4 Blogging Styles I Really Like

1. Quaintly

Pinkpau/Su Ann's forte are her rants. Her thoughts unfold like paper butterflies on a digital canvas, and her prose is perfectly constructed, the kind you find in Booker shortlisters. Her words exude beauty: hair on the shower floor, braindust spiraling in the air. And her posts on Martian, her boyfriend, are a marvelous substitution for Chick Lit.

2. Dooce

Dooce is one of the few personal bloggers who make big money in the blogosphere. She's very good at taking tiny snippets of her life: random occurrences, minor incidences with her daughter, and she imbues them with life, wit, and good writing. These little snippets are like rays slicing into her life, allowing you an all-too-brief-a-look through her eyes.

3. Kamigoroshi

Edrei writes with absolute honesty. His posts are reflective, thoughtful ... though occasionally he writes things that make you smile. Some people think he's a girl, from the way his blog reads - but what he does well is that he takes the time to tell you not just what happened, but why it is important: to you, and to him.

4. Jonas Gumis

No kidding. Jonas has a good sense of storytelling - he times and paces his narrative, so even boring old events like St Jo's sports day come alive in his hands. I like it that he's naturally funny, and he can put on a lighthearted spin on serious topics. A downside to this is that my plug will probably boost his ego to stratospheric heights ... but at least he'll give us a laugh in the process, won't he?

Notice that I've left out Smashpop and Kenny Sia. I find they write too little, and their pictures do their talking for them. It's not a bad style of blogging, really, but it's just not my kind of thing.

Which probably explains why all of the above blogs are well written, well thought out affairs. What kinds of blogs are your favourites?

Democracy

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Really ahh? That one Mr V in V for Vendetta say one ... is just a movie right? No real in the real world? How can! Garmen so scary and big wan. Got sodomy trail if you try anything. Shouldnt they be strong strong so can keep order wan?

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, wrote the above words in a letter to William S. Smith in 1787. It became the basis of the 2nd amendment: that all Americans would have the right to arms; the right to guns.
The founding fathers apparently believed in a strong control to the government. The first control is that of what Thomas Carlyle calls the Fourth Estate. Jeffrey Archer makes the following observation in his novel of the same name:

"In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the 'Estate General'. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy. The Second Estate, three hundred nobles. The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, 'Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.'"

But what Jefferson believed was this: a well armed populace which is not afraid to turn on its government is the ultimate check and balance.

God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ... And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

It is its natural manure.

It is a scary thought, especially for us Malaysians, who practice a watered down form of democracy.

Lest we forget: democracy does not mean just elections. It means a government of the people, by the people, for the people, with a multitude of checks and balances in place to ensure the fair use of power, and justice, and peace.



We have a long way to go.

Note: I do not support the 2nd amendment, and I disagree with many elements of the American democracy. However, the purpose of this post is to show that there is more to the concept of democracy than elections, and the entire idea of "We are a democratic country, we are not like Myanmar or Pakistan because we hold erections once every 4 years" is ridiculous.

Less Updates.......

This blog is getting less update. Last time, we can see an update at least once in two days. Now, we can expect only one post in a week. I think this syndrome started few months ago.

Anyway, Tay just updated the blog today. A very unusual move by him. He seldom update his blog, what to say UGS blog... haha..

Where are the frequent contributers/updaters?? Sam and Wandkey?? For Sam, maybe she blog less because of PMR but the PMR has ended but still no post from her... Wandkey? Busy with university things, i suppose....

And the others? Only got comments from them but no post.... sighs....

Perhaps should just shut down this blog??? hahahha.... i'm just joking.....

Cuppy Cake Song

This song was uploaded to the Internet in 1996 and became an Internet phenomenon. From youtube:

No lip-syncing here folks, This is the REAL DEAL!: The original 1994 video of "The Cuppycake Song" (words and music by Judianna Castle) being recorded by the original artist (our daughter, Amy at age 3) in our home studio.

Although there were many takes of the song during the session, this was the one that made it onto our BALLOONS children's CD(www.cdbaby.com/buddycastle)and the one which has generated so much interest on the internet.

Since uploading "The Cuppycake Song" to the web in 1996, it has truly taken on a life of it's own. On You Tube alone, there are currently at least 1,000 videos using this song! In the last ten years we have received thousands of unsolicited comments from people of all ages across the US and many countries around the world who have been touched by this simple song and the tiny voice that sings it.

Now at last, you can see the face that goes with the voice. This should finally put to rest the false rumor that the song was sung by Strawberry Shortcake.
To read some of the many listener comments and to see additional photos of Amy, please visit us at www.cuppycake.com

Cute.

I'm Never Going To Complain About Kenny's Driving Again

This is a woman driver. She is driving at a very slow speed. She makes Kenny look like Michael Schumacher.



Classic.