Priority

I was contacted by phone by one of my working associates. The conversation started off with a few important matters about work that needed to be clarified immediately. After that, my associate suddenly drifted off to talk about one of the online novels he was reading and how tragically sad it was before starting to talk about the wide range of emotions it struck. At that moment, I decided to cut the conversation short. My pork chop that I'm having for dinner is certainly more important than idle chat about some online novel that I probably won't be reading, and I didn't hesitate to tell him that.

Talking about it, I did set my priorities right didn't I?

Threshold?

During the last few weeks that I went to Intech 2005 (International Conference on Intelligent Technology), on my way back home during our transit to the airport along with other distinguished guests and speakers, one of the conversation caught my attention during the course of the journey. It has to do with two distinguished educators in the science and engineering field, one from a private university and the other from a public university. Though there are many topics that of interest, I'll just recall one of the topics which would probably interest general readers than all the hardcore problems underlining the educational system in Thailand (the majority of the discussion was on there).

The topic that was somewhat funny, and in quite close to everyone is the problem about parking space. As you all know, with our government quite happy to boast about reaching the million car mark, I think the regular driver would ask themselves where in the world are we going to find enough parking spaces? In the example of where I work, during peak times (registration), the baskteball field is actually converted into a makeshift parking space to handle the huge spike of cars coming to the university. Even with that, there is simply not enough parking space in the premises. One of the policy that our university has pursued was that if a reserved car park has been parked by an unauthorized person, the car would be locked by the wheels. To take out the lock, a huge fine has to be paid, and that really worked effectively against cars that try to sneak and park in unauthorized sections of the university.

Anyway during one of the topic discussed between the two educators, the one from the public university complained bitterly about the parking space. After talking for a while, the educator from the public university mentioned that alot of students park their cars in the places the lecturers should park. Surprised, the educator from the private university asked that why didn't the university just simply lock the wheels of the cars to teach those students a lesson? The educator from the public university just shook his head and pointed that it was impossible. The reason was simple, the university is public property, and due to that reason, everyone has the right to park anywhere they want as long as there is space and conforms to driving regulations and locking the wheels of cars in the university was actually against the law. In other words, the lecturers have to hope the students don't find that out that they can actually park in the lecturer's parking space according to law.

Strange...

Talking about it, it reminds me about the elevators at the subways. The elevators were initially designed so that people with handicaps (e.g. wheelchairs) can use. At the moment its just used by normal commuters once a few lazy-bums decided that it would be faster to just get up the handicap elevator. At the moment, it turned into a norm. Talk about how low threshold and order in our society these days.

When talking about order, at least its Christmas and New Year coming up soon, and then not much order is in order, lol.

Good and Bad Procastination

Great article to read especially those who like procastination!

Good and Bad Procastination

http://paulgraham.com/procrastination.html

The Cure to Racism/Segregration/Discrimination

Sorry for linking lots of articles instead of writing what I've been thinking. I've got many things transversing around my head, but due to a myraid of reasons, I just can't seem to group them in a logical way as I wanted both due to a writer's block, and also a physical injury. During the last week, I've severely injured my fingers (basketball, jarring my fingers inbetween the door slamming, and etc.) making it hard for me to type for a while without going back to nursing my index finger. Anyway, I just can't help but highlight one of the opinions that could cure racism/segregration/discrimination in an alternative way that deserves mention:

Morgan Freeman wrote: NEW YORK -
Morgan Freeman says the concept of a month dedicated to black history is "ridiculous."

"You're going to relegate my history to a month?" the 68-year-old actor says in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" to air Sunday (7 p.m. EST). "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."

Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated — when black history would become fundamental to American history.

Freeman notes there is no "white history month," and says the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it."

The actor says he believes the labels "black" and "white" are an obstacle to beating racism.

"I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man," Freeman says.

Freeman received Oscar nominations for his roles in 1987's "Street Smart," 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy" and 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption." He finally won earlier this year for "Million Dollar Baby."

The King and I: A Royal Critique

I just wanted to share the following article. It provokes much food for your thought.

The King and I: A Royal Critique - Tom Plate - UCLA Asia Institute

King Bhumibol Adulyadej provides Prime Minister Thaksin with much needed advice on humility
Thursday, December 8, 2005

Bangkok --- Kings are not ordinarily my thing.

Generally, one needs to maintain to a proper deference for elected parliaments or congresses, even as they are often ethically challenged.

The problem is that absolutism in the pursuit of political perfection almost always leads to tragic tyranny. It's the rare king or queen who can rise above His or Her absolutism.

But Thailand may just have one of those.

On Sunday, on the occasion of his 78th birthday, the King of the nation once known as Siam delivered his birthday speech. This is an annual event, and in Siam the King occupies a special affection in people's hearts.

The King spoke from a throne that looked like a giant birthday cake, in the hall of the capital's gold-and-silver drenched Grand Palace. The potential for unintentional hilarity and pointless pomposity was overwhelming. But this time King Bhumibol Adulyadej was for spurning royal froth; the king had something important to say. He was speaking against a backdrop of government rocked by scandal and excessive ego.

Aiming soft-coated barbs primarily at the country's prime minister, the King proposed to his subjects a quiet platform of wisdom, common sense and humility. Yes, he said, even the King can make mistakes (though the Thai Constitutional actually states to the contrary that he cannot), and the people should let him know when mistakes are made.

Kings don't usually say this, but this ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty, enthroned way back in 1946, spoke against the backdrop of rising public unhappiness with the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. This multi-millionaire politician has been feeling the public-opinion heat lately, and has not been taking it well. On the contrary, with just about each public criticism, Thaksin has ordered his bevy of
lawyers to file a lawsuit against every critic who opens his or her mouth.

This should not be the Thai way, suggested the world's longest running monarch: "Whatever one does, one just has to be conscious of what one is thinking and doing, and thus try not to make a mistake... I myself have made mistakes a few times..." And so, it was suggested, even the prime minister can make mistakes, and if the King is willing to acknowledge his mistakes, why not the PM?

Taking criticism in stride is a normal and essential part of public service. It is far better for rulers to deal with the sometimes-harsh sunlight of reality than to try to govern in the darkness of poisonous flattery. Public figures do become excessive targets of criticism, conceded the King, but, even so, "It could be damaging to the public if one doesn't appreciate those points of criticism."

To be sure, the King thanked -- but really only tongue-in-cheek -- the prime minister for wishing him well on the occasion of his royal birthday. But he wondered whether his compliment would sow trouble for the Throne "because other people might not compliment me for complimenting the PM. They may question why I give him compliments."

Thaksin, whose government has supported the Iraq war and executed excessively harsh measures against Muslims in the south near Malaysia, is known to have political skin far thinner than papyrus.

"It is normal that people like being complimented and do not like being criticized," said the King, drolly. "But we have the PM for complimenting. If we do not compliment him, he might not be pleased. And if he is not satisfied, how could work proceed?"

Throw your eyes across the political spectrum of the world and think of All the self-styled monarchs for whom a true King's words would be most apt. One thinks of insulated presidents (who shall go nameless) and arrogant prime ministers (who shall go nameless) who with hot-air pomp regard criticism as unpatriotic. But here is a King who would demonstrate humility, who would ask of his people that they accept his royal imperfections and who ask of his first minister that he accept that people and even political opponents have the right to raise serious questions about grave issues.

Americans do not ordinarily expect wisdom from royalty. But based on Sunday's speech, this is one King who does get this American's vote.

Random Quote

I just liked this random quote I saw in the Internet alot :P

"Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool =P"

New GWB Terms

I think most of the readers here know that I'm not a big fan of George W. Bush (GWB). Anyway due to a bout of boredom yesterday, I decided to switch to CNN and watch his live speech on the topic related with the future of Democratic Iraq. If you didn't know yet, one thing that GWB is reknown for is his ability to coin up new terms on a number of issues. The latest term coined that speech was "Saddamist". Sounds pretty queer doesn't it? He was using that term to relate to Iraqi and foreign elements that are classified as sympathisizers to the former Iraqi Dicatator Saddam Hussein and I must admit that GWB really has this talent for over-simplicating things and creating new buzz words.

Talking about Saddam, here are a few interesting flash parody animations on that fellow:

http://www.toccionline.com/creations/realhussein/

Friends You Don't Need

I've just noticed an interesting article in which I just wanted to post here for us to read:

Seven Friends Nobody Needs
By Lisa Earle McLeod for Lifetimetv.com

All friends are not created equal. Most buddies add to your life, but there are probably a few you would be better off without. The common denominator for these friends-gone-bad is that they act as if it's all about them and never about you. We're all guilty of being a little self-absorbed at times, but friendship is supposed to be a two-way street. If one of your friends isn't holding up her end of the bargain, consider calling her on her bad behavior -- or slashing her from your buddy list. (One word of caution: Before you start friend-cleaning, ask yourself if you fit any of these descriptions. You don't want one of your pals reading this and deciding to dump you!)


1. The whiner.
Nobody knows the troubles she's seen. Things most of us accept as part of daily life -- carpool snafus, demanding bosses, men with poor communication skills -- she treats as evidence that the world is against her. We all enjoy complaining occasionally, but with her it's a nonstop moan-fest. Susan, 30, a public relations executive, refers to one of her friends as "the Crisis Queen." "It's always a catastrophe. It's draining just to have to hear it," she says.

2. The leech.
She treats her friends like servants who exist to feed her dog, cover her shift at work, pick up her dry cleaning or peel her another grape. "She'll start off asking what I'm up to, but she really just wants to find out if I'm free to help her out," says Ellen, 39, a stay-at-home mom, about the leech in her life. "She recently called to ask what my daughter was doing. I said nothing, thinking she was going to invite her over. Instead, she asked if her daughter could come to my house!"

3. The busy bee.
She's the PTA president, a party organizer and a domestic goddess all rolled into one. She makes you feel as if you are but a mere blip on her overscheduled radar screen. She consistently shows up late or says she's too busy to take your calls. "Since my friend got a new job, all she talks about is her crazy schedule," says Leslie, 26, an environmental consultant. "She makes it seem as if she's doing me a big favor by making time for me!"

4. The yakker.
Thank God for caller ID. Everybody has friends that like to talk (if any of my pals are reading this, please know I've got that muzzle on order), but this buddy never lets you get a word in edgewise. In fact, she missed her calling as a telemarketer or a carnival barker. "I could hand the phone to one of the kids for five minutes and she wouldn't notice," says Kristi, age 42, a personal coach, of her personal Chatty Cathy. "Next time she calls, I'm going to have the country song 'I Wanna Talk About Me' playing in the background and see if she gets the hint."

5. The adviser.
We all count on our friends for advice, but nobody needs a steady stream of unsolicited intervention. Whether this pal is trying to prove how smart she is or start her own counseling practice, she's got the answer for everything -- whether you ask her or not. Jodie, 32, a part-time nurse and mother of two, says she quit sharing things with one of her friends because, "She can't just listen; she always has to tell me what to do. She reminds me of the mother-in-law from hell!"

6. The dumper.
Whenever something better comes up, she drops you like yesterday's business. The worst kind of dumper is the one that treats her female friends like fill-ins or time-passers until a guy comes into the picture. Jennifer, 24, a law student, says of one boy-crazy friend: "You'd think she was still in high school. We'll make plans weeks in advance, but if her boyfriend calls and asks her to hang out, she rushes over."

7. The bragger.
She's been there and done that -- way better than you have. She just can't resist telling you how many carats her diamonds are or how much better her office is. She lets you know that your discount designer duds are so last season, while her outfits came straight from the Paris runway. "My conversations with this one friend consists of how important she is at work, what she's done to her house and how perfect her marriage is," says Julie, 31, a human resources administrator. "Doesn't she know it's supposed to be a friendship, not a competition?"

Creative

Virus writers are always creative. Take this new virus for example. I'm sure some people who don't know about all this Internet things might really called the number down there LOL

Dear Sir/Madam,

we have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites.

Important:
Please answer our questions!
The list of questions are attached.


Yours faithfully,
Steven Allison



++++ Central Intelligence Agency -CIA-
++++ Office of Public Affairs
++++ Washington, D.C. 20505

++++ phone: (***) ***-****
++++ 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., US Eastern time