Tuesday, December 30, 2008

die. a rear. constant trepidation.

One of the activities one usually(all the time actually) undertakes in the private is maintaining the cleanliness of one's behind. More specifically, the specific part of the body which is responsible for the last part of the digestive cycle. In the maintenance of the aforementioned body part, there are some situations which are generally more unpleasant to deal with. One has no choice but to carry on with it's cleaning anyway. Or just ignore the problem and leave it be, imagining its cleanliness from a Zen-like state of mind. So there is a choice after all. If you happen to be one of those who chooses the latter, I think what I have to say is something you would not be familiar with. Furthermore, I would like to break all ties with you. But I digress.

When undertaking the task of cleaning your rear end after the conclusion of a business deal, the type of business you have just concluded is very important in the procedures you take to clean up. First of all, you must determine the solidity of the substance you have just exiled from your body. This has a close link with the kind of food you have consumed. It turns out that consumption of fibrous substances which make you lose appetite(vegetables) would add solidity to your excrement(It had to come to a point where I have to be direct), while consumption of laxatives(on purpose, accidentally or via the appointment as an unsuspecting victim of a cruel prank) would add a certain liquid quality to it. Of course, all of this is just a baseless assumption made without any consideration of facts. If you wanted facts, this is probably a bad place to find it.

In any case, if the stools are relatively solid, then your job is straightforward(relatively of course). Pull a few sheets of toilet paper and proceed with a simple wipe up. If you happen to own one of those spiffy toilet bowls with seat temperature control and a control which activates the little nozzle on the end of a retractable pipe to spray water in either a stream or a bidet up your bottom, it would be a good move to press the button to activate the control which activates the little nozzle on the end of a retractable pipe to spray water in either a stream or a bidet up your bottom. Also, I would like to be your friend, so that I can have a chance to twiddle the switches.

If the stools are relatively liquid, the job is actually more straightforward than one might think. The wipe up is easy due to the liquid nature of the stools, though it is advisable for the thickness/ply/number of sheets of the toilet paper used to be increased, thereby increasing the distance between your hand and the stools, in order to avoid the liquid part of the stool moving through the toilet paper and contacting your hand via osmosis. Still, it isn't that hard is it?

If one has suffered from food poisoning, the likelihood of the above mentioned stool being mixed with various noxious gases is very high. The likelihood of the gas and the liquid being engaged and a fierce competition to exit your body is also very high. The likelihood of them emerging as joint champions is also very high. So is the likelihood of the rest of your bottom ending up extremely unclean due to the explosiveness of the competition. Therefore, proceed with care to clean up each and every corner of your bottom(I know it is very difficult to have a corner on your rear unless it happens to be oblong shaped). Also take care not to release anymore substances during the process of cleaning up. In this case, no one can help you. Not even a zen-like state of mind.

There is also the possibility of the substance being extremely clingy and refusing to make a clean exit. In that case, one will find the use of toilet paper extremely futile, due to some of the substance still being in the body. As such, patience is a virtue. Sit on the throne for a while more(books and newspapers are a great help) and wait for the forces of gravity and your rear-end muscles to act on that little irritating nuisance. After you have made certain that all of the substance is expelled, proceed to clean up according to the solidity(most likely a little on the soft side).

There are also incidences where in the process of cleaning up, one chances upon discoveries unknown to the world(and are likely to remain unknown). Such as a pimple near the exit. Or what looks like blood on the toilet paper when you look at it to ascertain the cleanliness of your behind. My first reaction when I discovered something like that in mine was to think "bloody shit". I questioned the quality of the toilet paper, or other factors that could have caused such a thing to happen. At an unfortunate closer observation revealed that they were in fact, chili flakes, probably consumed together with the Korean noodles I had for morning tea break.

Finally, after you have ensured that your behind is free of unwanted substances, remember to wash your hands with soap. A zen-like state of mind will not clean it up. Also, I'd like to apologise to anyone, in fact everyone for even bringing up this topic. Such activities, of course, are meant to be done in private.

justin.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

in justice.

Sometimes, I really think I need the run of luck regarding this issue known as regimental duty. Here where I am, we are supposed to do it once every 2 months. I have been doing one every month, because I was activated as standby on Deepavali eve and the guy whom I had replaced had been posted out and unable to do my duty for me. On the fateful duty which I had done my own duty which the replacement could not do, I got an extra duty for doing what everyone does, because fate had decided to put a CSM at one of the checkpoints. And now, when my extra duty was planned on the 30th of this month, the officer decides to be a fucker and give it to me on the 31st. I really need a break from this shit.

justin.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

如烟

Beautiful lyrics. Not going to ruin them by translation.

我坐在床前 望著窗外 回忆满天 
生命是华丽错觉 时间是贼 偷走一切
七岁的那一年 抓住那只蝉 以为能抓住夏天
十七岁的那年 吻过她的脸 就以为和她能永远 
有没有那么一种永远 永远不改变 
拥抱过的美丽都 再也不破碎
让险峻岁月不能在脸上撒野 
让生离和死别都遥远 有谁能听见
我坐在床前 转过头看 谁在沉睡 
那一张苍老的脸 好像是我 紧闭双眼
曾经是爱我的 和我深爱的  都围绕在我身边
带不走的那些 遗憾和眷恋 
就化成最后一滴泪
有没有那么一滴眼泪 能洗掉后悔 
化成大雨降落在 回不去的街
再给我一次机会 将故事改写 
还欠了他一生的 一句抱歉
有没有那么一个世界 永远不天黑 
星星太阳万物都 听我的指挥
月亮不忙著圆缺 春天不走远 
树梢紧紧拥抱著树叶 有谁能听见
耳际 眼前 此生重演 
是我来自漆黑 而又回归漆黑
人间 瞬间 天地之间 
下次我 又是谁
有没有那么一朵玫瑰 永远不凋谢 
永远骄傲和完美 永远不妥协
为何人生最后会像一张纸屑 
还不如一片花瓣曾经鲜艳
有没有那么一张书签 停止那一天 
最单纯的笑脸和 最美那一年
书包里面装满了蛋糕和汽水 
双眼只有无猜和无邪 让我们无法无天
有没有那么一首诗篇 找不到句点 
青春永远定居在 我们的岁月
男孩和女孩都有吉他和舞鞋 
笑忘人间的苦痛 只有甜美
有没有那么一个明天 重头活一遍 
让我再次感受曾 挥霍的昨天
无论生存或生活 我都不浪费 
不让故事这么的后悔
有谁能听见 我不要告别
我坐在床前 看著指尖 已经如烟

Death be not Proud (Holy Sonnets: X)

I have never actually posted any form of poetry on my blog. But since I've used part of this piece by Donne on one of my earlier posts, I might as well share the poem with everyone.
____________________________________________________________

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure: then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

- John Donne

in defiance of gravity.

This piece was done sometime last year, when I still took Literature lessons. Found a word document of it lying around in one of my random folders and decided to share it. The inspiration comes from the prose done in Chinese by Ashin in the 离开地球表面 lyrics booklet. I hope everyone enjoys it. Below my adaptation is the original prose.
___________________________________________

Before the thunderstorm, I am always deepest in thought. I am more silent than anyone.

The moving pictures in my mind always begin in youth. Since, the age of 7, I have always loved that moment. When you smell the Earth emanating the richness of the soil. When you see the mystical ray of light emerging from the dark shrouds. Silently, time slows down and you feel wrapped in the wonderment of the moment.

The moment. It begins when the teacher walks out of the classroom, back to the office, lasting till the first marble-sized drop of rain embraces the soil. This moment, the world is mine. I take my recorder out from my school bag.

The music. I command the angels to descend. I command the elephants to float with the clouds, turning the world into what it should be like. I am the one-metre tall ruler, at the top of the world.

The plane lands with a jerk. I jolt awake from my dreams. I feel the strong vibrations of every tiny part of the giant 747. The rattling of each part put together, like a stampede of wildebeest. 2007. I land on the face of the earth.

The tiny conqueror of the past, now squeezed uncomfortably in the tiny abyss of a seat. Tired. Trays shake, paper cups topple, live evolves. Evolves into hundreds of thousands of days, securely shackled by gravity. The rain is pouring onto the city. The captain’s message through the public announcement fights a losing fight with the battle cries of each tiny drop. They, in turn battle the pull of gravity.

I only remember, in my dream. I did the same.
____________________________________________

「我 否定地心引力!」

大雨之前,我總是比誰都沈默。

印象裡,從我小學一年級開始,我就非常喜歡那個奇異的時刻。當你嗅到地球散發著帶土壤味的肌膚味道,當你看到操場籠罩著魔幻的天光,你就知道靜靜的感受那個時刻的美妙了。

從走廊上練著外丹功的老師回辦公室之後,到第一顆彈珠大的雨滴落下之前,世界就是我一個人的。我從書包拿出長笛,指揮天使下凡,控制大象離地,將世界布置成該有的樣子。我,是一個一百公分高的王者。

轟隆!飛機倏然落地,我從睡眠中驚醒。巨大的七三七,上萬個零件都劇烈的震動著,發出史前動物般的巨響。我降落在二零零七年的地球表面。

當時那個的充滿法力的小國王,現在疲憊的深陷在座椅裡面。毛毯抖落,紙杯傾倒,人生演化成萬把個被地心引力牢牢鎖住的日子。這個城市正下著大雨,機長嘈切的廣播吃力的跟雨聲搏鬥著。


只記得,在夢中,我狠狠地否定了地心引力。


justin.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

map please.

Competence has never been so hard to come by. Incompetence, on the other hand is found in mind-bogglingly large numbers. It's all real uplifting for the morale.

justin.