Specially dedicated to a dear friend who delivered her 3rd bundle of joy on Sep 16. Congratulations Mr and Mrs C!
I gave my love a cherry That had no stone I gave my love a hicken That had no bone I gave my love a story That had no end I gave my love a baby With no crying
How can there be a cherry That has no stone And how can there be a chicken That has no bone And how can there be a story That has no end And how can there be a baby With no crying
A cherry when it's blooming It has no stone A chicken when it's pipping It has no bone The story of I love you It has no end A baby when it's sleeping It's not crying
There is a song "The Riddle" recorded by Five For Fighting.
The song ponders on the purpose of life, touches on mortality, and reminds us of the vulnerability and fallibility of man in the Universe. It is also a father's song to his son, inspired by the composer's own five-year-old son.
The riddle is "There is a reason for the world, You and I".
What's the answer?
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There was a man back in '95 Whose heart ran out of summers But before he died, I asked him
Wait, what's the sense in life Come over me, Come over me
He said,
"Son why you got to sing that tune Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon Let an angel swing and make you swoon Then you will see, you will see."
Then he said,
"Here's a riddle for you Find the Answer There's a reason for the world You and I..."
Picked up my kid from school today "Did you learn anything cause in the world today You can't live in a castle far away Now talk to me, come talk to me"
He said,
"Dad I'm big but we're smaller than small In the scheme of things, well we're nothing at all Still every mother's child sings a lonely song So play with me, come play with me"
And Hey Dad Here's a riddle for you Find the Answer There's a reason for the world You and I...
I said,
"Son for all I've told you When you get right down to the Reason for the world... Who am I?"
There are secrets that we still have left to find There have been mysteries from the beginning of time There are answers we're not wise enough to see
He said... You looking for a clue. I love you free...
The batter swings and the summer flies As I look into my angel's eyes A song plays on while the moon is hiding over me Something comes over me
I guess we're big and I guess we're small If you think about it man, you know we got it all Cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball And I love you free I love you freely
Here's a riddle for you Find the Answer There's a reason for the world You and I...
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So what's the message?
Someone once said:
Sing like nobody's listening. Work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt. And dance like no one's watching.
Yes, truly, like the song said, we are we all we got on this "bouncing ball."
*****
Interesting trivia 1: You probably think Five For Fighting is a group or a band. Apparently, there's only one man in this "band", and his name is John Ondrasik. He is a talented composer and musician who has produced songs like the more commercially known "100 Years", "Something About You" and "Superman (It's Not Easy)". Besides becoming an "anthem" post September 11 in the US, the song Superman was also featured in the Smallville series.
Check out also "Freedom Never Cries" and "World" which talk about freedom, war, love and life. Through his songs, Ondrasik put to good use his rare talent for poetic and profound words to talk to his audience, addressing social issues and bringing out the human spirits and his personal messages on life and humanity.
Interesting trivia 2: The naming of the "group" was inspired by the game of Ice Hockey. As a form of discipline during the game, players who fight and lose their cool (erm, no pun intended) are sent away to the penalty box to.. what else.. cool down.. for 5 minutes. Hence, the name.
Unless you have been hiding in a mousehole for the past 2 weeks, you should by now know that "Ratatouille" is the title of an animated movie about a RAT.
Now, if you have an animated movie about a BEE, how would you name it?
"Bee Movie"?
Yes! Haha, no kidding. This is the title of a new animation to be released by Dreamworks later this year.
How unimaginative, I thought.
Until I found out it was meant to be a play on the term "B movie". But then again, why would any reputable film studio wants to associate itself with a second-grade/low-budget movie?! Guess it's all in the name of good fun.
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Anyway, when I hear "Spelling Bee", a friend inevitably pops to mind.
He had a lot of fun in organising a sort of spelling bee game segment for the company a couple of years back. It was one of his first major projects he undertook as a fresh blood, and he generously contributed his enthusiasm and energy. I'm quite sure it has proven to be an invaluable lesson and a rewarding experience for him and those involved.
Still vivid in my mind were images of a bunch of us putting our heads together to think of the most ridiculously difficult words for the contestants to spell. Ha.. Those were the good old days indeed.
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By the way, ever wondered how the "Bee" got into Spelling Bee?
In other words, why is it called Spelling Bee?
Back in the old days, the word "bee" was first used to describe a social event, because people were sociable and busy as bees. The term evolved to describe people coming together for specific activities, whether work or play.
Gradually, there were husking bee, quilting bee, singing bee, etc.. and of course, spelling bee. So that was how it came about!
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Still on Spelling Bee, there is movie called "Akeelah and the Bee", released some time last year.
No, this is not a cartoon. It is about Akeelah, a bright young black American girl whose aspirations are stifled by the distractions of a poor environment. Fate somehow led her to represent her school in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This spelling bee competition is highly regarded on a national level, and attracts the best spelling talents from across the country every year.
The film tells the story of how this 11 year old overcomes the odds, finds her calling, and eventually takes control of her own life. It also explores issues of education in the black community. The relatively unknown cast makes this movie surprisingly much more watchable than "Bee Season", another similarly themed movie starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche.
The black girl who plays Akeelah is a natural; she injects the right mix of vulnerability and gritty determination into her character. Despite her tender age, she manages to hold her own opposite Laurence Fishburne who plays her coach.
A simple story that should inspire and move you in some ways.
And who knows, you may even get to learn a new word or two. In fact, it is in this movie that I first picked up the word "Ratatouille", which I found out is a type of dish in French cuisine.
*****
Anyway, without the help of a dictionary, try looking at the list of 15 words below. How many words are mispelled below? No cheating.
- accommodation
- acknowledgment
- cemetery
- committed
- diarrhea
- embarrass
- harass
- mediterranean
- millionaire
- occurrence
- pastime
- questionnaire
- separate
- supercede
- vaccinate
*****
By the way, has it ever occurred to you that the word "FAMILY" aptly stands for "Father and Mother, I Love You"!! On the anniversary of this fateful day, let's remind one another to cherish life and people dear to us.
Framed in breathtaking panaronic landscape of snow-capped mountains, the accompanying words above set the stage for the opening of the Korean drama "The Snow Queen". It is inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name.
Andersen's tales have entertained generations of children everywhere. Most of us may have grown up with stories of The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Little Mermaid.
But I wonder many of us actually know the story of The Snow Queen?
Anyway, thanks to my sis and bro-in-law, I became a loyal K-drama fan over a period of 2 weeks as I followed and chased the development of the drama on DVD. Jewel in the Palace has blazed a trail for K-drama about 3 years ago, and the fever does not look set to wane anytime soon among my folks.
The Snow Queen, with a modern kimchi twist. Flawless acting from the extremely competent cast. Beautiful soundtrack. 16 episodes of melodrama, with tears that turn on at the drop of a hat.
Our uninspired local drama department should take a leaf out of the Korean books of formulas for producing magical love stories.
New work place. New office environment. New bosses. New colleagues. New ways of selling. New lunch menu.
And most importantly, new media.
In fact, the whole set-up is so new that my boss is 2 months old on the job, my fellow sales colleague is 1 month old, and the sales support executive turned up on the same day as I! We are currently recruiting sales members, and I will be about one month old myself when these new guys join the team.
Received a couple of messages today from 'concerned' pals enquiring my whereabouts. So I have decided to put up this posting.
To be honest, it does feel kinda odd to be finally on this side of the fence after hearing ex-colleagues rant and rave so much about their old work place.
Wearing the staff pass lanyard round my neck almost makes me feel like I have sold out the company that has helped me feed myself for the past 5 years, if you get my drift. Well, I try to take comfort in knowing that at least it is not an absolute face-off with the traditional platforms.
I feel an odd mix of a sense of stability that comes with working for a giant, and a sense of uncertainty associated with a fledgling start-up.
As I go about doing things in the office this first week, it dawned on me that, like ex-colleagues who have joined the new movement, I've moved considerably out of my comfort zone. It seems that everything that I have to know and do in this new appointment, I have to pick up from scratch.
Standing on ground zero does give me a uniquely different sense of perspective.
I am faced with a different set of challenges and a whole new bundle of opportunities. Everything that I have come to take for granted suddenly calls for definition and development from the start: from work processes to documentations, and giving input on financial and incentive matters.
Only the first week, and I have already had my first taste of social watering hole with the rest of the sales, tech and back-end staff.
The mere thought of having the opportunity to learn and break new grounds flushes me with excitement, albeit adulterated with that inevitable pinch of uncertainty. Have to remind myself to step on the pedal from the word go.
So the new chapter has started; the first few pages have turned.
It's like going back to school after the holidays, but joining a new class.
A new class with new form teacher and classmates. New chair and desk. Well, if only it comes with a new car as well. Haha.
Incidentally, today 07-09-07 is Google's 9th anniversary since it was first incorporated as a company Google Inc. Look at how it's grown!
There was a recent survey carried out by the American-owned Travel and Leisure magazine to find out the best hotels in the world. The results for the Top 100 best hotels were released in its August 2007 issue.
Surprisingly, the top spot was taken by a hotel from Asia - Oberoi Udaivilas, from India!
Accordinding to the magazine, hotels in Asia have consistently scored high marks in past years, but this is the first time an Asian property has grabbed the No.1 spot.
Besides India doing its continent proud, Thailand also smiles its way to the top. Perennial favourite The Oriental Bangkok secures the No. 3 spot, trailing behind only Oberoi Udaivilas and Singita Sabi Sand of South Africa.
Being a proud citiizen of Singapore, always striving to improve and add more feathers to its cap, I naturally started to zoom in to find out where the country stands amidst the world's best.
The verdict?
Our country's best hotels stand at No. 33, 40, 77, and 91. They are Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Raffles Hotel, Fullerton Hotel, and Four Seasons Hotel respectively.
Compare that with how the other countries in Asia fare with their nation's best.
Our traditional competitor Hong Kong trailed 4 spots behind, with The Peninsula taking the No. 37 spot. Taipei's Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel stands at No. 79. Shanghai's Four Seasons Hotel stands at No. 97.
So, ok lah, it's really not too bad for a little red dot, right?
P.S. By the way, there is a Top 10 list for the World's Best International Airlines. Guess which airline maintains its No. 1 spot? No prizes for guessing it right :)
