2012

It's nearly as hard starting again as it was saying goodbye to this site (which I did in late October as per the post below) but not because I don't want to! I've definitely been itching to snap pictures and share them for the past two months, but after such a dramatic exit, isn't it a little disingenuous to just slip back in the door as if nothing really happened?

I'm glad I stepped away, though, if just for some perspective. Without getting too deep, why we do the things we do really is as important as what we are doing, and ultimately this baby-of-mine makes me happy, especially because I'm able to share it with all of you.

So Happy New Year to you all from beautiful, frozen Reykjavik! Let's make this year, so loaded with mythological (and for some cultural) significance, one of humanitarian significance as well. Take best care of yourselves and glow with health and love...the rest will easily follow.

P.s. I didn't have a super fantastic photo to post tonight, so chose a picture I took in our backyard just to post something! It's colorful anyway, and has that ubiquitous corrugated iron Reykjavik is so renowned for. More better stuff soon, camera gods willing!

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

Fish sperm

I had fish sperms for dinner at a japanese restaurant in kl. Its not something everyone gets to eat lol

One bite of the chunk of sperms causes milky juice to squirt out and it has this gooey, slimey texture on the inside but a bit rubbery on the outside...

I know sup turpedo made of bull's penis are good for men, but i have no idea about fish sperms.

The Malaysian loo

Malaysian loos are famous for being wet.... Very very wet till sometimes it floods.. Last time it happens in every loo, but now times have changed, probably due to plenty of complaints over the years.. So, now in most malls, there will be a cleaning lady holding a mop, waiting, watching eaching cubicle to make sure the loo floor is always dry. There are also some malls that dont put hose in their cubicles. I also love the malls which have queuing system in the loos...

There's a new toilet trend now in malls. They put up signs on each cubicle door to indicate what kind of toilet seat it is aka squatting or sitting... That saves us ladies at least a few seconds in the toilet so we dont have to keep on opening every cubicle door to find our preferred toilet seat. Also, ang mohs who have never seen squatting toilet before will not be so shocked when seeing one in this country anymore. My american cousins once entered a squatting cubicle and ended up rushing out while laughing, asking me how to use it!

Hooray for toilet improvements in this country...at least in sooomee places~~

Happy New Year!

It's soon going to be 1 January and the calendar will click round one more year: hullo 2012 *waves*

However, it hasn't always been the case that 1 January was New Year's Day.  For a very long time the New Year began in March.  This actually isn't such a strange concept.  The Chinese have their New Year's celebrations in February.  Jewish New Year is in September.

A Year Has No Obvious Beginning

A year simply measures the length of time the Earth takes to do a complete rotation of the Sun: no one can say "this is the day it started", so there's no reason to choose January over any other time.  In many ways New Year in March makes more sense: it's when Spring arrives and is the beginning of the natural year.

A year doesn't actually begin on ANY particular day

So why does the year begin in January?  Well it's actually because of the Romans.  Their very first calendar had March as the first month (more of this later) but in BC153 they moved New Year to January for reasons connected with the governmental year.  There it stayed for some time.

Here Come the Christians!

Now enter the Christians.  1 January has absolutely no religious connotations for the Church.  25 December does - it is the somewhat randomly selected date for Christ's birthday.  Yes, random: the Bible gives us no clue as to when Christ was born except to mention that the shepherds were tending their flocks.  They almost certainly wouldn't have been out in winter doing so.

Sir Isaac Newton argued that the early Christians simply took over a pagan ceremony connected to the winter solstice, and that seems still to be the predominant theory.  Most Christians say this doesn't matter: the point is to celebrate the coming to the world of Jesus.

The Christians didn't start New Year at Christ's birth though: they counted back a pregnancy of 9 months (Swiss-Judean precision!) to Lady Day: 25 March.  This is Annunciation Day: when Mary received the Holy Spirit and became pregnant with Jesus.  So there we have it.  New Year in the Christian Calendar became 25 March.

Mildly Confusing

That's kinda mildly confusing though.  We're used to the New Year starting nice and neatly at the start of a new month (e.g on 1 January).  For centuries however the calendar went like this:

22 March 1499
23 March 1499
24 March 1499 (New Year's Eve)
25 March 1500 (New Year's Day)
26 March 1500
27 March 1500 etc.

There's a neat little example of the old Christian calendar in action in Salisbury Cathedral.  Look hard and you'll find a tiny grave of a boy.  In modern English his stone reads as follows: Here lies the Body of Thomas, Son of Thomas Lambert, Gentleman...  Born May 13 1683, died February 9 of the same year.

(Many thanks to @murphy_maria for the pic)

See how that is possible?  Good.  Poor little baby Thomas died in February of 1683 just short of nine months old, because New Year's Day 1684 didn't arrive until 25 March. 

The Romans Made a Mistake


Still with me? Smashing.  Now it gets a bit more confusing still.  The Romans had introduced the calendar with 12 months in BC45 under Caesar.  It is named the Julian Calendar (presumably because he had a favourite budgie called Julie. Or something).  Anyway, the Romans were a clever bunch, but they made a tiny mistake in working out they the length of the solar year.  That tiny error led to a big mistake over the centuries.

I think he might have noticed. Silly Romans.

By 1582 the calendar was "out" to the tune of 10 days.  The shortest day in the calendar should be 21 December (the Winter Solstice); the longest day should be 21 June (Summer Solstice).  However, because of the Romans' mistake the shortest day was now falling on 11 December.  The days were already getting noticeably longer by 21 December.  Pope Gregory XIII twigged and announced that the calendar should jump forward 10 days.  They also did something technical to Leap Years to stop the error from occurring again*.  Lovely job.

Now had naughty Martin Luther not started all that Reformation Jazz this could have been perfect.  By 1582, however, the Pope's authority had been seriously challenged within Europe.  The Northern Protestant nations viewed the new "Gregorian" calendar with a great deal of suspicion.  Many ignored it - which led to horrible confusion in terms of determining on what date anything happened.  The Eastern Orthodox Church also ignored it.

New Year's Day Moves Back to January

Although Pope Gregory did not expressly specify it, around the same time as the introduction of the new Gregorian calendar with its 10 day adjustment, many Catholic nations also moved New Year's Day from 25 March back to the Roman start of the year: 1 January.  What's more, some Protestant Nations also did the same - but kept the Julian Calendar itself.

Bit of a nightmare: European Calendars around 1600

Shite, this is getting horribly complicated.  Here's an example:

The Winter Solstice falls on 11 December 1599 in Scotland.  Why? Because they're using the old Julian Calendar**.  However, the still independent kingdom decides at this time to move New Year's Day away from 25 March and back to 1 January.  The year 1600 therefore arrives in Scotland on 1 January.  The same day, 1 January, is however still labelled 1599 in neighbouring England. New Year's Eve in England will be on 24 March and 1600 will not arrive until 25 March....


Let's hop on a hovercraft and go on a booze cruise to Calais.  The Catholic French have adopted the Gregorian Calendar in full, as well as the move of New Year's Day to 1 January.  Therefore if we make this trip on say the Spring Equinox, the exact same day is labelled in the following way:

• 11 March 1600 in Scotland (Julian Calendar with New Year on 1 January)
• 11 March 1599 in England (Julian Calendar with New Year on 25 March)
• 21 March 1600 in France (Gregorian Calendar with New Year on 1 January)

The countries of Europe all adopt different schedules for moving their New Year about and switching to the Gregorian Calendar.  Prussia adopts 1 January as New Year's Day in 1559, but waits until 1700 for the new calendar; Austria has gone with 1544 and 1583 respectively.  The Swiss Cantons - part of the same country - all do it at different times (Grisons does not switch to the Gregorian Calendar until 1811). Various parts of the Netherlands also change at different times according to religious affiliation and political governance.

It is literally a nightmare... And *now* who is complaining about EU standardisation, eh?

Riots on the Streets

The British Empire, of course, is (almost) the last of the lot to move to the new accurate Gregorian Calendar and (with the exception of Scotland) is ever conservative about leaving New Year on 25 March.  Finally in 1752 Parliament makes the switch to both.  By this time the error in the old Julian calendar was so great, instead of ten, a full eleven days had to be skipped.

Wednesday 2 September 1752 was followed by Thursday 14 September 1752. People felt their lives had been shortened by 11 days as a result of an Act of Parliament.  There are literally riots on the streets.

The blackboard is centre front

It was still an election issue three years later in 1755.  This Hogarth painting has a tiny blackboard in the front.  When magnified the words read "Give us our 11 days".  The change of calendar incidentally affected the whole of the British Empire, including the United States, which had not yet become revolting ;-)


Well, finally we're all there.  Except the Eastern Orthodox Church, that is.  Russia waits until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 to move to the Gregorian calendar; the Greeks wait until 1923 and the Russian Orthodox Church is (somewhat unbelievably) still on the faulty Julian Calendar.  This explains why their Christmas is celebrated so much later than ours.  They are now a full 13 days slow, so for them 25 December falls on the day we now label 7 January.  Don't make the mistake of thinking they celebrate Christ's birth on a different date: for them it *is* 25 December.  They've just not got yet changed to the more accurate calendar.

The Tax Year: 5 April

Okay have you died yet?  Nope?  Then you need to know about this curious remnant of the Julian Calendar and New Year's falling on 25 March.  When does the tax year in the UK begin?  "6 April" you answer.  Yes: and why? Well if you take 25 March as the old New Years day... and add on the eleven days' adjustment that were required in 1752 you end up with..... 6 April***.  Ka-Boom.

It was felt that it was unfair on the Exchequer to shorten their tax revenue by 11 days when the calendar changed, so the tax year was left as it was, with the exception of the eleven day adjustment.

Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue are therefore still organising our tax years around the date the Virgin Mary became pregnant, with an adjustment for the miscalculation made by Julius Caesar.  This is another example of a "New Year" starting mid-month of course.  5 April 2012 is in Tax Year 2011/12, while 6 April 2012 falls in the "New" Tax Year 2012/13.

Numbering the Months

There's one last curiosity to note.  If we go all the way back to the ancient Calendar of Romulus, which was before 1 January was chosen as New Year's Day in BC153, and before the introduction of the Julian Calendar in BC45, you'll probably remember that we find March as the first month of the year.

Mars: God of War

March was named after Mars who was God of War and was second only to Jupiter in the Roman Godly hierarchy.  Like March the months of April, May, June all had proper names.  Then the Ancient Romans ran out of ideas.  Accordingly:

• July was Quintilis (fifth month)
• August was Sextilis (sixth month)
• September was September (seven month)

Yep: September was the seventh month in the Calendar of Romulus. Have you ever thought about this?  Why is Month NINE in our calendar called "Sept"?  In this old calendar, beginning in March, the eighth month was October. The ninth was November.  The tenth was December.  Still in 2012, we have kept this incredibly ancient (pre-BC 153) and entirely unfitting naming convention for our calendar.  Unlike the shifts of New Years Day and the calendar alteration it has remained: quite possibly because no one has ever really noticed it.

I like it, though, and it is a reminder of where we began: New Year's Day is on 1 January, but originally, and for a very long time, New Year began in March.  For HMRC it still kinda does.

Now have a drink and HAPPY NEW YEAR!





* Every year that is exactly divisible by four was to remain a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100; the centurial years that are exactly divisible by 400 would remain leap years. For example, the year 1900 is not a leap year (it is divisible by 100 but not 400); the year 2000 is a leap year (divisible by 400).  You can see why I kept this as a foot note.


** There is a popular misconception that the Scots adopted the Gregorian Calendar in full on 1 January 1600.  They remained on the Julian Calendar until 1752 along with the rest of the British Empire.  All they did was move New Years Day to 1 January from 1600.


*** God, this is so technical.  Add 11 days to 25 March and you have 5 April. The reason that the Tax Year begins 6 April is because 1800 is a centurial year that would have been a Leap Year under the Julian Calendar, but not under the Gregorian Calendar (it's not divisible by 400).  The Exchequer went with the Julian rule, so it's therefore 12 days that are now added to 25 March to reach the Tax New Year.  Right, I need a triple vodka.

Rain scene

When i came home today, i looked out my window and saw this:

Rain on one side and clear skies on the other....

After a few more minutes, the rain subsided...

Its not everyday i get to see that. Its like a tale of two cities...

Hahaha

Me in a costume for a play, back in standard 1.

People

A few months back I did a little spot on Rob Dunger's BBC Suffolk Sunday breakfast show - oh yes, my moment of fame!  I trundled down there for 7am and talked about blogging and Twitter, as well as did a newspaper review.  I really enjoyed the whole experience - which wrapped up with a thought for the day.

I'm not religious so the "thought for the day" was a bit challenging.  I decided to tie things in with what I'd talked about previously: Twitter.  Let's face it, if there's anything I can waffle on ad nauseam, it's that.  Below is an extended version of what I said.

My Thoughts on People

We live in our own little circle of friends, colleagues and family.  Most of us will know perhaps a hundred people tops.  The bulk of these will be superficial contacts: we might know anywhere from a handful to a couple of dozen quite well.  Broadly speaking we will have quite favourable impressions of most of these.  If you think of the people you know, I think most people would say they are anywhere from "okay" to "really quite nice".

Few of us know lots of people who are actually horrendous: there might be someone we dislike, perhaps even strongly; but on the whole the bulk of people most of us know are quite pleasant.  I don't think too many of us know many people who we would categorise as actually dangerous, nasty or evil. 

Despite this fact, we live in a world where we are taught to be cynical, suspicious and to fear. Although our own direct personal experience of other people we've met is broadly positive, most of us, I believe, subscribe to the view that anyone else "out there" whom we don't know is to be viewed with anything from mild suspicion, through cynicism, to outright hostility. 

This view of the world is particularly reinforced by the media.  Of course bad news sells: we gorge ourselves daily on stories of stabbings, con-artists, mini cab drivers who rape, the odd high profile murder etc.  Even the day-to-day stories are pretty grim and pessimistic.  We're thrown the odd scrap of a happy story, but you have to have to look for it amongst the onslaught of misery and depression.  There have been a few attempts at "good news" newspapers: they invariably fall flat on their arses.  No one is interested: we somehow want/need the daily dose of fear and worry.  It is of course epitomised by the Daily Mail/ Fail/ Wail.  It is really no small surprise, if as a result, we have the impression that the world is a horrible place and in particular that people are basically pretty shit. 

However, in fact - I would contend - as you drive through a town, each and every house or flat will in fact be populated by someone remarkably similar to you and to your circle.  The problem is we can't ever know this without knocking on their doors, going in, meeting them and having a cup of tea with them.  They wouldn't of course let us in to their homes to do so, because we're a stranger, and as we know strangers are to be feared because they're potential nut-cases / robbers/ murderers etc.  So we continue to live in our world where our circle is okay and everyone else is almost certainly not.  How can my contention be proven?

Twitter offers an E-Cup of Tea

Enter Twitter, stage right.  Twitter is people.  It is simply a medium where people - for the most part complete strangers - come together.  If you are a user of Twitter who has got to know people you didn't previously, ask yourself what your impression is of those you have encountered and got to know?  I follow 1100 people on Twitter and speak regularly to hundreds.  The medium offers me a snap shot into the lives of all sorts of people I would not otherwise come into contact with: in effect I am knocking on doors and having that e-cup of tea.

Some of these people are from a background I encounter anyway in my regular life; many are not.  Twitter has shown me, for example, that people with whom I might have wildly differing political views, are not inherently "bad" people.  I have developed a great deal of affection for one quite right wing woman who I only viewed as a "troll" at first.  Yes, politically we could argue until the sun comes up, but I wouldn't hesitate to have her over for dinner, or a drink, and I know she is a really humane, decent person - as differing as our views are.

It's very human to dislike people in the "other team".  We're incredibly tribal.  When you're face to face, however, with someone from that other tribe (and can stop yourself from taking a dogmatic position) it is incredibly revealing.  I don't tend to argue politics on Twitter any more: they won't change my mind and I won't change theirs: what it does is just lead to the reinforcement of stereotypes and hostility.  When the British and German soldiers met in the trenches on Christmas Day 1914 to play soccer, they weren't arguing whose foreign policy was correct.  They met as human beings - no longer faceless ones - and it was precisely for that reason that this was considered so dangerous by the High Commands.  When you realise your combatant is a person rather like you - with a mother, a family, friends and a life - and not a faceless monster, you're not so keen to blow them into the next life.

The Trenches, Christmas 1914

Obviously Twitter isn't about killing each other.  But it can be about exposing yourself to a broad range of people and if you're open to doing so, this can be extremely instructive.  I talk to Christians: many gay people view them with a default setting of absolute hostility.  I don't share their religious beliefs and sometimes their moral views, but I can tell you I really have forged some friendships here and have a lot of respect for people I didn't think I would.  I talk to Muslims, to policemen, to housewives, to mothers, to 16 year olds, to taxi drivers, to theatre directors, to students, to QCs, to republicans, to nationalists, to Libertarians and to Marxists.  The range of people you can access and get to know on Twitter is breathtaking.

What I've Learned

What I have come to realise is that Twitter can give us a very real insight into humanity.  It literally does open doors that wouldn't otherwise be open.  We can't in real life gain access to people's homes and lives, but on Twitter people are remarkably willing to share their thoughts, experiences, concerns and feelings.  It teaches much more about all those people we don't know than picking up and reading a newspaper or watching a movie can.

And what are my impressions?  Well I believe my contention is correct.  Put simply, I am repeatedly overwhelmed by the simple warmth, kindness, goodness of almost everyone I encounter. People are good.  They care for one another.  They want to form friendships and have support networks.  They enjoy laughing, socialising and sharing.  This is not the Daily Fail vision of humanity.  It is not the world of headlines of murderers, thieves and rapists.  It is something much more mundane, but something so much better.

Yes, there's the odd bad apple (see previous blogs!) but they are in such a minority.  I've tweeted well over 50,000 times: the number of falling outs and "nastiness" is perhaps 0.05% of that total.  I always try to bear this in mind.  If my sample on Twitter is broadly representative of people "out there" - which it must be - my conclusion is that the world is simply a much better place than we are led to believe... and tend to believe ourselves.

Thank you Twitter, and thank you all the people I talk to on it.

Can't help ending on this diamond ;-)