snippets of conversation

Funny things i have heard today:

Colleague: Do you have hair gel?
zeenie: *train of thought along the lines of There's something about Mary* yes but i ain't sharing 'cos i've got a headache lah.... or even yes but tired lah dunno whether can generate enough but instead said out loud "Nope, sorry"

Over lunch when dessert of almond jelly with lychee and a cherry was served:
Colleague2: Do you want to take my cherry?
zeenie: *bites lips in order to desist from even thinking about any flippant comment*

It's not that i want to make fun of people or say stupid things (that amuses me) but sometimes, it's really too easy. Somehow, the phrase from Spiderman came to mind:
"With great power comes great responsibility..."

With that in mind, i would also like to say, keep safe, be well and above all, blog responsibly.... you never know when something might come back and bite you (like this quote from me that i just saw. yikes!) and tiny us even managed to make the news way down under in Aoteroa. And so the discreditation continues.

Have a good weekend y'all...

Can't stop listening

~ The Rasmus ~
Driving me absolutely nuts how i can't get enough of their 'Dead Letters' album, such that i hear and enjoy their song in my head even when i'm not listening to the album.

The lyrics sometimes dun make sense though, but who cares, the music just rocks! I wonder what their new album "Hide from the Sun" is like though.

At last!

I did something unprecedented today, thanks to the IEEE Annual Elections. I voted! =) It was by post, but it did feel like i was participating in something worthwhile, so worthwhile that it made the papercut on my tongue (when i licked the envelope (disgusting habit i know)) worthwhile too.

I'm the....

Due to the many requests to do this..... ok i exaggerate, due to the one request from Jaywalk to do this, zeenie gives in and contributes the following:

I’m the blogger who thought he’d never do memes ever
I’m the blogger who can sit around all day and wonder
I’m the blogger who sees a great concept and asks how
I’m the blogger who thinks dogs are worth talking to
I’m the blogger who has but memories to keep
I’m the blogger who is thankful for you
I’m the blogger who follows the writings of other bloggers
I’m the blogger who is never too busy
I’m the blogger who loves reading
I’m the blogger who used to eat anything
I'm the blogger who loves the word when written
I'm the blogger who doesn't earn much and just gets by
I’m the blogger who is zeenie?

Now just read the last word of each sentence =)

Check out the more elegant, well-written and touching responses *sniff* that other people have written via Tomorrow.

jeanie's busy weekend

Woof! zeenie too busy, so asked me to blog about a dog's life. Fighting the urge to revert to using growls and arooos but he told me his readers dun really understand that.
Went out somewhere far in the morning by car, and met some other dogs. Didn't really think much of them, except that snooty Golden Retriever, but i showed him some teeth and he backed off. Bow wow down to me!

Then we went to some gardens in the city that was very nice, called botai boten arrrooah gardens (in dog language). It had wide open spaces and a stage (which i didn't like 'cos of the echo). Met some more dogs at the dog-friendly cafe there and i got to eat abit of the mushroom swiss burger zeenie was having, as well as the fries. YUM!!

Went to visit Snowy the Husky at Bukit Timah, but Snowy was busy having her hair done, but i did leave a message there. zeenie wasn't too happy about it, said something about carefully manicured gardens and too much nutrients at one spot, but i didn't care, who ask him ask me drink so much water? If it's flat and green, it's free game for a quick whizz!

Then went to Wibblewamble's place to visit her family, very cooling place. I nearly fell asleep there, so comfortable, especially with all the petting and the rubbing. Hard work being so adorably cute, but someone has to do it! =) Finally got home and napped the rest of the day, woke up and had dinner and slept some more, and went out for walkies, slept and ta-dah, another new day! Woof!

Oh, and on Friday he came back late 'cos of some movie he watched, called the myth (some trivia here). I dunno why he spend money to hear fairytale, he could have stayed home to listen to me, i've got some real cool stories like grrrr, woah woah, woof sit aroooo and my favourite, blah-blah walkies!

I think i won't do this too often, very tiring typing with two paws, keeping having typos (stupid small keyboard made for human hands. keyboard manufacturers are specie-ist!) so until next time, arrroooooo, WOOOF!

se7en meme

Thanks to jay, here's something for the weekend.

#7 things that scare me…
1. not being able to play soccer
2. flushing toilet bowls (cannot stand near one, I have no idea why)
3. spiders
4. death by drowning
5. heights
6. uncontrollable speed
7. lack of music in my life

#7 things that I like most…
1. playing soccer
2. eating & drinking
3. dogs
4. good company
5. cars
6. games
7. gadgets

#7 important things in my room…
1. bed
2. books
3. glass of water
4. clothes
5. music player
6. fan
7. aircon

#7 things I plan to do before I die…
1. travel
2. listen
3. observe
4. love
5. appreciate
6. live
7. drive a fast car

#7 things I can do…
1. play soccer
2. play music
3. play computer
4. play carrom
5. play punk
6. play play
7. play with this meme LOL

#7 things I can’t do…
1. rewind time
2. forward spam
3. play a violin
4. stop procrastinating
5. record my thoughts well
6. pause my life
7. do this thingie seriously

#7 things I say the most…
1. wah lau
2. steady
3. mai tu liao
4. bugger it (add “millennium and shrimp” when really feel strongly)(refer to Terry Pratchett novels)
5. nair mind lah
6. huh?
7. ve have vays of making you valk

#7 celeb crushes…
1. Hulk Hogan vs the Undertaker (1990)
2. Angelina Jolie vs Jennifer Aniston (2004)
3. Kermit vs miss Piggy (since gonzo’s nose was curved)
huh? What? You mean this isn’t a quiz on general knowledge ah? Aiyah nair mind lah

#7 people I’d love to see doing this…
Wah lau, beh steady leh, i only got 5 readers how? I cannot expect all 5 to say “mai tu liao, must do this quiz” what, bugger it. Nair mind lah, volunteer can liao? Need I remind that Ve have vays of making you talk. ;-)

police too free

Police to deal with enrolled dog's owner

Looks like the "police must investigate white elephant" syndrome is not limited to Sg police. LOL

I'm not saying that we should go out and anyhow put animals of various sorts all over the place hor, otherwise i would have gone and put some pictures of monkeys around my cubicle to encourage my boss to pay me more money, afterall, you pay peanuts you get...
Nevertheless, a cool way to put a point across.

Songs backwards!

All you wanted to know about music played backwards
(via Hangyong)
I've always wondered about this, and now i'm not sure i really wanted to know at all. Freak shit, do not click if easily spooked!!
I was, on the other hand, amused by britney's and pink floyd's songs. LOL

meetings and more

I had a strange thought recently when i attended a meeting. From young, i was taught the chinese way of showing respect for one's elders (non-relative) by calling them 'uncle' or 'auntie', but at what point do we go from addressing them as such and calling them by their name during a meeting? Most of the people at the conference table were older than me and it felt a little weird to just call them by their name and talk to them as if we were equals. Did this change occur when i received my degree? Or when i hit the magic age of *insert age here*?
(i did say it was a strange thought, LOL)

Overheard about scheduling this meeting:
A: Erm, i think some people cannot make it, but you can go ahead and give your presentation.
B: Should we reschedule the meeting instead?
A: Cannot lah, so late already (Ed: 2 hours to the meeting), i dunno if they will check their email.
B: Oh, ok, we'll just carry on then.
A: So confirm you're giving the presentation then? I will go email them about it.
B: .......

**********************

In a seperate meeting, i found out that one of the guys i've been meeting actually remembers me from junior college. He was from the next class and recalled me as "the one sitting on the left near the piano in the lecture theatres" (something i can't remember actually, i thought i sat all over the place (including under the tables onces for a quick nap)). Small world.

Jeanie photo!

Jeanie at the Beach Park
Originally uploaded by zeenie.

As it's been some time since i put up a picture of jeanie.

I think that objectively, she's such a great looking dog (being biased, i would have said that she's the most beautifullest adorable, cutest dog in the world), and we couldn't help but make comparisons to the other border collies we saw on Sat. She seems to be built differently and the fur on the back of her head is much softer. The difference between NZ and Aussie BCs i guess. Incidentally, she was the only female in the group and the guys were pretty much falling all over her (sometimes aided by slaps from her paw here and there LOL).

Cinderella Man

Watched this last night, i have to say it was quite good. RC is a good actor and i came out of it feeling thankful for three things:
1) that i'm not living in the time of the great depression
2) that i'm not making a living as a boxer
3) that i have some who loves and supports me just as much (*mwaks* WW)

It also had some great one-liners. Go watch it. =)

Quote:
Jim Braddock: For two hundred and fifty dollars I would fight your wife!
Joe Gould: Now you're dreaming
Jim Braddock: ...and your grandmother, at the same time.
Joe Gould: Teeth in or teeth out?
Jim Braddock: Take 'em out!
Joe Gould: Then you're dead, you're down, you're gone, no chance!

just to vote

An interesting story about a guy who was caught speeding, crashed into two parked cars and a fence and then, he walked home, but not before casting his vote at a polling booth at the recent NZ general elections. What would we give to excercise our voting rights?

which reminds me, zeenie's random 3 facts (thanks to mr moron, grrr):
List three random facts about yourself that your friends might not know. And then tag five other friends to do it.
1) zeenie has never voted before.
2) zeenie can't wait to vote.
3) zeenie once got voted chess club president.
and just because i'm a nice guy (and to state the painfully obvious fact)
4) zeenie really doesn't like doing these things. LOL

i shall let people just volunteer to do this lah, i very democratic one.

(yes jay, i still owe you that se7en meme, still compiling my list of answers and will see what i can come up with!)

flyball

After a six month hiatus from flyball, me and jeanie returned to the world of running in the straight line, jumping over several obstacles in the process before hitting a pedal on a box (for jeanie, for me just u-turn and run back) to trigger a ball launch, catch the ball (again for jeanie) and run back going through said obstacles. It is actually more fun that i describe it out to be, or at least more fun in my memory, but that's just due to the chaos of the area.
Speaking of memories, i found it quite cool that jeanie could still remember how to trigger a pedal or to target a target (sorry, couldn't think of any other word) after all this time of not doing it. She definitely enjoyed it, now if only her owner could decide what he wants her to do, that would make life easier.
disclaimer: said owner was busy trying to understand the long list of instructions being given lah.
Might do it again, but probably we'll just buy our own flyball box and do it ourselves. Got plans, will saw (and fabricate). LOL

Laser Mouse

Laser Mouse
Originally uploaded by zeenie.

Bought a new mouse when i went to WCG 2005 a week or two back, just wanted to say that it RAWKS! =)

Coolest car ever

This has got to be the coolest and more environmentally friendly car i've ever seen. Better start saving. =)

men in black

Back then, i blogged about the NZ badminton team, well now the IBF has "poured cold water on the idea". Stuff: Black Cocks name being reconsidered

I don't even want to know what their bowling team is called. *facepalm*

Famous

Thanks this article by Miyagi on Today. Does this mean i have been today-ed?

Wow, i wonder if this is going to change the number of readers from 5 to oh-my-god-please-dun-sue-me? Should i change my writing style and sprout banal boring stuff that would offend no one? Nah, i don't think so, shall maintain my one-step-above-banal-boring-stuff style (sorry, i am that boring lol).

However.....

righto, now that i'm famous, there's going to be some changes around here, starting from now....
1. each reader is to offer doggie biscuits for reading each post to her royal highness Princess Jeanie.
2. zeenie shall refer to zeenie in the third person form, no more using plain ole 'i' or 'me'.
3.
3.
3. erm, how embarrassing, I zeenie can't seem to think of anymore things to add to my list of demands... so much for that... LOL

On a more serious note, i wonder how many people will actually type out the link from Today?
I shall be garang abit and make a sweeping statement here (quite unlike a Singaporean, i know) i say that i will get less than 10 hits from Today referrals. So if you're here because you read about my blog from Today, please yell out and prove me rightwrong!

5000 hits

Woot! I'd like to thank all of you (yes, total number 5) for making at least a thousand visits to my blog! (and hitting me a thousand times each? *ouch*) Woohoo!!
GRrr aroooooooooo (from jeanie).

Amazing photos

These photos of an Indycar crash are simply amazing!

And out of the two drivers, one walked away unassisted while the other was helped out of the car. Blows me away.

hmmm....

Two bloggers charged under Sedition Act over racist remarks (via CNA)
(update: CNA site might be down, alternative reproduction (copyright? LOL) by Cowboy Caleb)

I hope this does not set a dangerous precedent in many ways. The only time i've heard the word 'sedition' used was in Last of the Mohicans.

Cora Munro: Justice? If that's justice than the sooner French guns blow the English out of America the better it will be for the people here!
Colonel Munro: You do not know what you're saying, girl!
Cora Munro: Yes I do, I know exactly what what I'm saying, and if it is sedition, than I am guilty of sedition too!

They were of course referring to the actions of Hawkeye Le Long Carabine (he-who-sells-rifles-at-cut-rate-prices?), who had some great lines:

British Officer: You call yourself a patriot, and loyal subject to the Crown?
Hawkeye: I do not call myself subject to much at all.

I doubt that this would lead to the last of the bloggers or last of the racists for that matter. People will just be more wary of thinking out loud, and made aware that "foot in mouth (in public) leaves really bad taste."
Sorry about that one, couldn't help myself, and i shan't launch into a whole list of those confucious say jokes (you can click on the link or google it yourself). =)

Jeanie back in Singapore

Jeanie @ Botanical Gardens
Originally uploaded by zeenie.

Jeanie @ Botanical Gardens II
Originally uploaded by zeenie.

For all of Jeanie's fans, i apologise for the delay in blogging about her.

That aside, i'm happy to report that Jeanie has settled in quite well here in Singapore and has adapted herself to the climate here. She has shed quite a bit of fur in the last two months, but i see it ending soon.

Although she was born on a farm, from working border collies, i always suspected that she was a city dog. Even in Wellington, she loved going into the city, walking along the harbour, sitting by my chair while i had a coffee, going around being hugged by random strangers, etc. So she has had no problems (so far, touch wood) settling into the city of concrete and glass that i call home.

We will be joining a flyball club so that she remains active, although i will watch out for her since she is technically a senior citizen at the grand old age of 7 years old. =)

Stay tuned for updates!

mindgames

This is really weird.
I have no idea how it works, but i proved that i'm average. Dunno whether to be happy or sad about my averageness, and tried to reassure myself with "Don't worry zeenie, you're unique, just like everybody else" .....

Enneagram Test

free enneagram test

via G.E.E.K

Kind of an interesting test but the questions were kinda weird.
Update: i didn't know they had the detailed results! (via crufty)

Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance
Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity)

Healthy: Self-aware, introspective, on the "search for self," aware of feelings and inner impulses. Sensitive and intuitive both to self and others: gentle, tactful, compassionate. / Highly personal, individualistic, "true to self." Self-revealing, emotionally honest, humane. Ironic view of self and life: can be serious and funny, vulnerable and emotionally strong. At Their Best: Profoundly creative, expressing the personal and the universal, possibly in a work of art. Inspired, self-renewing and regenerating: able to transform all their experiences into something valuable: self-creative.

Average: Take an artistic, romantic orientation to life, creating a beautiful, aesthetic environment to cultivate and prolong personal feelings. Heighten reality through fantasy, passionate feelings, and the imagination. / To stay in touch with feelings, they interiorize everything, taking everything personally, but become self-absorbed and introverted, moody and hypersensitive, shy and self-conscious, unable to be spontaneous or to "get out of themselves." Stay withdrawn to protect their self-image and to buy time to sort out feelings. / Gradually think that they are different from others, and feel that they are exempt from living as everyone else does. They become melancholy dreamers, disdainful, decadent, and sensual, living in a fantasy world. Self-pity and envy of others leads to self-indulgence, and to becoming increasingly impractical, unproductive, effete, and precious.

Unhealthy: When dreams fail, become self-inhibiting and angry at self, depressed and alienated from self and others, blocked and emotionally paralyzed. Ashamed of self, fatigued and unable to function. / Tormented by delusional self-contempt, self-reproaches, self-hatred, and morbid thoughts: everything is a source of torment. Blaming others, they drive away anyone who tries to help them. / Despairing, feel hopeless and become self-destructive, possibly abusing alcohol or drugs to escape. In the extreme: emotional breakdown or suicide is likely. Generally corresponds to the Avoidant, Depressive, and Narcissistic personality disorders.

Key Motivations: Want to express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their self-image, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a "rescuer".

Examples: Ingmar Bergman, Alan Watts, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morrisette, Paul Simon, Jeremy Irons, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Fiennes, Martha Graham, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Johnny Depp, Anne Rice, Rudolph Nureyev, J.D. Salinger, Anaîs Nin, Marcel Proust, Maria Callas, Tennessee Williams, Edgar Allan Poe, Annie Lennox, Prince, Michael Jackson, Virginia Woolf, Judy Garland, "Blanche DuBois" (Streetcar Named Desire).

Even more information of this type here.

corduroy pillows: making headlines

You don't want to know what i was thinking when i saw this headline....
Police recruit fingered by himself

I love newspaper headlines, they are supposed to encapsulate the gist of the story, yet interest me to want to read it. Here are some headlines in the past which have achieved the former or latter, but not both!


Actual Newspaper Headlines

o Something went wrong in jet crash, experts say
o Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers
o Safety Experts say school bus passengers should be belted
o Drunk gets nine months in violin case
o Survivor of siamese twins joins parents
o Farmer Bill dies in house
o Iraqi head seeks arms
o Is there a ring of debris around Uranus?
o Stud tires out
o Prostitutes appeal to Pope
o Panda mating fails; Veterinarian takes over
o Soviet virgin lands short of goal again
o British left waffles on Falkland Islands
o Eye drops off shelf
o Teacher strikes idle kids
o Reagan wins on budget, but more lies ahead
o Squad helps dog bite victim
o Shot off woman's leg helps Nicklaus to 66
o Enraged cow injures farmer with ax
o Plane too close to ground, crash probe told
o Miners refuse to work after death
o Juvenile court to try shooting defendant
o Stolen painting found by tree
o Two soviet ships collide, one dies
o 2 sisters reunited after 18 years in checkout counter
o Killer sentenced to die for second time in 10 years
o Never withhold herpes infection from loved one
o Drunken drivers paid $1000 in '84
o War dims hope for peace
o If strike isn't settled quickly, it may last a while
o Cold wave linked to temperatures
o Enfiels couple slain; Police suspect homicide

LOL *wipes a tear* never fails to crack me up these.

Chinese Fortune Telling website

Quite cool, this website just needs your date and time of birth and viola! Instant prediction! (via Lillight *waves hello*)

Mine is:

一身骨肉最清高
早入黉门姓氏标
待到年将三十六
蓝袍脱去换红袍

In my case, it just caused confusion 'cos i dun understand it.
I tried feeding it to Babelfish but it sprouted something even more confusing:

Body flesh and blood most aloof from worldly affairs
early enters 黉 the gate surname sign to
treat to the year takes off 36
blue gowns trades the red gown


What the heow? What's this about gowns?

Update: EGADS! WW filled in her birth details and got exactly the same results!! Yet one more freaky thing.

blogger meetup

Did something i had never done before, never thought that i would do it either, yes, i gave in and did it. I will not be gushing about it though, and for those of you who were there, it was great to put a face to the blogname. =)

CBTL power!

CBTL power!
Originally uploaded by zeenie.

I had wanted to this post along the lines of cowboy caleb's daily linkorama, especially since he's a starbucks fan. But i gave up 'cos i dun have the time to go list out the links like he did. So consider this a mini-tribute (or smack in the face for all starbucks fans) to coffee drinkers...

Of all the crates showing alongside the CBTL logo, this one stood out. Now i know why their drinks so powderful lor. LOL

7th month

Was reading this article by Idle Days and it made me think of my dog. You see, jeanie has been acting kind strange lately, barking at apparent nothingness when we go out for walkies with her stare is directed to a single area, or hiding out in the toilet to stare at the wall, or using her body to prevent us from going to certain areas when we walk.
Definitely something fishy, and I guess she can sense things better than us humans. Which brings us to the next point, how come this never happened in NZ? Do supernatural beings there abide by a different set of rules and dun have seventh month? The closest day i can think of is ANZAC day, when the war dead are remembered...strange.

zeenie's day

Went to Baize last night, like third time in a week liao. Can't seem to get enough of the place! They had a good three piece jazz band playing and the environment for playing was quite cool (aside from noisy boisterous people next table).

Had a moment of hilarity when our drinks came though. I ordered a southern peach (southern comfort and peach schnapps) and noticed that it didn't come with a cherry as it usually did. So i asked the waitress for it, because i knew how much WW liked them.
WW: What did you ask that waitress about?
Me: I asked for your cherry.

Talk about not thinking before talking! Egads. Malu man.

****************

In other news, i was at Singapore Pools today donating money (often buy, seldom win) when i noted that they should really rename the establishment in view of what they offer. Since they actually sell Hope, Thrills and Passion as opposed to the conventional names of Toto, 4-D and Sports Bets.

enjoy your weekend!

i can't bear to think about this

Anti rape condom. Ouch! "A South African inventor has unveiled a new anti-rape female condom that hooks onto an attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world."

I have to link this

American Durai Ver 1.1

Truly talented entry!