Chapter 4 The Pondicherry Zoo doesn't exist any more. Its pits are filled in, the cages torn down. I explore it now in the only place left for it, my memory.
Chapter 10 But even animals that were bred in zoos and have never known the wild, that are perfectly adapted to their enclosures and feel no tension in the presence of humans, will have moments of excitement that push them to seek to escape. All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive.
Whatever the reason for wanting to escape, sane or insane, zoo detractors should realize that animals don't escape to somewhere but from something.
Chapter 42 She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary. The rising sun was behind her. Her flaming hair looked stunning.
I cried, "Oh blessed Great Mother, Pondicherry fertility goddess, provider of milk and love, wondrous arm spread of comfort, terror of ticks, picker-up of crying ones are you to witness this tragedy too? ... ... How bitterly glad I am to see you. You bring joy and pain in equal measure. Joy because you are with me, but pain because it won't be for long. What do you know about the sea? Nothing. Without a driver this bus is lost. Our lives are over. Come aboard if your destination is oblivion - it should be our next stop. We can sit together. You can have the window seat, if you want. But it's a sad view. Oh, enough of this dissembling. Let me say it plainly: I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Not the spiders, please."
It was Orange Juice - so called because she tended to drool - our prize Borneo orang-utan matriarch, zoo star and mother of two fine boys, surrounded by a mass of black spiders that crawled around her like malevolent worshippers.
Chapter 61 It was when I used the flying fish's head as bait, and with only one sinker, casting my line out and pulling it in quickly, making the head skim over the surface of the water, that I finally had my first strike. A dorado surged forth and lunged for the fish head. I let out a little slack, to make sure it had properly swallowed the bait, before giving the line a good yank. The dorado exploded out of the water, tugging on the line so hard I thought it was going to pull me off the raft.
Chapter 62 The solar stills were the only other possible source of drinkable water. I looked at them doubtfully. They had been out two days now. I noticed that one of them had lost a little air. I pulled on the rope to tend to it. I topped off its cone with air. Without any real expectation I reached underwater for the distillate pouch that was clipped to the round buoyancy chamber. My fingers took hold of a bag that was unexpectedly fat. A shiver of thrill went through me. I controlled myself. As likely as not, salt water had leaked in. I unhooked the pouch and, following the instructions... ... I tasted the water. I tasted it again. It was salt-free.
"My sweet sea cow!" I exclaimed to the solar still. "You've produced, and how! What a delicious milk. Mind you, a little rubbery, but I'm not complaining. Why, look at me drink!"
I finished the bag. It had a capacity of one litre and was nearly full. After a moment of sigh-producing, shut-eyed satisfaction, I reattached the pouch.
Of 30 dollars - from my own "hard-earned" money! haha.. I got $840 for my first 14 days of work before the Chinese New Year. Ah, specially opened a new OCBC account (the old one was closed a few years ago) last Saturday so that I would have an ATM card to use (my 1st POSB ATM card was lost together with my wallet...), cos my dad isn't giving me anymore allowance... Mom said I should be proud that I'm spending my own money.. I say yong zi ji de qian xin tong (oops.. poor English vocab..)
This is so surprising! Waseema, a friend I made in Kudafari, Maldives messaged me last night!
"Do you know me? I am waseema. I miss you so much. This is my nuber. Dont forget me ok."
Ah, so sweet. The next batch of volunteers are setting off soon. I shall ask Dency to help pass something to them so that they can bring for me to Kudafari. Now I'll have something to do tomorrow during lunch break. Haha, usually Joseph and I would have nothing to do after we have eaten..
Anyway, I replied her but she didn't message back again- should be because its extremely expensive. I wonder why she messaged me instead of emailing. She has both my mobile number and my email address. Wells.
Ah, our final NJCSB get-together has taken place. Such a pity I didn't get to sit with my juniors.. Only Edo, who arrived the earliest (amongst us clarinets j3s) sat with them. Still, there were lots of laughter, especially during Charades. Yay our table (percussion's plus 2 clarinets - Jiayun n me & 1 trumpet - Yixian) won! But it was the only game that we won.. lol. 'cos Yixian was the last one to play so it was the *special* genre - band members ;)
One was "Esther" and he did a ladies' curtsy which he was so ashamed of later on. There were also "Erwin", "Qingyang" (trumpet-playing actions for both), "Shu Heng" (he didn't know how to act and Shu Heng who was one of the emcees burst out when she peeked at the name), "You Zhi" (hair-styling action), "Boyang" (head-scratching action which we didn't get - so diu lian didn't get my only sectionmate), "Melvin" (poser's specs) and others he passed.
Some other tables were really amazing, they could guess correctly with just one word of the phrase acted out. They had genres like classical, disney, Oh the "Wedding March" was really good.
~Erm. This unfinished post is published on 23 March. Hmm.~
You scored 138 on Tickle's IQ test. This means that based on your answers, your IQ score is between 128 and 138. Most people's IQs are between 70 and 130. In fact, 95% of all people have IQs within that range. 68% of people score between 80 and 120.
This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.
There's more to intelligence than a single number, a single score or a single label. Tickle uses four distinguishable Intelligence Scales in the Ultimate IQ Test. By analyzing your individual scores on those four scales, we are able to look beyond the raw IQ score into how you process information and thereby determine your Intellectual Type.
Your Intellectual Type is Visual Mathematician. You have a strong ability to process visual-spatial and mathematical information. These skills combined with your strengths in logic are what make you a Visual Mathematician.
You're able to understand patterns visually and in numbers. That means your mind can create a mental picture for any problem. In addition to that skill, you possess an intelligence that allows you to apply math to that picture, too. That helps you manipulate multiple parts of the picture (or problem) to come up with a solution. You have many skills that are critical to success and problem-solving. Your talents help you understand the "big picture," which is partly why people may turn to you for direction — especially in the workplace. You flourish in environments where tasks are clearly defined, and you are a whiz at improving processes and making things more efficient. Your ability to detect patterns and your skills in math and logic, make it natural for you to come up with ideas and theories that simplify processes for everyone.
Outside of work, Visual Mathematicians tend to do well at strategic activities like chess. It must be that ability to recognize patterns — both as they are and how they develop. Regardless of how you put your mind to use, you've got a great set of talents. You will be able to envision a clear path and calculate the risks, and more importantly, the rewards, of anything you take on.
Great Jobs For You
Because of the way you process information, these are just some of the many careers in which you could excel:
Physicists
Chess player
City planner
Astronomer
Mathematician
Researcher
Some of Your Greatest Talents
You've got tons of strengths. It wouldn't surprise us if you:
Can give practical application to abstract thought
Can predict patterns
Are resourceful & practical
Envision the "big picture"
Your 4 Intelligence Scales
Now let's look at the factors that contribute to you being a Visual Mathematician with a 138 IQ score.
Based on the results of your test, Tickle divided your scores into four distinguishable dimensions — mathematical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, linguistic intelligence and logic intelligence.
Here's how each of your intelligence scores break down:
Mathematical Intelligence
You scored in the 100th percentile on the mathematical intelligence scale.This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually.
Your mathematical intelligence score represents your combined ability to reason and calculate. You scored relatively high, which means you're probably the one your friends look to when splitting the lunch bill or calculating your waitresses' tip. You may or may not be known as a math whiz, but number crunching might come a little easier to you than it does others.
This is the kind of question that helped to determine your mathematical intelligence score:
A boy is 4 years old and his sister is three times as old as he is. When the boy is 12 years old, how old will his sister be? 16, 20, 24, 28, 32.
answer: 20. The sister is (3 )three times older than her (4) four-year-old brother. Three times 4 is 12, in other words, when he is four, she is 12. Twelve years old is 8 years older than 4 years old, which makes her 8 years older than him. This never changes. Therefore, when he is 12, she is still 8 years older, or 12+8=20.
Flexing Your Math Muscles
Like anything, keeping or improving your math talents requires practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that could be particularly helpful to you:
Balancing your checkbook
Figuring out your monthly budget
Predicting what the change will be the next time you buy something
Calculating your waitperson's tip in your head
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
You scored in the 100th percentile on the visual-spatial intelligence scale. This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually.
The visual-spatial component of intelligence measures your ability to extract a visual pattern and from that envision what should come next in a sequence. Your score was relatively high, which could mean that you're the one navigating the map when you're on an outing with friends. You have, in some capacity, an ability to think in pictures. Maybe this strength comes out in subtle ways, like how you play chess or form metaphors.
Vision Quest
Like anything, keeping or improving visual-spatial talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Playing chess, or video games like Tetris
Studying maps and become the navigator on your next trip
Sculpting or photography
Linguistic Intelligence
You scored in the 90th percentile on the linguistic intelligence scale. This means that you scored higher than 80% - 90% of people who took the test and that 10% - 20% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually.
Linguistic abilities include reading, writing and communicating with words. Tickle's test measures knowledge of vocabulary, ease in completing word analogies and the ability to think critically about a statement based on its semantic structure. Your score was relatively high, which could mean you know your way around a bookstore and maybe like to bandy about the occasional 25-cent word to impress friends.
Here's the type of question that contributed to your linguistic intelligence scale score:
Inept is the opposite of:
Answer: Skillful.
The answer is derived by prior knowledge that "inept" means "unskillful" (Oxford Concise Dictionary).
Word Power
Like anything, keeping or improving linguistic talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Doing crossword puzzles
Start reading just for fun
Befriending your dictionary
The next time something breaks, try reading the instruction book first
Logical Intelligence
You scored in the 100th percentile on the logical intelligence scale. This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually.
Tickle's logical intelligence questions assess your ability to think things through. The questions determine the extent to which you use reasoning and logic to determine the best solution to a problem. Your logic score was relatively high, which could mean that when the car breaks down, your friends look to you to help figure out not only what's wrong, but how to fix it and how you're going to get to the next gas station.
Here's the kind of question that contributed to your logical intelligence score:
If some Wicks are Slicks and some Slicks are Snicks, then some Wicks are definitely Snicks.
Answer: False The statement is false because while some Wicks might be Slicks, there is no conclusive proof that any of them might be Snicks.
Logic Lessons
Like anything, keeping or improving logical talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Trying some brain teasers
Throwing away the instructions and relying on instinct to fix something
Playing chess
What do all these percentiles mean?
For each scale, Tickle determined how many people received scores above and below yours. Your "percentile" represents what percentage of people scored lower than you. In other words, 90th percentile means you scored higher than 80 to 90% of people did.
How are the percentiles determined? These percentiles were determined based on the one million users who have already taken our test. We then adjusted these percentiles based on a nationally representative IQ distribution to make sure that no level of intelligence was over- or underrepresented in the analysis. Thus, the percentiles we present reflect your score compared with people in the United States in general.
What factors helped determine my score?
If your score isn't as high as you thought it would be, remember that there are plenty of external factors that can affect your performance on the test. If you were tired, hungry or distracted, you might have scored lower than you expected because you were less able to concentrate.
Your level of formal education and your familiarity with taking these kinds of tests also influence how well you do. That's part of the reason IQ tests aren't a perfect measure of your intelligence. Your score would probably be quite different if the IQ test was designed to take into account your musical, artistic, emotional and social skills.
On their own, IQ scores can't predict someone's ultimate success or definitive potential for success. Many of the qualities that lead to great achievements are learned through culture, experience and schooling - not solely from doing well on an IQ test.
What your IQ test can help explain, however, is how your brain works best. By looking at the kinds of questions you answered correctly and the kinds of questions you answered incorrectly, we can tell you more about your intelligence type — the type that explains the kind of information that makes sense to your brain.
Some questions...
Q1: It is easier to _____________ than to offer a helping hand.
A. Raise a flag B. Be on the ball C. Lay down D. Point the finger E. Sing praises
I put C..
Ans: The words "It's easier to... than to..." identify this sentence as one which compares two things that are opposites of one another. With this understanding, you know that the word you are looking for to fill the blank is the opposite of "offer a helping hand". Of the five answer options, the only one that can be considered its opposite - something that is diametrically opposed in concept - is answer option "D", "point the finger," since placing blame is not helpful.
Q2: If you rearrange the letters "ANLDEGN," you would have the name of a(n):
A. Ocean B. Country C. State D. City E. Animal
I put C..
Ans: If you unscramble the letters of "ANLDEGN," you get the word "ENGLAND." England is a country, therefore answer option B is correct.
Q3: John likes 400 but not 300; he likes 100 but not 99; he likes 3600 but not 3700. Which does he like:
A. 900 B. 1000 C. 1100 D. 1200
I anyhow put B...
Ans: John likes squares of whole numbers. The consistent distinction between the pairs of numbers that John likes or doesn't like is that the one that John likes is a square of a whole number. Take a look:
John likes 400. The square root of 400 is 20. John doesn't like 300. The square root of 300 is approximately 17.32; it is not a whole number squared.
John likes 100. The square root of 100 is 10. John doesn't like 99. The square root of 99 is approximately 9.95; it is not a whole number squared.
John likes 3600. The square root of 3600 is 60. John doesn't like 3700. The square root of 3700 is approximately 60.83; it is not a whole number squared.
To answer the question, look through the list of 4 numbers to see which is a square of a whole number. The only number in the list that is exactly equal to a whole number multiplied by itself is 900. The square root of 900 is 30. Therefore, the answer is "A".
Ah, these are the 3 out of 40 questions that I got wrong..
Your IQ score is 133. This means that you are smarter than 98.0% of all other Super IQ test takers.
This number is the result of a scientifically-tested formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on the Tickle Super IQ Test.
But there's more to intelligence than a single number, a single score, or a single label. Tickle uses 8 distinguishable dimensions of intelligence in the Super IQ Test. By analyzing your individual scores on those 8 scales, we are able to look beyond the raw IQ score into how you process information, and which intellectual strengths you're best at.
Your test results indicate that the way you process information makes you a Numerical Logician.
You're exceptionally strong in mathematics and exceptionally good at using logic to solve problems. Let's put it this way — you have a way with numbers and can probably apply reason to anything and come out on top. Your spatial abilities (ability to understand the relationship between objects and physical space) are also very strong, and you can easily understand things on a complex, abstract level. There is very little — if anything — you can't do, but you are probably known for your unusually strong numerical abilities.
This set of strengths allows you to pick up scientific or mathematical information easily. Your incredible attention to detail and your enviable organizational skills support your aptitude for specific, numbers-oriented subject matter. You are less aware of individual vocabulary words and so anything presented in a visual — rather than auditory or expository — manner will be easier for you to understand.
Here's an example of your Numerical Logician thinking skills at work in a real-life situation:
You go to a museum with a bunch of friends to see an exhibit chronicling the development of critical inventions over time. Your friends marvel at the ingenuity of the inventors, and wonder how they could ever have conceived such incredible innovations. You, on the other hand, can easily imagine how the inventions work and how they came to be because your mind just naturally thinks that way. You explain to your friends how the inventors might have assessed particular problems and then figured out how to solve them with their inventions. It hadn't occurred to your friends to look at an invention like a solution to a problem and they are grateful that you helped them understand.
As you can see, your top scores are in the areas of Mechanical, Numerical, and Visual. This is a very unusual combination — only 6 in 1,000 people have it. Want more proof? Then pay attention to the percentages of people who scored higher and lower than you on each of the 8 intellectual strengths.
Mechanical Ability
You scored 99 out of 100. Mechanical ability is what helps you understand how machines and tools work. Someone with a good amount of mechanical ability probably has an innate understanding of physics. High mechanical skill is also associated with a high degree of precision and practical thinking.
Here's a question that required high mechanical ability to solve:
Which object will fall faster? A 8 x 11 piece of paper or a peanut? Both weight the same amount.
A. The piece of paper B. The peanut C. It is impossible to know
The paper will encounter more resistance than will the peanut, and so it will fall more slowly. The peanut will fall faster and so the correct answer is B.
In every-day life, mechanical ability comes in handy when anything in the house breaks, or when you have to purchase something that requires physical assembly. It is also helpful in finding solutions to physical problems, such as determining how to build a pulley to bring water out of a well.
Compared with others, your mechanical abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong mechanical ability.
Numerical Ability
You scored 99 out of 100. You use numerical ability when you spot a numerical pattern or solve a numerical equation. Here's a question that assessed your numerical ability:
Which number completes the series? 1, 3/2, 2, 5/2, ?
Here's the answer: 3
In every-day life, you use the ability to calculate a tip at a restaurant, or estimate taxes on a purchase. Everyone has this ability to a greater or lesser extent.
Compared with others, your numerical ability is very high. This means that you have no problem processing numbers.
Visual Ability
Your score is 99 out of 100. Visual ability allows you to accurately visualize all aspects of an object for the purposes of recreating it, the way painters do. It's also what you use to imagine a scene from a novel or a story someone tells you — the ability to accurately reproduce reality in the mind's eye.
Here's a question that required high visual ability to solve:
Which of the images below is a perfect square?
Here's the answer: Eyeballing it, you can see that image A is the square with identical length and height, and so the correct answer is A.
In every-day life, visual ability is what you use when creating original art. In order to reproduce an object on canvas (as painters do) you have to be able to accurately represent the dimensions of those objects in the picture. Getting the accurate perspective and depth is easiest for someone with a strong visual ability.
Compared with others, your visual ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong visual ability.
Logical Ability
Your scored 97 out of 100. Logical ability is what you use when determining whether or not something makes sense. You rely on logic when analyzing an argument, step-by-step. This ability also contributes to your aptitude for recognizing underlying patterns.
Here's a question that required high logical ability to solve:
Mary loved pink flowers more than she loved red ones. She didn't like orange flowers at all, and while she liked yellow flowers, she couldn't say that she really loved them. Which of these is true?
A. She liked red flowers less than orange flowers B. She liked yellow flowers more than red flowers C. She liked pink flowers more than yellow flowers D. She liked orange flowers more than pink flowers
Here's the answer: She liked yellow flowers but didn't love them; however, she did love pink and red ones - pink more than red. Thus far the order of preference is pink, red, yellow. But she liked orange least of all, which means the new order is pink, red, yellow, orange. This means that she liked red more than orange (which makes option A not true). She liked yellow less than red (which makes option B not true). She liked pink more than yellow, which makes option C true, and she liked orange less than any of the flowers, which makes option D not true. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, you might use this ability to figure out the best route to the store, or to figure out the best deal when choosing between a couple items to buy. Everyone has a certain ability to use logic to solve problems. Some are better at it than others, however.
Compared with others, your logical ability is very high. This means that you are an extremely logical person.
Spatial Ability
You scored 96 out of 100. You use spatial ability to judge the relationship between objects and physical space, like a parked car and the width of the road. It is also what helps you visualize a room when you are decorating or rearranging furniture.
Here's a question that required high spatial ability to solve:
Which is the odd one out?
Here's the answer: The thunderbolts in A, B, and C are all going in the same way, but the one in D is actually a flipped version of the rest.
In every-day life, you use this ability when you drive or even when you are walking through a packed crowd (so that you don't run into other people!). Some people actually use this ability to help them with non-physical things. If they are trying to understand a situation, they might think of the words as shapes that they need to negotiate.
Compared with others, your spatial abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong sense of how things exist in physical space.
Verbal Ability
Your verbal ability score is 92 out of 100. Verbal ability means having an expansive range of vocabulary, being able to use it, and feeling a desire to add to it. It is also what allows you to comprehend the relationships and subtle difference between words.
Here's a question that required verbal ability:
The opposite of acute is:
A. Severe B. Incisive C. Dull D. Flamboyant
The opposite of the word acute, meaning sharp or finely tuned, is dull, so the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, verbal ability is essential to being able to interpret written materials. It's also valuable for communication — the more vocabulary words you know, the more precisely you may be able to convey your point.
Compared with others, your verbal ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong verbal ability.
Organizational Ability
Your organizational ability score is 88 out of 100. Organizational ability is what allows you to organize and arrange information effectively, be precise, and proofread carefully.
Here's a question that required high organizational ability:
Which of the following is the closest match to 8,392,211,109?
A. 8,382,311,119 B. 8,3925211,129 C. 8,39,2211,209 D. 8,329,211,108
Here's the answer: The correct answer is B because it only has two mistakes, whereas the rest have three.
In every-day life, organizational ability is what you use to proofread a paper or organize a messy desk. Coming up with an organizational system for keeping track of things comes easy to those who are high in this ability. It is a highly practical skill.
Compared with others, your organizational ability is high. This means that you have a strong organizational ability.
Abstract Reasoning Ability
Your score is 86 out of 100. With abstract reasoning you can think on multiple levels and see relationships between ideas that are not easily apparent. When you're using your abstract reasoning skills, you draw on both external logical and creative sources of information to come up with your solution.
Here's a question that required high abstract reasoning ability to solve:
What comes next in the sequence?
A
B
C
Here's the answer: The progression from one figure to the next is the addition of 1/2 of the previously added box. So the first figure is one box; the second figure is the first box plus a box 1/2 of its size; the third figure is the previous two boxes plus a box 1/2 of the last added box's size. Therefore the final figure (the question mark) should be the third figure plus a box 1/2 of the last added box. The correct answer is B.
In every-day life, abstract reasoning ability is used to understand complex, multi-layered situations, sometimes involving the associations and relationships between two seemingly different sets of information. For example, imagine someone who has taken piano lessons and was taught that the skill was more easily obtained when she pointed out her struggles to her teacher. She was able to learn from them and improve. This same woman then takes writing lessons and again makes her mistakes obvious so that the instructor can suggest changes and she can improve.
Compared with others, your abstract ability is This means that you have a strong abstract ability.
Tips for improving your IQ
Want a higher score next time? Here are some activities you can do before taking your next IQ test.
Get more oxygen to your brain. You'll be able to think more clearly. To do this, go for a walk, or simply take deep, long breaths. Practicing yoga is also good. Some even claim you can get more oxygen by swimming underwater, and holding your breath for longer and longer periods of time. This increases the amount of oxygen in your brain and will allow you to focus better on the test.
Take time to relax. If you feel anxious, you'll probably make more mistakes. Practice peaceful visualization, imagining scenes that are calming to you. Meditate or do whatever it is you know calms you down, before taking the test.
Listen to Mozart. It may sound like a stretch, but some researchers have found that listening to Mozart actually increases your spatial IQ. They call it the Mozart Effect and believe that the music stabilizes the neural connections necessary for spatial-temporal abilities.
Practice, practice, practice. Take a range of different types of IQ tests. The greater the range of problems, the more ready you'll be to tackle the unexpected on a new IQ test. Why not take Tickle's Ultimate IQ test, if you haven't already.
________________________________________
Ah, Xiaomin got 150-168! Its like 100 marks for every ability?!
You scored as Maximus. After his family was murdered by the evil emperor Commodus, the great Roman general Maximus went into hiding to avoid Commodus's assassins. He became a gladiator, hoping to dominate the colosseum in order to one day get the chance of killing Commodus. Maximus is valiant, courageous, and dedicated. He wants nothing more than the chance to avenge his family, but his temper often gets the better of him.
Wow this is super coincidental. I met an ex-njcsb percussionist, Bernard, today! I was in a good mood so I approached this guy to make a donation to Club Rainbow. Then I found out can't make cash donation, have to donate monthly through credit or debit card, neither which I have. Then end up telling him that I'm actually working temporarily, waiting for 'A' level results. He asked which school and CCA next, and ta da! We were actually not only from the same JC but also from the same band! haha. Then I was saying I never saw him going back before so he said probably he'll play for this year's alumni, even say I've got to go back too. haha. He met Rasull only a few days ago!
He's a NUS engineering graduate, but didn't go into engineering as what is often said of graduates, that they don't do what they studied.
Somehow he got the impression that I'm not not outspoken cos I talked to him for like 10min or so, but actually it was him who was talking more. haha.
Have Read
'04 year-end holidays (highest number of books read in a long time)
-The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (gd read)
-Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky by Meg Cabot (fun read)
-Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (must read - inspirational)
-Slab Rat by Ted Heller (full of office politics and R21 stuff - not for kids)
-The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (makes u want to finish it)
-A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks (simple but meaningful)
-The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (can identify with)
-The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (romantic love story with too much R21 stuff)
-Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (even more R21. ugh)
-The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
-Unstrung Heroes by Franz Lidz (autobiography about his four uncles and father)
-The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (very unique POV of an autistic boy)
-The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (love the breadth of the plot, one of my favourites)
-Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux (alternating between two first persons' view - unique, but don't like e plot)
-Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (philosophy tb in a story; gets abit dry though plot saved)
-forgot what i read...-
-Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan (story of an urban planner)
-Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (impressive intelligence with bits of great humour)
-Just between Us by Cathy Kelly (thickest bk i've ever read-600+pg, too long for me but not bad)
ha, started a few bks but didn't enjoy them enough to read more.
'06
-Life of Pi by Yann Martel (novel based on true story; a lot to learn from the book - animals, religions,
survival, appreciation of simplicity; marvelous descriptions of both the tangible and the intangible,
such that I could feel their realness; bits of very enjoyable humour; a must read)
-The Complete Analects of Confucius, Volume 1 - Asiapac Comic Series (some good teachings.
didn't read everything though)
-The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges (lent to me by Shujun; like she said, its a short version
of Rich Dad Poor Dad - good financial tips)
-The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (simple story with deep meaning)
-Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
(hai, doesn't seem to be working for me - cos im not applying..)
-haven't been updating from Jun'06 to Jul'07-
'07
-Take a Chance by Sarah Webb (very interesting twist towards the end)
'08
-A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (very saddening. made me realise how significant family is in how a child behaves)
-Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden (refreshing book with many pics)
-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Rui Zafon (amazing how people can think of so much plot to pack into one book, wld b a gd tv series)
-The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (the story is interesting but i think the ending cld hv been better written)
-This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes (a bit thought-provoking on relationships but i didnt like e abrupt ending)
-Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (gd knowledge but partly qte repetitive)
-For One More Day by Mitch Albom
-The C Words by Mark Mason (made me keep wanting to read on. light & funny)
'09
-Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (another good read from Deveraux)
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (gosh such vivid descriptions! very well written book. i liked d theme of friendship and the realness of the story)
'10
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (a must-read!! i love the expressed thoughts of the protagonist, esp those about friendships, and the writing style - it seems like she's telling me her story specifically to me)
How to Save Your Own Life by Michael Gates Gill (an inspiring read, for emotional liberation and greater joy in life)
Reading
on hold
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
Waiting for chance to get hold of
The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
My Left Foot by Christy Brown
Gotai Fumanzoku or An Unsatisfactory Body (Translated into English as No One's Perfect) by Hirotada Otatake
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Other Recommended Readings by Marc
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin – Few books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of humankind.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological changes. Specifically, he analyzes “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – This is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to one’s emotional and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against “the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart.”
Lolita – This is the kind of book that blows your mind wide open to conflicting feelings of life, love and corruption… and at times makes you deeply question your own perceptions of each. The story is as devious as it is beautiful.
Getting Things Done by David Allen – The quintessential guide to organizing your life and getting things done. Nuff said.
How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – 900 pages of simple instructions on how to cook everything you could ever dream of eating. Pretty much the greatest cookbook ever written. Get through a few recipes each week, and you’ll be a master chef by the time you’re 30.
Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner – Franz Wisner had it all… a great job and a beautiful fiancée. Life was good. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss basically fired him. So he dragged his younger brother to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon and they never turned back… around the world they went for two full years. This is a fun, heartfelt adventure story about life, relationships, and self discovery.
Self-note: Tip for my future business =D
give employees reasonably high pay to keep them- otherwise they are unlikely to stay loyal.
treat employees not according to how well they treat me but how conscientious they are at work
(of course, musn't expect them to only do work throughout the entire working hours -
give some breathing space too, we are humans, not machines) Movies watched(listing started on 6jan08)
in cinema from VCD/DVD
1Sep07: "Hairspray" w TK, GH & SH
14Sep07: "Ratatouille" w mom & extended family
28Dec07: "The Pianist" w Jus & Pam (heartbreaking but good lessons; i recommend!)
2Jan08: "I Am Legend" w Sherm (scary! but good acting; thought provoking; i recommend!)
5-6Jan08: "A Good Year" alone (excellent show! i like the acting; funny; good lessons; touches my heart; i recommend!)
11Jan08: "Le Grand Chef" w WLing, JT & Irene (good! funny, very touching, :) nice; watch if like humour+meaning+food)
7Feb08 (CNY 初一): "Ah Long Pte Ltd" w parents (pretty hilarious - but u gotta understand dialects, some teary parts. wells typical of jack neo movies but with diff content)
11Mar08: "The Leap Year" w Sherm (so sweet! :) and apart from couple relationship it touches the theme of mother-daughter and best friends too)
6Jun08: "P.S. I Love You" w Sherm (don't know if its coz we watched it on laptop, coz it didn't impress me as much as it did for him in cinema)
8Jun08: "The Forbidden Kingdom" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (ums..guess i'm really not into kungfu)
8Jun08: "What Happens in Vegas" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (simple,relaxing show)
7Jul08: "我和狗狗的10个约定" w Sherm, his ma & sisters (very simple,touching but actually not my type of show)
10Jul08: "Before Sunrise" w Sherm (hmm maybe watchg on laptop really affects appreciatn of movies..)
30Sep08: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" w Sherm (i didn't like it as much as i thought i wld when i saw the ads)
31Dec08: "Yes Man" w Mom (inspiring and funny)
11Feb08: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" w Mom (not as impressive as i thought it wld be)
1Jul09: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" w Yumei, YY & Matt (the best thing was the soundtrack. heh.)
14Aug09: "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra" w Joyce (it was awesome! best action movie i've ever watched)
17Aug09: "Food, Inc." w SYL & RuiQ (learnt some stuff abt the American food industry but it was a bit boring and not worth the $10)
22Sep09: "The Time Traveller's Wife" w WB, VanD, WLing, CHL, Irene, VanQ, Mf, Pg (i liked it. having read the book really helps w udsg)
21Nov09: "Gokusen" w Mf, Eva, Tony, Sarah (funny inspirational movie)
24Dec09: "十月围城" w Tony, WLing, VanQ (action action and a bit funny? tony criticised the plot. my fav scene was the running n jumping through the crowd along the five-foot ways w/o cuts)
30Dec09: "Sherlock Holmes" w Irene, Tony, Sweetee (my favourite genre of books made into a movie - what else can be more cool? acting effects humour excitement suspense all in)
12Jan10: "Avatar 3D" w Mom (didn't appreciate the digital effects which everyone wowed about. content etc was so-so. cathay's 3D glasses were too heavy for me)
8Feb10: "The Truman Show" w Ky n sis n Yuhshin (a must-watch. very thought-provoking, funny. reminder to be spontaneous and create your life the way you want, instead of falling into a typical routine
14Feb10: "New York, I Love You" w Mom (I loved it! a good couple movie with meaningful pointers to keep it going. but i think some stories could be more developed)
16Feb10: rewatched "The Pianist" (still find it good, tho i still feel first viewings are the best)
17Feb10: "Valentine's Day" w CHL n WB (laughed throughout - a feel-good movie; liked the fact that the various stories binded tog so well with the little surprises here and there, vs NY ILU in which each story was separate)
20Feb10: "赤壁二" w Addy, Karen, Sharon, SJ (should have watched the first one first cos i ended up not knowing who's who and what's happening and had to keep asking :/ and couldn't pay attn.. if not i think it should be a pretty good movie..)
4Mar10: "Alice in Wonderland 3D" w Mf (i found the 3D effects of this @ CCK Shaw SO much better than Avatar @ The Cathay =/ and the movie was much more enjoyable too! - cheered a sad me up :)) favourite quote - the Mad Hatter: “You used to be much muchier before. ... You have lost your muchness.”)
18Mar10: "Nodame Cantabile" w Irene, Mf (i thoroughly enjoyed some of the orchestra pieces - SO impressive! the expressions of the actors were really amusing :D)
23Apr10: "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" w Mom (funny, touching and meaningful - about love between friends and family. i cried 3 tissues! cos some touching parts i could really understand the feelings of the characters involved)
Inception
Letters to God (very simple Christian movie)
22Nov10: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" w Ame, Irene (they loved it. pretty good, i guess the main problem i had was that im not familiar with HP :X)
13Dec10: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" w Sj (not bad, could follow the story unlike HP. like the meaningful teachings, too long - in a post)
2Mar11: "The King's Speech" w Ame (hilarious, inspirational, tho it doesn't impress me that much to understand why it's the Oscar winner)
Mar11: "10 Things I Hate About You" very funny. silly sweet high school romance. just right for having breaks in between doing homework
23May11: "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" w Wb Yl Ame Pg (pretty good - scenery, freakish parts, fighting scenes, dressing, humour, bits of Christianity like when the Spanish said "only God gives life")
6Jun11: "Xmen First Class" w Wb Ame Pg (i was very keen on watching it and it was really good! intellectual, makes sense, cool action, some humour)
9Jun11: "Legally Blonde 2" w Irene (seems like some dumb blonde movie but kind of meaningful too - speaking up for yourself and what you stand for)
17Jun11: "Something Borrowed" w Sandy Lisa (quite funny, somewhat meaningful wrt friendships. they didn't like the lack of sense for one part tho)
16Jul11: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" w Irene, Sweetee, Kw (not bad. i didn't understand some parts again but the humour and effects were pretty good)
Aug11 "Horrible Bosses" w Ma (she fell asleep! gosh. the movie was very crude i must say but there was the humour)
25Oct11: "The Three Musketeers" w H (i would rate it 3.5 for humour/intellectual language and 4 for action. it's by the same producer or director as Sherlock! but a bit less awesome albeit a good chill out movie)
5Nov11: "Real Steel" w Hl (action packed but not too hardcore for me. i liked that there was the father and son element and how the father eventually softened his heart and especially the part when charlie was having trouble telling max sth and max was so understanding saying "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." touching and demonstrates true fighting spirit)
12Dec11: "50/50" w L (adopting her words - a heavy topic put across in a lighthearted way, but not taking away d meaning. most of it was rather hollywood-ish trashiness but there were a couple of punch lines "u can't change ur parents, but u can change d way u respond to them.")
25Dec11: "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" w KY (ultimate action packed! super tense almost throughout the movie, and interesting Tom Cruise made it such that not everything happened smoothly - he would jump and misland and get all sorts of injuries..it's really the courage to jump without hesitation even though you are not sure you'll be alive after that. KY loved d movie and said she would watch it again!)
3Jan12: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" w KY (i love mystery (: and the witty sarcastic dialogues. good level of excitement with the action. didn't understand some parts as usual. i like Holmes and Watson they depict such a true pair of buddies ;D)
23Jan12: "You are the Apple of My Eye" w mom (now i understand why guys like this movie so much - the anxiety of chasing after a girl and the acts schoolboys do to get the girl's attention and hopefully affection. the initial fluttering and the subsequent quarrelling)
22Mar12: "The Iron Lady" w KY (really love Thatcher's sharp words. inspiring and thought-provoking, tho i was still left uncertain of what to do with my life, the movie is definitely an encouraging one)
29Mar12: "Barney's Version" w SJ (a funny movie of a screwed up life of a man who had 3 wives, smoked and drank but very heartwarming at the same time, the relationships with the dad and the 3th wife - quotable quotes!)
27Apr12: "The Hunger Games" w Mom
4May12" "Avengers" w MF n PS (funny, action-packed)
7Jul12: "The Amazing Spiderman"
21Jul12: "The Dark Knight Rises" (fantastic depth, loved the twists)
20Aug12: "ParaNorman" w Mom (simple funny animated movie, heartwarming support)
Performances watched (listing started on 25Apr10)
20Jan10: Patrick Marber's Closer by outoftheBLUE, NUS Science w Pam (
13Mar10: The Rain Came Down Like Pearls the Night I Died... The New Musical - Sing & Tell by Mark Chan w Addy & Jy
21Mar10: Quintessence by NUSCO w CHL