It is the Nobel Prize presentation today and because it is held every year in Sweden, hosted by the Swedish King and Queen, it is a big deal. It is actually equivalent to the Oscars.

Why the Oscars, right? I mean, winning the Nobel Prize is so much more well, noble, than winning best actress and what the winner is wearing.

But in actual fact, this is the day that the royal family and all other celebraties who get the chance to win or attend the Nobel Prize presentation and the dinner later at night, dress up to the nines. The preparation for this much anticipated day competes well with the fuss and fury of dressing up for the Oscars, Emmys and whatever other award show that may exist. During the morning new show today, they had a court etiqutte specialist to tell the TV audience on what guests should wear, shouldn't wear, should do and shouldn't do.

One interesting question that did come up was, how much jewellery does one wear? The show host had thought that it would be unwise to flash much bling bling on oneself in the event one outshines the royal family, especially the Queen.

Outshine the royal family?? That question must have caused much distress within the expert for she said, rather contemptously I would think if she had been snobby, if you had the jewellery, wear it, flash it, show it off for all it's worth.

And if you are able to outshine the royal family, what more the Queen (how dare you deign such thoughts!?), it will be quite an accomplishment. Technically, that is true. One should no longer be afraid of getting beheaded or banished to the deep forest to encounter 7 dwarves for the being the fairest of the land. Especially with what the Royal Family flashes out themselves in the bling bling department. Who's gonna beat a bejewelled tiara heavy enough to crush a small child right?

According to husband, the Royal family has at least 2 outfit changes, which will become the talk of the town tomorrow (it always is). They have one outfit for the actual prize presentation and another (much more anticipated) for the dinner thrown by the royal family.

At this point in time of me typing this, I am actually watching the prize presentation. A Maldivian man (is that right?) just spoke and I had to sit through 5 min of opera. Hai...well, Al Gore has now been called to make a speech and the man speaks like a true American. With a large booming voice, spilling out word after word of bombastic character making up analogies, metaphors and of cos very American words such as 'unprecedented', 'desperate', 'evacuation', 'conflict, 'massive' and even more 'unprecendented'. But unlike countless times before, this American is actually making sense and speaking truth. This time, the rah-rah way of the American may actually be able to bring the good message of the climatic truth across to the common man and make it interesting to him.

Thank you for that.

It is very scary listening to all of this. It's not like I am in the dark about the causes and effects of pollution and climatic change and global warming. I am well aware of it but to actually hear the blunt truth, how close we are to and end 'in ice or in fire', that brings a dark truth across to one's heart. Oh dear, Al Gore has used the extremely American phrase 'the elventh hour'. Ugh..but anyway, back to his important message.

The man got exactly what he deserved at the end of his speech; a standing ovation. And now back to more opera..hai..I think it's their version of interlude between speeches. I dunno which is worse though.

Living in a country where the weather pretty much remains the same, getting either warmer or wetter but never more, one never truy realises the extent to which global warming is affecting our lives. We are aware of it certainly, but it does not affect us enough to get us off our butts to do something about it. To recycle more, to be more aware of the products we use, to take a step in the right direction.

Now living in a country with a whole new way of life, a new way of weather and temperature where even the slightest change in the air creates a monumental difference, one becomes even more aware. In a country where the laws take a deep consideration of the environment in almost everything even though it may take more effort and more cost. But then again, isn't the cost of losing one's future so much more painful?

Thanks to Al Gore, I suddenly got a surge of patriotic pride and protectiveness. Patriotism for my true home, EARTH.

Ok, now time to switch off the lights in the house.