Marina’s Bloggariffic

Last night, after our yoga session , my good friend Juli and I decided to have dinner together. During our dinner, I pointed out that the practises are getting more challenging and that most of the people in our yoga class are annoyingly skinny.

She quipped, “Leos gain weight the easiest!” (Juli and I were both Leos)

I looked at her with skepticism for some time. And she looked at me beamingly, “Its true!” But she didnt give me an explanation. I looked at my glass of water and was suddenly inspired.

Is it because our bodies are made up of 70 percent water? We all know that the moon causes tidal effects on the sea. When the moon turns one direction, it will cause the sea to go to high tide and vice versa.

Thus it is possible that it could effect our moods and also our weight.

I was also reminded of a book that I read in regards to a Japanese scientist, Dr Masaru Emoto. He believes that because our bodies has a capacity of water, human thoughts will affect a person, depending it be positive or negative.

A crystal formed with the words Love and Appreciation

Can it be possible that our constellation affect our weight gain? Hmm …

p.s Last evening, my host was down for four hours! I almost went ballistic. Calm down Marina, calm down … Ohm … Ohm … Ohm …

Even in her 50’s, my mum is an exercise buff. Since being interested in exercise some years back, she is now currently participating in various activites, such as line dancing, kebaya-robics and conducting an aerobics class herself!

Now that she’s already completed her Basic Exercise Course, she is currently persuing her Advanced Exercise Course that will make her a qualified aerobics trainer. Wow! I really admire her determination.

That makes me reflect about myself.

This is me at 12 years old

I used to be a really skinny kid. For years, I’ve been pretty much that way. I’d enjoy my daily run in the Jurong Lake Park.

This is me at about 22 years old

But since I’ve started working, I’ve really neglected myself. I dont exercise at all, and it shows. Clothes that were loose some years back, are really very snug now. Some of which, were deemed as inappropriate by my mum that she actually threw it away!

My weight in 2005. I’m 65kg now.

Sometimes I look at myself and I wonder how I got so large. (Ok, so I binge eat alot) Back in school, I’d never go more than 50 kilograms. Nowadays, I’d be lucky if I dont tip the 65kg mark. Lets face it, I’m almost overweight.

My arms are as large as Brennan’s thighs

I’m more or less fine with the way that I look actually. In fact, I actually like my voluptiousness. Women should not berate themselves for not being skinny enough . A woman’s self worth should not be measured by slimness of her waist.

But the truth is, it does get depressing when trying to buy new clothes, finding that you need several size larger than what you normally used to wear.

It is even worse now that I feel more lethargic than have ever felt before. I cant do 2.4km without gasping of air. Just climbing up the stairs will leave me panting.

Just on monday, after having dinner with some of the ping.sg gang, I was so tired, that I dropped my scooter and almost couldnt concentrate on the road.

This is bad.

Luckily for me, I have my mum for guidance. Even my good friend Juli is asking me to join her for Hatha Yoga. At least with friends, they give you some form of motvation. hopefully it wont be so bad after all.

Just signed up for the course at the newly opened Jurong West Sports Complex and was just astounded at how lovely the place was. I explored the building and I found the place to be as posh as a country club.

The view from the gym and the dance hall was really picturesque. In the distance, you can see bungalows and a temple, all surrounded by trees.

And I dont even have to pay that much for attending a course here as the sports complex is government funded. 12 sessions is about $76. I think thats more affordable than a commercial one.

(as a sidenote, there is plenty of interesting subsidized courses in the PA website. I took Italian Classes, now contemplating on the gourmet coffee course)

I think I will like it here.

p.s I dont believe in diet pills and I dont intend to take it.

Eastcoastlife really scared me a couple of days ago when she posted “My last post” in her blog. Turns out that it was just a meme. I guess I overreacted and did not read that post carefully.

But what if it were really my last post? I cant peek into the future, I really cant tell. Will I still blog in the next 10 years? I’d only hypothesise in my romanticised mind that it’ll might be like these :

August 2009

Its my birthday! Will be celebrating with cartcart tonight. I cant believe I’m already 31 years old! I’m officially middle aged now … Bah! Most probably we’re heading down to Nemi and we’ll see the spectacular lakes there. Parents in law has been asking us to come over, and I’m still thinking of a good excuse not to. Hehehehe.

Just recently I’ve finally got my citizenship. It has been quite stressful the past year trying to adjust to the environment here. Luckily for me, Bruna has been such a good friend. And Cart has been very supportive too.

But I really miss home back in Jurong. Its just the little quirks and most especially the people that I miss the most.

September 2010

Oh my goodness! The doctor confirmed what mum in law has long suspected. I’m pregnant! I’m pregnant? Oh my goodness! So many things going through my head. This is so exciting! And yet kind of scary at the same time. Will I be a good mother?

If she’s a girl, I’d like her to be called Lisa. Funny how I’ve picked that name for my first daughter since Jurong Institute days. Hehehehe.

Going to call family back in Singapore now. I wonder how they will react!

December 2013

Cart, little Norman and me, are finally in Singapore for our December holidays. Its sort of cute to see mum fussing over little Norman. But at the same time its very humbling to see the family again. I always take it for granted that they will stay the same. I’m just shocked in the realisation that everyone has grown much older …

Speaking of change, wow so much has changed that I can hardly recognize anything! Went for a date with cartcart to Jurong Point. Was telling cart that I used to hang out here alot for my gossip sessions with Juli. But what on earth happened here? The place looks so different and much bigger and there’s a whole lot more people here than what I remembered.

I’m persuading cartcart to watch a movie with me. Its been such a long time since I watched a movie in english. Gosh, there’s a Rambo 10?

July 2017

I’m having chest pains again. I’ve had this pain since my teenage days when somedays, I wake up and feel it but it goes away in a few minutes. Its getting more frequent. I dont know what I’m doing wrong.

Anyway, I’m fetching little Norman from kindergarden now. He’s grown up so quickly. He’s got his dad’s skin and brown hair but he’s definitely got my eyes and mouth. Oh and my temperament too. Such a drama papa at such a young age. Looks like a beautiful day outside. Maybe the three of us can stop by at the Villa Schiarra park later and then have some gelato. Ah the simple joys of life. Vita è bella

As much as I love and enjoy literature, poetry is one of the most challenging aspect of literature to me. Many times it isnt easy to decode what the poet is trying to say due to its obscure meanings and hidden symbolisms. It is confusing. In the end, I try to avoid them altogether.

But on the insistence of Mr Chandran, our literature teacher, I forced myself to sit still and read :

Christmas was in the air and all was well
With him, but for a few confusing flaws
In divers of God’s images. Because
A friend of his would neither buy nor sell,
Was he to answer for the axe that fell?
He pondered; and the reason for it was,
Partly, a slowly freezing Santa Claus
Upon the corner, with his beard and bell.

Acknowledging an improvident surprise,
He magnified a fancy that he wished
The friend whom he had wrecked were here again.
Not sure of that, he found a compromise;
And from the fulness of his heart he fished
A dime for Jesus who had died for men.

At first read, I could not make it out. Who is the protagonist in this poem? And who is this friend? And why do I have this depressive feeling when I was done reading it?

It was only later that I finally understood.

It was a story of a stockbroker, who betrayed his friend and made him bankrupt. He feels guilty about it, due to the christmas holidays and tries to make himself feel better about it by donating to the charity. But his act of donating just ten cents makes the entire gesture farce.

The more I read it, the more I appreciated this piece of poetry. Wow, I cant believe I actually decoded that one.

Mr Chandran says that a good piece of poetry retells a story in a very subtle manner.

Suddenly I feel so enlightened.

This is probably old news.

But I cant help photoshopping this out

Come on and contribute to the famous ‘Face on object’ project :P

—

In a more sombre note, this link from the Secondlife blog, bothered me. In the report, Secondlife has banned two avatars - one whom resembled an adult male and the other whom resembled a child engaged in a sexual conduct.

Without a doubt, child pornography is sick and very wrong. But what bothered me about the report is that both of the parties involved are aged 54 and 27 respectively. They are both adults. Not children.

How is it wrong that two conscentual adults, role play in the privacy of their own area? Granted, the very idea of pedophilia is sick. But in this instance, no children are involved. Secondlife is an above 18 only website, it is silly to have an age verification and yet have two adults charged and banned.

There are a number of people who uses the metaverse as a form of escapism. Some become furries, some become goths. Would they be charged too for role playing as such? We need to distinguish between virtual contents and real life. Alot of people are being too oversensitive of that.

In the Ashcroft vs. The Free Speech Coalition in 2002, all four of the government’s arguments were unsuccessful and the Supreme Court held that the CPPA was unconstitutionally overbroad. No matter what angle used, the fact is, no real children was involved. It would be different between someone exploiting a real, living, breathing child for their own perverted desires.

As long as no one is really hurt, and the parties involved are truely consensual and of age, what business is it of yours?

Disclaimer : I am not involved with adult-child roleplaying. However, I am very bothered by the fact that our freedom of expression is quelled in an above 18 website.

What is it that you desire? People tend to make things more difficult than what it seems. Prioritise on what is important in your life.

- Merlin

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Filmed in Secondlife in these location :

• Arcata
• Afton
• Lion City
• Lost garden of Apollo
• Simone
• Thinc Club Cafe
• Toscana

I feel quite poignant

Lilian is right when she said that the blogosphere is very close knitted. I remember what Preetam mentioned before during the E27 unconference. He said “Most people are more inclined to read blogs that belong to their friends or aquaintances”.

I cant speak for all, but I think the statement is true. Much of my feeds are of my friends, as I like to read the updates on my friend’s life and see what they are up to. Of course at the same time, there are interesting feeds that I’ve subscribed, to whom I have no aquaintance of.

Nevertheless, the blogosphere definitely is very close knitted. We know this is so because of this simple experiment :

1. Look at your blogroll and click one at random

2. Notice that the blogroll of the person you’ve clicked on has at least 2 or more people that you know.

3. Now click their blogroll at random. Chances will be that you’ll still see at least one person that you recognize.

Eventually everyone is connected to each other in the blogosphere. We’ll be even closer to the six degree of separation.

The world has become a smaller place. Nowadays, I dont even need the rss reader to see updates on my friends. With websites such as the increasingly popular twitter, I can see what they are doing and thinking real time. Isnt that useful?

However in retrospective, somehow I think it just gives us a false sense of security. Yes, it is definitely convenient. But a million sms updates just cant compare real interaction. Besides, would anyone really care about my mundane activities and rants?

This is a typical twitter message

3:00pm - Scratching my head
3:05pm - I just sneezed
3:10pm - Swinging around on my chair
3:12pm - Eating chocolate
3:15pm - Oh I just blinked my eyes

Uh … Too much information?

But one cannot deny its usefulness. This reminds me of a report by New York Daily News in 2005 of of how the last entry of his blog, has helped police to catch his murderer. His xanga blog is still up and I was struck by how easily it is to connect to him - looking at his picture, and reading his posts, it is not hard to imagine him as our friend. He was an ordinary and real person. Just like us.

Even though we may not be able to meet up with our internet friends in real life, I believe that it is possible to have real feelings and memories towards them.

I still have memories of my online friends.

Undercore, a friendly and helpful young man whom was very helpful towards me and glonan, a sweet lady that is always very perceptive towards her friends. They are both gone too soon.

I think eventually, blogs and websites are a form of archive to remember us by. This blog too, is used for remembering past experiences and memories.

I think I am an average, ordinary person just like everybody else. We are all connected because we want to remember and to be remembered.

As a side note : There’s a blogout event coming up on the 24th May. Do come down if you can make it. This will be a great and fun way to meet and network with other bloggers :)