Quotable Quotes (again!)

"I certainly will be taking care when I am out walking my dog - I don't fancy meeting a lion on a dusky summer's evening."

- Mandy Thomson, 42, after the sighting of a lion by residents and holidaymakers sparked alarm in the Essex Village of St Osyth on 27th of August 2012.

Neil Armstrong: 1930-2012

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, has died, following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.

Armstrong's words, "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," spoken on July 20, 1969, as he became the first person ever to step onto another planetary body, instantly became a part of history.

Those few words from the Sea of Tranquillity were the climactic fulfillment of the efforts and hopes of millions of people and the expenditure of billions of dollars. A plaque on one of the lander's legs that concluded "We came in peace for all mankind," further emphasized that Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were there as representatives of all humans.

Armstrong is survived by his wife, two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, and a brother and sister.

"Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time," President Barack Obama said via Twitter. "Thank you, Neil, for showing us the power of one small step."

Statement from his family:

"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

Image and story credit: NASA

Quotable Quotes

"Don't be defeatist, dear. It's very middle class."

- Dowager Countess Violet Grantham to Lady Edith when she voiced out her belief that she would end up as the maiden aunt in the family, Downton Abbey, Season 2.

A meaningful Aidilfitri

Come any festive season, local training company Zubedy Sdn Bhd will always remind us the true meaning of any religious/cultural/national occassion through their advertisements. In the ad, the company would usually quote a prominent figure to drive the message home. For Aidilfitri this year, the company quoted Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Below is an excerpt from the ad:

"Choose the middle path: The end does not justify the means."

- Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub - Saladin (1138 - 1193); the gentlemen warrior who was noted for his chivalry, magnanimity, compassion and sensibility even during times of war.

Conflicts exist in the realm of politics, business and personal interactions. There must be certain rules of engagement in dealing with dissension. We must learn how to disagree and yet, respect each other.

Saladin, in motivating his army, did not condemn the opposing side. He pointed out the virtues that make their opponents strong, honoured and made them an example. He was a true leader.

Unlike Saladin, many of our leaders and their supporters play the zero-sum game and push things to the extreme. This gradually creates a divisive “I’m right and you’re wrong” gulf, leaving no room or possibility in seeing the good in others. This is poisonous.

We need to better our rules of engagement.

We need Malaysians:

Who know how to balance ambition and courtesy.

Who know how to compromise and yet stay true to their core values.

Who know it is vital to find a win-win situation.

Who engage each other in a civil and gentlemanly manner.

Who can disagree while respecting the other.

Who believe the end does not justify the means.

When we have better rules of engagement, we will have a positive culture to pass down to our young. We will create a nation that encourages courtesy, civility, thinking in our discourse and articulation.

Our legacy is to create a nation who believes in winning with honour and not to sacrifice the means in achieving the end.

Have a meaningful Aidilfitri.

Cat Commentary - Post-op

Cookies and Arrow had their spaying operation a week and a half ago and I brought them home last Saturday. Unfortunately, they still had their cones on (to prevent them from licking their stitches) and the lady at the vet said they should wear it for one more night. I was a bit distraught because they looked really uncomfortable with the cones on and I couldn't just leave them outside where they might not be able to properly defend themselves. So my sis and I thought of keeping them in the indoor garden for the night.

It seemed like a good idea until Cookies went to a corner and stayed there the whole time. We were getting a bit worried and when my sis went to check her out through a window in the store room (connected to the indoor garden), she saw how sad Cookies looked. I saw her expression as well and it was heartbreaking. Then we decided to get our sis-in-law (who's a doctor) to check their stitches. She had a look and said that it wouldn't make a difference if they were confined for another night because the stitches were already dry. That was the best news I heard that day. My sis and I promptly took off those bothersome cones and set the two free.

I was still a bit apprehensive though; after seeing the sad expression on her face, I was worried that Cookies would run off. Later that night, I found Cookies outside the door, waiting for supper.

Grade 5 Theory - done!

I feel so happy that I actually sat for my Grade 5 Theory exam last Saturday. I've been diligently doing the past year papers last month but haven't done any the last two weeks due to work, mostly. Due to this, it almost made me feel like not taking the exam. Anywho, I finally did and glad I did because it wasn't as hard as some of the past year exam papers! I hope I get good marks :D

The Green Rider - review

After reading the awesome Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin, any other book I read would pale in comparison. Boy, was I right. The book in question is The Green Rider by Kristen Britain. If memory serves me right, I had wanted to read this since my uni days but never could find it or never got around to it. I saw the books recently; I think it’s a new reprint with a beautiful cover of a winged horse. I must say the cover attracted me more than anything else this time around. Perhaps it was all the good reviews placed at the start of the book or the fact that it says "New York Times bestseller" on the cover, my expectations were high. It was a little naïve on my part. I mean, we all know bestseller doesn’t equate to a good book, just like blockbuster doesn’t necessarily mean good movie.

The book starts off by introducing its protagonist, Karigan G’ladheon who had just run away from school after beating silly a boy from an aristocrat family. She then stumbles upon a dying Green rider, messenger to the king. He asks that she deliver his crucial message to the king for there are others desperate to waylay him. Not knowing what else to do, she accepts the message and inadvertently accepts the quest put upon her. The starting is interesting enough but I just didn’t feel anything from the book. The descriptions of the towns and the country of Sacoridia could be any medieval city in any fantasy book. The characters themselves could be any generic fantasy character. The Merlin TV series have the same generic setting but the chemistry between the characters make up for that. As for George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, the description of the characters and places are very distinct and real. You can almost smell the stink of the city when he describes King’s Landing or similarly, when Discworld author Terry Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork.

Since I had already bought the 2nd book, Rider’s First Call (I bought it before I found the first book), I decided to read it even though my impression of the 1st book was pretty average. The writing has improved and there is more going on BUT there were too many elements taken straight out of Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings (the 1st book had it too). I wanted to pull my hair out when Karigan found herself among elf-like beings (called Eletians in the book) and was given a bowl of water to gaze into what was, what is and what may be. It’s Frodo and Galadriel all over again! That’s not the only LOTR element I found in the book but I won’t delve further. I speed read whenever I came across any of those scenes.

I also felt that the author wrote from the point of view of too many characters. This doesn’t give you much time to get to know the characters, so you end up not caring much whatever happens to them. In Song of Ice and Fire, Martin focusses on a few characters in each book. It may be frustrating when you’re desperate to know what happens to a character that will only appear in the next book, but it allows you to empathise with some of the characters and understand the real story behind their motivations. With too many characters, you just don’t know who to root for. I suppose in Rider's First Call, we’re supposed to root for Karigan but a lot of the time she gets help, so it seems like all she’s done is not through her own effort. I prefer reading about characters who really struggle and work hard to achieve what they want.

Nonetheless, I still want to read Rider’s First Call till the end since I bought the book. It wasn’t money well spent but it could be worse. I would say the 2nd book would be much better than the first if not for the many LOTR references used throughout the book. I know no one can write anything purely original but there are ways to make it your own. Clearly, that wasn’t the case in this book.

I guess overall the books are okay, there are some interesting bits. I like the idea of Green riders, they're kinda like Heralds from Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series. I might have liked it more if I read it during my uni days though (and if it had less LOTR elements).