Sent my parents off at the airpor to go home in… (not important).

Anyway, as my parents walked through immigration, my dad kept dropping this that or the other. It was not his coat, it would the tickets or the board pass.

I tried to calm things as he felt rather flusttered by saying in a lower tone “Its ok, its all right, slowly, one at a time…”.

And as they vanished into the inner sanctum of the duty free area, part of me cried a little that I could not accompany them home and help them along the way.

ML

During WWII, England carried out a stead campaign of night bombing against Nazi Germany.

Imaging being any one of the airmen (pilot, bombadier, gunner, etc) in each plane flying into enemy fighters, flak and good/bad luck and tring to come home again.

Imaging knowing that your survival rate was 4 out of 10!

Almost everyone had a “lucky Charm” or “Mascot”.  To those who survived, they say that they are convinced that their own mascots saved them!

Maybe this is the root reason for the decalogue banning making images, and then bowing down to them???

Afterall, if an image is made to replace God, then gradually, that image would BE God in place of God.

ML

Was waiting for my turn at the car wash today and saw an amazing sight.

In the bright sun-shine (of a rather dismal and dull CNY) was a swarm (or swarmlet) of bees (or at least they should be) swarming (er..what else?) around a bouquet (?) or bloom of flowers of a palm tree.

It is so ver rare to see it actually happening….plant..s##!.

ML

Last night, I did something for my son which I remember my Dad did for me; Help me with an art project…well sort of.

My son computer designed a cover for a file but it was soundly trashed as being “artless”.  He told me about it and the night he was chided, started to redo the cover.  Wife first tried to help him by surfing for some sample pictures but apparently did not go very far.  I took over and took over, searching for suitable images, type faces, and even releaning the drawing program, grouping and “sending to back”.

After it was over, I remember that my Dad helped me too when I was in primary school.  I remember my Dad helping me (well actually doing it) cut out shapes to make a mobile… you know, sticks handing from sticks by strings with little toys hanging from the ends, twisting around by wind?

I remember clearl him sitting at the desk drawing and cutting like I was at the table peering and cutting and pasting.

I remember me just sitting on the floor playing like my son who was playing or zoning out behind me

ML

I was viewing some handphone videos today and tripped across a video of my elder son reading some lessions just a year ago.

In one year, he has gone from a boy’s voice to a near man’s voice.

Thank goodness I just video’d him even in a lark.

ML

My hobby (now since ebbed) of comics was fuelled in part by a sidwalk book shop at the corner of Maju Avenue and Farleigh called NIB.

At least that what I called it because when you rented a book from them, they would chop the first inside page at the top right hand cornre with a round chop with the word NIB and the return price.

I would buy and return and thus circulate some of the books or comics I really did not want to keep.

The hours I spent browing the shelves packed with books and comics and the sight of people just reading and buying and returning.

ML

From time to time I know of groups making special trips to the “Holy Land”.

My question is, why is that place called Holy anyway? Sacred perhaps, but Holy?

I mean of all the places on earth, that plot of real estate must have seen more then its fair share of blood, pain and tears.

Even today….which I wont say anymore, its still going on: God’s people going at it at God’s people.

Sometimes it is downright depressing to see it happening in front of your eyes and you wonder, “Are you there?” “What are you doing?” “What is all this about?”

The pious amongst us would always give the 20cent answer “Its all in his plans”.

The realist amongst us gives up and say “Don’t know but something must be happening.”

So if bad things happen, its in his plans, if good things happen, its in his plans….then when can we see things which are not in his plans because if we cannot see things which are not planned, then how do we know that a certain thing is planned in the first place.

If all a person saw was white from young, then how would he know white was white if he did not see any other colour?

(This of course is classic maybe simplistic Hume)

And if everything is in his plan, then why do we need a concept of the Devil?

Again another story in itself.

Sure I would like to visit it to see for myself the “land flowing with milk and honey”, if it is so, and to see maybe the tomb of Herod, or the wailing wall.

Maybe like so many returnees, I may get a sense of fulfilment?? Don’t know. Maybe they feel this way because they had already prepped themselves to feel this way.

People feel many things simply because they want to feel that way many times, I reckon.

ML

In this day and age of environmentalism as well as energy conservation, inefficiency is to be avoided.  So if there is a way to stop heat loss in certain systems, this would mean that less energy is needed.

However, in nature, there is one very clear case where inefficiency was better and has even spread.

That is being warm blooded.

Unlike reptiles and bugs, we mammals (yes humans fall into this category which spins into another story derived fron genesis) need to eat regularly to stay warm. Staying warm means losing heat. This means having to eat again to replace the heat.

Strictly, a reptile is more efficient because when temperatures drop, its metabolism drop and energ is conserved.

However, between a slow crawling cold reptile and fast running mammal, guess which is going to get the food?

And that is why mammals today are so wide spread edging out reptiles in dominance.

ML

This is going to sound sick but here goes.

One of the most pleasant fragrances I know is that of freshly reduced lard with bits of crispy crackling floating on top.

I remember seeing a hawker early in the morning placing a wok full of cubed pork fat, white in a ….wok….over a low fire.

For the next 30 minutes to hour, the fat would reduce in volume and up would rise oil, emitting the sweetest fragrance of all….

Of course when lard is overused and rancid….it reeks to high heaven.

Char Kway Teow, wan ton mee, gai see hor fun, even the char siew pow would be only half as appetising if no lard were used.

ML

My elder son now is speaking in a very low and pre-adult pitch.

I had promised to video him singing still in his high pitched boy voice before his exams last year but just did not get around to it.

Now all I have is a video caught on the mobile (THERE IS A GOD!) of him singing Edelweiss.

Sigh.

ML