To Malaysia: May Malaysia be rid of corrupt politicians and may harmony prevail.
To An Shii: Good luck with your studies and business, and may you get a job soon!
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I'm going to Beijing tonight. I'm not sure if the Great Firewall of China still blocks Blogger and Youtube. If it's still blocked, I'm gonna rot in my room watching CCTV and MTV China.
Americans love to sue. They sue when you write about them, they sue when you don't write about them, they sue TV because TV made their partners fat, they'll sue you because they were born uglier than you and they also sue God because God didn't make us immortal. wtf.
From the BBC:
A US judge has thrown out a case against God, ruling that because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served.
The suit was launched by Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers, who said he might appeal against the ruling.
He sought a permanent injunction to prevent the "death, destruction and terrorisation" caused by God.
Judge Marlon Polk said in his ruling that a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a case to proceed.
"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Judge Polk wrote in his ruling.
Mr Chambers cannot refile the suit but may appeal.
Mr Chambers sued God last year. He said God had threatened him and the people of Nebraska and had inflicted "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants".
He said he would carefully consider Judge Polk's ruling before deciding whether to appeal.
The court, Mr Chambers said, had acknowledged the existence of God and "a consequence of that acknowledgement is a recognition of God's omniscience".
"Since God knows everything," he reasoned, "God has notice of this lawsuit."
Mr Chambers, a state senator for 38 years, said he filed the suit to make the point that "anyone can sue anyone else, even God".
After the luxury of not training for 3 dayss, I went for my morning run half an hour ago...
Only going into my 3rd km, I felt that I had to stop. The moment I stopped at 3.00 km, I saw stars... and then I barfed. All my breakfast went out the same way it came in. Luckily I was outside a school so I vomitted onto grass and not concrete floor had I just been 20 metres further.
Then I had to walk back to my block with a stink in my mouth. Bluegh.
Today both Evelyn and I had the urge to bake cupcakes. Because of timezone difference and also because I came back from work only this morning, she had a headstart.
We just had a little discussion, post-baking.
MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: how do muffins n cupcakes differ - evelyn - says: not really sure - evelyn - says: i always thought that muffins were like...more just throw everything into the bowl and mix - evelyn - says: whereas cupcakes were more methodical - evelyn - says: but i might be completely wrong lol MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: hmmm MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: il find the answer MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: let u noe soon :P
5 minutes later...
MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: oh MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: so today i baked a muffin not a cupcake ^o) MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: most ppl agree it's the icing that makes the differenc - evelyn - says: oh MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: cupcake has decors.. icing MinnieMoose: 2006 seems so long ago says: like a mini cake - evelyn - says: as in, if u have icing it's a cupcake if not a muffin? - evelyn - says: ohh - evelyn - says: ok - evelyn - says: that means today i made a cupcake lol
Damn. That means I still haven't succeeded in making cupcakes.
The cupcakes came out pretty good! I'm too lazy to make the frosting because it's just too much effort (and ingredients). The cupcakes as they are are good enough for me. So good that I accidentally indulged in 4 of those and I feel so bloated now.
When I was in Houston, I went to the Bottega Veneta boutique specifically to check out the new double-twist bag. BV had just released the bag like a week before that and I didn't even see it at the BV boutique at Changi Airport when I left for my flight.
The bag is none other than the Tornabuoni.
BV updated its 'anyaman tikar' (weave) look and the artisans carefully double-twisted parts of the leather to create this very tidy and uniform pattern. The BV Tornabuoni weave gives the bag more dimension than the classic bags. It looks even better on person - whether you choose to hold it in your hands or just casually hung on the shoulder. Tres chic!
You have to see this bag in person. It will blow you away. I hope you meet a sales assistant as patient and kind as Homer, the guy who led me through the latest bags from BV and also slowly explained to me how this bag is made. The weaves are tight without compromising on the double-twists and it goes vertically down so perfectly it really takes someone with true patience and skill to make this bag. I was also told that this bag is only the second bag to be made inside out (the first is, of course, the Birkin bag) so you see no stitches. Impressive. The bag is lined with luxurious suede.
I was SO CLOSE to putting my money down on the bag when Homer told me it's US$1980 for the small one. At that price, the bag is a bargain!! Only that I had done too much shopping prior to that so I had to exercise self-control.
There were two other bags that were gorgeousssssss... The leather (lamb skin) used for the bags is out of this world soft!
I really love the above two a lot... The light purple bag is understated class and the Uluru Red of the second one was so outstanding without being tacky. I think of all the three, I really wanted the Montaigne bag the most (the one Cameron Diaz is carrying). When I couldn't put that bag down, Homer asked if I knew who Cameron Diaz is (DUH!). He said she was just sported carrying the same bag in the same colour that I couldn't let go.... Heh, cheap trick! I'm sure you can see from the picture how buttery soft the brown Montaigne bag is. This bag does not come cheap. It is more expensive than the small Tornabuoni. Considering the details that go into the Tornabuoni, the Montaigne is very expensive. But I suppose it's somehow worth it. Somehow.
I really must not allow myself near a Bottega Veneta boutique when in Milan.
Very tired. Baking - and then consuming - chocolate cupcakes should be able to cheer me up... My last try at baking cupcakes ended with a big fat F (recipe came from the back of a box). Hope this one (recipe from a BOOK) turns out well.
I felt like that was the end of the road for me with the airline.
Something happened on my flight out to Destination XX. Things went bad shortly after take-off, and my legs were jelly for the entire flight. Before touchdown, everyone was so worried for me and kept telling me to eat but I couldn't eat. I didn't feel hungry at all. It was already almost 12 hours since my last meal, but how could I eat? My legs were weak, my stomach was full of butterflies, my head was aching. And I had already gone to the toilet to cry. Twice.
When I got back to the hotel, I fell on the bed, massaging my legs. Those didn't feel like my legs. Running 6 km didn't even make them feel like that and I doubt even 10 km would. My legs were so weak that I had to sit on the bath-tub as I brushed my teeth. My headache was slowly subsiding but I still felt horrid inside.
I waited for Friends to come on (I do this flight so often I can even remember the TV schedule) and I watched till I fell asleep halfway through. I remember my last thoughts before I slept - "I cannot work back to Singapore... I do not have the ability to bring myself to let my colleagues down again. I want to report sick and pax home."
The next morning, I woke up not feeling any better. I felt like quitting my job altogether. How can I allow myself to be bullied and humiliated by passengers even though I work so hard for them? This must be the shittiest position to be. I felt like throwing in the towel the moment I touch down in Singapore.
Luckily though, two senior girls helped me through the return-sector. They said if anything goes wrong, just mention their names and they will cover for me all the way. *touched* And they did. They made me feel purposeful on the flight again and that really helped me regain my confidence. Even my galley steward was also very kind, constantly checking that I'm alright.
I knew this work can't be smooth forever. Someday some one will surely screw it all up. Now I'm wondering how many times will I have to meet such people for as long as I work here...
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah pays RM86,918 to have his hair trimmed, a Sin Chew Daily report said.
The Sultan of Brunei, who is among the world's richest men with an estimated wealth of RM69.6bil, was so concerned about his looks that he would get hairstylists from London to do his hair every every three to four weeks. Recently, he flew barber Ken Modesrou from London to give him a haircut. The huge amount covered the fare to fly Modesrou to Brunei in a self-contained suite on a Singapore Airlines flight, three to four nights’ accommodation at a luxury hotel, food and tips. He only charged RM174 for a hairdo in London.
- The Star
That 'self-contained suite' would obviously be on the A380. That's a bit ridiculous for a haircut right!! I can buy a Japanese car with that amount. It's like changing a new Japanese car every 3-4 weeks, geeee...
Actually I have heard many interesting stories (the good kind) about the Sultan from my colleagues. A very generous man who knows how to share :)
It started off on the right track... I ran 6 km! *kowtows to self*
I think being able to run further requires me to rise even earlier because more time is needed for the run (you know, it used to only last 10 minutes!). Running into 7.30 a.m. means breathing in a lot of exhaust AND cigarette fumes. Sometimes when I'm running I suddenly get a strong stench of cigarette smoke (not a big fan) and then I'll see the culprit some 15 m ahead of me with a cigarette stick between his fingers, slowly walking and breathing in the morning's fresh air while leaving a trail of noxious air behind for me.
After 3 km I felt two toes in my left foot go numb. It happened also two days ago. It's very distracting and I don't know what happened. Two days ago when it happened I thought there was a hole in the sole of the shoe... because my toes couldn't feel the base of the the shoe right. When I finally checked, everything was ok with the shoe. So when it happened again today, I knew my toes went numb. What could be happening? I was trying very hard to get it off my mind when Linkin' Park's Numb played on my iPod. Talk about bad timing!
I flew with Ferinna FINALLY! yesterday and it made me wish that the flight was a longer flight. It's so nice to be able to fly with a friend. One day, Ferinna, one day I'm gonna change my flight and fly with you!
My good day pauses for now because I've to clean the house, but shall resume at 1 p.m. when I meet Ferinna for lunch...
This afternoon, I had gone for the shortest possible flight duty. The flight out of Singapore was at 5 p.m. and I was back in my room by 8 p.m. When I checked my email, I had a good shock... Even though it showed that there were only 3 unread mails, 1 of it belongs to a conversation which has 42 emails! I got spammed, big time, by my own friends.
Turns out that the few of them were discussing about a possible holiday during Hari Raya Haji next month. I didn't even have to read the rest of the mails because there's no need to.
I merely replied to all of them, telling them I can't make it because I'll be in Milan then.
Then it hit me. I keep missing out on gatherings that happen when most people are not working. It's always me who can't be there.
I had no problems getting time off for my sister's wedding last year but it was not easy getting time off for the road trip that we did before the big day. I also had much difficulties getting leave for my grandmother's 90th birthday celebration, a big occasion that will see many of my relatives return from overseas. This year, I also missed Chinese New Year. Here and there, I've missed out on many other public holidays which I could have spent with family and friends. How much will I miss when my friends are basking in the Phuket sunshine and squishing their toes in the white sand.... while I sit in my hotel room in Milan, already sad, because I am on a shopping ban...
Whenever I go back to BP, mum has to work and Anlynn will be at school or at tuition. For a few times already she skipped school and then I'll at least have company... I mean, I like being able to do the stuff like shopping and getting a haircut without the crowd on a weekday afternoon. But still sometimes it's good to have some company too...
This is going to go on for as long as I stay in this job. Public holidays just don't exist. Don't even think about triple pay and whatnot... no such thing.
My housemates keep talking about leaving this job. I would probably want to leave in the next year or two. I like my job but I don't know how I will feel about it in the future. When the time comes to leave, I don't have a plan as to what I should do. I can't imagine doing anything else other than this. I know I'm not made for this but I'm happy doing it (most of time). But I can't keep missing out on my social life right... While I always tell friends and cousins and even my sister to try out as a flight crew, I do highlight to them the downside of the job. This job actually does take quite a bit away from you.
Right now I can't wait to meet up with my girl friends. I can't be with you in Phuket or wherever you all decide to go to, but I'll be there at Clarke Quay tomorrow night. See ya'll, darlings!
I've seen so many declaration forms in my working life. Customs declaration, health declaration, currency declaration... This though has to be the most interesting of all.
I woke up early this morning to go for a run. I thought I might be able to hit 5 km today. Turns out that it was drizzling. Instead of cosily sleeping in, I ran. But I only ran half the distance of yesterday and I had to stop...!
I cannot think of why I couldn't even hit 3 km, which came so easily yesterday. Was it because of the clothing? Was it because of the air that's more damp? Was it because I ate more chocolates before my run yesterday? Was it because I didn't empty my bowel? Was it because of the songs on my iPod (I forgot my iPod yesterday.)? Was it because it didn't feel like a 'beautiful, sunny, glorious morning'?
I woke up so early on a day of my flight to do this... Frustrated. Should have signed up for the Kids' Fun Dash instead of the 10 km.
Nevertheless, I must show you this.
Mysterious tubular clouds that form every autumn over Burketown, Queensland, Down Under.
Have a great Tuesday, you're a little bit closer to the weekend.
Go to Wikipedia and search, "Lick me in the ass". Not porn, I promise.
Anyway I bought a good deal of things at Ikea today. I bought boxes, containers and more items for storage. Also bought a make-shift shoerack. To overcome space problems I also bought a wall shelf... only to come back to the problem of not actually having a drill in the house. Will have to borrow from someone but the only neighbour I know here is the psycho cheekohpek Uncle next door. Borrowing from him is not even an option!
I'm doing a KL turnaround tomorrow. How I wish I can stay for a few nights and hang out with my dear friends.... It's been so long! :(
Oh and today my jelly hands dropped a bottle of nailpolish, shattering the bottle. This is the second bottle of nailpolish I broke in a week... and in my room too. Stinks like mad.
Quite often when I go back, I use a duffel bag (the same one above) made of supposedly rip-stop material.
Ask any LeSportsac owners and they'll tell you how versatile and strong the bags can be.... (Oh I want that Stella McCartney for LeSportsac range of luggage!!) I love my weekender bag too, but I absolutely detest the part where I have to fold it back into its small pouch. It's so hard to put back, and I wonder how when I bought it, it was so nice and flat-ish in that same pouch. I suggest LeSportsac give folding instructions with all their bags in future!
Lately I had been wondering where my bath towels had gone. I seem to only have a few to use before I am forced to do towel-laundry again...
Guess where I finally found my towels? In my handbag. *shy*
In my quest to keep my rather slouchy bag in its shape, I stuffed towels in it. It's a rather big bag, I must say. I guess I should go down to IKEA tomorrow to get small pillows/cushion to take over the task.
In the past 30 minutes, probably 750 infants were born, someone had planted enough rice to feed his family of 4, a baby was christened, 45 couples got married, another 32 divorced, countless people had just taken the biggest dump of their lives, 600 children in Africa has just died of starvation (hey this is true cz Will Smith said that every 3 seconds one child dies in Africa from starvation)...
BUT I, I... was trying to cross Level 24 of Max Damage. IT JUST CANNOT BE DONE! 30 minutes, and one freaking dollar short of crossing the level. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
If you have some time to spare now, why not try Max Damage here. And tell me how long it took you to complete Level 24. Oh Lord~
I just saw in Kennysia's blog that Black Eyed Peas is coming to Malaysia. Concert's on the 25th of September... I come back from Milan on the 24th... Should I go, should I go?? Is anyone interested in going??
I didn't pack very well yesterday for my flight to Manila (you would have thought that I'm so pro by now). I forgot to put a new bottle of shampoo into my bag and I FORGOT MY FOUNDATION HOW TO MAKE UP WTF. I was also wondering the whole time how come my luggage was so heavy. Everytime I had to stow it up in the overhead compartment I felt like my back was going to give way. 10 minutes ago, I found the answer... I was taking out something from my bag and I saw the three mooncakes which I brought back from BP still in the bag -___- Terrible. Don't know what else I might find in there.
I went shopping at Changi Airport today after touch down. Clarins has increased the price of my lip balm! This is getting ridiculous. Must.find.alternative.
Anyway I've got a gazillion housework to do. Will blog again when I'm sick and tired of being a housewoman.
I was very determined to skydive. Mum was very against it and I regret having to let her worry about it before my jump. Should never have told her about it first. Eventually I jumped 12,000 ft. much to the surprise of virtually everyone I know. It's just not me to do such a thing. I'm Miss Scaredy-Cat and not a an outdoors kinda person. Thrill-seeking just wasn't my cup of tea....
Then when I attended the Standard Chartered KL Marathon as a bystander, I knew I had to be a part of it come December in the Singapore edition. An entourage of friends who came down to Singapore for the Marathon last year had even failed to convince me to join. For someone who used to fake asthma to skip sports practice, who couldn't even cross the lowest height at high-jump, who ran the first 100 m and then walked the remaining 1.9 km during the school cross-country, whose favourite position when we played football during PE was the goalkeeper (the least work to be done... as if the ball was gonna get anywhere near the goal!).... signing up for the marathon was a big deal.
I hadn't realized how determined I was towards things that I really want until when I was going out for a jog this evening. I didn't sleep well last night and was half-dead, yet I still dragged myself out of the house to run 2.62 kms.
Today I was out with my two housemates for lunch. As we were waiting to cross the road, one middle-aged woman approached John. I thought she was going to ask for directions until I heard her begging for $10 from John. She said she and her children hadn't had anything to eat and have no money for dinner so she asked if John could give her $10. John, dressed smartly in shirt and necktie (he had to renew his Staff ID earlier in the morning), politely ignored her but she suddenly went halfway down and was already close to dropping to her knees. Like wth, I looked at Julia, both of us astonished.
The Green Man started to blink so we crossed the road. There must have been at least 10 others who witnessed the lady almost dropping to her knees. We were aghast at her request for $10! If she really needed money, no amount of money will be too little. I also believe that if she had gone around asking for just $1, chances of her hitting that $10 will be higher than her going around asking and kneeling at people and asking straight out for $10.
(May I add that she's begging right at the corner where there are always two blind buskers singing from morning till late night every single day, rain or shine. Wouldn't you rather be giving money to the blind and honest buskers?)
I pity her that she has to do be doing this. This is Singapore. I'm sure she must have had a job and something must have happened to her/her family to make her so desperate. However I really believe there are better ways to get money. She can become a part-time maid, she can work at Fair Price since most cashiers there look older than her anyway, she can drive a bus, she can sell MRT tickets, she can do so many things yet she chose to beg.
After lunch, we had to go back to that same junction and I was asking Julia if this lady could still be hanging around. And just as I finished my sentence, I saw her. This time she had fresh tears on her face. Why's she doing this to herself....
Today I got mum to drop me off at Y-Lake (I have no idea how this name came about) after she dropped Anlynn off at school so that I could go for a run. I ran at Pesta yesterday and I honestly didn't like it one bit. I need bigger space, like at Y-Lake.
I was the person with the ugliest, brightest, bluest shoes :( While I was happily running and checking my distance every now and again on my Sportband, probably doing my fourth round or so, I overtook one middle-aged uncle whom I hadn't seen till then. He was jogging barefooted and talking to two ladies. Half a minute later, he overtook me and said, "Xiao jie, pao hen kuai hor..." ( "Miss, running very fast eh?") and he just went ahead while I was jogging with my lungs calling out for dear life. Even though I had my earphones on, I still heard him. Wtf, I thought to myself.
The next time I came across this fella, he was again half-jogging and this time talking to a group of men who were just there for a walk. Of course I overtook him, and not long after, he again levelled me and had something to say to me. This time I was not so forgiving. I shouted at him in Mandarin, "Irritating bastard! Concentrate on your own run and go away!" I was so close to telling him that not only have I done more rounds, he should also stop making up for his inabilities in bed by showing off at a park.
I was so pissed that I had to deal with idiots like this on a glorious morning while taking my new toy out for a run. Not only that, I was also very unhappy at that guy who collects money outside the Public Toilet. After only my second round, I felt the urge to pee so I went to use the toilet. I actually already knew I had to pee on my way to the park so I took 20 cents from Anlynn (I have a very tiny pocket in my running pants, only enough for a key/coins) since all Public Toilets charge 20 cents/entry. So when I saw the 30cent/entry sign on this man's table, I told him I only had 20 cents on me so I asked if I could just pay him all I had on me to use the toilet. He, acting as if he has all the authority in the world, snapped and said in Malay, "Cannot. It's 30 cents. It's either 30 cents or you don't use the toilet." WTF. I told him that's all I had on me! He asked me to go get it from someone else. ........................ I argued, "But this is a public toilet in the first place!!!" He listened no further. I was so angry and continued with my run, thinking in my head why didn't I curse him that Ramadhan starts this Saturday and he will sin for not letting another human answer the call of nature! I was also half-irritated at myself for already running out of breath after only 20 minutes. That's why I really didn't need a barefooted numbskull to irritate me further.
Not long after, I found that I couldn't go on anymore and took a rest at one of the benches at the park. Then I saw that idiot coming from the corner of my eye. I heard one of his friends ask, "That one ah?"
When I got my strength back, I started running again. I ran past our old friend and this time he just quietly did his own thing.
Lessons: 1) Never try to disturb a girl who's obviously hard at training, with earphones in her ears. The earphones literally tell you DO NOT DISTURB. 2) It is 30 cents to use the toilet at Y-Lake.
Anyway I ran 4.43 kms. At least now I know how much I can run exactly. I told mum I want to run again this evening.
Today I waited excitedly for the Nike store in BP Mall to open... Last night I was reading up on Nike + iPod because I am very serious about wanting to track my progress. I was thinking if it could only be done with an iPod Nano then I'll have to switch iPods with Anlynn - which I don't want to (and I'm sure she feels the same way, but she's so sweet she probably would just let me have her funky yellow toy).
Then I came across the Sportband. =) No need for me to get a Nano. It links up to the sensor the same way the iPod would and it looks very sporty, yeah baby groovy.
I knew I had to have the kit... so here are my new toys:
Nike+ Lunarglide On the inside of the shoe is a small slot for a sensor. Only Nike+ shoes have this slot for the sensor. The shoe doesn't come with the sensor, but the Sportband does.
Nike+ Sportband As mentioned the sensor comes together with the Sportband to be embedded in the shoe. It requires me to sync my Sportband with the sensor so that it will be able to start tracking my performance. The band tracks distance, pace, time and calories burned. When not using it to track, the Sportband functions like a regular watch. The face of this band is detachable to be plugged directly into a USB port to transfer all the data online so that I can track my progress.
[WARNING] This list contains descriptions and images of human experimentation which may cause offense to some readers.] Human experimentation and research ethics evolved over time. On occasion, the subjects of human experimentation have been prisoners, slaves, or even family members. In some notable cases, doctors have performed experiments on themselves when they have been unwilling to risk the lives of others. This is known as self-experimentation. This is a list of the 10 most evil and unethical experiments carried out on humans.
10
Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological study of human responses to captivity and its behavioral effects on both authorities and inmates in prison. The experiment was conducted in 1971 by a team of researchers led by psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University. Undergraduate volunteers played the roles of both guards and prisoners living in a mock prison in the basement of the Stanford psychology building.
Prisoners and guards rapidly adapted to their roles, stepping beyond the boundaries of what had been predicted and leading to dangerous and psychologically damaging situations. One-third of the guards were judged to have exhibited “genuine” sadistic tendencies, while many prisoners were emotionally traumatized and two had to be removed from the experiment early. Finally, Zimbardo, alarmed at the increasingly abusive anti-social behavior from his subjects, terminated the entire experiment early.
9
The Monster Study
The Monster Study was a stuttering experiment on 22 orphan children in Davenport, Iowa, in 1939 conducted by Wendell Johnson at the University of Iowa. Johnson chose one of his graduate students, Mary Tudor, to conduct the experiment and he supervised her research. After placing the children in control and experimental groups, Tudor gave positive speech therapy to half of the children, praising the fluency of their speech, and negative speech therapy to the other half, belittling the children for every speech imperfection and telling them they were stutterers. Many of the normal speaking orphan children who received negative therapy in the experiment suffered negative psychological effects and some retained speech problems during the course of their life. Dubbed “The Monster Study” by some of Johnson’s peers who were horrified that he would experiment on orphan children to prove a theory, the experiment was kept hidden for fear Johnson’s reputation would be tarnished in the wake of human experiments conducted by the Nazis during World War II. The University of Iowa publicly apologized for the Monster Study in 2001.
8
Project 4.1
Project 4.1 was the designation for a medical study conducted by the United States of those residents of the Marshall Islands exposed to radioactive fallout from the March 1, 1954 Castle Bravo nuclear test at Bikini Atoll, which had an unexpectedly large yield. For the first decade after the test, the effects were ambiguous and statistically difficult to correlate to radiation exposure: miscarriages and stillbirths among exposed Rongelap women doubled in the first five years after the accident, but then returned to normal; some developmental difficulties and impaired growth appeared in children, but in no clear-cut pattern. In the decades that followed, though, the effects were undeniable. Children began to suffer disproportionately from thyroid cancer (due to exposure to radioiodines), and almost a third of those exposed developed neoplasms by 1974.
As a Department of Energy Committee writing on the human radiation experiments wrote, “It appears to have been almost immediately apparent to the AEC and the Joint Task Force running the Castle series that research on radiation effects could be done in conjunction with the medical treatment of the exposed populations.” The DOE report also concluded that “The dual purpose of what is now a DOE medical program has led to a view by the Marshallese that they were being used as ‘guinea pigs’ in a ‘radiation experiment.’”
7
Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a CIA mind-control research program, run by the Office of Scientific Intelligence, that began in the early 1950s and continued at least through the late 1960s. There is much published evidence that the project involved the surreptitious use of many types of drugs, as well as other methodologies, to manipulate individual mental states and to alter brain function.
Experiments included administering LSD to CIA employees, military personnel, doctors, other government agents, prostitutes, mentally ill patients, and members of the general public in order to study their reactions. LSD and other drugs were usually administered without the subject’s knowledge and informed consent, a violation of the Nuremberg Code that the U.S. agreed to follow after WWII.
Efforts to “recruit” subjects were often illegal, even discounting the fact that drugs were being administered (though actual use of LSD, for example, was legal in the United States until October 6, 1966). In Operation Midnight Climax, the CIA set up several brothels to obtain a selection of men who would be too embarrassed to talk about the events. The men were dosed with LSD, and the brothels were equipped with one-way mirrors and the “sessions” were filmed for later viewing and study.
In 1973, CIA Director Richard Helms ordered all MKULTRA files destroyed. Pursuant to this order, most CIA documents regarding the project were destroyed, making a full investigation of MKULTRA virtually impossible.
6
The Aversion Project
South Africa’s apartheid army forced white lesbian and gay soldiers to undergo ’sex-change’ operations in the 1970’s and the 1980’s, and submitted many to chemical castration, electric shock, and other unethical medical experiments. Although the exact number is not known, former apartheid army surgeons estimate that as many as 900 forced ’sexual reassignment’ operations may have been performed between 1971 and 1989 at military hospitals, as part of a top-secret program to root out homosexuality from the service.
Army psychiatrists aided by chaplains aggressively ferreted out suspected homosexuals from the armed forces, sending them discretely to military psychiatric units, chiefly ward 22 of 1 Military Hospital at Voortrekkerhoogte, near Pretoria. Those who could not be ‘cured’ with drugs, aversion shock therapy, hormone treatment, and other radical ‘psychiatric’ means were chemically castrated or given sex-change operations.
Although several cases of lesbian soldiers abused have been documented so far—including one botched sex-change operation—most of the victims appear to have been young, 16 to 24-year-old white males drafted into the apartheid army.
Dr. Aubrey Levin (the head of the study) is now Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry (Forensic Division) at the University of Calgary’s Medical School. He is also in private practice, as a member in good standing of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
5
North Korean Experimentation
There have been many reports of North Korean human experimentation. These reports show human rights abuses similar to those of Nazi and Japanese human experimentation in World War II. These allegations of human rights abuses are denied by the North Korean government, who claim that all prisoners in North Korea are humanely treated.
One former North Korean woman prisoner tells how 50 healthy women prisoners were selected and given poisoned cabbage leaves, which all the women had to eat despite cries of distress from those who had already eaten. All 50 were dead after 20 minutes of vomiting blood and anal bleeding. Refusing to eat would have meant reprisals against them and their families.
Kwon Hyok, a former prison Head of Security at Camp 22, described laboratories equipped respectively for poison gas, suffocation gas and blood experiments, in which 3 or 4 people, normally a family, are the experimental subjects. After undergoing medical checks, the chambers are sealed and poison is injected through a tube, while “scientists” observe from above through glass. Kwon Hyok claims to have watched one family of 2 parents, a son and a daughter die from suffocating gas, with the parents trying to save the children using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for as long as they had the strength.
4
Poison laboratory of the Soviets
The Poison laboratory of the Soviet secret services, also known as Laboratory 1, Laboratory 12 and “The Chamber”, was a covert poison research and development facility of the Soviet secret police agencies. The Soviets tested a number of deadly poisons on prisoners from the Gulag (”enemies of the people”), including mustard gas, ricin, digitoxin and many others. The goal of the experiments was to find a tasteless, odorless chemical that could not be detected post mortem. Candidate poisons were given to the victims, with a meal or drink, as “medication”.
Finally, a preparation with the desired properties called C-2 was developed. According to witness testimonies, the victim changed physically, became shorter, weakened quickly, became calm and silent and died within fifteen minutes. Mairanovsky brought to the laboratory people of varied physical condition and ages in order to have a more complete picture about the action of each poison.
In addition to human experimentation, Mairanovsky personally executed people with poisons, under the supervision of Pavel Sudoplatov.
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The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male was a clinical study, conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama, in which 399 (plus 201 control group without syphilis) poor — and mostly illiterate — African American sharecroppers were denied treatment for Syphilis.
This study became notorious because it was conducted without due care to its subjects, and led to major changes in how patients are protected in clinical studies. Individuals enrolled in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study did not give informed consent and were not informed of their diagnosis; instead they were told they had “bad blood” and could receive free medical treatment, rides to the clinic, meals and burial insurance in case of death in return for participating. In 1932, when the study started, standard treatments for syphilis were toxic, dangerous, and of questionable effectiveness. Part of the original goal of the study was to determine if patients were better off not being treated with these toxic remedies. For many participants, treatment was intentionally denied. Many patients were lied to and given placebo treatments—in order to observe the fatal progression of the disease.
By the end of the study, only 74 of the test subjects were still alive. Twenty-eight of the men had died directly of syphilis, 100 were dead of related complications, 40 of their wives had been infected, and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis.
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Unit 731
Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese personnel.
Some of the numerous atrocities committed by the commander Shiro Ishii and others under his command in Unit 731 include: vivisection of living people (including pregnant women who were impregnated by the doctors), prisoners had limbs amputated and reattached to other parts of their body, some prisoners had parts of their bodies frozen and thawed to study the resulting untreated gangrene. Humans were also used as living test cases for grenades and flame throwers. Prisoners were injected with strains of diseases, disguised as vaccinations, to study their effects. To study the effects of untreated venereal diseases, male and female prisoners were deliberately infected with syphilis and gonorrhea via rape, then studied. A complete list of these horrors can be found here.
Having been granted immunity by the American Occupation Authorities at the end of the war, Ishii never spent any time in jail for his crimes and died at the age of 67 of throat cancer.
1
Nazi Experiments
Nazi human experimentation was medical experimentation on large numbers of people by the German Nazi regime in its concentration camps during World War II. At Auschwitz, under the direction of Dr. Eduard Wirths, selected inmates were subjected to various experiments which were supposedly designed to help German military personnel in combat situations, to aid in the recovery of military personnel that had been injured, and to advance the racial ideology backed by the Third Reich.
Experiments on twin children in concentration camps were created to show the similarities and differences in the genetics and eugenics of twins, as well as to see if the human body can be unnaturally manipulated. The central leader of the experiments was Dr. Josef Mengele, who performed experiments on over 1,500 sets of imprisoned twins, of which fewer than 200 individuals survived the studies. Dr. Mengele organized the testing of genetics in twins. The twins were arranged by age and sex and kept in barracks in between the test, which ranged from the injection of different chemicals into the eyes of the twins to see if it would change their colors to literally sewing the twins together in hopes of creating conjoined twins.
In 1942 the Luftwaffe conducted experiments to learn how to treat hypothermia. One study forced subjects to endure a tank of ice water for up to three hours (see image above). Another study placed prisoners naked in the open for several hours with temperatures below freezing. The experimenters assessed different ways of rewarming survivors.
From about July 1942 to about September 1943, experiments to investigate the effectiveness of sulfonamide, a synthetic antimicrobial agent, were conducted at Ravensbrück. Wounds inflicted on the subjects were infected with bacteria such as Streptococcus, gas gangrene, and tetanus. Circulation of blood was interrupted by tying off blood vessels at both ends of the wound to create a condition similar to that of a battlefield wound. Infection was aggravated by forcing wood shavings and ground glass into the wounds. The infection was treated with sulfonamide and other drugs to determine their effectiveness.
Scarlett Johansson's really hot. But nobody is perfect. You will probably never have seen her toes (you're not that lucky yet ;-) ) if not for this new Dolce & Gabbana's Rose The One ad.
I have a little cousin who's really conscious about her toes. Hope this makes you feel better!
I woke up half an hour ago because of a dream. B(*@&#*#% I'm not working and I'm suppose to be sleeping 12 hours every day! I don't know if this is one of the repercussions of jet-lag or just a case of a bad dream.
I was at the place of a guy I know. He had told me to go to his place to watch a show (I THINK it's an American series) and when he was away, I opened one of his notebook innocently (in reality, there's no 'innocently opening his notebook' because that's invasion of privacy but I was innocent because this dream is mine!!) and I found scribblings page after page. It became obvious that he's got a crush on me and my hands started to tremble. I felt I had sort of known it but not really sure. Then, he suddenly walked back into the picture and he caught me reading his notebook. He just sat down some distance away quietly and then I did the most idiotic thing - I called out to him.... but I called the wrong name! ><|| Instead of his name, I called the name of a bastard (and he knows this bastard). That was it. He gave me the cold shoulder for a long time... until we came to a scene of this show we were watching. It was our said bastard on TV doing the most gay scene I've ever seen!!! It could have been a great laugh, if only this guy wasn't angry at me.
Part of me wished that this dream was real because that would mean that a video of Mr. Bastard being so gay exists and I'll be the number one distributor of that video clip. However, the rest of the dream was just plain weird and awkward I don't want to ever have to go through that.
Wake up call, young woman. Should really forget the name of some idiot lest it's called out at the wrong time and the wrong place again.
12 days. I'm finally back. Can't wait to see the bank balance in 3 weeks =D
Great that I survived this trip. My body clock went back and forth so many times. It also had to be exposed to the scorching hot Texan weather (37++ deg C) and then when I got back to Moscow, the weather had dipped from 24 to 14. :\ I only had a thin jacket with me and I had to go out in that cold for dinner.... My feet were also almost frozen when the our bus dropped the crew so far away from the airport terminal and the ice cold wind was blowing strong.
I've got quite a number of days off now... I'm really missing the local hawker fare. Too much grilled chicken and pasta over the last week. Enough is enough.
My bestie starts work today. Hoping that she gets off to a great start. Waiting for her first paycheck too so that she can take me out for a meal (ok at least a drink wtf).
My favourite Mascara has been replaced! Girls, try Covergirl's Last Blast mascara. It's amazing. As you all might know, I have oily skin and mascaras smudge on me very easily. Maybelline's Great Lash, my last favourite, was great at with-holding itself for about 8 hours or so without smudging... but I could never apply the mascara on the bottom lashes without having it smudge on me after 5 hours. I think it took Covergirl's Lash Blast at least 12 hours to finally smudge (and that is, because I applied the bottom lashes)... Without applying the bottom lashes the mascara held on strong for n hours AND that was being exposed to drizzle and damp wind (the Moscow weather). I used the non-waterproof version, fyi. Its price is double that of Maybelline's Great Lash (in the States. I know GL is not quite as cheap in Australia.) but only a fraction of Anna Sui's or Lancome's. If you have smudge problems with your mascara and you want to see your lashes grow, I suggest you try it :) (tip: be patient when applying mascara. give slow and steady strokes and you'll see that the effect is different from 3-seconds-flat application)
I am sooooo angry. Houston TSA smashed my luggage lock and now it cannot be closed. How the fark am I supposed to go back to Singapore? Walk around with a scotch-taped luggage? What could they possibly have detected in my bag to warrant them smashing my bag? It's just water, clothes, handbags and shoes. If you knew how to read the airport's x-ray scanner, you'd know that none of those will show up as suspicious, and will not appear in the scanners as Explosives (I think that will be blue colour, I forget). Clothes and food all fall under organic. Leather handbag, what do you think?!?! Shoes, maybe some synthetic material there, but no way is it an explosive!
I am so so so mad... My company's Moscow ground office could not do anything about it, can't give me money to buy a new bag, can't get me a new bag.... Asked me to buy my own bag now. Then how will I know where to buy a bag in Moscow, it's not like there are shopping malls around here. And who's gonna pay for my transport? Besides, everything here is overpriced, they probably will only give me a partial refund! AND I would still have to send my broken bag back to Singapore because they must see it if I'm asking for reimbursement. All the ground staff could do, and that was even after much harrassing by my leading stewardess, was to give us a roll of scotch-tape. WTF. My head of crew was so cheesed off she complained to the Captain, saying this whole episode is ridiculous. Hopefully he files a report for us. Because not just one, but 3 of us, had our locks smashed. And the weirdest thing was, one of the bags actually has a TSA lock. The crew made sure she locked nothing but the TSA one so that should TSA decide to check her bag, they have the master key and will not need to damage her bag. I guess smashing locks must be fun because the Houston TSA obviously didn't bother using their master key.
SO ANGRY! HOW TO GO BACK TO SINGAPORE!!! I have SO MANY THINGS, SO MANY HEAVY STUFF, PLUS TWO BOTTLES OF CHAMPAGNE *ROAR*!
My new roster came out yesterday... and I was disappointed. Everytime I have annual leave, they give me a regular European flight. When other crew I know have annual leave, they get Moscow-Houston (ka ching!) or super-long stay European flights (to make up for the week+ they don't work i.e. no allowance). I had my December leave transferred to September for a family event and then they give me only a Milan-Barcelona?! It's ok. I know this time I'll save. Can't buy another bag man.
So anyway the other bummer was that they have rostered me for A330 training. OH NO WHY :(((((((((((((( Two others I know (Ferinna and John) who have been rostered for the training in September also cannot stop cursing. Well, in fact everyone I know who gets rostered will curse and swear. Because Perth/Brisbane/Adelaide will keep appearing in the roster. And those are not easy flights to operate, mind you. Adelaide and Brisbane are about 7-8 hours of flight, and that's slightly short of the flight-time we need to get rest onboard. For NZ flights, we get to rest. Not only that, when we do NZ we get about 2-3 days layover... whereas for the Australian flights, it's a 24-hour turnaround time. This makes it extremely tiring. Like we get back to the hotel, recuperate and then also to rest for the return sector... not much time left to go out and about, really. So it's ok if we do such flights occassionally but to do them 3 times a month is not funny. The Australian government might as well give me a PR status since I'll be going down so frequently, hmph.
Sadly though, the A330 doesn't fly to Melbourne and Sydney, so it doesn't affect my frequency to those cities at all (in this case, Melbourne remains NIL!). And this also means that I will not be trained for the A380 which sucks big time because I'd rather be flying to London and Paris (and also increases my chances of getting Sydney and Melbourne from Sept. onwards) than Adelaide and Brisbane. There's NOTHING in Adelaide, nothing. Time to get an Aussie boyfriend.
Broke Bored in Houston. Yesterday after lunch, I went to Burberry to have a look at scarves. Hummmm... remember I bought one from San Francisco not that long ago? Very nice, so I was itchified and went in to take a look at new scarves.
Then I got stuck.
There were two which were so gorgeous and I really couldn't just leave with only one (or God forbid, neither!)...... so I ended up buying both T___T
It took me so much time to finally agree with the devil in me to buy both. After that I felt really broke already so I went straight to Borders to sit down and read my time away.
I have another day today. I think I'll get the hotel to send me to the supermarket nearby and not step into that freaking mall anymore.
Or I could use the gym... Been eating what Americans eat (Chili's, Cheesecake Factory, IHOP, etc.) and I see that I've put on some weight already. Americans are so fat man, seriously. That's why they need bigger beds, bigger cars, bigger lifts, bigger panties (OMG those panties they sell at Walgreens...I can put it over your head and mine and it will still fit fine)... Speaking of the American diet: you all should read this. I read something similar in a book 2 weeks ago, but since I can't show you what's written in the book, I'll show you this.
What a crazy day!! I couldn't cover one-third of the 200-acre (I'm making a guess, but we're talking the third largest factory outlet in the world) Prime Outlet... and then right across a small road is another 100-acre (another guess) outlet mall. Then it was time to go back to Houston.... I WANT TO CRY!!! :'(
So many other things to see and buy... Two more clear days in Houston. I foresee my $2700 allowance to go to the US govt.
I'm shocked that there are now 32 deaths caused by A(H1N1) in Malaysia while Singapore has 9.
Let us compare: Malaysia's population density is 222/sq. miles. Singapore has 17,649. (source: Wikipedia)
Am I wrong that infection is easier where the population is more dense? 80% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats, and large clusters have to share the same lifts, the same parks, the same foodcourts... I don't even want to start on the train.
Singapore also had its first cases way before Malaysia. Yet how is it that Singapore has it so well-controlled?
One Batu Pahat kid died of A(H1N1) complications recently, mainly due to negligience of hospitals in Batu Pahat. It was right in their face A(H1N1) SUSPECT yet they failed to give proper care, causing a life to be lost. I'm sure at least 20 others in the country died the same way.
Malaysia should thank its lucky stars that so far the cases have not yet hit folks in rural areas or even the orang aslis.
It was 12 hours from Moscow to Houston. Plus time on the road, my colleagues were almost dying by the time we got to the hotel... I think we arrived at 3.30 p.m. and a few of us were very hungry so we decided to meet up for a heavy lunch-cum-dinner before retiring. All but one (erhem) went back to their rooms after makan. I had to shop.
I found a pair of rubbery black flip-flops with a huge white flower on each side. The first thing that came to mind when I saw it - CHANEL. So I bought it... If it were a Chanel it would cost 90 Euros, but this didn't even cost US$30
I had just gone into Macy's to look at more shoes when the lights suddenly went off -____- Then everyone just turned towards the exit and walked out of the place... I followed suit and then I noticed that all the boutiques in the mall had their doors closed. Time check: 7.00 p.m.
w.t.f.
So I crossed the road to the 24-hour Walgreens to continue shopping :p Managed to get 5 mascaras (Maybelline Great Lash and Covergirl Lash Blast)... In the States, one must always stock up on mascaras and O.P.I. nailpolish.
I went to support my friends at the KL Marathon this year. I woke up at... 4 a.m.?! *groan*
Seng Kiat and Shing Wei, with upside-down Standard Chartered tattoos.
With Alpha and Yoges... I forgot my pom-poms.
Shortly after my friends started the 10km race (at 7 a.m., do you hear, Singapore, 7 a.m.!, not 8.30 a.m. when the sun is up!), the leader of the 21km pack was already finishing the race. So I stood by the finish line to see who it was. Kenyan. Second guy came about a minute later... Kenyan again. Third guy? Make a guess.
My friends told me the time that they were expected to reach the finish line. So I waited and waited and waited.... Time was ticking and it was way after they were suppose to finish. Other supporters came to the line and left (because their friends had finished the run) but I was still left standing there, feeling like a loser :( Then only I found out that they had finished the race, at the time that they were supposed to, but somehow I missed them. Don't know why lah, maybe too many cute guys around who were distracting me. I never knew there were so many cute guys who run the marathon.
It was this run that made me want to join the marathon end of this year. The atmosphere was amazing (SG Marathon is a much bigger event than this) and did you see the number of cute guys?! so many people were so determined to run, young and old alike. Even Spiderman came... Made me want to be part of it as well....
See the proud faces of my friends who all have a medal for completing 10km under 90 minutes... For Yee Mei (in blue) it was an even prouder moment, since she had already used up her "exercise quota" for the year.
The next time you see a picture like this on my blog, I'll be in a jersey too!
Over dinner two nights ago, I learned from my Captain that The Chedi, Milan has closed down. That's our hotel in Milan, and easily the nicest hotel we have in Europe. The rooms are so much bigger than the typical European hotel and the ultra-modern design makes the room nice and comfy. Imagine shock our when we heard that. I was there just last month, so I thought the Capt. made a mistake. But he said they closed down a few days ago... shocking.... I'll miss it for sure. I hear the temporary hotel that's housing our crew is quite near the red-light district. Hope they find a better replacement soon.
Anyway I made a day-trip to Venice last month during my trip to Milan. I think Venice is over-rated. It was hot and the sun had no mercy at all.
We took a train from Milan. The ride was about 2 hours and about 30 euros. (60+ euros for a return journey)
The place was filled with tourists - I would hate to live there. How can you stand being in a place with so many tourists who can't stop peeping into your windows... How can you live and work in a place where people walk so slowly and stop at their tracks randomly just to take photos...
See, stupid tourists even have to have a photo taken with a gelato on cone. The masks there are obviously one of the highlights of Venice. I hear that the masquerade party on the streets is sometime in February. There are the cheap ones and there are also the more elaborate ones,...
About 12 euros. I think this is 300 euros.
I went on a gondola (remember to bargain in future... the average price is about 80-90 euros but we managed to bring it down to 60 euros) and I literally baked under the sun. My skin was burning and it was really hard to enjoy the ride when I had to keep shifting my handbag from one part of my body to the other to keep it shaded for a while.
I was disappointed that my gondolier didn't sing for us... He only sang at the very end of the ride :(
It was hard to concentrate when talking to my colleague and not think about LV. I wonder why.
The buildings are old, very old, and a majority of it are poorly maintained. Some houses are painted with bright colours and have potted flowers at the balcony but some houses have gates so worn down I don't even know if there are still people there.
Do you think anyone still lives behind these rusty gates?
And to prove the point that stupid tourists are always within peeping distance of your private space... According to my gondolier, there are two doors for every house. One faces the small lanes and the other faces the canal.
After 5 hours, we were bored out of our minds. Didn't help that the weather was very hot so we just wanted to get back to Milan a.s.a.p.
We were wondering where was the Venice that was "so charming" and we found it at the last hour of our visit -__________-
Here is the Venice that I was looking for... and I found it an hour before my train was to depart. Do you see that mark on my lower lip? That's my sad story. Everyone's been asking me about it the last few months but I've had this mark since I was a kid! Has it grown bigger?
We went across the bridge for dinner. That place seemed like a nice place beside the river. It was gonna be expensive, no doubt about it. My colleagues ordered pasta and each plate was about 15 euros. I followed the waiter's recommendation for the day and ended up with this...
Looks good right? Tasted pretty good too. My only gripe - the bony fish.
When the bill came, I almost died. 45 euros for that! It could never be worth my RM250 for that kinda food!!! I wanted to kill myself for not checking how much it was gonna cost me. That was an expensive lesson.
Anyway we got back to Milan at about 8.30 p.m. And found out that I had gotten a tan that day...
So that's Venice. Been there, done that. Don't think will do it again. It looks good in pictures but definitely over-rated.... But I'm thinking maybe if I had very good company then it could be a different story.