ANZAC Day

I have always had a fascination to war stories, battles, tactics, and the whole business of war. but like what Solid Snake says in Metal Gear Solid 4, war isn’t pretty. it isn’t what Hollywood wants us to think it is, sending in lone soldiers who willingly take down the world’s evil people and bust people’s guts and balls whilst doing so. war is gritty. war is bloody. war is real.

but to quote Band of Brothers… there was a time when the world asked ordinary people to do extraordinary things. they depended on each other, and the world depended on them.

in the tumultuous times of war, brave men and women stepped up to the plate, to give their time in service of the nation. the bugel call was sounded, and people from all corners of the country came, fulfilling what they saw was their patriotic duty. people felt that the oppression had to be stopped, and instead of talking, they wanted to do something instead. while the possibility of death, injury, capture, or all three were high, it was the price that people were willing to pay to ensure the freedom of the world.

while times may have changed now, with skeptics blaming the war economy and all, let us not forget that even though the politicians fight dirty and with each other, the business is still done on their behalf by the humble soldier. the one that puts on his uniform every morning, the one that paints his face to break up the prominent facial features, the one that comes to stand to at the moment of first light and first dawn, the one facing the oncoming rounds of bullets and rockets. the one who is/was/will be there.

let us not forget the ones that fell before us, for they died in service of the nation. let us not forget that their deaths were not in vain, and that lessons and objectives were gained through the sacrifice of these brave and young men and women.

Australians always say that the birth of the nation was during the Battle of Gallipoli. that the notion of mateship was forged on the rocky peninsula in modern Turkey. to me, the notion of national sacrifice was forged on those hills. where brave men, some as young as 16, came face to face with death. many did not get away from death’s grasp, and some even died through protracted battles and unsanitary conditions, but the experienced shaped the psyche of modern Australia.

Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, and a commander of the Ottoman troops during the Battle of Gallipoli, sums it up nicely with a saying that can be found at ANZAC Cove….

Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.

I echo Ataturk’s call. to remember the fallen, the heroes who gave their lives and blood for the pursuit of an idea. that when somebody dies, it is the death of someones son. and that the pain experienced by a mother through losing her son is universal and transcends all boundaries. every culture has a word/phrase for the said pain. yet, it is comforting to know that your once foes have no accepted you into their bosom, and that the tears are shared. that both sides recognised the incredible sacrifice that both sides had to go through, and whilst not condemning each other by pointing fingers, recognise that the price for peace was paid by these brave young men and women.

we remember the fallen, not because of the ideas that they fought for, but because they sacrificed themselves whilst representing the country. we remember the fallen because if it wasn’t for their bravery and sacrifice, the world might be totally different from the one we live in right now. we remember the fallen.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

We will remember them.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

lest we forget

war is not pretty

Victorian Bush Fire Appeal

unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have heard of the devastation that Victoria has experienced in the recent bush fire troubles. it has been a really traumatic time for the victims and their families, and it has definitely been a very tough experience to the CFA who are valiantly trying to battle and contain the fires.

bush animals are also seriously affected, with scores of animals being burnt.

but beneath all the animals that have been lost or have suffered burns, we also need to remember that this tragedy also has a human dimension to it. a click point of your browser to websites like The Age will show you the human side of devestation and tragedy that Victorians have experienced.

donation drives have been started by many organisations, and I urge you people to donate some money to them in order to aid in the rebuilding efforts. if you are based in Australia, donate through your local banks or post office. shops like Coles and Trampoline will also be offering all profits from sales that take place on the 13th of February to the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal.

if you’re not based in Australia, you can use a credit card to donate a minimum of $5 to the appeal. the donation is done through a secure website hosted on the Red Cross website itself. the website also contains information pertaining to the appeal can be found here, and the donation links can be found here. just to give you an incentive to donate if you’re a Singaproean, the Singapore dollar is actually slightly stronger than the Australian dollar now. so you are giving away less for more, and to people who may need it more than you.

more information pertaining to how you can help can be found in the quote belowed, taken from the News.com.au site

You can donate to the Red Cross State Government Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund by clicking on the link.

Phone: 1800 811 700

Go to any NAB, ANZ, Westpac or Commonwealth Bank branch

Go to any Bunnings store

Make a direct deposit to the Victorian Bushfire Relief Fund
BSB 082-001, Account number 860-046-797

Australia Post will donate $1 million to the bushfire relief fund and collect donations in more than 4000 post offices across the country.

Managing Director Graeme John said people will be able to donate immediately at Australia Post outlets.

Another appeal set up is the Myer Bushfire Appeal. All proceeds will go to the Salvation Army. Donate at any Victorian Myer store

even if you do not want to donate for whatever reasons, keep the victims and their families in your prayers. they need them now in their darkest hours.

picture hosting credit to dwn_boi of OzHonda forums

a different, albeit original, view of photography

if pictures of dead people scare you, I don’t suggest you click on some of the links listed within the post itself.

many many many many many years ago, way before the average reader of this blog was born, photography was used as a form of documenting the family portraiture. things haven’t really changed much since the 1800s, in terms of documentation of the family and portraiture, but there has been a complete paradigm shift when it comes to photographing the subject.

now, our subjects are vibrant, looking off into the distance as if to contemplate the complexities of life and what to have for dinner. pictures also encapsulate the joy that is playing in the water fountain, or the happiness and relieve of getting one’s degree.

but, in the 1800s, photography was used to document the family upon the passing of a family member. in case you didn’t quite understand that, let me try to rephrase it into something simpler.

they took pictures of dead people.

simple enough?

as macabre as it sounds, I still think it is a very touching aspect of photography. we all take pictures because ultimately, the scene which we are trying to capture (albeit without the idiot who always ruins group pictures at clubs!) is something worth remembering, a keepsake. we want to forever hold on to that memory (at least until the hard disk containing all our precious pictures crashes), and to be able to reflect on it a day in the future. transpose it back a couple of hundred years, and you get the rough idea as to why people wanted to do it. dying was a very common thing back then, due to the general lack of sanitation and the lack of advancement in medical science and health care in general. I would dare to stick my neck out of the woods and say that people were a lot more comfortable around a dead body back then than they are right now. this comfort also allowed people to take pictures of their loved ones in their final resting state, so as to allow them to have forever, a portrait of their loved one even though he/she/it may have passed on.

fast forward a couple of hundred years later to modern society, and we’re all spooked out by death and the presence of dead people. however, this has not detered some people into capturing moments such as death. granted, some forms of death may not necessarily be the most peaceful of deaths, but these people have tried to capture in essence, the very natural transformation of human lives. two photographers documented the lives (and deaths) of patients in a cancer hospice, and in essence summed up the fears, joy, and peace that the patients were experiencing prior to passing.

another touching project I found was “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep“, or NILMDTS,  which captures images of parents who have lost their children immediately after child birth. NILMDTS is a foundation that “is there for parents and families to help aid them in their Healing, bring Hope to their future and Honour to their child” and that “it is through Remembrance that a family can truly begin to heal.”

I must admit, I am a very touched by the idea of people who are willing to go beyond current social norms so as to aid people in remembering their story, or their loved one’s story. although it may not necessarily be the norm in the Asian society that I am from (since there is a huge hullabaloo with regards to the dead), the idea of remembering our loved ones through pictures of them in their final and peaceful resting state is touching, heart warming, and tear jerking at the same time. sure, I will get the goosebumps knowing that it is a picture of somebody who has passed on, but I guess at the end of the day, the only difference between the picture of my loved one who has passed on and of the same loved one whilst he/she/it was living would be my perception of him/her/it.

it is only freaky because I perceive for it to be freaky. but why such perception, when it is merely an image of my loved one?

(photocredit for other pictures to Flickr users so.sarah and tsgfarnetti.)

2009 and counting

so, I spent the new year sick on my bed, and coughing up copious amounts of sputum. maybe it was due to my stupidity and stubbornness that only lead me to actually wanting to see the doctor on the 4th of January. I just thought I gave my immunity a chance to beat the suckers out of the system, but I guess I was over-estimating my capabilities, and ignoring the fact that I’m no longer as healthy as I would like to think I am.

anyway, the heralding of the new year brings about a certain mood in me, a particularly reflective mood. more often than not, I would like to think that I have done my utmost best in the year that has passed, and that if I was given a chance to live it again, that I wouldn’t be doing anything different. I can’t really say the same for the year 2008, especially from an academia standpoint. I wouldn’t really go into detail as to where I feel I actually went off tangent, but let me just say that it has left a sour taste in my mouth, both from an academia point of view and from looking at Monash as an administrative body point of view.

I guess I should be thankful that it did go through rather trouble-free. apart from my late night hospital visit for the nasty iliopsoas tendonitis that I got from playing soccer, or me almost breaking my ankle by rolling on it from playing tennis. I guess these are the signs that my body isn’t what it used to be all those years ago, and that I should start monitoring myself again for the sake of my health (and wallet. have you seen how astronomical medical expenses can be?)

2008 also brought in the era of me picking up my guitar again. I used to be an avid guitar fan, and thought that guitars were the way to attracting girls to you. I  have since learnt that unless you have a really long hair do (preferably with a mullet of sorts), and you have hair all over your arms and chest and show such hair prominently by being bare-bodied or by sporting a tank top, that such girls do not exist. either that, or I’ve been lied to again via imagery that I see of such rock stars on MTV/Channel V/Youtube. DAMN YOU LIBERAL MEDIA!

I know I am about 9 days too late in doing this, but here’s wishing the readers a happy and prosperous new year. may all your wishes come to fulfilment in one way or another, and may you have peace and love throughout the year. let’s hope that the world rallies together to get out of the misery that is the economic slow down and global recession fears.

affairs of the doggie’s heart #4

this will be a short post with regards to the condition of Princess. it isn’t due to me not having anything to say about her current condition but rather we’ve been told to go back on the 31st of December for another check. What is happening now would just be us monitoring her condition and making sure she is kept out of situations that require her to make major use of balance, such as stair climbing or rough physical activity like fetching.

I’m both relieved and still slightly anxious over her physical health, but I guess this is all a part of her enjoying her sunset years.

affairs of the doggie’s heart #3

Princess seems to be a lot better now. she still vomits when she wakes up in the morning, but the incidences of nausea is only isolated to that time frame. she is still incontinent though, although I was told that this incontinence has been an ever present problem for a while now, and has not been exacerbated by her current condition.

Princess still walks with her head cocked to the left. there has been noticeable differences in her gait, particularly how her hind legs spread outwards when she is standing still, very much like a tripod. there is also a slight tremor-like occurrence on her front left feet when she is leaning towards her right. despite all these problems, she is still quite active (comes out to look for my mum or I when we’re not around, comes out to look for the source of food that she smelt), and even barked at a stranger that walked past our unit.

I don’t know if these are signs to be optimistic by, because the underlying causes of this problem could be more significant than what was first thought. only the visit to the vet later would tell us a bit more (hopefully). my only wish is that she doesn’t suffer. that’s the least I can ask for a member of my family for the past 14 odd years.

affairs of the doggie’s heart #2

it’s been two days since the worsening of Princess’ condition, and it isn’t getting any better. the anti-nausea drugs do not seem to be working on her as she is chucking out copious amounts of undigested food. my main concern right now apart from the obvious weight loss is the loss of fluids and electrolyte imbalance as a result.

honestly, this isn’t panning out well and as each hour goes by, I am grateful that she has not chucked. she is suffering from incontinence and that is made worse by her current condition. incontinence is something we can deal with since it is part and parcel of growing old (to a certain extent), but if she isn’t able to absorb nutrients that are beneficial for her continued growth and sustenance, then that in itself will produce a serious issue.

her look of confusion as she approaches me pains me. it is the same look one would give when suffering from a terminal disease and pain that one cannot be alleviated from. she still responds rather happily and readily to food (anything but kibble), and still comes over for hugs and pats when motioned to do so (she is getting deaf and hence can’t hear properly).

I really really hate this situation that I’m in now. is it selfish of me to ask for it to end now? or am I being too cruel in not being willing to endure the pain and hurt that I will be exposed to each time I touch my dog’s now skinny body.

I really am at a loss.

affairs of the doggie’s heart

certain readers might know that I have a four legged friend named Princess. she’s a 14 year old English Golden Cocker Spaniel, and has been with me for most parts of my life… discounting the past few years I have spent in Australia.

recently (just yesterday, actually), she has been feeling rather ill. nausea, diarrhea, cocking of the head, loss of strength in her hind legs. in essence, I thought it was her arthritis acting up again since I was told that this had happened before earlier in the year.

at the vet, some blood work was done on her and all readings came back to be within the range of normal function. a twitch in the left eyelid was noticed, and nystagmus was observed in both her eyes. the doctor did not arrive at a diagnosis as there were a couple of possible explanations for what was happening to her, namely an inner ear infection or a neural occurrence. she likened the neural occurrence to be something similar to a stroke, but not a stroke per se; whilst the inner ear infection was linked to the sensation of nausea (since the sense of balance is attained via the ear canal fluids). antibiotics were dispensed to try to deal with a possible inner ear affection, as well as an anti-inflammatory shot plus an anti-nausea shot.

I can’t help but feel very hopeless and terribly sad that my dog is going through such trauma. funny thing is, she still gets stimulated by the smell of food (be it hers or mine!) and she is still active enough to walk towards us when she smells food on the table. apart from that, she is resting most of the time, and does not have the strength to do anything else.

it has only been a very recent occurrence, and I’m just terribly worried about how the situation may pan out. I have entertained thoughts of the inevitable happening, but never did I figure that the day might be here so soon. like the vet said, she’s not in any immediate risk of passing away anytime soon, but that being said… would her quality of life be affected at all? would prolonging her misery for my selfish reasons of not wanting to make a hard decision make her suffer even more?

I hate being here now. I wish I was the irresponsible child, back in Australia and having a whale of a time away from this all. unfortunately, this is my dog (even though I do not pick up its poop or walk it anymore) and like it or not, I’ve got to face up to reality and make the decision when the time comes.

still doesn’t change the fact that I hate being here now.

the music in me

it would be narcissistic of me to say that music has always been my sole passion and I aim to excel in this passion of mine. narcissistic because 1.) music isn’t exactly my sole passion, I thought phrasing it that way would get your attention, and 2.) because to be honest, I just want to be proficient in it.

they say that music soothes even the most savage of beasts, and that the tune and melody of music transcends all boundaries, physical or socially constructed. that melody can be constructed by just 12 notes is as amazing as knowing that Carbon 12 can be found in most, if not all of matter throughout the universe. this melodic structure allows us, mere mortals and human beings, to convey a myriad of emotions on an extraordinarily fascinating level. be it if you were just a part time musician, or a full professional in it for the passion, we all know what music can do for us and for the population in general.

in essence, music is just fricking sweet to quote Peter Griffin.

I have recently tried my hand at re-mastering the wonderful instrument known as the guitar. how adolescent males would stand in front of the mirrors and do their best impression of a solo being rendered out by Slash, or Buckethead. or how, you would imagine yourself being in the midst of an orgy of fans screaming your name whilst you belt out this amazing finger numbing solo that serves to vapourise the knickers of all the ladies in the crowd. the symbol of the guitar to teenage boys what the Power Sword is to Prince Adam. in a time where facial features are beset with acne, and where ones vocal range is as limited as (insert name of actor/actress who you think just can’t hack it)’s ability, the guitar served as a stable anchor point, upon which one would feel safe to withdraw into. the guitar, amongst numerous other items of fancy at that time, offered a serene platform on which I was able to claim some sort of mastery over it, all whilst experiencing unstable times in physical and mental development.

wonderful as it might have been, I did give up all hope on the guitar after experiencing what has got to be the most unmotivated guitar teacher teaching me. a fellow friend can attest to how the money we paid for lessons could have been better spent on other things, like taking pictures of ourselves in gigantic Neoprint machines (back in the days where there was a clear separation of technology, phones didn’t have any camera offerings and digital photography was at its mere infancy!)

but recent happenings (including the introduction of an awesome thing called Guitar Hero) have spurred me on to plonk some money down on a decent axe and some fundamental lessons to re-learn/re-educate/re-format past experiences.

this promises to be the start of a beautiful relationship, one which I regret abandoning a long time ago. thankfully, for my sanity, music does not know any trangression against the user. it merely facilitates the expression of emotion.

expressing my emotions, for now, is what I am doing through Leo Fender’s creation.

the infinite madness

madness comes in all shapes and forms.

in colloquial terms, madness is normally associated with mental instability and unawareness of the self.

in creation terms, madness is normally associated with the platypus.

and in my terms, madness is associated with everything.

everything and anything I say.

casual observations have led me to belief that this world is besieged by maniacs who probably do not have a clue as to what is going on outside the four walls of their oddly constructed reality. people seemingly in a rush to get to places unknown, with reckless regard to if they even arrive at all, let alone in one piece.  or that in my idiocy, I decided to stay at home and do absolutely nothing instead of spending it on something more productive, like trawling the web for interesting and random articles/facts that will only do me good on a trivia night many moons later.

a thousand thoughts are running through my head, each of them with different finishing lines. they do not compete with each other to vie for the number one spot in my cerebral processing sphere of influence, nor do they sit in the background and engage in idle banter. they just do their things. namely, to finish the race and irritate me with my sheer moments of randomness when I am engaged in other stuff.

oh woe to me. that I should engage in such useless activities that consume almost all my time, energy and effort. woe to me for not picking up the book to read, or the guitar to play.

and it is with this sentence that this thought has reached its finishing line.

PS. I’m not mad. no, seriously.