Who, Me?

Who, Me?

Help, Mattel is Recalling my Batmans!

Early this month Mattel is recalling nearly one million toys in United States due to use of lead paint; all affected products were made in factories in China; more than 300,000 have already been purchased by consumers. Then the company recalled other toys with tiny magnets because these magnets can be easily dislodged and swallowed by young children.

Sarah Corey from Reuters reports

In the United States, the recall includes 7.3 million Polly Pocket dolls and accessories with magnets, 1 million Doggie Day Care magnetic toys, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner magnetic toys, and 345,000 Batman and One Piece play sets.

About 253,000 Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars with lead paint were also recalled. Lead has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.

Earlier this month Mattel's Fisher-Price unit recalled about 1.5 million preschool toys made by China-based contract manufacturer Lida Toy Co. because the paint on the toys might contain excessive amounts of lead. The global recall included products based on popular preschool characters from "Sesame Street" and "Dora the Explorer."

This is toymaker's 17th recall in 10 years. A list of products since 1998 is here.

While Mattel is blaming the China factory and the factory is looking for a scapegoat, I fail to understand how matter can get so out of hand. There must have been some sort of quality control. One can blame China for using lead paint but the small magnet is obviously a design fault. It is astonishing that one of the world’s largest toys making company is so careless about children’s safety. After all, with a few examples, it is children who will be playing with their toys.

The tiny magnets are easily swallowed when dislodged. To date, three kids have been known to swallow it. The magnets by themselves are harmless and will be excreted out eventually. The fear is that more than one magnet is swallowed and they stick together causing intestinal obstruction. In such a scenario, the child will be vomiting continuously and may have a distended abdomen.

The lead in the paint that coats the toys is more worrying. Lead poisoning in children has been a severe health hazard in the past when lead was a standard component in paint. Children became sick, pale (anemic) and became brain damaged when they swallow the paint flaks (children will swallow almost anything).

The American Academy of Family Physicians writes

High levels of lead in the body can cause problems with the brain, kidneys and bone marrow (the soft tissue inside bones). Symptoms of high lead levels can include belly pain, headaches, vomiting, confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, hair loss and anemia (a low red blood cell count).

Lower levels of lead in the body can also cause problems, like trouble paying attention, behavior problems, learning difficulties and a fall in the IQ of young children.

Read more here. For a more technical report on lead poisoning, read here.

The only bright side of this latest problem with Mattel toys is that it highlights the risk of our children getting lead poisoning.

We must always be vigilant in the type of toys we buy for our children. It is sad that we can no longer trust brand names like Mattel, Fisher-Price, and Hot Wheels anymore.

Help, Mattel is Recalling my Batmans!

Early this month Mattel is recalling nearly one million toys in United States due to use of lead paint; all affected products were made in factories in China; more than 300,000 have already been purchased by consumers. Then the company recalled other toys with tiny magnets because these magnets can be easily dislodged and swallowed by young children.

Sarah Corey from Reuters reports

In the United States, the recall includes 7.3 million Polly Pocket dolls and accessories with magnets, 1 million Doggie Day Care magnetic toys, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner magnetic toys, and 345,000 Batman and One Piece play sets.

About 253,000 Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars with lead paint were also recalled. Lead has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.

Earlier this month Mattel's Fisher-Price unit recalled about 1.5 million preschool toys made by China-based contract manufacturer Lida Toy Co. because the paint on the toys might contain excessive amounts of lead. The global recall included products based on popular preschool characters from "Sesame Street" and "Dora the Explorer."

This is toymaker's 17th recall in 10 years. A list of products since 1998 is here.

While Mattel is blaming the China factory and the factory is looking for a scapegoat, I fail to understand how matter can get so out of hand. There must have been some sort of quality control. One can blame China for using lead paint but the small magnet is obviously a design fault. It is astonishing that one of the world’s largest toys making company is so careless about children’s safety. After all, with a few examples, it is children who will be playing with their toys.

The tiny magnets are easily swallowed when dislodged. To date, three kids have been known to swallow it. The magnets by themselves are harmless and will be excreted out eventually. The fear is that more than one magnet is swallowed and they stick together causing intestinal obstruction. In such a scenario, the child will be vomiting continuously and may have a distended abdomen.

The lead in the paint that coats the toys is more worrying. Lead poisoning in children has been a severe health hazard in the past when lead was a standard component in paint. Children became sick, pale (anemic) and became brain damaged when they swallow the paint flaks (children will swallow almost anything).

The American Academy of Family Physicians writes

High levels of lead in the body can cause problems with the brain, kidneys and bone marrow (the soft tissue inside bones). Symptoms of high lead levels can include belly pain, headaches, vomiting, confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, hair loss and anemia (a low red blood cell count).

Lower levels of lead in the body can also cause problems, like trouble paying attention, behavior problems, learning difficulties and a fall in the IQ of young children.

Read more here. For a more technical report on lead poisoning, read here.

The only bright side of this latest problem with Mattel toys is that it highlights the risk of our children getting lead poisoning.

We must always be vigilant in the type of toys we buy for our children. It is sad that we can no longer trust brand names like Mattel, Fisher-Price, and Hot Wheels anymore.

Professionals of Tomorrow (iPOT) Conference

When?
12 – 16 October (Friday-Tuesday; Hari Raya weekend)

Where?
Peacehaven, Genting Highlands

Who?
3 professional tracks coming as ONE conference

We are bringing together:
(i)‘Teachers of Tomorrow’ (known as “ToT’s”),
(ii)‘Health Carers of Tomorrow’ (known as “HoT”)
(iii)‘Law Graduates of Tomorrow’ (known as “LoT’s”)

Why?
The Vision of the conference:
To grow Professionals of Tomorrow from Students of Today, who
•have a sense of calling and mission in their professions
•understand and obey God’s heart and mind for their lives and for the
world they are called to serve
•are increasingly aware and responding to the needs of our nation
•dare to be courageous to answer God’s call - wherever, whatever

We see the great need for Christian graduates in all fields to seriously consider God’s calling and purpose as they make decisions about their future, in view of the vast needs in our country and the world. We also need to ask what it means to make choices for counter-cultural living in our present times.

What?
The Theme: iPoT’s
The “i” stands for
(i)identity & person of the professional- identity in Christ, being & character
(ii)in-Training- being moulded & shaped for His purpose. Inculcating an open & teachable spirit
(iii)impact - making a difference wherever we are placed / sent

How?
The Program will include:

•Theme Talks, which will be Bible expositions from Nehemiah, delivered by Bishop Hwa Yung

•3 Evening Plenary, conducted specifically in 3 different professional tracks but with similar focus. It will cover:
(i)“Lift Up Your Eyes” (Vision & Calling, Needs & Challenges) by Dr Richard Loh
(ii)“Doing the Right Thing” (Ethics in our professions) by Dr Alex Tang
(iii)“Keeping the Vision” (Staying the Course amidst Challenges) by Dr David Gunaratnam

•Workshops and Forum covering specific issues and needs for the 3 different professional tracks

Who should attend?

• students who are studying medicine, dentititry, nursing, audiology, speech science, radiology, optometry, nutrition & dietetics, forensic sciemce, biomedical, medical radiation, medical engineering and others
  
• students who are pursuing any sort of law/legal studies
  
• students pursuing a diploma/degree in education, considering teaching as a future career options
  
• anyone else who is interested
  

How much?

• RM 120 early bird registration by 31/08/07
  
• RM 150 after 31/08/07
  

Registration

Closing date: 11/09/07

Download brochure here

Download registration form here

Professionals of Tomorrow (iPOT) Conference

When?
12 – 16 October (Friday-Tuesday; Hari Raya weekend)

Where?
Peacehaven, Genting Highlands

Who?
3 professional tracks coming as ONE conference

We are bringing together:
(i)‘Teachers of Tomorrow’ (known as “ToT’s”),
(ii)‘Health Carers of Tomorrow’ (known as “HoT”)
(iii)‘Law Graduates of Tomorrow’ (known as “LoT’s”)

Why?
The Vision of the conference:
To grow Professionals of Tomorrow from Students of Today, who
•have a sense of calling and mission in their professions
•understand and obey God’s heart and mind for their lives and for the
world they are called to serve
•are increasingly aware and responding to the needs of our nation
•dare to be courageous to answer God’s call - wherever, whatever

We see the great need for Christian graduates in all fields to seriously consider God’s calling and purpose as they make decisions about their future, in view of the vast needs in our country and the world. We also need to ask what it means to make choices for counter-cultural living in our present times.

What?
The Theme: iPoT’s
The “i” stands for
(i)identity & person of the professional- identity in Christ, being & character
(ii)in-Training- being moulded & shaped for His purpose. Inculcating an open & teachable spirit
(iii)impact - making a difference wherever we are placed / sent

How?
The Program will include:

•Theme Talks, which will be Bible expositions from Nehemiah, delivered by Bishop Hwa Yung

•3 Evening Plenary, conducted specifically in 3 different professional tracks but with similar focus. It will cover:
(i)“Lift Up Your Eyes” (Vision & Calling, Needs & Challenges) by Dr Richard Loh
(ii)“Doing the Right Thing” (Ethics in our professions) by Dr Alex Tang
(iii)“Keeping the Vision” (Staying the Course amidst Challenges) by Dr David Gunaratnam

•Workshops and Forum covering specific issues and needs for the 3 different professional tracks

Who should attend?

• students who are studying medicine, dentititry, nursing, audiology, speech science, radiology, optometry, nutrition & dietetics, forensic sciemce, biomedical, medical radiation, medical engineering and others
  
• students who are pursuing any sort of law/legal studies
  
• students pursuing a diploma/degree in education, considering teaching as a future career options
  
• anyone else who is interested
  

How much?

• RM 120 early bird registration by 31/08/07
  
• RM 150 after 31/08/07
  

Registration

Closing date: 11/09/07

Download brochure here

Download registration form here

Image-based Preaching-Visualcy

In a earlier post High Tech Preaching, some comments and concerns about the use of technology in preaching were highlighted. Now to continue the survey.

We are entering the third age of communication, according to Andy Crouch, culture guru and director of our Christian Vision Project. The first age was oral communication, when history and theology were captured in stories and shared around campfires and tables. The second age was written communication, when the stories were committed to papyrus and sheepskin and paper and finally mass-produced, thanks to Guttenberg. Now comes the third age. You might call it the age of Spielberg. Andy has coined another name.

"Many centuries after the shift from oral to written culture, we are now well along in the transition to visual culture—where the predominant mode of communication is images rather than words," Crouch says.

"Just as the shift to writing required the skills we call literacy, so visual culture requires its own skills—for lack of a better word, visualcy."

Leadership surveyed 515 subscribers who, as lead pastors, preach regularly. Most have entered the visual fray—some signed on willingly, others feel conscripted—but almost all have felt the ground shift beneath their pulpits as technologies, audience expectations, and Game Boy learning styles make new demands on preaching. And on the preacher. The television generation and its Web-wonk successors are changing the way we preach. Here's how

Image-based Preaching-Visualcy

In a earlier post High Tech Preaching, some comments and concerns about the use of technology in preaching were highlighted. Now to continue the survey.

We are entering the third age of communication, according to Andy Crouch, culture guru and director of our Christian Vision Project. The first age was oral communication, when history and theology were captured in stories and shared around campfires and tables. The second age was written communication, when the stories were committed to papyrus and sheepskin and paper and finally mass-produced, thanks to Guttenberg. Now comes the third age. You might call it the age of Spielberg. Andy has coined another name.

"Many centuries after the shift from oral to written culture, we are now well along in the transition to visual culture—where the predominant mode of communication is images rather than words," Crouch says.

"Just as the shift to writing required the skills we call literacy, so visual culture requires its own skills—for lack of a better word, visualcy."

Leadership surveyed 515 subscribers who, as lead pastors, preach regularly. Most have entered the visual fray—some signed on willingly, others feel conscripted—but almost all have felt the ground shift beneath their pulpits as technologies, audience expectations, and Game Boy learning styles make new demands on preaching. And on the preacher. The television generation and its Web-wonk successors are changing the way we preach. Here's how

Seven Reasons Why I Like the Apostle Paul

Here are seven reasons why I like Paul of Tarsus.


1. He is a fanatic. Fanaticism has a bad reputation. It brings to mind suicide bombers strapping explosives to their bodies, and going to crowded places to blow up innocent men, women and children. However, the meaning of a fanatic is a person who is totally devoted to a cause. Paul is a fanatic. He is totally committed to the God of his religion. He was so incensed when he heard about The Way which taught that the Messiah has come (and he was not consulted), that he packed his bags and sailed from Tarsus to Jerusalem to persecute the followers of The Way. In Jerusalem, he became the model for the later day Inquisitors by going from house to house and arresting the followers of Jesus.

Paul is so effective that he received a personal audience from the ascended Christ Himself! Paul still remained fanatic. However he is now a 180-degrees fanatic. He just turns the other direction and remain as fanatic as before. He now champions The Way and persecutes rabbinic Judaism! The scripture did not say it but I suspect the Jerusalem Christians gave a sigh of relief when they shipped Paul back to Tarsus.

I like Paul’s fanaticism. At least you know where he stands and his commitment. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and doubt when he discovered that he was actually persecuting the followers of the Messiah, he continued in His service. For Paul, there is no either/or/maybe. It is yes or no. I remembered what my mentor once told me. He was accused by an exasperated non-Christian that he is a fanatic. “Yes, I am a fanatic,” he answered, “now, what about you?” Resounding echoes of Paul in his rebuttal.

2. He is a systems thinker. A systems thinker is one who sees the whole picture without being bogged downed by details. That is what I like about Paul. He sees God’s plan of redemption of mankind and recreation. Paul is able to fit the jigsaw pieces of the Hebrew Bible and the gospel narratives of Jesus’ life and sees the big picture. And what was more amazing is that he is able to communicate it to others in ways that they understand. Many systems thinkers are lousy teachers. Paul’s earlier writings, in form of letters to the churches of Galatia, Thessalonica and Corinth were to address specific problems faced by these churches. Yet we see glimmers of his thinking in them. It is in the book of Romans that he blossoms and reveals God’s mighty plan for mankind and all of creation.

3. He is missional. Missional is a new word, coined by the emerging churches. When we use the word ‘mission’, we normally think of missionary going to do their work ‘over there.’ The emerging churches use the word missional to describe each of us becoming a missionary ‘over here’ or where we are now. This is another reason why I like Paul. He is not too worried about terms and set about doing what he is supposed to do and we stumble after him inventing words to describe what he did. He is missional before the word is invented. Another way to describe missional is: seeing where God is going and going with Him. That is exactly what Paul did. He sees that God’s plans involve all of mankind, not just the Jews. By default, he became the apostle to the Gentiles and I am eternally grateful to him.

4. He is courageous. How many people do you meet that can actually admit that they are wrong. “Oops. Sorry for persecuting you and leaving you in prison!” Paul was able to see his mistake and became a follower of Christ. Then he went and confront his old religion, rabbinic Judaism. Next he went and confronted the pillar of the church, Peter in Antioch. And he quarrelled with Barnabas because of John Mark. I love that guy. He is always confronting someone. Sometimes I wonder if his sufferings will be less if he is not so confrontational! Confrontation takes courage and Paul has courage. How many of us have the courage to confront the wrongs that we see? It is so much safer and easier to keep quiet and ignore it.

5. He is focussed. He knew what he has to do and he did it. He observes that a marathon runner has to lose excessive weight if he is to finish well. So Paul left all he had behind and set forth to fulfil his destiny and to suffer. He could have stayed at home in Tarsus. He would become the rabbi of a mega-synagogue, married a nice Jewish girl and have lots of little Pauls and Paulines running around. No, he detached himself from worldly attachments. In the end, he was executed by beheading at the side of a road outside a gate of Rome and buried in an unmarked grave. Regrets? He may have some but to echo Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

6. He invests in people. Paul may be the foremost theologian of the Christ faith but what endear him to me are his relationships with people. His letters are full of greetings to people he had met, written to or referred to. In modern day terms, he is a foremost networker. But unlike the most networker who networks for the contacts she can use in her business, Paul’s networking is because he sees Christ in each of them. Paul is not into organisation or structures but into human resources. Paul believes that one person can make a difference. I wonder how many of us agree with Paul and believe that what each of us do here and now can make a difference. I believe if we see people as Paul sees them, we will spend more time with, and invest our resources in people.

7. He leaves an enduring legacy of hope. Paul is a reformed Pharisee, Hebrew scholar, inquisitor, theologian, missionary, pastor, teacher, church planter, mentor, and networker. He left behind a large body of writings that was never rivalled. However, the legacy he left with me is his humanity. He is honest about his struggles, his pride and his suffering. Paul suffered physical, mental, emotional and spiritual attacks. Yet, what shone though was his humanity; a man in the process of becoming a ‘new man in Christ.’ And that gives me hope. Paul’s legacy is his blessed hope; that one day, all pain and sufferings will end and we shall be with Jesus forever.

Paul is a fanatic/ systems thinker/ missional/courageous/ focussed/people orientated/eschatological hope-giving follower of the Way. Hey, he is a neat guy and I like him. I wonder if he plays golf.


more of my comments about Paul here

Seven Reasons Why I Like the Apostle Paul

Here are seven reasons why I like Paul of Tarsus.


1. He is a fanatic. Fanaticism has a bad reputation. It brings to mind suicide bombers strapping explosives to their bodies, and going to crowded places to blow up innocent men, women and children. However, the meaning of a fanatic is a person who is totally devoted to a cause. Paul is a fanatic. He is totally committed to the God of his religion. He was so incensed when he heard about The Way which taught that the Messiah has come (and he was not consulted), that he packed his bags and sailed from Tarsus to Jerusalem to persecute the followers of The Way. In Jerusalem, he became the model for the later day Inquisitors by going from house to house and arresting the followers of Jesus.

Paul is so effective that he received a personal audience from the ascended Christ Himself! Paul still remained fanatic. However he is now a 180-degrees fanatic. He just turns the other direction and remain as fanatic as before. He now champions The Way and persecutes rabbinic Judaism! The scripture did not say it but I suspect the Jerusalem Christians gave a sigh of relief when they shipped Paul back to Tarsus.

I like Paul’s fanaticism. At least you know where he stands and his commitment. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and doubt when he discovered that he was actually persecuting the followers of the Messiah, he continued in His service. For Paul, there is no either/or/maybe. It is yes or no. I remembered what my mentor once told me. He was accused by an exasperated non-Christian that he is a fanatic. “Yes, I am a fanatic,” he answered, “now, what about you?” Resounding echoes of Paul in his rebuttal.

2. He is a systems thinker. A systems thinker is one who sees the whole picture without being bogged downed by details. That is what I like about Paul. He sees God’s plan of redemption of mankind and recreation. Paul is able to fit the jigsaw pieces of the Hebrew Bible and the gospel narratives of Jesus’ life and sees the big picture. And what was more amazing is that he is able to communicate it to others in ways that they understand. Many systems thinkers are lousy teachers. Paul’s earlier writings, in form of letters to the churches of Galatia, Thessalonica and Corinth were to address specific problems faced by these churches. Yet we see glimmers of his thinking in them. It is in the book of Romans that he blossoms and reveals God’s mighty plan for mankind and all of creation.

3. He is missional. Missional is a new word, coined by the emerging churches. When we use the word ‘mission’, we normally think of missionary going to do their work ‘over there.’ The emerging churches use the word missional to describe each of us becoming a missionary ‘over here’ or where we are now. This is another reason why I like Paul. He is not too worried about terms and set about doing what he is supposed to do and we stumble after him inventing words to describe what he did. He is missional before the word is invented. Another way to describe missional is: seeing where God is going and going with Him. That is exactly what Paul did. He sees that God’s plans involve all of mankind, not just the Jews. By default, he became the apostle to the Gentiles and I am eternally grateful to him.

4. He is courageous. How many people do you meet that can actually admit that they are wrong. “Oops. Sorry for persecuting you and leaving you in prison!” Paul was able to see his mistake and became a follower of Christ. Then he went and confront his old religion, rabbinic Judaism. Next he went and confronted the pillar of the church, Peter in Antioch. And he quarrelled with Barnabas because of John Mark. I love that guy. He is always confronting someone. Sometimes I wonder if his sufferings will be less if he is not so confrontational! Confrontation takes courage and Paul has courage. How many of us have the courage to confront the wrongs that we see? It is so much safer and easier to keep quiet and ignore it.

5. He is focussed. He knew what he has to do and he did it. He observes that a marathon runner has to lose excessive weight if he is to finish well. So Paul left all he had behind and set forth to fulfil his destiny and to suffer. He could have stayed at home in Tarsus. He would become the rabbi of a mega-synagogue, married a nice Jewish girl and have lots of little Pauls and Paulines running around. No, he detached himself from worldly attachments. In the end, he was executed by beheading at the side of a road outside a gate of Rome and buried in an unmarked grave. Regrets? He may have some but to echo Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

6. He invests in people. Paul may be the foremost theologian of the Christ faith but what endear him to me are his relationships with people. His letters are full of greetings to people he had met, written to or referred to. In modern day terms, he is a foremost networker. But unlike the most networker who networks for the contacts she can use in her business, Paul’s networking is because he sees Christ in each of them. Paul is not into organisation or structures but into human resources. Paul believes that one person can make a difference. I wonder how many of us agree with Paul and believe that what each of us do here and now can make a difference. I believe if we see people as Paul sees them, we will spend more time with, and invest our resources in people.

7. He leaves an enduring legacy of hope. Paul is a reformed Pharisee, Hebrew scholar, inquisitor, theologian, missionary, pastor, teacher, church planter, mentor, and networker. He left behind a large body of writings that was never rivalled. However, the legacy he left with me is his humanity. He is honest about his struggles, his pride and his suffering. Paul suffered physical, mental, emotional and spiritual attacks. Yet, what shone though was his humanity; a man in the process of becoming a ‘new man in Christ.’ And that gives me hope. Paul’s legacy is his blessed hope; that one day, all pain and sufferings will end and we shall be with Jesus forever.

Paul is a fanatic/ systems thinker/ missional/courageous/ focussed/people orientated/eschatological hope-giving follower of the Way. Hey, he is a neat guy and I like him. I wonder if he plays golf.


more of my comments about Paul here

Information Overload

Ever feel that your head is fully saturated with information, a condition we nowadays called 'information overload' or 'information flood'? It seems we are not the only one suffering from it. While Augustine suffers from information underload- seems he was accused of being "steeped too long in too few books." -scholars and readers after the invention of the printing press also complained of information overload.

Overloaded
The "information flood" has a longer history than we suppose.
By Alan Jacobs posted 08/13/07 Books & Culture, July/August 2007

is an interesting article on information overload, how people dealt with it in the past and how we can deal with it now.

Information Overload

Ever feel that your head is fully saturated with information, a condition we nowadays called 'information overload' or 'information flood'? It seems we are not the only one suffering from it. While Augustine suffers from information underload- seems he was accused of being "steeped too long in too few books." -scholars and readers after the invention of the printing press also complained of information overload.

Overloaded
The "information flood" has a longer history than we suppose.
By Alan Jacobs posted 08/13/07 Books & Culture, July/August 2007

is an interesting article on information overload, how people dealt with it in the past and how we can deal with it now.

Exegezing Confucian Writings

Confucian Hermeneutics

Why commentaries are never definitive.
by Kelly James Clark

Until the late modern era in the West and even more recently in the East, the primary mode of philosophical and theological expression was the commentary. In the medieval commentarial tradition, ideas were expressed as both explications and extensions of accepted traditions. In contrast to scholars in the contemporary academy, where novelty is esteemed and tradition denigrated, medieval commentators characteristically allied themselves with a set of "canonical" texts. More important than developing a system was the understanding of texts; hermeneutics was the primary tool, with system-building secondary. The hermeneutical approach was seen not simply as a means to understanding a text but also to grasping reality.

read more

Exegezing Confucian Writings

Confucian Hermeneutics

Why commentaries are never definitive.
by Kelly James Clark

Until the late modern era in the West and even more recently in the East, the primary mode of philosophical and theological expression was the commentary. In the medieval commentarial tradition, ideas were expressed as both explications and extensions of accepted traditions. In contrast to scholars in the contemporary academy, where novelty is esteemed and tradition denigrated, medieval commentators characteristically allied themselves with a set of "canonical" texts. More important than developing a system was the understanding of texts; hermeneutics was the primary tool, with system-building secondary. The hermeneutical approach was seen not simply as a means to understanding a text but also to grasping reality.

read more

Eight Random Facts about Me Meme

Permanent Head Damage (PhD) tagged me for 8 random facts about me recently, so here goes (some of it you know already, I am sure).

(1) I read comics in the bathtub.
Yeap, I think that is the best place to read it. With the bathtub full of warm water, of course. What do you think I am? I am still a great fan of Batman, Spiderman, Daredevil, The Mighty Thor, Wonder Woman, Superman, Wolverine, and Green Lantern. I started reading and collecting them when comics first appeared so you know how old I am. My mother told me to read comics so that I can improve my English. She doesn’t understand a word of English and thinks comics is an educational magazine. God bless you, Mum.

(2) I am a Trekkie, nowadays called Trekker.
I am a great fan of Star Trek. I have the complete collection of Star Trek movies and television series, initially on video tape, then on LD, CD, and now on DVD. Man, I have to pay royalties for each episodes 4 times! I also have almost every novels and comics published on Star Trek which comes up to about a 1000 items. Star Trek saved my sanity once and I shall never forget it. On fine day, I shall write a book, The Gospel according to Star Trek.

(3) I love making models of space ships and batmobiles.
The top of my bookshelves are full of plastic model spaceships. I have collected and made most of the science fiction spaceships. One thing I love about painting spaceships as the spaceships do not exist so you can paint it anyway you wants. Anyone has a problem with that? Recently I have also turned to making batmobile. This is a photo of my latest, a Romulan Scorpion light fighter from the Star Trek Movie, Nemesis.

(4) I love computer gaming, especially when I am winning.
My reaction time may not be as fast as I used to be and I cannot remember all the keystrokes but I save a lot. Computer gaming keeps me wake at night. I love real time strategy games but do not mind a shooter or two. One day, when I grow up, I wanna get a playstation.

(5) I collect Batman action figures.
With the different stories and variation in the Dark Knight, I started collecting Batman action figures. They are still in their display boxes. No, I do not play with them. If I want to, I usually read a comic, watch the movies and animated series on DVDs.

(6) I am doing a PhD as a hobby.
Yes, I know. People not only think me weird but also crazy. “Why are you doing a PhD for at your age? You do not need it.” “For fun” I will reply, “For Permanent head Damage (PhD).” Why can’t we study for the love of study? I get many weird looks.


(7) I love watching movies and television series.

I love action movies with a lot of blood, gore, and mayhem. I am uncomfortable with emotional loaded movies because, hey, in my line of work I get a lot of emotions thrown at my face. Being a sensitive empath does not help at all.

My favourite television series are Magnum PI, The A-team, X-Files, Babylon 5, Colombo, Alias, and Band of Brothers.



(8) I love books.
Here is a confession. I am a biblioholic.

bib/li/o.ho.lism n. [BIBLIO+HOLISM] book, of books; the habitual longing to purchase, read ,store, admire and consume books in excess. Yes, I have a book on that too. I buy and read books. I collect signed first edition. I have books that have picture of books. When I walk past a pretty girl and a bookstore, guess where I will be staring? And I do not give away or lend my books, so keep away. Plez.