e-HOLIC

"Freemasons Becoming more open ..." ???

2008-12-06T12:14:00.000+08:00

This is interesting...

My Drama of the Week - モップガール (Mop Girl)

2008-11-24T12:58:00.002+08:00

Relationship is like waiting for bus?

2008-10-21T00:17:00.002+08:00

In a coffee shop, it was discussed that relationship seems like “waiting for bus”.

Often when we are waiting for a particular bus, other buses keeps coming and we give it a miss… If the bus we waited for comes on a regular timing, we will take it for granted and board it as it seems to be… But sometimes when we waited for a particular bus (especially when we are in a hurry), the waiting time always seems so long, and the worse part is that when it finally arrived, it is packed and everyone wants to board it too…

Like in a relationship, whenever we are in one, it seems like we have many other opportunities, and we can go into another relationship anytime… Therefore we often take our relationship for granted and not appreciating it… But whenever we are not in a relationship, it always seems so hard to wait for one to come by and get into it; and when the opportunity finally comes, it seems so hard, as competition is always so strong…

My First Time...

2008-10-06T08:34:00.009+08:00

It is not something rare... but it just took me quite awhile to have it done it...
I have always wanted to do it... but... you know... there is always thousand and one excuses...

So on Saturday, 04th of October 2008, while on my way home from work, there was it... Smack right there infront of my face at the entrance of Dobly Ghaut MRT Station(NEL)... Something I thought I always wanted to do, yet have not make an effort to go do it... the opportunity appeared right infront of my eyes...

For my first time... It seems scary in the beginning, but when I realised that I didn't really feel any pain at all... It seems kind of cool as I finally did it...

I gave my blood away...

Monday Blues...

2008-09-29T09:48:00.005+08:00

Usually when I am working, I will be too busy to even feel Monday Blues...

But now, I will be having my MONDAY BLUES at home since I am not working on Mondays, starting from today onwards...

Anyway, friends out there, if you are not working on Monday, feel free to buzz me out for coffee...
Yuujou Banzai! (Hurray Friendship!)

Blink Blink

2008-08-29T00:49:00.008+08:00

Time flies really fast... it is not an excuse not to blog for so long... I'm just commenting that I'm very busy... so by the time I think of login in to this thing to even start thinking what to write... it took 4 months plus for me to realised that I need to at least write some nonsense like "this" down... How efficient and effective have I become? Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. and I'm feeling sleepy already...
:p

Guiying's Birthday - Gathering - KTV Night...

2008-04-14T01:01:00.005+08:00

Well... Well... it has been long long time since I have been to KTV...

But anyway, it is a gathering plus celebrating Guiying's Birthday...

so here is the fun....

xxxHolic Second Season - Kei

2008-04-10T00:19:00.004+08:00

xxxHolic is back with its season 2 - Kei
I'm quite excited about it, as it is a very unique anime compared to the rest I have seen...
The second season, xxxHolic: Kei, began airing on TBS on 3rd April 2008 in Japan and there will be a total of 26 episodes. The main staff and cast remains the same as in the first season. Chapter 154 of their manga release shows the future episodes that will correspend to both the anime and its manga arc counterparts like the Spider Grudge arc, Kohane Tsuyuri and Haruka

Good Friday... Something to Remember...

2008-03-21T02:56:00.007+08:00

Since 10 years ago, it was a day to be remembered... Anyway, it was on 10th of April then but I remembered it was a Good Friday too... Some of those who were studying in Gan Eng School School then, might still remembered it just like me...

He, whom we lost, will always remain in our memories...

He, who's lived his life, will continue into our lifes...

He, who is a leader, will never be left behind...

He, who passed on, will be prayed by us every year...

-To my dear friend, Lin RongTong

Third Day of Work...

2008-03-19T23:12:00.003+08:00

KuanYee, the person I am taking over, offically ended her job today...
She is a good teacher... and I think she look a lot like my youngest sister...
Think they are of the same age too... the only different is that - my sister more "chia"!
anyway, she is going to continue her study (I guess)... so, Good Luck to her...!

Well, and today my manager is finally back from his MC...
Well, I guess the nightmare is only just beginning for me....
I SENSED DANGER!!! more work is coming...

*sweat*

LoL...

Process of getting this new Job...

2008-03-11T08:05:00.007+08:00

I remember spending 2 whole days trying to fill up an job application form a few months back... It was just a simple form with difficult questions to answer... well at the end of the day, I wanted to get that job so much, because I spent lots of time and overuse some of my limited braincells just to complete it...

The interview came only yesterday, and it was the MOST interesting interview I had so far... The interview was held at a coffee shop at Lavender (French Rd) over lunch (which I only drank a Coke Light), and the interviewers consist of Amos (my future direct boss) and his 5 to 6 yr old son, whom I think is called Joshu or something that sound like Joshu, as I can't really figure it out since he speaks while biting his fishball noodles... Well, I mean, who will get such an interview?(maybe once in a lifetime for some people only)

It certainly does turn out good as I was offered the job... but the BAD new was it was only a temp job... some shit happened, and it became a temp position from a perm position... anyway, i am going for it, I don't care anymore :p

I will be starting work next week and I don't know how tough the job might be, but I am going to cling on to it as long as I can... so let's hope things turn well and my life improves from here... I am putting my "kite" aside, and hoping that I wouldn't need it anymore...

Sample of the Job Application Form:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Long Job Hunt

2008-03-08T01:40:00.003+08:00

I have been Job Hunting for quite SOME time...
Actually, it has been a LONG time...
So far, so bad... I hope, pray, wish, dream, wants, and desire a good offer to come by REALLY soon... If not, I can start going Marina South to fly Kite liao...

This cost me 200 dollars... WTF!!!

2008-02-25T15:48:00.002+08:00

I just couldn't have been luckier...

What happens when a squash ball hits you?

2007-10-10T10:48:00.000+08:00

This is what I got after being hit by a squash ball....

By the way, don't ask me who did this to me... I am not disclosing who did it... But just to let everyone know some news update, Chuk is learning squash recently from us... and he is GOOD!

Anyone keen on playing squash or even learning squash, can call me up ok... we hoping to have more people to join us for squash games... It is always fun with more people being hit... At least, it decrease my chances of been hit too...

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

2007-09-25T10:38:00.001+08:00

To those who reads my seldom updated blog,

I will like to wish you a
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
中秋节快乐！

Origin of Mid-Autumn
The custom of celebrating the moon (called Xi yue in Chinese) for both the Han Chinese and minority nationalities, can be traced as far back as the ancient Xia Dynasty and Shang Dynasty of China (20th century BC-1060s BC). In the Zhou Dynasty (1066 BCE-221 BCE), the people celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival to worship the moon.
The practice became very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) that people enjoyed and worshipped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people started making round moon cakes, as gifts to their relatives in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. At night, they came out to watch the full moon to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644), and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular.

Some Stories related to Mid-Autumn : Overthrow of Mongol rule
According to a widespread folk tale (not necessarily supported by historical records), the Mid-Autumn Festival commemorates an uprising in China against the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty (1280–1368) in the 14th century. As group gatherings were banned, it was impossible to make plans for a rebellion. Noting that the Mongols did not eat mooncakes, Liu Bowen (劉伯溫) of Zhejiang Province, advisor to the Chinese rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, came up with the idea of timing the rebellion to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival. He sought permission to distribute thousands of moon cakes to the Chinese residents in the city to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor. Inside each cake, however, was inserted a piece of paper with the message: "Kill the Tatars on the 15th day of the Eighth Moon" (八月十五殺韃子).On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), under Zhu. Henceforth, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with moon cakes on a national level.

Taken From: Wikipedia

IN S'PORE: VICTIMS OF LOTTERY SCAMS DOUBLE IN NUMBER

2007-09-08T04:49:00.000+08:00

I also kanna... but lucky I wasn't conned... but I feel sad for the others...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teen who lost $3,800 admits own folly in believing conman's promises
By Crystal Chan

September 07, 2007

SHE was irked by the pop-up windows that kept appearing when she logged into a social networking website, prompting her to take part in a survey.

Miss H T Ng, who lost $3,800 in a lottery scam, said she was aware that others had lost money in similar ways.
Fed up, Miss H T Ng, 19, a student, did so on 9 Aug, hoping to stop the nuisance.

However, the personal information she gave pulled her into a lottery scam, costing her to lose $3,800.

Police figures show that a rising number ofpeople like Miss Ng have fallen for lotteryscams.

For the first eight months this year, the police have received 83 reports from victims who lost amounts ranging from $6 to $353,000 in such scams.

This is almost double the 42 reports made about such scams last year.

The police warns the public to be on guard as legitimate lottery companies do not ask for upfront payments before paying winners.

Its message is, 'If something is too good to be true, it probably is.'

Miss Ng is one of the youngest victims of such scams.

OVERSEAS CALL

She had included her real name and phone number in the survey and received anoverseas call on her handphone a few dayslater.

'The caller spoke with a Chinese accent,' she said. 'She told me I had won $200,000 after taking part in the survey and that the lucky draw had been held in HongKong.'

Thinking she would have to go to HongKong to claim the prize, Miss Ng said she was not interested and hungup.

Miss Ng said she had heard of people being conned in lottery scams and was suspicious.

But the woman, who claimed to be from a company called Huipu-C, phoned her again twohours later.

Miss Ng said: 'She persuaded me to claim the money, saying it was a big amount and that other winners had claimed theirs.

'She also gave me the company's website address, assuring me the whole thing wasn't ascam.'

Miss Ng got her mother, who was more fluent in Mandarin, to take another call from the woman the next day and her mother decided she should claim the $200,000.

But first, they had to pay $3,800 as an insurance deposit for 'taxpurposes'.

Miss Ng figured the prize would come in handy for her future studies, and did as told on 18 Aug, sending the money through Western Union, a remittancefirm.

CALLED AGAIN

However, instead of collecting the prize as expected the next day, she got another call to send another $4,500.

That was when she realised she had been conned.

She said: 'This time, a man claiming to be a manager at the Hong Kong Turf Club said I couldn't get my prize because I wasn't a club member.

'He said I was contacted because of a technical error. He also said I had to pay more money to get the prize.'

By then, Miss Ng knew she had lost the money she sent earlier, saved from working as a part-time sales promoter for more than ayear.

She said: 'I didn't want to lose any more money. I already felt so much heartache at losing the $3,800.'

She made a police report immediately after hanging up, but by then, the crooks had withdrawn the money.

She said she still feels 'sore' about losing the money and said it was greed and naivety that caused her to fall for the scam.

Taken From the Electric New Paper

When Piracy Becomes Promotion

2007-09-07T11:07:00.000+08:00

The underground subtitling and circulation of Japanese anime helped to open the American market to Asian cultural imports.
By Henry Jenkins

Anime is everywhere. The global sales of Japanese animation and character goods, an astonishing 9 trillion yen ($80 billion) has grown to 10 times what it was a decade ago. In his 2003 opening speech to the Japanese Diet, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi praised Spirited Away (the first non-American release to win the Academy Award for best animated feature) and anime more generally as the savior of Japanese culture.

Much of that growth has occurred in North America and Western Europe, where young people have embraced this distinctive style of popular culture, one which extends well beyond the wide-eyed beauties, cute animals, and giant robot battles anime represents for the most casual consumers.

Disney has purchased the American rights to Spirited Away and the other films of its creator Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Kikis Delivery Service), redubbing these films with the voices of American film stars. The Cartoon Network features a wide array of anime series as part of its late night Adult Swim programming. ADV Films, a major importer of anime series for the American market, has launched a 24 hours Anime Network. TOKYOPOP, a Los Angeles-based company, will publish 400 volumes of translated manga (Japanese comics) for U.S. consumption this year. One can find whole shelves of manga in many Barnes and Noble or Borders bookstores, where they frequently outsell American-produced graphic novels.

Japanese anime has won worldwide success in part because Japanese media companies were tolerant of the kinds of grassroots activities that American media companies seem so determined to shut down. Much of the risks of entering Western markets and many of the costs of experimentation and promotion were born by dedicated consumers. A symbiotic relationship existed between fans and producers that warrants closer consideration as we watch American media companies take a scorched earth attitude toward their most dedicated followers.

Two decades ago, the U.S. market was totally shut to these Japanese imports. Today, the sky is the limit, with many of the most successful childrens series, from Pokemon to Yu-Gi-Oh!, coming directly from Japanese production houses. The shift occurred not through some concerted push by Japanese media companies, but rather in response to the pull of American fans who used every technology at their disposal to expand the community that knew and loved this content. Subsequent commercial efforts built on the infrastructure these fans developed over the intervening years. In this essay, I am drawing heavily on a detailed chronicle of the early history of American anime fandom developed by the former President of the MIT Anime Club, Sean Leonard.

Japanese animation was exported into the western market as early as the 1960s, when Astro Boy, Speed Racer, and Gigantor made it onto American television primarily through local syndication. By the late 1960s, however, reform efforts, such as Action for Childrens Television, had used threats of boycott and federal regulation to push back against content they saw as inappropriate for American children. The next wave of Japanese content aimed at adults in its country of origin, often dealt with more mature themes and was a particular target of the backlash. Discouraged Japanese distributors retreated from the U.S. market, dumping their cartoons on Japanese language cable channels in cities with large Asian populations.

The rise of videotape recorders significantly changed this picture. American fans could dub shows off the Japanese language channels and share them with their friends in other regions. Soon, fans were seeking contacts in Japan‑both local youth and American G.I.s with access to newer series. Both Japan and the United States used the same NTSC video format, easing the flow of content across national borders. American fan clubs emerged to support the archiving and circulation of Japanese animation. The clubs, such as the MIT Anime Club, functioned as lending libraries and dubbing centers as well as holding marathon screenings to attract new members.

In most cases, the content was shown without translation. I remember attending some screenings in the late 1970s. Much like attending an opera, someone would stand up and tell us the plot and then we would watch without understanding anything said. We didnt know what we were watching but it was pretty damned interesting any way.

Japanese distributors winked at these screenings. They didnt have permission from their mother companies to charge these fans or provide the material but they were interested to see how much interest the shows attracted.

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the emergence of fansubbing, the amateur translation and subtitling of Japanese anime. What enabled such efforts was the introduction of a devicecalled a genlock, for generator lockingthat allowed a television set to accept two signals simultaneously and that synchronized an incoming video signal with computer output. Time-synchronized VHS and S-VHS systems made it possible to dub the tapes so that they retained accurate alignment of text and image. The high costs of the earliest machines meant that fansubbing would remain a collective effort: clubs pooled time and resources to insure their favorite series reached a wider viewership. As costs lowered, fansubbing spread outward, with clubs using the Internet to coordinate their activities, divvying up what series to sub and tapping a broader community for would-be translators.

Beginning in the early 1990s, large-scale anime conventions brought artists and distributors from Japan, who were astonished to see a thriving culture surrounding content they had never actually marketed here and who went back home motivated to try to commercially tap this interest. Some key players in the Japanese animation industry had been among those who had aided and abetted U.S. grassroots distribution a decade earlier.

The first niche companies to distribute Anime on DVD and videotape emerged as fan clubs simply went pro, acquiring the distribution rights from re-engaged Japanese media companies. The first material to be distributed already had an enthusiastic fan following. Interested in exposing their members to the full range of content available in Japan, the fan clubs had often taken risks that no commercial distributor would have confronted, testing the market for new genres, producers, and series and commercial companies followed their path where-ever they found popularity.

The fansubbed videos often ran an advisory urging users to cease distribution when licensed. The clubs were not trying to profit from anime distribution but rather to expand the market; they pulled back from circulating any title that had found a commercial distributor. In any case, the commercial copies were higher quality than their multi-generation dubs.

The first commercially available copies were often dubbed and re-edited as part of an effort to expand their potential interest to casual consumers. Japanese cultural critic Koichi Iwabuchi used the term, deodorizing, to refer to the ways that Japanese soft goods are stripped of signs of their national origins to open them for global circulation. Anime and manga now rank at the top of these cultural exports. In Japan, manga constitute 40 percent of all books and magazines published and more than half of all movie tickets sold are to animated films. More than 200 animation programs are aired each week on Japanese television and about 1700 animated films (short or feature length) are produced for theatrical or straight-to-video distribution each year. Japanese media producers had created a complex set of tie-ins between comics, animated films, television series, toys, and games that allowed them to capitalize quickly on successful content. They are increasingly eager to export this whole apparatus internationally. In this context, the grassroots fan community still plays an important role, helping to educate American viewers to the cultural references and genre traditions defining these products through their websites and newsletters. The fan clubs continue to explore potential niche products that over time can emerge as mainstream successes.

Many U.S. media companies might have regarded all of this underground circulation as piracy and shut it down before it reached critical mass. The Japanese media companys tolerance of these fan efforts is consistent with their similar treatment of fan communities in their local market. As Temple University law professor Salil K. Mehra notes, the underground sale of fan-made manga, often highly derivative of the commercial product, occurs on a massive scale in Japan, with some comics markets attracting 150,000 visitors per day; such markets are held almost every week in some parts of the country. Rarely taking legal action, the commercial producers sponsor such events, using them to publicize their releases, to recruit potential new talent, and to monitor shifts in audience tastes. In any case, they fear the wrath of their consumers if they took action against such a well-entrenched cultural practice and the Japanese legal structure would provide for fairly small legal penalties if they did pursue infringers.

More generally, as Yuichi Washida, a research director at Hakuhodo, Japans second largest advertising and marketing firm, has argued, Japanese corporations have sought to collaborate with fan clubs, subcultures, and other consumption communities, seeing them as important allies in developing compelling new content or broadening markets. In courting such fans, the companies helped to construct a moral economy that aligned their interests in reaching a market with the American fans desires to access more content.

Many have argued that cultural rather than legal, technological, or economic solutions are crucial in resolving the bootlegging crisis hitting American media companies. Rather than suing their fan base, perhaps they should study how their Japanese counterparts profited from this first wave of underground circulation, seeing it as promotion rather than piracy.

Copyright Technology Review 2004.

Old Memories - 1996

2007-08-28T15:37:00.000+08:00

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments

2007-08-24T12:47:00.000+08:00

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments I

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments II: The Domino Effect

Why Transformers Cannot Be Set in Singapore

2007-08-23T13:55:00.000+08:00

While watching 'Transformers', we wondered how come this kind of big action movie about giant robots who turn into cars and stuff cannot be set in Singapore. Then we thought about it some more, and realized why...

(click on picture to see)

NATIONAL DAY SPECIAL: 60 SIGNS YOU’RE A TRUE SINGAPOREAN

2007-08-23T13:41:00.000+08:00

It’s not enough if you pay taxes or carry a pink IC. To commemorate National Day, TalkingCock.com brings you a checklist to see how Singaporean you really are.

1. Thanks to SMS, you have an extra large thumb.

2. Tks 2 SMS, u oso dun no how 2 spel n e mor.

3. You pat MRT and bus seats to cool them before you sit down.

4. At lunch, you start discussing what to eat for dinner.

5. Your wedding photos include shots of you dressed up like Louis XIV, Michael Jackson, or Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic.

6. When speaking to foreigners, you somehow feel a need to adopt an accent. (If you’re a DJ, this happens even when you’re not speaking to foreigners.)

7. You won’t raise your voice to protest policies, but you’ll raise your fists to whack someone over Hello Kitty.

8. You’re forever talking about businesses you want to set up but will probably never get around to starting.

9. You don’t know ¾ of the people attending your wedding.

10. You separate food into 2 basic groups: ‘heaty’ and ‘cooling’.

11. You’re never completely sure how many times you’ve sung the second verse of the National Anthem.

12. You think that what makes you ‘married’ is not the legal registration but whether you’ve thrown a 12 course dinner.

13. You marry for the real estate breaks.

14. You have kids for the tax advantages.

15. You move to where you want your child to go to school.

16. You feel you can’t walk around naked in your own flat.

17. You force your children to take Speech & Drama classes, but pray they won’t wind up in Arts later on.

18. You suddenly realize you’re very interested in biotech - just like you suddenly realized three years ago that you were very interested in e-commerce, and before that, engineering, and before that, medicine and law.

19. You think being an entrepreneur is setting up a bubble tea/Portuguese egg tart/gao luck/porridge shop right next to an existing bubble tea/Portuguese egg tart/gao luck/porridge shop.

20. You think people are inconsiderate when they don’t leave their table immediately after eating at the food court but think you have every right to take 25 bites to finish the last red bean in your ice kachang.

21. You find it impossible to make suggestions without drawing a fishbone chart first.

22. If you’re a guy, whenever you get together with your guy friends, you invariably trade army stories.

23. If you’re a girl, whenever you get together with your girl friends, you invariably trade stories about how your stupid guy friends are forever trading army stories.

24. You think the most important sporting event in Singapore this year was David Beckham switching from Manchester United to Real Madrid.

25. You somehow feel that food tastes better when eaten by a longkang.

26. It actually makes a difference to you being called an ‘NSMan’ rather than a ‘Reservist’.

27. You’ve eaten more times at the Esplanade than you’ve actually seen shows there.

28. You need campaigns to tell you how to be courteous, to flush toilets, have sex, etc.

29. When you visit the Zoo, you wonder what the animals taste like.

30. You feel the urge to add the suffix ‘-polis’ to everything, viz. Biopolis, Airtropolis, Fusionopolis, Entrepolis, etc.

31. You always feel oddly hungry at 11 pm, and are willing to drive to far away places for supper.

32. You meet in hotels a lot.

33. Your children have a rudimentary knowledge of Tagalog or Bahasa Indonesia.

34. You work at McDonald’s when you’re old rather than young.

35. You’ll gladly spend $50,000 on a car, but will go to great lengths to save a few bucks on ERP charges or even a few cents on a parking coupon.

36. Pork floss and mayonnaise on bread is a completely natural combination to you.

37. If you’re pregnant, you have the strange ability to make people on the MRT fall asleep instantly.

38. You ask for the bill by miming a signing movement.

39. You’ve started referring to foreign employees as ‘talent’ instead of ‘expatriates’.

40. At the dinner table, you’re always discussing which other food places serve better versions of what you’re eating.

41. You copy down licence plate numbers of cars involved in accidents.

42. You think your boyfriend doesn’t really love you unless he gives you part of his liver.

43. During sales, you book hotel rooms near malls to enable you to shop more efficiently.

44. You pronounce the letter ‘R’ as ‘ah-rer’ and the letter ‘H’ as ‘haytch’.

45. No matter how old you are, you keep associating people with their secondary schools. (alternative: No matter how old you are, you secretly need to know what other people got for their PSLE, O levels and A levels.)

46. You’re always on a quest for the definitive version of your favourite local dish.

47. When you explain things to people, you keep (a) using alphabets, and (b) speaking in point form.

48. You believe that you can generate ‘creativity’ through rules and committees.

49. You ‘chope’ a seat by placing a packet of tissues on the chair.

50. You’re very forthright with your criticisms of the Gahmen, unless there’s a chance they might actually hear you.

51. You diligently track the whereabouts of your favourite hawkers, i.e..you know that the famous Tiong Bahru Bao is now in Jurong, the famous Outram Char Kuay Teow is now in Hong Lim Centre and the famous Lau Hock Kien Hokkien mee from the old Lau Pa Sat is now at Beach Road.

52. Your mother probably can’t speak your ‘mother tongue’.

53. You’d rather drink your own pee than pay someone more for water.

54. You secretly find that the best part of the Speak Good English Movement is hearing the Singlish bits in their ads.

55. You have an automatic sensor in your head which categorizes people you meet into stayer/ quitter, cosmopolitan/heartlander, normal/ express/ gifted, etc.

56. You think we’re living in a modern, sophisticated country even when our leaders still insist on wearing their school uniforms.

57. You wish your constituency is in a walkover, because otherwise it’s damn ‘leceh’.

58. During elections, you decide that there is no credible opposition even though you don’t know the name of the opposition candidate in your constituency.

59. You think having a constitution is like the condition you get when you don’t eat enough fibre.

60. You can never quite remember what “the core values” of Singaporeans are.

by Kway Png

© http://www.TalkingCock.com 2001-2003. All rights reserved.

Currently Watching: AIR GEAR

2007-08-22T00:55:00.000+08:00

Opening Song:

Team Kogarasumaru

MOS Dusty Opening + SAFRA Night

2007-08-22T00:38:00.000+08:00

Dusty Opening @ MOS

it was kind of boring actually...

so it became SAFRA Night...
something more "normal"...

Singapore Women's Masters Squash Championship, Singapore

2007-08-08T10:51:00.000+08:00

04-Aug,
Final:
Nicol David Masters Singapore In Latest Triumph

Nicol David showed fans in Singapore just why she is the world squash number one with a fine display that was full of running and crafty shot-making, outlasting her closest rival Natalie Grinham 9-6, 9-5, 9-5 in 54 minutes in the final to win the inaugural Women’s CIMB Singapore Masters at the Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.

03-Aug:
Semi-Finals Results:
[1]Nicol David(Mas) vs [3]Rachael Grinham(Aus) 9/2, 9/2, 9/3 (23m)
[2]Natalie Grinham(Aus) vs [4]Tania Bailey(Eng) 9/6, 9/6, 9/1 (46m)

02-Aug:
Quarter-Finals Results:
[1]Nicol David(Mas) vs [5]Vicky Botwright(Eng) 10/8, 9/0, 9/3 (44m)
[3]Rachael Grinham(Aus) vs [6]Omneya Abdel Kawy(Egy) 5/9, 9/5, 9/0, 7/9, 9/4 (68m)
[4]Tania Bailey(Eng) vs [8]Jenny Duncalf(Eng) 8/10, 9/3, 3/9, 9/1, 9/1 (84m)
[2]Natalie Grinham(Aus) vs [7]Madeline Perry(Irl) 9/5, 9/5, 9/2 (38m)

Taken from : © World Squash Federation

I was there... hoping to witness the match on 04th Aug.... but I can only see the back right hand cornor of the court... kaoz.. there was too many people there... so horrifying... didn't know that there were so many squash fan in Singapore... :p

but I got to see all the full matches for the quater-final and semi-final on the 2nd and 3rd August... mmm... better than nothing... :p

Licensed Anime (By AnimeSuki)

2007-08-02T15:45:00.001+08:00

What is licensed anime?
Licensed anime is any series or movie (part or whole) for which the rights to publish the anime in a specific area have been bought. Simply put, if a company buys the rights to put an anime series or movie on TV and/or release it on DVD in the USA (in English), that anime series or movie is considered licensed anime by AnimeSuki. Note that of course it's also possible for anime series and movies to be licensed in other areas (such as Europe). Such licenses usually involve publishing in languages other than English though and therefore are of no interest to us.

The original purpose of fansubs
As recent as about 10 to 15 years ago anime was not easy to get outside of Asia. The few anime companies that existed could only bring out a few titles as they lacked the funds and the market for licensing more shows. To get more anime and also to encourage certain titles to get licensed in the US, some anime fans started to make fansubs: series which were taped of Japanese television with subtitles added. These fansubs were distributed on VHS tape. One of the self imposed rules the fansub groups adapted was that once a series was licensed in the US, distribution of the fansub should stop. After all, the fansub had served it's purpose.

Eventually the popularity of anime grew in the US and with it the market for anime grew, which in turn resulted in more money to be available to license even more shows. It is probably this reason why in the past few years more and more shows are getting licensed. The popularity of fansubs also grew explosively with the introduction of digisubs: digital fansubs which could be easily distributed over the internet.

Fansubs violate copyrights
We have to admit it: the distribution of fansubs is technically a violation of copyright under the WTO TRIPS agreement. However the TRIPS agreement does not demand that distribution of copyrighted material is a criminal offence unless it is done on a commercial scale. This means it is up to the copyright holder to bring the offender to court. The copyright of unlicensed material is held by the original creator. In the case of anime this usually means the Japanese distribution company. If something is licenced, the licensee holds the copyright and thus the right to sue any copyright infringers within the area covered by the license. (source: ato's forum post)

Up until now fansub groups have had little to worry about legal pressure from Japan. However US companies are more likely to sue, therefore it is an additional reason for fansub groups to stop distributing a series once it gets licensed in the US.

The future of fansubs
Whether fansubs have a future remains to be seen. David Williams of ADV Films recently mentioned at Anime Boston 2003: "One thing fans might not know is most shows are licensed now during the financing stage, before the show is even produced. This makes a lot of fansubs pointless now. Of course, there are still old shows that probably won?t be licensed; but new shows are almost guaranteed."

Still some series might need some help to get popular. Would you buy Azumanga Daioh DVDs if you had have never heard about it? Fansubs probably helped this series and others gain popularity. Also as there is so much anime being created in Japan, there will usually always be some series which don't get licensed for some reason, like Boys Be or Kokoro Library.

It's not a perfect world
If you are wondering why you can still find fansubs of licensed shows (even of episodes aired after the show was licensed), the answer is that the world is not perfect. Certain fansub groups do not follow the general fansub ethics of ceasing the distribution and fansubbing of a show after it is licensed. AnimeSuki does not recommend downloading these files, but there is little we can do to stop them.

What if you're not in the US?
While a large part of the visitors of AnimeSuki are from the US and Canada, not all of them are of course. Those people might be thinking: "If anime is licensed in the US, what has that to do with me? Why stop fansubbing? Why remove it from AnimeSuki?". AnimeSuki's view on this is that the US is the largest market for English subbed and dubbed anime, therefore once anime is licensed in the US all English fansubbing of it should stop.

If you're not from the US, this means you can still download non-English fansubs of the same series (if it's not licensed in your region as well). Alternatively you could also import the DVDs when they are released in the US. It is not expensive to do so if you order directly from online DVD shops in the US. You will need a region free DVD player of course, but even those are easy to get - just ask around or check out The Firmware Page to make your DVD-ROM drive region free.

If a title is not licensed in your area and you still want to download English fansubs, AnimeSuki won't stop you from doing so. However, we won't help you find them either for reasons mentioned earlier. Also be aware that (again for obvious reasons) newer episodes of series which have been licensed before being completely fansubbed might be very hard to get. So even if AnimeSuki did not have the policy of removing licensed anime, we would still be left with very little to link to!

AnimeSuki.com & Fansubs
Unless something major happens, AnimeSuki.com will continue to list torrent links to the latest English fansubs of unlicensed anime. Please note however that only torrent links listed on AnimeSuki can safely be considered to be unlicensed. Certain BitTorrent sites also tend to list licensed anime, which AnimeSuki does not support. However it is not possible for us to just link to those torrents which are not licensed as we link to sites and not the torrent files directly.

See the License List for an overview of anime which AnimeSuki considers licensed.

Taken From : AnimeSuki

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

2007-07-30T14:00:00.000+08:00

Coming Soon...???

Ethics and Virtue

2007-07-28T16:37:00.000+08:00

Developed by Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer

For many of us, the fundamental question of ethics is, "What should I do?" or "How should I act?" Ethics is supposed to provide us with "moral principles" or universal rules that tell us what to do. Many people, for example, read passionate adherents of the moral principle of utilitarianism: "Everyone is obligated to do whatever will achieve the greatest good for the greatest number." Others are just as devoted to the basic principle of Immanuel Kant: "Everyone is obligated to act only in ways that respect the human dignity and moral rights of all persons."

Moral principles like these focus primarily on people's actions and doings. We "apply" them by asking what these principles require of us in particular circumstances, e.g., when considering whether to lie or to commit suicide. We also apply them when we ask what they require of us as professionals, e.g., lawyers, doctors, or business people, or what they require of our social policies and institutions. In the last decade, dozens of ethics centers and programs devoted to "business ethics", "legal ethics", "medical ethics", and "ethics in public policy" have sprung up. These centers are designed to examine the implications moral principles have for our lives.

But are moral principles all that ethics consists of? Critics have rightly claimed that this emphasis on moral principles smacks of a thoughtless and slavish worship of rules, as if the moral life was a matter of scrupulously checking our every action against a table of do's and don'ts. Fortunately, this obsession with principles and rules has been recently challenged by several ethicists who argue that the emphasis on principles ignores a fundamental component of ethics--virtue. These ethicists point our that by focusing on what people should do or how people should act, the "moral principles approach" neglects the more important issue--what people should be. In other words, the fundamental question of ethics is not "What should I do?" but "What kind of person should I be?"

According to "virtue ethics", there are certain ideals, such as excellence or dedication to the common good, toward which we should strive and which allow the full development of our humanity. These ideals are discovered through thoughtful reflection on what we as human beings have the potential to become.

"Virtues" are attitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop this potential. They enable us to pursue the ideals we have adopted. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues.

How does a person develop virtues? Virtues are developed through learning and through practice. As the ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested, a person can improve his or her character by practicing self-discipline, while a good character can be corrupted by repeated self-indulgence. Just as the ability to run a marathon develops through much training and practice, so too does our capacity to be fair, to be courageous, or to be compassionate.

Virtues are habits. That is, once they are acquired, they become characteristic of a person. For example, a person who has developed the virtue of generosity is often referred to as a generous person because he or she tends to be generous in all circumstances. Moreover, a person who has developed virtues will be naturally disposed to act in ways that are consistent with moral principles. The virtuous person is the ethical person.

At the heart of the virtue approach to ethics is the idea of "community". A person's character traits are not developed in isolation, but within and by the communities to which he or she belongs, including family, church, school, and other private and public associations. As people grow and mature, their personalities are deeply affected by the values that their communities prize, by the personality traits that their communities encourage, and by the role models that their communities put forth for imitation through traditional stories, fiction, movies, television, and so on. The virtue approach urges us to pay attention to the contours of our communities and the habits of character they encourage and instill.

The moral life, then, is not simply a matter of following moral rules and of learning to apply them to specific situations. The moral life is also a matter of trying to determine the kind of people we should be and of attending to the development of character within our communities and ourselves.

Taken from: Santa Clara University

Friendster Horoscope for July 27, 2007

2007-07-27T09:44:00.000+08:00

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 21)
The Bottom Line
The hard choices are behind you! Today, bask in the glow of a clear conscience.

In Detail
The difficult choices are behind you! Today you will be able to focus your energies on basking in the glow of a clear conscience. You have done what you were meant to do, and no more involvement on your part is required! If you have the time, this is a great day to strike off on your own into nature -- a short hike or a walk in the woods will do a wonderful job of centering you, getting your feet back on the ground, and preparing you for the opportunities that are waiting in the wings.

-----------------------
Wish me Luck !
:p

劉德華 New MTV

2007-07-23T13:21:00.000+08:00

一

牧笛

Personal Responsibility

2007-07-23T12:21:00.000+08:00

I have been running…
But it always catches up…
I really hate this…
Should I stop down,
and take it running with me?

Maybe it is time…
Just a bit of time more… I will try…
I should face responsibility…

Content below is from : Tools for Coping with Life's Stressors

What is accepting personal responsibility?
Accepting personal responsibility includes:
- Acknowledging that you are solely responsible for the choices in your life.
- Accepting that you are responsible for what you choose to feel or think.
- Accepting that you choose the direction for your life.
- Accepting that you cannot blame others for the choices you have made.
- Tearing down the mask of defense or rationale for why others are responsible for who you are, what has happened to you, and what you are bound to become.
- The rational belief that you are responsible for determining who your are, and how your choices affect your life.
- Pointing the finger of responsibility back to yourself and away from others when you are discussing the consequences of your actions.
- Realizing that you determine your feelings about any events or actions addressed to you, no matter how negative they seem.
- Recognizing that you are your best cheerleader; it is not reasonable or healthy for you to depend on others to make you feel good about yourself.
- Recognizing that as you enter adulthood and maturity, you determine how your self-esteem will develop.
- Not feeling sorry for the "bum deal" you have been handed but taking hold of your life and giving it direction and reason.
- Letting go of your sense of over responsibility for others.
- Protecting and nurturing your health and emotional well being.
- Taking preventive health oriented steps of structuring your life with time management, stress management, confronting fears, and burnout prevention.
- Taking an honest inventory of your strengths, abilities, talents, virtues, and positive points.
- Developing positive, self-affirming, self-talk scripts to enhance your personal development and growth.
- Letting go of blame and anger toward those in your past who did the best they could, given the limitations of their knowledge, background, and awareness.
- Working out anger, hostility, pessimism, and depression over past hurts, pains, abuse, mistreatment, and misdirection.

How can failing to accept personal responsibility result in negative consequences?
When you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming:
- Overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation, and acceptance.
- Chronically hostile, angry, or depressed over how unfairly you have been or are being treated.
- Fearful about ever taking a risk or making a decision.
- Overwhelmed by disabling fears.
- Unsuccessful at the enterprises you take on in life.
- Unsuccessful in personal relationships.
- Emotionally or physically unhealthy.
- Addicted to unhealthy substances, such as the abuse of alcohol, drugs, food, or unhealthy behavior such as excessive gambling, shopping, sex, smoking, work, etc.
- Over responsible and guilt ridden in your need to rescue and enable others in your life.
- Unable to develop trust or to feel secure with others.
- Resistant to vulnerability.

What do people believe who have not accepted personal responsibility?
- It's not my fault I am the way I am.
- I never asked to be born.
- Now that you have me, what are you going to do with me?
- I want you to fix me.
- Life is unfair! There is no sense in trying to take control of my life.
- Why go on; I see no use in it.
- You can't help me, nobody can help me. I'm useless and a failure.
- God has asked too much of me this time. There is no way I'll ever be able to handle this.
- When do the troubles and problems cease? I'm tired of all this.
- Stop the world; I want to get off.
- Life is so depressing. If only I had better luck and had been born to a healthier family, or attended a better school, or gotten a better job, etc.
- How can you say I am responsible for what happens to me in the future? There is fate, luck, politics, greed, envy, wicked and jealous people, and other negative influences that have a greater bearing on my future than I have.
- How can I ever be happy, seeing how bad my life has been?
- My parents made me what I am today!
- The problems in my family have influenced who I am and what I will be; there is nothing I can do to change that.
- Racism, bigotry, prejudice, sexism, ageism, and closed mindedness all stand in the way of my becoming what I really want to be.
- No matter how hard I work, I will never get ahead.
- You have to accept the luck of the draw.
- I am who I am; there is no changing me.
- No one is going to call me crazy, depressed, or troubled and then try to change me.

What behavior traits need to be developed in order to accept personal responsibility?
In order to accept personal responsibility you need to develop the ability to:
- Seek out and to accept help for yourself.
- Be open to new ideas or concepts about life and the human condition.
- Refute irrational beliefs and overcome fears.
- Affirm yourself positively.
- Recognize that you are the sole determinant of the choices you make.
- Recognize that you choose your responses to the people, actions, and events in your life.
- Let go of anger, fear, blame, mistrust, and insecurity.
- Take risks and to become vulnerable to change and growth in your life.
- Take off the masks of behavior characteristics behind which you hide low self-esteem.
- Reorganize your priorities and goals.
- Realize that you are the party in charge of the direction your life takes.

O3 = Ozone

2007-07-20T09:38:00.000+08:00

O3 actually existed around us for so long and I didn't really bother understanding what it is all about...

Since I know a little more about it, I think I should share with those idiots out there who still also doesn’t know much about O3.

I was told that O3 is a powerful thing and it actually has been used in Spa and health products... The first thing that strikes my tiny brain was:
“O3??? ya... ya... ya… wasn't O3 the new series of racquets from “Prince” for squash and tennis… which idiot use it in spa and health products?”

But actually after some uncertain explanation and assumptions from others and plus me checking it up on the internet, O3 is actually known as Ozone.

Ozone - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ozone (O3) is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic species O2. Ground-level ozone is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals. On the other hand, ozone in the upper atmosphere protects living organisms by preventing damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth's surface. It is present in low concentrations throughout the Earth's atmosphere. It has many industrial and consumer applications. Ozone therapy is a controversial alternative medicine practice; mainstream scientific medicine has found ozone to be harmful to humans, and equipment intended to be used for ozone therapy is banned in the United States.
Ozone, the first allotrope of a chemical element to be described by science, was discovered by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1840, who named it after the Greek word for smell (ozein), from the peculiar odor in lightning storms.The odor from a lightning strike is from ions produced during the rapid chemical changes, not the ozone itself.

Applications

Industrial applications:
Ozone can be used for bleaching substances and for killing microorganisms in air and water sources. Many municipal drinking water systems kill bacteria with ozone instead of the more common chlorine. Ozone has a very high oxidation potential. Ozone does not form organochlorine compounds, but it also does not remain in the water after treatment, so some systems introduce a small amount of chlorine to prevent bacterial growth in the pipes, or may use chlorine intermittently, based on results of periodic testing. Where electrical power is abundant, ozone is a cost-effective method of treating water, as it is produced on demand and does not require transportation and storage of hazardous chemicals. Once it has decayed, it leaves no taste or odor in drinking water. Low levels of ozone has been advertised to be of some disinfectant use in residential homes, however, the concentration of ozone required to have a substantial effect on airborne pathogens exceeds greatly safe levels recommended by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
Most countries restrict the amount of ozone that can be generated by popular "ionizing" devices because ozone contributes to the development of smog. Smaller ozone machines may be employed by personal users for home use, and typically produce far less ozone than their larger counterparts. Due to their lower costs, almost all ozone generators designed for personal use employ the corona discharge method. In many countries, the production or operation of ozone generating devices is illegal.
Industrially, ozone or ozonated water is used to:
-Disinfect laundry in hospitals, food factories, care homes etc;
-Disinfect water before it is bottled;
-Deodorize air and objects, such as after a fire;
-Kill bacteria on food or on contact surfaces;
-Ozone swimming pool and spa sanitation;
-Scrub yeast and mold spores from the air in food processing plants;
-Wash fresh fruits and vegetables to kill yeast, mold and bacteria;
-Chemically attack contaminants in water (iron, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, nitrites, and complex organics lumped together as "colour");
-Provide an aid to flocculation (agglomeration of molecules, which aids in filtration, where the iron and arsenic are removed);
-Manufacture chemical compounds via chemical synthesis;
-Clean and bleach fabrics (the latter use is patented);
-Assist in processing plastics to allow adhesion of inks;
-Age rubber samples to determine the useful life of a batch of rubber;
-Hospital operating rooms where air needs to be sterile;
-Eradicate water borne parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium in surface water treatment plants. This process is known as ozonation.

Ozone is a reagent in many organic reactions in the laboratory and in industry. Ozonolysis is the cleavage of an alkene to carbonyl compounds.
Many hospitals in the U.S. and around the world use large ozone generators to decontaminate operating rooms between surgeries. The rooms are cleaned and then sealed airtight before being filled with ozone which effectively kills or neutralizes all remaining bacteria.

Consumer applications:
Ozone machines, with or without ionisation, are currently used to sanitise (high ozone output) and deodorize non-inhabited rooms, ductwork, vehicles, boats, woodsheds, and buildings.
Some models of air purifiers that also emit low levels of ozone have been sold in the US. These type of air purifiers claim to imitate nature's "filterless" air purifying mechanisms and claim to "sanitise" the air and/or household surfaces. The government successfully sued one company in 1995, ordering them to stop repeating health claims without supporting scientific studies.
Ozonated water is used to launder clothes, sanitise food, drinking water, and surfaces in the home. According to the FDA, it is "amending the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of ozone in gaseous and aqueous phases as an antimicrobial agent on food, including meat and poultry." Studies at California Polytechnic University, have proven that low levels of ozone dissolved in filtered tapwater can produce more than a four-log (99.99%) reduction in such food-borne microorganisms as salmonella, e. Coli 0157:H7, campylobacter and others. Ironically, while ozone is considered an atmospheric pollutant, pollution and smog by the US government, it can actually reduce pollutants like pesticides in fruits and vegetables.
Ozone is used in spas or hot tubs with reduced levels of chlorine or bromine for keeping the water free of bacteria. As it does not remain in the water after treatment, it is ineffective at preventing bather cross-contamination, and must be used in conjunction with another sanitizer. Ozone gas is created by an ultraviolet light bulb or corona discharge chip and injected into the plumbing system.
Ozone is also widely used in treatment of water in aquaria and fish ponds. Its use can minimize bacterial growth control parasites and removes or reduce "yellowing" of the water. As the Ozone rapidly decomposes, at correctly controlled levels the application has no effect on the fish.

Ozone therapy:
Ozone therapy has been used in alternative medicine as a medical treatment in a number of different countries. Its use, however, is controversial.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned ozone generators or ozone gas from being marketed for treatment of any medical conditions, based on the toxicity of ozone and the lack of scientific evidence for any beneficial effects at non-toxic levels.
One couple, Kenneth R. Thiefault and Mardel Barber, were convicted of and sent to prison in 1999 for violating this ban, which involved marketing ozone generators to cure AIDS, cancer, herpes, hepatitis, gangrene, or "almost any disease", without presenting any evidence to the FDA of effectiveness or safety.
However, it is worth noting that the FDA cannot allow any device to claim to treat any medical condition unless the device and/or treatment have gone through rigorous trials. It is not illegal to sell medical-grade ozone machines in the US, nor is it illegal to own one or use one. What is illegal is to sell them while claiming it treats disease. Many people use ozone therapy in the US, despite its unrecognized status with the FDA and allopathic medicine. It is legal to sell or own a medical-grade ozone machine in the US. It is also legal to self-administer ozone. Whether practitioners can administer or recommend the use of ozone is more complex.

臭氧 - 維基百科，自由的百科全書

臭氧是氧氣(O2)的同素異形體，在常溫下，它是一種有特殊臭味的藍色氣體。分子式為O3。
英文臭氧（Ozone）一詞源自希臘語ozon，意為「嗅」。
臭氧具有等腰三角形結構，三個氧原子分別位於三角形的三個頂點，頂角為116.79度。
臭氧極易分解，很不穩定。它不溶於液態氧，四氯化碳等。有很強的氧化性，在常溫下可將銀氧化成氧化銀，將硫化鉛氧化成硫酸鉛。臭氧可使許多有機色素脫色，侵蝕橡膠，很容易氧化有機不飽和化合物。臭氧在冰中極為穩定，其半衰期為2000年。
臭氧主要存在於距地球表面20公里的同溫層下部的臭氧層中。它吸收對人體有害的短波紫外線，防止其到達地球。
1785年，德國人在使用電機時，發現在電機放電時產生一種異味。1840年法國科學家基士揚·弗雷德日將它確定為臭氧。
在紫外線輻射下，通過電子放射或暴曬從雙原子氧氣可自然形成臭氧。工業上，用乾燥的空氣或氧氣，採用5~25kv的交流電壓進行無聲放電制取。另外，在低溫下電解稀硫酸，或將液體氧氣加熱都可制得臭氧。大自然很容易產生臭氧，在打雷閃電時會產生幾十萬伏的高壓電，電離空氣及有機物形成臭氧，稀薄的臭氧會給人以清新的感覺。因此在大雷雨後，空氣總是特別清新。
臭氧可用於淨化空氣，漂白飲用水，殺菌，處理工業廢物和作為漂白劑。
在夏季，由於工業和汽車廢氣的影響，尤其在大城市周圍農林地區在地表臭氧會形成和聚集。地表臭氧對人體，尤其是對眼睛，呼吸道等有侵蝕和損害作用。地表臭氧也對農作物或森林有害。

<<超人>>

2007-07-18T04:12:00.000+08:00

<<超人>>
作曲: Johan Fransson / Tobias Lundgren / Tim Larsson
填词: 李安修
编曲: Edward Chan
监制: 李安修（灰熊厉害有限公司）/ 陈德建

我有六塊的腹肌在西裝褲裡
李白杜甫陶淵明在我腦海裡
匯豐AE中國銀都有我參與

可是你卻在哪裡 ah ah ah!

Oh oh! 一個人一顆心
Oh oh! 等待有人珍惜
Oh oh! 我的一切超級都是因為你

I am your superman 是你的超人

I am your superman Oh oh! Oh oh!

I am your superman 你是我babe
I am your superman ~~~yeah

每間好吃的餐廳都想到約你
環游世界的旅行一定要有你
我的心裡全是你幸福又happy
再來一對叫媽咪 Oh Oh Oh!

Oh oh! 隻要你說一句
Oh oh! 沒什麼不可以
Oh oh! 不管上天下地一切沒問題

I am your superman 是你的超人
I am your superman Oh oh! Oh oh!
I am your superman you drive me crazy

I am your superman ~~~

come along come along 我要帶你上月球 come along come along

come along come along 愛讓時間也倒流 come along come along

I am your superman 是你的超人 (是你的超人)
I am your superman Oh oh! Oh oh!
I am your superman 你是我babe

I am your superman ~~~ (oh oh yeah)

Oh ah oh oh! Oh ah oh oh! Oh ah oh oh! Oh oh! Oh oh! (yeah)

Oh ah oh oh! (superman) Oh ah oh oh! Oh ah oh oh!(yeah) Oh oh! Oh oh!

I am your superman 是你的超人
I am your superman (superman) Oh oh! Oh oh!
I am your superman you drive me crazy (you drive me crazy)

I am your superman Oh oh! Oh oh!

Superman!

One blink and it is four and a half months already...

2007-06-18T14:37:00.001+08:00

It seems like a blink of eyes, and I have been back in Singapore for four and half months...

Well... Well... From the rate that I blogged during this period, you guys should know that I am very very very busy... so don't complaint!

The reason I am blogging again, partly is to let my mind focus elsewhere for awhile before I go back to the working mode.

Anyway, work has been stressful, tiring and never-ending...
My personal life isn’t too good either... I have gone through many tides and wave within this short period, and whenever these two problems (work + personal) clashes… all my efforts goes down to drain… mostly I am facing it myself...

"So All problems, GO TO HELL! And I will solve you up one by one...”

Anyway, I will try my best to fill up what has happened to me during this period slowly...

And the good thing is that, I will try to upload more photos instead from now onwards... BECAUSE I GOT MYSELF A NEW HANDPHONE, Sony Ericson K810i
:p

For More Information See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_K810

Singapore shaken after quakes in Indonesia

2007-03-06T15:51:00.000+08:00

Posted: 06 March 2007 1538 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans felt two rounds of tremors in the space of two hours on Tuesday, following two earthquakes in Padang, Indonesia.

Singapore's Meteorological Services Division said the first tremors were felt at about 11.50am after an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale struck Padang on the island of Sumatra.

The epicentre was 50 kilometres north-northeast of Padang and some 430 kilometres south-west of Singapore.

The second round of tremors occurred around 1.50pm after another earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale, struck Padang.

The tremors were felt in many parts of Singapore.

Callers to the MediaCorp News Hotline reported tremors in the downtown city area of Beach Road, Robinson Road and Shenton Way, as well as residential areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Chua Chu Kang and Woodlands.

Witnesses said several tall buildings in the central business district swayed slightly.

Several buildings, like the Concourse, Capital Square and Centennial Tower in the city, and even Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Clementi, were evacuated.

If you too felt the tremors, you can call our news hotline at 68222268.

You can also send pictures and videos to yournews@channelnewsasia.com

- CNA/ir

Coming home soon....

2007-02-01T18:05:00.000+08:00

For those who read my blog often, I want to tell you all that I am going back Singapore soon.

Anyway no different from last time, I am going back for work, but hopefully I can meet up with as many people as possible...

Not only because it is Chinese New Year soon, but I am excited to go back this time is because I miss my Dear so much... Don't ask me who is that person, because that person will know who I am talking about.

Anyway, I also miss the rest of my buddies and friends too... so catch up with you all when I am back, ok...

Ha... Ha... still you may be wondering when exactly will I be back, right? It will be very soon... so be prepared to receive my call... hee... hee...

:)

Annual Meeting + Skiing

2007-01-25T13:18:00.000+08:00

My parent company had an Annual Meeting last week and my company got to take part in it... although... the Annual Meeting was "non of our problem"...

But still, we got to attended it for the sake of attending it...

See that stupid banner? 清软英泰2006度something something...

What happened was only waiting and waiting...

Then there was a bit of stupid games...

Finally the food...

And then we have served our main unwanted purpose for that day...

Next was the "Highlight!"

Company outing... and since it is winter, we went skiing...

Since we took picture of everyone, I think it will be a good chance to introduce my beijing colleagues to everyone too...

Liang Xiaodong - Software Programmer

Shejun - Software Programmer

Cao Xinlin - Software Programmer

Yangyong - Software Programmer

Wanglei - Software Programmer cum Tester Leader

Feng Qiaolian - Software Tester and our one and only female colleague

Zhang Tongwei - Software Tester

Xue Manxin - Accountant

Myself

Group Photo - InfoTech Optimum (Beijing) Co. Ltd.

And of course, as all of us do not know how to ski, we fulfill our objective for the day:

"Stay alive while falling down..." So we all eventually make it through...

SQ plane turns back, lands safely after fire alarm goes off

2007-01-25T09:56:00.000+08:00

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 24 January 2007 1341 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines flight SQ811 from Beijing to Singapore turned back one hour and 40 minutes after take-off on Wednesday morning, when an alarm indicating fire in the right engine went off.

Responding to the alert, the flight crew of the Boeing 777-200 declared an emergency and returned to Beijing, landing safely at the airport at 10:40am local time.

The plane was carrying 227 passengers and 16 crew at the time.

Subsequent ground investigations, however, showed there was no fire or any elevated temperatures.

The airline, in a statement, said the false alarm might have been triggered off by some airflow disturbance to the heat insulation blanket.

Investigations are ongoing and the aircraft will remain on the ground in Beijing until they're completed.

Arrangements have been made to help affected passengers continue their journey and to provide accommodation to those who cannot be transferred by Wednesday. - CNA /so/dt

This is the English version of my previous post from CNA.

新加坡航空公司客机发动机起火降落首都机场

2007-01-24T12:52:00.000+08:00

新华社快讯：来自民航总局的消息：一架新加坡航空公司的客机发动机起火后，刚刚安全降落首都国际机场，人机平安。

　　空中成功灭火 227名旅客、17名机组人员平安

新加坡航空公司一架B777-200飞机，在执行北京-新加坡SIA811航班任务过程中，右侧发动机故障起火，北京首都国际机场接到机组通报后立即启动了应急预案。

10:32分，机组在空中成功实施灭火后在首都机场安全落地，机上227名旅客、17名机组人员平安。

(责任编辑：赵健)

Just when I am thinking of going back to Singapore for CNY, this kind of stupid things happened.

Pet shop creates beer for dogs

2007-01-24T11:54:00.000+08:00

Benito, a 5-year-old Chihuahua, drinks beer from a bottle in the southern town of Hulst, Netherlands, Sunday Jan. 21, 2007. Terrie Berenden, a pet shop owner in the town of Zelhem created a non-alcoholic beer for her Weimaraner dog made from beef extract and malt, and consigned a local brewery to make and bottle the beer, called Kwispelbier, after the word 'kwispel', which is Dutch for wagging a tail.

From: China Economic Net

The Beauty of Friendship

2007-01-22T16:44:00.000+08:00

Acquaintance, friend, lover, partner, soulmate. The pattern of human contact that is so vitally important to our being. Emotionally, we not only need to feel connected .. we desire it. But what is a connection? How does it happen?

We know certain like signs have a better chance at finding a connection. For instance .. predominate air fares best with other air or predominate fire. Predominate earth, with other earth or predominate water. But it isn't a given. Connections, in my opinion, take place because it is meant to be. We all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn.

*Acquaintances* are casual friendships. Perhaps a co-worker, a grocery clerk, or bank teller you see often, a neighbor. We are given numerous opportunities to make acquaintances. For instance, standing in line in the grocery store. Do you keep to yourself? Or take advantage of the time you have and greet someone standing next to you?

A *friendship* stems from a successful acquaintance. It is the next step. The connection. Once a friendship is made, the dynamics change. We are excited to open up and share experiences of our lives, and it is then that we have the opportunity to ~learn~ from our new friend's experiences. It is fun to share. But it is imperative to listen. If we are receptive enough, we come across many opportunities for friendships. Look at each person you consider a "friend" and imagine what you have met him/her for. What have they taught you? What can they teach you, if you allow them? The saying "I am only human" .. fits well here. We are all human, on the same level .. going through the same perils, yet why do we still feel the need to compete? Isn't it much easier to help one another? Isn't it more fulfilling?

When a friendship turns into a *lover*, it is very exciting! The gratitude for the lessons learned and taught are unsurpassable. Sometimes we jump right into being lovers before a connection is formed. Friendship supreme, indeed .. however, it may not necessarily be one of substance. By substance, I mean .. one that will go further than a physical connection.

Ahhh when we choose a *partner* from a lover. The life altering, mind boggling, heart thumping, goose pimpling decision! We have decided this person can teach us sooo much that we cannot live without him/her. What a wonderful feeling that they feel the same way! It is so important to ponder the reasons we have met our partner. What is he/she teaching us? Are ~we~ coming from a good place, in dealing with our partner? Are we receiving?

*Soulmates*! One is very lucky to come across a soulmate. They are souls we have been with before, and lessons learned are the most intense and dramatic. You have been reunited with a person who knows what you need, who is aware of your weaknesses .. who can teach you all you need .. if you are receptive enough. If and only if.

Let us not find ourselves insecure. Each and every time we come across a challenge, something that pushes us into that *jump into defense mode* wagon .. take a moment to think that maybe, just maybe .. you are being given a gift. If you learn this lesson, you may not have to go through it again. So priceless.

Acquaintance, friend, lover, partner, soulmate.

Will you take advantage of talking to the person standing next to you in line?

At least smile.

In the very least, you just may make someone's day!

Article by: Lorra Robertson

http://www.geocities.com/eter_nite

Horrorscope - January 22, 2007

2007-01-22T13:19:00.000+08:00

It strikes again...

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 21)
The Bottom Line
After a series of odd surprises early today, you will have to adapt your plans.

In Detail
After a series of odd surprises early today, you will have to adapt your plans. Luckily, you will be with people who are not too set in their ways, and an alternative set of plans can be easily improvised. Where you end up at the end of the day is probably going to be far from where you thought you'd be, but it will probably be nicer than you had hoped for. This could be the universe tapping you on the shoulder and saying, 'sometimes an unexpected journey is the most rewarding.'

"No Pants Subway Ride"

2007-01-16T16:46:00.000+08:00

This event is run by the group Improv Everywhere, and is intended to make people laugh and have an interesting New York experience. When asked, participants are not supposed to reveal the purpose, they are asked to respond with something such as, "I forgot my pants today."

Participants riding on the train Participants waiting for the train A participant removes her pants in a train car A girl's reaction as participants ride the train in the annual "No Pants Subway Ride" in New York January 13, 2007.

Taken from: China Economic Net

Why is there such interesting event in New York and Singapore don't have?

New "Love Nest" for Tongwei and Zhaoxuan

2007-01-08T15:02:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, I helped Tongwei to shift to his new "Love Nest" together with Zhaoxuan...

Although their new home is small and simple but it is a nice, warm and cozy home... It is so much better than my cold and lonely apartment which I am staying at now.

Horrorscope

2007-01-08T12:03:00.000+08:00

Ah Gen call this Horrorscope... and I really agree with her too...

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 21)
The Bottom Line
You'll discover the changes you expected weren't so big. Breathe a sigh of relief.

In Detail
It seems as though the more things change, the more they stay the same! After a big shakeup in your work or school life (and a high level of accompanying anxiety), today you'll discover that you had nothing to worry about. Either your flexibility skills are at an all-time high, or the changes you expected weren't so drastic. Either way, you can breathe a great big sigh of relief today. This new way of doing things is just as good as the old way -- if not better.

Whosgoing.sg

2007-01-05T12:50:00.000+08:00

FREE Clubbing parties every week! Visit www.whosgoing.sg for ticket

"We Believe in FREE Parties”Why waste on Cover when you can spend it on getting High instead!Check out our Clubbing Calendar, we have a FREE party just for you nearly every week!
Visit www.whosgoing.sg to print out the FREE tix and see who else are going for the parties!
Whosgoing?I AM!

Get Well Soon...

2007-01-04T16:37:00.000+08:00

Someone very dear to me fell sick for the past few days...

Athough I am worried and hoping that I can be of some help...

There wasn't anything I can do...

So... anyway...

Please get well soon, my dear...

I will be praying for you...

Happy New Year 2007

2006-12-31T10:03:00.000+08:00

It is snowing again today….

Manxin told me that it is a good auspicious… sort of washes all the bad luck away for the New Year…

So since that the case…

Here I come 2007…

Wish everyone a Happy and Lucky New Year…

May 2007 be a better year than 2006 for you and me...

The Path...

2006-12-30T15:15:00.000+08:00

I shivered as I stay still… I wonder if it is the weather, or is it my heart…

Work has been pressurizing even when I see no work can be done…

Living in the uncertainly has certainly weaken myself…

I need to move! I need to take action!

What to do? When to do? How to do?

Run away from comfort zone or face it head on?

Either ways, it is hard…

The book “Road less travelled” reminded me that life is difficult…

First of all I have to accept it… face it… and solve it…

So now… difficulties of life… please come to me… let me welcome you, not b’cos I am going mad… but I want meet up with you…

Anyway… I am fighting you… God, Buddha, Krishna, Allah and whoever… Bless me… give me strength… let me roar… show me the light at the end of the path!

Let me walk out this out of this mess… so that I can clean it up… and start building my path…

And by the way… Lady love… where are you?

It is finally snowing in Beijing...

2006-12-30T09:38:00.000+08:00

Her visit to Beijing...

2006-12-30T09:30:00.000+08:00

I wasn't a good tour guide, but at least I was there... Hopefully I can get more chances...

Click on the picture to view larger image.

This really inspired me today...

2006-12-28T13:55:00.000+08:00

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 21)

The Bottom Line
Own your future -- today, don't let anyone influence your hopes and wishes.

In Detail
You own your future -- so you can't let anyone influence your hopes and wishes or tell you that what you want won't ever happen. This is a time to marshal your inner strength and stand firm for what you want. An excess of energy could cause you to fly off the handle once or twice today, but no one will be offended by your passion. You have a vision of what you want the next year of your life to be. Today, go out and start turning that vision into reality.

What happens to my internet?

2006-12-28T09:20:00.000+08:00

Taiwan quake cuts off much of Asia Internet
Posted: 27 December 2006 1840 hrs by CNA

HONG KONG - Internet and phone services were disrupted across much of Asia on Wednesday after an earthquake damaged undersea cables, leaving one of the world's most tech-savvy regions in a virtual blackout.

From frustrated traders seeking in vain for stock quotes to anxious newshounds accustomed to round-the-clock updates on world events, millions of people from China to Japan to Australia were affected.

The disruption was widespread, hitting China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and elsewhere, with knock-on effects as far away as Australia for companies whose Internet is routed through affected areas.

There was no chaos on the stock exchanges or any of the other doomsday scenarios, but reports that services could be down for weeks were dramatic enough.

South Korea's information and communication ministry said all six undersea fibreoptic cables off Taiwan were hit, causing major disruption. All services, except for exclusive business lines, returned to normal shortly afterwards as they were switched to other systems.

But officials could not put a timeframe on when business lines would be fixed. "It is not a matter of days," said Hong Seoung-Yong, a ministry official handling the problem. "It will take longer than that to repair the damaged lines."

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Taiwan on Tuesday night, which was followed by several smaller quakes in the region, apparently damaged the vast network of underwater cables that enables modern communication.

"The Internet capacity in Taiwan is about 40 percent now, so the service is jammed," said a spokesman for Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest phone company.

A spokesman for CAT Telecom, Thailand's communication authority, said Internet services had been disrupted across the country.

"Those whose businesses mainly rely on Internet communication have been affected. They can't do anything," he added.

Phone services in some countries were also disrupted, in particular for calls to the United States.

"Several undersea data cables were damaged," said a spokesman for PCCW, Hong Kong's biggest telecoms company.

Service providers quickly tried to redirect customers to the cables that had not been affected but the reduced capacity was no match for the normal workload of users, leaving an Internet service that was painfully slow or non-existent.

"It's a nightmare, basically, because we have no idea what is going on in the markets today," said Steve Rowles, an analyst with CFC Seymour in Hong Kong, who echoed others in saying that damage was limited due to year's end.

"It has happened on the right day as a lot of people are away for holidays, so there's low trading volumes," he said.

In China, web users in cities as far apart as Beijing in the north and Chongqing in the southwest reported difficulties accessing overseas websites, state media reported, after several undersea cables belonging to China Telecom were cut.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange, the world's largest bourse outside of New York, was functioning without problems, a spokesman said.

The Hong Kong stock exchange also said it was also working without problems, but after-hours crude trading in Singapore was affected as traders reported they could not access the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex).

NTT Communications, the long-distance call business of Japan's largest telecom firm Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., said 1,400 toll-free phone lines and 84 international lines used internally by companies were affected.

The crux of the trouble seemed to be in the underseas routes near Taiwan, which providers would try to bypass in favour of other routes through Europe, said a spokesman for Japanese telecoms firm KDDI Corp, Satoru Ito.

"If there is too much traffic on that route, it might get blocked up and further slow down Internet connections," Ito said.

- AFP /ls

Sianz... China also affected loh... No Utopia...

How I wished today never comes...

2006-12-25T11:54:00.000+08:00

Last week ended in a blink of eye…and I didn’t even had enough of last week…

Most properly, last week is my most enjoyable week I ever had through out the one year in Beijing… Never had I enjoyed myself so far and feel like living with an objective… and YES… I was tired, but it was all worth it… I have enjoyed myself so much that I wished X’mas will not come…

The emptiness has not gone away, but has gotten stronger… It wasn't beause it was my 2nd X’mas alone in Beijing, but it was made stronger with the wonderful last week…

As much as I wish today never comes… I can't wait for the future too… I am struck in the present…

And by the way, did anyone buy X’mas presents for me??? :p

We met again...

2006-12-21T16:22:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since I saw her… but the day has finally came for us to meet again… She is here on a short trip in Beijing for work so I didn't really have time to show her all the places of interest as time was kind of limited…

Well… what matters most is that we finally meet up again, and we got to talk and chat on whatever we have been missing out for the past few years… This is so great… I didn’t realized that we can have so much to talk about, cos we didn’t talk a lot in the past or maybe we do talk a lot in the past, but I think we can even talk more now…

She also commented that I have changed... have I? Well, I think she have changed a bit too… Ha… Ha… :p Anyway, I am grateful that she came to Beijing…

煎饼果子

2006-12-15T15:14:00.000+08:00

I often eat this thing call 煎饼果子 or some people just call it 煎饼. Well, it is almost my everyday’s breakfast because I will buy it after I got off the subway, and then eat it along my way to office. It is especially delicious during winter, because when it is cold, you will hold it with your hands and eat it while it is hot.

This is how it is cooked.

Swing while you eat...

2006-12-06T12:45:00.000+08:00

This restaurant is cool... You get to eat and play with the swing at the same time...

Creativity in Menu Planning

2006-12-05T13:03:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening, I went to eat in one of those small restaurants in a small alley near my work place with Tongwei. It is a newly opened restaurant so we thought of trying out their food... As I got the menu from the waitress, I looked through it and saw that there were English names translated for some of the common dishes… Out of curiosity, I begining looking for the English names of those dishes which I usually like to order...

I smiled and laughed at the first few dishes with English names… Then as I go on, I laughed out louder and louder until other people will to stare at me as if I'm mad or whatever... I guess this restaurant really had a good sense of humor when they translate those dishes’ names, especially on the 干锅仔鸡...

宫爆鸡丁 – The temple explodes the chicken cube

酱爆鸡丁 – The sauce explodes the chicken cube

干锅仔鸡 – Fuck a chicken

油麦菜 – Rape flower

红油百叶 – One hundred leaves of sesame oil

Aren’t they really creative? Ha… Ha…

Look the river/canal is starting to freeze...

2006-12-04T17:49:00.000+08:00

If you see closely... the river/canal are starting to freeze... the top layer have already form small pieces of ice...

One Piece: Straw Hat's New Ship is Ready!!!

2006-12-01T09:55:00.000+08:00

For those who don't read the manga...This is a preview of it for you...

PMS SURVIVAL TIPS

2006-11-30T17:07:00.000+08:00

Note:A must watch for guys!

Complaints Choir

2006-11-29T17:35:00.000+08:00

I don't know what "Complaints Choir" are al about until I heard these two choirs... They sing out what everyone wants to compliant or feel like complianting... something which I am sure you will compliant about too...

I prefer the Helsinki Choir slightly more, even though you got to see the subtitles because it is not sung in English... and as for Birmingham Choir, they sung in English and they are good too...

Helsinki Complaints Choir

Complaints Choir of Birmingham

STB plans to develop Southern Islands into tourist attraction

2006-11-29T13:17:00.000+08:00

Title : STB plans to develop Southern Islands into tourist attraction
Date : 28 November 2006 1837 hrs (SST)
URL : Channelnewsasia.com

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) plans to develop the six islands off the southern tip of Sentosa into a tourist attraction.

This, as its $12b Sentosa masterplan -- which includes Harbourfront and the Southern Islands -- is expected to be completed ahead of schedule in 2010.

The comment came on the sidelines of an industry conference where STB also revealed that Singapore is set to welcome another record number of visitors this year.

The STB wants to tap on the momentum of the Sentosa integrated resort bid and extend investor interest to the islands nearby.

Exploring the potential of developing land around the Marina Bay and Sentosa areas, the STB concluded that enhancing the lush greenery and natural foliage of the Southern Islands will make them irresistible as a tourist destination.

The Southern Islands include the Sisters' Island, Kusu Island and St John Island.

The agency says the Southern Islands already boast a Chinese temple, natural ecosystems and a resort-like atmosphere.

So it is conceivable to turn some of them into a resort island, a cultural site or an interactive rainforest park.

Designers say there is a trend towards mixing education and entertainment when it comes to creating a tourist destination that leverages on the natural resources of a given place.

They say the Southern Islands have the potential to become such a themed destination.

Citing Hamburg's Regenwald House, Shawn McCoy, Marketing Director of Jack Rouse Associates, said: "There's a great project in Hamburg called the Regenwald House. Basically, it's a rainforest where you walk through and you can interpret some of the flora and fauna that are there. Everything, from audio wands to rain sequence - so it rains on you. It's manufactured, sure it's synthetic but you're actually learning about the natural environment."

STB expects to announce details for the development of the Southern Islands and seek request-for-concepts as early as next March.

Total investment in Sentosa alone reached S$3.1 billion in the fiscal year ending in March.

This is a 68% increase compared to a year ago.

On tourist arrivals, STB says Singapore is expected to receive its 9th million visitor anytime now.

This will set a second consecutive year of record high for tourist numbers.

Singapore welcomed 8.94 million visitors in 2005. - CNA/ir

Auto China 2006

2006-11-28T12:12:00.000+08:00

I attended Auto China 2006 in Beijing with Tongwei and Zhaoxuan last Sunday. Although there were many new automobiles on exhibition but the amazing part is that the people attending it is more than you can imagine... 200,000 people over the weekend reported by the news... Kaoz… Well, China does indeed live up to its name : “People” Republic of China, Country with Manpower as its main strength... Ha… Ha…

Anyway… we didn’t took many photos as there were too many people in the way and it is really difficult to take photos with so many people squeezing right in front of the automobile looking at it… touching it… or seating inside it… as if they never seen one in their whole life before…

See that… behind me, in front of the racing car, people are squeezing in font to view the car. I just happen to manage to get a lucky shot by the side of the vehicle from far away…

Mmm… Actually Tongwei did took many picture of the automobiles, but it is really only automobiles with many people in the background… there were only a few with us taken with the vehicle…

Tongwei

Zhaoxuan

And of course, the main purpose of going there other than looking at the automobiles is to look at the babes… and thanks god, I manage to took photos of them…

Hmm… actually it was more of taking photo together with them… Ha… Ha… :)

Naruto News:

2006-11-25T18:21:00.000+08:00

Next Spring (2007) for Naruto Anime Part 2 to start... Still have to endure one more season of Naruto fillers...

Am I stress?

2006-11-20T17:37:00.000+08:00

My head is spinning after looking at the monitor screen non-stop...
I think it is time to start school… but what to study? Where the $$$
Work??? @#$%^&* Social life has been kind of limited…
Where is my coke??? $$$$ always the problem...
I am suffering from depression again…
I missed home and friends… What is my career path?

Where is that dame “Light”… I need enlightenment!!! No I will not be a monk… don’t mis-understand.
This Stupid translation work I am doing has been getting on my nerves. (6000 plus sentences already still thousands of them to come???) Hey I need to plan for next year company budget… but I have no resources??? Should I further studies… I am 24 going 25… Shit I am damn old…
I am running out of time… I cause “lis” to be angry… sorry… why are you still mad at me?
I need a break… I need to diet… no diet + no exercise… can I do it?
I am behind time… Why am I still Single…
Why is it so cold... Stupid winter... althought I like winter
What am I doing here… Playtime over???
I think I need to decide… Plus take action… My bank account is disappearing…

These things are really flying in my head and driving my nuts… how..??? I am really messed up… I need enlightenment!!!! I am starting to don’t even know what I am talking about??? Damn it!!!

Am I stress???

How to make China a respected nation ?

2006-11-16T08:46:00.000+08:00

One day China can become a well respected nation in the world community of nations, when its government, society and people are gradually transformed from the existing pit of material darkness to one of enlightment. That can happen when the realization occurs:

1. That liberty and freedom are inherent qualities in humans.
2. Human rights and respect for life is real success of civilizations.
3. Money is not the meaning for existence.
4. Greed and avarice only bring a future of darkness.
5. People have souls which is more important than money.
6. Worshipping money is not a civilized thing to do.
7. Enriching the mind with freedom is real happiness.
8. Being humble and accepting shortcomings is not a sign of weakness.
9. There is no need to suffer from any inferiority complex that only promotes negative atttitudes.
10. Tell their char bors to shave their fucking armpits (added by another commenter)
11. Tell their people to stop talking so loudly on their fucking handphones on public transports. (added by another commenter)

I am sure China will change for the better in the future and become a respected member of the world's community of nations. But it will take time, maybe 50 years time, and the rest of the world must show patience and understanding for this to happen.

Posted by Satin888(1-9) and Evilheart(10-11) on Sammyboy.com's Alfresco Coffee Shop

GST to be raised to 7%: PM Lee

2006-11-14T09:48:00.000+08:00

By Farah Abdul Rahim, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 13 November 2006 1832 hrs

SINGAPORE: The Goods and Services Tax will be increased to 7 percent from 5 percent presently.

This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Monday.

However, when the rise will be implemented, will be decided later.

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English, Mr Lee explained that the hike was necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group and he emphasised that the offset package would more than counter the rise in GST.

While Singapore's current model to tackle the widening income gap is sound, Mr Lee said the government would take on two approaches to deal with the new environment - to strengthen the safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the lower-income groups who do not benefit from the fruits of economic growth.

To do this, government spending will have to go up. The government now spends some 15 percent of its GDP - one of the lowest in the world.

"This is inevitable over the next 5 to 10 years. Infrastructure investments will cost money - R&D is to cost $5b over the next 5 years; as medical technology improves, people age and more will go to hospitals to get more treatment, so spending is bound to go up. As we tilt the playing field across the board, the lower income will be getting another boost, not just once in a while. Therefore its better to start building resources now so that when we spend more, we have the means to do so," said Mr Lee.

To finance this, indirect taxes or the Goods & Services Tax will have to go up.

"It will give us precious extra resources to implement social programmes like Workfare later on. Our aim is to help the lower income groups and the elderly, not to increase their burdens. When we implement the GST increase, it's not just the GST increase, it's the package which will fully offset the impact of the GST increase and begin to strengthen the social safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the low income groups - we will not just raise the GST but we will have a comprehensive offset package," said Mr Lee.

This package will be weighted more to the middle and the low income groups, especially the elderly, and it will more than offset the GST increase.

"It is not just an offset package to deal with the GST. It is a whole set of measures which we are taking in order to tilt the playing field in favour of the lower income group, which is what we have to add and tally in the balance, and my purpose is to help the lower income group. For the middle income, it will be generally about ok; for the higher income, I think the higher income should end up paying more overall. It's part of being one society. I'm not going to tax 15% on income tax, I'm not going to tax 25% from GST the way the Scandanavians do, but I have to make the adjustments of 2% which I think is fair and I think Singaporeans will support," added Mr Lee.

He explained that it is better to do the increase now when the economy is doing well, rather than wait till later. This will give the government time to see how this adjustment can be managed, and to cope better with the unknown forces of globalisation over the next 5 to 7 years.
More details of the GST increase will be announced on 15 February 2007, which is Budget Day. Mr Lee added that Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam would deliver the Budget speech.

Another change will be the amending of the Constitution to allow the government to tap the capital gains received from investing the national reserves. - CNA /dt

Who says guys can't do facial???

2006-11-10T17:38:00.000+08:00

Here are 2 guys that do facial... Ha... Ha...

Voices in My Head

2006-11-09T13:12:00.000+08:00

We often see scenes in cartoons or even in comic books whereby an angel and devil appears out of no where and try to convince the main character to do what or not to do what…

In real life situation, there isn’t really mini devil and angel flowing by our side or sitting on our shoulder… but it appeared like voices inside our head. I have encountered such situations many times in my life… well… it goes like one voice saying… “It’s alright…” the other will say “No…no…no… it’s definitely not alright!” and then for the whole night... These voices will debate until they tired themselves out and then finally allow me to sleep peacefully…

Because of them debating, I get to see things from different view points and really benefited me sometimes… But most of the times they get on my nerves because they don’t know when to stop… When no matter how much they talk and argue… even nothing will change the fact… and they will still continue to argue all night long…

Yesterday night, it happened again…

I was on my way home from work while two ladies approached me and ask for help… They said that they are kind of lost… and they have not eaten for the whole day… most importantly, they have no money with them and hope that I can buy food for them…

Anyway… whatever the story is… I have heard a dozen of times of the same story… First they will ask for food… then ask for some money for transport… same old trick… and the best part is that… a few days or weeks later... they will appear there and ask from you again with a same old story with a look that as if they never meet you before…

As this thoughts run through my head as the lady ask… my devil smiled and happily thinking how I will reject them and move on to find a good nice warm place for dinner… But… Little did he expected that the next thing I did was to bring the two ladies to a shop nearby… bought them food and drinks… and gave them another 5 bucks for transport…

The debate then started from that very point…

Devil: Hey!!! What are you doing??? What is that all about??? Wasn’t it all set that you should just reject them and walked off…

Angel: Nope… it is good that you should help…

Devil: Hello??? Wake up, will you… this is not the first time… and the previous few times… didn’t you see them appeared again and again after a few weeks, coming with the same old stories and lies… No doubt that they are confirmed con-man this time too…

Angel: But this time it might be real… Who knows??? Some more how can you bear to see people who need help and don’t help them and leave them in this cold weather…

Devil: Come on… Don’t be stupid… even if it is not a lot of money… how many times have you given that money already??? and the worse part is… falling for the same trick again and again… Kaoz!!! It is not charity… it is that you are being conned…

Angel: Hey… at least they make this story sound better then the previous few encounters… anyway… if with only this small amount of money, it can help two people why not…

Devil: Stupid fool… Think you better go straight home… you have just give away your dinner money… you can go back and enjoy your wonderful instant noodles instead…

And they two go on and on… and on… till I reach home… till I finished dinner… until I was about to sleep… then they finally stopped…

Wow… those two really can talk... Seriously… I really hate it when it happens too often… as it will affect my mood, work and life… but last night… it seems really kind of fun…

eeeiiii…anyway… although it might seems too creepy… I believe that many other people encounter such situation too… Initially… they only appeared as an inner self or some thoughts… but soon it will be like voices in your head… and I think…hopefully soon I might even really see a devil and angel popping out and flowing around me and start chatting not stop… Ha… Ha…

Dates

2006-11-01T11:28:00.000+08:00

What does those things in the picture looked like to you??? My friends Zhaoxun and Tongwei bought it and gave to me, since I don’t really get to eat fresh dates in Singapore before…

Usually in Singapore, we buy and eat the dried ones more often, and it is mostly used for cooking soup, medicine and etc… Those in the picture are actually fresh dates… and it is sold everywhere in Beijing and even on the roads… It is about slightly bigger then cherry, you eat it just like that, tasted a bit crunchy like an apple and the flesh look a bit like an apple too… compared to those dried ones we usually eat, the fresh one are not wrinkled… pumped up... a bit harder... taste better... more nutrients... and

more Yummy…

Seriously I think there should be fresh dates available in Singapore, just that we don’t buy and eat them that often, do we?

Do you know Harry's Island = ???'s Island

2006-11-01T10:19:00.000+08:00

Please read the following article... this is so funny... does Harry's Island ring a bell?

___________________________________

Eighth Wonder submits $5.5b bid for Sentosa Integrated ResortBy S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 31 October 2006 1550 hrs

SINGAPORE: The final bidder for Sentosa's Integrated Resort project, Las Vegas-based Eighth Wonder, revealed its S$5.5 billion plans to develop what it calls "Harry's Island" on Tuesday.

Eighth Wonder's Chairman Mark Advent intends for Harry's Island to be iconic, creative and one-of-a-kind.

He has lined up an international star-studded cast to work with him in developing the Sentosa project.

"There is a spirit that is special about Sentosa regardless. It is an amazing place. It is a lush tropical serene paradise, and now it is evolving as a place for commerce, hospitality, residential and, ultimately in the future, an integrated resort," Advent says.

"So it's a very fine balance to figure out that place where all of these different elements could co-exist in a manner that is sensitive to all. Ultimately, when you isolate it into an integrated resort directive, there is a huge opportunity to create world-class excitement, entertainment, must-see appeal just by the type of project we are proposing," he adds.

When completed, Harry's Island will have 10 world-class, luxury and family-oriented hotels.

Among the new features is a tree house with family suites and a 7,500-seat Caldera Theatre with nightly spectacular shows.

Louis Parenteau, President of Dragone Entertainment, says: "Our main concern of this venture would be to create a show which will be done for the Asian people, that people recognise themselves in this show and, at the same time, we want it to be an attraction to a worldwide public.

"People in Singapore have already seen the touring show which Franco Dragone has created. The permanent shows of the nature that we are talking here is of a totally different, totally different world. The theatre itself and all the mechanics and technical are done so that you create a universe which is totally peculiar to the show.

"Our shows are not using any language exactly for that purpose because we want the show to be accessible to a larger public. But we want people here in Singapore, China and Malaysia to feel this is going to be something which belongs to this market and will grow as our shows are always work-in-progress."

Harry's Island will create nearly 15,000 jobs, including 5,000 in the food and beverage business.

For the health-conscious, there will be a wellness centre and spa retreat run by doctor and writer Deepak Chopra.

Soccer fans will benefit from a football academy and stadium with Brazilian soccer star Pele giving his inputs.

Eighth Wonder says it wants to turn Harry's Island into a global, world class, must-visit destination.

If it wins the bid to construct the Sentosa Integrated Resort, it hopes to achieve the vision of attracting at least 15 million tourists annually by 2014.

The company believes it can recover its investments by 2015, by generating S$5.6 billion in visitor-spending in five years.

The Singapore government has indicated that the winning bid for the Sentosa IR would be known in December. - CNA/so

Happy Halloween....

2006-10-31T09:42:00.000+08:00

I can't access to Blogspot Again...

2006-10-30T10:22:00.000+08:00

Blogger(blogspot) is being blocked in China AGAIN… Dame it!

I thought that after I can access blogspot during September 2006 and since China no longer block that domain, I stopped my friendster blog and start dumping whatever i feel like sharing on blogspot... It was really fun and I got to learn a bit of web editing from it... But... What a stupid thing that happen again... Initially I thought it was some server breakdown or upgrade from blogspot, because I can't access it on last Thursday... then it was Friday... Saturday... then Sunday... and then today... Basically I cannot see or view any site with .blogspot.com again... so it is back to square one... It was being blocked/banned by China.

China considering blogger registration system
Monday, October 23rd, 2006
In response to media reports, the Internet Society of China (ISC) confirmed that a blogger registration system was being considered by the Ministry of Information Industry, though no official policies have been made. The system would require all bloggers–including those who write under pseudonyms–to register with authorities under their real names.

The Great Firewall of China
The net police do not make the reasons for such actions public, but Chinese bloggers point out that DynaWeb, an anti-censorship service run by overseas Chinese, had been using a blog on blogspot.com to publish proxy server addresses that allowed users to get around the Great Firewall. The authorities’ blanket blockade affected all China’s bloggers, leaving them suddenly unable to reach their journals.

Light A Million Candles

2006-10-25T13:51:00.000+08:00

The innocent victims of Internet child abuse cannot speak for themselves.
But you can.
With your help, we can eradicate this evil trade.
We do not need your money.
We need you to light a candle of support <http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/>.
We're aiming to light at least One Million Candles by December 31, 2006.
This petition will be used to encourage governments, politicians, financial institutions, payment organisations, Internet service providers, technology companies and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the commercial viability of online child abuse.
They have the power to work together. You have the power to get them to take action.
Please light your candle at lightamillioncandles.com or send an email of support to light@lightamillioncandles.com.
Together, we can destroy the commercial viability of Internet child abuse sites that are destroying the lives of innocent children.

----------------------------

so please support them by going to lightamillioncandles.com
it is just only lighting up a candle to show your support...

Death Note the Movie

2006-10-24T14:07:00.000+08:00

I just got to know that it is on cinema in Singapore from Qiang (after I tell him that I found out there is a movie made on Death Note)... Well, and the worst part is that he tell me he have aready seen it with Tong and gang on the cinema... Dame it...

Anyway... this is one good show... I have been reading the manga and watching the anime of Death Note... although I just start only no long ago... but I think the movie should not too bad... There are actually 2 (to 3) movies I think... Ha... Ha... something which I think it is cool and the plot should be good hopefully... Basically 1 movie will not be enough to show the entire story... although 2 movies are still not enough... but I think it is still better then 1... and based on hearsay, there might be a 3rd movie... Can't wait to see the movie soon... Too bad I am not in Singapore, if not I would have watch it last week... Dame it!

The 1st Movie was first aired during June 2006 in Japan...
The 2nd Movie is going to be air really soon on 3rd Nov 2006 in Japan...
As for 3rd Movie... as I said... it is hearsay.. so I also dunno have or not in the first place... anyway... enjoy the trailers for the 2 movies first... hee... hee...

Death Note Movie 1 Trailer...

Death Note Movie 2 - (The "L"ast Name) Trailer II

Sincerity

2006-10-24T11:39:00.000+08:00

"Sincerity" this word came into my mind again after talking to someone over the phone yesterday… I have been commented by someone that I have no "Sincerity" AGAIN…

At that same time, it reminded me of 12 years back when I was been commented by that word over the phone also… Wah kaoz… This deadly word caused me to scratch off hundreds of hairs on my head and left me "wonder-land" for quite some time…

Of course from the dictionary I knew that :

Sincerity: （诚意）
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“ In the modern world, sincerity is the rare and often-admired virtue of speaking truly about one's feelings, thoughts, desires. Sincere expression carries risks to the speaker, since the ordinary screens used in everyday life are opened to the outside world. At the same time, we expect our friends, our lovers, our leaders "to be sincere." ”

But until yesterday... 12 years later… the word came back to me again… Maybe I still have not fully understand it yet… I wonder… is it because I usually portray an image that is not serious enough? act cute? or clowning around?... and that’s why I was never taken seriously by others... that make me seems insincere?

What a Lovely Advertisement(s)

2006-10-20T16:11:00.000+08:00

This is one good Thai advertisement… the storyline is very heart warming… although it is about this stupid facial wash…

There are 4 parts to it… just watch in sequence to see the whole story…

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Jesus Christ - The Musical

2006-10-20T12:12:00.000+08:00

This is so funny...

Note: Not suitable for those who can't take joke!

阿扁 Song

2006-10-20T11:08:00.000+08:00

These videos are based on Taiwan's 阿扁

醜陋的第一家庭

阿扁下台進行曲

都是阿扁惹的禍只怪邱『異』爆料爆太多

碰碰阿峰Hip-Hop 《第一家庭》

Enjoy...

Aryati(Mum)... Happy Birthday!!!

2006-10-19T18:13:00.000+08:00

My "alien" number which appeared on the mobile phone of Yat's was hanged up... Yat don't be afraid... I am no bad guy... I just wanna wish you Happy Birthday...

Luckily you picked up after my many tries... and I finally got to say

Happy Birthday!!! to you

PS: Don't worry I am not the only one who remembered... there are more... :)

红花会 Preview

2006-10-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

There were 红花会 gathering on the net for yesterday and today… And in our discussions, we came up with this new idea for the Society…

Without delays, draft for the new plan for 红花会 is being up on the Web last night… Seriously, everything is still in careful planning and construction… For this new blogsite, whether will it be put into good use or even make it or not… it will be too early to tell…

Anyway… it is just at a testing stage now… the whole thing is only with temporary layout and skeleton framework… but everything as been going smoothly so far… The rest of it will be out once the time is ready…

coming up soon will be stuffs like: the rules, new design and layout, 红花会's Official Logo and many many more new add-on features too…

The new work has being distributed today… and it will only be added and be actualized bit by bit in the new few stages… Quality will take a bit of time and effort… so got to wait, bo bian…

So therefore… for those who knows what 红花会 is and wonder what we are up to… this is all about… do take a preview of it;

and for those who don’t know 红花会, it doesn’t matter, as this is what we are newly coming up with to let you know more…

Oh ya… do give comments on my site if you have any sugguestions for improvements… Thanks…

Click on the link to take a preview of it: http://hong-hua-hui.blogspot.com/

I can't believe this is on Wikipedia...

2006-10-17T17:43:00.000+08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mee_siam

Mee siam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mee Siam refers to "Siamese noodle" is a dish of thin rice noodles (vermicelli) in spicy sour sweet soup popular in Singapore.

Originally a Thai dish, it became a Nyonya specialty that is now prepared by Indians, Malays as well as Chinese stalls in Singapore with slight variation in ingredients. It is served with salted soy beans, dried bean curd, boiled egg, and tamarind, garnished with spring onions and Chinese chives.

At the Singapore 2006 National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a "Mee Siam mai hum (No cockles in my Mee Siam)" remark, and was made the butt of a joke/song in a popular Singaporean podcast The MrBrown Show. The podcast took Mr Lee's comment and edited it to the tune of "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas. Since "hump" refers to sexual intercourse, this gave the impression he was thinking of sex in giving the National Day Speech. This comment was also lampooned due to the fact that the dish does not contain cockles at all. Since in Singapore, people often mix English words with local dialect like Hokkien, when they say, "me siam mai hump" can also mean "I feel tired of being humped". In the same fashion, the popular Singaporean podcast The MrBrown Show drew lots of laughter and giggles because "mai hump my hump" can also be interpreted as "Please don't hump my bum" with the first "hump" as a verb and the second "hump" as a noun.

More important however were the political implications. As mee siam is considered middle and working class fare, many Singaporeans took the "mai hum" error as a further sign that major PAP politicians were losing touch with the ground.

Sesame Street on Marijuana

2006-10-16T15:21:00.000+08:00

Sesame Street on Marijuana by Adam Sandler

The Zodiac Match Test

2006-10-16T13:02:00.000+08:00

I have always enjoyed Tickle.com for all their personality tests, IQ test and so on... this is the latest one which I have done:

The Zodiac Match Test -
Edmund, the best match for your personality is Libra

Libra, the Scales (September 24 to October 23): This idealistic yet easygoing partner is just your type. Initially, a Libra partner may catch your attention with their elegant charm and attentiveness during courtship. But as you get to know them better, you're likely to be even more drawn to your Libra's appreciation for beauty and fairness, as well as their peaceful disposition. People born under this sign are known for being romantic partners who have an excellent ability to build and grow an egalitarian relationship. Librans may seem to be a bit lazy to you at times. However, their love of pleasure can be a benefit, too — one that can roust both of you from falling into boring relationship routines. In the bedroom, you'll likely find the Scales to be both creative and driven, with a significant sexual appetite. In general, Libras are flirtatious, talkative people who are almost always open to amusing distractions.Although Libra is your strongest Zodiac Match, your responses indicate there are a number of other astrological signs that you're highly compatible with.

OMG!!! It's Kelven Tan Singing

2006-10-14T16:05:00.000+08:00

I saw Gen's blog as she posted a youtube video as her new entry on 11th Oct 2006... but because the stupid friendster blog got this problem in displaying it out as an embed flash video... so I didn't bother to click on the site to see the video... but today I was really kind of bore.. so I went to check on what the video was all about... And I OMG!!! It’s Kelven Tan Singing...

Check this out people... Especially Sentosa and Ex-sentosa people!!!

Note: Gen's Contribution

What is Stephen Lynch all about?

2006-10-13T13:44:00.000+08:00

Note: Some (All) of the song content maybe offensive... Do not click and listen if you are a serious, conservative, old school, uncompromising, holy, religious, humorless, non-forgiving, straight-minded, dedicated or easily offended person...

Lullaby (Divorce Song)
this was the first song which I discovered Stephen Lynch...

I am not Gay
This was one funny song...

Special Ed
One of my favorite songs...

Craig
This song is Cool...

Stephen Lynch

2006-10-12T14:21:00.000+08:00

"It's Your Wedding Day"

"Growing Old With You"

BIOGRAPHY

Growing up in the woods of Northern Michigan, Stephen Lynch always had music in his life. But it wasn’t until he saw the movie “This is Spinal Tap” that he found his direction – to be a comedic singer songwriter.

Lynch moved to New York City in 1996 to put his music to the test. Disarming audiences with his sweet-voice and blindsiding them with his lyrics, Stephen found welcoming fans at the city’s comedy clubs and downtown alternative comedy venues. He became a regular on radio shows such as “Opie and Anthony” and over the next couple of years began touring the country’s nightclub and college circuit building a loyal fan base.

In 2000, Stephen released his own “Comedy Central Presents” special, which was one of the highest rated specials for the network. Later that year he released his first CD, “A Little Bit Special” (What Are Records), which was labeled "an instant comedy classic" by CD-Now. In 2002, Stephen released his second CD, “Superhero” (What Are Records), a collection of live recordings from five different venues in and around New York City. Collectively, the two CD’s have sold over 160,000 copies.

In 2004, Stephen released his first live DVD, “Live at The El Rey” (Razor & Tie). Recorded live at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, the DVD contains over 70 MORE minutes of live performance featuring 16 songs and over an hour of bonus material. To date the DVD has sold over 35,000 copies.

Stephen has performed at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, has been featured on Comedy Central’s “The World Comedy Tour” taped in Melbourne Australia, on Comedy Central’s “The World Stand’s Up” taped in London and has made four appearances on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly.” Stephen completed a 44-city theater tour from September 2004 through February 2005 and will begin his next theater tour in October 2005.

On July 4, 2005, iTunes named both of Stephen’s CD’s, “A Little Bit Special” and “Superhero” as two of the 100 best-selling independent albums in iTunes’ history.

On October 4, 2005, Stephen will release his third CD of new material, “The Craig Machine” (What Are Records). The CD was recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City.

In December, Stephen will begin rehearsals as star of the new Broadway musical, “The Wedding Singer”, scheduled to open on Broadway in the spring of 2006. “The Wedding Singer” is based on the 1998 Adam Sandler movie of the same name. Stephen will be playing the Sandler role of Robbie Hart.

From: www.stephenlynch.com

Luckily I am not a woman...

2006-10-11T11:24:00.000+08:00

Cola is one of my most loved drink... Luckily I am not a woman... hee... hee...

Cola Raises Women's Osteoporosis Risk
PST By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter
From: Yahoo! Health: Arthritis News

(HealthDay News) -- Cola may not be so sweet for women's bones, according to new research that suggests the beverage boosts osteoporosis risk.

"Among women, cola beverages were associated with lower bone mineral density," said lead researcher Katherine Tucker, director of the Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

There was a pretty clear dose-response, Tucker added. "Women who drink cola daily had lower bone mineral density than those who drink it only once a week," she said. "If you are worried about osteoporosis, it is probably a good idea to switch to another beverage or to limit your cola to occasional use."

The report was published in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
About 55 percent of Americans, mostly women, are at risk for developing osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

In the study, Tucker's team collected data on more than 2,500 participants in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study, averaging just below 60 years of age. The researchers looked at bone mineral density at three different hip sites, as well as the spine.

They found that in women, drinking cola was associated with lower bone mineral density at all three hip sites, regardless of age, menopause, total calcium and vitamin D intake, or smoking or drinking alcohol. Women reported drinking an average of five carbonated drinks a week, four of which were cola.

Bone density among women who drank cola daily was almost 4 percent less, compared with women who didn't drink cola, Tucker said. "This is quite significant when you are talking about the density of the skeleton," she said.

Cola intake was not associated with lower bone mineral density in men. The findings were similar for diet cola, but weaker for decaffeinated cola, the researchers reported.

The reason for cola's effect on bone density may have to do with caffeine, Tucker said. "Caffeine is known to be associated with the risk of lower bone mineral density," she said. "But we found the same thing with decaffeinated colas."

Another explanation may have to do with phosphoric acid in cola, which can cause leeching of calcium from bones to help neutralize the acid, Tucker said.

One expert agrees that women should reduce the amount of cola they drink.

"I would expect this finding," said Dr. Mone Zaidi, director of the Mount Sinai Bone Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City. "It's probably a caffeine-related problem."

Women should limit their caffeine intake, Zaidi said. "Caffeine interferes with calcium absorption, which results in less bone formation," he said.

This can be a problem for younger women who never develop peak bone density, Zaidi noted. "Younger women who have a lot of coke will not form bone to an extent their peers would; so, years later, in menopause, they are going to be disadvantaged," he said.

Lossing Weight

2006-10-10T12:02:00.000+08:00

I suddenly have this urge to go on diet… Well, actually I often have this urge… ha… ha… but I know that I am not doing anything to it… Eating food has been part of my enjoyment… Finding good food to eat and tasting new food is also one of my favorite past-time…

Well, but I have been back to my previous weight before Army… And maybe it is time I should really do something about it… hee… hee… Actually I really hate it when I injured my left leg during the soccer game last time held by my company, I could have made use of that time to loss some weight… anyway… enough of excuses for myself… I just need to start something now…

Maybe I should set some rules for myself… it may help a little… Well… maybe I can think over lunch… ha... ha… oh ya… I think I can start by eating lesser for lunch… I will cut down the potion... anyway the food sucks in the canteen… so I think there shouldn’t be any problem for me to do that… hee… hee…

The rest of the plan may be I can start think after lunch… on maybe when I feel like losing weight again… :p

Untied Knot

2006-10-10T11:42:00.000+08:00

I scrolled through my “Friendster” friend list... and as usual I came across this old friend whom I have not seen nor hear from for many years... I clicked onto the profile... browsed through her updates and photos... and she still look as sweet as last time when I knew her (actually look more and more attractive)...

Well, I think I still have that knot in my heart which I can’t untied... although I moved on and I have tried to untied it for so many years, I still can't seems to even loosen that knot... There are no longer any feelings, happiness or pain but it is just so frustrating... because I will never know what to do if one day I meet her on the road... Aiya... and I really afraid that day will come soon… Lucky I am in China now… At least the risk is lower here…

***Anyway Martin Ko, if you are reading this... you better keep it a secret... because you are only the dame person I talk to you about this before... And you better don't disclose who is the knot... not even to Pearl!!!

The Wicked Junior

2006-10-09T14:24:00.000+08:00

As my stress level hit the brim... I decided to take a little break to enjoy a little IQ game for a few minutes... The last time I tried "The Wicked", I went MAD over it because even until today I have not completed it... Today, I tried this new "The Wicked Junior", which I thought it maybe easier but guess what... I can't even get pass level 1... This make me even more stress up... So, in order to release my stress… I read the spoiler and completed it... and of course I cooled down and feel better after it... Ha... Ha...

Click to try the Game

Anyway, I did still manage to guess some of the questions correctly by myself, although I cheated to complete it... Maybe you should try it out to find out how fun it is (if you can make pass the 1 level)… Well, when you give up, you can ask me for the spoiler too... Ha... Ha...

Experiencing Public Holiday in China

2006-10-08T17:46:00.000+08:00

A week of holidays has passed… Although it is only 3 days of actual PH (public holiday), China has make it in such a way that they joined the 2 sets of Saturdays and Sundays rest day together with the 3 days of PH to make it “looked like” one week… and that also explains why I am working on a Sunday now...

Anyway for this “looked like” one week break… I spent it living with Tongwei’s family in 石家庄… It was really an interesting experience to live with a China Chinese family…It was really different from my expectations initially but eventually I got used to it… Most of the time, I was trying to understand their culture, lifestyle, food and their speaking accent… From there, I saw a great deal of family values and philosophies which reminded me of my family and friends in Singapore… I also realized that the so called “soup” that was served after each filling meal of dishes and buns, which I thought I could finish it, was actually a bowl of noodles… and the unlimited number of mosquito that buzz next to my ear the whole night also reminded me of Army’s outfield…

During my stay there, I almost joined Tongwei to all his gatherings with hometown’s friends… We went for good food, clubbing, KTV, arcades games, pool and many more... It was fun and I got to know lots of people whom I met the first time, and the friendship was further strengthen with alcohol introduced…

Tongwei also had to meet up with his future-in-laws for the first time during this trip… During his future-in-laws meet up, his Dad showed me around and also accompanied me to look at the Flower Festival in the National Park… Other than those, I also saw the new Jacky Chan movie in the cinema… play games at LAN-shops… and do lots of window shopping…

For Tongwei, it was like a Minister going for a political visiting to another country’s President… Outside he discussed it with his friends on what to do and prepare… At home… all family members and relatives will meet up, talk about it and plan for it together… I was there of course… witnessing the process and praying for his smooth meeting with his future-in-laws…

Well, it was exciting of course… but it was even more happening when he returns home with news that the future-in-laws are coming to his house to return their visit to his family 2 days later… This created another day of excitement and topic to discuss on what to do again…

Well, to us in Singapore it may seem like it is a simple normal meeting up… But if the 1st visit involves not only the family meeting up… but plus the uncles, aunts and whoever in the family tree… it may not seem as simple anymore… Well… it was fun… and it also has been a blessing that everything turn out fine… Tongwei was in almost breathless status after those 2 events… Ha... Ha…

Now that I seen this, I wonder what will be like for me if I will to meet my future-in-laws the next time… I don’t think meeting the future-in-laws in Singapore will not be as exciting… Anyway, I need not worry yet as I don’t even have a girlfriend now… so I am still in the protected animal series…Ha… Ha…

It has been a simple and fast week… Although I haven’t really rested enough yet, in a brink of eye and I’m back in office working…

Anyway, today is the 8th of Oct... so… most importantly…

Happy Wedding, Kevin Goh!!!!

How I wish I could be in Singapore for Next Week...

2006-09-29T17:36:00.000+08:00

Later on… after I reach home tonight, I will got to cook whatever food left in the refrigerator... finish the food… clean up the house… pack my luggage… pray for some interesting program on the TV… watch it… and go to sleep… As tomorrow morning I will be going to 石家庄 again… and this time I will be going for a week’s time… so there will be no updates from me until then when i am back…

Actually, I hope really hope that I can go back to Singapore during next week instead… because next week will be a very important and happening week for me…

First of all… Serene’s Birthday is on the 3rd Oct… Although I never celebrate birthday for you before... Happy Birthday anyway!!!!!

Second on the list… is Litong’s birthday on the 4th Oct… I hope can be part of the celebration but too bad I can't… but still no worries, Weiqiang will go get the presents for you… Happy Birthday Litong!!!!!

Third placing… will be Jessica’s (or more commonly known as either Hazel or HoLam or maybe also called some other names too) birthday on the 4th Oct too… Happy Birthday Jessica!!!!! Don’t miss me hor...

Fourth and coming up… is Jo-an’s Birthday on the 6th Oct… And I really very very long never see her already…Happy Birthday Jo-an!!!!!

Fifth on the chart… it is my Father’s Birthday on the 7th Oct… Happy Birthday to you, Father!!!!! Sorry to be away…

And sixth of the six… it’s my god-brother, Kevin Goh’s wedding on the 8th of Oct… and I'm sorry that I really can’t attend it… I know you initially asked me to be the MC for your wedding dinner… please be assured that I didn’t run away because of that… even though I think I can’t do it well… But still, I really really wish I could be there at your wedding… I feel so shitty… but no matter what… Have a Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful Wedding!!!! Kevin and whoever the bride is, I promise my Ang Bao (red packet) will reach you…

A "Life Story" with A "Chalk"

2006-09-28T16:23:00.000+08:00

I was on my way home from my office to the subway when I came across this…
Isn’t it interesting? Someone actually wrote a story of himself with a chalk on the walkway at 五道口...
It wasn’t only written on one section of the walkway... there quite were a few along the whole stretch of pavement until the Subway… I wonder what the person is actually trying to do??? Is it an "ART" or kind of way for him to express himself? Ha… Ha… Maybe it is a kind of silent protest…
I really can’t imagine if anyone in Singapore who does this… He or she would have been fined by the police for vandalism already before he or she could finish writing the story… Come to think of it, the only time we don’t get fined is when we use the chalk to draw a circle on the floor when we burn josspaper during Hungry Ghost Festival… and even that, the Govt. don’t like it… Now they are putting big burner around the HDB areas for us to burn the josspaper in… Really spoil the atmosphere of burning josspaper…

Music of the Week...

2006-09-27T18:16:00.000+08:00

一百萬
原唱：黃一飛

若是我有一百萬一百萬
我有一百萬一世人就輕鬆

無講無人知講到真歹勢
吃甲彼呢大漢擱不曾坐飛機
打拼彼多年無車無厝擱無愛人
看人娶某擱做生意有錢擱有勢
若是我有一百萬

我要坐飛機我要遊世界
HAWAII曬太陽日本吃壽司
若是我有一百萬我要買車買厝山珍甲海味
啥人卡福氣來乎我做某
若是我有一百萬一百萬
若是你有欠用錢開嘴免客氣
若是我有一百萬

無講無人知講到真歹勢
吃甲彼呢大漢擱不曾坐飛機
打拼彼多年無車無厝擱無愛人
看人娶某擱做生意有錢擱有勢
若是我有一百萬

我要坐飛機我要遊世界
義大利飲咖啡路邊吃Spaghetti
若是我有一百萬
我要買車買厝買店來收租
閒閒免做工帶狗去散步
若是我有一百萬一百萬
若是你有欠用錢開嘴免客氣
若是我有一百萬一百萬
十千八千拿去用免還嘛無問題
若是我有一百萬一百萬

口白：朋友啊,你想一百萬真多啊!

Side Effects from Appraisal

2006-09-26T20:17:00.000+08:00

For the whole day, I was conducting appraisal... The side effects from it are that I my brain stop functioning after all appraisals were conducted... My mind just seems to switch off after that... Most properly I am just too tired...or maybe I have too many information in my head after listening to so many peoples' appraisals or maybe just too hungry because I only had my lunch after everything at 5pm...

Lucky mine wasn't like this...

Take a break... Have a KitKat...

2006-09-25T15:50:00.000+08:00

Just taking a quick break(without KitKat) after I reviewed the work I am going to do for this week... I have been dealing with heavy emotion sets back from work for weeks and months... and the tons and tons of pressure from work has been pressing on me breathless... Luckily next week is going to be holiday in Beijing... but after that aren't easy either... I need to review 2 employees' work contracts and conduct appraisal for all the employees... then get the payroll and related stuffs done within the week including finalizing plans for the October so that hopefully I can go for a peaceful holiday break... and then I will need to worry for November schedule... which will includes another 2 employees' work contracts, budgets, salary increment, end of year plans and many many more stuffs that are flying randomly in my head (even when I sleeps)...

Ahhhhhhhh......!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its driving me crazy...!!!!!!

Ok... I think I feel better now... back to work again... sianz...

Episode 2: How To Give CPR

2006-09-25T10:27:00.000+08:00

This is the 2nd episode of the French Maid TV... I remember learning CPR in school last time which I believe many others did too... but I am sure most of us also have forgotten... Well, here is a recap of the "How to Give CPR"... Hope you enjoy it... Hee... Hee...

Warning: Not suitable for people who don't like lame stuff!!!

Anime-a-holic

2006-09-24T17:53:00.000+08:00

It has been 1 month since I have re-activated my anime-a-holic lifestyle... I kind of watched about 300 over episodes of animes (including anime movies and special episodes) within the past month... and still continue watching as per today... my mind has been seeing anime even when my eyes are off the screen... I eat also think of anime... I sleep also think of anime... it is really freaking me out... but I kind of enjoyed it... Ha... Ha...

Of the 300 over episodes, what I mainly watched were "One Piece" and it is really good of course... Luckily, I waited for so long then started watching... because watching from episode 1 to the current episode 276 WITHOUT waiting week by week per episode (which really will drive me crazy) is like Wow!!! SHIOK MAN!!! Ha... Ha... I am really satisfied... but the only problem now is that, I have to wait for week by week again since I have finished the latest episode... sianz...

Weiqiang have also informed me that Naruto is most properly going to finish its fillers episodes... I was so excited about it and I also have just finished watching it until the latest episode, after putting it on-hold for quite sometime... It was really a hard time trying to finish the fillers episodes because they are not as interesting as the main storyline... but at least, I felt the most recent filler was done much better then the rest which really hype me up for Naruto again... (*Cross my fingers...* because I don't know how true the filler really going to end here or not)

The rest of the anime which I am also seeing are Bleach (which is still in the filler episodes and I hope it will move back to the main storyline too), xxx-holic, Beet Excellion, Kiba, Utawarerumono, Tale of Saiunkoku, and many many more... Even if I have the rest of my lifetime to watch animes... I think it is still not enough... Ha... Ha...

Episode 1: How to Video Podcast

2006-09-23T20:05:00.000+08:00

I spent my afternoon today surfing the internet looking for some information about video editing... I was hoping to learn a trick or two and used it for my blog... instead I came across this website and saw this incredible clip on "How to Video Podcast"... I thought it might be good to share...