This is almost slapstick in a Gene Wilder/Mel Brooks sort of way.

I was reading a CNN article about an author by the name of Shirley Ann Grau whose 1964 book "The Keepers of The House" (which won a Pulitzer Prize) was recently reissued.

Anyway, this book depicts a 30-year interracial romance between a wealthy white man and his black housekeeper in the Deep South. Sounds like real life eh? (read: My Father's Name Was James Strom Thurmond)

Remembering that this was written back in the 60s, it was no surprise that a lot of people's ire were raised. The Ku Klux Klan even protested on her front lawn.

In their usual protest format (more intimidating than letters to the Straits Times' forum page), they brought a wooden cross to be burnt in front of her house. But through some divine intervention or plain forgetfulness, they forgot to bring a shovel (or maybe they forgot to buy it from the KKKmart). So without the shovel to dig, there was no way they could stand the cross upright. Finally, they gave up and just lay the cross flat on the lawn and burnt it there.

Said Shirley in the CNN article, "it scorched a few feet of grass and it scared the neighbours, but I wasn't even here. I was at Martha's Vineyard. It all had kind of a Groucho Marx ending to it."

I can just imagine the scene if she was at home with her kids:

"Mom! Mom! The lawn's on fire!"

Peering over her typewriter, "that's okay dear, just piss on it on turn on the lawn sprinkler."

What an anti-climax to the KKK's effort. The huge burning cross was supposed to scare the shit out of people, not just scorched their lawns. Remember those in the movie "Mississippi Burning"? Yeah, that's how it works. Ain't doing much just lying flat on the ground.

Shit! Two of my friends just saw the end of their respective relationships that lasted for several years. The first didn't want to talk or meet up, so we communicated by SMS. The second just messaged me a few minutes ago. Had to call him up to see how he was. He claims he is numb about the whole thing but I know he must be hurting. Being considerate, he told me that he is okay and that I should go to bed. I know he is not some wimpy girl but I am sure he must be going through quite a bit of personal hell. Well, he knows he can call me anytime.

Man... this is a bad year after all.

Since I wrote something about my mom this morning, I thought it would be nice if I write something about my dad. It's not intentional, just that I saw something on television this evening at the gym that triggered an old but funny memory.

It was "Phua Chu Kang" *cringe*. I don't watch it at all, but the gym's television was showing it and since I had nothing to do while resting between sets, I distracted myself by watching it.

Anyway, it was an episode where Chu Kang and his brother Chu Beng were recalling things about their dad and the things they did with him. There was this particular flashback scene where the two of them as kids were discussing ways to interrupt their father's nap. Chu Kang then shouted loudly which of course startled him awake.

That scene suddenly triggered my memory of the exact same thing I did with my dad when I was really young. Probably before I was six. But the reason for my actions was far from mischief.

At that time, my parents' friend had passed away so all of us went for her funeral service. At the last part, all the mourners filed pass the coffin to get a last view of her before she was sent for burial. Being the inquisitive boy I was, I asked my dad what was happening. After he had explained to me, I told him that I too wanted to take a last look at her.

Big mistake. The image of the old lady lying peacefully in her coffin was a bit too much for me. I can't remember what I did but I think I struggled loose and went back to my seat. My mom was a bit pissed off with my dad for allowing me to view the deceased and told him to never do that again.

Anyway, that picture of her stayed in my mind and for the first time, I thought about death and how it may come for my parents. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake it off and my dad couldn't have a peaceful nap for the next week. Every time when I was left home with my dad alone and saw him napping, I thought he had died. And as a little boy, the only thing I knew was to shake him awake.

The first time that happened, he laughed after I told him why I woke him up. But I guess it got a bit too much after the second or third time cause he scolded me and I didn't dare do it again. But still, whenever I saw him sleeping, I was seized with the fear that he had really died. But since I couldn't wake him up, I didn't know what else to do but sit next to him till he finished his nap.

I guess my mom was pretty amused by the whole thing and thought my dad was being punished for allowing an impressionable young boy to scare himself silly by the sight of a body in coffin. :-)

Rummaging through my cupboard on Sunday morning for a longer fin to fit under my board, I found a bunch of useless stuff collected through the years. One in particular was a t-shirt which I had bought as a gift for a friend while on holiday a few years back. It was a simple white t-shirt with a Tag Heuer logo that said "Tag Power" instead of "Tag Heuer".

Since I haven't given it to anyone, I decided to pass it to my mom instead. After all, it is baggy enough for her to use during her early morning exercises. So I dumped it on the couch in the living room before dashing out of the house and to the beach.

Today as I was leaving for work, I ran into her in the living room while she was watching the telly. Seeing the t-shirt lying on the couch in its original position since Sunday, I told her that I was giving it to her. She then asked me what was printed on it as she didn't want to wear something embarrassing and be laughed at. Apparently, that had happened to one of her friends and she wasn't too keen on the idea of going through that.

Taking up the t-shirt, I had a proper look at the logo and saw to my shock and embarrassment that it didn't say "Tag Power" at all. Instead, it read "Fag Power". What the...!? Why the hell didn't I take a proper look at the t-shirt before dumping it on the couch?

Laughing to myself, I told her that maybe it wasn't such a great idea after all. I don't think it's nice of me to secretly make her a member of P-FLAG without her knowledge.

Laughing along with me, she thanked me for my intention and trusted my judgement on it while recounting her friend's experience at the same time.

Phew... fortunately for me, she's totally unfamiliar with modern gay colloquialism.

Or is she?

Man oh man! This is one of the best-written things I've read about the supposed benefits of globalisation. Now we know why there are anti-globalisation activists in the world and why the poorer countries didn't budge at Cancun.

Check out the post "The real deal behind cheap imported meat" by a sassy lawyer in Philippine Suburbia.

She is good! I am impressed! Okay, to be honest, I am pretty blonde about economics and shit like that so maybe that's why other people easily impress me. :-P

*slapping my head* groan...

• What have Iraqis done to deserve this?
  
• Bible Belt missionaries set out on a 'war for souls' in Iraq

Lovely isn't it? Now why don't we have Muslim missionaries preaching to the "infidels"? Works both ways right? You take some of mine, I take some of yours.

Then again, I am not surprise by it. They are just following precedent. Centuries ago, it was their forebears who rode on the coat tails of the mercenaries and merchants of the European colonial effort who came to this part of the world to "save the heathens". After all, that's how Christianity was introduced to Asia. Now, it's these American Southern Baptist who are following that historical precedent.

What a weekend. Woo... wee! The northeast wind was honking like mad and I just had to be there for it.

Woke up late on Saturday and managed to hit the water at about 3ish in the afternoon. Heard from the others that the wind was much stronger earlier on in the morning. But fortunately for me, there were still pockets of it left in the afternoon. Damn the constipating clouds! No matter, at least I had a great time.

When I arrived, I was surprise to discover that the lagoon hawker centre that has been closed for a year is now reopened. After tearing down the old one, they have erected a new swanky one in its place. Nice! Very resort looking. Even the toilets are stunning. I was like wow!!

But unfortunately, it seems the whole of Singapore heard about it because by the time I went out for dinner in the evening, the whole place was packed! It took ages to get a table only to discover that all the Chinese stalls had queues that were like 15 to 20 deep. Imagine that. There was no way I was going to queue for food. I only eat when I am hungry, and when I am hungry I have no patience to queue. Left with no other choice, I went to the Malay stalls instead. At least they had no queues and had food left. I know I sound like a spoiled brat when I talk like that, but I don't burst a brain cell nor kick up a fuss, I just move on to other options.

Sunday was... how should I put it...? Death defying-ly thrilling? Yeah, that would be an apt description. Stared impending death in the face but made it out alive. Man... What an experience.

There I was, out on the sea and far away from civilisation having a time of my life zipping around on my board. All of a sudden, an unexpectedly strong gust slammed into my sail causing me to lose control. The next thing I know, I was catapulted off the board, through the air and into the sea with a slam. Okay, I thought, that happens often enough, no big deal. But what I didn't expect was to be trap under the sail.

In all my eight years of windsurfing, I usually get flung over my equipment never beneath it. When I tried to break through the surface of the water, I ran smack into my sail. "Shit!" I thought. Tried moving left and right to no avail, I was effectively caught beneath the sail and there was no way I could push up against it.

Monofilm windsurfing sails are made to be strong and relatively long-lasting. When rigged taut and tight, it forms a very effective barrier to catch the wind, or in my case, bury me with absolutely no pocket of air to breathe from. Damn! Soon enough, I ran out of air and started panicking which of course led me to take in water instead of air. But somehow, I instinctively levelled my body and gave two or three strong kicks. Breaking the surface this time, I found myself a short distance away from my rig sputtering and coughing out sea water. Swimming back, I managed to clamber onto my board and sucked in more air.

Looking at my sail, I realised that if I had followed the batten lines on it, I could have brought myself to safety. But I panicked instead. "Fuck!" I thought to myself, "why the fuck did I fucking panic? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" People only drown to their death when they panic and can't think properly to get themselves out of a situation. With all my experiences, I shouldn't have panicked.

But then again, I have never found myself in that situation before. Damn! If I had drowned out there, no one would have known. The shoreline was miles away, all the ships were anchored far from where I was and there wasn't anyone around me at the time.

Quickly composing myself, I shook off the trauma, hauled up my sail and continued my speed thrill for the next hour or so. No point letting that spoil my day right?

Well at least now I know what drowning feels like. An experience to add to my broken bones, cracked head, drifting around in the middle of Indonesian waters in darkness with no refuge in sight, etc, etc.

The good thing about the weekend? My phlegm-boyant (runny) nose is no longer that phlegmy after two adrenaline pumping days of windsurfing. :-D

Was bored. And in a rare moment of narcissism (like real), I googled to see if anyone made a link to my blog and found this little review from a irreverent four-person maintained blog in the US:

thrills, spills and flatliners
Some guy in Asia. Said he likes Bjork so he almost got ignored, but then he started getting all political. He's got the balls to bash Christianity on the innanet. Motherfucker gets an 8. Gotta respect the balls.

Fwah! I'm flattered. Me got balls! And considering that he gave mostly zeros to the other blogs he reviewed 'cept for one 4, two 7s and two 10s. Flattered for the wrong reason maybe. But what the hell, I'll take a compliment when I get one.

You know, I've always felt for the foreign workers in Singapore, especially those who work in the more labour intensive industry: the construction workers, cleaners and domestic helpers. And even though at times, I find their foreign ways to be brash and rude, I let it slide. After all, their ways are different from mine and I have no right to judge them. And in any case, they are here to perform work that my fellow Singaporeans and I shun. And by that, they fulfil a very important function in this country.

But out of all the foreign workers in this country, one particular group stands out: the domestic helpers, the maids. They work six days a week for ridiculously long hours to earn wages that no Singaporean will stand for. Often, some of them suffer physical and mental abuses from their employers. And some have even died from these very same abuses.

Every weekend, we see tons of Filipina maids congregating at Lucky Plaza and the field next to Orchard MRT station. This, I gather, is a very important day of the week for them to reconnect with their fellow Filipinas and forget about the tedium of their daily chores and naggy employers. I've long understood and accepted the reason for this social gathering. After all, it's their only form of escape and recreation.

Today, I learnt something new about them. Have you ever noticed that when you walk down Orchard Road on the weekends, you rarely (or never) see a grouchy or pathetically sad looking Filipina maid? The only time you see that is when they appear in the papers in some article about a maid being abused. I've never really thought about it till today.

The Economist (through a link I got from the "Gweilo Diaries" comments page) published an article about that. Its focus was on the Filipina amahs (maids) of Hong Kong and I believe that it's no different to those in Singapore.
Apparently, it is attributed to the concept called Kapwa, roughly translated to "shared being". I'll leave the explanation to the Economist article "The Filipina sisterhood - An anthropology of happiness" which I earnestly encourage you to read. I believe we can learn a thing or two from them.

These people are really amazing. First, we have Jenny (a subject in Conrad's post), a Manila bargirl, who survived a very wretched childhood and still have the sweetness and charity to give from her meagre income to child beggars on the streets. Then we have these Filipina maids who are one of the most (if not the most) happiest foreign workers around who give of what little they have to others.Here we are, bitching and being depress about the state of the economy, lack of jobs, lack of space and recreation, etc, etc. And there we have Filipinas working for years on end away from their family and love ones for lowly wages and yet are able to be happy.

What are we doing wrong here? Are we that fucked up?

Postnote: I forgot about the Thais. They also seem to be one of the happiest people in Asia.

My phone buzzed with an in-coming message. It was Ukyt replying to my previous message:Thumbing through my Nokia 5210's keypad, I composed my message and hit the send button.The subject was Snowball, the huge year-end party organised by Fridae as one of the two major gay and lesbian parties in Singapore. I think this one is going to be huge since they have already booked a convention hall in Suntec City for it.

As usual, I am not going. But there's no particular philosophical or existential reason for it.

Though in the past, I may have been biased against the whole hedonistic party thing that the majority of gay men seem to go for. That, however, is no longer an issue with me anymore. If they want to party, by all means party and have a great time at it.

You see, I used to have a problem in trying to over-rationalise and over-think things. I look at all these gay men spending enormous amount of time in the gym pumping and preening to look good for the weekends or some major parties and wonder why they put so much effort in such hedonistic goals when they can do other more productive and contributive things. Of course, this led me to see the futility of it all when at the end of the day, we all grow old and die. So what's the point of it? Why don't we use our time more fruitfully in things that count and make a difference instead?

And in turn, this led me to see them in very non-flattering ways and resulted in my biasness against them.

Somewhere along the way, I don't know how or when, my perception changed.

I've often ranted against other gay men being unable to accept diversity in the gay world (ie: no chubs, no fems, Chinese only, etc.) and yet, I was guilty of that myself.

Even though my values are different, it by no means makes theirs any less valid than mine. If all they want is to party and look good, who am I to think poorly of them. Superficial or not, they have every right to live their lives the way they want to.

Just as I believe that my life is multi-faceted, why can't I accept that some or all of their lives are multi-faceted as well and that party and gymming are just two facets of it?

And just because I go for very different things doesn't make what they go for any less valid than mine.

So there you have it, a new and different outlook of mine. Whether I may go for a future Fridae party or not, I don't know. But one thing I do know is that I have relearned acceptance of differences and diversity. And no longer will I write someone off base on what I assume to be his self-absorbed vanity; that will be most unfair of me to do since I don't even know anything about him much less what his aspirations and desires in life are.

At the end of the day, it's only a party after all. And though life may not be a party, why should that stop people from going out, looking good and having a time of their lives as long as they don't hurt others in the process.

So to all you ice queens, snow bitches, faeries and podium snowmen (I meant that as a term of endearment :-)), have a great time at snowball and enjoy the blizzard. You'll hear no condemnation from me. Careful with the cold or your nipples may harden and stand out. But then again, your shirts are going to come off anyway and a hardened nipple may just look good on you. :-)

(Note: SMS messages above are written from recollection and may not be verbatim. Memory ain't what it used to be.)

***

On another note, I was quite touched by Ukyt's message in wanting me to be there with him and his friends. My friendship with him is rather different than my friendship with the others in our group. Though we may not talk or see each other often, we connect differently. I don't know how, but the connection is much subtler, like a barely perceptible undercurrent that only some people may feel. My sister senses it and has told me about it on a few occasions.

Last Wednesday night, as we were waiting outside Taboo, he asked me how I was feeling. Puzzled, I told him that I was okay and asked him why he asked. He then said that he worries for my physical state at times, especially my headaches that come once in a while. And then later on as I was leaving Waterbar for home, he took the effort to walk me out through the crushing crowd and to the entrance before bidding me goodbye and a Merry Christmas. Now I don't know whether he does that to all his friends, but it was nice and it stood out in my memory. Then again, I may be making a big deal out of nothing.

But whatever it is, I do think highly of him and believe that there is a lot I can learn from him: little things that may seem insignificant to others but very obvious to me.

The gweilo Conrad is one irreverent asshole, but an asshole with his heart in the right place. :-) Some of his blog entries are enough to cause a fit in any frigid Singaporean protestant member of No Apologies or Focus on the Family, especially all those gratuitous boobies shots. Plus the fact that he occasionally takes the Mickey out of Singapore. But then again, who doesn't? Big deal. Anyway, I enjoy reading his weblog and some of his postings have been very enlightening and entertaining. His latest post from the Philippines where he is currently on holiday, however, is a sobriety call after the hangover of Christmas Eve parties.

Read all about Jenny here.

Amnesty International congratulates J B Jeyaretnam on being conferred the Think Centre's "Human Rights Defenders" award.

This latest rant for Salam Pax really got me cracking!

This is hilarious! When is gay sex really gay and when is it... not gay!? "The Straight Men's Guide to Enjoying Gay Sex" by Bryan Quinn.

Interesting bit of LOTR trivia: Royd Tolkien, the great grandson of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as numerous other books in the series, made a cameo in The Return of the King. He played a Gondorian ranger wearing Aragorn's wig in the ruined city of Osgiliath handing out spears to the troops in preparation for battle with Sauron's minions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3324387.stm

The time now is 4 in the morning. I have just completed another night of server migration with the other engineers. Jeez... What a month. But after last week's emergency migration, today was much easier. Regardless of that, there were a few glitches to fix. Time to go home and sleepzzz.....

In other news, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have claimed that they were the ones that captured, drugged and place Saddam in the hole for US discovery.Don't know how true this is, but I wouldn't be surprise. After all, Saddam was so well hidden that it will take a betrayal and some inside help to get him. And last Thursday, Saddam's daughter Raghad said in an interview with CNN that she believed her father was drugged.

        "Anyone with insight could tell from the first instance that my father was not fully conscious. As a daughter, I told them from the start, my father is drugged. I am 100 percent convinced."

If you're wondering why the Kurds set him up to be "discovered" by the Americans instead of handling him over and claiming the glory and financial reward, read the complete article in The Age.

By the way, don't you just like the acronym "PUK"? What if they had called themselves the "Patriotic Union of Kurdish Independents" instead? Then you will get "PUKI"!!

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! This is hilarious. Check out this two episodes of the Chelsea Boys.

Part 1

Part 2

This letter sent in to today's Straits Times forum page is by far one of the most rational and well-written one in the Chinese as second language debate. The writer has, in a way, reflected my sentiments about "ethnocentrism".

(Continued from my earlier post "The King is Crowned")

Question 1: Why was Arwen's life force fading?
Answer: I don't know. Arwen's role in the book is very limited unlike her expanded role in the movie. I think that "life force fading" was added in by the writers.

Question 2: Why did Bilbo and Frodo left at the end?
Answer: I don't know. I think it's because there was nothing left in the Shire for them. Every other hobbit of the fellowship got on with their life. Frodo was however changed greatly by his experiences. So I guess he decided to accompany Bilbo to the undying land.

From an anonymous commenter: "Bilbo was a ring bearer and thus was entitled to leave for the west. The same goes for Frodo. It's only in the west they will be relieved of the weariness brought on by bearing the ring."

Question 3: What is the undying land that all the elves, Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo went to?
Answer: The undying land is another name for Valinor. This is where all the Valar (gods) dwell. It is not part of the physical world but can only be reached by the elves through a special path that is opened for them.

The same anonymous commenter reminded me of something. Even though the way to the undying land was intended for the elves, a few people of the other races were allowed there. Go to the Encyclopaedia of Arda and read the related entries on the "Undying Land".

Question 4: Why did Denethor, father of Boromir and Faramir, go mad?
Answer: Denethor lost the will to fight as he had made use of the palantír (that round crystal ball thing) to gain knowledge. Sauron also had one and through it sapped Denethor's will. With the death of Boromir, and later the imagined death of Faramir, he finally snapped. In the book, his death was slightly different. He actually burned himself to death with his palantír in his hands unlike the movie version where he caught fire from the pyre that he lit.

Question 5: How did the rings of power come about?
Answer: The answer is too long. Read it here. It also mentions one of the reasons why the elves left Middle-earth.

And now for some trivia:

Trivia 1: After the death of Sauron and the destruction of Mordor, Faramir was rewarded by Aragorn with the princedom of Ithilien. Éowyn then married Faramir.

Trivia 2: As was seen in the movie, Théoden died in the arms of his niece, Éowyn (his sister's daughter). His nephew, Éomer (his sister's son), then succeeded to the kingship of Rohan and the Rohirrim.

Trivia 3: Elrond is actually half-elven (his parents were also half-elven). He was given a choice to be counted as either elf or man; he chose the former and so kept his extreme longevity. He is also the son-in-law of Galadriel and Celeborn.

Trivia 4: Aragorn and Elrond are related. Elrond's brother, Elros chose to be counted as man and Aragorn is his direct descendant through many generations.

Trivia 5: The Balrogs, Gandalf, Saruman and Sauron are Maiar. The Maiar are actually primordial spirits (Ainur) in physical form. These Ainur were created by Ilúvatar and together with him, created the world. Of these primordial spirits, there are two types: Valar and Maiar. The Valar descended to Arda (the world) at the beginning to prepare it for the children of Ilúvatar (elves and men) and later to guide them. The Valar do not have physical bodies but can assume any form they choose. The Maiar descended much later and took physical form. They are of lesser stature than the Valar, but are still powerful. Sauron and the Balrogs, unlike the other Maiar, came down the earliest. Unfortunately, they were corrupted by one of the Valar (Melkor) who wanted to claim the world for his own. Saruman and Gandalf came much later with three other fellow wizards to aid the free people against the return and rise of Sauron.

Trivia 6: Gandalf's physical form had actually died in the battle with the Balrog of Moria whom he defeated. But his spirit was sent back to his body to complete his task.

(More information available at the Encyclopaedia of Arda)

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

"The Return of the King" was good. Really, really good. Of course it could've been better, but it exceeded my expectations. There were quite a few parts they left out but considering how long each of the three books were, it's understandable.

Accordingly, all the characters' role were expanded, especially the other two hobbits: Merry and Pippin.

During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Legolas had his fanciful heroic scene when he bought down an Oliphaunt with great flair, flourish and finesse before jumping off its trunk like a gymnast with nary a strand of hair out of place. I just had to applaud which started off a chain of applause among the people seated around me. Hee! Hee! Somehow, he always looks flawless and clean whereas everyone around him is covered in orcs' blood and mud. What? Elves have some sort of magical repellent for blood and dirt? Is it out in the market yet? SKII or Dermalogica? And I swear the shirt he wore at Aragorn's coronation is definitely a Versace.

Éowyn and Merry had their battle moments too, especially the part when Merry took over the reins of their horse while Éowyn snatched an orc's sword and proceeded to cut into the legs of another Oliphaunt (Mûmakil) and bringing it down. Of course, her grand moment came when she cleaved off the head of the winged mount of the Witch King of Angmar (Lord of the Nazgûl) before a close quarter combat with him. She would have lost if Merry hadn't stabbed him in his leg and hence giving Éowyn an opening to slay him.

Expectedly, there were quite a number of homo moments in the movie. I was seated between Ukyt and Tyle and both of them were giggling and sniggering away whenever those moments appeared. I had to elbow them quite a number of times. Sheesh... :-)

There was a part in the coronation scene that gave impact to the whole story. After Aragorn was crowned King of Gondor and Arnor, we see him and Arwen walking through the crowd of bowing people. Finally, they came before the four hobbits who also bowed before him. But Aragorn stopped them saying "my dear friends, you bow to no one." With that, he along with Arwen got down on their knees and bowed before them. Taking his lead, everyone then got down on their knees and bowed before these four simple hobbits from the Shire.

The significance of this shouldn't be underestimated. Hobbits were never a concern among the other races of Middle-earth. They were short, rarely exceeding 4' in height, and were content to mind their own business and farm their own lands. They weren't ambitious or famous. They kept to themselves and didn't want any part in the politics of the world. As such, every other races treated them like children and believed that they wouldn't amount to anything much. Hence, we see Éomer chastising his sister Éowyn for giving Merry armament and a sword and Denethor treating his new page Pippin like a court jester. Of course, we have scenes where Pippin screwed things up.

But at the end, we have Merry and Pippin, both non-combatants, taking up the sword and fighting like everyone else. In "The Two Towers", Pippin and Merry were responsible for rousing the Ents and together with them, defeated Saruman in his stronghold of Isengard. In the last movie, Pippin stabbed a few orcs and rescued Faramir while Merry slashed down lots of orcs on horseback with Éowyn and helped her slay the Lord of the Nazgûl. And together, the two of them participated in the final assault on Mordor.

And not forgetting Frodo and Sam, they were the two people most responsible for the destruction of Sauron. In the first movie, we see Frodo assuming the perilous responsibility for taking the ring to the cracks of doom, and then later we see the two of them struggling in their journey to Mount Doom. Of course it could be argued that (1) Frodo didn't realise the implication of the ring and his decision, and (2) Frodo actually didn't throw the ring into the fire but instead wanted to keep it for himself. But the problem with the ring is the enormous burden it places on its bearer and the fact that anyone regardless of race, stature or talent wouldn't be able to destroy it either. It was actually the final selfish act of Gollum and the frail Frodo fighting over the ring that destroyed it when Gollum fell into the fire.

But the point of the whole story and Aragorn kneeling before them is that no matter how insignificant someone may be, they may just be the one who will saved the day; the unexpected heroes. It wasn't the heroic Aragorn, powerful Gandalf, fearless Gimli or the amazing Legolas who brought down Sauron and saved Middle-earth, it was actually two simple short hobbits who through sheer determination succeeded where many had failed. They overcame great odds that would have defeated anyone. They kept to their duty despite the many tremendous obstacles and the lack of wise guidance. They had no special powers or talents, they weren't trained warriors, and they were shorter than everyone else. But they made their choice, stuck with it and followed it through to the end.

Gandalf had said it eloquently, "all you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."

As I was the so-called "expert" among the rest on LOTR, everyone had questions for me after the movie. But my knowledge on it has faded a lot since I last read the book many years back. And a lot of stuff weren't covered in the books; they were only made available in other books published by JRR Tolkein or by conjecture from other authors. Anyway, I will answer some of my friends' questions in my next post.

Well, that's it. No more LOTR to look forward to next year. Of all the movies (ie: Matrix, Harry Potter, Star Wars prequel, etc.), this is the only one that I looked forward to. However, there are some rumours that Peter Jackson may attempt to do a prequel on LOTR based on the book "The Hobbit" which JRR Tolkein wrote before LOTR. I hope not. Honestly, I don't know how he is going to top LOTR after the fantastic work he has done. And in my opinion, "The Hobbit" is kind of boring. Had to pull myself through the book when I was about 15. Only LOTR held my complete attention and concentration when I read it at 16. My daily schedule then was: 1pm to 6pm - school, 6.30pm to 7.00pm - dinner, 8pm to 6am - read LOTR, 6am to 12am - sleep. I basically had that schedule until I completed all of it. Crazy eh?

Click here for the very secret diaries of the LOTR characters.

Postnote (23/12/2003): Fridae has listed their own LOTR awards. To which, I would like add Gimli as the most bitchiest dwarf (or character for that matter) of Middle-earth.

And you would have thought that slavery doesn't exist in our 21^st century.

A very well written and impressive post by Adrianna Tan, a 18 year old on school holidays now. Check out her "Soundtrack Of Our Lives" at her blog entitled "Popagandhi". Her observation and perspective on little things impresses me.

Server is loaded big time. Nothing much to do while waiting for processes to complete. Decided to surf the news to kill the clock.

Today's headlines around the world are:

• Aftenposten: Spooky mystery at Bergen Museum. Ancient funerary figures move at night. Museum staff are spooked.
  
  
• CNN: MTV has launched a campaign for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi but viewers in Asia aren't likely to see it. Self-regulation (read censorship) at its best.
  
  
• New York Times: Essie Mae Washington-Williams, mix-raced daughter of James Thurmond (the late American white politician who built his career on a segregationist platform), speaks up about her true parentage. To his credit, he later turn his back on his former segregationist belief.

Thank you for watching. This has been News@Zuco.

*cue music*

Server crash;
Clients scream.
We migrate;
Boss holler.

This would only take a moment of your time. And I'm sure you may have done this before. This time, instead of posting your photo on a personals website, you can post your photo where it may do some good.

Control Arm, a campaign by Amnesty International, IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms) and Oxfam, is working to get governments to do something about the uncontrolled trade in small arms. Millions of these end up in the hands of ordinary people or criminals and millions die as a result of being shot at by one of these.

        "Every year, throughout the world, roughly half a million men, women, and children are killed by armed violence - that's one person every minute." - control armsSome of us may think this doesn't concern us as we live in Singapore where firearms are tightly and strictly controlled. But don't you think we should start thinking as global citizens instead of just citizens of our own country?

I am sure all of us have friends or family members in countries where arms are not as tightly controlled as it is here. It may seem impossible, but there could be a bullet out there with your friend's or family's name on it.

The deal: Their aim is to collect a million (or more) photos of people from around the world to demonstrate to governments the need for ugent and effective action against this uncontrolled trade in arms.

You may think you can't do anything about it. But there is no harm trying right? And all it takes is a little clicking on your keyboard and mouse in the comfort of your own locale.

ACT NOW! Be a global citizen.

This is the first time I am attempting to write my post in the style of a monologue play. Damn! It ain't easy! This was "inspired" by an article I read on BBC news and my exchange with Ezra on Monday. I know... It's a sucky attempt.

I'm calling it "Sunday school lessons we wish we had".

Here goes nothing:

«start»

(A fictional Sunday school teacher gathers her fictional charges on a fictional Sunday in a fictional church in a fictional world)

All right children! Let's all sit down.

*sound of feet shuffling and chairs being moved*

Well done! That was excellent singing.

Today, I am going to tell you a story about a triangle. Does anyone know what a triangle is?

Yes Whitley, that is correct. A triangle is a three pointed shape with straight sides. This particular triangle I'm going to talk about is pink in colour. Has anyone seen a pink triangle before?

(holds up a pink triangle)

Oh? You have seen one before? On your uncle's car wind screen? That's interesting Jude.

But do you know what it means? Anyone? No?

*silence*

Well, I am going to tell you about it now.

Long ago in a country called Germany, men who love men and women who love women lived in relative peace. Do you know what these people were called? Yes, they are called gays and lesbians.

But during this time, a very bad man by the name of Adolf Hitler became very powerful. He soon became the leader of his country and he hated gays and lesbians as much as he hated the Jews.

Very soon, places where these people gathered were closed and he sent gay men away to concentration camp.

Does anyone know what a concentration camp is? No? Well a concentration camp is a prison where they do bad things to people.

All of them were made to wear a pink triangle in the same way that Jews had to wear the Star of David. They were treated really terribly and a lot of them died. 10000 to 15000 of them were sent away but very few returned.

After Hitler was defeated, these camps were liberated. But gays were not. Instead, the liberators sent them to prison to serve out their sentences instead. Some were even made to pay money to their government for the time they spent suffering in these camps. Can you imagine that?

But do you know why these people were made criminals? They didn't kill nor steal so why would they be criminals?

*silence*

Because they love other men. Hitler and other people around him didn't like them. They thought they were unnatural and disgusting and deserved to die. But these people didn't kill, they didn't steal nor did they didn't hurt anyone. All they wanted was to love and be loved by someone who happens to be men.

Yes! You're right! It's stupid. Why should anyone hate and kill them.

Well after many years of shame and being hated by others, their government finally removed the law that made them criminals in 1969 and it was only last year that they finally pardon these people for their "crimes".

And last Friday, their government finally decided build a monument in memory of these innocent people.

So, what lessons can we learn from all this?

Very good Anne, you're right! Just because someone is different doesn't mean we have to hate them or kill them. After all, they have not harmed us.

And yes Melvin, you're right too. Everyone should be free to love who they choose. It doesn't matter if they are men or women.

This brings us to what the bible teaches us:

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Do you know what this means?

That's correct Bernard. If we do not want people to hurt us, we should not hurt others. And we should love other people the way we love ourselves no matter how different they are. It doesn't matter what colour their skin is, it doesn't matter whether they are gay or lesbians and it doesn't matter if they are Christians or not.

Well, that's all we have today. I hope you remember today's lesson.

Now let's bow our head and pray,

"Dear God, help us to be kind and loving to everyone no matter how different they are..." (fade off)

(Lights darken and the words "Never forget" flashes on the backdrop below a pink triangle surrounded by a barbed wire)

«end»

For more material, please refer to:

• A Chronicle of Persecution
• A Monument to the homosexual Victims of the Nazis
• Germany remembers the pink triangle men
• Paragraph 175 (their paragraph 175 then is our section 377 now)
• Survivors of a forgotten holocaust
• The History of the Gay Male and Lesbian Experience during World War II

"Never forget". After all, it can very well happen again. Beware, the harbingers of hate is among us now.

AH!!... HA! HA! HA! HA!

AH!!... HA! HA! HA! HA! (part 2)

Ooch aye! I love this editorial/letter in the first page of the latest issue (Friday Dec 5-18 2003) of I-S Magazine given out free almost anywhere in Singapore. I've always enjoyed their articles and write ups but their latest (to me) takes the cake in light of that recent Focus on the Family/No Apologies hysteria. Just in case you're not familiar, Focus on the Family arrived from the US to stamp out homosexuality in Singapore and No Apologies promotes/coerce abstinence from sex till marriage and then with one's spouse only. I think both are related to each other or at the very least, cooperate. And oh, did I also happen to mention that they are Christian organisations too?

I've reproduced that letter here. Click it and read.

Part of the transcripts of a Yahoo! Messenger chat last night.

Zuco: The thing about gay parties, they are all the same where ever you are in the world.
Zuco: They are having one this year though.
Ezra: That's the thing. We're just slipping into the global semiotic of the gay clone.
Ezra: And we anyhow anyhow appropriate all these gay symbols without any historical context and relevance to our own community--rainbow flag lah, pink triangle lah.
Zuco: Yah lor! You don't say I also say!
Ezra: And at the same time we doth protest that homosexuality is NOT a western cultural import. But with the way we freely borrow their symbols, would the straights have known any better?
Zuco: Spot on man!

Seems like globalisation has taken on a new meaning for us gays eh? Does that mean the Christian fundamentalists are the anti-globalisation activists?

So Saddam's captured. Question is, is he the real Saddam or one of his numerous decoys? And if this is the real Saddam, will his capture result in a cessation of attacks against the coalition troops? Frankly I doubt so. But that remains an open question.

Meanwhile, in the latest developments, the Pentagon has attributed the discovery of Saddam to a SAF personnel sent to Iraq as part of the coalition force.

The mobile rang with the familiar tone reserved for family. Hitting the answer button, I hear my sister's voice over at the other end. "Hi" she said and "Hi" I replied.

Silence...

"Oh god... it was a tearful farewell," she continued.

Slipping out through the back door of the office for some privacy, I let her continue.

"Before I went through the gate, mommy said a prayer for me."

Between audible sobs, she related how our mother had prayed for her to have a safe trip and most importantly, that she would find happiness.

Today is the day my sister starts a new chapter in her life. Today marks the day she closes the door on her past eight unhappy, angry, frustrating and sad years.

This woman I call my sister has balls with a capital "B". This woman has the balls to take charge of her life, do something with an unhappy situation and take a plunge into the unknown.

"After we prayed, I hugged her and told her in between my tears how sorry I am that I haven't been a good daughter and that I love her. Did you know this is the first time I hugged her?"

What is it about us "conservative" Asians that we can't show physical affection? A simple hug and "I love you" is one of the most powerful acts between a parent and child, yet so many of us can't do it. But today, my sister did it. And I am grateful.

Looking back, I am amazed at the relationship between my mother and sister now. The change between two stubborn and hot-headed tauruses at constant loggerheads to this bond they have now is amazing and gratifying.

I know my mom will miss her. Even though she will be gone till end of January or February, the significance of this trip for my mother is enormous.

In the past, it was a given that she will always be in Singapore regardless of how often she flies overseas for work. But this time, she will be cutting some of her ties here and may build a life and home in a foreign country 16 hours away. That is not a given but the possibility is great.

I don't know, but I guess my mom when faced with the mortality brought on by old age is afraid that she may never see my sister again. As for me, travel is a non-issue. The phone is always there and Yahoo! Mail and Messenger has never failed us.

In a way, my mother is letting my sister go. Letting my sister live her own life, letting my sister take chances, find happiness wherever it may be and really just live.

I am not a parent and I will never be able to fully empathise with the way parents feel when they finally let their child go. But I understand how difficult this may be for my mother who believes in the Chinese tradition of having three generations living under one roof.

"Promise me you will take care of her?" My sister asked while drying her tears.

"Yes," I replied.

"Okay, I got to go now. I told mommy I will call both of you when I get there," she continued.

"Okay," I replied laconically.

"I love you."

I choked back, "love you too."

        "Because I think absence is more powerful than presence; presence is a single face, but absence is that face multiplied, over and over, when glimpsed mistakenly on those of strangers in a crowd; it is a hundred other faces." - Ezra (you know who you are :-))

Surprise, surprise, I went to church today!! The last time I stepped into a church was sometime before "that" Christmas of '93. That's excluding last year when I accompanied a good friend to a Christmas catholic mass (I'm protestant). But after some urging from some old friends, I decided "ahh... what the heck," and went. The first carol sure brought back some memories. It was "Once in Royal David's City" and a young girl sang the first verse solo. It reminded me of the time when I too sang that verse solo in front of the whole church when I was 8 or 9 years old. Wonder how I pulled that off in front of so many (a few hundred I think) people without farting or peeing in my pants. :-D It's been ages since I sat through a service and I was a bit fidgety. Tried to suppress the cough that's still bugging me but at least it ain't as bad as last week where I cough myself awake in the middle of the night. Today's service should set me in the Christmas mood but it will be a matter of time before the whole commercialism of it tears it down again.

This is more an answer to Budd's question of why if you type the phrase "Miserable Failure" in Google, you get directed to the "Biography of President George W. Bush" webpage in the White House website. Try it yourself.What this means is that if I hyperlink the phrase "miserable failure" to Bush's biography, Google will pick it up. And if the search engine sees that a lot of webpages have the same link, it will conclude that Bush's biography page is the most accurate result for that search phrase.

I wonder whether it makes a difference if I create more than one link; like so: miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure OI!! GOOGLE!! OVER HERE!! I GOT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... YEAH 16 "MISERABLE FAILURE" LINKS TO BUSH!! Err... make that 17 now.

SABO!!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! What a laugh!!

The wounds of war cut through the years and distance, that's one of the lessons I learnt on Wednesday.

I was channel surfing on Wednesday night (which is a rare thing for me since I hardly turn on the television) and came across an award winning documentary called "Daughter from Danang".

Danang was home to an American air base during the Vietnam War and the show follows the story of Heidi/Hiep as she travelled to Vietnam to meet her biological mother whom she has never seen since she left at seven.

Her mother's husband had left the family to join the communist as a soldier. With her children to provide and care for, she began working in the American base to support them. Her employer, an American soldier, took a liking to her and she became his lover while he cared for her kids. Soon, she became pregnant with Hiep. But four months into the pregnancy, the soldier left.

When the country was finally unified under the communist, her mother, fearing that all half American children would be killed, placed Hiep with an adoption agency. A woman from Pulaski, Tennessee (headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan) later adopted her.

As a child, by this time called Heidi, her Vietnamese features stood out. But as she grew up and became totally americanised, her Caucasian features became more evident. As an adult, she looks every inch a southern woman. From her speech, mannerism, etc.

Unfortunately, Heidi's relationship with her foster mother left a lot to be desired. In her sophomore year, she returned home late from a date one day to find the front door locked. Soon after that, she left home and all her later attempts in contacting her foster mother were in vain.

When she finally touched down at Danang airport, her reunion with her mother was so emotional and powerful that even I shed tears. Yes, I wuss out. :-) The culmination of longing during the 22 years of separation just burst out.

Her mother and half-siblings feted her like a queen and took her around to meet her relatives and friends. And in one particular scene, we see her mother teaching her how to say "I love you" in Vietnamese.

Unfortunately, Heidi wasn't really prepared for this reunion. This totally American girl was in for a total cultural shock when the initial euphoria of meeting her biological mom started to fade.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when her brother asked her to support her mother financially on her last day there.

According to the filmmaker (taken from the filmmaker Q&A page):A lot of critics (and I'm sure a lot of viewers too) were critical of her reaction. But it is too easy to do that. Unless we have walked in her shoes and gone through everything she went through, we have no right to judge her.

I don't think money was the issue at all and it would be too simplistic to think it was so.Somehow I kind of identified with her dilemma. Here you have a woman who's totally an American, being thrown into the deep end of the Vietnamese pool. The expectations of a Vietnamese family were totally alien to her. While I am sure she would've like to help, the pressure of the reunion and differences in culture was just too much for her.

For me as a Chinese living in Singapore, I am an amalgamation of my parents' Chinese values and the western influences that is so prevalent here. On one hand, I would like to leave and live my life on my own. On the other, I feel the need to be there for my mother and look after her now that she's old. She has always drilled the concept of filial piety in me ever since I was a child. Even though it is expected of me to look after her, I am doing it because I love her and for all her work and sacrifices for me as I was growing up.

In a sense, there is a tiny bit of frustration there but I don't resent her for it.

All of us will have our own crosses to bear and all of us will have our own responsibilities and obligations to carry out. The only difference is the form it takes.

And I believe it's the same for Heidi. She has her responsibility as a wife and a mother. But she wasn't prepared for the responsibility of a Vietnamese daughter. For me, I have the benefit of growing up as a Chinese in a Chinese family to appreciate that, but Heidi doesn't.

Contrasting with the joyous and tearful reunion, we see a saddened and frustrated Heidi leaving Vietnam.

On hindsight, it would've been better if she was much more prepared emotionally and mentally for the reunion. But no matter how much preparation is involved, the reality is always unexpected and the end result different. According to adoption experts, such reunions do not always have a happy ending.

Two years later, the filmmaker interviews her. Communication between Heidi and her mother has finally stopped. At the end of the show, she tells the interviewer that she has closed the door on that. But after a short pause, she quickly adds that she hasn't locked it yet.

        "I may have closed it, but I haven't locked it."

My friend Ming once told me that everyone copes the best way they can, with whatever skills or abilities they have. Their ways may not be agreeable to us, but at that point of time, that was the only way they know how to.

Remember the 12-year-old Iraqi boy Ali Ismail Eedan who lost his arms, his parents and most of his family during the Allied bombing of Baghdad? Well he is making good progress and is due to fly to Britain to have prosthetic arms fitted at a specialist clinic at Queen Mary's Hospital in London. Initially, he was given a 50% chance at survival. But thankfully, he has responded well to treatment, including three months of plastic surgery in Kuwait. Click here for the BBC news report about him.

A proud day it was for Shirin Ebadi and her family when she accepted this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

In a speech that was well reported around the world, she directed her criticisms at both her own country's leaders as well as some western countries. And in so doing, she has given voice to the opinions of people around the world, including me.In that same speech, she repeated her argument that discrimination against females in Muslim countries has no basis in Islam, but in culture. I may not be a Muslim nor do I know much about it, but ignorantly or not, this is also a view that I hold.

She also put forward her earnest belief in the compatibility of Islam, democracy and human rights.Click here to see pictures of the award ceremony and here for pictures of the banquet in her honour. By the way, her daughter is beautiful. You can see her in the first and second picture of the banquet series.

Her acceptance speech is available here at the The Norwegian Nobel Institute.

PS: Yeah... I know, I'm a hippie believer in things like human rights. :-)