747-8

The glamor of air travel - 40 years ago the 747 transformed the world. Let's hope the new 747 will add some magic to the world again.

We're running out of IP addresses

IPv6 is fast approaching! For as far as I can remember, IP addresses are all xxx.xx.xxx.x. You don't normally need to know anything about it, except when you need to setup a home network... connect a router .. all those "behind the scene" stuff.

If you use a home network of any sort, I guess it's important to run this test and see whether you are (and your internet service provider (ISP)) is IPv6 compatible. No good if you're ISP is ready, but your home network is not!

go to: http://test-ipv6.com/

if you get the same screen as I did (7/10, which I got), I guess you're ok, "No problems are anticipated for you"

Unlimited potential

Haven't had the urge to buy a book for a while but Amy Chua's one might be a good read. Forget "Chinese" or "Western" parenting. Every kid, and everyone has unlimited potential - that what is boils down to. When a kid is young, how is he or she suppose to know this? This is the challenge for every parent.

A fountain pen moment

I got my first fountain pen when I was 11, and have used it on and off since. Except for slight loosening of the pen cap, it is still in perfect order. The same cannot be said about a Pilot retractable fountain pen I bought a few years ago. When I unearthed it from storage box, to my surprise, the ink was slow to flow from the nib when you first start writing.

A quick internet search revealed fountain pens, in general, probably benefit from a water soak every now and then to prevent ink clogging up its tiny channels. Little did I know - until yesterday! Now it writes like new.

There are times when we actively seek to acquire new knowledge - for work, for study, for interest. Yet, for your life to run smoothly, you need, apart from a willingness to seek knowledge on your part, people who will give their advice freely - without you having to ask for it. That's what family, trustworthy friends and good mentors are for. Often, heed their advice or do otherwise at your peril!

By writing down his personal experiences, Michael Hill is, a mentor for all ages. What is your 30 year plan?

"First meal" 2011

Well, here is our first attempt at cooking Chinese food this year (yesterday we had a pasta bake). Cold hand shredded chicken noodle with salami and prickles and sesame dressing)!

2011

"When I was growing up, my mother used to say our circumstances did not matter because you got out of life what you put into it, not what was given to you. It’s advice I’ve tried to live by in my family life and my political life, as well as in my previous career. But more than her advice, it was her attitude to adversity that I sincerely hope I’ve been able to pass on to my children." - John Key

There is something drastically wrong here

The Royal Mint says it is hard to profile especially "young" people on a coin, well, yes, I always thought they've done, and been, doing an excellent job for the Queen. Come on, this young couple deserve better!



The Royal Mint is not the only one that made a blunter. The money printing effort at the Fed also gone wrong - 1 billion bills are waiting to be sorted out. Exactly what went wrong?

At Christmas, we are reminded that although love can also go wrong - the love from the divine and family are at least more robust and better than what comes out of the Fed or the Royal Mint.

December

Well, it is the festive season again. Malls are busy, families are busy, shops are busy. You walk into Chadstone (a huge mall in Melbourne) and literally, everyone is after your money.

In much of the secular societies around the world, people will be celebrating Christmas. There is nothing wrong with that, just like it is norm for people of all background to celebrate the Lantern Festival that is now a landmark event in Auckland's Albert Park every February. You don't have to have Chinese blood to share the tradition and enjoy the festive ambient.

For Christians, Christmas is more than an ordinary festive season. And I applaud the following clips from this website. Using vivid, simple graphics, the message can't be illustrated better.

Wake up people

Should Wikileak be a shock to anyone? No.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates played down the fallout from the leaks, calling them embarrassing and awkward but saying they would not significantly complicate US foreign policy.

"The fact is governments deal with the United States because it's in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us and not because they think we can keep secrets," Gates said Monday.

In a lighter moment, Mrs Clinton reflected on calls she had made at the weekend to world leaders to warn them of the contents of the cables.

''I can tell you that in my conversations, at least one of my counterparts said to me, 'Well, don't worry about it. You should see what we say about you'.''

Burma

This is of course an artist's impression of the to-be-finished Naypyidaw Airport in Myanmar's new capital. At first I thought, finally, Wikipedia is pulling my leg. Can you associate this with the current day Myanmar?

With the election in 3 days, the world media is again focusing their lens on the once wealthy Burma. We'll have to see what happen to Aung San Suu Kyi after the election, as her house arrest officially ends in about 10 days time, 1 week after the election.

As it turns out (after spending 5 minutes on google), travelling to Myanmar is not that difficult at all.. sandy beaches and five star hotels, the lot. I guess it is afterall, it is run by a junta, not that much different to Fiji at the moment.

May be, me and my mate should have traveled to Myanmar or Cuba when we had a bit of time on our hands a few years ago.