Back to Sm "Brainier" Entries on Bloggie

B4 Marpig touch on more serious and thought-provoking thingy, she wil response to XTz comment in previous entry

Marpig don noe wat is the main reason for the onset of the allergy but MOST LIKELY is the dodgey carpet (which is y Marpig mentioned it) Even the girl whose room Marpig slept in, who knew Marpig suddenly had the skin allergy also asked if itz the carpet... hmmm... guess she is the one who noes full well if she vac it or not. Guess not :S

Oh well, still as bad and whilst Marpig am typing, shez itching!! OMG!! Cannot scratch!!

Anyw, wat are the "brainier" topics Marpig am going to touch on this bloggie? *thinking* Letz talk bout mines clearing 1st

Was reading a BBC article on mines clearing in Sudan. The unique thingy bout it is tt itz an all-women team ttz doing the clearing

Much like post Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot (& sm other pple) in Cambodia, Sudan also had civil wars over ideology, religion, ethnicity and oil. Of cos, millions of pple were killed and families broken *sighs* Therez also lotsa mines unxploded which are all waiting silently to claim their next victim

A little bit bout mines (although being simple Marpig, she is also learning as she blogs) beyond the PC game, Worms, *winks at XT & MZ*, mines can be designed to kill or maim pple and even to take out armoured tanks. The pple of the affected Sudanese village wanted to rebuild their community. However, dangers lurks within a walk away...

Like the women of Takeo (village which Marpig went in Cambodia to do her YEP), they lost their husbands to the war, leaving them to care for their children. One of the jobs sm women choose was to work for the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) to clear mines

The all-female team of de-miners, donning their bomb-proof clothing (how the clothing bomb-proof them is smth beyond Marpigz knowledge), work in shifts of 45mins. Under the scorching African sun, they cannot drink water at all during the shift bcos of the clothing

Each female de-miners creeps ylwols and painstakingly down a thin alley, pouring water on hard-baked soil to soften the earth so tt they can probe dodgey objects, gently. They also have to cut the tall grass away as well as moving the safety line 4wrd; only after every section of it has been checked and cleared

The NPAz programme manager commented tt the 2 all-female de-miners teams beat all the other 6 all-male de-miners in the job; clearing more mines than them!! Hooray!! Reasons being the women work together as a team, looking out for one another. In addition, the women de-miners do not get into probs such as fighting or drinking

Indeed, when women work together to achieve a single goal, they genuinely set their minds upon it, set aside difference and really 合作 to get the job well done. They can beat the males to the whisk (a Marpig made-up idiom :P) since therez no egos in-fighting and no balls are involved

However, critics (yeah, therez even critics for such gd deeds!! Kao. 吃饱没事做呀!!) said itz a dangerous job for women. Herez the response from the team leader of a all-women de-miners:

"Sm say it is dangerous for a woman, but they are jealous becos we are doing the same job as the men (Marpig agrees!!). What is dangerous is leaving the mines hidden in the ground."

Next, itz smth more light-hearted. Itz another BBC article bout bonding btw preys and their predators; a snake and a hamster happily living together in a Tokyo zoo!!

The article wrote tt their relationship started last yr Oct when zoo keepers gave the live hamster to the young snake, who wasnt eating frozen mice. However, the snake didnt eat the hammy, called Gohan (so named by the zoo keepers bcos of obvious reason. Wat a joke!! hahahaha). Instead, the snake, called Aochan, shares itz cage with Gohan and even letz the hammy sleeps on top of itself!!

Marpig promised itz gonna be light-hearted isnt it? BUT!! Therez a question which pops into Marpigz mind again. If natural prey and predator can be frens (& there had been many such reported cases" is there still God? (OMG, Marpig am at TT question again) Bcos all religions talked about nature having their own courses and laws. So, if wat the religions mentioned have xceptions in nature, does it mean tt the teachings are wrong? Afterall, records are kept and passed down by human beings anyw...

Oh well, Marpig asked this same questions to JM whilst in Espana and had been looking for answers... sigh~

救命啊~~!!

Sexy Lady commented tt Marpigz blog is bcoming like travel essays hahahahahaha Indeed, there isnt much "brainy" entries since don-noe-when. All righty, shall blog bout smth worth sharing later after this

Much happened to Marpig in the month of July this yr. As it is, Marpig normally makes it a point to go smwhere during her bdae month since don-noe-when and this time, itz Marpigz honour to go to Barcelona and Valencia with JM!! Wat a trip (will blog bout it SOON) :D JM gave Marpig a very very pleasant surprise as well (blog bout it SOON too)!! :D

Anyw, letz begin with the 1st week. Nth much xcept a few bdae smses and presents from sis and frens :D Didnt celebrate nor tell any1 in the office xcept a colleague from Msia (the lady whom Marpig must have mentioned smwhere b4) And so, she treated Marpig Yo! Sushi. Erm, itz quality is English... if u noe wat Marpig means!!

2nd and 3rd week saw Marpig flying on Marpigz momz bdae to Barcelona (BCN) to meet up with JM!! Then, for 6D5N, JM and Marpig went ard "Gaudiful" BCN and chat up to the male receptionist (his name is Alvaro) in the hotel they stayed in Valencia (VCN)!! *winked at JM*

Right, on the wkend of 3rd week, when Marpig came back from Espana, there was a BBQ for a colleague who will be going home to China. And so, it was a eventful dae bcos Marpig cycled to her place, went swimming with her, helped her prepare for the BBQ. AND, this is the best part, Marpig also smashed the glass panel of her house oven to million of pcs (the handle is too old and twisted when Marpig am shutting the oven door, hence, glass panel was smashed umk!!)

Anyw, sustained sm scratches from the glass shards. Every1 present was laughing and indeed, with Marpig ard, anyth (unxpected) can happen!!

Then, every1 went to nearby open field to play aerobie, rugby, football and even hula hooping!! As the night falls, itz too late for Marpig to cycle home and hence, she and sm other frens stayed in the colleaguez plc for a night. Marpig was sleeping in a sleeping bag, on a yoga mat tt was on a carpet bedroom floor with colleague (colleague is female) Bare in mind tt the house is a shared house, meaning therez other tenants and who does the cleaning? Marpig noe naught but itz not the cleanest plc on earth

Anyw, next dae, Marpig cycled home and guess wat, Marpigz skin allergy ordeal starts since Monday!! OMG!! Itz really terrible!! Wiki "Urticaria" and u wil noe how severe it can be!! *sob sob*

At 1st it wasnt too bad, itz just itchy (bhind the knees and at the elbows) then it bcame so bad, Marpig will wake up in the middle of the night, too itchy to sleep. Starts spreading to the entire legs and arm and now slightly on the body!! Then, itz bout scratching and more teeny weeny hives popping up. More scratching!! The itch!! Itz unbearable!! Worse than 满清十大酷刑!!

Saw doc last Thursday and got antihistamine pills and E45 cream as prescription. However, the condition got worse and itz now itchy, painful, red and even bruising!! OMG!! The last time Marpig had such a scale of skin allergy was when she was 14 (or so). It was equally bad and Marpigz mom had to take Marpig to TTSH to see specialist

Anyw, guess itz the ordeal and lack of rest, Marpig dreamt of Marpigz mom yesterdae... cant rem clearly wat "storyline" it was but remembered Marpigz heart ached terribly and cried hard in her sleep!!

Anyw, went to see (diff) doc again. This time, doc was better, at least he spent more than 10 mins educating Marpig bout everyth to do with the condition, prescriptions and their side effects etc. He said the previous doc gave Marpig "1st generation" antihistamines and now he will prescribe a "3rd generation" antihistamines as well as steroids (if the stronger antihistamines doesnt work by this Thursday) He also told Marpig condition is worst when itz warm which is why the elbows and bhind the knees are the worst affected. Gosh!! To think Marpig thought keeping warm will be better!! OK!! Shall freeze them!!

Sigh... pls pls let Marpig recover asap!!

*忍~~!!, 忍~!!, 忍!!*

好辛苦啊!!

RA

***Contents in this entry are strictly for readers aged 21 and above***

When Marpig decided to go Amsterjam, every1 was telling Marpig bout her red-light district, cannabis cafe and of cos, Van Gogh Museum. Indeed, when Marpig 1st set foot in Amsterjam and was finding her way to the hostel, she chanced upon this poster outside a DVD shop:Marpig loves Pirates of the Caribbean (Johnny Depp mah~) and so she took a closer look and realised, nope!! Itz a variation to Pirates of the Caribbean!! hahahahahahaha

As it was, every1 goes travelling to places with objectives to see/find smth tt they planned to see as well as having a mental picture, already formed from stereotypical reviews by others of the places they go. So is Marpig and 1 of her aims is to 见识 the red-light district of Amsterjam!!

Pple also rec Marpig to visit the Erotic Museum which Marpig did pass by but didnt waste lollies to go in. Just a couple of pics...These busts are pretty suggestive and 恶 manAnyw, Marpig and fren then went to De Wallen (without noeing it at 1st since itz only 1 of the many streets)
The place has a funny atmosphere to it bcos therez only 2, oh no, 3 types of pple; tourists, pple looking for sex and pple selling sex. It was quite an xperience for Marpig at 1st to see women in 2 pcs dancing bhind full height windows so openly & Marpigz curiosity and craziness got the better of her!! Marpig tried to take pictures of the women bhind the windows!! However, therez bouncers outside and itz rude to take photos (plus, in case itz "copyrighted"!!). Hence, Marpig could only manage photos as gd as theseTherez also shops similar to those in Shinjuku in Tokyo where one could see:
After satisfying her curiosity bout such thingy, Marpig (as usual again) starts to think bout sex workers and sex trades and many other crimes associated with it such as child abduction, etc. Does pple chose & enjoy to be a sex worker or are they really pple who have no choice? Was also recalling 11 Minutes by Paulo Coelho... hmmm

Overall, Amsterjam is also a tourist city (in these era, which isnt?!) but with smth to offer such as the arts as well as sex and such. Too bad Marpig didnt go there whilst itz the tulip or cheese seasons, so didnt manage to get any tulips for frens. Hmm... Marpig am not too keen to return to Amsterjam anytime soon but dont mind xploring other citiies in the Netherlands like Utrecht, Rotterdam, etc (when she has more lollies to splurge :P) Quoting Marpigz new 口头禅, "有这些, 也有那些"

Anyw, here ends Marpig Amsterjam trip b4 she rants on bout Prague!!

In case u r wondering wat RA in the subject means, Marpig meant it to be "Red-light Amsterjam" :P

Kerks, Museums & Amsterdam Marathon!!

Wah biang!! Itz been a long time since Marpig am up to date with her entries!! Wat have she been up to lately?! Well, been tired from work, tired (but very happy) from her Espana trip. Been also suffering from her skin allergy. The last time she had such a scale of skin allergy was way back in sec sch. Marpigz mom went to TTSH skin specialist with Marpig. Then, for a period, Marpig was using Simple soaps and such. Guess itz time to go back to it... Hmm... Anyh, went to see doc and need to go buy prescriptions. Yup, over in the UK, doc see u, say hi, write u a prescription and off u go to buy the medicines over the counter

Anyw, entries bout trips are piling up!! OMG!! Letz get on with Amsterjam!! Letz begin with the Kerks:

1) Oude Kerk

This is the oldest parish church in Amsterjam, built ard the 13th century and is in De Wallen, now, Amsterjamz red light district
The floor consisted entirely of gravestones since it was built on a cemetery. Marpig & fren were walking passed this church when we also spotted prostitutes showing off their "wares" in the windows which are a stonez throw away opp the church!! No wonder, bcos part of the street surrounding the church is used by them... Anyw, there is a bronze statue named "Belle" in the street near the churchwhich honours the worldz prostitutes with an inscription tt says, "Respect sex workers all over the world" In addition, an anonymous artist installed a bronze relief in the cobblestone street which shows a hand caressing a female breast!! Actually, Marpig didnt noe bout it but just so happened to spot it whilst walking. As usual, Marpig just had a keen eye for smth others don normally notice :P2) Noorderkerk

The name literally means "northern church" and is located near to the Noordermarkt where regularly markets are held. Itz a pretty "boring" and newish (cos itz been renovated heavily) church and one could see it in the pics
3) Westerkerk

If Marpig am right, you must be thinking tt this church is aka "western church"? 冰果!! hahahahhahahahaThis church has the highest spire in Amsterjam at 85m and the crown on top of the spire is the Imperial Crown of Austria, belonging to Maximilian I. It is also very near to Anne Frank House. In fact, this church was often mentioned in her diary since the chime of the clock was her source of comfort and she could see the clock tower from where she was hiding

4) Sint Nicolaaskerk
The church was officially called St. Nicholas inside the Walls but itz simply called St. Nicholas Church now. It is located in central Amsterjam and is a very active RC church which even has a choir singing in the evenings

Amsterjamming with all ths Dutch, Marpig and fren also went museums hunting!! Really, the good th bout Amsterjam is tt it has sm really nice museums and Marpig specially likes 2 of them!! Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum!! 1st, letz xplore Van Gogh Museum and his fabulous works!!The museum has the largest collection of Van Goghz works in the world and housed drawings and paintings by him from his childhood all the way to his various emotional state until his death

A little bit bout him. He was a largely self-taught painter and only started painting at the age of 27. He painted for a decade before commiting suicide at the age of 37. Sigh~~ 天才总是死的早. Anyw, he simply loved Absinthe which is a highly alcoholic spirit (45% - 74%). Marpig saw it many times whilst travelling but never really dared tried it bcos Absinthe has a notorious reputation in history and is aka "la fée verte", meaning, "the Green Fairy". Name is such since Absinthe is derived from herbs, hence, of a natural green colour

Van Gogh Museum is a must-go!! 2 reasons why Marpig loves the works of Van Gogh; PS would noe 1. Answer is in these paintings:So many of the sunflowers!! Which one is real?! Actually, all of them are. Van Gogh had been painting sunflowers in different time and places. Perhaps, only the top 2nd left is more common to us? *winks at PS* Therez a story to these sunflowers!! Van Gogh meant to show stages of life in these sunflowers; birth, youth, old age and death

Another much bigger reason is tt Van Gogh is an impressionist. His works tells much bout his life, his feelings, ths ard him, his observance on ths, places he visited, etc. Give Marpig much room for imagination when looking at his paintings and drawings. Of cos, Marpig always believe art is very subjective. But!! His works are really nice!!

Unable/unwilling to buy posters of his famous painting, Marpig satisfied herself by taking pics of his works on 1 of the museumz facadeBTW, there are 2 machines in the museum tt allow visitors to record a short video of themselves in the museum and email to 2 or 3 pple and ttz precisely wat Marpig had done!! :D

Next is the Rijksmuseum!! On her way to the Museumplein (literally, museum square since 4 museums are in this square), Marpig passed by ConcertgebouwBeing regarded as 1 of the worldz finest concert halls along side Bostonz Symphony Hall and the Musikverein in Vienna bcos of the highly regarded acoustics, Concertgebouw was found to be ylwols sinking into the ground in 1980s and had since undergone xtensive renovations. Too bad Marpig didnt have the luxury to indulge in sm zzz concert. Maybe will give it a go in Vienna!! Did went to a concert (proper classical one not pop concerts) with Marpigz dad (both father & daughter always do/try the weirdest ths ard :P) in Singapore. Marpig enjoyed it but must admit the entire concert werent 100 roller-coastering and Marpig did zzz for a few pcs... :P

Smth Marpig also get to see (how lucky) was the Amsterdam Marathon held annually in October!!
This marathon is the 2nd largest in the Netherlands, after the Rotterdam Marathon and one of the worldz top 10 marathons. Itz classic distance is 42.195km (why the 0.195km leh? D***k might noe!!) Hmm... Marpig might try a marathon smtime... but really, she just don like jogging as much as she likes cycling cos her trotters cannot tahan her own weight... :P
And finally, Marpig & fren reach the Rijkmuseum!! Itz got lotsa collection from the Dutch Golden Age as well as substantial collection of Asian Art (don 4get the Netherlands was also a colony empire) Most notably are the art pcs of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. He was considered as one of Europez greatest painters among others. However, unlike Van Gogh, he wasnt famous posthumously; his works were recognised and famous while he was alive

Indeed, although Marpig doesnt noe the technicality of art (art to Marpig is bout feeling and moods) his paintings are gd as his styles were so unlike Van Gogh. His were more realistic and "sharp" and contrasting. His famous work is this:The Night Watch aka The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. Itz huge measuring 363 x 437cm. Apparently, there more to it but Marpig am not bothered to go through the boring bits *yawns* :P

Anyw, Marpig am almost done with this entry!! B4 she shares her final entry on Amsterjam, here sm pics to shareItz an occupational harzard tt Marpig tend to look out for pipes and ducts & anyth M&E in buildings wherever she goes!! Above is an interesting way to treat the rainwater pipes..."As vain as a peacock"Sculpture of The Night Watch in Rembrandtplein. At 1st, Marpig noe naught wat this sculpture was until she visited the Rijkmuseuem :P
Returning in the dae to take a picture, Marpig spotted a real person amongst them!! :P

Next up will be the last entry of Marpigz Amsterjam trip with all 黄色照片 as promised b4 Marpig prods onto Prague!!

Too Precious to Use

This is going to be short and sweet since Marpig am very tired from having to work like mad for this week to meet 3 deadlines... *eyes barely open*

On top of many ths she did and give Marpig all these yrs (including lotsa scolding as well), Marpigz sis gave this to Marpig for her bdae this yr:
Itz a keyring from Mulberry!! Itz a crab!! Marpigz star sign!! Aw~~ Marpig so loves it!! Why?

1) From Marpigz sis!!
2) Marpigz star sign!!
3) Useful AND pretty!!

Ah~~ although Marpig likes ths tt are useful and practical, she also likes ths which Marpigz sis will totally disagree with Marpig such as toys and comics :P Such a beautiful keyring... Marpig 舍不得 use it!!

TTz the prob with Marpig; she is a hoarder. She treats everyth with a tinge of memory or significance as her precious treasures and always keep them in their boxes or etc and 舍不得 use them!! Wat a Miss Softy!! ahahahahahaha

*vexed* so how shall Marpig use the keyring? Put Cosy Barnz keys or home keys? Should Marpig also have the office keys on it too? Nay... will scratch the keyring!! Wat bout her usual tool she always have with her bunch of keys wherever she is (a bottle opener in the shape of a shark, also a gift from Marpigz sis)? A bottle opener comes in very handy ya noe!!

How?! Itz just too precious to use lah!!

A scene from the comic, Maison Ikkoku (相聚一刻, a very very nice comic!! Wiki it!!) totally describes Marpigz character!!

五代z grandmama offered the young 五代 2 ice creams for him to chose. One is ice cream in a cup while the other is ice cream on a stick. Being just like Marpig, the little boy cant make up his mind which one to chose since they are both delicious and he 舍不得 eat either one of them. And so, he stares at the ice cream for ages, trying to decide which one to go for until his grandmama came back and saw him crying

Grandmama: Why are u crying?
Little 五代: I dont noe which one to chose!!
Grandmama: Sigh~ They are both ice cream!!
Little 五代: *Cries*

Hmmm...

Nth too Xciting

So, itz another yr, adding onto Marpigz age. Marpigz "candle" is getting shorter and shorter

Anyw, Marpig had a gd nightz sleep and woke up feeling fresh and happy!! Looking at the blue clear sky, Marpig just wished to stay in bed and nua!! However, therez work to complete and deadlines to be met!!

Anyw, Marpig received a call from Marpigz dad *feeling sweet* Said he got sm toys (yeah, he likes buying toys for Marpig cos he noes Marpig still likes to play masak-masak!!) for Marpig at home. As for Marpigz sis, just when Marpigz finished work and was wondering why she hasnt smsed or called Marpig for the whole dae, she rang!!

Marpigz sis: Happy Birthdae!!
Marpig: hahahaha thank u!! was wondering how come u didnt sms or call me the whole dae todae!! *pouts*
Marpigz sis: U didnt check yr bank account meh?
Marpig: Nope.
Marpigz sis: No wonder!! U should check it!! TTz yr present!!
Marpig: Oh!! ok!! Thank u very much!! :D

Marpig also received Beeniez presents which consisted of a scarf and a matching beanie as well as Jack Skellington (Beenie, ttz his name!! :D) which so warms Marpig up!! :D The colour and design is lovely!! Will wear them this xmas!!

As with most pple, Marpig felt diff on her bdae and am happy the whole dae!! She didnt tel any1 in the office itz her bdae xcept a colleague who so liked Marpig she wouldnt mind having Marpig as her god-daughter. Anyw, she treated Marpig to Jap Food for lunch!! :D

To round it up for the dae, Marpig attended a seminar after work with the Scottish guy. Marpigz bdaes have been on wkdaes since quite sm time now and it still is!! Hence, any "celebrations" are always on the wkend tt follows or pretty much belated (can 1 not have birthdaes everydae much like those sayings for Mothers' & Fathers' daes?! :P)

Anyh, therez sm thingies to look 4wrd too since Marpig will be shopping and having seafood with Marpigz sis, BIL, aunty and cousin this coming wkend as well as going to Espana next wk to meet JM where shez gonna give Marpig a surprise!! (JM!! U saw wat Marpig wrote!! Surprise has better be gd umk!! :P)

Without revealing the scarf and beanie until xmas, herez wat Marpig am playing :P
BTW, in previous entries on Marpigz bdaes, they have been melancholy and sad ones bcos of reasons mentioned in them. This yr, Marpig isnt feeling melancholy although she still thought of Marpigz mom. The 红鸡蛋 & 红包 which Marpigz mom used to give Marpig on her bdae, the dishes she would cooked for Marpig... Oh yes, her bdae is coming too (Shez also a Cancerian)!! In fact, it will be on the dae Marpig am flying to Barcelona to meet up with JM!!

*smiles* Like wat Marpig had mentioned b4... perhaps this IS the final stage where Marpigz wound has finally learned how to be healed? Still, todae is the dae Marpig will specially thought of her and feel grateful for the life she had given Marpig *smiles*

"Mummy, 谢谢你~"

一幅老骨头~

B4 Marpig goes rattling with & on her creaky bones...

XT, yupyup!! Seems like Marpig splurged quite abit (in fact, too much!!) on her bdae present!! But stil, itz lollies well spent (subjective)!! :D watz she gonna do on her bdae? Work & more work & a seminar after work... She never let known her bdae to the office. No particular reason since itz just another dae. As itz a Thu, therez nth much to do xcept to work, seminar after work, then home for comic reading!! OH!! Gonna open another box of Playmobil too!! (Marpig got 6 boxes of Playmobil for herself :P) HOWEVER!! Marpig will be heading down to London and Marpigz sis, BIL, aunty & cousin will be "celebrating" Marpigz bdae with mussles and jap food!! :D___

Yes XT!! Will go to Kino (1 of Marpigz fav haunts!!) tog to look at the 聊斋 comic. As for BNLI, there wont be a variant at all!! To be doubly sure sure, itz 白鸟丽子 (7 volumes in total) and also 新白鸟丽子 (5 volumes in total) and the female jap author is 鈴木由美子 (instead of 高桥留美子, itz rhymes!! :P) Please do request CC to place orders from Taiwan!! Yeah!! Thank you very much!! Makan and carrot cake (yr prize for answering a question correct, rem?!) after Kino umk?! :D___

Right, itz time to rattle these o' bones now!!

Suddenly being conscious bout her 4 tummies, flabby-bye-bye-arms & gigantic bun-bum, Marpig started doing xercises these few weeks. Itz started with b4 bedtime 50 sit ups & 20 push ups (not everydae). Then, inspired by Marpigz sis, she woke up & went jogging at her officez estate on a Sat morn. Not alot, just a round. Itz only bout 1.6km on week uno

Bcos Marpig hasnt been xercising regularly for the past 4+ yrs, the 1st time she jogged, she walked bout 40% of tt 1.6km & her ears hurt like they had been beaten!! But, after tt 1st jog, she bcame the once active Marpig!! The following week, she woke up early on a Sat morn again and went jogging!! This time, she managed to jog the entire 1.6km!!

Feeling as enthu bout sports as she used to as well as feeling pseudo -healthy, Marpig continued, from Satz jog to playing tennis on Monday, swimming on Tuesdae & morn cycling b4 work on Wednesday!!

Although her tummies are still there, they seems to be smaller. In addition, Marpigz toned muscles on her calves, thighs and even her "小老鼠" are coming back!!

BUT, 1 th Marpig realised was, either Marpig really lacks xercise OR Age is really catching up!! Marpigz muscles are aching (though not all over)!! A few joints are also "creaking"... hmmm... 老咯~~

Anyh!! Marpig needs to 减肥!! 减肥加油!! Oh, no no no!! Itz should be 减肥减油!! :P