Quote: Something Different

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.—Abraham Lincoln

An Obama Victory

So, it's finally done. The first thing I thought about it is how and when it was done: On a Sunday. They worked till mid-night to get it done. :x
Caught some of the 2-hr long debate. People were given 15sec, 30sec or a minute to make their points. I didn't know that one can make a strong point in 15sec.

A lot of people were left furious at the bill. But what can they expect? A pill to cure all the unique pains of over 300 million people? It's not perfect but as Obama pressed time and time again, nobody has done it and opponents are not offering better alternatives.

There are people who are already happy with their current coverage, and although Obama says they can keep their plans, it might not be necessarily the case since many of them are getting insurance from employers--they might get a "different" quality of service for "somewhat" reduced fee or their premium could actually go up for "supposedly" better quality of service. I have also seen comments by people who don't have insurance and don't want one (really?); they are furious at being required to have a plan. And I believe that insurance companies will always find workarounds; they are the business people with the real money and resources to pull the strings. If you kick the beast, they won't take it passively.

But the bill isn't also without its merits. It does make a difference to a lot of "real" people's lives. Even if the insurance companies does come up with workarounds, there will remain some good protections for the consumers--in the end, consumers will still be fighting with insurance companies anyway; so why not fight the same fight with more grounds gained? The CBO figures are not manipulated; they are not Dem-biased. GOP can't say anything about these figures. But, those same GOP who supported one trillion dollar war and big tax cuts for the rich are opposing to pay for this. Plus, they are stalling things without really offering better alternatives.

It may not be after all a perfect bill to please everyone. But as many agree, it is a move in the right direction. It's not just about health care; it also indirectly affects the economy--a reasonable measure to put a check on staggering debt is a welcome.

PS: I don't think I need to put a disclaimer that you know about this matter better than I do. :-)

Spell Broken

I was coming back from dinner at 9:30pm and suddenly remembered ManU were playing against Liverpool!

We lost to them on all three occasions this season and the last. Worse, Vidic was sent off in all three matches. It’s like a spell has been cast on the Red Devils.

No worry subsided when I saw Torres score a free header just 5 min after the kick-off! He was UNMARKED!!!

When Rooney’s penalty was saved at first—that split second moment that lasted long enough for the flood of thoughts—I thought if there was really such a spell. That thought, that worry, I’m glad, only lasted for a fleeting moment. It was a big relief when Rooney sent the rebounded ball into the net.

Park made himself a missile to head the brilliant cross from Fletcher in the second half. That was it!

When the final whistle blew, that was really it. The spell, if it ever was cast, has now been broken; the curse on Vidic has also been lifted. Or maybe there was never the spell or the curse. United didn’t lose and actually did win, and Vidic played full 90 minutes! He got a card, but it’s only Yellow. :-)

Just an hour later, another good news. Chelsea drew with Blackburn. I would have wished the Blues lost. LOL! But that would be too harsh for them after being kicked out of UCL just last week. Anyway, ManU is now 4pt ahead of Chelsea and is now sitting at the top of the table! Chelsea got a game in hand, but who knows? They might draw again. xP And, never mind the Gunners. They will have their way of tumbling down sooner than later. xP

Health Reform Numbers

I'm not so much for or against what Obama is doing for his biggest domestic issue. I just like this video WH did to campaign for a health reform.

A Cool Day

This is one rare day when temperature drops below 80. I loved it. Anything above 80 is seriously too hot—esp for someone with a higher BMR.

New Google Search Page?

Suddenly, Google search got a sidebar on the left.

I think I have seen something similar quite some time ago. Perhaps it’s arriving for all users. I don’t think I have any problem with that; just need to get used to the new sidebar. :-)

One thing: I don’t know how to move to the next page without clicking Next at the bottom of page. The old way of clicking on one of the very many “O” is gone. But why does Google pack 1234… so close together? It’s beyond me. :-s

Hmm…not just Google page. YouTube also has a new layout which I love better than the old one. :)

Both the new Google page and new YouTube layout don’t work in Chrome and IE, but only in Firefox (even when I’m logged into my account). Must be the cookies then.

Quote: Honest?

It is better to be quotable than to be honest.—Tom Stoppard

Umm… @_@

[Untitled]

A small gangster.

A Night-long Sleep

The night before, only managed to sleep less than one hour. That cost me a nap in Alice in the Wonderland. :-s

I was scared again when I woke up again at 1am last night. But, I’m glad that I managed to fall asleep again an hour later and enjoyed a good night’s sleep. =)

Well…not really a “good” sleep. The second part was accompanied by a nightmare: People died and resurrected; Ugly wizards & witches patrolling in the dreams in my dream. A messy dream, that it was.

Anyway, I’m just glad to have a normal sleep again :-)

Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart - Alicia Key

Didn't like it at first, but it's an acquired taste. =)

Alice in the Wonderland

Gonna watch it today in the afternoon. Jo said it could have been better. So, not putting up a lot of expectations now. =D

If you haven't read the stories before, you can get them here: Alice's Adventure in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. They are both available from Project Gutenberg. I think they are already in the public domain now.

Design Change

Got problem with sleeping, so just let myself play with the new Template Designer.

Looks really cool. But just found out in the end it didn't work the way I wanted it to. The background image did not load at all on second refresh. Took me about half an hour figuring out why. =X It was the JavaScript for loading the images in the sidebar! A delay of 10 milliseconds for that script solved the problem! What a headache!!! But, a good way to make use of the sleepless night. =)

I'm glad Blogger finally comes up with something like this. Saves a lot of troubles in changing design. =)

One bad thing is I can no longer hide the navigation bar on top. Not that I can't do it if I wanted to. But, the output looks bad enough that I have to bear with it now. =X

*** ManU ManU ***

What a week it has been. I never got to sleep past 2am. =X I have no idea why I always woke up that early with eyes wide.

But I won’t complain tonight (I did, but I take it back). I just realized shortly after I woke up, that ManU is hosting AC Milan at OT! We had a 3-2 away lead over them, so nothing to worry. v_v

ManU were really on form! The game was practically over at 60min with United leading 3-0. Beckham came over from the bench (and there were welcome noises from the United side!), but he ain’t no god. Fletcher scored unexpected goal and the game was REALLY REALLY over! United advances towards the UCL Cup! ^_^

Better yet news is that Madrid were knocked out by Lyon! They snatched Ronaldo from United and spent over £200m. What Real didn’t realize was Ronaldo isn’t a god (although he scored many goals) and taking him away doesn’t make United any weaker! In fact, I think Ronaldo’s departure only helped Rooney to get (much) much better!

A great win for United, and I can only hope for more of them! =]

Unpublished Photos of Politicians

{Thanks Bay Bay}

Quote: Washington

From Obama’s recent speech in PA (video below):

First of all, the people of D.C are wonderful. They're nice people, they're good people; love the city, the monuments, everything.

But when you're in Washington, folks respond to every issue, every decision, every debate, no matter how important it is, with the same question: What does this mean for the next election? What does it mean for your poll numbers? Is this good for the Dem or good for the GOP? Who won the news cycle? That's just how Washington is. They can't help it. They're obsessed with the sport of politics.

I Know You Want Me - Pitbull

It's got over 106m page views. Must be so popular then. I just knew it. =)

What I've Done - Linkin' Park

Switched radio station lately and more favorite songs. :)

Hot N' Cold - Katy Perry

Falling for You - Colbie Caillat

I don’t know but
I think I maybe
Fallin’ for you
Dropping so quickly
Maybe I should
Keep this to myself
Waiting ’til I
Know you better

I am trying
Not to tell you
But I want to
I’m scared of what you’ll say
So I’m hiding what I’m feeling
But I’m tired of
Holding this inside my head

I’ve been spending all my time
Just thinking about ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’ve been waiting all my life
and now I found ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’m fallin’ for you

As I’m standing here
And you hold my hand
Pull me towards you
And we start to dance
All around us
I see nobody
Here in silence
It’s just you and me

I’m trying
Not to tell you
But I want to
I’m scared of what you’ll say
So I’m hiding what I’m feeling
But I’m tired of
Holding this inside my head

I’ve been spending all my time
Just thinking about ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’ve been waiting all my life
and now I found ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’m fallin’ for you

Oh I just can’t take it
My heart is racing
The emotions keep spinning out

I’ve been spending all my time
Just thinking about ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’ve been waiting all my life
and now I found ya
I don’t know what to do
I think I’m fallin’ for you
I’m fallin’ for you

I can’t stop thinking about it
I want you all around me
And now I just can’t hide it
I think I’m fallin’ for you (x2)

I’m fallin’ for you

Ooohhh
Oh no no
Oooooohhh
Oh I’m fallin’ for you

...In remembrance of the memories

Google, Kansas

Official Proclamation by the Mayor of Topeka, Kansas.
It's been renamed into Google, Kansas. ;)

Tik Tok - Kesha

Been hearing this song for quite some time. Just found the title. ^.^

The Death of IE6

I’m not celebrating the death of something. But, I’m glad that Google has stopped supporting IE6 altogether.

I wanna quote two paragraphs from a post on Gizmodo:

As anyone who's ever used a computer furnished by their employer can attest, IT departments are slow to make any changes that might disrupt the delicate balance of their electronic ecosystems. And they sure as hell aren't going to let you upgrade or install anything yourself.

Making matters worse, Internet Explorer 6 is deeply embedded in the infrastructures of countless corporations worldwide. Back when IE6 was the only game in town, businesses invested in Intranets and browser-based apps that functioned only in IE. Why bother with anything else? Five years later, of course, a lot of businesses learned the hard way that "IE-only" actually meant "IE6-only." Oops. Now, ask yourself how much interest corporations have in re-investing more capital to fix something that, in their eyes, isn't broken. The answer is: not much.

It is the sad truth that the big non-technology enterprises can’t still let go of IE6 because their applications are so well targeted only at IE6.

I don’t know how I could have survived my last two internships at DBS and UBS were it not for Firefox. While at DBS, I briefly got Admin rights and the first thing I installed was Firefox. At UBS, Firefox portable saved my days. Not that I’m being fuzzy. It’s just that my work there involved online researching (I don’t know answers for everything) and it was just plain hard to do that on IE6 without opening 20 or so windows with no way to recognize which was what.

Hot Milk

I didn’t know…

…until last morning, I went to a food court and, getting sick of their weird-tasting coffee and tea, asked for a glass of hot milk…

…that when you put condensed milk in a glass and mix it with hot water, you get a glass of hot milk.

That’s AMAZING!

Cramp

I got the very first muscle cramp in my calf this evening.

Before that, I never knew how it felt like. I have heard of people having cramps and saying it’s painful.

Yes, I am now confirmed that it is REALLY painful.

2012

I know it’s not true and I never believed in it.

But, whenever I read in news that a product was to be out in 2012, I couldn’t help thinking “well, I’d be dead anyway” and then laughing at myself.

Did the movie do that much? xD