thin king

Hello,

Let's see the other side of the globe

Titicaca, or Titikaka, sounds like the name of a bird, the burong kaka, but it is not. It is also not related to the volcano Krakatua. It is actually a lake, a very fascinating one not very well-known to our side of the globe.

Lake Titicaca is located at 16°S 69°W, in the Altiplano (High Plateau), high in the Andes Mountains of South America, on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Titicaca has an average depth of between 140 m and 180 m, and a maximum depth of 280 m. It is 120 miles running northwest to southeast, and is 50 miles at its widest point. Its May tide is as much as 16 ft due to the vagaries of rainfall and evaporation. More than 25 rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated.

Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, at 3821 m (12,536 ft) above sea level. It is also South America's largest freshwater lake, with a surface area of approximately 8300 sq. km. Titicaca is the second largest lake of South America; second to Lake Maracaibo. Although Lake Maracaibo contains mostly freshwater it is connected by way of a 54-km (34-mile) strait to the Gulf of Venezuela, the Caribbean Sea, to the Atlantic Ocean.

The western part of the lake belongs to Peru, and the eastern side is located in Bolivia. A narrow strait, Tiquina, separates the lake into two bodies of water. The smaller, in the southeast, is called Lake Huinaymarca in Bolivia and Lake Pequeno in Peru; the larger, in the northwest, is called Lake Chucuito in Bolivia and Lake Grande in Peru.

Titicaca's waters are limpid and only slightly brackish, with salinity ranging from 5.2 to 5.5 parts per 1,000. Being an alpine lake only two species of fish are native to the lake - killifish (Orestias), a small fish usually striped or barred with black, and catfish (Trichomycterus). There are large frogs (Telmatobius ) that live up to 1 ft. long which inhabit the shallower regions of the lake. Trout was introduced in the 1950s..

The Incas called Cuzco, their capital in southern Peru, the navel of the world and the lake Titicaca The womb of Mankind. Lakeside dwellers of today regard themselves as the oldest people in the world.

The most important geographical features of Titicaca include the Copacabana peninsula which contains remains of cultures dating back to long before the Spanish influence in South America . Lake Titicaca has long been known to be not only the largest but also the most sacred in the world. Near it many cultures and civilisations have risen.

The Tiawanaku culture began its raise around the time of Christ and lasted over a millennium , extending far into Puno and Northern Chile. Tiawanaku ceremonial sites were constructed along the shores of Lake Titicaca, indicating that the lake was considered sacred at least 2,000 years ago.

In Inka mythology, Manco Capac and Mama 0cllo, children of the Sun, emerged from the depths of Lake Titicaca to found their empire. This is an indigenous community of some 350 families which continues to live within the traditions of the 14th century, according to the principles of Inca life. Here, without noting the passing of time, the three golden rules of the Empire of the Sun have been kept: Ama suwa, Ama quella, Ama llulla (do not steal, don't be idle, and do not lie). Their contact with other civilizations has not been able to destroy the profound identity of the Inca way.

Titicaca (Stone Puma) has lived a long life of millions of years. It contains the sum of all the ages that have molded and defined the works that humans have undertaken in the southern Americas. Over this span of time, that reaches back some two million years, its body of water has been much larger, and encompassed areas today covered in salt flats and wasteland.

The best known of Titicaca island are Taquile and Uros , the floating islands made of bulrushes, on the Peruvian side of the lake and the islands of the Sun and of the Moon on the Bolivian side.

Bulrushes (totora) grow in the low waters of the lake , they have always been of multiple use for the natives . The people from the Titicaca region weave this plant very well to make rafts or boats which cut swiftly through the waters of the great lake. Birds nest among the bulrushes , providing eggs for human consumption. The matted plants serve as a foundation to built bulrush houses on.


Have a nice day
Ronald

Hello to all,

How an ice-capped volcano erupted

Mrs. Sim was not known to be a woman of temper.
But one day this ice-capped volcano erupted.

She had dismissed her maid, and until her new maid arrived, she undertook all the domestic duties. That was alright, it would be temporary. She managed, doing all the marketing, cooking, laundry and housekeeping, except washing the car and mowing the lawn.

Whenever she was tired the family ate out. Her two teenagers were no problem. She put up a bold front and coped; after all she had done all these types of work before.

But nearly two weeks passed and she could not get a suitable new maid. Somehow, like this, the same routine seem to become a heavier burden and the same regular pressing needs of the children an attrition. "Mummy, where are my socks ?" "Mummy, the fish tastes awful !" "Mummy, what happened to my hand phone, where is it ?" "Mummy, why didn't you baked the chicken instead ?" Mummy this mummy that. Where is this where is that. All these were not a problem when the maid was around; she was the genie who would take care of all these and respond to all that.

"Mummy, I am having breakfast with my classmate." "Sorry, mummy, I am not coming home for dinner." "Mummy, I already had my lunch." Not eating at home was all right with her, but not after she had carefully planned and cooked all the nutritious meals to be left to waste.

She tried to watch TV, but she seemed distracted. Then she saw the news about the farmers having all their poultry culled because of the bird flu, losing their money and their livelihood suspended. And she remembered the tsunami and how the fishermen lost their lives to bring seafood. And how the farmer's sons died during the swine fever breakout, and there were no pork to eat due to the scare. There was also a shortage of duck for a spell.

Somehow, the situation was like putting a spark to a tank of hydrogen gas. She yelled at her two teenagers, "There are people who lost their lives to raise food for us. There are people who lost their savings and cannot work. And here you are complaining about my bad cooking. Fine, go to the fast food outlets, the restaurant, the hotels for your meals. Fine, go and earn your own pocket money and your keep too. Don't come home. Don't expect a nice home to come home to."

This pent-up torrent of harsh words came out like an avalanche. The children were shocked. They stayed mesmerised. Then they realised that it was their mother, and not the maid, they had been demanding from. Sheepishly they inched towards their mother and sat down, slowly and quietly, one on each side of her. They did not apologise. They just remained there, quiet, like deafness.

Does an avalanche give any warning ?
Rightly it does, a sharp loud crack as it breaks free.

Have a nice day
Ronald

Good morning,

What makes a person a good person ?
A person is good when what he does is good.
Examples of some traits that make a person good are:



Treats others as fellow travellers on life's journey

Does not profit from the misery of others

Learns and shares his knowledge

Sees the earth as provider and does not hoard its gifts

Does not look for gain when helping others

Sets good examples and inspires others

Does not step on others to achieve his goal

Improves the environment for the welfare of society

Does not malign or betray others

Strives for success in a project than personal credit

Maintains and does not compromise his integrity

Uses his talents and wastes not

Does not exploit the weak nor the guileless

Does not flaunt his possessions

Teaches and passes on what is good

Is trustworthy and dependable

Enjoys nature and does not harm it

Does not bully but helps others

Takes care of his dear ones and his dependants

One whom others respect and love


What a person does somehow goes
round on a journey back to himself.
That is the way of a society,
we make what we live in.

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Hello to all,

A little awareness less likely to get conned

Little AhChye did well in his examination; he was also good in Mathematics. So, as promised, his uncle took him out for a treat and to buy him a remote control racing car.

They had a good meal at McDonald's and then went to a shop to choose his racing car. He picked a beautiful flashy black and red model, complete with all the accessories. The salesman gathered the items and totalled the sum on his calculator. But when the amount was given, AhChye said, "Uncle, his total is wrong !"

The salesman was taken aback; he said, "Hey, boy. I used calculator and I added twice. Are you so good to say I did it wrong ?"

AhChye turned to his uncle, "His total is wrong !"

The salesman became agitated; he went through it with the calculator again, and quoted the same amount, even showing the result on the calculator.

But AhChye maintained, "This amount is not correct !"

The salesman said, "Boy, you are so clever, ah; you better than my calculator ?"

AhChye replied, "I can add anything faster than you using your calculator !"

The salesman said, "Wah ! OK ! If you can I give you discount, the same amount as the difference. But, if you cannot, you say I AM SORRY to me ten times.

AhChye eyed his uncle and faced the salesman, "OK. We write nine 8-digit numbers. You use calculator, I add mentally. You write one number, I write the next, and so on. And then we add."

So, the salesman and AhChye wrote the numbers alternately. And upon the word GO they started. The salesman punched quickly into his calculator; but AhChye looked at the numbers and slowly wrote the total. He finished well before the salesman reached the fourth number.

When the salesman compared his total he was shocked. Quietly and softly he said to AhChye, "OK boy, how much should the amount be ?" AhChye gave the exact amount, and the sale was made accordingly as agreed.

Later, AhChye's uncle said, "That was good thinking, but you are a little great conman yourself, no ! Anyway, how did you do it ?"

AhChye responded, "Easy uncle. He tried to cheat us, so I outsmarted him."

How did AhChye outsmart the salesman ?

When the salesman wrote a number, AhChye wrote the complement of that number.
Thus, the total of the two numbers always add up to 100 million.
And it was easy for AhChye to write 4 followed by the last number the salesman wrote.
This number will always be the sum of all the numbers.

Some salesmen have tricks with their calculators.

Have a nice day
Ronald

Good morning to all,

Post election differences

A group of old fogeys were celebrating at a coffee shop in Hougang
because the candidate they supported had won the election.

Two young men were not happy and they expressed their frustration at the old folks. "Now you celebrate, but we all will remain stagnant. Look at our estate, where are the modern facilities. What have we got compared with the other estates ?

One of the old fellows responded, "Young man, you are intelligent and upright. Perhaps you will be advising us the next time. But as of now, before we listen to you, could you enlighten us with some answers to a couple of questions."

Since they agreed, he posed them this question. "A man is going to take a bath, but his companion is not. Now tell us, which one is dirty ?"

"Of course the one who is going to take his bath !" he replied.

The old man smiled and said, "A man has just taken a bath, while his companion did not do the same. Now which one is dirty ?"

"The one who did not take his bath," the other young man joined in.

The old man smiled and said, "We can see that both of you are pretty quick in thinking, that is very good. But your answers seem to be based on just one main connection: dirty take bath, taken bath not dirty. Are we here all clean because we do not take our bath ? Are all the people who bathed in muddy rivers and polluted waters clean because they have bathed ? To you both, both the man who is going to take a bath and the one who is not going to do so are both dirty. Young men, as for now let us all enjoy ourselves, and forget the past and think of the future. Come the next election, we will listen to you, alright ?

Have a nice day
Ronald

Good morning to all,

A Great Korean drama serial

"Joy is associated with the heart,
Anger, the liver,
Anxiety, the lungs,
Thoughts, the spleen,
Sadness, the lungs too.
Fear affects the heart and the stomach.
Fright is the interplay between the negative element of blood
and the positive element of energy."

In the 8 May 2006 night episode on Channel U of this currently very popular Korean drama serial the above was the answer ChangJin gave to her very strict teacher from whom she understudies to become a medical officer in order to get back into the palace to seek revenge for the injustice done to her parents and her palace culinary mentor. This story is about half way through, and it is getting more captivating as each succeeding episode unfolds. And those viewers who were impatient are known to have bought or rented the whole series on DVD or VCD and gone through the whole story within a couple of weeks, 70 episodes altogether.

When PahYin first told me about it I could not get a good measure of how good it is. Admittedly, I am also hooked on it. I watched every night's show.

The story is about XuChangJin's unfortunate presence in an environment of power struggle in the palace. Orphaned at a very young age she struggled and survived, undergoing extreme endurance.

What is most significant is her attitude in response to every hardship. Along the way viewers are treated with plenty of kitchen work and tips on the efficacy of the various types of food being cooked, and the herbs being used. All these are illustrated as the story moves along, including her answer quoted above as an introduction.

The story is about to turn over, mid way; and as PahYin said, it gets more exciting, episode by episode. There are lots of good points about this serial, the majestic scenery, the fine colourful clothes, the deep character portrayal, and particularly the well thought out action.

I am agreeing with PahYin, even to the point that it is a masterpiece, even at this stage of the story. Pardon me if I had revealed too much of the story, but the suspense will always be there.

As I watch, I understand why she is DaChangJin, the Great Chang Jin.

Have a nice day
Ronald

Hello all,

Sleep - what a wonderful pleasure;
Insomnia - what a terrible torture !

There are people who
hit the sack and snore,
sleep like dead.
There are others who
try to sleep but rest,
stays awake.

Sleep is a strange pastime; it is elusive, it flits when we want it.
Alas, we can't function well without the necessary sleep.
So, what can we do ?
The more we try to sleep the more vexing the hours tick by.
When people cannot sleep they give up trying.
Some watch what's on the television.
Some work on the computer.
Some raid the refrigerator.
Some read a book.
Some think.
Some .....

Many suggestions have been advised:
Relax and let the mind go blank.
Count sheep passing through the gate.
Drink warm milk before hitting the sack.
Do some stretching exercise before turning in.
Do this or do that .............

Some work for some, most don't work for most.
Some facts are known.
The more one tries the more difficult it becomes.
The less one cares about it the easier one sleeps.
Sleep cannot be forced; it comes when it comes.
One never knows when one falls asleep.

Ah ha, is this not the key to fall asleep.

One thing is certain.
When one gives way and stays awake,
doing something else, it becomes a routine.
A routine becomes a habit, a habit gets set.
Then night turns into day and day becomes night.
Like this, one joins the workforce of the graveyard shifts.
May be that is why people become watchmen,

A friend on mine was looking for a hi-fi set.
I scouted around and found out that for some $400 plus
one can get a very good model.
Later he informed me that he got one over $1000.
Why did he do that ?
He explained that that was his lullaby to reach dreamland.
Well, what is $1000+ for nights of peaceful rest.

So, insomniacs, there are ways !

Have a nice day,
Ronald

To ASSUME is to make an ASS of U and ME.
This is wellknown.
To ASCERTAIN is to be AS CERTAIN .
Subordinates who shy away from ascertaining with their boss miss something.
To do it is a win-win ploy.
If things go wrong, the boss had been informed.
If things go right they still get the credit.
So, why risk and make asses of both ?

Hello everyone,

C I S - Clever, Intelligent, Smart

These are three very desirable human qualities. They are named in
alphabetical order here to avoid preference or prejudice. This is because,
although they appear to convey the same meaning, they carry quite
different significance.

Once I asked a colleague to rank his preference for these three qualities.
He hesitated, but came up with his own interpretation of these three words
instead. It was difficult to figure out his response. Perhaps it was not easy
for him to draw a line about their differences offhand. He was such an old
wise owl.

When one searches the dictionary, one will find that two of these three
words are usually given as the meaning of the other. One can go round in
circles trying to find their exact meaning.

Nonetheless, vast significance differentiates these words when they are
used in their proper context. For a start, cleverness is a skill, intelligence
is a mental capability, and smartness is an art. While intelligence is inborn,
smartness can be taught and cleverness can be trained. A person who
possesses these three qualities will be great indeed.

So now, would it be difficult to rank the importance of these qualities?
Yes, it would still be different for different people. Different heads will
require their appropriate hats to fit. All of us cannot be in the same
profession surely! These different qualities are what become us; be we
engineers, scientists or businessmen; craftsmen, designers or lawyers;
carpenters, analysts or tour guides.

Most parents nowadays would want their children to be intelligent, first
and foremost. Children with high IQ will go high in society. To begin with,
they would have been creamed off by virtue of their high intelligence.
They would then go to prestigious schools and taught differently under
special arrangements. They would thereafter and therefore be expected
to be our future national leaders. Which parents would not want their
children to be thus classified. High IQ opens the door to great opportunities.

I remembered a very old classmate. He was always at the bottom of the
class in examination results. Yet, one day when he met the top student
who became a doctor, they were both driving Mercedes cars. When
pressed on how he prospered he said, "When you treat a patient you
charged $10; for a day with 100 patients you charged $1000, so you earned
100% ($1000/$10 = 100%). When I buy a can of abalone for $1 and sell it
for $10, I make only 10% ($10/$1 = 10%). One cannot talk Mathematics
with him. You see, he was very poor in Mathematics, but then very smart
in business.

In the story The Water Margin or All Men Are Brothers, Kao Chiu was a
loafer and a bully. But he was a very good footballer. And he knew how to
please the prince. He showed his football skill by playing with the prince
who made him an official. With further craftiness he later became the Prime
Minister. With people like him in power, heroes became criminals, and
heroic criminals fled and congregated at Mount Liangshan; and that is the
gist of this great classic Chinese novel.

High IQ may be impressive, so is being clever; but really it is the smart
ones who hold the trump card. Intelligence without being smart is but a
thinker. Cleverness without being smart is just a craftsman. Smartness
coupled with intelligence and cleverness will rule.

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning,

A fact, it being a fact, anybody can see.
A belief is not so easy, it requires faith.
But it is the dictates of a belief
that makes it most difficult.

The following story from the Bible illustrates this.

There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'

He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'

But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'

He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Ref: The rich man and Lazarus Lk16. 19-31

Have a nice day
Ronald