As you may know (or probably not), my lil sis is in New York. 

She visited the 9/11 museum, and took some pictures. In one of those photos was an American flag, with pictures of those who passed away on that day. It brings tears to my eyes every time I view it. Pictures of smiling, solemn, young and old people. Just normal people. Black and white pictures, almost as a stark reminder that their lives have ended, that their lives stopped on that tragic day. People that went to work, and...never really made it back, those whose ashes lie in the area that used to house the twin towers. 

Why would they do it? Why would they hate them (and even us) so?

I know the psychological theories - disassociation, yadayadayada. But really it is cold comfort in the face of something as inhumane as this.

I think we all just need to be reminded that each of us are...humans for goodness sake. Generically made of hopes, dreams and attached to people who love us. We never know what we never know, it is never right to judge people. 

May they rest in peace. 

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A roflmao cause - how to not make your case.

PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Great name, I am also for the ethical treatment of animals. It doesn't mean that I will turn vegetarian, but among the things I will not do - buying fur or supporting the fur trade (well, unless it is somehow becomes less cruel).

Boy has PETA turned campaigning into a joke. Their 'campaigns' appear to constantly feature naked (celebrities nonetheless!) hot women with bloodied animals and anti-fur/slaughter slogans, as if they will do the trick. Like seriously? When was the last time someone took scantily clad women seriously? Do people visit strip clubs for intelligent debates and brilliant opinions? No. Why weren't there more scantily clad women protesting Guantanamo bay, and the war in Iraq/Afghanistan? Why aren't there more scantily clad women assisting presidential election campaigns? You tell me. Actually, PETA should tell me.

Yes, it turns the eye, it attracts opinions (mostly criticisms). But celebrity endorsements? Ok, yea. A lot more people would be scientologist now if we followed celebrity endorsements. Tom Cruise, Will Smith anyone?

And their scathing vitriolic. Ever taken a fuming fundamentalist religious bloke seriously? No. Why take PETA seriously then? Know anyone who does? Do you?

When I mention PETA to my animal loving friends, their first reaction is to snort in derision. Then to bring up theories that PETA doesn't actually help animals, it kills them. Just google it.

They appear to be doing more harm than good. It's hard even taking them seriously - which is a shame, the efforts made towards the prevention of cruelty to animals should be a sign of a progressive, humane society. Yet it is stymied by the attempts of this (unfortunately) high profile organisation.

I am converted. Not.

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It's black, it's white

Paul Henry - if you google him, you can see the furore he's created. I refer to the statement he made about our governor general.

A lot of people are saying online that "NZ has gone PC mad!" or "Dudeee lighten up like don't be so PC", "Here comes the PC police".

But really do they know what it means to be part of a nation? Do they know what it means have an identity associated with a nation? I suppose not, since most of the commenters are likely to be white, middle class (ok, I do actually think a lot of the commenters are idiots) Kiwis. They would have no idea how a person 'feels' their labelled race, merely because they don't look like a majority of their counterparts in the country they were born and bred in.

I come from a certain country where I don't feel my identity as part of the country. I do acknowledge and I am proud to be part of the peoples of the country. I do not however feel as though I am part of the country. I feel it when people of my race are looked over for scholarships. When a certain other race is given preferential treatment. The fact I can never be the prime minister (if I wanted to anyway) though I may have lived there all my life. Though it is fact that that country is the place where "tanah tumpah darahku". That is one reason why I will not consider working in my 'home' country long term.

I even feel incensed when a certain misguided, under educated and close minded person told a person of my race to "go home".

This compounded with the fact that I have lived half my life overseas. I am two halfs and never a whole, despite my genetic heritage. I know I may never be looked upon as belonging to either culture. But that's fine. I know who I am and where I belong, my heart is with both nations.

As humans I believe we want to know where we belong. Who we fit with, where we fit. That's why people have OEs (in NZ anyway), or do at least a bit of soul searching during their life to see who they are. People need a sense of belonging - we are all community driven. No man is an island. 


Calling attention to race and nationality this to it is unhelpful and possibly detrimental.

Nationality is determined by where your heart is. Not by how you look.

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Reality bites.

I've heard the saying which goes "You are your greatest enemy".

True in most respects, especially with regard to my willpower. In movies they potray it as fighting against your demons, and to the background of epic music, and possibly a smidgen of a love story and a pinch of tragedy for good measure. This unfolds on the big screen, and then after they kick their demons back to their closet, they emerge triumphant. A changed man/woman. One that is impossibly wiser, kinder and even more unbreakable than before.

The story is tasty, yes?

But when we come down to the nitty-gritty it really is just us. Us trying to face that skeleton in the closet. Us trying to write an essay/socialise/whatever la. Without the epic music, and epically awesome "oh I am crying in the rain cause this is so hard" scenes. Living isn't glamorous.


It's just us. Us against ourselves.


No one will see those struggles, no one will understand that pain, no one will face the same demon.


But it is up to us to push through.

Difficult, yes.

Impossible - I know it isn't, but it is so hard. 

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Sesame Street

Uhm.

I'm sure if you read about celebrities (or at least what the news deems to be news)... the Sesame Street debacle would sound familiar.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are a lot more stupid that I previously thought.

Pretty mature way to work it out as adults, yeah.

*cough*

Booo hissssss etc

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Dislike

Dislike how some events are planned so last minute.

I mean seriously, less than 24 hours notice for a full dress rehearsal?? We're all not first year students for cryin' out loud!

In no way am I slighting anyone here. But it is really stressful when you've planned out your assignment and have arranged everything only to have certain things come back and hit you in the face. And pretending the late prep for the assigment is not my fault (which it totally is), I don't quite think that it is fair that others can impose such onerous burdens onto others.

Whether they are aware of it is another thing. But really, sometimes lack of mens rea does not mean there is a lack of culpability.

Chill, chill. I better chill.

This is frustrating.

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Third time, playin' the fool

I was planning to watch Salt...but then I realised that there isn't much that could top or even equal Inception.

Yes I have watched Inception twice.

I'm not a movie person.

I still won't head to movies...because I don't like using my time like that. And the feeling of "hey, that was an hour and a half of my life wasted. And I paid him to waste my time." is very frustrating when you walk out of a movie.

I will however go back to watch Inception. For the third time. (Provided that I have enough time in the next 2 weeks =/.)

Sooooo goooood. Need to watch it in Extremescreen this time. The storyline is fantastic - it barely feels like 150mins. So sad but epic at the same time.

AND GUYS IN SUITS WITH WEAPONRY! :D

That's really just a plus though. The storyline and the soundtrack to the movie is really my main drawing card.

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YUCK.

Robert Pattinson has been named in the magazine Glamour as the world's sexist man. EWWW.

Taylor Lautner was second.

EWWWWW.

Sorry, but TL looks like someone punched him in the face?? And on who's authority? (Here one wonders if the magazine's readers are from the ages of 12-20)

Jonny Depp got 6th. What is the world coming to??

Justin Bieber is named 7th.

Eh? I thought wrong list, wrong list.

And no mention of Hugh Jackman.

WHAT.

Vampires. Imma throw garlic and wooden stakes at them. Good thing I know how to throw javelins too.

Ok, rant over. Sparkly vampires are boooooo.

Onto another topic.

There's a huge fragrance/makeup sale in Chch!

:D

Gonna get myself some nice perfume. And mascara...:D and some lipgloss.

Not that I use them (this is done on a very rare occassion, because makeup is a pain to take off). But just because they're so pretttyyy.

And also because they're all so cheap! Woohoo!

A great way to celebrate the end of term 3.

And the death of my stupid %##@))^%&$#&$%# company law assignment. I wish I did commercial law instead. :(

Tomorrow~ tomorrow~ tomorrow~

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SAS

"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare." - Voltaire

They only live who dare.

I was watching Bear Grylls (Man vs Wild, a survival show) stuck on the tundra somewhere, and he said something I took for a deeper meaning. Something along the lines of

"If you don't move, you'll die. Movement requires risk."

Our nomadic ancestors knew well this meaning. If they didn't move, if they didn't work, they couldn't eat. Risk is inherent in hunting for animals - if you didn't die or get injured today, perhaps it will happen the next day. Risk is inherent in survival.

Survival requires movement. Movement has inherent risk.

The meaning has been watered down in this day and age.

Don't move, go on the benefit. Don't move, go on facebook. Don't move, just sleep.

Don't move.

Life will pass you by.

It is by all accounts, an early death.

Who dares wins - the SAS motto.

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@_@

Deviating from my previous 2 sombre posts...

THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL TO AVATAR

(not the one with blue people, or the one they stuffed up in cinemas)

AKASJHDLKAHDSKHDASHLKSA

WOOHOO

But all the original cast will have died. :( sigh.

Oh well.

NEWAVATAR LKJSHDFLKHSDFLKH WOOOHOO

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Suh suh suh snuggle

Mmm.

If you happen to find yourself in a region with a temperate climate, make sure to get yourself an Abercrombie hoodie.

Soooo comfy.

It feels like you're wearing a cloud. A warm, comfortable, good looking cloud.

Do itttttttt

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Mmmmusic.

Jai Ho is such a nice song! Makes me feel like dancing everytime I hear it

But the music video is ruined, really.

Music videos really often do not live up to the song's reputation.

Oh, on another note I might go try Zumba sometime during the hols :D.

Mmmm Zumbaaaa.

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Condemning the Gaza Convoy Attack.

Shall I join in?

A bit shameful, stopping those vessels loaded with aid.

And like weeds after the rain, FB pages spring up, condemning Israel and supporting Gaza.

All of which is fine of course.

Free speech is cherished virtue, is it not?

What gets on my nerves is when it turns into hate speech. Or religious speech. Most of the people on those pages are....Malaysian.

They rely on...Malaysian media, telling them what is wrong.

Seriously? Wth?

The government has done nothing but attempt to indoctrinate us. This is reflected in our studies. Wth did we have half our form 5 book dedicated to the Middle East? The contemporary super power is China, and the super powers have always been European, or at least American. At least throw in ONE MORE line about Christopher Colombus. Or the dark ages in England.

What infuriates me is that a number of them on the FB site do not believe that the holocaust ever happened.

Are they indoctrinated out of their minds?

We know that Malaysian media will never report the amount of bomb scares that happen in Israel. That Israel has the best sappers in the world due to the amount of "training" they get. In real life.

We know that Malaysian media will never report "suicide bombers" as such, and embellish their title with something like "freedom fighter".

They rely on Al-Jazeera for their news. Wth. Al-Jazeera. With quotes like:

"Security Council is ineffective when it comes to Middle East's issues. Everybody knows that."

The SC is largely ineffective in most entrenched conflicts. Partially because it is somewhat bogged down by bureacracy, and the superpower veto vote. But come on dudes. They were ineffective in Srebrenica, Rwanda, and Somalia, just to name a few. And what have the Middle Eastern countries actually done for anyone else, with regards to peacekeeping and humanitarian aid? The countries that have done so are often the European ones, and America. Even countries in Africa has stepped up to assist their neighbouring countries in their times of need.

I do not in any way condone Israel in this act.

But I abhor the biasedness of the people and the hate they display without proper basis.

Sickening.

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Dreams

Dreams were so alive when we were young. The possibilities were open to us, choices - unhindered by any thought to circumstances or situation.

Then we grew older.

And they, one by one, dissipated.

But the heart cry, the yearning for something more remains still. Why?

I whole-heartedly believe that a human cannot conjure thoughts of more than already exists. Princesses, dragons, witches, warriors, magic - they all existed in some form. The belief in a destiny of greatness (perhaps, or at least a happy state), and and a possible afterlife...

Certainly it points to what is possible.

But the road is hidden.

I'm not quite sure how to get there.

Its hard.

I'll leave here. The pages of my life are still being written. I hope that when the book is finished, it will not be summarized as merely 'good'. Good = mediocre, and mediocre doesn't change anything.

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And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to....

Barack Obama???

Is that not a popularist vote? That coupled with the fact the nominations closed 2 months after he was elected.

I would have thought Suu Kyi stood more of a chance, though she's basically in solitary confinement. Or the Dalai Lama. Or John Key even. Especially since the award was for a '"hope for a better future”, pushing for nuclear disarmament and efforts to strengthen international diplomacy' - NZ has always pushed for nuclear disarmament. -_-

Sounds like a slight against Bush. Yes, Obama may have inherited a slew of problems from his predecessor, but what is he doing to promote peace? Seriously? The G8/G20 conference? Did they even talk about world peace? The closest I've seen (to be fair, seeing as I live in NZ) was Obama telling Ahmadinejad that some 'action' may be take if he continues with what most people assume to be a uranium enrichment program.

Obama is NOT near Mother Teresa. And to be fair, he may be eventually - but a future possibility does not deserve awarding until it has been made tangible. In the words of the Iranian Foreign Minister: “decision in this area was hasty, and conferring this prize was premature.”

Well put.

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The Greatness of America

I seriously believe that America is great.

Its interesting, everyone goes and rants about them being all uppity and having a "oh-I'm-American-therefore-I-own-the-earth-therefore-I-am-awesome" and complains about their capitalist swine dog system?

America is the only country I know that embraces those who wish to become Americans as their own. I've lived in 2 countries (well 3, but I can't really recall too well seeing as I was only 2 years of age). I highly doubt that either of these countries would allow/accept a foreign citizen as its own. An example of the previous: my employer's cousin was born in India, and accepted a scholarship to America when he was in his late teens. He subsequently went on to become a policy advisor to Ronald Reagan (haha, 3 degrees of separation from me to a American president! Score!). Now in what other country could you find such warmth of acceptance? And there are countless more stories I'm sure.

Not to mention American culture is so pervasive. Authors, actors etc, you name it (*cough*MileyCyrus*cough*). Hollywood. Etc.

They also carry out large scale peacekeeping operations in other countries. And yes, I support Bush. The Iraqi mission was a lot better than the should-have-been Rwanda mission under the Clinton administration.

Yet the only thing people can complain about is the fact that America has screwed up, majorly. Seriously, if you are at the top of the pedestal, everyone can see you when you trip over. The one reason why Russia's (and other countries, of course) shortfallings are not brought to light is because they have a somewhat repressive political system. And because they aren't too (excuse me) important on the world stage. Come to think of it, are they involved in any peacekeeping missions (I know there must be...one or two)?

Oh and before I forget. The US army has its own naval transport. Which is separate from the Navy. Take a look at their carriers :O, tehhh awesome.

America is great. I do not think that they need to apologize to anyone else for their peacekeeping duties they've taken up: "sorry, I do apologize that we have killed some innocent civilians, even though a lot may die without our intervention". Or anything like that. And even if an American does act with the aforementioned "oh-I'm-American-therefore-I-own-the-earth-therefore-I-am-awesome" manner, they are justified. They just need to get some humility...before the rest of the world bashes them.

I love America though I have never set foot on its land. Go America!

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Hmm.

Its quite disheartening when you've got to stay up so late to complete an essay...and you hear the birds singing, heralding the morning.

I really really dislike (hate?) essays.

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BLEARGH

Am I the only one that thinks that Robert Pattinson looks like a....well not a guy?

And good looking, are you kidding me -_-...

And Zac Efron?? *falls*

I'd prefer Brad Pitt but I don't even like Brad Pitt. I don't even think he's good looking (its just my opinion yah).

Isn't part of being the worlds sexiest man actually looking like a man?

Come on, put Hugh Jackman deserves some note. Or Bear Grylls. The real men! Not men with eyelashes that rival beauty queens. Where's the grit, the scars, the manliness?Now this is a lot more like it. -_-

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Seriously, I don't get humans. I probably never will.

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Stop hating.

I understand why people hate lawyers. Maybe its the inferiority complex some people have, that when someone strides into a room wearing suit, shoes and a briefcase that would cost normal waged people their monthly salary.

Yes, I kid. Lawyers don't generally earn that much. There are a top few, but if you want money, be a businessman!

I'm talking about being a defence lawyer. And people who say things like "man, this should have never gotten to court, stupid lawyers defending that obviously guilty man, obviously only hungry for his money."

=_=

Here in NZ, if some dude comes to you and hires you to be their lawyer, there are only 4 exceptions to decline. Declining to act on the basis of your own morality is NOT an exception.

Ok, if let say...you were to kill someone in broad daylight, in the sight of 20 witnesses. Just because you hated him. Wouldn't you want to spend less time in prison, even though you were obviously wrong? That's where lawyers come in. Lawyers are the hired guns. You pay them to get you off. You pay them to exhaust every avenue, and you pay them for their mind. Not their morals. Would you like your lawyer to stand up in court and say "your Honour, on the basis of the evidence brought before me, I do believe my client is guilty" ?

Every person that is brought to court, can have their day in court. And that is fair. Stating this, I am not referring to the trial process, merely the idea that everyone should be able to state their side.

Its important that people make distinctions between the person on trial, and the lawyer acting on their behalf. The arguments the lawyer may come up with may be incredulous, implausible and bordering on stupid. Can you blame them when their client is so wrong that they have (almost) no case at all? Now whose fault is it that?

And if lawyers don't attempt to exhaust most/all potential avenues, they will be open to being sued for negligence.

-_-

And I, have great respect for defence lawyers. Just not the people that they defend, mind you.

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