Pen spinning

In addition to having to relay on English, when I first arrived to Auckland, I found out about the art of pen flipping - Asian style. I already could do a simple flip that I picked up as a kid watching Top Gun, but that was nothing in comparison what Gorge, the Taiwanese guy at the high school, was able to do. And so from that point on, all the long lectures and study sessions turned into pen-spinning practices. And if I'd see someone do a new trick, I'd ask for instructions, and 'practice', and so on... That now, pen spinning is something like the second nature - as though the hand reaches for the pen and starts flipping it almost on its own will.

Today, as I was mindlessly spinning the pen while reading F1 news, the colleague whom I share the office with told me I should join the pen-spinning competition that will be happening here on the campus. After laughing it off, we talked bout these sort of useless skills people have... He told me that his wife can tie a not of a cherry stem in her mouth - apparently people good at french-kissing can do it. That was impressive, but it pails in comparison to the pen spinning - Ninja style - that puts my 10 years of 'practice' to shame:
looooooongWayToGo...!

Ps: The flipping pen. As always the tool that you use is very important; and in this case, once you find a good one, and you get used to it - that's it, no other can be of substitute. The type of pen I use, I first picked up in the office where I was a chief cleaner. When I would lose it, I'd just pick up another one form one of the office desks. But after I moved to Melbourne, I had to take care of the few that I had as I didn't know where and when would I be able to get a new supply from - the pen obsession. Later, when I'd see someone else using 'the pen' I'd have to have it. First, it happened when a retailer gave me 'the pen' to sign the bill for my vodafone prepaid. It was, 'waaooo you have the pen...' I think there was three of them that were working over there at that time, and all three were laughing at me. But as this was no laughing matter for me, I grabbed four other pens that I found in my bag and traded them for 'the pen'. Later, a fellow student dropped her one - the same one - on the floor, and I played 'finders keepers'. She told me she got it in the K-Mart. I went over there and bought three packs. Though, now in Singapore, I'm left with the last one... few times this semester, I had to go back to the class room to look for my f... lipping pen.

P.p.s.: The pen needs a change of ink often, as spinning somehow distorts it. I 'll need to get me some of this 'space ink' eventually.

Two Stupid Dogs

Nope, this has nothing to do w/ the Japanese dogs I met. Yesterday, as I was writing the mail to Dan, I stumbled across the youTube link for my all time favorite cartoon show from back in a day.

There was a 2 Stupid Dogs weekend long time ago on Cartoon Network. I always wished that I recorded couple of tapes, and now, after many years, they are back :)

'That's cute, but it's wrong' is the line, n inspirations of similar ones, that ended up as a part of my teaching tool kit. You guessed it, it comes from 2 Stupid Dog's show on teaching.

'Hi in the sky, just like a pie' was something that crept into my vocab years late when English became my daily necessity.

It was back in Auckland when I first started using English, that was also the time when I initially thought about the meaning the word friendship has. Here's nice animated description.

They also have something to say about how to find that spacial one, and what happens in relationships. And, of course, about Love...!

Techy stuff

It seems that every time I check the news these days, there is a new product, acquisition or partnership by Google. It's gonna be interesting to see what will the connection w/ Apple's iPhone deliver, and the new Map's Street View, does seem a bit too close - impressive, yes; useful, no.

Apple's iPhone debuts next month, if you haven't seen the GUI yet, do take a look.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft promises to bring the GUI capabilities, similar to those of the funky computer Tom Cruise used in Minority Report, to our homes with it's very cool Surface.

The laptop by Ziba and Intel narrows the gap between laptops and smart phones.

...!

CARPE DIEM

Scito hoc super omnia.

Haec vita est tua una sola.

Dum vita superest,

utere maxime quoque puncto,

momento, et hora quae habes.

Tempus neminem non manet.

Noli manere tempus.

Carpe diem.

"Know this above all else. This is your only life. While life still remains, fully use every point, moment, and hour that you have. Time waits for no man. Don't wait for time. Seize the day." -St. Thomas Acquinas

...!

Ps: Nice story: A young soldier and his commanding officer got on a train together. The only available seats were across from an attractive young woman who was traveling with her grandmother. As they engaged in pleasant conversation, the soldier and the young woman kept eyeing one another; the attraction was obviously mutual. Suddenly the train went into a tunnel and the car became pitch black. Immediately two sounds were heard: the "smack" of a kiss, and the "whack" of a slap across the face. The grandmother thought "I can't believe he kissed my granddaughter, but I'm glad she gave him the slap he deserved." The commanding officer thought, "I don't blame the boy for kissing the girl, but it's a shame that she missed his face and hit me instead." The young girl thought, "I'm glad he kissed me, but I wish my grandmother hadn't slapped him for doing it." And as the train broke into the sunlight, the soldier could not wipe the smile of his face. He had just seized the opportunity to kiss a pretty girl and slap his commanding officer and had gotten away with both! (reference)