I am a Freethinker, that is, a person who doesn't have any religion. Once before, I was educated in a Catholic primary school (That will be elementary school in America.) and was taught all about Christianity. Indeed, at that point I was young and impressionable, and considered converting to Christianity. Fortunately for me, I saw the error of my thinking and has been on the straight ever since.

Some high-handed Christians might point out to me that I will be going to hell for that - but if God is so good and forgiving as Christians say him to be, he won't put good people to hell for that kind of stupid reason. Besides, I believe in Afterlife, not Heaven.

As a matter of fact, between 13 to 15 years old, was a period during which I disliked Christianity immensely. It was largely influenced by the history of Christianity, which was pretty much all persecution and bloodshed (Done largely by Roman Catholics first, and then Protestants.). Also, it was because of pushy Christians sticking pamphlets under my nose and telling me to go to church and be saved.

Now? I don't hate Christianity before. I quite admire the Christians for keeping faith in something that may or may not exist. It must take a lot of trust to have such strong belief like that. Also, Christianity preach good values nowadays - if it helps people, why not? The Bible is actually filled with morals and great advice for everyday life. The New Testament, at least.

As Gandhi once said: I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. While I may not like some points of Christianity, nothing is perfect - it's already pretty good compared to the version a few centuries back.

It's the pushy ones I can't deal with. I know that they have good intentions, but if someone already told you for the fifth time that he doesn't wants to go to church, leave it as that. Please don't nag people until they have to drop the polite and say it the harsh way. Even worse are the ones that tell you that you're going to Hell for *insert anything that offends them in a religious or personal way*. Isn't there that group in America who said that the American soldiers in Iraq deserves to die, turning up at soldiers' funerals to picket them, shout insults, and all that?

See, it's a few bad eggs like the ones mentioned above who make other people get a bad impression of Christianity. I have many Christian friends who are perfectly nice people. It's because they're not pushy, that if they mention their church is holding a play or something, I'll go along with it.

Just because I'm a Freethinker, doesn't means I'm an atheist! I believe that all the Gods and Goddesses live up there in harmoney, dropping in on each other, sharing some roast chicken that a worshipper just delivered - that kinda stuff. I don't take any religion because to me, God is like a pillar to hold you steady and support you. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, but I prefer to have faith in myself ^^.

You know about the Vatican right? It's almost the centre of Christianity - a huge, beautiful place filled with statues on the outside and marble on the inside. By the way, all those marble in St. Peter's Basilica was taken from the Roman Coliseum.

(See? Totally stripped. Think how magnificent it must have been in its heydays. Picture from http://www.toms.net.nz/ . Nice angle, don't you think?)

(Look at all those statues perched up there. All life-sized, and they line the whole circle around and on top of the main building. From About.com, a site that I recommend.)

(This is really a photo of great quality! Saint Peter's Basilica is huge, and the entire roof is like that. How many years of hard work and dedication do you think it took to finish this? I have great respect for the artists of old. Nowadays, splash some paint on a canvas and call it abstract art. From Andrew Hux's Flickr.)

(Look at how magnificent the marble carvings are! Four statues representing Charity, Truth, Prudence, and Justice surrounds Death. He's the one holding up an hourglass and being suffocated by a blanket. Looks kinda like he's waving for help. From About.com as well.)

(It's not all marble in there, you know. This black and gold creation is right in the front of the Basilica and grabs your attention as soon as you're in sight of it. A piece of the chair of Saint Peter is believed to be enclosed in the altar piece. Saint Peter must have been a huge man. From Pete Reed's Flickr. Another photo of fantastic quality.)

I've been to Vatican before, and it is far more awesome than the stuff I showed here. If you ever travel to Italy, you must go to see it!

Hot Actresses?

There are many kinds of of beauty in this world. Indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! For most girls these days, it's all about being thin; for guys, it's curvy ladies all the way.

One of the main reasons why a girl want to look pretty is to impress the guys, right? Guys like something they can hug (To say the very least.), not a stick figure. Therefore, don't give in to female peer pressure - while being all ribs might impress your girl friends, it's gonna scare off any potential boyfriends. That's a reason that should appeal to you, as the health scare thing doesn't seem to be working.

Let me roll out my list of beauties!

Gong Li

(Taken from http://www.campuscircle.com .)

Gong Li, a veteran actress from China, have been wowing Chinese audience long before she stepped into Hollywood. I still remember watching her movies when I was a small kid ^^. Now, at 43 years old, she has hardly changed at all. That's some freaking powerful fountain of youth thing going on here!

Her looks is that of a classic Chinese beauty. A straight and bold brow adds character to her gentle face. When Zhang Ziyi first appeared, many people called her the 'Gong Li look-a-like' . Me? I'll say she has nothing on Gong Li.

Jessica Alba

(Taken from http://style.popcrunch.com .)

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Jessica Alba, one of the sexiest actress in Hollywood. She always shines on and off the red carpet with the best accessory: Her winning smile. As a matter of fact, most of the candid pictures taken of her shows her smiling.

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Jessica's sun-kissed skin complements her fit body, giving her a sporty, beach-loving appearance. However, at 27 years old, let's see whether her good looks will last and mature well - like wine!

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Maria Ozawa

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(Link not shown, as this is supposed to be a safe-for-work site. Besides, you'll find this picture all over the internet!)

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Aged 23 this year, Maria Ozawa is very popular Japanese AV star. Yes, AV means adult videos, which means this demure-looking girl here acts in R-rated movies. As a matter of fact, other than the particular set of photos this picture came from, I couldn't find any other decent picture of her.

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She is a French-Canadian-Japanese mix, giving her an exotic appearance. I've never seen any of her videos before, but from what I've seen, she certainly have a great body to match her face.

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Kate Beckinsale

(Take from http://celebrity-lates-news.blogspot.com/ .)

At 35 years old this year, Kate Beckinsale is another lady who looks like she'll be aging gracefully. Her face show her strong character, which is why she always looks best in bold red lipstick. Also, a pretty hot body, judging from what I've seen in 'Van Helsing' and 'Underworld'.

Another actress who has a face of character, will be Megan Fox. From what I've heard from other people, she has a quite the shapely rear.

Halle Berry

(Taken from http://www.hairextensionsnews.com .)

Halle Berry, 42 years old and still going toe-to-toe with other young actresses. You'll hardly ever see Halle without her sunny smile. Of all her different hairstyles, she works the short look amazingly well.

That well-maintained face and figure is why she has landed hot roles like that of a Bond girl.

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Thus endeth my list.

Speaking of Cats...

If you went to YouTube and searched for 'Scottish Fold kitten', you will find dozens of videos that will make your blood turn into chocolate syrup.

The Scottish Fold is a specific breed of cats, and its signature characteristc is folded-down ears, like in the picture shown below:

(Another characteristic of Scottish Folds is that they will help you level up your characters. This is a firm Lolcat favourite, and its history is lost in confusion of the Internet.)

(No, they actually can hear you. They just pretend not to. Another Lolcat classic. See more at http://icanhascheezburger.com/ .)

If you were wondering why they have such big, 'googly' eyes - it says here in Wikipedia that 'The broadly-spaced eyes give the Scottish Fold a "sweet expression.' . However, I think that the smallness of the ears in comparison to the size of their faces makes their eyes look larger as well.

The Scottish Fold cats are very friendly and good-natured. They are known for sleeping on their backs (That's some serious cute!). It seems to me they have a penchant for sitting down, both on their butt and on their haunches, with their front legs in the air. The reason why they are so good at balancing on just their haunches, is because they have medium to short legs, just like the Munchkin cats.

(Here is a Munchkin cat, which belongs to theKLF of Flickr. The signature characteristic of the Munchkin is, as you can see, short legs. They run like ferrets and can turn corners quicker than normal cats. Cool, huh?)

When you take two uber-cute breed of cats, and put them together, you get stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBO2U7SZ5qs

(Not for people with diabetes.)

But always remember, if you want a cat, the local cat shelter have lots of kitties looking for a good and warm home! By the way, every Saturday is a Caturday. Also, cats have the right to demand for a cheeseburger anytime they want, with extra cheese and no pickles.

Japanese Style

I'm not a very fashionable person ^^". I walk around mostly in t-shirt and jeans - which, while comfortable, isn't very visually-appealing. So, I decided to research on fashion and style!

I came to the conclusion that Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York are the capitals of fashion. I decided that I shall use Tokyo as my fashion inspiration because:

1. Paris, Milan and New York's fashion is a little too mature and classy for me.
2. I'm Asian, so I like Asian fasion better.
3. Tokyo's fashion is not a movement, but more of an ever-evolving cauldron of different trends and originality.

Therefore, I looked around for websites that showcases the latest Japanese fashions, and found this little gem: http://style-arena.jp/en/

(Shibuya Crossing: Photo taken by Congaragata of Flickr. This is one seriously cool shot, taken from a great angle. He mentioned that's not even considered busy yet in Tokyo.)

The 'Tokyo Street Style' section have photos of stylish people they find in Harajuku, Ginza, Omotesando, Daikanyama and Shibuya. It updates weekly, so it keeps up with the current trends. However, if you're looking for wild and wacky clothing, you might be disappointed, as the clothing shown are relatively tame by Japanese standards.

(A lolita, photo by Tokyo Times. You should visit it at http://www.wordpress.tokyotimes.org/ . It's full of interesting tidbits of information, and many great photos like this one here.)

Another section, called 'New Tribe', is where you'll find the wacky stuff. The various sub-cultures of Japan are exhibited here - Lolita (The most well-known Japanese sub-culture, the one with all the lace and frills.), Visual Kei (Inspired by Japan's flamboyant musicians.), Cyber-kei (Japan's unique cybertronic style.), Choiwaru Oyaji (Sexy and sophisticated guys over 40... Kinda weird, huh?), and more! The updates are not frequent though.

There are three more sections: Premiere Style (Interviews of people), Shop Style (Reviews of shops) and Feature.

And as of right now, I'm still wearing t-shirt and jeans ^^".

(You see that graphic equalizer on the t-shirt? That's a fully-functional one that responds to ambient sound or music. Now, if I have a t-shirt like that.... See it at ThinkGeek.com .)

Cool stuff you can plug into your USB port!

Our USB ports are normally taken up by mundane stuff like mouses, external HDDs, etc. But if you have a port or two empty, why waste their usefulness?

USB Fondue Set (From ThinkGeek.com)


Man, I would really want one of this things! First, I love cheese. Second, you get to eat cheese fondue at your office desk. What's not to like?

• 1 Fundue™ pot with blue LED regulated heating element
• 1 Fundue™ base, with Oil-Guard™ technology, LCD screen and control panel
• 1 Blue FireGlow USB device Cable
• 6 Fundue™ Forks with included monitor attachments
• Auto-power off mode for decreased loss of life risk
• LCD screen displays current temperature.
• Included CD Software allows you to use your Fundue™ LCD screen to optionally scroll MP3 ID3 tags when you listen to music at your computer.
• Recipe booklet

USB Air-conditioned Blouse (NewLaunches.com)

To keep cool through those long summer days ^^.

• Two 10 centimeter fans located at right and left sides at the back of clothing at waist level
• Switch to adjust the fan speed
• Can be powered by the USB port, four AA batteries or your car's cigars socket

USB Drum Kit (CoolUSBToys.com)

Aspiring rockstar? Hook these drums up! Sticks flailing, sweat beading upon your brow as you hammer out the best you got, and your co-workers staring in envy (Or maybe your drumming skills are retarded, I don't know.). This drum kit plays the sound from the drum through your computer sound-card and speakers.

USB Soumen River (EverythingUSB.com)

In Japan, there is this thing they do, where they get an ultra-long, hollowed-out bamboo. It's sliced into half, so it becomes a long conduit which they send soumen flowing along merrily. The children then seat along the bamboo and catch the noodles as they go past. Now, recreated as a small infinite river through which soumen will circle endlessly, finding no relief till they get slurped up into a hungry mouth... Damn, now I'm getting hungry.

Instructions from the site:

Simply add cold or iced water to the oval-shaped plastic bowl, connect this strainer to a USB port, and the machine will create a water flow. Next, place the pre-cooked noodles into the water channel, and they will be carried along with the circulation of the water.

After a few minutes of cooling process, use a pair of chopsticks, and try to catch the strained noodles as they pass by. Finally, choose the toppings and seasonings (eg. sauce, leeks, sesame, horseradish) of your choice from the center island to spice up the noodles. And your USB cold soumen noodles are ready.

USB Pet Rock (ThinkGeek.com)


Yes, it is just a rock with a USB cable. Nope, it does absolutely nothing. But still, it will be funny looking at the expressions on your co-workers' faces as they puzzle over the fact that a rock is plugged into your computer. They will think that you have a screw loose; indeed, it will be true if you really shell out money to buy a USB rock. But still!