Doing the chicken dance

There he was, doing the chicken dance at Starbucks at United Square.

Pekpire with the hobo hairstyle!

Chinese Warfare VI

I had seen a number of popular history volumes on the Chinese Civil Wars which had included 'detailed'* operational maps of the campaigns in bookstores in Shanghai. I had not seen English language equivalents yet. What I would like to see in English are the following:

1. An operational study of the Chinese Civil War campaigns 1948-1949.

2. A study on the transformation of the People's Liberation Army from that of one conducting guerilla operations to one conducting conventional operations and having the ability of the destruction of KMT army groups in 1949. Apparently, the lightning campaigns were something to behold.

3. A study on the KMT 'search and destroy'** offensives, the planning, the operations, the PLA's reaction, the impact on the peasantry, the

4. A study on the casualty figures of the Chinese Civil War. The study should include desertion rates, civilian casualty rates and equipment loss rate.

5. A study on the engagements between the Japanese Imperial Army and the People's Liberation Army, both perspectives.

6. A study on the political dimensions of the war including propaganda and the conduct of the combatants towards civilians.

* Up to an extent

** Of course, it wasn't known as such then.

More drawings

I will be starting at least three new sketchbooks soon. I hope to put up some scans of these drawings soon.

A short run

I went for a short run this evening and it was humid. The ground was still wet from the heavy downpour earlier.

Chinese Warfare V

'Ancient Chinese Armies 1500 - 200 B.C.' by C. J. Peers. Osprey volume with illustrations.

'Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-1949' by Philip Jowett and Stephen Andrew. Osprey volume with illustrations.

'Chinese Siege Warfare: Mechanical Artillery & Siege Weapons of Antiquity' by Liang Jieming. A locally published volume that can be found in a few shops here.

My favourite Front Line Assembly tracks

My favourite Front Line Assembly tracks:

1. Circuitry

2. Fatalist

3. Plasticity

4. Columbian Necktie

5. Everything must perish

6. Maniac

7. Providence

8. Electric Dreams

9. Armageddon

10. Millennium

If you listen to Front Line Assembly, what are your favourite tracks?

New sketches

I have new sketches to post and I will put them up soon. I have been doing a lot of studies. I want to do a series of studies on people on the streets and buildings soon. For the latter, I would need references. The modern skyscrapers here? Well, they are not good material, at least, not what I want.

Chinese Warfare IV

'Sun Pin Military Methods', translated by Ralph D. Sawyer. Sun Bin was another known strategist who lived during the warring states period. A partial text of his military manual was found in 1972 after being lost for 2000 years.

'War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China 900-1795' by Peter Lorge. A thin volume which explores the relation between war and society in China for 895 years.

'Soldiers of the Dragon: Chinese Armies 1500 B.C. - A. D. 1840' by C. J. Peers. An Osprey hardcover, being a compilation of three volumes which explores Chinese armies. Lavish illustrations.

Seven pieces at once

I am drawing, seven pieces at once, two finished. Heh. Different styles too. It's my means of distributing and discovering energy and interest to draw. Whee!

In a state of limbo...

Atlantic bluefin tuna

It does appear that this may be the beginning of the end for the Atlantic bluefin tuna. I wonder as to the reaction of the Japanese authorities and consumers in a few decades' time.

I wonder how the events this week will be viewed then.

Paying rent

If the City Harvest Church is one of the joint owners of the Suntec complex, does this mean that their rival, the New Creation Church, is essentially paying a percentage of their rent to the City Harvest Church?

I slept late last night and I can't believe I am up at this early hour.

Chinese Warfare III

Sūn Zǐ's 'The Art of War' is, of course, a collection of maxims which needs no introduction. There are numerous translations, some diluted or co-opted as popular business and management texts, some are merely average and a handful are as faithful as they can be based on the surviving Chinese text out there.

'The Art of War' translated by Samuel B. Griffith.

Chinese strategy was not bound only Sūn Zǐ's precepts, there were many other Chinese military classics given a long history of warfare.

''The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China', translated by Ralph D. Sawyer.

Head First

First impressions, the new Goldfrapp album, 'Head First' is one of delight! Fun!

A vast improvement over the last one I must say. 'Rocket', the first single, was simply out of this world! I like this new direction that was taken.

Sabotage

I wonder if anyone knows anything about dummy CCTV cameras. I want to install one in the corridor outside the toilets. This morning, someone had sabotaged the ladies toilet in the warehouse by stuffing pieces of cardboard into the drainage points and the toilet bowls. How does one catch the culprit?

Chinese Warfare II

The reality is that the military of the Chinese Communists has been phenomenally successful whether the liberal democracies and their militaries in the West like it or otherwise. The record of success, despite being embellished undoubtedly by propaganda, is quite plain to see. In many operations of the 1948-1949 campaign, the communists were able to smash vast and American-equipped KMT armies. In the guerilla campaigns of Mao, Lin Biao and others, the communists were able to time and again, defy KMT offensives while maintaining support among the populace.

The communists had understood the political dimensions of warfare and that it could not be separated from military operations.

'Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience since 1949' by Mark A. Ryan, David M. Finkelstein, Michael A. McDevitt.

'The Armed Forces of China' by You Ji. A volume examing the modern People's Liberation Army.

'Chinese Military Theory' by Chen-Ya Tien. A theoretical volume.

We should not pay FIFA

We should not pay FIFA exorbitant amounts of money. No football coverage, too bad. Be sensible. I hope the shareholders of Singtel and Starhub will make it clear to the management that we should not be held hostage by FIFA. If the incredible amounts wanted does not make economic sense to the companies involved, the companies should not pay it.

Yes, I do like football and I watch some of the World Cup matches once every four years, giving in to them will only set a precedent.

Let us send a statement to FIFA that the likes of their predatory policies are not welcomed. If they want to erode the popularity of their sport, let me. They should bear in mind that there are many other competing spectator pastimes of which football (and sports) is but one of them.