masterwordsmith-unplugged

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I have had to make major changes in my life. Following a delicate health condition, I resigned from my part-time position and have had to realign my life accordingly. Despite the drop in an already dismal level of income, I refuse to just sit at home, stare at the pc and merely blog. No. That is not my style. With time on my hands safe for household and family (plus canine) responsibilities, I thought it would be good to be on the other side of the court - as a student - so my journey began. And, it has been a very refreshing one indeed.

My younger boy has been propelled into my world of books and mugging. Behind the facade of a we-must-save-electricity campaign, he now sits beside me as I pore over my books, making copious notes. I cannot explain how this has impacted mother-son bonding positively. Instead of me ever persuading him to use the many post-it notes I bought for him, I now have a good collection of highlighters, page markers, bookmarks, stickers and all the study paraphernalia to enjoy.

As I plan my work schedule, I also asked him to do the same and naturally he had to comply. Previously, he used to say it was ok as he knew what to do but now with momsy here setting the benchmark, he seems to have run out of excuses so he complied quietly.

There is always so much to do and I do confess that at my age, it is a conscious effort to remain focussed, to make an effort to understand, remember, recall and be able to write good answers.

Studying can be such a reclusive activity for now I say no thank you to most dinner invitations - even from my own husband who really has to drag me out of the house and see the sun. OK. I do see the sun when I hang the laundry.

I daresay falling asleep is one of the hazards of studying as an older person. Eyes get tired easily, font size is enlarged to 150% and tidbits (OMG) have to be at arm's distance. Unbelievably, I devoured a whole bar of almond chocolate yesterday :-(. Thank goodness that was the last bar and the house is now devoid of any tidbits safe for some preserved lemon peels which are absolutely yukky. So, the downside of being a kiasu student is - one can gain weight cos all I seem to do now is sit, read, study, understand, meditate, analyze, think. The tougher the topic, the more I need to understand a topic, the more stressful it is and hence - the more I go on a hunting spree to forage for snacks especially peanuts and chocolates in the house but alas, the last time I stocked up was three weeks ago and all I have left are healthy snacks such as oatmeal bars (groan), oatmeal crackers (yuks), muesli with fruit and tasteless yoghurt (arrgh!). Still, all the inactivity of sitting down is not good for my waistline and I kid you not when I say I am typing this with my ukimono wrapped around my waist in kneading mode!

Blogging is a good distraction and of course, reading jokes. Hence, in between (like now since the last break at 11.30am) I just surf the net briefly for jokes :-) and a chance to unwind (not by reading local news for that is a hazardous act!!!).

It is no exaggeration when I confess I fell asleep last night during my bedtime reading with my notes in my hand. :-( It was Tiger who woke me up when he tugged at the papers which he assumed was his supper! Yes, my beloved Tiger sleeps in my room :-).

At the same time, I am way behind in my Mandarin homework and sewing projects. I have yet to do the copious handwriting exercises and have given up on writing with the brush. As for my bag sewing project, my sixth and most ambitious hand-made bag project is 80% completed and I doubt I can find the interest or energy to finish it.

I have had to give up a few activities. Gone are the days when I worshipped the floor i.e. I no longer sweep the floor three or four times a day but only do so once a day. Neither do I baptise the floor by mopping it twice a day for now it has been reduced to once a day or once in two days.

Seriously, I ask myself why I did not do this earlier.

Fear.

Yea.

Fear of exams and the fear of not being at the top.

So what? Taking an exam is a process whereby we study, prepare ourselves for a gruelling examination and at my age, I should realize that it does not really matter how well I do as long as I put my best effort. Easier to type this than to live it out.

Having been a kiasu student for the greater part of my life, it is very difficult not to be hard on myself.

I guess I just have to let go.

And to immerse myself in the absolute joy of learning, self-discovery and allowing the newly gained knowledge to transform my mind and life.

Gone are the days of aimless wandering or talking but now, I have to remain focussed.

My better half thinks I am insane and does not sit with us when we study because he says the atmosphere is just filled with so much tension in the silence. Even Tiger behaves himself and does not manja.

Honestly, now that I am on the other side of the court as a student, I cannot fathom why students balk at the idea of studying or doing work. The best part is actually doing what I tell students to do :-) and it is so heartening to note that the standards/processes I laid down for them are workable and practical.

But then again, some have said I am quite mad. :-)

So for now, break time time is over. 2.30pm. Back to books.

Till we meet again in another post, this is mws signing off to hit the books, note cards and summaries. Next post will be up before 6pm.

Have a great day!!!

I woke up this morning feeling quite philosophical and over my favourite cup of white coffee, wondered why youth today are more gungho than those in the past. As I recalled various recent developments and pitched them against a few theoretical frameworks, this blog post was soon birthed.

When young or 'enlightened', an idealist can be regarded as a visionary who chases what he/she regards as high purposes and goals - normally for the betterment of the society to which he belongs. Such a person would do his/her utmost to strive for the ideal goals regardless of the painful current reality. Idealists believe in hopeful possibilities.

A stark contrast to cynics.

To a large extent, however, many, if not all of us, were born to be idealists and such a characteristic is fuelled by people who made us understand our potential with the hope that could push us forward to achieve our goals.

As a once-upon-a-time young and idealistic person, now that I am older I can see how many who are young (or who are young at heart) enthusiastically work towards changing the world either via anti-war campaigns or efforts to reduce/eliminate poverty or work diligently in environmental conservation or saving a particular threatened species or bringing justice to the world regardless of age, sex, race, gender, creed, location etc.

Undeniably, cynical older persons would react to such issues differently. Some might even regard such idealistic overtures as mere tomfoolery with a hopeless future because they would have a pessimistic view of the world and what the future holds for all.

I reckon that through the passage of time, blind idealism is gradually transformed into cynicism when reality bites. One may suddenly realize that we do not live in a black and white world of good vs bad or of status quo vs opposition. Or one may realize that a single person does not have power to effect change. While others may say that there is strength in numbers, one must question whether the numbers can be translated into leadership qualities that are capable of propelling, effecting and sustaining change.

Both the idealist and the cynic are not wrong or fully correct. There is no absolute measure of the their ideals or opinions.

I am just sharing my thoughts with the hope that when one talks about change, one cannot switch sides as easily as changing underwear. One must be cautious that whatever ideals one may have is not the product of propaganda, jumping on the bandwagon or conforming to populist views. A middle ground exists and rather than slamming one for not choosing one of two extremes, perhaps we should consider the reason for their stand. To be and to me, balance is important. There cannot be a dogmatic view of  "if you’re not with us you’re against us" because such fallacies are born out of conformity to hard-hitting campaigns.



If we care to look beyond the surface, there is a lot of false dilemmas created for hidden agenda.

"A false dilemma (also called the fallacy of the false alternative, false dichotomy, the either-or fallacy, fallacy of the excluded middle, fallacy of false choice, black-and/or-white thinking, or the fallacy of exhaustive hypotheses) is a type of informal fallacy that involves a situation in which limited alternatives are considered, when in fact there is at least one additional option. The options may be a position that is between two extremes (such as when there are shades of grey) or may be completely different alternatives. The opposite of this fallacy is argument to moderation.

False dilemma can arise intentionally, when fallacy is used in an attempt to force a choice (such as, in some contexts, the assertion that "if you are not with us, you are against us"). But the fallacy can also arise simply by accidental omission of additional options rather than by deliberate deception." MORE HERE.

Generally, many may not be aware that they are the victims of black and white fallacies.

According to this site:

black-or-white

You presented two alternative states as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.
Also known as the false dilemma, this insidious tactic has the appearance of forming a logical argument, but under closer scrutiny it becomes evident that there are more possibilities than the either/or choice that is presented. Binary, black-or-white thinking doesn't allow for the many different variables, conditions, and contexts in which there would exist more than just the two possibilities put forth. It frames the argument misleadingly and obscures rational, honest debate.

Example: Whilst rallying support for his plan to fundamentally undermine citizens' rights, the Supreme Leader told the people they were either on his side, or they were on the side of the enemy.

You may want to explore more AT THIS SITE.

In my lectures, I used to make it a point that my students understood and could identify fallacies of thoughts/ideas so that they could separate the wheat from the chaff and not fall prey to all kinds of messaging.

When one subscribes to a certain ideal, explore all facets. Question. Investigate. Analyze and then conclude.

Are the messages consistent?

Are the measures logical? Or are they repeating what was done in the past EVEN THOUGH history has shown us that all came to naught due to the futility of such overtures which probably had ulterior motives.

Never be used by anyone/group/party. Exercise independent thinking and do not be bullied into conformity or succumb to peer pressure. Instead, let God or our conscience and analytical conclusions based on facts be our guide.

It is one thing to be idealistic or hopeful and another thing to demand more from what people are ready to give. It is not fair to condemn others for not acquiescing to demands/expectations for such a platform of dogmatism would work against the cause, if it is a noble one. I surmise it is good to demand certain ideals but if undertaken insensitively, would surely elicit negative or even violent/undesirable reactions.

The bottom line is think independently and questions. Always have a balanced view. It does not mean that just because 500 000 people share the same view is a guarantee that it is a valid view. Few realize it could mean that 500 000 or less have been misled or influenced subliminally or unconsciously or just swept away with the moment.

As for me, I just wish that more people, myself included, can have the desire and ability to question and to think beyond whatever platter of messages that are offered to us.

There has to be more than what we see.

And, it is up to us to discover it for ourselves instead of conforming to the hypodermic syringe model of communication as theorized by Katz and Lazarfeld (1955). One must remember that whatever the media tells us must be finely sieved lest we fall prey to the selective messages that are intended for specific audiences. Read more here.

Between dreams and ideals, I would hold on to dreams for the lack of those would mean the death of an active mind that works independently. Dreams keep us alive. For now, I have learnt that idealism weakens the ability of an individual to be objective. There can never be absolutes in life for we live in a dynamic world subjected to so many internal and external forces at work.

Do share your responses to this post. Thanks!

Picture me. Sitting in front of the pc.

Studying. From my previous post till this one.

I look at the clock. 11.30am. Time for a break - not kit-kat but blog break.

I click on the link Angela sent me last night.

"Nicholas, let's just watch this to unwind."

"Must I, mom? Your sense of humour does not gel with mine, oh never mind!:

We watch. Smile and then suddenly, guffaws.

CLICK HERE to understand why we found this so hilarious. 

Even though it is a good dose of British humour, I surmise this applies to Malaysians as well!

ENJOY!!!

Thanks to Angela who shared the link.

It was back in 1983 when I began reading about Agent Orange in my first job. The movie "Killing Fields" also burnt its mark in my memory bank. Shell-shocked, I have never forgotten its horrible effects till today. This morning before I start studying again, I would like to share three posts written by Ed Mattson.

According to this site, "Following his service in the Marine Corps Ed Mattson built a diverse career in business in both sales and marketing and management. He is a published author and medical research specialist. He is currently Development Director of the National Guard Bureau of International Affairs-State Partnership Program, Fundraising Coordinator for the Warrior2Citizen Project, and Managing Partner of Center-Point Consultants in North Carolina. Mr. Mattson is a noted speaker and has addressed more than 3000 audiences in 42 states and 5 foreign countries. He has been awarded the Order of the Sword by American Cancer Society, is a Rotarian Paul Harris Fellow and appeared on more than 15 radio and television talk-shows."

Enjoy reading the following articles...

Looking for Ways to Battle Agent Orange Illnesses-Pt.1

Learning to fight cellular abnormalities caused by AO and Gulf War Syndrome

Part 3: How agent orange and depleted uranium affect the body

Incidentally, many may be unaware that on May 25th, tens of thousands of people marched against Monsanto. They did so in dozens of countries worldwide. They had good reason. They want consumer protections enacted. They want safe food to eat. They want governments assuring it. They want GMO foods and ingredients labeled. More HERE.

If you want to know why they marched and how we are also affected, please check out THIS ARTICLE.

Finally, if you do not know what is Agent Orange, check out THIS ARTICLE. 

You may want to read more HERE.

Have a nice day! Next post will be between 11-12.

CLICK HERE to read about one woman who dared to make a stand for what she believes in and made world news. Undaunted, she plods on in her mission.

Many may be interested in this post for the sake of their children or grandchildren. Thanks to Angela who kindly sent me this information! For sure, it is likely to be interesting to those who use mental sums instead of the calculator...

Here's Indian Vedic Math in simple steps…CLICK HERE for the video.

Thanks to Mr SKT who sent me the following video clip.

It only takes five minutes of your time and I certainly hope you will enjoy this presentation.

CLICK HERE to watch the clip. 

Have a lovely evening.

I am sharing the following article written by Dr Paul Craig Roberts because of the relevance and importance of such powerful message in relation to what we can see in our own backyard. Paul Craig Roberts has had careers in scholarship and academia, journalism, public service, and business. He is chairman of The Institute for Political Economy.

Dr. Roberts has held academic appointments at Virginia Tech, Tulane University, University of New Mexico, Stanford University where he was Senior Research Fellow in the Hoover Institution, George Mason University where he had a joint appointment as professor of economics and professor of business administration, and Georgetown University where he held the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy in the Center for Strategic and International Studies. You can read more about him AT THIS LINK or HERE.

___________________

Why Disinformation Works by Dr Paul Craig Roberts

Have you ever wondered how the government’s misinformation gains traction?

What I have noticed is that whenever a stunning episode occurs, such as 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombing, most everyone whether on the right or left goes along with the government’s explanation, because they can hook their agenda to the government’s account.

The leftwing likes the official stories of Muslims creating terrorist mayhem in America, because it proves their blowback theory and satisfies them that the dispossessed and oppressed can fight back against imperialism.

The patriotic rightwing likes the official story, because it proves America is attacked for its goodness or because terrorists were allowed in by immigration authorities and nurtured by welfare, or because the government, which can’t do anything right, ignored plentiful warnings.

Whatever the government says, no matter how problematical, the official story gets its traction from its compatibility with existing predispositions and agendas.

In such a country, truth has no relevance. Only agendas are important.

A person can see this everywhere. I could write volumes illustrating how agenda-driven writers across the spectrum will support the most improbable government stories despite the absence of any evidence simply because the government’s line can be used to support their agendas.

CLICK HERE for more.

This morning I received thrilling news: a joke I wrote more than 20 years ago has been voted the funniest religious joke of all time! In case you've missed it, here it is:

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

Two things, however, have slightly tarnished my thrill.

First, the website that conducted the poll, Ship of Fools, did not attribute me as the author. Arghhhhh! Sure, it has been quite a while since I performed it. And true, I'm not on TV all the time like some comedians I could name if I watched TV all the time. But come on, guys! The slightest Google search! But back in the day ... ah, my friends! That joke and I astounded the world! Everywhere I played, in the largest of British theatres, the audiences clamoured for it! I told it not once but twice on British television. A few years ago it was voted by my peers as one of the top 75 jokes of all time. It has been anthologized in several joke books, most recently in Italian; the translator gave me a copy a few weeks ago after one of my shows. He pointed the joke out, without telling me which it was ... but I immediately recognised my old friend by the word "ponte".

Second, I learned why Ship of Fools was running the poll ... to shed light on the possible effect if the British government goes ahead with its intention to outlaw "offensive" religious jokes. Such a law would be a bad idea, for the simple reason that jokes are how we humans avoid violence. Jokes are our safety-release mechanism. Sure they can sometimes be offensive. So can burps. But if you ban them even worse results happen. And believe me, if someone tells a joke that truly offends, he or she will be punished for it. That's one area for sure where the government can take it easy and relax.

So I hope the ban never goes into effect. But in case it does, I had better seize this last glorious moment to tell the rest of my religious jokes. Here goes:

· When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised, the Lord doesn't work that way. So I just stole one and asked Him to forgive me ... and I got it!

· So I'm at the wailing wall, standing there like a moron, with my harpoon."

· A Mormon told me that they don't drink coffee. I said, "A cup of coffee every day gives you wonderful benefits." He said, "Like what?" I said, "Well, it keeps you from being Mormon ..."

· I'm not Catholic, but I gave up picking my belly button for lint.

· When I was a kid my dad would say, "Emo, do you believe in the Lord?" I'd say, "Yes!" He'd say, "Then stand up and shout Hallelujah!" So I would ... and I'd fall out of the roller coaster

· The "Guy on the Bridge" joke can be heard on E=MO Squared (1985) which coincidentally is re-released on CD. CHECK HERE.

Written by Emo Philips

If there’s a single factor that reliably sparks social unrest, it’s food becoming too scarce or too expensive. So argues a group of complex systems theorists in Cambridge, and it makes sense.

In a 2011 paper, researchers at the Complex Systems Institute unveiled a model that accurately explained why the waves of unrest that swept the world in 2008 and 2011 crashed when they did. The number one determinant was soaring food prices. Their model identified a precise threshold for global food prices that, if breached, would lead to worldwide unrest.

The MIT Technology Review explains how CSI’s model works: “The evidence comes from two sources. The first is data gathered by the United Nations that plots the price of food against time, the so-called food price index of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN. The second is the date of riots around the world, whatever their cause.” Plot the data, and it looks like this:

CLICK HERE for the rest of this entry.

Even as male moviegoers are slow to let go of Angelina Jolie’s amazing technicolor dream breasts, women are asking themselves: What about my boobies?

Are they fetching objects of desire or ticking time bombs?

Along with a spectacular jawline and an immune system strong enough to survive a four-year marriage to Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina also inherited the deadly BRCA1 gene, which jacked up her odds of breast cancer so high that she took pre-emptive action and had a prophylactic double mastectomy. If only she’d shown the same foresight before filming The Tourist.

CLICK HERE for the rest of this interesting post.

In my notes for the year 1989 I come across some sentences jotted down from a conversation I had with J, whom I call my “master.” At that time we were talking about an unknown mystic called Kenan Rifai, about whom little has been written.

“Kenan Rifai says that when people praise us we should watch how we behave,” says J, “because that means that we hide our faults very well. Finally we end up believing that we are better than we think and then the next step is to let ourselves be dominated by a false feeling of security that will eventually set up dangers all around us.”

“How can we be attentive to the opportunities that life gives us?”

“If you have only two opportunities, learn how to turn them into twelve. When you have twelve they will multiply automatically. That is why Jesus says: “he who has a lot will have a lot more given. He who has little will have that little taken from him.”

“That is one of the harshest sentences in the Gospels. But I have noticed throughout my life that it is absolutely true. So how can we identify the opportunities?”

“Pay attention to every moment, because the opportunity – the “magic instant” – is within our reach, although we always let it pass by because we feel guilty. So try not to waste your time blaming yourself: the universe will see to correcting you if you’re not worthy of what you’re doing.”

“And how is the universe going to correct me?”

“It won’t be through tragedies; these happen because they are part of life, and they should not be thought of as punishment. Generally the universe shows us that we are wrong when it takes away what is most important to us: our friends.

“Kenan Rifai was a man who helped many people find themselves and to achieve a harmonious relation with life. Even so, some of those people proved to be ungrateful and never even turned their head to say ‘thanks’. They turned to him only when their lives were in a state of utter confusion. Rifai helped them again without mentioning the past: he was a man with many friends and the ungrateful always ended up on their own.”

“Those are fine words but I don’t know if I am capable of pardoning ingratitude so easily.”

-Paul Coelho-

Husband asks: Do u know the meaning of wife?
‘Without Infomation Fighting Everytime’.
Wife on hearing replies, It also means ‘With Idiot For Ever’.

___________________________

Her husband had been slipping in and out for a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day.
When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he said, “You know what?
You have been with me all through the bad times.
When I got fired, you were there to support me.
When my business fell, you were there.
When I got shot, you were by my side.
When we lost the house, you gave me support.
When my health started failing, you were still by my side.”

She just smiled and held his hand.

He then continued, saying “When I think about it now, I think you bring me bad luck.”


________________________

Wife: Why do you wear your specs only when I come in.
Husband: The doctor has ordered me to wear my specs whenever I get an headache.

___________________________

Wife hit her husband with frying pan.
Husband: What was that for…?
Wife: I found a paper in your pocket
with the name Jenny on it.
Husband: I took part in a race last week
and Jenny was the name of my horse.
Wife: Sorry..!
Next day wife hit him with the frying pan again
Husband: What now..?
Wife: Your horse is on the Phone.

____________________________

At the beginning of any relationship.
Every girls treats her boyfriend as “GOD”.
Later on, some how the alphabets get reversed !

______________________

A drunk man arrives late at home…. He knows his wife won’t open the door, so he decides to pretend that he bought her flowers and knocks the door…

Wife: Who is it?

Drunk Husband: I bring flowers for the pretty lady…

Wife opens the door and says… Where are the flowers…

Drunk Husband: Where is the pretty lady ?

__________________________
He left home about 8:30 a.m. to play golf with his friends.

On the way out the door, he answered his wife’s “what time will you be home?” question with “probably about 1:30, I’ll have lunch at the club.” 1:30 came and went, 3:00 passed, 6:15, still not home.

Finally at about 11:45p.m. he rolls in the driveway, leaves his clubs in the garage, and presents his wife with a pizza, and begins the apologetic story.

We finished our game about 11:30, had lunch, and I started home, when along side the road I saw this attractive girl with a flat tire on her car.

I stopped to help, got the tire changed, and looked around for a place to wash my hands.

She offered money, but I refused, so she suggested that I at least allow her to buy me a beer.

She said there’s a tavern just up the road, and they have a restroom, you can clean up a bit.

I agreed to stop, we had a beer, then another beer, then a couple more, and I realized that this girl was not only pretty, she was very friendly, and a good companion to spend time with.

Before I knew it, we were in the motel next door having s*x.

And that is why I am so late getting home.

His wife looked him in the eye and said, “Don’t bullshit me, you played 36 holes, didn’t you?”

Recently, a friend returned from Japan and gave my family some presents including my favourite MOCHI, Bourbon chocolates and a box of chocolates for the construction of a chocolate house.

Since he received it just before his exam, he put it aside for two weeks till yesterday. His father said, "No need to construct it. Just eat it like it is meant to be eaten."

I did not know that the other two bars of chocolate were actually meant for the roof. In fact, I thought they were bonus bars :-) so I happily devoured one bar all by myself.


So, when my son opened the refrigerator to get the box, he gasped in horror when he discovered one bar was missing!

"Mom, you ate my roof!!"

"I what?"

"You ate the roof!!"

*gulps*

Guiltily, I tried to convince him to use another bar of chocolate of a different brand but alas, it was much heavier and surely the walls could not withstand the weight. Thankfully, my boy took the case of the missing roof pretty well and was not at all sore about the episode.

Here's my boy constructing the chocolate house:











And then the heat was too much for the chocolate house! Timberrrrrrrr........Earthquake magnitude of 1.3 with no casualties :-)...


All in all, it was truly great fun and a wonderful excuse to eat chocolates! Have a wonderful evening!

Thanks to LYP for the present!

For information about the cast and crew of Iron Man 3, please CLICK HERE.




A. Who is The Mandarin?

The Mandarin is a fictional character, a super villain who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the archenemy of Iron Man. 

The character was created by Stan Lee and designed by Don Heck, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #50 (February 1964). The character is described as being born in China before the Communist revolution, to a wealthy Chinese father and an English aristocratic mother, both of whom died when he was very young. He is characterised as a megalomaniac, attempting to conquer the world on several occasions, yet also possessing a strong sense of honor. 

The Mandarin is portrayed as a genius scientist and a super humanly skilled martial artist. However, his primary sources of power are ten power rings that he adapted from the alien technology of a crashed space ship. Each ring has a different power and is worn on a specific finger. 

In other media, the Mandarin has been shown in several forms of animation and computer games. He serves as the main antagonist in the 2013 film Iron Man 3.[4] His presence was implied in the 2008 film Iron Man through the name of the terrorist group known as "The Ten Rings". In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. (Source: HERE)

B. Why Ben Kingsley?




This is what Shane Black told Yahoo! Movies about The Mandarin:

In the comic books, Iron Man archenemy the Mandarin is Chinese. And when Ben Kingsley -- who decidedly doesn't fit that racial profile -- was cast in the villainous role for “Iron Man 3,” there was naturally concern over how the character would be portrayed and whether it would be offensive. 

So we went straight to the movie masterminds to get the inside information on the Mandarin. 

“His nationality is not even clear because he is shrouded in secrecy,” “Iron Man 3” co-writer and director Shane Black told Yahoo! Movies. “He has crafted himself in the manner of the Mandarin, of a warlord. And I think that’s great because you get to do the comic book but you don’t… have to deal with the specifics of Fu Manchu stereotyping.

“We’re not saying he’s Chinese, we’re saying he, in fact, draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsessions with Sun Tzu in various ancient arts of warfare that he studied.” 

For some “Iron Man” mavens, the Mandarin’s appearance is a long time coming. Producer Kevin Feige recalled that he was promised to appear in the film’s first installment by then-helmer Jon Favreau – during a Comic Con panel nearly six years ago. 

“We thought, ‘What can we tell ‘em? That’s probably safe!’ And then we changed it about 12 weeks before we start filming,” explained Feige. But there was simply too much going on in the script. Favreau and Feige wanted to put more focus on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) 

“So we took him [The Mandarin] out. And we talked about him again for ‘Iron Man 2,’” Feige continued. Alas, the Mandarin didn’t make into that one either. And Feige credits Black with providing the right set of circumstances to bring him and his handful of 10 mystical rings on board for “IM3.” MORE HERE.

That aside, here are other issues...

C. Innuendo to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) of 911 and New York?

Iron Man 3 is set in events after “Marvel’s The Avengers” and a battle for New York. In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark is portrayed as literally suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (bedroom scene with Paltrow, garage scene with the boy etc.) from the horrors his character experienced in the film The Avengers – events that are repeatedly referred to in Iron Man 3 by the reference to "New York". He has insomnia and loses his sense of reasoning by challenging The Mandarin and giving the whole world his address when interviewed by broadcast journalists!

Whilst one may question the rationale of portraying a super hero this way, I figure it is Shane Black's tactic of tugging at our heart's strings by revealing the more human side of Stark which we might not be aware of at all. Beneath the veneer of iron suits is a man - fully human both with strengths and weaknesses - reminding us of the fragility of life, how one can never run away from who is the real us regardless of whatever devices/gadgets/equipment we may have at our disposal just like Stark.  Coming to terms with being at the height of human potential like Stark and the hopelessness of being human with weaknesses and all - is a journey which all can identify with in life.

C. Drones

• Who decides what?
• Who breeds terror?
• Who profits from it?
• Who manipulates it?
• What is behind the development of armaments, weaponry etc?
• Profiteering conditioning of the highest order???

The past few weeks have been defining moments in my life.

Scars; they seem so beautiful at times.

I’ve got many, deep and shallow.

They aren’t self-inflicted, well consciously they aren’t. They cover my arms, my legs, even my fingers are painted with them.

To others it might seem like a cry for help or a careless attitude but for me it’s my whole life story engraved on me.

Every scar, every bruise has a life of its own and a space in my heart.

They either remind me of a place or a person.

Sadly, there is no magic wand to rub them off of your body.

Even if they fade away over the years, the impact still stays there in your head. The mental scars are the worst of its kind.

They haunt you even in your dreams. These scars cause you to stay stuck at a point of your life where you’re unable to move or breathe.

At some point of time your soul is so heavily bruised that the physical pain is nothing but a mere pinch.

This is the time where you start feeling like an outsider in your own life and when you look down at yourself you realize how helpless you are and how stagnant you’ve become.

Every scar you look at is bursting with frustration. It’s screaming to bleed out.

But then something strange happens over time, you start to admire them and appreciate them.

Why? It is because you realize that these very scars show you how far you’ve come.

It shows you that you may have faced hurdles but you still have a long way to go.

It tells you not to give up even if every inch of your body is marked and dashed, to celebrate the scars instead.

Even if you don’t make it in the end at least you have something to show to the world that you never backed down.

-Written by Pramiti Sapru-

Seriously, the outlook ahead is dismal and we have to be prepared. Most tragically, many are still quarrelling about the GE13 results, organizing rallies, witch-hunting when we have far more worrying problems ahead that will affect not just Malaysians, but the entire world! I just pray our elected leaders will stop fighting and get down to the nitty gritty tasks of governing and steering this country to peace, prosperity and unity. Governance is not about finger-pointing although whistle-blowers are important. Man, we have greater issues at hand ahead of us. Find that breakthrough in mainstream lies. But then again, I am a dreamer.

No way am I saying I know better or more. I feel helpless, almost hopeless and worst of all, am now fully retired after resigning at the beginning of this month for a saner and healthier life. I do not want to sound like a prophetess of doom but honestly, Malaysians had better wake up. Do not fall under the spell of propaganda, idealism etc.

Wake up to the harsh reality of the fact that we are but miserable pawns in a huge chessboard where the edges cannot even be sighted at all!

Read, beyond Malaysia. Be ready. I honestly do not know what to do. I wish I had loads of resources but I don't safe for a roof over my head, a car to drive, enough on the table. It is a whole new way of life ahead. And the change for me started at the beginning of this year. Check out as many websites as you can. International ones. Don't be in a rut with local petty issues. Move on and be prepared for the crash, TPPA, lots of hidden agenda and the works. Things are not as simple or clear-cut. Dive below the surface.

Really try to find out who are behind the scenes, pulling puppet strings worldwide. Who are the puppets, puppet masters, drama script writers and who will pay the heaviest price for being tunnel-visioned? And what is to come for this world? Only God knows. But we can have a clue if we look far and hard enough...

This evening, I just want to share:

1. Paul Farrell's article AT THIS LINK.

2. Cody Willard's The next black swan is coming soon AT THIS LINK. (subscription needed)

3. Financial Bubbles and the New Crash

4. Billionaires Unchained

5. Swimming in a sea of Frequencies (MUST READ)

6. Read as much as you can from this site.

7. As many sites as you can from THIS SEARCH ENGINE which I use.

8. This article HERE and all the other links listed at the end of the article. Serious.

Finally, if anyone has the ebook version of this book which I want to read MOST DESPERATELY, please email me at writetomws at hush dot ai. If you want to know why I have been frantically looking for this book everywhere, everyday, check out:

THIS LINK and the thread of discussion

THIS SITE and the videos (warning: highly controversial)

This article A foreigner's perspective is worth a read although I know many may not agree with the views. I always believe in reading up about both sides before making a fair conclusion.

Enough said. I have to go back to my reading. And no, I have not gone off my rockers...yet :-). Good night and God bless.

Please share your responses. Thanks!

And to those with the patience, tenacity and perseverance to click and read the links listed here, please email me to share your responses and I will send you a gift - the latest book by a famous author, D** B***n titled **f**no. I kid you not and would like to say 'thank you' for following this eccentric old lady's search for truth!