Magnetic Poetry Man Strikes Again!

My partner and I bought this mini-sized magnetic poetry set months ago, for something to do during writer's blockitis.

For you who hasn't heard the term before, a magnetic poetry set contains words printed on thin slabs of magnet.

So you just put them together on something made of iron or steel. Like a pencil box, your refrigerator door, or some mother-in-laws.


A close up of the picture above shows the great piece I normally contribute to our literacy world.

The Irony Of Things #2

"...A life that is clean, a heart that is true, And doing your best, that's success."

--Clifford Olson, the 1995 North American Open Poetry Contest's semifinalist.
Disqualified after the jury found out that in 1982 he was convicted of killing eleven chidren.

INDONESIAN ADVERTISING AT ITS, WELL, BEST

A local brand has just entered itself in the history of advertising by putting up a TV ad tagline that says: "Better than Best."

The Irony Of Things

According to "Strange Foods" by Jerry Hopkins, in 1996, a few naturalists made an interesting pitch to enviromentalist: arguing that the most effective way to guarantee the survival of threatened species would be to eat them.

Once there was market for these beasts as food, they suggested, people would start breeding these endangered species instead of killing them. So they would be like cows, pigs, oysters, and M&Ms.


GOOD CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR LAWYERS IN THE LAND DOWN UNDER

Written in an Australian motorcycle manual:

Warning: Do not drink the battery acid. It doesn't taste good and will hurt you. Also do not bite the tyres, especially while the bike is moving.

Our lawyers made us put these warnings in.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Apparently, they're going to make a movie out of Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys. The screenplay and directing would be carried out by Jeff Arch, the writer of "Sleepless in Seattle."

Worth quoting:

Dave told Jeff he must be thinking of a different book; the GUIDE TO GUYS had no characters and no story, and that most of the movies Dave had seen in his life tended to have those things. When Jeff assured Dave that this was the book he meant, Dave said he was crazy. Jeff said he knew he was crazy but there was still a good movie in the book. By then Dave had to go to the bathroom, so he said all right.

MAKES YOU WONDER

The last Google searches that led to this blog:

- intellect highway enda
- mosquitos bites isman
- "return to sender" "post office" "dead person"

The last two, in particular, are somehow creepy.

The Indonesian Tourism Way

You can tell you're in a tourist trap by the number and variety of people who approach you after hanging around for some time.

One hour at Bandung's train station:
- Newspaper sellers: 2 times.
- Shoe polishers: 8 times.
- Religious book sellers: 3 times.

One hour at Jogjakarta's Malioboro:
- People offering becak rides:17 times.
- People offering becak rides and bakpia: 11 times.
- People offering delman rides: 8 times.
- Street merchants: 58 times.

If the dictionary defined a term called "offline spamming." Indonesia would've been a good example.


IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

In one local reality show where they auditioned for the "Next Indonesian Supermodel", the first test was a height measurement. Every participants have to either be at least 170 cm high, or go home. During one of the interviews, a candidate said, "I've just failed the measurement test for the fourth times. But I'm going to try it again in five minutes. Who knows?"

Yeah. Who knows she'll develop brain cells.

The Joy Of Reading Food Labels

The label on a local brand of honey writes:

Benefits:
- Bitter honey

The same manufacturer also produces instant coffee called "Brillian," which puts up a label that says, "Made by UFO technology".

Somehow this invokes an image of aliens beaming down to earth, then extend their greetings (in monotonous voice), "We come in peace. We bring coffee."

(Thanks to Arga Aridarma.)


MAYBE THIS IS WHY WATCHING RAIN MAKES SOME PEOPLE HUNGRY

Although raindrop is commonly depicted as having the shape of a teardrop, modern photography shows that the actual shape is more like a hamburger bun.