I was bored, sitting in front of my computer having nothing in mind. Wanted to search on something interesting to read up on but couldn’t think of any. Then, while thinking to myself that I want something random, I typed ‘random’ and Google-ed it. And I found this page which contains random facts.

It was certainly entertaining and really random. So random that I don’t think anyone has ever thought about them.

Did you know that -

President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with upwards of 350 words per minute.

and that -

In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

How about this? -

In the early days of the telephone, operators would pick up a call and use the phrase, “Well, are you there?”. It wasn’t until 1895 that someone suggested answering the phone with the phrase “number please?”

or,

According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self-destruction.

Talk about Monday blues…

And also, did you know that -

The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

and,

It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.

Is it just me? I find it fascinating!!! Who would go check out stuff like these??

Oh, this one is yucky yet very interesting -

The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

How?? Maybe I’ll look this up later…

And there’s more -

When you die your hair still grows for a couple of months.

Each of the suits on a deck of cards represents the four major pillars of the economy in the middle ages: heart represented the Church, spades represented the military, clubs represented agriculture, and diamonds represented the merchant class.

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

Must be a lot of books. Are they saving the books before it sinks with the library? Or will they find a way to turn it into a underground library one day?

The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing her hands in jelly.

So that’s how it’s made!!!

1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue.

So rare, they must be beautiful. Don’t eat the lobster if it’s blue! Keep it as a pet.

There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long (eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum).

The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache.

Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. His original name was Jumpman, but was changed to Mario to honor the Nintendo of America’s landlord, Mario Segali.

Luckily they changed the name. Super Mario sounds so much better than Jumpman…

There are more than 1,700 references to gems and precious stones in the King James translation of the Bible.

Who actually take note of this??!

Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old.

I don’t know who Mary Stuart is but Queen when she’s six days old!!? Poor baby, so much responsibilities at such a young age…

Flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet (2 m) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

Yucks! I am so following that advice!

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

Go to sleep people if you want to loose weight! lol…

The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; “7″ was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. “UP” indicated the direction of the bubbles.

So that’s why it’s named 7-UP…

Canadian researchers have found that Einstein’s brain was 15% wider than normal.

No wonder he’s so smart.

The fist product to have a bar code was Wrigleys gum.

The word “nerd” was first coined by Dr. Seuss in “If I Ran the Zoo.”

Haha… Everyone use the word ‘nerd’ so much but I never thought of how or where it came from.

The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. Any cup-shaped object placed over the ear produces the same effect.

Hmm… listening to a sea shell is not so eerie fairy now…

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down — hence the expression “to get fired”

Now we know why people say ‘you’re fired!’

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

I know now and I’m going to try and remember it.

The earliest recorded case of a man giving up smoking was on April 5, 1679, when Johan Katsu, Sheriff of Turku, Finland, wrote in his diary “I quit smoking tobacco.” He died one month later.

So much for ‘live longer/healthier when you quit smoking’. Not very encouraging for smokers to wants to quit…

“Goodbye” came from “God bye” which came from “God be with you.”

I didn’t know ‘good bye’ is so meaningful… I’m going to say more ‘good byes’ from now on…

These are only some I find interesting. There are more on the page itself.

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After today it’ll officially be Chinese New Year! And I’m back in Ipoh to celebrate. I am so looking forward to reunionS and gatheringS. (Must have “S” to emphasize the plurals and NOT singulars)

But before the celebration as always there must be preparation and the preparations for CNY are usually really really hectic and tiring. I’ve been home since Thursday and then there’s work work work work. There was work waiting for me even before I’m home!

Here’s a pic of 1U’s preparation for the big CNY celebration. Love the cats. I think they are really cute. The big cat with red cheongsam looks like the ‘Dai Kam Jie’ we see in Chinese wedding.

To bad I didn’t get to take a pic of the finished decorations.

A pic of a real ‘Dai Kam Jie’. My aunty, the woman in pink blouse, being the ‘Dai Kam Jie’ for my Cousin’s wedding, the bridegroom. Here is the Tea Serving Ceremony where the newly weds serve tea to their elders as a sign of respect and the  elders usually bless the couple with ang pows or golden jewelry.

OK, the cat doesn’t look like my aunt but it certainly looks like the ‘Dai Kam Jie’ in Chinese movies.

Anyway, back to the topic. Tonight is CNY eve also known as ‘Nian San Shi Wan’ in Mandarin where the family have reunion dinner. I am so so looking forward to it. My mum makes the best dishes which I will be helping to cook.

And, something special this year is that my uncle will be joining us for reunion dinner! Usually we have reunion dinner with our immediate family and the big family reunion happen on ‘Chu Er’, the second day of CNY.

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25 June 2009—The day a King has fallen, the King of Pop. My condolences…

I cannot say that I am a fan of his but I do love his works and do mourn the lost of such great talent and inspiration. It’s a shame that he did not get to  do his comeback tour.

While I was driving today and listening to the radio today, I heard someone said something that is very true. He said: ‘We grew up listening to Michael Jackson.’ Yes indeed, we did…

When the song ‘you are not alone’ was playing on the radio, my brother said it reminds him our family trips we used to go when we were still very young. When my brother and I were not busy with our curriculum activities my dad took us on road trips during weekends. He used the have a Michael Jackson album that he will play while we were on the road. One of the most vivid memories I have is our road trips to Cameron Highlands.

What a pity that such a talented person had died at the age of 50! I think he had a complicated life and one that could not and should not be judged by outsiders. On the face he may had had it all, the riches and fame, but, personally, I do not think that he had a good life.

Anyway, I do not think that one should be remembered by his rights and wrongs but by the good that he has done. In this case, it would be the great contribution in music, or should I say the entertainment industry.

He had a voice and a style of his own that no other could impersonate. The songs that he sung often touch the hearts of many. Not forgetting his moves and grooves copied by dancer all over the world especially the moonwalk!

My favourite work of his at all times is the thriller. I still remember my dad showing it to me and my brother.We watched it repeatedly and later on we tried to learn the dance. I bet we would laugh out heads off if we could go back in time to see how we looked then. Silly, I bet.

I think that although he has gone to a better place everyone will keep a piece of him in our hearts. He will be remembered for his talent and his award winning works which will be passed on and on…

He is the Irreplaceable King…

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