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I was just watching a documentary on the cause and effects of the Mumbai Flooding of 2005 on National Geographics which killed over 1,000. Shortly after, CNN reports the devastating earthquake in Maule, Chile. This quake was huge - 8.8 in magnitude and ranking in the top 10 for largest earthquakes by magnitude. Another Chilean earthquake in Valdivia (1960) ranks #1 at 9.5 magnitude. That wasn't so long ago.

The world is still struggling with the recent Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010. Haiti's 7.0 magnitude earthquake ranks #3 in terms of deadliest earthquakes after 2 others from China, Shaanxi (1556) and Tangshan (1976). Haiti's death Toll stands at 233,000 after one month is still raising.

Interestingly, the Chile earthquake though big seem to be well managed due to the country's high encounters with this nature of disaster. Of cause, we are still gathering the after effects reports which will trickle in days to come. Their death toll currently stands at 400 as the epi-centre is largely unpopulated.



Haiti still needs help and unfortunately for them, they'll now need to share the pie. We all certainly can afford to be more generous.



According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' publication Thirty years of natural disasters 1974-2003:

Over the past 30 years, the number of reported natural disasters has increased steadily, from slightly fewer than 100 in 1975 to a little more than 300 in 2003, an almost four-fold increase.

In general there are three primary factors causing this trend. Namely:
1) Environmental degradation
Deforestation, over grazing, river channelization, and destruction of mangrove swamps etc.

2) Population growth and urban migration
Overpopulation and population density in one area.

3) Climate Change
Raising sea levels, increased rainfall and drought.
Scientists are starting to study whether earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are impacted by the retreat of glaciers and the melting of ice sheets.

Mother Earth is speaking... are we listening...

Read:
Saving Mother Earth in simple ways
Brushing Shoulders with Danger!
Yet another EARTHQUAKE Strikes from Sumatra!
Google Maps on the Sichuan Earthquake
I Felt the Earth MOVED!
In the middle of an EARTHQUAKE aftershock!

Who am I to disagree...
Introducing my new Sealy Prosturepedic mattress.
Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite!


All decked up. It's nice to know that Queen size sheets fit well on this 11 inch mattress.


Seal of Guarantee. The Posturedepic and above models comes with Sealy's 10 years guarantee certificate. Let's see if I'll need to use it...


More Mambo Jumbo around the bed.

While we were in Bali, the girls decided to book a 90 min session at the Hard Rock Bali Boom Box Recording Studio. The sound proof studio has a resident sound engineer working on a 32 track sound console. I guess that was more to impress us, it wasn't really used (obviously) for our recordings. We were equipped with a mic, 3 headphones and a small karaoke styled TV monitor to flash out the lyrics of our song choices. Trust me when I say 'KARAOKE'... my veins still eek with phobia from the last karaoke session we had with Sr. Wendy... and that was like three years ago!


FSP Bali Boom Box Recording - Joy to the World | Music Upload
I like how we all screwed up and had fun doing this song... like buffoons learning a new stunt.


FSP Bali Boom Box Recording - That Thing You Do | Upload Music
This is our more coordinated track and we were still pretty uncoordinated!

Hey, if we could sing like professionals, we would be REAL singers!
We recorded 2 other songs, Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

5:45am - Awaiting sunrise at the top of an active volcano, Mount Batur. Overlooking Mount Abang and Lake Batur. About one hour's drive from Ubud and two hours climb up 1,717 metres (5,633 feet). Mount Batur is the 2nd most active volcano in Indonesia with it's last eruption as recent as 2000.


Looking back at our descend of Mount Batur as volcanic ashes make great agriculture grounds.




Opening our doors to a small patch of Paddy field each morning at Cendana Ubud.


Long-tailed macaques monkeys infest the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal (Ubud).




The Pura Dalem Agung Temple within Monkey Forest




Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave). The centerpiece is a cave dating back to the 11th century, the entrance to which is an ornately carved demon's mouth. Inside are some fragmentary lingam and yoni statues, as well as a statue of Ganesha. Large carved guards stand around pools near the entrance and a little path leads to a waterfall, rice fields and some Buddhist stupa fragments. Other parts of the Goa Gajah complex were not excavated until the 1950s. Nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.






Pura Tanah Lot or Tanah Lot Temple, about 20 km from Denpasar. The temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Instead of the picturesque sunset scene we took the chance at noon's low tide to walk across to the temple where a Holy Spring flows. This place definitely deserve another visit at sunset.


A splendid morning of bumming at Kuta Beach.

Read:
Panoramic Sydney World Youth Day 2008
Panoramic Sydney
Chongqing 阳光100 (Sunshine 100) view of Chao Tian Men (朝天门) Harbour

Serangoon National Library to open early 2011

I for one will be looking forward to this. Woot!

Filipino, Philippines "Dancing Inmates" from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid to learn performances from THIS IS IT.

Somehow, Payne overshadows the Jacko inmate fans. Making their performance in "Thriller" and "Dangerous" more true to heart.