china still

Papa seems to be running into the topic of China with its myriad permutations all over the place.

Papa met yesterday a bunch of people from the Malaysian China Friends Association, ( Papa thinks thats what Papa met, but Papa has got to check the calling cards) who gave Papa a briefing of sorts on the Chinese economy. They seem to have the impression that Papa's group of associates can raise USD1b....or rather talk was bandied about for a China fund of that size.
Woooo....

They hope to raise a portion of that in Malaysia. Papa has got no comment on that, but Papa did get to find out some interesting statistics about the Chinese economy. When the figure for a company 's assets is around 900,000 million RMB , it kind of sticks in one's head.

Ok its actually the Malaysia-China Friendship Association. Their web-site is in chinese. The english version on their site is translated by Babelfish, but then its all gibberish.

mama manicure set

reminder

Papa needs to persuade Mama to let you join ballet classes. Papa thinks you will love it , even though you say you are a little bit scared to dance. Papa has got a fair number of ideas for you, hopefully Mama will agree.

more books

Guns, Germs and Steel by Diamond, Jared.
Oldish book that Papa flipped through long ago but never really got around to reading it. No real need for Papa to review it. Good book.

Papa has been reading pulp fiction for a change, Warhammer 40,000 books. Nothing much to mention here.

To torment himself (now that for the past few weeks Mama seems to be not so explosive) [she's not dormant either, its like one of those volcanoes that are always active, no such luck for Papa] Papa has gotten into his grubby hands ,

An Introduction to Non-Classical Logic, From If to Is by Graham Priest.

Looks to be VERY heavy going. The mathematical symbols strewn across its pages, are the likes of which Papa has not seen before. Papa thought that Papa should study logic in order to understand madness. But then it would appear that logic has its own, ehm madness. An excerpt from the preface appended below.

Despite this, many of the most interesting developments in logic in the last forty years, especially in philosophy, have occurred in quite different areas: intuitionism, conditional logics, relevant logics, paraconsistent logics, free logics, quantum logics, fuzzy logics, and so on. These are all logics which are intended either to supplement classical logic, or else to replace it where it goes wrong.

So when logic goes wrong, we replace it with other logic.....errrr... is that logical??

As a counterpoint Papa has started on :

Masters and Commanders (no sailing ships here), How Four Titans Won the War in the West (1941-1945) by Andrew Roberts.

Papa is on page 57, out of 735 pages. This is the first book that Papa has read where the book proper starts on page 49 , the previous pages being preface and introduction.... Too early to say for Papa, but it seems a good book to read at leisure. At any rate Papa learnt just how much the United States ascended in world domination in 50 years. Papa is fond of quotes:

The Spanish–American War broke out in the spring after Marshall joined VMI, and as he told the cadets there fifty-three years later, on what was by then called Marshall Day, ‘For the first time the United States stepped into the international picture. At that period, there was not a single ambassador accredited to the United States. We were recognized in the world largely as a country of Indians and buffalo, crude and remarkable manners, and the sudden wealth of a few. By the time Marshall himself became secretary of state of the United States in 1947, it was indisputably the most powerful country in the world...."

From not having a single ambassador on its shores to being THE superpower in two generations. There is a lesson here in how one should view China, and its leap forward in the second generation after Deng Xiao Peng.

forensics

This needs to be studied, carefully....

Papa's look- doubting thomas

You've got Papa's Doubting Thomas look.... As opposed to Mama's eyes, I guess this would be the Yin to the Yang. Or , the Yang to the Yin... whichever....

I can almost hear the wheels squeeking in your head...Papa likes to think you get your smarts from Papa.
Papa loves you.

Ok. now you look a little more...mergirl- like. Thats better.

mummy eyes

You can stop with the mummy eyes, ok? You are scaring Papa....

Papa marry Momma

Summergirl all of a sudden asks. "Daddy, marry mummy.." as we were walking in the mall. Hmm, that stopped Papa in his tracks. Papa doesn't know how to tell you , mergirl. Let Papa stew on a proper reply and Papa will answer you in the best way that Papa can. Papa knows you want a proper family and this has been on your mind for a long time. Papa will work on this.

"Keep your word, Papa..."

movies-D ain's de same anymore

Papa took you to a movie yesterday. G-force.

Papa doesn't know why Disney would use (err, steal??) the movie-title "G-force", for as far as Papa is concerned, G-force is actually a japanese anime with mecha and etc. This one's got guinea pigs instead of mecha....Hoo-boy.

Watching the movie (which is actually a kind of hybrid cartoon-reallife), Papa was sadly reminded of Papa's childhood where Disney cartoons were really special. Papa is not looking through the rose-tinged glasses of memory, the movie was pretty crappy. [see, guinea pigs like to crap...]

In a cinema hall No. 1 of the Gardens, Papa counted less than ten couples watching. On the first day of its screening there were....probably 15 people in all in hall No. 1. Hall No. 1, being hall No. 1, seats around 20x 18 pax.. (Papa thinks so but could be wrong). Sad, sad,sad.

As the movie rolled on, Papa got it. Disney probably is trying very hard to be hip , and cater for kids at the same time, but the execution of the movie was, to put it bluntly, devoid of intelligence. And more importantly, Papa just couldn't find a heart to the movie (hey this is a Disney cartoon, Papa's got the right to look for its heart). So it was really not memorable. Papa doesn't want to give Disney cartoons another look, at least for a long time. Papa won't go further to lambast the execs at Disney, all he knows is that Pixar does a MUCH better job at the cartoons, everytime.

Leaving the hall, Papa thought..." Power to pixar! down with Disney!"

End of rant.

Later in the day, Papa bought you a Mickey cap. You looked nice and hip with it on your head. At least they still make merchandise that you might want to buy....

holiday hiatus

Its the eve of Raya holidays, Papa has taken stock of the work that needs to be done after Raya, and new work to be started upon also. Whew!!!! Lots of things to do!! Papa has to cover what looks like the work of three men at least, and all three experts to boot. Mining engineer, mining consultant, geologist, eco-something, evironmentalist, lobbyist, farmer, forestry expert, and on and on. Three hats at the minimum, more like six hats actually.

Papa has got to plan to disturb and harass some academicians , government bodies and NGOs across different fields and make them work together and also separately on different projects and then integrate those projects together as a holistic exercise.
Ehh.... basically Papa doesn't know what he is going to do. Papa just knows (or has a vague idea rather) what the end result of Papa's master plan might turn out to be....

PPPP that needs PP

The problem with mergirl's skin is that it picks up colours from all over the place. So much so your face is the colour of the sweater...

books (i think)

Skimming through....

Stapleton’s POWERBOAT BIBLE THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO Selection, Seamanship, and Cruising by Sid Stapleton.

heh.

books

Reading now:

The Man who loved China- The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom

by Simon Winchester. A pretty good book.

The subject-matter of the book, one Noël Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham. Papa steals from the prologue and inserts the first paragraph here.

Prologue
On Flying and Aerodynamics

Someone asked the Master [Ge Hong] about the principles of mounting to dangerous heights and travelling into the vast inane. The Master said: Some have made flying cars with wood from the inner part of a jujube tree, using ox or leather straps fastened to returning blades so as to set the machine in motion.

— FROM THE BAO PUZI , AD 320
From Science and Civilisation in China, Volume IV, Part 2

Hoowoudathot? Powered flighted was invented (not just dreamt up) before 320 AD, by some mad (chinaman) scientist. Not something dreamt up by Leonardo DV.

Also Papa is reading at the same time, from the other end, a contemporary commentary of China :

Invisible China: A Journey Through Ethnic Borderlands by Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson.

Red red chair

Boy the colour is so intense, Papa is no longer sure it is red anymore.

more photos

For you, eating french fries is an art. And its execution, all in the fingers.

Look at me, Papa. Smug mug.

babe

Papa posts another picture of you sleeping. For Papa, you are still just a babe in Papa's eyes.

waiting for lunch

Yes. You know what you want to have for lunch...

I sleep on Papa

Go to sleep little girl.

lunch smile

Happy with the food...?

This is how you eat french fries

"French fries go well with tomato sauce, Papa. This is how you eat the tomato sauce...."

"Pay Attention, Papa"

PPPP

"Food here isn't too good , Papa..." "Summer girl is just joking..."

up!

Papa got to see you yesterday. Booked the tickets the night before, and got you in to see UP (cartoon movie). Papa notices that actually you retain a lot of memories for a small kid. You went "I like number four...I like number four..." Papa was puzzled, then it struck Papa. Cinema hall 4 was the hall Papa took you to for most of the cartoons.

So many cartoons girl. Ratatouille, the Incredibles, Kung Fu Panda, Bolt (3D where you kept taking off the glasses), Alvin and the Chipmunks, that horror of a cartoon Adams family-Frankenstein horror (the only cartoon we ever walked out from, out of boredom) , Wally (where you insisted on going home because you were afraid- later you changed your view of movies- not so scared anymore). Papa can't remember the others.

So many other movies lost also because Mama wouldn't let you out. Papa doesnt' want to talk more about that .

Only one non-cartoon and the only one with sub-titles- "Ten promises to my dog" which is a movie in japanese. I think you cried at the ending . (Or wanted to The hall was dark and you were so VERY quiet, snuggling up to Papa). Afterwards you insisted that I take you to other shows but with a condition. "I only want doggie movie. I like doggie movies."

Did we enjoy UP? Yes.

papa up and down

Papa was in Kuantan yesterday, to pick up some Bills of Lading to send to China and run some errands..that is boring stuff so Papa will talk about some other things which are not so boring.

Papa had some bah kut teh for a late lunch in some street (which has a name, except that Papa forgets) which Papa found out is just one branch out of a chain of 20 bah kut teh shops around Malaysia. Papa can't remember the name of this chain because Papa had other things on his mind. On top of it, Papa forgot to bring his camera along on the one time Papa had some time to kill in Kuantan. So, no pictures of the shop wither.

Doesn't matter, Papa will be back in this town next week. Since this was a 12 hour run, Papa left Kuantan for home in the evening.

On the way back to the city, Papa stopped at Karak for some dinner, but the little restaurant that Papa eats at has gotten expensive- they seem to have the idea they should cater to the tourist ringgit , so for dinner there was only one table occupied, ie Papa's.

Papa will have to find some new place to eat. Termeloh, Mentakab or something, comes to mind as possible alternatives. Maybe Papa will be able to take you along one day.

In the meanwhile Papa has to set up some birding sanctuary for the hornbills of Chini, starting with a birding table beside "Lake Summer". Papa has also got to get around to organising the proper people to work with, so Papa can instigate the setting up of a nature corridor up to the Chini lakes. Wow- Papa is trying on the naturalist hat on for size... its a really fit for Papa so Papa will make some adjustments to the hat (in a metaphorical manner of speaking).

quote for quoting sake

"If you're going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill.

"If you owned Arizona and hell, live in Arizona and rent out hell."

Books currently reading:
finished- The American Indian Wars by Howard Hughes. [really]

about to start - A History of Clan Campbell: From Flodden to the Restoration, Vol 2, by Alastair Campbell

another week

Papa smsed Mama on Friday evening, no answer at all for 3 hours. So Papa called. Surprise!! Mama picked up...Mama did not allow Papa to see you on Saturday, reluctantly said "Sunday. Today cannot" No reasons given.

On Saturday evening, Papa smsed Mama , as usual no reply. Called later, Mama tried to be difficult. Said she had agreed to ten am when she didn't say anything. (Another outright lie I guess, or maybe Papa wasn't listening. Probably more likely a lie. ) Papa asked her to have courtesy of answering or calling. Mama smsed "don't you dare lecture me, or else you won't see her" Papa smsed back , "Please try to be human" . Mama-ok thats it. You don't get to see her.

Papa has a lot of pain over seeing you made just a tool to hit Papa. Mama is a bully- she drove her ex-fiancee to commit suicide- he ended up in the hospital. Most of the time its girl who try to kill themselves but Mama is very special. Papa also remembers hanging over on the other side of the balcony on the 12th floor when you were very small. It is equally possible at that time you were not born yet, Papa cannot remember. That is the thought process of torture and abuse victims. Many traumatic things have to be buried by the mind and heart.

Papa still doesn't know how to get through to Mama to wake up and be a proper person. Papa promised you last year to take you to dance classes, but one year later, Mama still makes thing so difficult that Papa has no real chance to enrol you in ballet classes. Papa remembers the tears rolling down your face in the trial class as you sat in the corner. You only whispered to Papa, "I have no dancing dress". Your heart was already set , and Papa remembers what you want. Mama should be taking you to dance class , but she is in a another world, where the only thing that matters is the desire to hurt Papa.

Papa misses you and Papa's thoughts and heart are with you, even though you may not know it.

[Mama is one crazy woman, Papa is only allowed to see you on her whims and fancies- one day you will know. Or maybe you already do]

books

Papa is reading currently, ehm, a lot of books. Some VERY dry, some are quite interesting, and some very painful to read.

Interesting :

The retreat of the elephant by Mark Elvin.
Papa finds out that roasted elephant trunk is a delicacy

Sex, Ecology, & Spirituality by Ken Wilber.
Papa won't comment yet, Papa just started on reading it.

Invisible China : a journey through ethnic borderlands by Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson.
Good read. Simple and informative at the same time.


Tough going:

Nitrification in Saline Industrial Wastewater by Moustafa Samir Moussa.
Papa wants to torture himself.

As We Forgive by Catherine Claire Larson.
Very Good book. Hard to read as it forces one to look beyond the normal parameters of human behavior. From sub-human to superhuman in a sense.


On list: Prisoner of the State by Zhao Ziyang.

Papa will start on it probably next week. ZZY on the cover keeps looking at Papa, "read me...read me..."

ship in

The MV Yue Heng is in Kuantan port, having called and berthed 2 days early. At 6850 metric tons cargo hold, the ship is probably about 10,000MT deadweight. Papa is too lazy to rush down to Kuantan as it will sail tomorrow, since the loading of cargo will take only one day .

Papa has since found out that a fair number of people trek up Gunung Besar Hantu, and it is considered a tough climb. GBH is the highest mountain in the southern peninsular, but Papa feels it is probably not as isolated as the other hills and mountains that Papa has been to now.

In the meanwhile Papa is reading up on environmental issues; Papa has a scientific abstract a nd proposal to study, which is intended for submission to the Pahang state government. Papa feels that FRIM (the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) is Overly academic and insufficiently hardcore about green issues, so Papa has some work cut out for him.

Summer clothes horse

After two months Mama finally let you see me last week. Papa took you shopping and realised- Papa has turned you into some sort of dress horse. Labels you wear:-

Osh Kosh (lots)
Guess kids
normal stuff, but then Papa got you some harder to get stuff- adult brands who also have a kiddie line.

Zara
Anna Sui
Elle
Laura Ashley
Burberry
Polo
Gucci

Papa can't recall the other brands...Actually Papa doesn't really care about the brands, Papa just chooses whatever catches Papa's eye. Papa only knows is that you look pretty good. Much better than when we bumped into auntie Vi in Hartamas. Auntie Vi being Papa's benchmark for discrete dressing and brand consciousness (ie cloths horse), Papa decided then and there that you would be dressed and prettied up.

This time around you choose what you wanted to wear, and to Papa's surprise you didn't choose pink at all. All grown up colours. A big red cap (which Papa didn't buy coz Papa still wants to see you in pink). You choose the purple leggings to go with the purple Zara top. A brandless made in China skirt that you insisted on buying.

"I beg to differ..."