Boston Experience

Birthday in Boston

2009-12-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

It was a cold day, but spirits were high...

Because it was my birthday!

The initial plan was to go to Vinnie T's on Bolyston Street opposite the Prudential, however, it closed down!! And we settled for the bar next door.

The place was packed, full of people with Santa Hats!

And moments later, there was a large crowd outside. Are they all coming to my birthday?

Fortunately, no... they were there for the Annual Speedo Santa Run in Boston!

Excitement filled the air, and although it was below freezing outside, there were lots of men and women in Speedos and Bikinis!!

It looked pretty much fun and painful at the same time. My hand hurts just by being outside in the cold for more than 5 minutes!

Anyway, minutes later, the police cleared the roads and the run started!

Now, back to my Birthday lunch. I had lobster tail and steak, which was pretty good for a bar, and I enjoyed it very much.

Another year, another age, another adventure.

Maybe next year, you can see me in Speedo and Santa hat for my birthday lunch!

-- Iron Bowl

Swarm Mentality - Social Media

2009-12-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

After watching and reading lots of science fiction, I started to observe some trends which did not seem apparent in the beginning, but more so today.

You've probably heard about insects and aliens having "Hive Mind" mentality, where the species act as one being for the benefit of its own kind. The apparent consciousness of colonies of social insects such as ants, bees and termites display this type of behavior as well.

In Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Software, Swarm intelligence, Hivemind, and Singularity also points to similar behavior where information is shared and pool for common use to form a Superintelligence. (Technological singularity is a term related to self-improving artificial intelligence, superintelligence, breakdowns in the predictability of the future and accelerating change.)

In movies and fiction, many alien species have hive mind and share a single consciousness to further their race by sharing information. (See Puppet Masters)

How Hive Minds Work

I think some of the major components of a Hive Mind are as follows:

Communication
Shared Awareness
Commitment
Visibility

"Communication" refers to the ability of members of the Hive Mind to talk with each other. Without communication, obviously, not a whole lot can happen. But the idea is more than just the ability to interact. It also includes ease of interaction.

"Shared Awareness" refers to many people having a synchronized view of what's happening, as it happens. This is the "group eye," where information from individuals in the society is shared and pool with one another.

"Commitment" refers to people and organizations that commit to projects, and see them through. An organization is only as powerful as its ability to do things in unison.

"Visibility" refers to the ability of members of the Hive Mind to see each other and what they are doing. Being able to search through the information and know the information from others in the Hive Mind.

Today with Internet and Social Media, the amount of Social Interaction has increased tremendously, and knowledge is shared and easily accessed through search engines. With this new form of digital communication, many things seem possible as people share experiences and knowledge through blogging and other Social Media interactions.

The rate in which news break and the way the information from others are viewed differs greatly from the past. Today, many people trust the reviews of strangers they find on the Internet more than before. For example, before I purchase a cell phone, camera or even a car, I would first check the reviews online.

Advertisements are mostly ignored nowadays, and most of them serve their purpose to merely create awareness. Many people decide on purchases based on recommendation, be it from friends, family or the Internet.

As the Search Engines get more advanced, interruptive marketing and "spoof sites" that trick people and push traffic through hopefully will be the thing of the past as Google, Yahoo treat these "Spam" sites as real spam.

A new phenomenon is also beginning to emerge, I call this "Ask on Twitter". I find that most of the time, I actually get better answers when I ask on twitter. For example when I was asking about the "low-down" on Tiger Woods, many people send links to news and blogs to give me the latest information. I would sometimes search Twitter and actually get more accurate information on Twitter search than on Google search as Google for some topics just does not give you what you are looking for.

Are we evolving towards a Swarm Mentality?

A few weeks ago, Seattle Times used Twitter and Google Wave to tell a story about a manhunt. The constant updates contributed to a record day for traffic Monday due in large part to the relationship the newsroom established with readers through @seattletimes.

Seattletimes.com's social media experiment: Google Wave.
It is described by Google as "an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration." For us it became a live document that allowed folks on the Web interested in the story to take part in helping to move it forward. It was social media, reporting and online journalism at the next level.

Other information from TechCrunch
This public Google Wave has been set up to involve the community by offering realtime information that anyone may know about the location of a man suspected of killing four Seattle police officers. A search of a Seattle-area home this morning turned up nothing, but various reports of sightings are coming in, and the Times is opening a Wave to help with the flow of information.

About 45 minutes ago, the Wave was opened with just a few people in it. Already, there are over 100 people in here now communicating quickly with updates. Included are Wave elements with links to police scanner audio, live video footage of the search, a suspect description, and information about local schools on lockdown. It’s actually quite amazing to watch this unfold and get updated before your very eyes.

That said, it will also be a bit overwhelming for many people to follow. In just the first Wave message in the thread, there are four people currently updating things, for example. As one users participating wrote, “distracting/annoying, mostly,” with regard to the live-typing element of Wave. Another simply wrote, “google wave is a mess… back to twitter.”

But others participating are amazed at the rapid flow of information coming in. And plenty are able to follow along. As someone else writes, “That last radio about the fresh blood was pretty chilling… hopefully they are close.”

The fact that this is a public Wave that anyone can join is also both a blessing and a curse. Right now, the comments are pretty much all on-point, but that’s only because many people on the web still don’t know about, or have access to Wave yet. If they did, undoubtedly forums like this would turn into a mess of spam. That’s something Google has to think very seriously about for Wave going forward.

Still, a use case like this is very interesting. A manhunt is all about gathering information. Could there be misinformation? Of course, but there could be on tip lines as well. If a police department had someone watching this Wave (I’m not sure if that’s the case right now), they could do their best to attempt to filter the good information from the bad. Something like this could also be potentially useful for a missing child.

Of course, for all of these types of cases, a solid mobile interface may be better than someone sitting at their computer using Wave. Presumably, the best tips will come from someone who is out and about and sees the suspect.

Today, we can get a lot of information on the Internet.
Cooking Recipes, DIY Instructions and Health tips can all be found free of charge. Comments can be placed on them and this makes the question of "value" become important. Even when you share information, if you do not do it frequently, or if you do not provide easy access to the information, much of the audience will be lost, and this makes the bloggers and tweeps strive to create more value in their posts.

Are we going to have more Swarm Mentality?

Well the rate of people adopting Social Media is increasing, and I hope we do get into this state where our knowledge, thoughts and experience can be shared freely with one another.

--Iron Bowl

Foxwoods Trip (Nov 2009)

2009-11-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

I was in Foxwoods yesterday to go to Bodies Revealed and Circus de Soleil, and the following are my experiences:

I arrived in Boston Chinatown to catch a bus to Foxwoods early in the morning. The bus are only $10, and they include a meal voucher, $20 match play, $25 match play and some lucky draw thing. Overall its a great deal as the meal itself can cost over $15.

The journey takes about 1 hour to reach Foxwoods, and though the bus does get a little squeezy at times, the ride was pretty ok. Getting down the bus, you get to the vouchers issued to you.

I immediately did a walk around to take some of the following photos.

Bodies Revealed Exhibition.

Walking towards MGM Grand, I arrived at my first destination. The Bodies Revealed Exhibition. I did not take photos as taking photos is not allowed inside. But basically, its just dead bodies, cut up and preserved for our pleasure and entertainment. http://www.bodiesrevealed.com/

I've seem several similar shows in the past, Body Worlds, etc. And I must say, this exhibit is slightly smaller and as informative as Body Worlds. There are lots of "Chinese" Cadavers and many human organs on display. Its is a little disturbing to look at and I don't understand why parents would bring their kids to see this. The most sick exhibit is of a women with a baby in her womb all cut up and "exposed" to show her organs and baby in the womb.

It was disturbing, and worst of all, I watched it before my lunch.

MGM Grand is quite far from the rest of Foxwoods and it takes about 15 minutes to get there. It is in the nicer part of Foxwoods and the rest of Foxwoods does look a little aged, but well maintained.

Next Stop Buffet.

There is only one Buffet place in Foxwoods, and it cost $16.95 per person, but with the coupon, you don't have to pay extra. The buffet has quite a bit of selection, from BBQ (Mexican) to Chinese to Italian and New England.

You get to taste fried Clams, Boston Clam Chowder, Cocktail Shrimps, Beer Battered Cod, and much more. The roast beef and Ham is particularly good and you have soft serve ice cream too.

The above is my second serving and I had thirds and desert.

The cakes there are good too, it was totally value for money.

The sunset is very nice and it reminds you of how far out this place is when all you see is trees outside.

Walking around, even before Thanksgiving, I found several Christmas trees!

Overall, the decorations at Foxwoods is okay, nothing wow about it, and nothing fancy too. The MGM Grand side is definite newer and nicer than the rest of Foxwoods, and it does get a little complicated to navigate.

Next up, Circus de Soleil.

No Photography allowed..

So I would like to keep this short. The circus brings in the best acrobatic performance from around the world to perform in this musical and magical performance. It is indeed entertaining to see professionals risk their lives to perform incredible feats which looks exciting and dangerous.

So instead of talking about the performance, I have some secretly photos to share.

Overall, the show was fun, exciting, and breathtaking... I really loved it and would highly recommend it.

--Iron Bowl

Black Friday in Boston, 2009

2009-11-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to Shop?

I would say that in Boston, one of the best times (worst times) to shop is on Black Friday.

What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the USA. It is a busy shopping day as many people prepare for the Christmas season. This year, it falls on 27 November, 2009.

That's right. On the stroke of midnight after Thanksgiving, the sale of the year begin!

What do people do?

Many people have a day off work or choose to take a day from their quota of annual leave on Black Friday. Some people use this to make trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go on vacation. Others use it to start shopping for the Christmas season.

In the United States, it is very popular to start Christmas shopping on Black Friday. Many stores have special offers with very low prices on some goods, particularly on electronics and popular toys. Traditionally, people bought these as Christmas gifts, although now many are re-sold on internet sites. Many stores only have a few of the most popular items at very low prices. This means that some people choose to queue from very early in the morning or even overnight to make sure that they will be at the front of the queue when a particular store opens. Sometimes there are large skirmishes to get to the door when the store opens.

Boston Globe Precautions.

Why shop on Black Friday?
Though Black Friday is not an official holiday, it usually signifies the start of the Christmas Shopping season. And on Black Friday especially, the limited time offers that some of these companies offer is pretty amazing. The offers range from 20% off to sometimes 90% off and often you also get buy one get one free and many other bundled offers.

Where to find info on such offers?
Here are a few sites that have consolidated the information on Black Friday Sales.
http://www.black-friday.net/
http://bfads.net/

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Example:

Acer 20" Widescreen HD LCD Monitor - $79.99
Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements - $74.99
Alpine 50-Watt x 4-Channel Car Stereo - $99.99
Apple 6GB iPod Touch (3rd Generation) w/ Free $30 Gift Card - $199.99
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano - $149.99
Apple MacBook 13.3" Laptop w/ 2GB, 250GB, Free $150 GC - $999.99
Assorted Blu-ray Movies (X-Men, Smallville, Fast & Furious, More) - $9.99
Assorted PC Games (WoW, Farcry 2, Slots, Bioshock, More) - $4.99
Assorted Wii Games - $9.99
Blu-ray Movies (Departed, I Am Legend, Star Trek, More) - $7.99
Blu-ray Movies (Gladiator, Braveheart, Matrix, Wanted, More) - $12.99
Bose In-Ear Headphones - $89.99
Bose Sounddock Series II Digital Music System - $269.99
Braun Rechargeable Cordless Electric Shaver - $18.99
Canon EOS Rebel Tli D-SLR Camera - $699.99
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS (Gray or Teal) - $149.99
Canon Vixia High-Definition HD20 Video Camera - $499.99
Compaq Intel Atom Netbook w/ WinXP, 160GB HD, 1GB RAM - $179.99
Dell 10.1" Netbook w, Best Buy Exclusive Design - $379.99
Dell 20" Widescreen HD LCD Monitor - $99.99
Dlo Jam Jacket for iPhone 3G/3GS - $9.99
Dlo Power Pack for iPod/iPhone - $19.99
-- At Bestbuy

What else should I know about Black Friday Sales?
As shopping is a very popular activity on Black Friday and many stores have sales or special bargains, it can be incredibly busy in stores and malls. Some stores have extended opening hours to cope with the extra shoppers. There can also be congestion on roads to popular shopping destinations.

There are often large crowds and long waiting lines at these Black Friday Sales Events as many of the offers are just too amazing to be missed. Many people think that Black Friday is the busiest shopping day in the year. It has, for many years, been a popular day for many people visit brick-and-mortar stores. However, it has been said that the day on which most money was spent was usually the Saturday before Christmas.

There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. One theory says that it is because of the extremely heavy traffic on the roads on this day. The wheels of the vehicles left a lot of black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday.

The other theory is that it comes from an old-fashioned way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small retail stores, only started making profits in the run up to Christmas. Many hoped that they would start showing a profit, which could be marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving. This theory does not apply to many large corporations, but may be a fact of life for smaller businesses.

The events on Black Friday are often followed closely by the local media. Television shows may show films of people queuing at night and then emerging victoriously from the store with the items they wanted to purchase. The large number of people shopping and the competition to obtain the cheapest goods means that some people now avoid the stores on Black Friday. Some groups organize a "Buy Nothing Day" on Black Friday to protest at the increasing level of consumerism in the USA and Canada.

So are you ready for Black Friday yet?

Be prepared and be successful in your shopping adventure!

--Iron Bowl

Veterans Day Parade 2009 (Boston)

2009-11-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Veterans Day Parade, a parade that is typically the hotbed of anti-war protests is pretty mild this year.

I was disappointed with the disbandment of the Boston Police Mounted Unit, which I do miss a lot but I was there in fact for only one other thing -- the Boston Police Gaelic Column.

I have a few friends who are really into dressing up in Kilts and play music like the piper!

The parade starts at 1pm, but these dedicated officers arrive around 11:30am and start changing from their regular clothes into these awesome uniforms.

Every little thing has to be perfect, and they took several minutes to change and then practiced a lot.

Bob here is pretty good with the bagpipes and he's very friendly and he explained to me the significance of his uniform.

There were lots of tone testing and sound testing to make sure the bagpipes were tuned correctly.

Then there were more practice.

Meanwhile, the chief is coordinating the parade and there are many special operations officers directing traffic.

Everyone had to play their part for this parade to be safe and successful, and at 1pm, the parade started.

There was a large crowd watching the parade, and it was colorful indeed. The weather is cool and there was lots of cloud cover. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the parade!

There was much fun in the celebrations, everyone including the officers who kept the parade in order seemed to have fun. Then it was group photo time.

I had a good time, see you next year!

--Iron Bowl

Bak Kut Teh Recipe (Cooking in Boston)

2009-11-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

I'm preparing to cook Bak Kut Teh, a very famous soup in Boston, and I was wondering if I can find the ingredients in Boston. As you may know, even though cooking some Asian dishes in Boston is not difficult, finding the right ingredients may be.

For the soup I'm cooking, the following are the ingredients:

Ingredients: (Serving Size: 4 pax)

• 1 Pound of Pork Spareribs

• 5 Whole Star Anise (broken pieces equal to 5 stars)

• Soy Sauce (with thinly sliced fresh red chilies for dipping)

• 2 tbsp Crisp Shallot Flakes

• 1 tbsp Cloves

• 1 tbsp White Peppercorns

• 1 tbsp Black Peppercorns

• 5 cloves Garlic (peeled)

• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder

• 2 liter Water

• 2 tsp Sugar

• 2 tsp Salt

As expected, the "American" Supermarket do not carry some of the spices required and even if they do, they are much over priced. Even Garlic costs $3.99 where as the Garlic I got from Asian Supermarkets cost $0.99.

So if possible, shop at an Asian Supermarket to get the ingredients.

Now to the instructions to cook this yummy soup.

• Take a large pot and put sparerib pieces in it. Add enough cold water to cover them completely. Boil until foam rises to the surface. (You need to remove this foam)

• Drain the water and rinse the meat with cold water and return it to the pot. Add garlic and 2 liter of water.

• Put cinnamon, star anise, cloves and peppercorns in a cloth; tie it and add bag to the pot.

• Bring water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 ~ 2 hour or until the meat shrinks from the bones.

• Skim excess oil from the surface and discard it.

• Remove the spice bag from the pot.

• Season the prepared soup with salt, sugar and dark soy sauce to taste, and stir.

• Bak Kut Teh is ready.

• Serve with white steamed rice.

-- Iron Bowl

Halloween in Boston 09'

2009-11-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

Halloween is the time for people to dress up to amuse other folks. It is an excuse to drink lots of liquor and be stupid as well. This is one of my favorite time of the year as on Halloween, especially in Boston and here are the following reasons.

1) You get to dress up and have fun!

(Thanks Jason Liu for the photos)

2) It is very interesting to see many other people dress up.

Most of the folks are fun and love to show up what they came up with and groups with theme costumes are the best!

3) Halloween ladies costumes are often "Slutty". When you go Halloween shopping, you can see that the models for Halloween costumes often look like porn stars!

4) Everyone out there wants to have fun!!

5) There are lots of free hugs!

6) Live bands are cool!!

7) House party = loads of alcohol.

8) Warm house = less dress

9) Tons of ladies come to your party!! Even those you don't know! You get to know them if you are good at picking them up!

10) People sit around and tell stories, you learn a little more about your friends, especially after 4 beers!

Generally, I love to be in Boston for Halloween as the weather is nice for most costumes, not too cold, and not too hot, and the people are fun!

Being back and having fun + drinking good Boston Larger is great, and I love it here!

So have fun and Rock on!

See you next Halloween!

--Iron Bowl

Got a nice chain email from a friend today.

2009-10-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Good, better, best

Never ever rest

Until your good gets better

And your better gets best"

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Ahhh, The fun of chain emails never cease

--Iron Bowl

Dambulla, Sri Lanka

2009-10-12T01:41:00.000-07:00

The city of Dambulla lies approximately 148 kilometers (roughly 91 miles) to the Northeast of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

Dambulla is close to many interesting sites and Golden Temple of Dambulla is definitely a must see. Dambulla is also surrounded with many mountains and beautiful Greenery which makes getting around pleasant to look out.

Kandalama lake is also a spectacular sight to behold.

Getting to Dambulla:
Since Dambulla is relatively close to Colombo, Sri Lanka, you are best advised to hire a private car in Colombo for safe travel to Dambulla. There are ample drivers available for hire in Colombo and most are very knowledgeable of the cultural sites and local history of Sri Lanka, making for an informative, guided tour on the road from Colombo to Dambulla.

I would advice getting a driver because the roads are unmarked and the Hotels are not even properly located on Google Maps. There is no street numbers which makes Navigation hard. Self drive is almost impossible unless you are local.

View Larger Map

Though it is about 150km, the trip can take 5 hours as the roads from Colombo are small and slow. Traffic can be heavy at times on Kandy road and together with 1 or 2 breaks, getting to Dambulla in 5 hours is common.

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When you arrive at Dambulla, there are a few world class hotels to stay at. Heritance Kandalama Hotel Dambulla offers offers its guests great luxury. The hotel is conveniently located between Dambulla Cave Temple and the Sigiriya rock fortress and offers upscale, air-conditioned rooms with private balconies with spectacular views of forests or the lake. The hotel is a definite must visit as it is situated at the Kandalama Lake and offers breathtaking sights.

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Places of Interest

Kandalama Lake

Surrounded my mountains, Kandalama Lake is a wildlife refuge and the views around the lake and the Island in the middle is spectacular.

The sky and the lake is in such a great harmony that you feel a lot more relaxed in the area compared to Colombo, the experience is great and is hard to forget.

The views around the lake and the occasional wildlife grazing lazily on the side makes it a perfect place to take a break and take some photos.

Don't let the mountains in the picture fool you. Kandalama is just about 200m above sea level so, it is not a cold place at all, but the close proximity to the large body of water constantly keeps the vicinity of Kandalama Lake nice and cooling.

Across the lake is Heritance Kandalama, it looks part of the landscape from far.

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Golden Temple of Dambulla

Also known as Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this temple is a great place to visit. Comprised of 5 caves and a picturesque facade carved into the side of a steep rock face, the Dambulla Cave Temple houses ancient statues and paintings depicting the Buddha and his life.

Don't be fooled by the clean and nice appearance of the Temple. There is an ancient cave temple up in the mountain. It will take some time and effort to get there, so be prepared. Drink lots of water, leave early in the morning and climb it. It will be worth it. The tickets for tourist is Rs$1750, but it is definitely worth the money!

The front entrance is a recent addition and the real views are on top of the mountain. Save your photos until you get up there. The trip up hill is pleasant and cooling as the trail is shaded and has plenty of monkeys and friendly dogs. The trip is also very scenic and nice. REMEMBER: Buy your tickets before going up, tickets are available near the entrance and they only check for tickets on top of the rock!

Remember, there is lots of stairs, take your time and climb it slowly.

And Stairs...

When you get to the top, there are still steps!

The views from on top is spectacular. Remember your ticket, you need tickets to get in and if you have not got one, you need to make your way down again!

Take a short break, relax for a bit. Take off your shoes and enter the temple above.

The temple consists of 5 caves with nicely painted walls and lots of statues. Built at the base of a 150 meter rock face during a long period stretching from the first century B.C. to 1250 A.D, the Dambulla Cave Temple is comprised of five distinct caves, each of which functions as a shrine room. While all five of the Dambulla Cave Temple caves are worth exploring, these three stand out:

Cave of the Divine King: the first of the Dambulla Caves, the Cave of the Divine King is home to a 14 meter tall Buddha statue carved out rock.
Cave of the Great Kings: the second of the Dambulla Caves, the Cave of the Great Kings contains 56 statues of the Buddha
Great New Monastery: the third of the Dambulla Caves, the Great New Monastery contains 50 statues of the Buddha and a statue of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha. During the King's rule from 1747-1782, the ceiling and walls Great New Monastery were painted in the traditional Kandy style of the times.

There are lots of things to see, and remember to take your camera!

For something that ancient, you cannot get them elsewhere in the world!

This is the world famous reclining Buddha. Its pretty big, but not the biggest I've seen.

The construction and modern maintenance of the Dambulla Cave Temple occurred along the following rough time-line:

7th to 3rd century BC: Early inhabitants
1st century BC: Paintings and statues
5th century AD: The stupa was built
12th century AD: Addition of the statues of Hindu gods
18th century AD: Most of what we see today
19th century AD: An additional cave and some repainting
20th century AD:UNESCO restoration and lighting

I am pretty impressed at the cleanliness and maintenance of the temples.

There are many Stupas around, but few in caves!

You get a fantastic view outside the cave temples and this place just blows me away.

In the last few caves, you can find another reclining Buddha.

Definitely a great place to visit.

I'll come again... Dambulla, Sri Lanka

--Iron Bowl

A Day in Colombo

2009-10-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm am in Colombo for some training, and I had a chance to visit some spots around town.

Here are some photos I'd like to share.

The night before, I had Kottu, it had Cheese and Chicken and it was awesome! On this trip, I traveled with Soorensena and Navin (Naveen) as the others call him... Or the gay Indian Guy which everyone loves so much.

On the three wheeler, everything seemed more exciting, cars overtaking you left and right, pedestrians running across the roads, the potholes and not forgetting the diesel fumes in the air. A short while later, I was in Colombo.

Kollupitiya a city in Colombo is filled with people and things to do, one of the stops was at Branas, a store selling Asian food like the Supermarket chain, Super 88 in Boston, except that it is 100 times smaller and 2x more expensive. However the city is filled with hidden treasures in terms of its rich culture and heritage.

But remember, Spitting is prohibited here.

In the middle of the city, there is a green lake. It looks pretty good from far, and there are some interesting things on the lake.

Having something like this in the city is such a great way of escaping from the busy city life.

Seeing lots of Buddha everywhere, finding more here is not surprising, but you get to find the treasure of truth too!

There is a sense of calmness and the structures are very pretty indeed.

The seamless merge of tranquility and city is a great feel, and though the day was hot, I felt calm and cool in the shade overlooking the lake.

Here's some stock photos!! of real Stocks!

Damn, it would be cool to get on the bridge for some photos!

The structures and architectures are amazing as Sri Lanka had been taken over by several countries before. The above photo was taken across the road from Odel in Colombo, where I had lunch and lunch was great even when it was just from a food court.

From a tall building, the river still looks rather green.

The roofs of many buildings are very interesting, so just look up!.

Its interesting to see the contrast in the city as short old building stand beside tall modern ones.

The city is great and there are many things to discover! There are some ingenious designs which I love very much!

Come visit it!

--Iron Bowl

Mount Latvinia

2009-10-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Traveling around Colombo, I reached Mount Latvinia Hotel to get dinner one night, and the following is my experience.

From the time you enter till, the uniformed staff leap into action to greet you. The experience was rather wonderful.

When I arrived at the pool side terrace, the view was spectacular. The breeze was refreshing and the music was .. um not fantastic, however, it was a rather relaxing atmosphere to have dinner.

The atmosphere was great and the food was ok, however the deserts were pretty amazing.

I'll definitely go there again!

--Reviews Guru.

Temples in Colombo! Gothami and Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple

2009-10-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

There are many temples in Sri Lanka, in September, I visited some cool ones in Colombo.

The Gothami Viharaya, located on Gothami Rd in Borella is in a convenient location that seemed pretty tucked away and tranquil.

There are several nice paintings inside and it only take 15 minutes to check out the place.
(But the no photography rule inside make it a little lame!)

Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple.

Address: 61 Sri Jinaratana Road Colombo, Sri Lanka

This is an awesome religious site that is a definitely must visit if you are in Colombo. It has tons of things to see inside, and you have to visit in person. I'm taken some photos which I'm sharing here.

The architecture is definitely worth checking out, and there is just so much to see.

There is even a 1930's Mercedes Benz 170V Salon I believe...

Damn, the face of the wall is definitely amazing to see.

Now, to the insides of Gangaramaya, you get to discover many wonderful Statues!

This is definitely cool, and you can see so much in Gangaramaya.

And elephants!! Every temple has elephants!

And the fishes!

Wait.. More vintage cars?? Yeah, tons of them in here!

More old stuff here to see too! With the artifacts here, you do not need to go to a museum!

Lots of stuff to see. I promise!

You got to visit this when you are in Colombo!

--Iron Bowl

Pasta with 4 Cheese, Churizo and Peppers

2009-09-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is a relatively simple dish to make for 4.

You need:

2 Churizo (Spicy Spanish Sausages)

2 Tomatoes sliced

4 Tomatoes (Puree)

1 Onion (Big Spanish) (Slice 80% for grilling and remaining 20% chopped)

Mushrooms

Pasta of your choice

Peppers, (Red, Yellow or Green - Your choice)

200g Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)

50g Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

50g Cheddar Cheese (English - for the sharp taste)

50g Asiago Cheese (shredded)

Basil leaf

Chopped Garlic

Directions:

Boil your pasta and add a pinch little salt.

Stir fry the Churizo in a pan, medium heat until it turns brown and releases its yummy oils.

Remove the Churizo and place them aside, keep the oil.

Grill your peppers and onions over the flame, when it starts to turn brown.

Put the grilled vegetables in the Churizo oil to give them more flavor.

Grill for a little longer (2 minutes in medium heat)

Then add in the mushrooms.

Sometimes the mushrooms give out water, and you want to remove the water by increasing the heat until it boils off. Continue to stir fry. When Mushrooms look smaller and take on a golder brown coat, take them off the flame.

Throw chopped garlic into the pan and sear it. throw in your chopped onions and wait for them to turn golden brown.

Add your tomato puree and wait for a slow boil. Lower the heat

Add the shredded cheese and fold continuously until the cheese melts and you get a consistent base.

Add basil leaf for more flavor and stir for a minute.

Pour your tomato base on your pasta and Churizo and your grilled and stir fry vegetables on top.

You now have Pasta with 4 Cheese, Churizo and Peppers

-- Iron Bowl

Cool places to be in Colombo, Sri Lanka

2009-09-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

I've been to several places in Colombo, and I find this place, simply amazing.

BAREFOOT, located at 706 Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka. is a definite must to visit when you are in Colombo.

Located near the beach, Barefoot is a pretty large store, selling lots of things from Cloth to Linen, to finished products like bags, clothes and other household items.

Using the cottage industry where the workers take work home, everything here is hand made and definitely not mass manufactured, and using only safe and Eco-friendly products.

The quality of things are pretty good here, however compared to the rest of Colombo, it is a tad more expensive.

There are many interesting things inside, and the one that caught my eyes are the ANGRY ELEPHANTS! They are definitely very cool, and some day, I'll get one for myself!

After getting some shopping done, there is a definitely MUST CHECKOUT book store inside as well. The bookstore carries many books and literary arts of Sri Lanka, and the environment is relaxing and accomodating.

I could spend hours there reading the interesting collection they have, but I decided to see what else they have...

A Cafe with a Deck! How cool is that! There is also an art Gallery in the beautiful Courtyard. The environment is really fantastic and hard to believe that it is also part of Colombo, as all the hustle and bustle of the city does not seem to exist here!

The food is great, and service amazing. Just sitting by the Greenery in the nice open courtyard is something you have to experience for yourself.

In the evenings, the colors of the place changes and the previously hidden colorful pillars are now on display when the light is bounced off them and the place looks stunning.

Dominic Sansoni, A.K.A. Dom the owner of Barefoot, is often seen at the cafe too. With his iBook, he types away quietly, but is always friendly and sociable to come over to say hi!

This is such a cool place that you can meet up with many interesting people like Indi (in the picture above)

Harean is sometimes seen there too!

Dom is very hospitable and Barefoot is his home!

So if you are around Colombo next time, be sure to check out Barefoot!!

--Iron Bowl

A visit to Elephant Orphanage and Kandy, Sri Lanka

2009-08-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Well, Elephants are the same, wherever you are and indeed, many of them are stinky.

I took a trip from Colombo to Kandy, and decided to visit an Elephant Orphanage on the way there.

Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka

I was a little annoyed that a foreigner needs to pay Rs$1250 to get in. After entering, I immediately noticed the stench of elephants and though there are no guides or signs to guide you where to go, you can easily follow the elephant smell and find the elephants. Anyway, its hard for elephants to hide right?

Though saved in the Elephant Orphanage, many of the elephants are still chained and kept in a location for visitors to take photos.

But later, I found elephants who are free to roam and you can go up close to feed them and pat them.

Overall, the view was pretty good, and you can view mountains in the distance. Lots of Photo opportunities!

But still Rs$1250 for probably 30 minutes of viewing elephants? I'm not sure its worth the money. But if you have never been close to a real elephant or never been to a zoo, maybe its time to visit the elephants there.

After some time and money spent, I'm off to Kandy. We stopped at a popular spot for photographs and the view was pretty awesome. There are also local people selling fruits and snacks! You can also see Adam's peak in the distance.

Just an advice. DO NOT TRY THE CORN! It is the worst corn in my life. I can't believe that there is ever such thing as "unsweetened corn" and if you ever feel like eating cardboard tasting corn.. Feel free to buy some and try.

Then I arrived at a tea plantation on the way. It was a tiny one, but still kinda cool.

There is tea... lots of tea!!

The air outside is cool and you can try out the tea for free in the cafe and they are really good and definitely a good buy as well.

There are lots of greens and they practice cultivating cross species and being around lots of tea, is somehow calming and nice! We even got a free demo on plucking tea leaves.

After getting lots of tea, we head towards Kandy and the Temple of the Buddha's tooth.

Sri Lanka 2009

2009-08-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Sri Lanka. 22:20 (10:20pm) and Navin is not here at airport.

Time now is 23:38 (11:38pm) Navin cannot read time so Navin was late.

The next morning, we visited the dirty beach next to his house.

It has a railway track, but just lots of trash.

Then we got food at the food Court... Wow! They actually have one here.. But its Colombo, the Capital city of Sri Lanka? (Not much of a city though)

We saw some man on man love on lare posters,

We had basically the best foods money can buy. Its not exactly cheap, but not too expensive either.

The next night, we had a BBQ, it was great!

I was informed by Navin that you can only get fresh meats from a few places as the "conveniences stores" have stale stuff. But then again, Navin does not know how to get around even outside his house. he just takes the 3 wheelers everywhere!

Data has weight?

2009-08-09T02:22:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love it when people ask such questions on Google or Yahoo?

Maybe data really has weight

--Iron Bowl

Flu like Symptoms...

2009-07-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

I had some flu-like symptoms and decided to check my ol' medical cabinet.

As I just stuff everything in an airtight container, I took out a bunch of white pills.

I am trying these out now...

Dexbrompheniramine-Pseudoephedrine Chemical Information

dexbrompheniramine maleate - The maleate salt form of dexbrompheniramine, an alkylamine derivative with anticholinergic and sedative properties. Dexbrompheniramine is a histamine H1-receptor antagonist that competes with histamine for the H1-receptor sites on effector cells in the gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels and respiratory tract. The antagonistic action of this agent blocks the activities of endogenous histamine, which subsequently leads to temporary relief from the negative histamine-mediated symptoms of allergic reaction such as bronchoconstriction, vasodilation, increased capillary permeability and spasmodic contractions of gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

pseudoephedrine sulfate - The sulfate salt form of pseudoephedrine, a phenethylamine and a diastereomer of ephedrine with sympathomimetic property. Pseudoephedrine sulfate displaces norepinephrine from storage vesicles in presynaptic neurones, thereby releasing norepinephrine into the neuronal synapses where it stimulates primarily alpha-adrenergic receptors. It also has weak direct agonist activity at alpha- and beta- adrenergic receptors. Receptor stimulation results in vasoconstriction and decreases nasal and sinus congestion.

There is a warning though... AVIOD ALCOHOL

I hope it is just for show as I am gulping it down with KilKenny!!

--Iron Bowl

What's with the lack of $$ in Boston?

2009-07-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

First, the horses from Boston Police are cut from the budget, now Zoos...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/15/zoo_chief_defends_statement_on_possible_closings/

I mean Boston and Massachusetts have a strong history which draws me to this great city. Its rich culture, beautiful buildings and historical landmarks... All make Boston such a great place to visit and live in.

However with the badly managed Mass Pike (Big Dig) and MBTA, which is definitely overpriced now, Boston is also going to have no more Boston Police horses at the Boston Common, (which is one of my favorite reason to go to the Common) No more zoos and possibly, no more fun.

There seemed to be still a lot of violence and somewhat mediocre education system, but when funds are further cut that cause schools to close and cut budget on anti-crime / anti-gang programs, isn't it going to be worse?

And for the Greenline, there are 2 crashes in the past 2 years and yet, no budget for an automated system. The operators and their unions seemed to be driving MBTA into deeper debt.

I feel that Massachusetts should be in a much better financial position than many other states. With great schools which are mostly recession proof, Massachusetts is also a healthcare hub. I don't get it when the state and the city is unable to clean up their act and get Massachusetts back to where it should be again.

-- Iron Bowl

Detective Cataldo spotted again.

2009-07-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it, I got an email with this photo attached and I'm shocked to see my friend Dave smiling for this picture.

Dave is very camera shy and constantly hides from the camera, but somehow during this Gay Pride parade, some one got this shot of him and chatted with him. Their comment, "This is really a cool guy!"

Well, I'm glad to see him happy as he's goal was to help people and I'm sure he's doing it every day. To all the Boston's Finest, I really appreaciate your hard work keeping the city safe! Thanks for everything, and keep it nice and tidy till I come back!

--Iron Bowl

Disbandment of Boston Police Mounted Unit

2009-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

After thousands of petitions and lots of appeals from the people who want to keep this 140 year tradition of having horses patrol the streets of Boston, is coming to an end. The City Council have already cut this out of the budget, and eliminate the Boston Police Mounted Unit.

"The Boston Mounted Police have been cut from the budget! I just came from the vote for the budget and Councilmen Yoon, Flaherty and Ross were the only ones who spoke out on behalf of saving the Mounted Police. It is a done deal. There was a reporter from the Boston Herald present, so he will have an article in full. BTW,there are more than 3,000 people on here, but yesterday there was a total of about 25 people there. Today, there were 5. I hope more of you wrote. Why? There is a chance that the unit could be "reconstituted," though that is doubtful. The four-legged members will be going to the Big Apple and to Plymouth. The fate of the others will be in the Herald I am sure."

"I heard what we believed to be our strongest City Councilor supporter on the radio today. Two words come to mind: "sell out". The wealthy people who have donated to the Park Rangers for years will be able to retain this unit, but our Boston Police horses are being hung out to dry. I guess that money can really buy anything and everything - including city services that should be enjoyed by all citizens. I will be sending another mass message to the group today at the urging of another City Councilor, who has NEVER wavered in his support of this unit. He wants as many people to attend the City Council hearing at City Hall at noon tomorrow (Wednesday). The City Council votes tomorrow and he wants the other councilors to actually see our support tomorrow. I know it's late notice, but it's one last ditch effort for these horses to stay were they belong."

It is such a shame that the City Council and the Police Department has to Disband such a tradition. Many people supported this but the efforts seemed tobe not enough.

Here are posts from some people who supported the Boston Police Mounted Unit and would love to see them stay.

"Amy...it's too bad that this recognition couldn't be on a weekend, so that people with work commitments can attend along with their families. Many of those who have been supportive to this cause have used either sick or vacation days from work in order to attend these weekday hearings. I am extremely disappointed in the outcome of the majority vote. This is a huge topic and many will remember this outcome while in the voting booths. Shame on them for allowing this to happen. They forget that their positions are given to them by voters. The City's public servants are out of control and this issue is a poster child for change in Boston. Again, shame on them."

"On behalf of those of us who were present, I would like to thank Council President Ross for taking a moment to specifically address the issue of the Mounted Police. Repeaedly today the word "dire" was paired with economic times and there seemed to be a lot of discussion about the budget being reduced and relegated to the most important things. Of course we think schools and programs to keep teens occupied and to minimize violence etc. are very worthwhile. However, we also feel that the Mounted Police are valuable as an historical, cultural, educational, personable, aesthetic means of maintaining safety and tradtion in the old streets of Boston and that they scost relatively little to maintain. I don't think there was a greater show of force earlier cuz quite frankly I don't think any one thought the mayor would actually ELIMINATE such a Boston institution. Now-again--Last Min.. you tell us you will honor them. We need more time to get people together to show them we care. This stinks!"

BPD Mounted Unit doesn't just serve Boston - they go to other events where extra patrols are needed - like Salem's Halloween Celebrations. etc. So more than just the City of Boston is going to feel this impact.

http://bostonhorses.blogspot.com/

Every year, I look forward to see the horses during First Night, St. Patrick's Day, Boston Marathon and all the big events in Boston. I feel that they have aleady became part of the cities and not just about budget. The mounted Polic Officers are doing a great job, and the horses have served the city well for crowd control after Boston won all the sports events lately.

Does the city think that they will stop winning sports and crowd control is not needed anymore?

"The Mounted Police are a special group of officers and service animals who have been a vital force in Massachusetts for over 110 years. They manage to step in where cars can not go, and they leave absolutely no carbon footprint. They have done it all: patrolled the Streets of Brookline during the strike of 1919; tried to keep order in the at Fenway after the game as in 2004 or even going onto the field as they did in the Red Sox game in 1986; they even kept order at Sacco and Vanzetti's funeral if my facts are all right."

Part of History and Tradition is disappearing, lets all hope nothing else good is going.

-- Iron Bowl

Li Ning sports Products

2009-06-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

In China, Li Ning is a well known sports brand which is similar to the likes of Nike and Adidas. Ask any Chinese teenager if they know Li Ning, and few would shake their heads. It was initially set up by the famous Chinese gymnast Li Ning, and this sports brand is endorsed by Damon Jones and Shaq O'Neille from NBA.

Recently, I was in Singapore to watch the Aviva Open Badminton Competition. Many world class players were here and the matches were impressive. The sponsors Aviva and Li-Ning had logos everywhere, and the Singapore and China Badminton National Teams were wearing Li Ning Products and using Li-Ning Badminton Rackets.

Li Ning, however, is not exactly very globalized yet (judging from the fact that few have heard of it's name here). This was the first time I heard of Li Ning outside China but they had such a following there!!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

There was a Li Ning Booth at the Aviva Open, and the badminton rackets looked pretty good. Though made in China, the quality looks fine and they are light and pretty!

Price for Li Ning racquets ranges from $99 to $329 at Aviva open. The Li Ning Section at Mustafa Shopping Centre. No high-end N series available yet. The current low to mid-end models currently stocked there is priced ridiculously high at between $99-$329 too.

I don't get it, why do they cost more than the Yonex, which is the world renouned brand, and they marked up the price of the mid range quite abit as from the Li Ning website, the top model should be around S$252 (current exchange rate of RMB to S$) and yet they are selling at S$329.

BTW, the top model which is the one used by Lin Dan is selling for S$489 ! Their shuttles are going for S$57 a tube.

Their shoe is priced competitively. I saw a model which is very light and cost around S$100 which I think is reasonable.

Li Ning is sold at Mustafa, I've not really seen them selling outside. Many sports store that I go to at Bras Brasah, Queesway (Very expensive parking!) are not carrying Li Ning, as they think its over priced and under marketed. Not a lot of efforts are put into marketing these products, and there is not enough brand awareness created for people to look for the rackets.

Furthermore with the bad Made in China image for a lot of Chinese made products, and their rackets are made in China, I feel that there should be an introductory price for these rackets to make them priced more competitively for more people to try them out. Why would I buy Li Ning when Yonex is the same price or cheaper for similar models.

Well, I have a patent for a new "washable badminton grip" which I intend to market in Singapore first, however it is very hard to contact Li Ning in Singapore as the webpage that they have is not navigational friendly.

*Sigh* Wanted to support Li Ning as they supported the Singapore Badminton Team, however, I guess I will have to go to Yonex or Carlton...

-- Iron Bowl

Cathay Pacific.

2009-06-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

Good Service but inflexible "system"

I am a little confused by the weird policy by Cathay Pacific today when I arrived early at Taiwan Taipei airport to go to Hong Kong with a friend and because of our needs, decided to change flight schedules. I would like to fly at 1.05pm to Hong Kong instead of 4:20pm and he would like to fly at 4:20pm as his connecting flight is at 6:00pm. I would not mind arriving at HK earlier to meet a friend and he would love to stay in Taiwan a little longer and wait for some samples to be sent to him and wait less at Hong Kong. In the end, both our requests were turned down due to our "ticket codes"

I am not sure why there is a policy that would not allow us to switch flights as I feel that since everything is computerized and we are switching flight times (seats), how hard is it to do this simple change of us. Why is the "system" so inflexible for such a request?

So far the customer service on Cathay Pacific has been pretty good, and I would definitely prefer to fly Cathay Pacific compared to many other airlines, however I feel that a good airline with a good service, should have a good system to cater for more conveniences.

I am infact quite surprised that such an inflexible practice is still prevalient in today's competitive airline industry. But I guess, no airline is perfect.

-- Iron Bowl

Save the Boston Police Monuted Unit

2009-06-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Please Help Save the Boston Police Mounted Unit

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AND WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP! THE CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET THE END OF JUNE!!!

The current budget has NO funding for the BPD Mounted Unit. If the City Council passes the budget as-is, the oldest mounted unit in the country will be abolished.

What can you do to help save the Boston Police Mounted Unit???

* Send a brief email to the Boston City Council President, Mike Ross, stating that the unit is important for Boston:

Michael.Ross@cityofboston.gov

* Sign the online petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/Save-Boston-Police-Mounted-Unit

* Contribute any amount you are able to the non-profit that has been established by Nady Peters. The non-profit's first campaign is to help save the BPD Mounted Unit. More information is at the website below, where you can donate online. Please contact Nady Peters directly with any questions about the non-profit:

http://www.mintformounts.org

* Pass this message along to as many people as you can and ask them to do the same.

We ask that you take a few minutes of your time to show your support. Our voices ARE making a difference.

Thanks to everyone who has already emailed the City Council, signed the online petition, and/or contributed to the sponsoring non-profit, Mint For Mounts. Your voices are being heard at Boston City Hall. Council President Ross has been delivering hard copies of the emails to Mayor Menino and holding up the pile of emails at Council meetings to show that the public wants to keep this very vital unit. We need to keep up the pressure before voting day!!

--Iron Bowl

Catspeek Dickshunary

2009-05-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, there is really some cat talk going on the internet Especially for lolcats and some cats Chatting on Twitter.

I've followed @satsugaicat and sometimes its hard to understand cat speak, but I found a dictionary for you folks to enjoy cat speak.

But these are the things I would like to add:

MOL - Meow out Loud

ROTFM - Rolling on the floor Meowing

Pawsome - ~hu AWESOME

Nom - ~hu food (nom nom nom.. sound of cat eating)

#fursday - A tag on Twitter for cats to recommend folks.

*nosetap* - greeting from a cat, a form of hello

Atenshun - ~hu Attention

... damn.. too much to list.

--Iron Bowl

http://cats.about.com/cs/funwithcats/l/blcatspeek.htm

Catspeek Dickshunary

Learn how to talk like a cat for self-survival

Okay, so it was inevitable. You hang around with fuzzballs long enough, you're going to pick up their language eventually. However, for the catspeak-challenged, I've assembled this little usage dictionary to make their mewsings more understandable.

You see-- you've already learned one word. You will see many others on CLAW member pages. Before you know it, you too will talk like a cat. Miaou!

Affur	Hu. after	prep. Later in time; following Ex. 'Affur you, my winkwink.'
brofur	Hu. brother	n. Male sibling.
catress	Hu. actress	n. A female purrformer.
dats	Hu. That's	Contraction of "dat is". Ex. 'Dats what I'm trying to tell you.'
*dgs**	Hu. dogs (vulgar)	noun 4-legged human companion far inferior to cats
ennything	Hu.anything	pron. Act, condition. Ex. 'Did you do ennything to your fur?'
evfur	Hu. ever	adv. Element of illusive time, i.e. 'Will you evfur be ready?'
fud	Hu. food	n.Sustenance. Of supreme importance to most cats. Ex. 'Don't furget the fud!'
fur	Hu. for, far (sl.)	adv. A measure of space or time
furevfur	Hu. forever	adv. Lasting as long as time.
furriend	Hu. friend	n. A fond name for a loved one. Ex. You will always be my best furriend.'
furry	Hu. very	adv.Extremely. Ex. The Wicked Twins are furry furry happy today.
furst	Hu. first	adv. A unit of impurrtance. Ex. 'I was furst in line!'
leeve	Hu. leave	v. Depart. Ex. 'Pleeze leeve the purrmises, Sir.'
leftofurs	Hu.leftovers	n. That which remains. With food, usually served again at a later time, and usually tasting better then.
mewsic	Hu. music	n. Vocal or instrumental sounds that are pleasing to the ear.
meowmie	Hu. Mommy	n. Female parent to a cat; may be two or four-legged.
nevfur	Hu. never	adv. Without possibility of happening.
ovfur	Hu. over	prep. surmounting, overcoming.
purrformance	Hu.performance	noun. An entertainment event for an audience, e.g., Clyde Big Paw's purrformance at the CLAW Theatre.
propurrty	Hu.property	n. Real estate, belongings. Ex. 'That tuna is MY propurrty!'
purrposed	Hu.proposed	verb. Presented to others for consideration. ex.: 'My brofur purrposed to his winkwink.'
purrsuader	Hu.persuader	n. A complimentary description of one who is very convincing.
sisfur	Hu. sister	noun Female sibling.
smurgle smurgle	Hu. (see def.)	v. Acts depicting intense affection between feline members of the opposite sex, best left to the imagination of the reader.
wedwink	Hu. wedding	n. Results from a ceremony reminiscent of a human wedding. Not all winkwinks can become wedwinks, because their humans lack the graphic skills to produce the extravaganza. A grandiose wedwink has just begun at dorissimo's domain.
winkwink	Hu.Sweetheart, betrothed	n. A serious commitment between two cats which much be approved by their brofurs, sisfurs, and hoomin beans (aka purrsons). The story of Taliesin's and Dwnn's courtship is athttp://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5516/twidgy.html. Such a sweet story; take a hankie when you read it. It's like a long-term engagement, and as with many humans' engagements it may not lead to the altar.
wood	Hu. would	v. Past tense of 'will'. Ex. 'Wood you pass the catnip, pleeze?'
waz	Hu. was	v. Past tense of 'is'.
whateffur	Hu.whatever	n. Any and all. Ex. 'Whateffur you want my dear.'
whatz	Hu. what's	Contraction of 'what iz'. Ex. 'Whatz the purroblem here?'
iz, wuz	Hu. is	v. Third purrson state of being. Ex. "He iz furry handsome.' PT: 'He wuz very glad to see you.'

-- Iron Bowl