Reflections on my 1,000th post and beyond

I’ve reached my 1,000th post. You know what? Big deal, one reason for my ambivalence has a lot to do the idea: I happen to believe blogging just happens to be incredibly overrated. I am not saying it’s a useless pastime. I am sure that’s what our government would like us all to believe: it’s nothing more than an indolent pastime reserved for people who can’t seem to hack it in the real world. I am not totally convinced blogging is as useless as it’s so often made out to be by the state run media. Any activity that requires you to discipline the mind: work through ideas, structure your thoughts, shape them with the power of words has to add rather than subtract from the whole idea of character building – only I wouldn’t go as far as to say that blogging has changed my life (not that I want it too). Or that it even defines me, as a person. If anything blogging is just one of many ways for me to touch base with really interesting people who may not really think they are that interesting, but nonetheless are still incredibly interesting who I would otherwise never have had the privilege to get to know better (coming to think of it never want to met, such as the erudite ladies of the Siglap read club who regularly send me threats to slash my tires along with other unmentionable body parts). In the final analysis, I still believe in making real physical connections – as forming real connections is really the basis of real growth. It’s really the point where the rubber meets the road along with the dispelling many of the myths and gaga ideas that you may harbor concerning someone who you find really interesting – the idea that you’re really not so different from them – that’s really the point when things take off, when you sit down and have a real conversation with someone who may perhaps even allow you the opportunity of seeing the world in a slightly different way.

In this year of blogging alone, I’ve touched base with so many interesting people – Dr Francoise, who shared her mind blowing tissue culture research thesis on how to develop better ways to solve the intractable problems of how to feed a hungry world in the age of resource scarcity – Dr JT, who was kind enough to include me in his metabacker read list on gradient management to better manage rain run off’s to augment water logging – Prof Kondoh, who not only made it possible for me to conduct leaf sampling on the cheap by allowing me to hog his expensive gas chromatography machine, but also used the entire resources of his faculty to assist me in conducting a simulation study on how best to solve flooding on my land. Missletoe, who shared with me the wisdom of making the pilgrimage back to chemical film by posting me shots she takes everyday with her LOMO on her way to school – Mr Kobayashi from Nikon who not only gave out prototypes like drinks coasters, but was even kind enough to put up with my constant whining. Dr Uime, from Toyota Motors whose always just kind enough to put up with my many incredulous 4X4 modifications. Uncle Ho, who regularly visits me with his daughter Melissa to share his culinary paramours and love of wine and last but not least Jared, who visited by plantation with his wife and three year old son and even invited me to fly over from France to stay as long as I wanted in their vineyard and raid their cellar.

On the behalf of the Brotherhood Press, I would like to thank all of you wonderful people for making 2011 one of my best blogging years.

Whoever said blogging was boring?

Cheers!

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The Eve of the Ascension Wars somewhere in the Carpathian Plains in the Planet D’ni

“Who are you people? Why have you landed in our planet with so many spaceships?”

“We are the Brotherhood. We come in the name of peace.”

“What is your business here?”

“We have come to warn you that when the sunrises tomorrow, you planet will be destroyed by the invading Aryanian army – now get into our cruisers, we do not have time for small talk!”

“But we don’t know you.”

“We know you and that is enough. The rest will reveal itself when we sit down for a cuppa. Now we really do not have much time, If you and your race want to live follow us now.”

” The prophecy is true, the prophecy is true!”

Recorded by the chronicler of the Brotherhood in the Book of Ages under the Chapter – the eves of the great war – 2001