Paper Promises

Just read this:

In brief, the message I gathered is : We are in deep shit - And that's an understatement!

It talks about the departure of the gold standard, Bretton Wood system and how we end up like this. Rather pessimistic. But we should see it coming. Everyday we are confronted with the rising prices of the things we buy,  and of our assets (This may not be a good thing) . The debt incurred is unsustainable! Argg...

Listen to what the author says in an interview here:
 


 I would also like to refer to another book I read, and a its related video  - The Ascent of Money
http://ykwee.blogspot.sg/2011/12/i-never-knew-financial-history-can-be.html

The book is on financial history and I think of it as some sort of prequel to The Paper Promises.

Halloween at Universal Studios Sentosa, Singapore

One of the most amazing nights!

I must say USS has indeed done an awesome job! Even though the place is small, they have superb utilization of spaces available. The 'exhibits' are so densely packed, every turn of a corner is ghost, gore or something else.

Too busy enjoying myself, didn't really take lots of pics. Hee hee. Took the Battlestar Galatica rides 5 times! twice on Cylon and thrice on Human. 

Also, the express tickets were really worth it. Couldn't have such a fun-packed night without it.

Talk nerdy to me

A really interesting talk

 


I am fascinated by most part of the speech. A number of things are really agreeable and should be kept in mind.

But I am not so sure about the part on making science and mathematics relevant. Some scientific and mathematical discoveries have no application at all. Applications of scientific and mathematical theories are usually found decades after the theories are formulated.

We have to respect the fact that some people do science and mathematics because they love them. And mathematics is the language of the universe; to fully appreciate the beauty, a minimum understanding of mathematics is necessary.

Why work doesn't happen at work

This video really resonates in me. Here is why:

1. I think the analogy of sleep and work is very apt. Restful sleep and productive work come at the end of a few stages prior to them. Once there is a disturbance, we go back to the beginning of the cycle all over the again, going through all those stages before reaching them.
2. The 'manager and meeting' part is so bloody true! Wicked!

 

Guilty Pleasures

" I don't believe in guilty pleasures. I think the only thing anyone should be guilty about is not taking pleasures"

 Nigella Lawson

She changes my mentality on eating food. 

This picture says it all:

Some sample videos on her cooking and eating on the Youtube:

Tioman

Splendid to dive again! This time it is a Live-on-Board (LOB) trip to Tioman

Seen somethings that I have not seen before: squid and nurse shark.

The advantage of going on an LOB is that we can go to dive sites farther away from the main island. The site which we spotted nurse shark was actually the site we dropped by our way back to main land.

Took the pictures below when we pop by a small island to buy some stuff.

I did not carry any underwater camera. So as usual the pictures below are 'stolen' from friends.

Deploying a dive sausage to notify boatmen we are ascending to the surface. This is especially important when the traffic at the sea is high. 

Spot the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish I saw was surprising un-shy. Follow them a little while and was trying to 'provoke' them to change colours. And they change colours with amazing speed!

Jellyfish

Jellyfish with artificial lighting. We shone a torch into the jellyfish.

nemo in anemone. 

Sea urchin. Common in Tioman.

Michelle Obama's speech

Awesome speech!