Birds Are Dinosaurs, so...

Really? Are you crazy? What are you talking about?

You might have come out with these kinds of expression, and you might now be frowning as well. If you think the title seems peculiar, I suggest that you buy (or borrow) a copy of Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and Luis V. Rey, and read the chapter Birds (Avialae). (To read my review of the book, click here.)

To true dinosaur enthusiasts, this is not something strange or new. As bats are mammals, birds (including chickens) are dinosaurs. Dinosaurs did NOT go extinct; they are still alive today, with us. So what are the implications? What are the consequences? Here are some that I can think of:

1. Dinosaur pets

A parrot

Do you have a bird pet? Parrot? Cockatoo? Canary? Pigeon? Finch?  If yes, you have a dinosaur. :)

2. Dinosaurs in the zoo

An emu in a zoo

In a sense, we actually have Jurassic Parks. Now you can point to a bird in a zoo and say, "Look! That's a dinosaur!"

3. You might have eaten dinosaur.

Thai chicken satay

Unless you have been a vegan/vegetarian all your life, it is very likely that you have eaten dinosaur.

4. Jay Chou's favorite food is fried dinosaur.

Me with Jay Chou wax statue at Madame Tussauds Singapore

Is this the reason why you compose music amazingly, Jay?

5. Fast-food chains provide dinosaur.

Fried chicken

McDonald's, KFC, Lotteria, Burger King, A&W, and many more. They provide dinosaur!

6. Bird lovers are dinosaur lovers.

Feeding gulls

Are you a bird lover? Congratulations! You are a dinosaur lover! :)

7. Alarm dinosaurs

A crowing rooster

Thanks to those dinosaurs, you don't get to work late. :)

8. The Twitter logo is a dinosaur.

The Twitter logo
TWITTER, TWEET, RETWEET and the Twitter logo are trademarks of Twitter, Inc. or its affiliates

Don't forget to Tweet this article. ;)

9. Donald Duck and Tweety are dinosaurs.

Donald Duck

Tweety

Quick-tempered dino and cute dino!

10. Dinosaurs for weddings

A pair of white pigeons

Dinosaurs represent purity, fidelity, and many things. So sweet... <3

That's all! Actually, you can find countless others. Now I am kind of hungry... Should I eat some dinosaur..? Continue reading..

Discounts

Imagine you are in a mall. You go to a department store. You see many kinds of things. Some of them are interesting but the others not. But, what is "really interesting"  is that there are eye-catching signs. "25%", "30% discount", "up to 80% off", and many others; those are what the signs show.

Discounts are a way to attract people to buy products or services. You can save some money and spend it on anything else. (That's what I know. Please forgive me, I'm not marketeer.)

Item: Watch
Normal Price: $50.50
Discount: 30%
Price After Discount: $35.35

Yeah, cool! You can save $15.15. You can buy two copies of Raptor Red, one for you and one for your mischievous brother. Is it good? Yes, it is. Is it always good? The abrupt answer is NO.

Why? The answer is related to my article Need and Greed. The mistake that people sometimes (or often?) make is that they are tempted to buy discounted things because there are discounts. If you think about it, it makes no sense. The fact that there are discounts is not a good reason why you buy things. We buy things
because we think those will be useful for us, because we will use them for our good, because they will affect our lives well, because they will bring about good effects to us.

If you buy a thing with an original price of $10 at a reduced price of $8 without the right reason, actually you do not save $2; you throw away $8 instead.

Laura: "Brian, look at the T-shirt!"
Brian: "Oh, what's wrong with it?"
Laura: "It's so cheap! There's a 75% discount! It's just $10 now! Get it!"
Brian: "Oh. Thanks, Laura, but I have plenty of clothes at home. :) Laura, you look thirsty. Why not drink an orange juice? I'll treat you. :)"
Laura: "Ah.. Sure.. Thanks, Brian. :)" Continue reading..

Jay Chou's Songs for Weddings

Again! I am writing this article while listening to his songs. :)

Maybe some people think that it is a crazy or enigmatic idea. And I'm sure others think this is a brilliant idea—as I do. Weddings are once-in-a-life-time events. Why not use Jay Chou's heavenly, romantic music to embellish one of the unforgettable moments in your life? Your beloved one would definitely be touched and pleased! If I marry, I'd like to sing at least some of these songs for my beloved wife. :) Okay, here they are! Enjoy! ^^

Note:
• For translations click here.
• If you want to sing, changing or adjusting the lyrics so that they will suit you and your honey would be a good idea.

1. 可愛女人 (Ke Ai Nü Ren) → Lovable Woman
2. 簡單愛 (Jian Dan Ai) → Simple Love
3. 星晴 (Xing Qing) → Clear Stars
4. 七里香 (Qi Li Xiang) → Common Jasmin Orange
5. 園遊會 (Yuan You Hui) → Garden Party
6. 浪漫手機 (Lang Man Shou Ji) → Romantic Handphone
7. 麥芽糖 (Mai Ya Tang) → Maltose
8. 甜甜的 (Tian Tian De) → Sweetly
9. 愛的飛行日記 (Ai De Fei Xing Ri Ji) → Love's Flight Diary
10. 手語 (Shou Yu) → Sign Language
11. 手寫的從前 (Shou Xie De Cong Qian) → The Handwritten Past
12. 告白氣球 (Gao Bai Qi Qiu) → Love Confession

Bonus: Jay Chou's Wedding Music

---

Source: http://www.jaychoustudio.com/jay-chou-discography (title translations) Continue reading..

Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages – Book Review

Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages

by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and Luis V. Rey

To be honest, Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages is one of the best dinosaur books I've ever read. The title suggests that this book is suitable for dinophiles of all generations and I must say that I couldn't agree more. Dinosaurs will also definitely rivet those who want to delve into the world of dinosaurs from scratch. Tom Holtz did a great job as he explains the content of this book in a very simple and often funny way, making this book easy to understand and entertaining. In addition to that, Dinosaurs is very well structured so you won't get perplexed. The scope of this book is so vast; it covers history of dinosaur discoveries, rocks and environment, taxonomy, cladistics, types of dinosaurs, dinosaur behavior and biology, and many more. Finally, with magnificent and vibrant illustrations by Luis Rey, articles written by thirty-three of the world's leading fossil experts, and a comprehensive dinosaur genus list at the back of the book, Dinosaurs is a wonderful paleontology treasure and one that every person mustn't miss when considering buying a high-quality dinosaur book. Continue reading..

Fake

The first article on the first of May. Okay. Now think of someone who you think lives a happy life.

You may have more than one person in your mind now. One of them might be your brother, sister, cousin, uncle, friend, idol, or your boss. They might be someone else. And, yeah, they seem to be always happy. They seem to have everything. Maybe you always smile every time you see them. They seem not to have any problems in their life.

However, one day I was thinking about the same kind of thing. Do what I see is what really is? Well, that was more or less the question. And, I came up with an answer.

No. No. No. Fake. They are fake.

We might judge someone by looking at the impressions they give. We don't see the real thing that is happening or exists at that time. We might also generalize it. We think that they stay the same all their life. Every day, every second, every time. But what is the fact? Do we really know? No, we don't.

In fact, they might be sad but hide it behind their smiles. They seem to have been happy all their lives, but do we know how it began? Do we know how many liters of tears were shed? How many sacrifices did they make and and how great were they?

An example to end this article is my favorite musician, Jay Chou. He is very successful. He is popular and so many people like him. In my opinion, he is the best musician ever. But how did he become such a superstar? I can't imagine the effort he made. I can't. Continue reading..

Value

The world we live in is determined by value. It is formed by value. It is shaped by value. How come?

Aware or not, we move, act, and do things because we are triggered by the value we place on things. For example, why are there buildings in the world? Because people think that buildings are good for them, or, in other words, their value is high. People gets protection from buildings. In buildings they are safe from dangerous animals—and humans too. People don't get wet in buildings because the rain can't reach them. Buildings provide shelter; they live in buildings. And so on and so forth. Why do people eat and drink? Because eating and drinking are good for them. Again, their value is high. If people don't eat or drink, they will die soon. There are a lot more examples: education, spouses, books, God, etc.

Value differs between one and another. For instance, paleontologists are people who are passionate about ancient creatures. They are keen on fossils. They place a high value on them. However, there are other people who really don't care about what ancient creatures and fossils are. These people place a low value—or even no value—on them. Here is another example. I don't mind soccer. I don't think that it is worth watching. However, most Indonesians, as far as I know, are soccer lovers. They talk about soccer matches, players, and so on and so forth. My value on soccer is different from theirs. People have different interests and I think it's okay. It doesn't cause trouble, generally.

It seems that everything is all right. But problems turn up everywhere and every time.

I'm writing this article because of a moment.I had a task and I wanted finish it off as soon as possible. However, my motivation was not to learn and improve my knowledge and skills but to get a high score so that I could get a certificate. That was so dangerous. Why? Because I was not focusing on the true value. Tasks are given so that people can learn and do something well. So that we can contribute to the world. So that we can build a better world. If we learn a lot, in earnest, and with the motivation to improve ourselves, we will certainly get a good score, right? So people should place a high value on learning, not on getting a high score. Scores are just signs that show that we have learned well. Placing a high value on something wrong can lead to bad things. For example, people might find "the shortest path" to get a high grade on exams or tests. Cheating and bribing are two examples I can think of. They might pass the exams; nevertheless, they have no capabilities, which is no use.

Do you do your job only to stay alive or to dedicate yourself to serving God?  Do you want to be in a relationship because you don't want to be mocked by your friends or because you really love him/her and want to build a happy family together with him/her? Do you buy things for prestige or to benefit humanity? Be careful! Your value determines your future! Continue reading..

Oxford Picture Dictionary – Book Review

Oxford Picture Dictionary

by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein and Norma Saphiro

Oxford Picture Dictionary is a great means of enriching your English vocabulary. With a wide range of topics, from everyday language to transportation to recreation, it certainly will make you a more knowledgeable user of the English language. The pictures are clearly presented, making it easy for the readers to identify what they refer to. You might expect that this pictionary includes only nouns, but no! It also comprises verbs as well as grammar points, which would be perfect companions to the nouns, and provides the readers with additional, helpful expressions that they can use in certain contexts. What about pronunciation? Don't worry as there's a guide along with the pronunciations of all the words featured in this book. Note that the kind of English used in this book is American English, so it might not be really suitable for those who want to enlarge their British English vocabulary. For your information, Oxford Picture Dictionary is also available in bilingual editions. Continue reading..