Global Warming

"Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore tells US Senate there is 'no proof' humans cause climate change"

That title left me dumb founded. Really? That statement came out from Greenpeace co-founder?

I'm certainly not an expert in climate change, but what I do know is that this earth is certainly getting warmer than decades ago. There are proofs on that. Sea level is rising, ice caps are melting, drought is longer, weather is more extreme. Let me repeat; it certainly is a fact that the earth's temperature keep rising since 10 years ago. Mr Moore didn't deny it either.

So why waste time debating with IPCC's claim whether or not human activity is the dominant cause of the climate change? Even if it's not the dominant cause, the fact is the earth is getting hotter and hotter. Even if it's not the dominant cause, shouldn't we do something about this continuously increasing temperature? Even if it's not the dominant cause, isn't it still one of the cause?

I understand that knowing the dominant cause of global warming will lead to (maybe) efficient solutions on keeping the earth's temperature constant. But, how long shall we wait until we know what that is? While the scientists keep searching for the cause, the temperature won't stop rising.

Since the scientists already know that one of the cause is human activity, shouldn't we tackle this one problem first? However significant it is? For the good of mankind?

"However, I am confident that history will bear me out, both in terms of the futility of relying on computer models to predict the future, and the fact that warmer temperatures are better than colder temperatures for most species."        - Patrick Moore

Well, I doubt that he will participate in any action to reduce the rate of rising temperature.

There is no sure guarantee that the temperature will stop rising. Based on trend, scientists conclude that it will keep rising at uncontrollable rate if we don't do anything.

Certainly Mr Moore is not the one experiencing long drought in Africa, or evacuating to higher lands because of rising sea level. If this continues, I'm worried that Pulau Seribu, archipelago just west off Jakarta, will be no more. And many others islands. I'm worried that capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, will have to move somewhere else because it will be underwater by then. I'm worried that there is no enough land for people to live on.

And what a wonderful timing that I read an article about an ancient virus from 30,000 years ago was resurrected in a lab. Warmer world means more permafrost are rapidly melting. This discovery worries the experts that more harmful pathogens could be revived. Maybe by then one of the apocalypse movies is no longer a fiction.

Still think that a warmer world (and it will continue that way unless we do something I think) is better?

Happy new year 2014!

Yup, first of all..happy new year to you all!! I hope 2014 will be a great year for all of you. (Amen!)

In this new year which only 2 days have just passed by, I might have discovered a buried talent in me. It's... unexpectedly, a gift of... fortune telling? Or prophesying in other word.

I spent my Christmas and new year in Surabaya, hardly ever read any news, let alone opened Google news during my stay there. I was even too lazy to check on my Gmail. So I was not that updated in any international news.

Then one night, still a December night, I had this weird dream, where I learned the news that Yoona of SNSD (K-pop lover must know them at least) was dating Lee Min-ho (Heir, Faith). It really was out of nowhere. I wasn't watching or reading anything related to K-pop which can lead to that ridiculous dream before I slept that night. And I'm not a fan of SNSD or Lee Min-ho, so I wouldn't know about their latest gossips.

And then this afternoon, when I was bored, I browsed Google news and found out that THAT Yoona really is dating someone. But not with Lee Min-ho haha (she's dating Lee Seung-gi). So I was wrong there. But still, the news really is the same! And the guy's surname is the same!

Source: Channel NewsAsia, MediaCorp

A few months back, I just learned that Orlando Bloom was married to Mirranda Kerr (Victoria's Secret model). Then, a few weeks following, I was wondering whether their little family was still one, and they were. Then... a few days after that, they were divorced. They were not the first couple who divorced right after I was wondering how their relationship is.

Some don't-know-how-many-years-ago, I was wondering about how long Adjie Massaid, a pretty famous Indonesian celebrity, had been married to his 1^st wife, Reza Artamevia. They were still together when I thought about that. Then, around 2-3 days after, a big scoop on the newspaper said that they just divorced after almost 6 years of marriage. Ha.

The same thing happened on the then Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston couple. Since they were the first western celebrity couple whose wedding I watched on TV news, of course I got curious on how they were doing after a few years. A week after my curiosity rose, I read the news that they were getting a divorce. HA.

Well, let's just think that they are really big coincidences, shall we?

Look closely

I thought the camera was just panning to get the effect of the tree moving. Turns out they were swallowed by the sinkhole. Ha. Talk about peculiar things happening around the world.

How long do you need to work to buy one Big Mac?

Unfortunately, it's not applicable to Singapore since there is no minimum wage per hour set by Singapore Government. In Indonesia, people need to work 5.9 hours to be able to buy one Big Mac.

Smoky day, here I come!

News said that haze from Indonesia is back for the next few days, with PSI ranging between 50-100. This is still fine compares to the haze in June which peaked at 401, a new record high for the PSI level in Singapore.

It is still better days than in June. Sky is still clear and the smell doesn't stick to my body. But haze or no haze from Indonesia, I will still smell smoke these days. Sigh...

Happy belated birthday Indonesia!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!

It's supposed to be on 17th August haha.
better late than never :)

Anyway, this year Indonesia received a sweet birthday presents from our badminton athletes.

Year 3000

"I've been to the year three thousand

Not much has changed but they lived underwater..."

Remember that song? It's Year 3000 by Busted, now a disbanded pop rock band from England. It was a catchy song, with a funny imagination about the future world where everybody lives underwater.

Then I thought, their imagination is not impossible to happen in the future. Well, I don't know about our ability to live underwater, I'm talking about the world being submerged underwater.

Jinxed July 2013

The first month of the 2^nd half of the year has been a very eventful month. Most of it is coloured by grim news all over the world. Here is what has happened in month of July:

2nd July 2013	News from home: 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Aceh. What a way to start the month, especially when the Muslim-majority province was going to observe fasting during the month of Ramadan, starting on 9th July. The death toll is 35, with 275 injured.
3rd July 2013	Morsi, the then President of Egypt, denounced and thrown out of office.
6th July 2013	Lac-Megantic train derailment. An unattended runaway freight train carrying crude oil derailed in the town of Lac-Megantic, Canada, causing massive fire and explosion right at the centre of town’s centre. (Final Destination? Could be a potential storyline for the next horror/thriller summer movie)
6th July 2013	Another earthquake in North Sumatra; this time with magnitude of 6.0. No tsunami occurred.

For Running Man Lovers

 지석진 아저씨 대박!
ㅎㅎㅎ.. 차 차차 차차 살아있네 임팔라!

(Translation:
Uncle Ji Seok-jin awesome! Hahaha.. Cha cha cha cha cha Impala is alive!)

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/11/travel/impala-escapes-cheetahs

Some background story:

Thank You!

thank you for the sky so clean,
thank you for the air we breathe,
thank you for the wind that clears away the air,
thank you God for everything, Amen!
(sing to the tune of "Thank you for the World so Sweet" Sunday school song)

* I know it might be temporary, but I'm still thankful I can breathe a little more freely during the weekend; it allowed us to have our Sunday service normally :)

The Return of the Haze - "I'll be back..."

I blinked my eyes once, twice, thrice… It’s still blurry. Then I smelled the smoke. Oh, I thought, the haze has finally made its way back to Singapore. It slowly approached the island and surprised me with its presence on Tuesday morning. My morning looked like lala land with using smog as visual effect.

What has Indonesia done now, another forest fire? It seemed pretty bad… And as if the smell of the smoke was not enough, strangely the number of people smoking along my walk to the MRT increased by 4 fold. My lungs immediately screamed for fresh air. Well, I wouldn't get any until I reached MRT premises.