait, I swear.

After that I’ll be your own personal taxi service, won’t I? When you’re too cool to be hanging out with your dad and I’m no good for anything but a ride. Well, as long as you talk to me when we’re at home, I’ll tell you now, I can live with that. Just…don’t you ever become one of these girls that locks herself away in her room and only shows her face at mealtimes. I need the conversation, believe me.

They say long fingers mean you’re going to be creative. If there’s any truth in it, you’re going to be like me after all. Don’t you worry, we will have lots of fun with art and music. We’ll get started early. It will be our thing. We can play pieces together, finger-paint and work on our house together. Then maybe, one day, I will let you read the letters of your mom and I.

You’ll be a tomboy though, I’m afraid, whether you like it or not. No girl of mine is getting Barbies, fall prey to Disney fantasies and become a superficial airhead. You will be my princess, but I won’t treat you like one. You will learn to be strong and independent. Just like your mom. Look at you. You’ll be gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, breathtaking and all of that. It’s in the genes. Well, half of them, anyway.

Ah, enough of that. Me mascara’s running. Same look you gave me before, eh? Get used to my bad jokes, will you? Your dad is known for his unusual humour and somehow I have to learn to balance that with strictness when it comes to you. Can you imagine that? Nah, me neither.

I though I had forgotten how to smile. But you have that effect on me, loosening me up and bringing sunshine to my days. The house is so empty now, I don’t know what to do. You know, the other night, I sat and watched you sleep, couldn’t take my eyes off you. You were so peaceful, in your own little world. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to sleep like you did that other night. I wish you’d grow up so naive to the world. Pure hearted just like your mom. Kind and loving. Just like her.

I guess when you can start asking questions, you’ll ask why all the other girls and boys at nursery have mums. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer you by then. We’ll jump that hurdle when we come to it.

Another yawn? We'll keep it simple then. You’ll say what you think and you won’t hold prisoners. I'll try to be the best dad I know how. You will tell me when I am wrong as I the same. I’m telling you, I can’t wait. I’m counting down the days till your first words, when you first try and almost call out ‘dada’.

I am just happy and glad that I've still got you. I’ll sit with you, hand in hand. You and me. And your mom, somewhere close.

There you go. Hush, now. Sleep for both of us. I’ll be right here. She'll be right here.

Prototype

I got this highly rated game last Friday and never got the time to break it in till yesterday.

For the limited time I spent, I was quite pleased with the detailed graphics, nice flowing story line and not to mention, really cool powers. To summarize, this game is really about character empowerment. You play as Alex Mercer, you can consider yourself an immortal with all the powers you can gain every few minutes, plus there are countless people or targets you can conveniently consume for health. Imagine being able to climb on buildings, perform high jumps and air glides (something like flying) which makes travelling that much easier and more fun than having to learn how to drive a car (GTA).

The missions are bloody. You can easily account for 1000 deaths, be they soldiers, policemen and civilians. These deaths may have come from you charging headlong through a crowd like a Sherman tank, or from the peripheral blast of an actual tank. Not to mention, when your health is low, the fastest way is to just consume whoever you can find to regain your health. Since it doesn’t matter if you fall from 100 stories buildings, land onto a helicopter and discharged the pilot of his duties by squashing his skull against the window, bottom line is you can kill at will without remorse. Good times.

Well, I don’t really appreciate having to kill so much to gain experience. Maybe being able to exercise stealth should count as more skill points, using disguise skills to transform into the person you absorbed is really comical especially when evading those chasing after you.

All in all, Prototype is great fun despite shortcomings like graphics and A.I. which I choose to overlook. A 8.5 out of 10 based on what I have seen so far.

Bug and organs for dinner?

It is really amazing what people will eat nowadays. Is it any wonder that we have all these new strains of viruses and animal transmitted diseases?

GIATN WATER BUG WITH CHILLI PASTE (Above)

Green chilli and the bugs are roasted before being pounded into a chilli paste with a smoky flavour.

GOAT INTESTINES (Above)

FRIED GOAT BRAINS (Above)

Each goat brain is the size of a fist (delicious so I was told)

GOAT BRAIN SOUP (Above)

Tastes like mutton, firm and not as mushy as pig brains.

DEER PENIS WINE (above)

A slightly vinegary and medicinal taste to it,strong and the wine leaves a rather pleasant buzz in the head minutes after consumption.

SCORPIONS (Above)

Scorpions are believed to have detoxifying effects and are rich in protein. Pregnant women, however, should stay away from them.

ANTS (Above)

The ants had no distinctive flavour but were definitely crunchy.