The Twelve Lucky Grapes

It's almost time for us toast 2023 goodbye and head into a brand new year. 

 

Some people love to make resolutions, others like to reflect on memories from the past year, some party through the night, but many countries around the world have rituals they believe will bring them the best luck.

 

In both Spain and Italy, many believe wearing new red underwear can bring luck, particularly in love. In the Philippines, people often wear polka dots and eat round fruits – said to promote prosperity and good luck, while Cubans throw a bucket of water out of the door to get rid of negative energy from the past. Japan's New Year's traditions include visiting a temple, while the Danish jump off a chair or sofa.

 

But I learned about one tradition observed in Spain (and popularized in Latin America), known as "las doce uvas de la suerte" (“The Twelve Lucky Grapes”). The tradition dates back to the 1900s and sees people eat 12 grapes in a row as the clock chimes 12 times on New Year's Eve. 

 

The 12 grapes are said to symbolise the 12 months of the coming year, and eating them could bring good luck for each month. Note to eat one grape at each of the 12 clock chimes at midnight – but only if your intentions are made clear.

 

While green grapes are traditional, there is no strict rule about the color of the grapes used. 

 

This custom gained global traction in 2022 after it went viral on TikTok, with influencers challenging themselves to finish their grapes in the allotted time.

WSC 2020-2023 Poster Collection

WSC Kuala Lumpur continue to thrive. Our twenty-four meetings todate reflect both our vitality and vibrancy.

Here is our WSC 2020-2023 poster collection, all in one place:

Loose Bolt and Missing Nut in Boeing 737 Max

Boeing have urged airlines to inspect all 737 Max airplanes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system after an unnamed international airline discovered a bolt with a missing nut, the FAA said on Thursday.

 

Thereafter, Boeing discovered that an undelivered 737 Max also had a nut that was not properly tightened, the FAA said.

 

😂😂😂 

Celtic move eight points clear of Rangers after they beat the latter 2-1 today. Goals from Paulo Bernardo (25) and Kyogo Furuhashi (47) secured the win, reaffirming their status as title favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their Old Firm rivals' stunning free-kick in the eighty-eighth minute pulled a goal back for the visitors, but it was too little too late.

 

Celtic travel to Paisley on Tuesday to meet St Mirren for their next Scottish Premiership match.

Hot Lips

The tongue and lips logo or alternatively the lips and tongue logo, also known as the Hot Lips logo, or the Rolling Stones Records logo, or simply the Rolling Stones logo, is a logo designed by the English art designer John Pasche for the rock band The Rolling Stones in 1970.

 

It has been called the most famous logo in the history of popular music. The logo has remained on all post-1970 albums and singles by the Rolling Stones, in addition to the band's merchandise as well as their stage sets.

 

And in 2012, the band commissioned Shepard Fairey to update the logo for their 50th anniversary.

 

But do you know that in the rainforests of Central and South America, there is a plant, Palicourea elata, commonly referred to as the Hot Lips Plant or Hooker's Lips Plant or by its Costa Rican name Labios de Puta – and which stands as a remarkable botanical wonder in the tropical flora?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most distinctive features of P. elata are its red bracts, a modified set of leaves. Before its flowers bloom, the bracts resemble a pair of human lips. The flowers of P. elata bloom from December to March and can be described as small, star-shaped flowers.

 

P. elata is part of the genus Palicourea, and, as many plants of this genus, does not give off a scent. Due to the undetectable scent, the plant relies on its shape alone to attract pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds. Once pollination and fertilization occurs, P. elata produces small bluish-black berries. These berries are then distributed via birds; a common mechanism that plants of the Palicoura genus use.

Israel’s Murderous War on Gaza’s Children

The killings continue unabated.

More than 8,663 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 07, according to the Palestinian government media office and reported by Al Jazeera yesterday. And thousands more are missing under the rubble amid relentless strafing and shelling. 

 

An overwhelming number of more than 21,000 people killed in the nearly three months of Israeli bombardment, have been civilians. Israel has repeatedly targeted schools and even neo-natal care centers have not been spared, resulting in the killing of newborn babies.

 

 

The Great Anus Escape

In a video taken by ecologist Shinji Sugiura, a Japanese water scavenger beetle (Scientific name: Regimbartia attenuata) pulls off a death-defying feat to rival Houdini. 

 

First, a frog snags the beetle and gulps it down whole. For a tense 115 minutes, nothing happens. Then, the great reveal: The same shiny insect wiggles its way out of the amphibian’s anus, leaving both frog and beetle alive and seemingly none the worse for wear.

 

According to a Kobe University statement, this study marks the first time that researchers have witnessed prey quickly and actively escape the body of its predator after being eaten. [Sugiura published his findings in the journal Current Biology, Vol. 30, Issue 15, PR867-R868, August 03, 2020].

 

 

Sugiura first tested R. attenuata’s escape techniques with the black spotted frog (Scientific name: Pelophylax nigromaculatus) and found that a whopping 93.3 percent of the beetles were able to escape via the frog’s “vent”, or anus. He found that the beetles had similarly high success rates with four other frog species. 

 

The insect, a small genus of beetles belonging to the family Hydrophilidae has to make its way through several inches of inner organs, including an esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, per CNN. The digestive juices make for a deadly environment, so speed is imperative.

 

Because some beetles were able to complete the harrowing trip in six minutes, Sugiura concluded that the beetle was actively moving through the frog’s insides, rather than being passively transported. He tested this theory by immobilizing some of the water beetles’ legs, which are used to swim, with a sticky wax. None of the immobilized beetles survived, but rather were digested and excreted the usual way, per the New York Times.  

 

The researcher with Kobe University, told Wired’s Matt Simon that he had been planning to study the predator-prey relationship between the aquatic beetle and the frog because they share a habitat in Japan’s rice paddy fields.

 

Sugiura has seen some other gnarly beetle escapes in his time: In 2018, he recorded bombardier beetles spraying a toxic chemical cocktail while inside a toad, which forced the amphibian to vomit the beetle back out alive.

Geese Make Better Guard Dogs

A prison in the Brazilian state of Santa Cantarina have replaced their guard dogs with a flock of geese (family Anatidae) that supposedly make really loud honks when they detect strange noises, like someone trying to escape. 

 

In this day and age, prison complexes feature state-of-the-art detection systems that make it very difficult for inmates to escape undetected. Still, regardless of technological advancements, it’s always a good idea to have a backup analog detection system as well, in case the sophisticated stuff fails. 

 

Human guardians and guard dogs are usually the norm, but some prisons use some unlikely alternatives. For example, a number of prisons in Brazil have replaced guard dogs with geese, which they say are not only just as effective, if not more so, but also cheaper to maintain. Apparently, geese have very good hearing and will make loud noises whenever they detect strange noises, thus alerting the human guards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liverpool beat Burnley 2-0 yesterday as they made heavy work of defeating a far inferior team.

 

Darwin Nunez's precision finish after six minutes gave Liverpool a flying start but the Reds were unable to kill off the hosts as the second goal would not come.

 

Again, a game of wasted chances. Mohamed Salah was denied by the crossbar and both Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott had goals disallowed as Burnley hung on until Diogo Jota's 90th-minute effort sealed the points.

 

Liverpool's first win in three league games moved them above Arsenal as they reached the halfway point of the season on 42 points.

The World's Smallest Sushi

Japanese restaurant Sushiya no Nohachi reportedly serves great sushi, but it is most famous for its gimmick – making the world’s smallest sushi with a single grain of rice. 

 

Located in Asakusa, a slightly quieter part of Tokyo, Sushiya no Nohachi is the place to go if you want to enjoy the tiniest sushi in the world. Each piece is made with only a grain of rice and a tiny slice of topping wrapped in the thinnest piece of nori. 

 

Every served piece is actually perfect, which hints at the amount of work and patience that goes into making them. They are the work of Hironori Ikeno, the chef of Sushiya no Nohachi, who came up with the idea in 2002 when a client asked him how small he could make his sushi. He answered, “as small as a grain of rice”, and proceeded to demonstrate that he wasn’t kidding. 

 

 

Over the years, the eatery became internationally famous for making the world’s smallest sushi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celtic beat Dundee 3-0 as the Scottish Premiership leaders moved five points clear on Boxing Day.

 

Luis Palma's through ball sent Paulo Bernardo into the inside left channel and the slightest of touches took the ball between the Dark Blues goalkeeper's legs into the net in the fifty-second minute. Substitute Mikey Johnston then came on to score two late goals (83, 90+1), a shot from outside the area, and a neat finish after prolonged pressure on the Dee goal.

World Speech Day Videos That Collect More Than A Thousand Views

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An update of World Speech Day videos that have garnered more than a thousand views. 

 

Altogether, thirty-nine videos in all – as at 17:30 PM Malaysian time on December 26: 

• Karyn Yadlyn – 5424 views (5289) 
• Sanjanaa Kanthan – 5211 views (4893) 
• Velleny Jivel Jinau – 3565 views (3313) 
• Amirah – 3213 views (2779) 
• Vellvie Jivel Jinau – 2874 views (2651) 
• Karan Z’vyr – 2702 views (2275) 
• Simon Gibson (UK) – 2605 views (2255) 
• Christal Wong – 2587 views (2566) 
• Santhy Dewi Pillai – 2144 views (2105) 
• Rohijas Md Sharif – 2006 views (1533) 
• Ahmad Fakhri – 1908 views (1523) 
• Smyra Z’ryn – 1885 views (1445) 
• Jamilah Samian – 1880 views (1244) 
• Tashvein Jega Theesan – 1849 views (1831) 
• Ni Putu Ayu Prabhasvari (Indonesia) – 1554 views (1466) 
• Nur 'Iffah, WSD 2021 – 1545 views (1300) 
• Vyshnavi Thiageswaran – 1525 views (925) 
• Ooi Mei Ling – 1450 views (1304) 
• Abegail Lee Ann, WSD 2021 – 1448 views (1205) 
• Yosshveina Jega Theesan – 1445 views (1425) 
• Kamalinee Gaayathri –1347 views (1158) 
• Suriya Selvam – 1318 views (1164) 
• Michelle Fernandez (Philippines) – 1313 views (914) 
• Alexandra Chryzelle (Philippines) – 1306 views (1145) 
• Chin Hui Ling – 1298 views (1271) 
• Abigael Elisah – 1257 views (1092) 
• Sumithra Devi – 1250 views (1147) 
• Chong Kai Zhen – 1214 views (1146) 
• Ilham Firdaus – 1173 views (1141) 
• Robyn Grace Leo – 1165 views (1114) 
• Haari Shamundiswary – 1160 views (1089) 
• Kayla Amaryllis – 1147 views (890) 
• Chester Liam – 1140 views (1088) 
• Emad Ezddeen (Iran) – 1136 views (1064) 
• Aytak Ezddeen (Iran) – 1134 views (1074) 
• Thanuja Kunasekaran – 1070 views (1044) 
• Evelou Forbes Escosia (Philippines) – 1023 views (947) 
• Joyce Tan – 1017 views (763) 
• Lu Rong (China) – 1013 views (947) 

[Note: The figures in parentheses indicate the number of views from my last report published September 26, 2023]. 

 

Many other speech videos are getting just as much attention – and the following are the most promising: 

• Serene Tan – 933 views (New entry)
• Dr Ernest Chen (Singapore) – 905 views (New entry) 
• Aiden Kee – 894 views (New entry) 
• Jaishivan Sivanesan – 890 views (New entry) 
• Felicia Dorothy Roy – 842 views (New entry) 
• Abegail Lee Ann, WSD Culture – 618 views (New entry) 
• A Suriakumar, WSD 2021 – 490 views (New entry)
• Nur ‘Iffah, WSD 2023 – 487 views (New entry)  

#unexpectedvoices #worldspeechday

Nasi Lemak Durian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Nasi Lemak Durian" has drawn mixed reactions from netizens, divided as to whether the national dish should be paired with the king of fruits. 

 

A Facebook video from KL Foodie showed the nasi lemak being paired with the usual condiments – half of a boiled egg, some cucumber, fried anchovies, sambal, together with a single durian pulp. 

 

Among the durian varieties being served with the nasi lemak include Musang King, XO, Blackthorn, and Tekka, and can be found at a restaurant called In Between X Briyani Mak in KL's Titiwangsa. 

 

 

Some have defended the pairing, and said it was just like eating rice with tempoyak, or fermented durian pulp.

 

Another netizen, Shamsul Rizal, said it would also be delicious to pair durian with rice along with chicken or beef curry, and a chilli sambal. 

 

Others were more critical of the unlikely combo. Prakash Kaash said people would come up with even weirder combinations in the future. "Next will be banana leaf rice with durian varuval… and durian juice".

 

Facebook user Shamini GK, too, disagreed with the combination. "Some things you just should not mix… this is one of it", she said.

 

And to those who are not cancelling Christmas:

 

 

Vladimir Putin's Candidacy for March Presidential Election

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) has announced his candidacy for the presidential election next March – and he is expected to win. After all, Putin commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power.

 

If you must know, some 77% of Russians trust Putin, while 78% approve of his job performance, reported Sputnik based on a new poll by Russia’s Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) released on Friday. 

 

At the same time, the survey found that 13% of respondents do not trust the Russian president; some 9% do not approve of his performance.

 

The poll was conducted among 1,500 respondents in 53 Russian regions on December 15-17, 2023. The margin of error does not exceed 3.6%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, Arsenal maintained their place at the top of the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.

 

It was the former who drew first blood after only four minutes. Still, the Reds leveled after 29 minutes when Mohamed Salah thrashed a finish high past the Gunners keeper at his near post after collecting Trent Alexander-Arnold's raking pass. 

 

I daresay, Liverpool had their chances to finish the game off but they squandered them. They actually had 13 shots but only scored through Salah's first half strike, leaving Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in poor goalscoring form. 

 

Liverpool's front line leaves much to be desired. Gakpo failed to get a shot off against the Gunners despite starting as Jürgen Klopp's No 9, with Diaz on a run of one goal in 15 Premier League games and Nunez goalless in 12 straight games.

 

Two home games to be top of the table – against Manchester United and Arsenal – but the Reds couldn’t deliver. And they want to be champions?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in the Scottish Premiership game between Celtic and Livingstone, the former triumphed 2-0 over the latter.

 

Kyogo Furuhashi ended a seven-game sequence without scoring when he netted from close range in the forty-sixth minute and Liam Scales added a splendid header five minutes later as the champions recovered from successive losses. Luis Palma provided smart crosses for both goals in a one-sided contest that opens up a five-point lead over Rangers at the summit.