Rosary Prayer

I said Rosary Prayer when I was in gym yesterday. Obviously its a good way to dissipate the attention in doing stepper esp. when you really feel tired and want to give up on the stepper.

I was taught that God would give what he thinks the best for you, and once you pray, you'd get it, and he'd hear it (unless its not the best for you).

It's pretty miraculous that - even as small request as this - I was given it and I enjoyed it. I felt quite lonely this week when I'm in the US for biz trip. My close frenz all know that I'd feel quite uncomfortable for being alone... something like abnormal stress, unhappinness would appear. Tonight I had dinner with a classmate who came from Hong Kong as well and he stayed in the US for 20 years. I didn't anticipate that I felt a lot better after that. Not because of anything very special but this kind of interaction do let me feel a lot better and feel a bit more energetic.

Thank God!

Therefore let me quote how to say Rosary Prayer here and you'd try to follow. Prayers - sometimes they don't sound substantial - but it helps.

http://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/misteri_luminosi_en.html

How to pray the Rosary - Mysteries of Light?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.O God come to my aid;O Lord, make haste to help me.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,world without end. Amen.

At the beginning of each decade, announce the "mystery" to be contemplated, for example, the first joyful mystery is "The Annunciation".

After a short pause for reflection, recite the "Our Father", ten "Hail Marys" and the "Glory be to the Father".

An invocation may be added after each decade.

At the end of the Rosary, the Loreto Litany or some other Marian prayer is recited.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Loreto Litanies
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy; hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.


Here is the Chinese introduction on the Rosary Prayer:

http://catholic-dlc.org.hk/rosary1.htm

玫瑰經最早出現於中世紀時代，並開始盛行。聖母於一八五八年及一九一七年在露德和花地瑪顯現時，均特別囑咐世人要為悔改和補贖多誦念玫瑰經，從默想基督一生的奧蹟中，我們在今世能伴同耶穌分擔他苦難聖死的哀痛，來日也能分享他復活升天的喜樂與光榮。

在今日的教會祈禱中，玫瑰經依然是深受重視的。因為在默想玫瑰經的各項奧蹟時，我們偕同聖母重溫了整部福音的大綱：童貞女懷孕、耶穌的誕生及逾越節中的受難、光榮和復活、聖神降臨和聖母蒙召升天。玫瑰經是一項福音祈禱，以聖子降生奧蹟為中心，以基督為終向。

我們誦念玫瑰經時，不是機械式的誦念一些固定的經文，而是應舉心向上，在讚美和祈求時，默觀耶穌的一生。在念天主經時，我們莊重地宣認天主是我們的父親，且衷心祈求他，並請求寬恕；在誦念一連串的聖母經時，是愉快地偕同聖母專注默想福音中的奧蹟，及讚美天主的救世計劃；而在念聖三光榮頌時，則衷心朝拜我們唯一的天主。

玫瑰經適合個人或團體誦念；口誦心維，猶如一篇救恩史的頌歌。

1% owns 40%

The study found that the world's richest 1 per cent owned 40 per cent of its wealth, while half the world's adult population together owned barely 1 per cent of global wealth. (How to squeeze into this 1%?)

Extracted from:
Hong Kong tops survey of world's richest
http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZCKVHEBVE.html

DENNIS ENG

Hong Kong people have the highest individual net worth in the world - US$202,000 - the largest study yet of wealth distribution shows.

Japan ranked ninth, with per capita wealth of US$124,858, and Singapore was ranked 12th on US$113,631.

The figures, from 2000, are expressed on a purchasing power parity basis, which takes into account exchange rate fluctuations.

The global study - from the UN's World Institute for Development Economics Research - is the first to chart wealth distribution in every country as opposed to just income. It includes significant components of wealth, including financial assets and debts, land, buildings and other tangible property.

Blair Pickerell, Asia-Pacific chief executive of HSBC Investments (Hong Kong), said he was not surprised by the result given the city's relatively high savings rates and penchant for property investment.

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce chief economist David O'Rear warned against reading too much into the data.

"We don't have very good information about people's wealth in Hong Kong because we don't tax it," he said. "If you're retired and own your own house, you fall outside of the tax system. We have no idea about how much people have."

The study found that the world's richest 1 per cent owned 40 per cent of its wealth, while half the world's adult population together owned barely 1 per cent of global wealth.

Lego Piano

I read from Yahoo! news about the first appearance of Lego Piano in Hong Kong for an event by Toys'R'us in Plaza Hollywood but I found that it might not be totally right that its' the first appearance in the world. I found that someone made a real-size and playable Lego Harpsicord before and here's the details. Its really marvellous! hahaha...

http://www.henrylim.org/Harpsichord.html

Harpsichord




Audio Example mp3

With the exception of the wire strings, this instrument is entirely constructed out of LEGO parts--the keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand are all built out of interlocking ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic bricks and related pieces. And is playable.Specifications include a 1 x 8' disposition (single choir (one string per note), middle C corresponds to middle C on other instruments), single manual (one keyboard), 61 note range (5 octaves, C-c'''', A415), 6 x 3 ft. dimension, approximate 150 lbs. weight, and an estimated 100,000 LEGO piece count. The strings (brass gauges .012-.018 and steel gauges .008-.012) exert approximately 325 lbs. of tension.

It's taken two years of theorizing, designing, collecting parts, building, testing, and rebuilding. Originally, upon thinking about the potentials of making a LEGO musical instrument, I had hoped to reproduce a piano, but ditched the idea due to the enormous tension involved (40,000 lbs.)--there's a reason why pianos have steel frames. Its ancestor, the harpsichord, seemed more practically possible--the key/jack workings are simple levers, the strings are plucked, it's smaller, and it maintains less tension. Coincidentally, I was in my Bach phase anyways.The important considerations during design were strength, efficiency, and durability. Anticipating the tension of the strings, the instrument had to be built strong, yet be able to incorporate the functions and mechanisms on a lifesize scale. With many moving parts, it also had to withstand the repeated demands of a keyboard instrument. Several prototypes of the various sections were made. After finalizing designs, I started amassing the necessary LEGO parts.
This instrument would not have been as sturdy without the use of larger sized bricks, such as the 2x8 and 1x16. Staggering these and the sheer reach they afford established the structural integrity. Large plates (mostly 6x8 thru 6x16) and wing shaped pieces (6x6 and 6x12) were packed abundantly (three plates thick) to build the interlacingly secure bottom. A three braced frame in the soundchamber and a two brick thick grid under the bottom plates completed the foundation. Also, Technic ("mechanical" LEGO) parts were relied upon to create the keyboard pivots, locking supports for the soundboard and wrestplank, bridge and nut mounts, hinges for the lid, underside of the jack rail, and the tuning and hitch pins. Foremost amongst these were the holed 1x16 brick, 2x8 plate, 1x7 liftarm, and long friction pin. However, as tight as the pins held in the holes, they weren't capable of keeping taut, let alone pitch. Taking pipe cleaners dabbed with PVC cement, I melted the holes so that the pins could hold the strings tightly while still being able to turn for tuning.Acoustically, the instrument would benefit from being as smooth as possible, so instead of having the standard LEGO studs exposed, I covered them up with tiles (smooth topped flat pieces). Besides the functional studs that align the strings on the bridge and nut, no external stud is untiled. Likewise, the entire unseen floor of the soundchamber is decked with hundreds of 1x8 tiles. The end result is as resonant as LEGO will get.Single studded 1x2 plates were most convenient not only to build between studs (which was necessary for jack alignment), but as the basis for the plectra--after some bansaw and surgical scalpel mutilation. Some of the more whimsical LEGO elements were integrated as well: arches (and inverse arches) for the soundhole, roof slopes for the "curvature" of the internal frame and leg decorations, rubber tires to reduce the "clack" of the keys and jacks, and cloth capes (as worn by the likes of the Hermione Granger minifig) for the dampers.Mosly these were ordered in bulk from LEGO Shop At Home and Bricklink, with some parts (the majority of the 1x8 tiles) obtained from the Legoland California Model Shop store.

I started with the keyboard first, making sure it was translateable on a lifesize scale into LEGO. Luckily, there's just enough space between the keys--any less and the friction would've caused them to stick. Elemental to this design is the sideways alignment of the bricks on the natural keys as the accidentals are built with the conventionally upward pointing stud. After designing a preliminary jack (which itself went through a dozen evolutions, especially after being strung), the rack was built. Despite having a single manual, the rack is double rowed, half a stud displaced. This allowed for the key/jack configuration. These designs were repeated 61 times.The casing was made next. This was standard building. Well, the bentside was done with turntables to swivel the bricks as they traced the angles of the winged bottom. After going through about a third height of the case, the five legs were attached. These took advantage of skeletally stacked grid patterned 2x8s and the weight of the instrument for firm elevation. The soundboard and wrestplank were built laterally in relation to the casing--the studs face to the side. This was done in order to preserve the smoothness of the bricks' sides and to counter the tension of the strings--with this design, as the strings pull they hold the soundboard and wrestplank together rather than ripping them apart if built otherwise. Technic parts were used to secure these directional changes of the studs. As the bridge is mounted upon the soundboard, reasonable speaking length (the distance between the bridge and nut) recalculations called for several revisions of that entire section. Then it was locked into place as the case continued its building. The lid was constructed, but removed to enable easier access for stringing.LEGO as a medium holds rather well, not to mention is heavier than hell on a compoundedly large scale. This weight is what holds the parts together and ultimately handles the tension. During stringing, as I cranked the tuning pins, often I'd hear a disturbing creak off in a corner. I'd check the case, soundboard, and wrestplank for faults as there was the fear that the whole thing would implode. There's a certain self personification projected onto an instrument of one's own building. I spine crackingly empathized with the literal tension. A growing crack was forming behind the tuning pins, to the point that each added string increasingly threw all the others out of tune. I reinforced the wrestplank (doubling its thickness). So far, it's holding.

The final jack design couldn't be realized until they were activated. Only after seeing (and hearing) how they were plucking the strings could I devise the plectra all within the space of about four studs. At this point I'd figured out I was gonna use the single studded 1x2 plate securely attached (and adjustably so) to a 1x7 liftarm as the most minimally complicated and maximally effective solution. Two problems occurred: the back end of the plate was hitting the neighbouring string and there was a nasty downward pluck. Simply, I shaved off the edges with a bansaw to allow for only one string to get struck and I carved out the bottom of the plucking end with a surgical scalpel to allow for a sweep upon return.This didn't completely eliminate the downward pluck, but it was better. Dampers also helped the matter by silencing the ringing of the strings when the keys are released. For these, cloth capes were rolled, cut, and glued (Duco cement) onto the bottom of sliced single studded 1x2 plates.The jack rail serves to contain the jacks from flying out of the rack and acts as a buffer which determines key action. I've set it pretty tight, giving the jacks very little room to move--beyond my preferences, this was purposeful as restricting the leeway presents a more consistent sound. Hubless tires suspended on axels, one per jack, were hung underneath the rail.Along with the jack rail, the nameboard is removeable just in case any adjustments are needed. Due to the odd angles of the bridge and nut, the strings come in from whacky directions, which means each plectrum has a different orientation. All 61 notes need to be uniquely calibrated.The lid was tricky in that building it sideways (for smoothness) meant that it crumbled from it's own weight. Supports were made, but still couldn't keep it together. So I glued (PVC cement) the supports. The lid hinges on Technic parts with the case, but the front flaps were made with actual LEGO hinges (bases and tops).The lid stick is seemingly flimsy, but like the rest of the instrument, is a sturdy combination of large bricks with studs going at opposite directions, packed with plates, fastened with Technic parts, tiled for smoothness, and serves its little function. Music stand simile.

Thanks:
- Robert Portillo, for expertise and wire
- Umberto Belfiore, for recording and helping with the lid
- Eric Harshbarger, for leg attachment assistance
- Mike Wong, for bumping into it and dude, proving just how stable it is
- UCLA Music Library, for reference material

Reference:
- Kern, Evan J.: Harpsichord: Design and Construction (New York, 1980)
- Neupert, Hanns: Harpsichord Manual: A Historical and Technical Discussion (Kassel, 1960)- Paul, John: Modern Harpsichord Makers (London, 1981)
- Ripin, Edwin M., ed.: Early Keyboard Instruments (New York, 1989)
- Schott, Howard: Playing the Harpsichord (Mineola, 2002)
- Zuckermann, Wolfgang Joachim: The Modern Harpsichord: Twentieth-Century Instruments and Their Makers (New York, 1969)

Links:
- Guided tour of a harpsichord
- A brief history of the harpsichord
- British Harpsichord Society
- Miniature LEGO harpsichord
- LEGO harpsichord video clip

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Anti-Santa.cz - No Santa please, we're Czechs

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2037441.ece
By Dinah Spritzer in Prague
Published: 04 December 2006






(In the independent.co.uk it doesn't have this pic - I got it from anti-santa.cz. But is this St Mary too sexy?)

The freedom-loving Czechs are again rebelling against an imperialist tyrant, although the oppressor this time is not the Kremlin but the world's favourite jolly fat man.

The Creative Copywriters' Club, a leading advertising association in the Czech Republic, has launched a campaign to eliminate the US-style Santa Claus. Its website, Anti-Santa.cz, features the Virgin Mary suckling the infant Jesus adorned in full Santa garb, replete with a pom-pom-topped hat. " This stupid, fat guy with the red outfit [has been] taking over our television ads and we say it's enough," said Martin Charvat, the creative director at the BBDO agency in Prague and one of the campaign's supporters. Cardboard Santas were popping up in the Czech capital's Old Town like daffodils in spring, he complained. We have our own way of celebrating Christ-mas with baby Jesus - Jezisek - delivering the gifts. This American Santa is just confusing our children."

The freedom-loving Czechs are again rebelling against an imperialist tyrant, although the oppressor this time is not the Kremlin but the world's favourite jolly fat man.

The Creative Copywriters' Club, a leading advertising association in the Czech Republic, has launched a campaign to eliminate the US-style Santa Claus. Its website, Anti-Santa.cz, features the Virgin Mary suckling the infant Jesus adorned in full Santa garb, replete with a pom-pom-topped hat. " This stupid, fat guy with the red outfit [has been] taking over our television ads and we say it's enough," said Martin Charvat, the creative director at the BBDO agency in Prague and one of the campaign's supporters. Cardboard Santas were popping up in the Czech capital's Old Town like daffodils in spring, he complained. We have our own way of celebrating Christ-mas with baby Jesus - Jezisek - delivering the gifts. This American Santa is just confusing our children."

Legomate:

Its right or wrong.

Christmas no doubt is a feast day celerbating the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet the story behind Santa Clause might be more easily accepted by non-Christians. If non-Christians could join us to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it might not be something bad. However, I agree that the focus of Christmas has been shifted from the birth of Jesus to Santa Claus and it is really not right.

Yet - the St Mary is really sexy here. :p hahaha...