wicked news. (:

for all wicked lovers out there,

this is absolute joy!

~

it's a rainy day and i'm at the NIE campus. i need some time to settle myself down and prepare for classes all over again next week. the cycle of lectures/tutorials/group projects/GESL (don't ask.)/2500-word essays/research has descended upon me again.

welcome to NIE.

edinburgh.

disaster strikes on a new day in scotland.

my camera was drowned in water.

hence pictures here were taken with the Nokia N95 8GB camera,

5mp with a carl zeiss lens.

edinburgh is a beautiful city.

it's old, so rich in history and culture and music and traditions. stories and legends.

its people are friendly, laid-back and the city has a relaxing vibe to it.

they celebrate their history and embrace their traditions.

the love the tartans, bagpipes and legends. and the whisky.

do NOT spell whisky as whiskey in scotland, for you will get frowns and disdain from the scots. they hate american whiskEy. (:

scott momument; edinburgh city center, along princes street.

princes street gardens. good day to chill in the sun and read a book.

along royal mile, the scotch whisky experience.

a museum showcasing all about the scotch whisky (no E!)

the mills of the tartan factory. the exhibition also shows the different tartan patterns of the different scottish clans, including the macDougals (ie. SATC fans, charlotte's ex-husband) and many other scots we know in hollywood.

edinburgh castle guard. protectors of the castle, in klits.

a canon fires at 1pm everyday. it used to inform the army and navy of the time, back in the days without watches and clocks. and firing at 1pm, instead of 12pm, will save them a lot of money. how smart.

a young canadian guy asked my guide,

"so what time is the 1pm gun salute?"

"oh, it's 30minutes after 1230pm"

"oh ok." guy replies, very satisfied with my guide's answer.

the royal mile, runs from the castle for a scottish mile (1.8km)

overlooking the train station from a street near the royal mile.

the scottish parliament building, with its cutting-edge,

hard-to-understand avant-garde architecture.

outside the parliament building. the plateau/hills, called Arthur's seat, was part of an ancient volcano that edinburgh is sitting on.

and people can climb up and admire the views of the city.

a sweeping view of princes street gardens.

calton hill. i love this photo a lot. (:

partial view of the city on calton hill. part of Arthur's seat.

edinburgh city.

flowers bloom in spring.

a peek at Nelson's monument on calton hill.

nelson's momument.

for admiral horatio nelson, commander of british fleets during the napolean wars, the battle of trafalgar.

part of the inscription writes,

"...not to express their unavailing sorrow for his death; nor yet
to celebrate this matchless glories of his life; but, by his noble example, to
teach their sons to emulate what they admire, and, like him, when duty requires
it, to die for their country."

a peek at the (unfinished) national monument.

the national momument, looks suspiciously like the parthenon in athens.

built for the people who died in the napoleanoic wars.

dripping with satire.

everyone is in uproar over the cover of the latest new yor*ker cover.

(AP/new yorker)

well, only in america, can such a picture run on the cover of a well-respected magazine. the first ammendment can really be a pain. in sharp contrast, singapore takes you to court with its best lawyers and sucks you dry.

anyway, most people took it the opposite way that it was intended. even the oba*ma campaign. disgusted by the radical protrayal of the rumors and myths and lies that ob*ama's (right-wing and far-right-wing) opponents have tried to spread, disguising it as political satire; with the message of the politics of fear being used by his opponents, that oba*ma is muslim, anti-america, pro-middle-east, and even dragging michelle oba*ma into the cauldron of fire.

and one article on huffington post i read, praised the courage of the new yo*rker staff, for raising the standard of public debate by bringing the issues surrounding the elections and oba*ma himself up 1000 levels. by throwing this cover into the world, everyone is commenting, blogging, with the 24-hr media news cycle going at it, providing a platform for the issues to be raised and cleared of their doubts and truths be surfaced and lies banished. political commentators are forced to re-examine the facts and truths and separate them from the lies myths and rumors. in a way, if the hand if played carefully and correctly, it could well work its advantage to the obama campaign.

judging by the number of articles on the this very subject everywhere in the news (well, everywhere except the str*aits times), i'd say this huffpost writer is spot on. and i incline to agree, with apprehension. i do hope it plays well to oba*ma's advantage, and that despite the cover, americans can be trusted to look beyond the surface (well, after being offended and closing their jaws) and consider the candidates in a truthful light, not as painted by the media. and vote wisely!!

anyway i went on to read the very long article in the new yor*ker about bar*ack oba*ma. it's a good read, with plenty of ancedotes and quotes and insights into his life, before and after he was senator and presidential candidate. and i love this.

“Some people who knew of my activism in the community asked me would I be
interested in running for that office,” Obama said in Ames. “And so I did what
every wise man does when confronted with such a decision: I prayed on it, and I
asked my wife.”

speaking of obam*a, there's this cute interview with the obama* family, with their 2 daughters and is available on youtube. the daughters dish embarrassing stories about their dad and it's really sweet. (: link here.

alright. i have more time on my hands in school than you can even imagine. hence the increase in blogging, and surfing news websites. (:

scotland's princes and castles.

i start my journey at london's king's cross station,
looking for cheap lunch and platform 9 3/4
and boarding the train at the wrong coach. (:

my train journey was greeted by fatigue from the long flight,
hunger from the reluctance to spend precious pounds on food,
heavy backpacks,
and the beautiful scenery outside.

little huts, cows grazing, sheeping chilling,
fields of endless yellow flowers,
daisies, perhaps.

the reservation slip peeks out behind my seat.
all ready for my 5 hr train journey from london's king's cross to scotland.

the flowers start blooming in spring.

the ruins of st. andrew's cathedral.
it's a little haunting, quiet, yet strong.

a sidewalk in the small university town at sunset.

the campus in the day. physics and astronomical sciences.

the beaches of st. andrew's at sunset.

there's something lovely and romantic about
such inscriptions on benches.
this bench faces the sea, and it's just serene sitting there.

part of university of st. andrew's campus.

st. andrew's cathedral and the cloudy sky.

this beautiful world i know.

Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.

I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why.

Are we listening?
Hymns of offering.
Have we eyes to see?
Love is gathering.

All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down.
'Cause it's the world I know.

It's the world I know.
- collective soul

many insights to education.

and it's comforting that i see the work of selfless individuals,

working to change lives, one student at a time.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

- Deuteronomy 6:6-7