What gay?

When I read in the papers of a representative of the gay community in Singapore saying he is pleased with the government's call not to discriminate gays, I nearly laughed my head off. He also added that it is the start of a continuous dialogue. I laughed again. Well, you think gender is nothing? You can freely choose what you want to be? Be a guy today and a girl tomorrow? As you wish? If you are re- writing the laws of nature, why not I also re- write another law of nature which is the right to live? So I can shoot you gays' heads off to get rid of you guys.

It is disgusting to go against nature. We already know in science and by history of mankind that generations and generations are replaced by growth of families. And humans reproduce by sexual reproduction. A baby can only be produced by a man and a woman. So what is sexual between a man and another man?

Okay. Perhaps my tone was coarse in the first paragraph. But accepting the gay community is possibly the start of more things to come. More strange phenomena.

Penalty goal

On the way to work, I caught a piece of sports news on the TV Mobile. It was an EPL match result. Manchester United won by a big margin. Two goals from Ronaldo. Then something opened up an issue on my mind. One of the goals was converted through a penalty.

I was thinking if informing that the goal was converted through a penalty would affect the nature of the win. Was it an easy win? A trouncing? Or an edged- out one?

So maybe if one of the goals scored in the win is through a penalty the win would be deemed easy.

No. I think scoring in a penalty is not exactly easy. Especially on an EPL level of professional football.

Hari Raya

It's the time of the year again when we get to see our relatives and catch up with life after maybe one year? Maybe some beg to differ because they do spend a lot of time with their cousins, aunts and uncles.

But i'm sure there are some who only see their relatives annually. And it's on Hari Raya.

One reason to account for this is the fact that families today do not live together under one roof. After marriage, a couple will move out of the house and build a new family there. It's not like in the past when a big family would live together under one roof.

I guess things have changed. I would not be able to feel what it means to live in a big family together with my many cousins, my aunts and uncles and my grandparents.

This is a consequence of urbanisation.

And it would take more than a day to do the house- to- house Hari Raya visits today. Probably much longer than yesterday when you could see all members of the one big family in one place.

Track and field

Track and field is a sport that tests a wide range of physical abilities. From the 100m dash to the 3000m steeplechase and up to the gruelling marathon, different physical attributes such as speed, agility and endurance are tested. However, every event will test a particular or a few main physical abilities.

The 100m dash is purely a speed event. Reaction time is no more greater in importance than in any other events. It is also the most psychologically pressurizing event over a short period of time. Any mistake can cost greatly. There is no time to rectify any mistake during the dash. It measures explosive speed and power.

As the events progress in distance, for example, the 200m and 400m runs, speed is no more the prime physical prerequisite. Another major component is introduced. It's endurance.

200m and 400m runners will also show distinct different body structures from the 100m sprinters. They are leaner and less stocky. This is to accomodate the need to go fast over a greater distance.

And near the end of the distance spectrum lies the 1500m, 5000m and 10000m events. The 5000m and 10000m are distance events. The 5000m event tests more of speed than the 10000m. The 1500m will naturally require greater speed ability than the 5000m and 10000m.

Finally the most unique of the running events is the 3000m steeplechase. Runners need not only have good endurance but also the agility and strength to hurdle 28 9.14cm barriers. In addition, one of the four barriers placed on the track is put behind a pit of water for the runners to land on.

EZ- Link

I suspect something amiss in the EZ- Link sensors we tap on every morning. Have you heard people complaining how their EZ- Link fare card value can go incredibly low after a number of trips to and fro? It's not a rumour anymore. It's true. Transportation is really costly here.

But i'd like to point out that the new EZ- Link system can put us, the customers at a disadvantage. When we dropped coins into the box about 15 years ago, it was very clear how much money you paid for the fare.

But now it isn't so clear.

You can top up your fare card and the charges deducted are made known through the digital display. And is the digital display a reliable form of receipt? Definite no. You have to hurry to the back of the bus, the bus driver says. So you can only glance at some strange digits for maybe a second or two. Because others want to board too. Fair enough. But SMRT being accountable for practising fair trade? Certainly not fair.

And I have not come into the topic of possible computer glitches. Which can really cost us, customers greatly.

Am I being paranoid? Maybe. But you wouldn't deny the possiblity of over- billing from the EZ- Link sensors right?

Blog

There are many reasons to why people blog. Some feel better after blogging. Some blog to air their views. Others may want to hone their writing.

I think writing reflects yourself in a certain way. It may not be accurate. But it sure gives some hint of how you think.

The things talked about and the opinions expressed tells what kind of a personality one has.

But all these are guesswork. Because what's discovered or observed is still subject to certain possibilities.

Can he or she write differently from how he or she thinks? Maybe.

Photograph

These days, we have seen great growth in the imaging industry. Have a camera and you can snap anything anywhere at any time. Photographs are used to prove. Schools splash their annuals with more photographs and less words. At least that's what an editor told me when she explained the concept of the school's annual this year. And yes not forgetting Friendster. Personal albums have now become online. It's amazing what technology has got us into over a short period of time.

But a picture can mislead. Because a photograph is a perspective from someone else.