2006-06-30

As American as apple pie?

[PG rated] Christopher Hitchens writes on how oral sex loses its association with the dubious and the low and became an American handshake and ideal - "the nation's signature sex act" ("As American as Apple Pie", Vanity Fair, 6/06)

2006-06-29

Sleep-less nights

After many sleep-less nights, I finally got a good night sleep last night.

World cup matches were broadcastlive here at 11pm, 2am and 5am for round one, and 1am and 5am for round 2. Since I watched most of the matches live, there was simply less, much less, time for sleep.

Thank god round 2 is over, and I have a few day's rest before the next round begins.

2006-06-24

貴人招雨?

本市長期無雨,終於在6月中實施第3級制水。可是,由我星期二回來起,連日下雨,莫非我是貴人,招風惹雨?

無奈,如以往一般,雨總不肯落在水塘區,水塘存水量繼續下降。看來要找個風水佬來指指點點了。

2006-06-22

10 Years of Slate

Slate is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Looking back at how Slate defied the odds and survives through numerous changes in business model, contents and design over the past decade is a wonderful story for those who are interested in the evolution of Internet-based media.

(Not familiar with Slate? Read A Slate Timeline)

2006-06-20

Back home!

Back home, after a month and a half of travelling, and missed the celebration of the first birthday of the new house, and the second anniversary of moving back to Australia.

It may take a while to construct a dedicated page for the Euro06 trip, so in the mean time, have a look at the travel photos I uploaded to Yahoo! Photos. Just click the links from this entry on my temporary blog.

Oh, there probably won't be too many great food stuffs posted here in the near future, since we put on quite considerable weight during the trip. Now's the detox phase, I'm afraid.

2006-06-11

World Cup coverage ... with a difference (II)

Have you ever wondered why so many Brazilian players go by one name? If yes, then you shuld read this: How Brazilian soccer players get their names (Nick Schulz, Slate, 10/6/06)

The following paragraph is particularly interesting:

Players with the same first name often change their moniker to differentiate themselves. In recent decades, there have been several Ronaldos at the national level. One became known as Ronaldao, meaning "big Ronaldo." Another became Ronaldinho, meaning "little Ronaldo." When another Ronaldinho came along in the late 1990s, he was called Ronaldinho Gaucho—that is, "little Ronaldo from Rio Grande do Sul." Eventually, the first Ronaldo left the Brazilian national squad, so Ronaldinho became Ronaldo. Ronaldinho Gaucho became Ronaldinho.

2006-06-09

World Cup coverage ... with a difference

Even before a ball’s been kicked, there is a World Cup controversy: Are women being smuggled into Germany to work in the world’s oldest profession? (Soccer's Sex Slaves, Andrew Curry, Foreign Policy, 5-6/06)

Well, can we say that even if the matches are boring, at least there's something else to entertain the fans?

2006-06-07

Croatia and Brazil in a friendly game



(Photo taken in the Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia)