No name

Battery exchange program - iBook G4 and PowerBook G4

2007-05-29T23:58:00.000+08:00

Apple has determined that certain lithium-ion batteries containing cells manufactured by Sony Corporation of Japan pose a safety risk that may result in overheating under rare circumstances.

The affected batteries were sold worldwide from October 2003 through August 2006 for use with the following notebook computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4.

Apple is voluntarily recalling the affected batteries and has initiated a worldwide exchange program to provide eligible customers with a new replacement battery, free of charge. This program is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other international safety authorities.
Identifying your battery

Please use the chart below to identify the battery model and serial numbers that apply to your iBook or PowerBook. If the first 5 digits of your battery’s 12-digit serial number fall within the noted ranges, please order a replacement battery immediately.

To view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the battery, you must remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is printed in black or dark grey lettering beneath a barcode.

Click here view battery model range and serial number.

Note: After removing the recalled battery from the iBook or PowerBook, consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.

If you participated in a previous battery recall for any of these computer models or recently purchased or received from Apple an extra battery for an iBook G3, please check your battery serial number in case you received a replacement battery that is affected by this program.

National and regional resellers, catalogers, and Apple's on-line and retail stores sold the computers with the batteries from October 2003 through August 2006. These batteries were also sold separately and may have been supplied as service replacement units.
The Exchange Process

To begin the battery exchange process, you will be asked for the serial number of your iBook G4 or PowerBook G4, the serial number of your battery and a shipping address.

Customers in Australia and Asia (excluding Japan) should contact their local Apple Authorized Service Provider to obtain a replacement battery.

After serial number verification, a new battery will be shipped to you, free of charge. When you receive the replacement battery, please use the same shipping packaging and included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery to Apple for proper disposal.

Note: If your battery serial number does not match any of the ranges listed above, then forget it.

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-04-24T00:20:00.000+08:00

Currently in my ipod : Bob Sinclair - World, Hold on

Was looking for this documentary online. A very interesting documentary that talks about global warming. Click here to see trailer.

Eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry.

Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing. You can do your bit at this website.

okay. My disappearance from the blogging scene is nothing new. Sometimes it's plain laziness. Sometimes it's writers' block. Sometimes it's just too tired. Sometimes i just don't feel like sharing. Sometimes it's sometimes.

But i found a few truth inconveniently revealing themselves unknowingly..

1) Girls i like before since school times are somehow born in the month of April. i seem to have some nemesis with April-ians. But interestingly, Cancers are water signs. Taurus are Fire Signs. Both signs are not cannot withstand one another. They don't attract each other anyway.

2) April used to be a month of finance. A new year for those who are working, finding themselves realising how much they have earn for the past one year.

" Ayy, i earn so much money ah?" or

" Ayy, i earn so little meh?" or the best complain i heard so far

" Wah....sibei pekcek... COE goes up, GST goes up, ah girl guni hoon goes up, sand prices goes up, my income tax also goes up " I say, my friend the only good reason that your income tax goes up because you earn more last year. *angry*

3) I have this" Pls intro girls to me " face now. Friends came up asking if i want to know this girl. Friends want to introduce this girl. Friends worried i have no girls. Colleagues want to hook me up with this girl. Colleagues want to introduce their girl friends to me. Colleagues want to introduce their daughter to me. For a moment, i'm thinking should i feel lucky or should i feel sad.

"Ah qiang ah, you have reach age to settle down liao. anyway you don't have gf for the past 2 years. you need some channels to release some energy rite........" *lol*

4) April is a month of breaking up. The reason i bring this up is that there seem to be a kind of fashion trend going around. Not that i like this kind of trend. Rather dishearten about the news that friends, colleagues, and bla bla bla. brought with their love ones after being together for many many many years. They are probably the last person that i thought would break up.

It's like moving in phases. When you reach certain age, you start giving angbaos to newly weds. When you reach certain age, your friends broke up after being together for years.

But people ( and if you are the one going through this), don't despair. Hang on. I know it's going to be very hard. But hang on. Things will turn out positive. Not that i'm promoting some religion but there's one which I remember once a friend from a religion said this statement,

" God is putting you through this test. And he knows you can do it and pass this test."

I also remember that God sent angels to show us the light in the darkness. Sometimes some angels he sent are without wings. I call these angels, friends. Maybe it's also time for you to re-look into you life for the past few years about what you have done.

Remember, it's always shine and bright after the rain.

The other side of the world

2006-09-18T00:45:00.000+08:00

Currently in my ipod : Kt Tunstall - other side of the world

Met an old friend today. She curiously mentioned that i've become gentlemanly. Was i that bad, lousy, cold in poly days? Frankly speaking, we haven't seen each other for more than maybe a year or 2. Our conversations were usually thru smses or msn. Wanted to write all this for a long time. Just as i wonder technology has brought us closer, it also drift people apart unknownly.

The I-Generation, some call it has invented a new communication means which our young generations has been using to communicate with their friends, families and making new friends. Everyone talks about emails, Google, cellphones, Friendster, MSN mesenger, 3G, etc. Peoples' emotions were transcript into emoticons, smileys or put the simple smiling muscles on your face into " :)" . Perhaps that's why Nokia has their tagline, Human Technolgy. Even work were corresponded over emails.

Lacking the human touch, are we victims of the E-World when our lifestyle so much depend on it? Maybe you can ask someone around to name the Top 5 things she/ he will press the panic button when she/ he lost them. Bet one of them is the cellphone.

Living in this I-Gen, i still like the one-to one conversation over a coffee or something. Don't like webcam either. Though it offers quick response from peer to peer, Internet still can't give the satisfaction of the 5 senses - sight, hear, smell, touch and voice. It can only offer visuals with sights and sounds, also not forgeting Internet telephony (VoIP) network where free voice or video conferencing.

August was a stressful, depressing, uncertainty month. Where alot of things happened had me tasted the meaning of " you never know what's gonna happen in the future". I never like suspension. Long waiting shivers my spine. Empty talks also bores me. Once, again the lightning with negative charge struck me hard.

Late last year, I was told that i am going to lose someone very dear to me in a matter of time. She was diagnosed with kidney failure. Transplant was out of question - weak heart. Nornal dialysis( both blood or water) were also not in the checklist. Put it bluntly, she's left to die with her knowledge that her days are numbered. I can never imagine how i would react when someone announced that to me.

Day by day, toxin level can be controlled by medicine. But to only a certain extent. Other parts of the organs are showing signs of failing including the weaken heart. She still managed to talk to me and laughing with me when she was admited into hospital. I was talking to her over 3G technology for a while too minus the touch. There were both tears of sadness and joy. To me, her life have been very hard and strong. Not to mention that she already watched her husbands died before her.

It was then, i felt that there's nothing worth to fight for in life. No point working so hard to earn a living, an recognition, a degree, etc.Why bother? Everyone will die anyway. Just a matter of time. We are waiting for death the very second we are born into this world.

Just waiting.

Don't worry, suicide is the word created for idiots. I'm smart.

But I will not wait endlessly. It's my life. We only live once and it has to be worthwhile. I want to be happy waiting and experience life. I will not succumb to any difficulties or obstacles. I'll will strive to live the way i want. Making choices that allow me to experience life within the time limits. Life is a wonderful thing which i think probably one of the wonderful things that the-being-some-call-up-there gave.

By the-being-some-call-up-there terms. The-being-some-call-up-there has sent the-being-some-call-up-there's followers to her. She must have found happiness. It's is a bliss. Though it will still be a draggy, painful journey, perhaps she will be lead to a place they call heaven. Her husbands waiting for her patiently. Perhaps they can stroll down the beach that they never get to do it before. Perhaps they can embrace sunset in each other arms that they never get to do it before. Perhaps they can count the stars of the Milky Way that they never get to do it before.

I really hope.

I sincerely apologise if you began to feel negatively about things in life after reading this post. But i do hope that you will pick up yourself again. Not now maybe. But not too late. Do something. Talk to a friend. Take a stroll. Play a game. Read a book. Forget about alcohol and drugs, they only worsen the situation.

Remember, be happy.

Lyrics:

Over the sea and far away
She's waiting like an Iceberg
Waiting to change,
But she's cold inside
She wants to be like
the water,

All the muscles tighten in her face
Buries her soul in one embrace
They're one and the same
Just like water

Then the fire fades away
But most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world
to me

On comes the panic light
Holding on with fingers
and feelings alike
But the time has come
To move along

Then the fire fades away
But most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world

Can you help me?
Can you let me go
And can you still love me
When you can't see me anymore

Then the fire fades away
most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world
Ohh.... the other side of the world
You're.... the other side of the world
To me.

When you start to sing the anthem another way.

2006-09-07T17:45:00.000+08:00

Came across this clip on youtube. Click here if you can't see the clip.

James Blunt's Cubicle

2006-09-03T22:54:00.000+08:00

Found this remix of "James Blunt 's You're Beautiful ". Maybe it's been there for quite a while . But sometimes you really need this kind of laughing gas to smoke the monday morning. Got the lyrics below too.

Click cubicle">here to listen. Compliments from MorningSidekick.

“My Cubicle”

Lyrics by: Morning Sidekick
Performed by: Jym Britton
Parody on “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt

Cube FarmMy job is stupid my day’s a bore,
Inside this office from eight to four
Nothin’ ever happens my life is pretty bland,
Pretending that I’m working, pray I don’t get canned.

My Cubicle, My cubicle
It’s One of Sixty two
It’s my small space in a crowded place
Just a six-by-six foot booth
And I hate it that’s the truth

When I give a sigh as the boss walks by,
no one ever talks to me or looks me in the eye.
And I really should work but instead I just sit here and surf the Internet.

In My Cubicle, My cubicle
It doesn’t have a view.
It’s my small space in a crowded place
I sit in solitude.
And sometimes I sit here nude.

src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OdxgYxj5PUA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350">

Still on the hum-ble talk

2006-08-31T17:39:00.000+08:00

got this from talkingcock.com. Pretty interesting... but curiously wonder what can worse than a hum-onei onei, hum-ice-kachang( blood and hum instead of condensed milk and atapchee), hum steak( middle raw), etc... hmmmm.

by Cockle Doodledo,

The reason for the Prime Minister’s notorious and embarrassing gaffe during his National Day Rally speech has been revealed.

In his 2006 National Day Rally speech, the Prem Binister had intended to deliver a withering, cogently argued response to those who saw the Gahmen’s clampdown on Mr. Brown as heavy-handed. Instead, the argument was not only garbled, but he inadvertently revealed how out of touch he was with the average Singaporean’s experiences.

By saying, ‘mee siam mai hum’, he created the impression that either:

1. he had never eaten mee siam in his life, as mee siam never contains ‘hum’, or cockles;

2. he could not tell the difference between laksa or char kway teow (which does have cockles) and mee siam (which doesn’t), which then raises questions about what he eats regularly, and how different his diet is from the average Singaporean;

3. he actually meant to say, ‘mee siam mai hiam’, which is possible. But by asking for no spice in a dish whose entire point is spiciness only suggests wimpiness;

4. he has never had to order food in a hawker centre in a long while, if at all, which again sets him apart from his constituents.

- all of which are not particularly flattering propositions.

However, the Prime Minister’s Orifice has managed to uncover the truth that the Prime Minister’s ‘mee siam mai hum’ statement was not in fact a gaffe, but derived from personal experience.

Specifically, his experience during a pre-election walkabout earlier this year at Bukit Gorblok Food Centre in Hong Kan GRC, where he sampled the wares of Mr. Hum Kah Chan, a tze char hawker whose speciality is serving cockles with everything.

Yah lor, said Mr. Hum, whose stall is aptly named ‘Humpalang Hawker Food’. Prem Binister come to my stall, so I offer him my today’s special, mah.

Which was you guessed it mee siam with cockles.

I put hum in everything, he said proudly, with a hint of defensiveness. Chicken rice with hum, nasi lemak with hum, bak kut teh with hum, prata with hum, even ice kacang with hum. I love hum. Hum, hum, hum, hum, lovely hum, wonderful hum.

The Prime Minister consumed the dish, said Mr. Gerry Mandhir, an officer with the PMO. And promptly had diarrhoea. Not the verbal variety that runs in certain geriatric members of his family, but from somewhere, um, lower down.

Mr. Hum subsequently had his licence suspended for unhygienic food practices.

What to do? The hum was pai, said Mr. Hum ruefully, using the Hokkien word for ‘bad’, before chanting angrily, Pai hum! Pai hum! Pai hum! Pai hum! Since then, the Prime Minister has had a phobia of foods containing cockles, and always asks that whatever is served to him does not contain the offending bivalves.

This explains his statement. The hum was very harmful to him, said Mr. Mandhir. It was especially embarrassing because he was wearing white pants. You must understand this incident is also why he just cannot stand the colour brown.

Handphone Fraud - CYBER JIN Pte Ltd (Lucky Plaza #B1-81, Near 7-11)

2006-08-30T12:24:00.000+08:00

got this email from a friend. You just don't get such long emails about complains. Felt unworth for her, our PM and fellow Singaporeans for their efforts to let tourists feel at ease while shopping in Singapore. Afterall, tourism is one of money-earning way in a country. And talking about ‘Go the Extra Mile for Service’ (GEMS) Movement for that saleman.

And all we need is just one mother fucker to mud-stain on a white shirt. It is that obvious.

Email:

Hello Friends,

I just want to share with you a terrible experience we had when we traded-in my mother-in law cellphone at the CYBER JIN Pte Ltd (Lucky Plaza #B1-81, near 7-eleven) this weekend.

The story goes like this; my Mom wanted to trade-in her old cellphone to buy a brand new N70. We accompanied her to the Lucky Plaza hoping we could get a good bargain. Then we found this store that agreed to buy my Mom's cellphone for $220 and would charge us only $550 (net) for an N70 under the condition that we do both transactions (buy and sell) with them. So far, this store offers us the best bargain compared to other stores from the rest of the building.

We agreed to their transaction proposal as we were then in a bit of a hurry (she was only a tourist and would stay in Singapore for only 4-days). However, when we were about to pay, the salesman suddenly told us "Why do you want an N70? This is a very bad phone. In fact this is one of the most problematic phones of Nokia." He immediately caught our attention and in fact gained our trust (imagine a salesman telling you that a product you are about to buy from him is not worth the money you are paying it for). He then proceeded to make his presentation about why we should not buy an N70 and even said "If you really want it I can sell it to you but please know that we've heard a lot of complains about it". Afterwards, he brought out anN6280, which he said was by far a better phone than the N70 at almost thesame price (he even gave another short presentation of its advantages). Of course, since he already gained our trust, we found his presentation very convincing.

We bargained for the phone and he said "I can give it to you at just $555 (net)". After being impressed by a convincing presentation, my Mom agreed to trade-in her old cellphone for $220, and buys the brand new N6280 for $555 (This means that she just would have to shell out another $335). We told the salesman that we would pay by Nets and we gave him our card. While paying, he tried to sell to us a 64Mb mini-SD Card for $20. We said we did not want it (as my mother wouldn't use it anyway). We proceeded with the transaction, got our phone and asked for the receipt. The salesman said that the Nets certificate would be our receipt. Should we encounter any problem, we just look for him and he would be happy to assist us. Since we are in a hurry, we took our phone and nets certificate and left. While we were leaving, he handed us the 64Mb mini-SD Card and said "Take this as a free gift from me".

After a long day of sight seeing and a little shopping, we finally got home and my mom finally had her first chance to test her new cellphone. To her surprise, the supposedly brand-new cellphone had contact numbers (some even had photo-contacts) of some people in its phone memory (meaning it was used and wasn't brand new!). We then checked the phone's serial number (IMEI#) and again to our dismay, we found out that the phone's IMEI# doesn't match the IMEI# listed in the box. We did a research to see what other things the salesman tricked us into believing and we found out that the 64Mb SD Card that he was trying to sell us for $20 was in fact part of the phone's original package (some other things listed as part of the original package as seen from brochures were also missing). Not just that, we checked the Nets certificate, and learned that he charged $355 instead of just $335 (so sneaky, we didn't even notice!). Worst of all, we found that the price of the N6280 from neighboring stores is just $450(net) while he sold it to us for a total of $575! (Including the extra $20 we did not notice that he charged us through Nets).

Imagine how disappointed my Mom would be after knowing that she bought a cellphone that is not just $100+ overpriced but is also isn't brand new as we were made to believe (plus the fact that some of the components from the original package were removed and the that salesman charged more than what we had agreed).

The next day, we went back to the store to complain and get a refund. The salesman said that he couldn't give us a refund. What he can do is to buy the cellphone we bought from him a day ago for $575, and give us ONLY $300 (does he think we're that stupid!!!)... We did not agree and insisted a REFUND; during our discussion one of his colleagues shouted, "Give them a new box so that they would leave!!!" (He's so rude!) I don't know how stupid these people think we are if all we came for was to get a new box.... I told them that if they wouldn't refund our money, we would report this matter to the police. They just gave an insulting grim and said "Go ahead, we'll see you in court" and then one of them lit a cigarette (inside the shop), and smoked in front of us and along the hallways of the mall (while wearing that insulting smile) as if telling us that he is not scared of the police. In fact, he can smoke in a "No Smoking Zone".

While we were leaving (to complain to the police) we came across an Indian couple who owns souvenir shop nearby and told us that this (our incident) happens almost every week. The Indian lady said that this store always gets complains from tourists but are always able to get away with it because tourists usually would just go away. She also said that this store avoids (if they can) giving receipts to unsuspecting customers to cover their fraudulent transactions. She suggested that if we can, we should complain these people to the authorities because they make Singapore look bad. We went to the security department of Lucky Plaza and the security people helped us contact the police. The Lucky Plaza security people also admitted that this always happens but it's just not their jurisdiction so they really cannot do anything about these incidents other than making a report to the police. The security people also advised that it is illegal for a store not to issue a proper receipt detailing all transactions to a customer. This
means that the Nets certificate that we have (although having the store name and address) is not a valid receipt after all.

The police came, talked to us and told us to wait for them at the security counter of the mall while they went to the store and talked to these people. We told the police that we want a refund because we were cheated and do not trust these people or any of their products anymore. We also reported that the store did not issue a proper receipt. The police went to the store, talked to the manager and came back to tell us that the manager's suggestion was to give us a new N6280 (one that matches the IMEI of box and the unit!!!) so that all of these would be settled. We told the police that we want a refund and we don't want to do any business with them. Then, the Police suggested that we file our complaints to CASE, because they are not the right person for these kinds of situations.

As of now, we are gathering all evidence we can that could help when we file our complaint to CASE. We are hoping that the Nets certificate that we have will suffice as one of our evidences. We are no longer interested of the refund, what we want now is to teach these crooks a lesson so that they will stop cheating other people. Let this email be a warning to you and your friends. Always check a product very well (research if possible) before buying and always make sure you get a 'detailed receipt' of all your transactions. Never fall prey on these predators waiting for unsuspecting customers.

1... 2...3 ...4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2006-07-24T10:51:00.000+08:00

Something to kick off a dull monday. Got this from an email. This is hilarious. Hmm..maybean Englishman could not construct sentences using numeric, which is exclusive only to Malaysians and Singaporeans.

Ah Lek was asked to make a sentence using 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10. Not only did he do it 1 to 10, he did it again from 10 back to 1. This is what he came up with...

1 day I go 2 climb up a 3 outside a house to peep. But the couple saw me,so I panic and 4 down. The man rush out and wanted to 5 with me. I run until I fall 6 and throw up. So I go into 7 eleven and grab some 8 to throw at him. Then I took a 9 and try to stab him.

10 God he run away.

So, I put the 9 back and pay for the 8 and left 7 eleven. Next day, I
call my boss and say I am 6. He said 5, tomorrow also no need to come back 4 work. He also asks me to climb a 3 and jump down. I don't understand, I so nice 2 him but I don't know what he 1.

Are you happy?

2006-07-13T20:35:00.000+08:00

Saw this very interesting article in TODAY newspaper today, 13th July 2006 issue. Tiny Vanuatu is the happiest country in the world, Singapore the unhappiest in Asia, says new report

LONDON - Vanuatu, a tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago with a population of around 200,000, is the happiest country on Earth, while Zimbabwe is the unhappiest, according to a study published yesterday measuring people’s wellbeing and their impact on the environment. Among the Asian nations Vietnam came highest at number 12 and Singapore was ranked lowest at 131, said the 178-country Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).

Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama completed the top five in the world, it said. African countries along with Zimbabwe made up seven of the bottom 10. The Group of Eight industrial powers meet in Russia this weekend but have not much to smile about, according to the index.

Italy came out best in 66th place, ahead of Germany (81), Japan (95), Britain (108), Canada (111), France (129), the United States (150) and Russia, in lowly 172nd place. The index attempts to measure how well countries use their resources to deliver longer lives, greater physical well-being and satisfaction.

Mr Andrew Simms, NEF’s policy director,said the index addresses the relative success or failure of countries in givingtheir citizens a good life while respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend.

So what is Vanuatu’s secret?

Don’t tell too many people, please, said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the island republic’s online newspaper. People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little, he told The Guardian. This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It’s a place where you don’t worry too much. The only things we fear are cyclones or earthquakes.

Selected others:
17. Philippines;
23. Indonesia;
31. China;
32. Thailand;
44. Malaysia;
62. India;
64. Iceland;
70. Netherlands;
87. Spain;
88. Hong Kong;
89. Saudi Arabia;
99. Denmark;
112. Pakistan;
115. Norway;
119. Sweden;
123. Finland;
139. Australia;
154. UAE;
156. South Africa;
159. Kuwait;
166. Qatar.

The full Happy Planet Index is available at www.happyplanetindex.org.

===============================================================

Xiaoqiang: " Wah Uncle, now taxi fare go up. you all shiok lah."

Taxi Driver: " Shiok your head. Now don't know got business anot?"

Xiaoqiang: " I not your 1st customer rite~...Why leh, now increase fare you all got more money mah."

Taxi Driver: " Ya we got more money, but people now see fare increase, all siam( avoid in hokkien context) taxi like siam the auntie at kopitiam with shio zui( hot water in hokkien context)." All cramped at bus stop. I see liao also sian."

Xiaoqiang: " Hahaha... Lai Shio..Shio Zui ah...Shio."

Taxi Driver: " Correct mah, they say increase then increase.. must be those who never take taxi one say increase.. ho mia( well-to-do in hokkien context) got people drive here, drive there or drive their own car. Like smoking ban in July like that.. also those who never smoke then ban smoking at kopitiam. #$%^*&! Now i cannot bang sim( rest my heart in hokkien context) smoke and lim kopi( drink coffee in hokkien context)."

Xiaoqiang: " that one i don't know. Aiya.. people also because of your health mah. smoke less lah. The most put a yellow box at one corner to smoke lah, no cigarettes can buy from the mama shop at the corner. Hahahah... Now Mama shop must be good business."

Taxi Driver:" Ah di, no racist joke ah. You in my cab, you don't racist ah. We lacial(racial) harmony country, ok. National Day coming liao, you don't anyhow say ah."

Xiaoqiang: " I apologised. ayy.. uncle, people say we are the most unhappy people in asia leh."

Taxi Driver:" Of cos lah, you when wake up neber worry??? Gin na( Children in hokkien context) worry about their studies, spelling. Your lao pek lao bu( mum and dad in hokkien context) worry about water bills, electrcity bills. you worry about this bloody traffic jam how long and my meter diam diam tiao( keep going up in hokkien context). Where got happy??"

Xiaoqiang: " Wah lao... Meter tiao again."

Ghost Story...

2006-07-05T19:40:00.000+08:00

Get prepared for the 7th lunar month this year... with a little appetiser before it comes. Also for those Jia Ga or Gan Dang.. It's a leap month for the 7th month this year i.e. 2 months instead of the traditional one.

(WOOooooooo....*scary sound*)

When I was young, I lived in a deserted kampong deep in the jungle. Every night, my mother would ask me not to go home too late as there won't be any transportation after a certain time.

One night, before going home, I ta pao a kueh teow soup for supper. I was late and I waited for the taxi/bus but there was none. I was getting worried as the night was getting darker and darker. So I tried to flag down private vehicles to take me home. There was no one stopping for me, till one motorcyclist took compensation on me and stopped to give me a lift. He was a man with a kind face. I accepted his offer and got onto his motorbike. On the way home, we would pass by a temple. At night, the temple would look eerily spooky with the dim lights from the candles.

At first, the motorcyclist was warm and friendly. When the temple was approaching, the motorcyclist eyes grown bigger and bigger. His kind face turned to a face of anger. He was muttering something loud but was not audible to me. I was so scared that I closed my eyes in order not to see his angry face. Then, the motorcylist stopped in front of the temple and then yelled at me.

"Your kueh teow soup is so hot!! It is burning my thigh! Can you please move it away???"

- The saddest picture i ever received -

Come, let's go eat....

2006-06-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

Currently playing Andy Williams - Music to watch girls by

And I kept telling everyone that it's alright to have an indulgence once in a blue moon. Like the renowned beer ad. It's T**ger Time!! Bottoms up!! Slurp up those warm chocolate melt cake( i had one at 1929 hotel's Ember on yesterday)!! Chop those roast meat( I had them at least once a week)!!! Size up a cheese cake!!!

Or you feel like have a buffet spread?? I welcome all treats if you are thinking to bring me to one of those restaurants below. It's pretty hard to really get up for sunday brunch. I left out places like Equinox and New Asia Bar 'cos i 've not tried them. But how nice it will be if you are swirling a glass of wine on a monday 3pm; standing high looking across Shenton Way, laughing at your boss.

i feel like makansutra-poser as i am writing this. At least not food selector( opps~).

The Fullerton Singapore - Gourmet Buffet Dinner
Where: Town Restaurant (tel: 6877-8128),
When: 6.30 - 10.30pm, Mondays to Saturdays
Cost: Starts from $28+++
What: Rolled out on April 8, the buffet allows diners to mix and match meals. They can pick from various main courses and help themselves to the Gourmet Appetiser Buffet and Gourmet Dessert Buffet, which cost $20+++ and $15+++ respectively on their own. There is also the Seafood Tower at $28+++ per person or $48+++ for two. Or They can opt for the Appetiser and Dessert Buffet ($25+++),Seafood Tower and Dessert Buffet ($65+++ for two) and Seafood Tower with Appetiser and Dessert Buffet ($98+++ for two).

Conrad Centennial Singapore - Big Breakfast Buffet
Where: Oscar's Cafe & Terrace (tel: 6432-7481)
When: 7am - 3pm every Sunday
Cost: $28+++ (adult); $14+++ (child)
What: Launched in March this y ear, it serves everything from muffins to dimsum and seafood fried rice. The highlight is the vitamin corner, which includes a juice bar. From 11am, pay $40+++ to combine the breakfastspread with the carving of the day.

M Hotel Singapore - Sunday High Curry
Where: Cafe 2000(tel:6421-6222)
When: Noon - 3pm every Sunday
Cost: $28+++ (adult); $14+++ (child)
What: What started off as a pure curry buffet in February this year now includes a Western spread. This includes roast prime ribs and Yorkshire pudding. The fish head curry is highly recommended.

Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort - Brunch 'N' Plunge
Where: Sharkey's (tel: 6371-1071),
When: 12.30 - 3pm
Cost: $39.50+++ (adult); 1/2 price for 12 years & below
What: Enjoy great sea view & free use of pool facilities as you tuck into the buffet. BBQ items; pork ribs & tiger king prawns, local favourites like fried oyster omelette & kueh, dominate the spread.

Raffles The Plaza - Plaza Market Peranakan Buffet
Where: Plaza Market Cafe (tel: 6431-6156)
When: Noon - 2.30pm and 6.30 - 10.30pm daily; high tea from 12.30 - 5pm (Sat, Sun& public holiday)
Cost: Lunch costs $25+++ (adult) and $13+++ (child); dinner costs $30+++ and $15+++ respectively; High tea is $23+++ and $12+ ++ respectively
What: The showcase of authentic Peranakan cuisine and the ayam buah keluak and durian pudding have won fans.

The Fullerton Singapore - Chocolate Buffet
Where: The Courtyard (tel: 6877-8129)
When: 8-11pm every Friday and Saturday
Cost: $24+++ (adult); $12+++ (child)
What: Chocolate lovers have been indulging in treats such as the chocolate mango yoghurt mousse. Checkout the drink station with its premium chocolate-blended drinks.

Shangri-La Hotel - Coffee Garden's Seafood Extravaganza
Where:Coffee Garden(tel:6213-4275),
When: 6.30 - 10.30pm daily
Cost: $61+++ (adult) and $31+++ (child).
What: The seafood buffet was made a daily affair with over 100 items range from barbecue lobster to Norwegian salmon dishes. Italian, Indian and Japanese sections offer pizzas, curries and sashimi.

Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore - Buffet Lunch & Dinner
Where: Ellenborough Market Cafe (tel: 6239-1848)
When: Noon - 2.30pm, 6.30-10pm daily
Cost: $19.90+++ for lunch and $24.90+++ for dinner on weekdays, $25.90+++ for weekend dinner. Children pay $11.90+++ for lunch, $13.90+++ for weekday dinner and $14.90 +++ for weekend dinner.
What: This spread with a strong nonya component has gained fame since 1997 & the star is durian pengat, a yummy mousse. Other must-haves include the slipper lobster in black bean sauce and abalone mushroom noodles.

The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore - Sunday Champagne Brunch
Where:Greenhouse(tel:6434-5288),
When:11.30am -3.30pm (Sun)
Cost: $88+++ (adult); $45+++ (child)
What: The extensive spread includes 25 appetisers, 50 types of farmhouse cheese from France and local, Indian and Western specialities. There are 16 sections in all, including the popular oyster, sashimi and souffle. Wash everything down with Moet & Chandon champagne.

Four Seasons Hotel - Sunday Brunch At One-Ninety
Where: One-Ninety (tel: 6831-7250),
When: There are two sittings: 11am - 1pm and 1.30pm - 3pm
Cost: $ 68+++ (adult) and $30+++ (child); Pay $98+++ to add free flow of Veuve Clicquot champagne.
What: This has 20 hot and cold stations offering fresh oysters, sukiyaki, dimsum and pasta. The sinful dessert buffet station carries 25 sweet treats. Kids get their own spread and activities.

Hotel Inter-Continental - Olive Tree Mediterranean Buffet
Where: Olive Tree Mediterranean Restaurant (tel: 6431-1061)
When: 11.30am- 2.30pm for lunch (Mon-Fri) and 6.30 - 10.30pm for dinner (Sun-Thu)
Cost: $39+++ for lunch and $52+++ for dinner. Free for children under seven years. Those aged between 7 and 12 years will be charged according to their age. For instance, a seven-year-old will be charged $7+++ and a 10-year-old will pay $10+++.
What: It has attracted a strong following since 1995. The menu changes daily and offers more than 20 items, including the popular seafood on ice and pasta.

Copthorne King's Hotel - Penang Buffet
Where: Princess Terrace (tel: 6318-3168)
When: 11.30am - 2.30pm (3.30pm on weekends & public holidays) & 6.30 - 10pm daily
Cost: $28+++ (adult) and $20+++ (child);
What: One of the best-known spreads around, this buffet used to feature 28 items but now offers about 40. These include must-have dishes such as Penang laksa, Penang Hokkien mee soup, and Penang char kway teow.

Grand Hyatt Singapore - The Pete's Place Salad
Where: Pete's Place (tel: 6416-7113),
When: 11.30am-2.30pm (Mon-Sat) and 6-10.30pm daily
Cost: $16+++; It costs $19.50+++ if you throw in soup and dessert, and $26+++ with the pasta main courses. Children pay $19.50+++ and get the whole works.
What: Toss your own greens from the fresh selection of 20 main salads, nine toppings and five dressings. If you are going for the pasta, try the signature dish, Cioppino, a tomato-base seafood pasta.

Royal Plaza On Scotts - International Buffet High-Tea
Where: Cafe Vienna (tel: 6589-7799),
When: 3 -5.30pm (Mon-Fri); Noon-5pm (weekends, eves and public holidays)
Cost: $18.50+++ (adult) and $9.25+++ (child) for weekdays and $24.50 +++(adult)and $12.25+++ (child) for weekends, eves and public holidays
What: The spread includes more than 80 Asian favourites and Western treats, of which the bread and butter pudding is most famous. It is also one of the few eateries in town that serve halal buffets.

Goodwood Park Hotel - Local High Tea
Where: Coffee Lounge(tel:6730-1746),
When: 2.45 - 5pm daily
Cost: $18.80 +++ (adult) and $9.40+++ (child).
What: It comprises more than 20 items, including dimsum and local and Western fare. There are also cooking stations that whip up roti prata and popiah. The apom berkuah with banana sauce, a Peranakan dessert, has been the hot favourite since day one.

Hotel Phoenix - International Buffet Lunch & Dinner
Where: Phoenix Garden Cafe (tel: 6233-6129),
When: Noon - 2.30pm and 6.30 - 10pm daily; a Local Hi-tea Buffet is also served daily from 3.30 - 5.30pm.
Cost: $23+++ for lunch and $25+++ for dinner; children pay $16.50+++ and $17.50+++ respectively
What: There are about 50 items in the spread. More soups and salads to suit the health-conscious palate of Singaporeans today. The signature dish - roti prata - is a must-try, as is the durian cake.

Hotel Royal - Tropical Peking-Style Steamboat Buffet
Where: Jade Room Restaurant (tel: 6251-8135),
When: 11.15am - 2.30pm and 6.15 - 10.30pm daily
Cost: $13.80+++ for lunch and $18.80+++ for dinner. Children pay $9+++ and $12+++ respectively. On weekends, eves and public holidays, adults pay $16.80+++ and $19.80+++ respectively.
What: The tangy dipping sauce, concocted from 13 ingredients including sesame, peanuts, chilli and vinegar, is the secret weapon here. Diners can take their pick from 32 items, including sea cucumber, fresh prawns and peking dumpling. There is also a choice of 10 cooked dishes such as fried chicken wings.

York Hotel - Penang Hawkers' Fare
Where: White Rose Cafe (tel: 6737-0511 ext 1156)
When: Held traditionally during school holidays in March and September for 17 days each time, the buffet sometimes has an extra run in December.
Cost: $21.80+++ (adult) and $17.80+++ (child) for lunch and dinner.
What: The first-come-first-served spread is one of the most widely-anticipated culinary draws here. Hawkers from Penang's Gurney Drive set up stalls offering perennial favourites such as Penang laksa, cuttlefish kang kong and crispy lor bak.

Raffles Hotel - International Buffet High Tea
Where: Tiffin Room (tel: 6331-1612)
When: 3.30- 5pm daily
Cost: $31.50+++ (adult) and $18+++ (child)
What: The high tea has earned a name for its indulgent spread and service. The scones with jam, butter and whipped cream, chicken pie and dim sum are top draws. Tiffin Room is also famous for its curry buffets.

Meritus Mandarin Singapore - International Buffet
Where: Triple 3, The Buffet Restaurant (tel: 6831-6271/72) When: Noon-3pm and 6.30-10:30pm daily
Cost: Lunch costs $41.80+++ (adult) & $24.80+++ (child), while dinner is priced at $52+++ and $32+++ respectively.
What: Formerly known as The Stables, the restaurant now offers more than 60 dishes, comprising 22 appetisers, 20 types of hot food & 20 choices of dessert. There is a different theme each month, but the baked honey-glazed ham, roast prime rib of beef, salmon sashimi & rock oysters are trademark items.

And 9 reasons why you should not get piss-drunk while feasting on lovely spread.

Music to watch the girls by

2006-06-13T00:24:00.000+08:00

Currently playing Andy Williams - Music to watch girls by

I see shopping bags everywhere. It seems like everybody is crazy shopping, SHOPPING, S H O P P I N G!!!!! yes. The great singapore sale is back. So is the flu. Argh~

When you are sick, it also means your body need a break. Not necessary that it's weak against the new virus flying in the air. I was down with cough last 2 weeks ago. Lost my voice. Can't talk. Can't work either. My job involves a lot of talking. It also means i couldn't meet my client. I don't need those sympathy eyes from the client to get my job done. But it's a very good tool, if you know how. I've to admit... my client(s) are nice people. They chased you to go home. They'll wait till you get back and well before going ahead with their campaigns.

I had one of the unusual lunch when i lost my voice that week. Was having lunch with my colleague. I can't talk. So I've to scribble whatever i want to say. Only my colleague speaks. It's like eating with a mute. Kinda embarassing. As if these lovely lovebirds are lunching, the girl don't mind the mute guy. * Ok i think too much..*

When you are sick, it also means your body need a break( again). Alot of medicine. And I think i have a wonderful rest during my MCs. i decided to go unwind. Sleep more, rest more, drink more.

Drink more tea lah. There's this place at Esplanade called V Tea Room which became a favourite hunt for my friends. The ambience is nice. The music is nice. The girls is nice. The tea is fragrance. They have quite a few types of tea. My current favourite is Majesty Queen Tea. They too have a lovely showcase of cakes. Their cakes melt is a must try for all cake lovers. Don't worry, it's not creamy based.

Warm the Earl grey cake, have a sip. Read a book. And it will be a wonderful afternoon to spend. Like the picture below.

Went Rock 'n' Roll on one of the recent sundays. It was not fantastic muscial play actually. yes i do watch musical plays.( Don't give me that frown) Music is fine, vocals so-so. But it's definitely not worth the money for the tickets. But they brought in the whole car.

Watched Xmen 3.....Sobs~ Cyclops died. Bad Jean. Watched Da Vinci Code. Not as fantastic as the book. I was ratherlooking at the churches, places during the movie rather than following the story. They are still so magnificent, remarkably mysterious looking to me.

Dinosaur Exhibtion at Science Centre. Bring the kids along. Let them know who roamed the earth last time. It's not Transformers or Barney.

I was at the opening launch for this massive event. But I felt rather disturbed by guests who went there. Some of them looked like mathermaticians doctors, scientists, researchers,etc; with some local looking-ones had some conversations that i can't helped but to eavedrop.

Doctor A: How's your son? Is he studying in ACS Primary?

Mathematician A: Yes he is. Like me. Just finished his exam. Came in 1st, but I wasn't happy with his overall performance. I expected higher marks for his math.

Doctor A: What did he get for his math?

Mathematician A: He only gotten 95 points.

Xiaoqiang: (-,-!!)

Meanwhile enjoy this thai MTV. "Go" by Cover Girls.

Excuse me...

2006-05-01T15:13:00.000+08:00

Currently playing Michael Jackson - don't stop till you get enough.

Remember Hello Kitty queue at macs?

Last week was all about queueing up. People queue here, queue there, queue everywhere to get the things they want. When was the last time you ever queue up for something?

Tues. Was queueing up for the prawn/ pork ribs noodles at Far East Square during lunch. Had a late lunch. But there are queues at 2pm. My impression was that people had gone back to offices by then.

Weds. There was a long queue at the lottery counters. Checked the odds for thurs. It's not a super attractive prize money anyway. So why the queue?

Prize Group/ Share Amount (each)/ No. of Winning Shares
Group 1/ $356,431/ 4
Group 2/ $21,304 / 15
Group 3/ $548 / 584
Group 4/ $295 / 1,086
Group 5/ $30 / 19,869
Group 6/ $20 / 22,061

Thurs. Apparently, there's a special 4pm issue for The NewPaper and evening issue for TODAY. One is for sale, one is free. But The Newpaper comes with a free Men's Health magazine with every purchased. Still, there's a queue for those who are interested in GE and stuff for both papers.

Fri. Don't know which idiot let out the news that our progressive package was deposited earlier into the banks that caused a major queue at most ATMs when it suppose to in on 1st of May. Most of them were the elders or old folks, the less internet savvy you may call. While the more savvy people able to access via internet-banking. But still, it gets on my nerves when i just merely need to draw some cash.

I heard that even several refills of money/ notes in the banks could not satisfied the hungry people. For some banks were cash-dry on friday.

Sat. We were having supper at Bencoolen St. There was a long queue of taxis not by the side of the road but on the main road behind the traffic lights. It looked as if the taxi drivers( all different companies) went on rally. New party for election? They can call themselves, KTDP, Kopitiam Taxi Driver Party. While our "garmen" have meetings in the parliment house, the taxi drivers also can have "meetings" at neighbourhood kopitiams all over singapore. Better still, if it's operating 24 hrs. The meetings can be held with no time-zones and with more efficiency. They always have something to say for every issues. Even, for the early deposits of progressive package;

Taxi Driver: " of course lah. Ah Gong( the context for "garmen") only have so few people working for them. Singapore got so many people. They got to start early to make sure all eligible citizens get the money by Labour Day. If not, they will complain. People complain means people buay song. Ah Gong scare they will lose more votes when people buay song. So must do sui sui. They happy, Ah gong also happy.

xiaoqiang: "....... (-,-!)"

anyway saw this joke in one of my emails... Have a good laugh.

Xiaoqiang wanted a girl in his school very much but she belonged to someone else.

One day Xiaoqiang got so frustrated that he went up to her and said,
" I'll give you a 1000 dollars if you let me make love to you...."

but the girl said," NO."

Xiaoqiang said," I'll be fast, I'll throw the money on the floor, you bend down,
I'll be finished by the time you pick it up."

She thought for a moment and said that she would have to consult her boyfriend. so she called her boyfriend and told him the story.

Her boyfriend ," ask him for 2000 dollars, pick up the money very fast. He won't even be able to get his pants down."

So she agrees and accepts the proposal.

Half an hour goes by and the boyfriend is waiting for his girlfriend to call. Finally after 45 mins the boyfriend calls and asks what happen.

She said & quote: "THE F***ER USED COINS!!"

A girl from the land of the rising sun

2006-04-16T15:36:00.000+08:00

Kaori from Osaka visits South East Asia with her friend, Kuni. Though They have went around Borneo, M'sia and Thailand. I'm glad she made S'pore her last stop before she flies back to Japan.

Met them for dinner yesterday. Luckily language is not a barrier. They could speak minimal english, though most conversations ended with laughter. Another friend, Sayaka was in New Zealand then, alone. She is adventureous. really.

Trying out Ice Kachang and Chendol.

Anyway, they have not much time in s'pore so we have to make the most out of everything. Had dinner at Scotts Shopping Centre. Dickson and I were quite surprised that Kuni actually likes Korean food. They like Ice Kachang and Chendol, much thanks to the air-con-less foodcourt.

It's been a while since i last felt that my weekend is so fulfiling and well-spent. Maybe i am getting old. Maybe the monotonous weekly, clubbing and alcohol don't work for me anymore. Maybe i should go and find new hobby... like mosaic art

Little by little, he take the miniscule coloured fragments and makes them his own, allocating them their place in the picture. As he advances he comes across new challenges. Each tessera, however small, represents a new decision.

xiaoqiang can never be the train man

2006-04-09T16:47:00.000+08:00

Currently playing Royksopp - Only this moment

I was dazing on the monday morning train,( ya lah, monday blues) and a flash thought about this girl whom i saw quite a couple times near my work places and at zouk came to my mind. You know sometimes, you will wonder if you will see this person again. Rocking and squeezy down the beloved Raffles Place, market by day and ghost town by night. I probably got a awaking- shock of my life( did i say i was dream-walking?) when i climbed the staircase. This lady just brushed my arm and walked up next to me. It's her!!! * lost of speech*. what do you call this? Intuition?

Those who have channel 56 on SCV Cable will probably know about this Japanese drama, "Train Man". I have once again fallen into the drama-whore pit. Have been constantly catching up with this drama. yes i am working late again...*sobs*. Thank god it only shows at 11pm at night on Mon and Tues. I've attached a synopsis below for your better understanding.

The story seems to be typical romance and the ending is predictable though. Even though Yamada and Aoyama are a pretty sweet couple, it's the forum members that give this show so much charm and personality. Ranging from normal types(typical singles, otaku and married men giving advice) to just plain weirdos("the army guy", "the train conductor", "the Hanshin Tigers otaku(they are the Japanese equivalent to Red Sox fans)"), they all keep the show interesting as they help Yamada improve himself.

But looking at it. This will never happen in Singapore. No drunkards will take the MRT. Well, not that i've seen one or know of. Our girls here probably will not buy a hermes Teacup to return a favour. Or if honesty really fits the bills. I was reading about some articles in magazines. Some of it does survey goes saying, if a lady is not financial stable, they will look for a guy who's more stable in terms of managing and finance. However, if she's holding a decent high-ranking post( management level) in the company with high income; it's his six pack that counts. All those single guys out there... this is probably another good reason for you to go to the gym. And please work out in the gym, not drool at others... please.

- Synopsis of the Drama -

Adapted from the best selling book "Train Man," this is the true life story of a geeky young man's romance with a beautiful young lady. The book is based on actual messages posted on a huge internet discussion board in Japan. A million internet users followed the Train Man's romance, giving him advices on how to impress the girl and take her out on dates. Train Man belongs in the so-called "Akiba-kei" category: a term that describes nerdy looking men who hang out at Akihabara (the famous electronics area in Tokyo) all day, who are obsessed with video games and computers. Please log on to their official website at http://www.fujitv.co.jp/denshaotoko/story/index.html

Hermes

Saori Aoyama is a 25-year old woman who works at a foreign company in Tokyo. She has lived overseas for a long time and is fluent in English. She has an aura of sophistication and a beautiful face that turns men's heads.

One Sunday, Saori had to attend a party at work. Her female colleagues are busy searching for good-looking guys while Saori attends foreign guests, flashing warm smiles at them. After a long day working, Saori rides the train home only to be involved in an incident that would change her life.

Inside the train, Saori is harassed by a heavily drunken man. When the drunk reaches to touch her face, a young man stands up and says, "S... stop that!" She turns to see a very weak looking young man. The young man's action sparks up a quarrel in the train. He feebly says, "I'm sorry for getting you all involved. This is my fault." Some of the other passengers have annoyed look on their faces, but some praise the young man for his courage. Saori also seems impressed at what the man did for her.

Train Man

The young man is 23-year old Tsuyoshi Yamada. He is the typical nerd obsessed with anime and computer games. He always hangs out in Akihabara, the electronics center in Tokyo. Tsuyoshi has no interest in fashion and other trends, and his age equals the number of years he hasn't had a girlfriend. He works as a salesman at an employment agency but is always scolded by his boss.

Tsuyoshi just happened to be on his way home from an event in Akihabara when he met Saori. He has never been in a fight before, but the sight of the drunk harassing Saori made him furious as he stood up to protect her.

The only things Tsuyoshi is usually interested in are anime and video games. But something about Saori's beauty lit a fire in his heart, giving him courage. When he's looking for words to apologize, Saori hands him her date planner. "I want to return a favor, so can you write down your address?" Tsuyoshi is taken back. He has been humiliated a thousand times by women, but never appreciated, especially from a beautiful woman like Saori. Saori has a sweet smile on her face as she watches Tsuyoshi write down his address with shaking hands.

Hermes and Train Man

If it wasn't for the drunk man in the train, Tsuyoshi and Saori would never have become acquainted. A few days after the train incident, Tsuyoshi really receives a package from Saori. Inside was a Hermes tea cup. Tsuyoshi held the bright orange cup with his shaking hands. Unfortunately, he has never had a girlfriend in the past and is at a loss about what to do. That is when he visits a huge internet discussion board for some help.

Tsuyoshi immediately becomes the center of attention. Other computer freaks reply one after another. "Call her and say thanks!" "No, it's better to keep it a memory." Reading the heated discussion, Tsuyoshi is touched that so many people are supporting him even though they don't know each other at all.

Since then, Tsuyoshi has been referred to as "Train Man" and without her knowledge, Saori was being called "Hermes."

Ever since Tsuyoshi received the Hermes cup, his everyday life is filled with new experiences: calling a girl, mobile phone messages, buying clothes, going on a date, holding her hand, walking her home, visiting her room... Everything that happens between him and Saori is a big event and miracle for Tsuyoshi. He does his best to hide his geek-ness. Tsuyoshi's mind is occupied with just one wish. "I want Saori to like me."

On the other hand, Saori is starting to be moved by Tsuyoshi's efforts. "Maybe I can trust Tsuyoshi" she thinks. What Saori looks for in a guy is not his money, nor his looks or brains, but "honesty." In the past, Saori was betrayed and deeply hurt by her longtime boyfriend. She found out that he had a wife and kids. Since then, Saori could not stand a man that lies.

Hai er, Hai er

2006-03-11T16:21:00.000+08:00

Was on the way home in a cab last night. This taxi driver was talking to me in cantonese thru out the whole journey. Do i ever look hongkie to you? Beats me. But out of politeness, i went " hai er, hai er " ... laughed, smiled. Kinda look stupid.

I even went " Diu Ne ah... wah liao.. taxi driver.. Ju Tao ah" when he started swearing at some other taxi drivers on the road. Now when was the last time i went CantoPop at Marina South??? i spoke broken cantonese.... like that how to court hong kong girls. *sigh~*

Came across this zodiac review. My comments are in orange.

CANCER MAN

The most sensitive man and the weakest emotional type in all Zodiac.( Yes, I'm a S.L.A.P. aka Sensitive Lao Ah Pek) Most Artists are Cancer. (i'm a self-proclaimed artist) Cancer is controlled by the "Moon" and the moon change it's shape daily, so Cancer man's emotional and moods change all the time too. You will confuse with him and yet it is his constantly changes that "Charm" you. ( I'll charm and confuse you at the same time, look... you can't see me~) He never go to get what he wants directly, but he will wait for a chance and opportunity to do so. Once he gets what he wants, he will not loose it, except if he get tired of it by himself.

The most sensitive man who can not stand rejection. He cares what other people feel or think of him. He hates loosing face and he tends to over protected himself, so sometimes people might think he is a cold person. ( perhaps..perhaps i am)

Gifted, creative, imaginative, is Cancer. A mystery and complexity play a major role in a life of a Cancer man.( i am mysterious, complex and charming) He could be very funny, very quiet, suddenly very sad. Living with him could be very unexpected, for you will not know what is his next mood. If you like excitement and surprise, you have the right guy and never have a chance to get bored. ( nah~ i think i'm becoming a boring person, i can bored you and confused you down... hahaha)

He thinks of his home as "nest" and it is the safest place for him. If he feels hurt or depress he will stay at home alone quietly( I rather go out and have some fresh air). Once he feels better, he will come out of his retreat and lives normally again. Being a loser is not him. (Loser~!)

It is so easy to fall in love with this guy because he is gentle and a very polite guy. ( See, i told you i'm polite) His wit and creative mind could win your affection( Creative yet confusing, hmmmm....). He will come out from his nest to protect you even if he is not opening himself up to other people much. Not many people will win his heart. (yes i am hopeless romantic, but i will protect you.... *swing his pen around the thumb* A pen is mightier than a sword, you know) His security is only when he has money in his pocket. Once he feels secure then he might think of having a happy family. ( I love $$$$$$!!!! who doesn't)

Even he likes to make and keep money, he is not stingy. Spending money is part of his good image, so he will be happy to spend money to take you out to a very expensive restaurant or buy a jewellery for you. Certainly when he has money OK. ( yes i would)

He is possessive to everything's that he thinks belong to him. Don't try to talk to another cute guy in front of him, he will get suspicion because he is not very secure or confident in himself for this kind of competition( nah~ i'm fine with that; if you are fine with me talking to pretty girls). Once you know each other too much, he will start to look for new excitement ( to spice up my life, of course), but not to worry for he will always think of you. If he thinks you are the true love for him, and you try once to disappear. You will be sure he will come and look for you. ( if i didn't see you in heaven, i'll break my wings to go to hell, to be with you!!)

He is a shy guy, but if he likes you.( i'm shy..*blink blink*) You can get up in the morning and see that he is in front of your house everyday till you go out with him, a very persistent guy. (i'm quite persistent, but not to the extreme to camp outside the house every morning..siao~)

He likes a secure, cheerful and lively woman, confident but at the same time always act proper and appropriate. He likes a secure woman, but able to adjust to his rapid changes. A very difficult type to find woman indeed. ( yes, indeed.... and it's very hard to find..)

In the beginning, you and him will be so sugary sweet together and he will only think of you. This so "super romantic" will not last forever( no.. this will last forever), so don't slip this chance. If you are the one who want his interest, then act and make yourself interesting. Be a supportive person and give him compliment sometimes, but not too much till he thinks you are not sincere.( yes, compliment each other weaknesses is one of the way to relationships)

Unlike many other Zodiac, if he is mad then you better get out of that room. He will calm down by himself. Giving him a slight touch on his shoulders or concerned facial expression are enough. He loves his mother, so try to be his mother favorite, but do not act like his mother! ( yes, please...)

Film of the Century

2006-03-03T20:57:00.000+08:00

Came across this lovely photo of Hong Kong Disneyland below.

What a way of a singaporean to say hi to Mr Mickey. Look at his left hand.

- HIDDEN (cache) -

Starring : Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice BÃ©nichou, Annie Girardot, Lester Makedonsky
Directed by : Michael Haneke
Produced by : Margaret Menegoz, Veit Heiduschka

Georges, who hosts a TV literary review, receives packages containing videos of himself with his family -- shot secretly from the street -- and alarming drawings whose meaning is obscure. He has no idea who may be sending them. Gradually, the footage on the tapes becomes more personal, suggesting that the sender has known Georges for some time. Georges feels a sense of menace hanging over him and his...

Seriously... This french film ought to be the film of the century. 'Cos it's....err... brainless film. I don't understand which dude will call someone to witness himself slit his throat. I don't get it from the start till the end. Lam fell asleep halfway through. Even the French watching with us don't get it.

xiaoqiang: " I don't get it, maybe b'cos i don't understand french."

French lady: " We speak french, we don't get it either."

xiaoqiang: " ........ "

xiaoqiang's TOTO odds vs women stats

2006-02-12T14:20:00.000+08:00

was queueing up to buy TOTO and came across some stats numbers(the odds, the grand prize money, the 2nd prize money ...) and some stats to why don't i have a girlfriend. This don't usually happen unless the queue is longer enough to form a super-human chain snaked till the level below.

Got this picture off dickie's blog to roughly show how bad it is.

This is a question that practically every male has asked himself at one point or another in his life. Unfortunately, there is rarely a hard and fast answer to the query. Many men try to reason their way through the dilemma( i'm speaking for myself)nonetheless, often reaching a series of ridiculous explanations, each more self-deprecating than the last: "Is it because I'm too shy, and not aggressive enough? Is it my opening lines? Am I a boring person? Am I too fat or too thin? Or am I simply ugly and completely unattractive to women?" When all other explanations have been discounted, most fall back on the time-honoured conclusion that "there must be Something Wrong!!" with me" before resigning themselves to lives of perpetual chastity.

After a short period of brooding, of course, these males will eventually come to the realization that the real reason they were never able to get a girlfriend is that they were too discriminating with their attentions. They will consequently return to the dating scene, entering a sequence of blasé relationships with mediocre girls for whom they don't really care, until they finally marry one out of fear of spending the rest of their lives alone.

Not me, though. I, for one, refuse to spend my life brooding over my lack of luck with women. While I'll be the first to admit that my chances of ever entering into a meaningful relationship with someone special are practically non-existent, I staunchly refuse to admit that it has anything to do with some inherent problem with me. Instead, I am convinced that the situation can be readily explained in purely scientific terms, using nothing more than demographics and some elementary statistical calculus.

Lest anyone suspect that my standards for women are too high( which some agrees), let me allay those fears by enumerating in advance my three criteria for the match. First, the potential girlfriend must be approximately my age — let's say 25 plus or minus three or four years. Second, the girl must be beautiful (and I use that term all-encompassingly to refer to both inner and outer beauty). Third, she must also be reasonably intelligent — she doesn't have to be Mensa material, but the ability to carry on a witty, insightful argument would be nice. So there they are — three simple demands, which I'm sure everyone will agree are anything ( not that hard, isn't it?).

Read on.

That said, I now present my demonstration of why the probability ( this is especially so when the LCD screen kept flashing the odds, the sum of grand prize when you looked up, thinking which numbers to buy) of finding a suitable candidate fulfilling the three above-noted requirements is so small as to be practically impossible — in other words, why I will never have a girlfriend. I shall endeavour to make this proof as rigorous as the available data permits. And I should note, too, that there will be no statistical trickery involved here; I have cited all my sources and provided all relevant calculations3 in case anyone wishes to conduct their own independent review. Let's now take a look at the figures.
Number of people on Earth (in 1998): 5,592,830,000. Assume it has grown. Est. figure in 2005 of 7,200,000,000

We start with the largest demographic in which I am interested — namely, the population of this planet. That is not to say I'm against the idea of interstellar romance, of course; I just don't assess the prospect of finding myself a nice Oriental girl as statistically significant. Est…who are female: 4,000,000,000. Accordingly, roughly half of the Earth's population must be discounted. Sorry, guys.…in "developed" countries: 605 601 000

We now further restrict the geographical area of interest to so-called "first-world countries". My reasons for doing so are not motivated out of contempt for those who are economically disadvantaged, but rather by simple probability. My chances of meeting a babe from Taiwan or a goddess from Japan, either in person or on the Internet, are understandably low. In fact, I will most likely spend nearly my entire life living and working in Singapore,
…currently (in 2000) aged 21 to 26: 65,000,000

Being neither a pedophile nor a geriatrophile, I would like to restrict my search for love to those whose age is approximately equal to my own. This is where things get a bit tricky, for two reasons: first, the census data is nearly two years old, and second, the "population by age" tables in are not separated into individual ages but are instead quantized into "15–19" (of whom there are 39 560 000) and "20–44" (population 215 073 000). Women aged 15 to 19 in 1998 will be aged 17 to 21 in 2000; in this group, I'm interested in dating those 21 or older, so, assuming the "15–19" girls' ages are uniformly distributed, we have
39 560 000 × ((|21 − 18| + 1) / (|19 − 15| + 1)) = 31 648 000.

Similarly, of 1998's "20–44" category, there are now
215 073 000 × ((|25 − 22| + 1) / (|44 − 20| + 1)) = 34 411 680

females within my chosen age limit. The sum, 66 059 680, represents the total number of females aged 21 to 26 in developed countries in 2000. Unfortunately, roughly 1% of these girls will have died since the census was taken;4 thus, the true number of so-far eligible bachelorettes is 65 399 083.
…who are beautiful: 1 487 838

Personal attraction, both physically and personality-wise, is an important instigator of any relationship. Of course, beauty is a purely subjective trait whose interpretation may vary from person to person. Luckily it is not necessary for me to define beauty in this essay except to state that for any given beholder, it will probably be normally distributed amongst the population.5 Without going into the specifics of precisely which traits I admire, I will say that for a girl to be considered really beautiful to me, she should fall at least two standard deviations above the norm. From basic statistics theory, the area to the left of the normal curve at z = 2 is
one-half minus the product of the square root of two π and the definite integral from 0 to 2 of e to the negative one-half x squared, which equals approximately 0.02275

and so it is this number with which we multiply our current population pool.
…and intelligent: 236 053

Again, intelligence can mean different things to different people, yet I am once more relieved of making any explanation by noting that it, like most other characteristics, has a notionally normal distribution across the population. Let's assume that I will settle for someone a mere one standard deviation above the normal; in that case, a further
one-half plus the product of the square root of two π and the definite integral from 0 to 1 of e to the negative one-half x squared, which equals approximately 84.1345%

of the population must be discounted.
…and not already committed: 118 027

I could find no hard statistics on the number of above-noted girls who are already married, engaged, or otherwise committed to a significant other, but informal observation and anecdotal evidence leads me to believe that the proportion is somewhere around 50%. (Fellow unattached males will no doubt have also noticed a preponderance of girls legitimately offering, "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend" as an excuse not to go on a date.) For reasons of morality (and perhaps too self-preservation), I'm not about to start hitting on girls who have husbands and boyfriends. Accordingly, that portion of the female population must also be considered off-limits.
…and also might like me: 18 726

Naturally, finding a suitable girl who I really like is no guarantee that she'll like me back. Assuming, as previously mentioned, that personal attractiveness is normally distributed, there is a mere 50% chance that any given female will consider me even marginally attractive. In practice, however, people are unlikely to consider pursuing a relationship with someone whose looks and personality just barely suffice. Let's make the rather conservative assumption, then, that a girl would go out with someone if and only if they were at least one standard deviation above her idea of average. In that case, referring to our previous calculation, only 15.8655% of females would consider someone with my physical characteristics and personality acceptable as a potential romantic partner.
Conclusion

It is here, at a pool of 18 726 acceptable females, that we end our statistical analysis. At first glance, a datable population of 18 726 may not seem like such a low number, but consider this: assuming I were to go on a blind date with a new girl about my age every week, I would have to date for 3493 weeks before I found one of the 18 726. That's very nearly 67 years. As a S'poren male born in the 80s, my life expectancy is probably little more than 75 years, so we can safely say that I will be quite dead before I find the proverbial girl of my dreams. Come to think of it, she'll probably be dead too.

So there you have it, my friends — finally, a cogent, scientific, non-self-deprecating argument for why I will never have a girlfriend. That said, if you happen to be a girl deluded enough to think that you and I have a chance together, feel free to drop me a line, but I warn you, you face odds of 157 060 to 1. I wouldn't bother if I were you.

Despite my efforts to research the matter, I could find no data on the distribution of beauty, either outer or inner, amongst the population. Perhaps attractiveness, being a largely subjective trait, does not lend itself to quantification. It is not unreasonable, however, to assume that like most other traits, it has a normal distribution. Indeed, this assumption seems to be backed up by personal observation and judgment — in any reasonably large group of people, most of them will be average-looking, and a tiny minority either exceedingly beautiful or exceedingly ugly.

It's all crap of what you have read earlier. As i'm just bored again, went surfing and found the abovewritten article interesting. So i did a Cut-n-Paste magic with some figures amended. Nonetheless, i've not checked my tickets. But you'll know it if i won; when i suddenly disappear. It's either those MFs who kidnapped me or i've gone space-travelling. It's Chinese Valentine's day today as well.

I Wish all lovely couples, newly-weds, newly-coupled friends, coupled friends, not forgeting those in B.I.M.C.(Boyfriends-in-Melbourne Clubs) a lovely, rosey V'day.

I wish all singles, may you find your love again in the soonest.

i wish all those whose loved ones aren't with them for whateva reasons, don't despair. You gain some , you lose.

After all... when you are in love, everyday is valentine's day.

- Stave Churches in Norway -

For a moment it just ticked in my head that i might want to get married here. :p
Click here to see the bigger picture. To View more other stoned/ wooden churches/ chapel. Please go to here.

Travelling Norwegians must from early times have seen both wooden and stone churches of different sizes and constructions abroad. Craftsmen who accompanied long expeditions to maintain the boats and to erect storage buildings and houses at their destinations, may have worked in local construction teams and learnt foreign practices. Features of foreign building practice may therefore have been current around Norway long before the attempt to convert the country to Christianity.

During the Christianisation period in Norway, wooden churches and chapels were built, and traces have been found of over 30 of what are presumed to have been churches or chapels with a corner post structure. From the end of the 11th century, stone churches were also built, and more than 150 stone churches out of perhaps three hundred in total have been preserved. But in Norway more churches were built of wood than of stone, and out of perhaps over a thousand originally, 28 stave churches have been preserved. It is not known how many alternative designs the builders had to choose between when building the early Norwegian wooden churches, but the type that has so far been uncovered by archaeological excavation consists of buildings with posts dug down into the earth. Posts are the vertical, roof-bearing timbers that were placed in excavated post holes. Staves are the vertical, load-bearing timbers in the building. The frame of a stave church wall consists of a sill, staves and a top sill, and these have grooves that receive the wall planks.

The churches have been investigated and described for more than 160 years. Some authors claimed that the churches had been built by foreigners, whilst others said that the churches were re-used ancient Norwegian places of worship. When excavations were made at Urnes in 1956, post holes were found after older churches. The majority of descriptions of the churches of the Christianisation period from before approx. 1960 are therefore out of date. Today we consider the churches to be important expressions of their time that also describe the Church as an institution, bishops and landscape, and the finances of the client, and tell us about wooden buildings in Norway in general. Tree ring examinations tell us about the age of the buildings. Studies from abroad provide comparative information about master builders/ architects, design and planning, the connection between texts and monuments, and about wooden structures, as well as about missionary work, canon law and liturgy. In general there was a churchyard around the parish churches, of a suitable size for the requirements of the congregation. New churches may often have been located at the same place as the older church buildings, as this minimised the disturbance to earlier graves. If the churchyard was also new, it was ideally supposed to be blessed at the same time as the consecration of the church. The bishop's consecration of both the church and the yard must have been seen as creating a sanctuary, confirmed and guaranteed by the king. By interpreting traces that can tell us about how the builders of stave churches organised their work, how they selected and prepared materials, systematised elements, and erected, altered and rebuilt the churches, the history of a building can be described. There are still many questions that can be asked in relation to the churches, as each generation sees them differently.

stressed

2006-02-02T19:56:00.000+08:00

ok. I'm really stressed.

And you can go to Crush Calculator if you are stressed too. Coming online doesn't helps. damn.

When Diamonds are a Legend, And Diadems a Tale

2006-01-21T19:13:00.000+08:00

THREE STONE DIAMOND RING
This unique style is offered in Platinum, 18kt White or Yellow gold and G-VS2 Ideal Emerald cut diamonds. Center diamonds is accompanied by a GIA certification.( picture from dimend scaasi.com)

Was reading one of my friend's post on her An initial addiction to diamonds about diamonds. not my friend, Diamond but diamond the rock. Something interesting for guys to learn. GUYS MUST LEARN AH!!! Sometimes it does not matter if it's the distinctive shade of aqua blue box or where you get the transparent carbon( Bvlgari or Cartier to quote a few) but the real stuff. Which reminds me of Hope Diamond.

- Hope Diamond -

The history of the stone which was eventually named the Hope diamond began when the French merchant traveller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond, which was most likely from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, was somewhat triangular in shape and crudely cut. Its color was described by Tavernier as a "beautiful violet." ......

For more details of the Hope Diamond. Click here

De Beers
Before the 1930s, the gems of choice for engagement rings included opals, rubies, and sapphires. But in the 1940s, De Beers--the South African mining firm that controls the majority of the world's diamond supply( i wonder if it is now)--introduced "A Diamond Is Forever." The success of this campaign turned diamond into the symbol of eternal love and dramatically increased demand for the gems.

What's Diamond? Diamond has been prized for centuries as a gemstone of exceptional brilliance and lustre. But to a scientist, diamond is interesting for its range of exceptional and extreme properties. When compared to almost any other material, diamond almost always comes out on top. As well as being the hardest known material, it is also the least compressible, and the stiffest material, the best thermal conductor with an extremely low thermal expansion, chemically inert to most acids and alkalis, transparent from the deep uv through the visible to the far infrared, and is one of the few materials known with a negative electron affinity (or work function).

STYLE 1A2
Like a bridge connecting you both together, this unique style allows the diamond to be viewed from all sides.

Any diamond shape can be set in this ring. ( picture from dimend scaasi.com)

The Egyptians started the tradition of wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand thousands of years ago. They believed that a vein in that finger, called vena amoris, or "love vein," travelled directly to the heart.

Rules of thumb : "The Four C’s." Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat weight. These are the criteria generally used to define the gem’s value and quality.

Cut. The cut is the only factor that has been determined by a human being. A skilled diamond cutter can bring out the brilliance of a stone, making cuts that reflect the maximum amount of light inside the stone and up through the face of the diamond. The cutter aims to produce a perfectly symmetrical stone whose right and left sides are mirror images of each other.

Colour. The Gemological Institute of America ranks stones with letters from D-Z, D representing the most highly prized colourless stones The ranking works as follows:

0-1.0 or D-F Colourless
1.5-3.0 or G-J Near Colourless
3.5-4.5 or K-M Faint Yellow
5.0-7.0 or N-R Very Light Yellow
7.5-10 or S-Z Light Yellow

Clarity. To the general public, the idea of "flaws" in a diamond determine its value. However, the word "flawed" implies certain deficiencies in the diamond, which are actually naturally occurring features within the stone. It is more accurate to discuss the number of "inclusions" within a certain stone. Almost every stone, even those of the highest quality, has some inclusions. The clarity of each stone is ranked on a complex scale by the GIA. The scales are listed below:

FL, IF Flawless -- No inclusions visible by an expert using a magnification of 10x

VVS1-VVS2 Minute inclusions, very difficult for an expert to see using a magnification of 10x

VS1-VS2 Minor inclusions, difficult to find using a magnification of 10x

SI1-SI2 Noticeable inclusions under 10x magnification -- few or no inclusions visible to the naked eye

I1-I3 Obvious inclusions under 10x magnification -- some inclusions visible to the naked eye

Carat weight is the final criteria used to determine the value of a diamond. Jaws drop when people brag about the 2 carat diamond they purchased. In reality, the stone’s value is determined by its color, clarity and particularly its cut, as well as its carat weight. An inferior cut 2 carat diamond with a colour rating of I2 and a clarity rating of I1 is worth much less than a colorless, ideal cut diamond with no inclusions. The carat weight of the diamond you purchase should be of less concern than the other factors influencing its quality.

ASSCHER 6AB
Asscher-6A re-designed with added Round diamonds pave' set in ring's profile. We are proud to present the result - hand-crafted, spectacular ring channel set with the finest Asscher cut diamonds of F-VS1 quality weighing a total of 3cts, (which are cut especially for us in Europe) and Round diamonds of F-VS1 pave' set on both sides weighing 0.8cts.
( picture from dimend scaasi.com)

when the 4-leaf clovers rained on me...

2006-01-15T19:24:00.000+08:00

Ho-right. this is probably my 1st 2006 journal post. i am going usher 2006 just like that. woke up and hey it's 2006!! Wahoo!! More Money!! More Money!!*clap clap clap* More Money!! More Money!! *clap clap clap* i like to buy a vowel...hahahha

nah just kidding. But that doesn't mean i don't have nothing to dream of, no resolutions for 2006 and nothing to look back at 2005. I decided not to pen it down here in details but in my private own journal book.

But there's a few things to that i want to highlight:

1) Met quite a few people( new friends, old friends, new aquainteneces) in 2005. Definitely sparked up my life, coloured my days.

2) Realised a few things in 2005. Matured abit. Have looked at things with a lighter heart. Having serious thoughts about 2006( maybe 2006 till 2011, that's 5 years if you can't count).

3) i wished the people i know, love, health and happy. Not forgetting luck. May the 4-leaf clovers rained on you all...

History/myth of the four leaf clover:

The four leaf clover is a universally accepted symbol of good luck with its origin ages old. According to legend, Eve carried a four leaf clover from the Garden of Eden.

"The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover (T. repens L.) in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits." Clover Science and Technology". N.L. Taylor, 1985.

Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a sign of luck. In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: "If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing.

The mystique of the four leaf clover continues today, since finding a real four leaf clover is still a rare occurrence and omen of good luck.

Saint Patrick used the plant to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Shamrocks have been considered by the Irish as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and this superstition has persisted in modern times among people of many nationalities. On March 17th, St Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world, with the "wearin' o' the green".

it's freaky cold since x'mas lah. Plus a wet wet wet days. i thought it was going to snow soon. i realised i only had my brolly to call my pal. Kept my slippers, berms and sunglasses in the cupboard. Jacket....worn out. Wind-breaker....torn out. Only a checkered long-sleeved shirt, thick enough to keep me warm bits.

Still locked on festive mood. Yes, lunar new year. Pretty much of the new year goodies, lard stuffs aka Bak Gua,lum cheongs and lotsa ang baos. More Money!! More Money!!*clap clap clap* More Money!! More Money!! *clap clap clap* i like "E" please...hahahha.

Went to Stephanie Sun's concert last night(pictures courtesy from my colleague). I still like the live performance with live music, rowing lights that fascinate the moves from the dancers. And yes, the powerful, mesmerizing voice of the lead performer, Stephanie Sun. I personally like 2 parts of the concert; with only white light beams shooting straight down and she sitting in the centre of darkness. Her voice still remains sweet since the 1st day i heard her speaks, in person that is. I 1st met her in TP when she was just a newcomer in the showbiz industry. I was still student then( the year i repeated ,sigh ). She sang a mini-school concert in TP auditorium 1 when i helped with the lightings.

And i sensed she've grown. Looking at her performance last night was really captivating.

From Russia, with Love

2005-12-27T20:54:00.000+08:00

- A V I A T O R 3105 / 6973645 -
- Poljot 3105 manual winding
- Mineral crystal
- Water resistant to 100 metres or 10 ATM
- All stainless steel (matte) case
- Screw crowns
- 22 mm leather strap
- 45 mm case diameter
- Luminescent hands and numbers

First Moscow Watch Factory (FMWF) was built in 1930. It started production of its first pocket watches in November 1930. Production of special watches for the aviation industry was developed and put into practice during the period from 1931 till 1935.

All Soviet military planes were equipped with watches produced at FMWF during World War II. Pilots and navigators of the Air Force had FMWF's wristwatches.

Watches of the Aviator line were designed to pay homage to all the heroic pilots of the USSR. They are made in stylish military design. Large figures, hands and signs are filled with a special luminescent coating, which does not contain any harmful elements. A wide variety of sizes and different types of mechanisms used in the Aviator watch line provide an opportunity for the most fastidious customer to make his choice.

Singapore, Truly Rojak

2005-12-16T14:17:00.000+08:00

Staying at home watching TV, switching channels is something which i've not been doing for a very long time. Till a point that i can remember which channel number for which programme for Cable TV, e.g. Cable 12 - Discovery ; Cable 16 - Discovery: Travel & Living; Cable 35 - Cartoon Network; Cable 60 - HBO; etc. Just watched "Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown". And still, it's a torture when you can't laugh whole-heartedly or loudly while watching those variety shows or comedies like Kung Fu Hustle shown last night on AXN. Can't even laugh at my bro who just drool at the mute ice-cream girl( real name Eva, Huang Sheng Yi ) in the movie.

Eva Huang

.Not sure if it's just me or my profession at work. Advertisements often caught my attention or interrupt a conversation whenever that is a new advertisement. Be it on press, print, outdoor, offline, online...bla bla bla,etc. My recent eye-balled on the tv makes me curious over the series of ads on TV. No offense but just curious.

*shrug*"Why does Malaysia, Truly Asia ad on TV looks so Singapore?"

There are scenes of a Muslim dance, a Indian Dance, a Chinese Opera, some angmo band, ...etc. Beautiful sunset minus the Merlion and Esplanade (i was told that buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 metres). Add some fireworks and Petronas Towers. Take out the pink dolphin and Sentosa; throw in some turtles and Langkawi or Phuket.

Quoted this(below) from http://www.malaysiatrulyasia.co.uk/
The vibrant colours of Asia are all here - in Malaysia.
Come experience the unique potpourri of Asia's great cultures - Malay, Chinese, Indian and the many ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak. In friendly Malaysia, even the British, Dutch, Portuguese and Thai have left their mark. Radiant with colour, throbbing with life, alluring Malaysia welcomes you to partake of an incomparable Asian feast for the senses.

i asked my bro and he says Singapore is a proven product of multi-racial country which not many countries can lived like us. I have some of my US/ Brit counterparts don't know where we are( isn't Singapore in some province of China?); but they knew that we speak at least 2 languages( English and Mandarin). I've pointed out the map to them where we are. There! Smaller than a grid point. Even the word "Singapore" is bigger than the land mass on the globe.

Musée du Louvre

2005-12-15T21:00:00.000+08:00

I just remembered there's one more place that i must visit if i get to Paris. Musée du Louvre( The Lourve Museum). Click here for their official website. Here are some snapshots i got them off Google images.

Sunset at the Louvre Museum.

Night pictures of the Louvre Museum.

Lourve museum in daytime .

The symmetrical triangle.

Lights up!

Louvre Museum Gallery.

The interior of the glass pyramid.

beauty and the beast

2005-12-15T17:31:00.000+08:00

- KING KONG -

Genres : Action/Adventure, Romance, Thriller and Remake
Running Time : 187 min.

Flamboyant, foolhardy documentary filmmaker, Carl Denham, sails off to remote Skull Island to film his latest epic with leading lady, Ann Darrow. Native warriors kidnap Ann to use as a sacrifice as they summon "Kong" with the local witch doctor. But instead of devouring Ann, Kong saves her. Kong is eventually taken back to New York where he searches high and low for Ann, eventually winding up at the top of the Empire State Building, facing off against a fleet of World War I fighter planes.

Another ah lian( alien) versus potato( predator) kinda movie with bits and pieces of beauty and the beast. Well... can't blame Kong 'cos he is already smittened by Ann Burrow's beauty. Which reminds me of the story of seduction where the almighty Gaius Julius Caesar fell head over toes over Cleopatra....... And watching a movie when you can't laugh or smile loudly aren't no laughing matter..*sobs*

King Kong vs T-rex

T-rex showed its teeth.

Beauty and the Beast

Indeed, very pretty.

dancing with the half-intelligent vampire.

2005-12-12T20:08:00.000+08:00

I'm now with 50% less wisdom. I finally took out my rascal-wisdom tooth that caused me sleepless night. Don't want to show you guys the picture 'cos it's damn gross. But i was astonished by the size of my lower right tooth. i measured it's 2 cm long x 1 cm wide and 2.7cm for height. The surgery was fine except that i choked on my own blood. And considering that i have a high threshold of pain(ego~). Now i look like a swollen pig-head with blood stains over my teeth.

Now the real torture comes. I can't eat proper food now.

Holy-Xiaoqiang says: "sigh~ look on the bright side lah, xiaoqiang. You already pacified yourself with Macdonald's breakfast this morning. You had one big breakfast, one hotcakes with sausages, one sausage mcmuffin with egg, 3 hashbrowns and 2 cups of coffee. What else do you want?"

Went zoukout on saturday night. Was aching from yesterday till now. dammit. My body not keeping up my with age. it feels like the whole legs gonna crashed. Music was so-so, crowd control sucks, alcohol...as always finger-licking good. I think i just fell in love with bombay sapphire...

My friend is leaving for Paris for work. Just remembered the place thati told her i wanted to visit. It is Notre Dame Cathedral.

//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=//"=

Went past Sentosa Underwater World on saturday night. It was about this time of the year that i went to The Underwater World. Carrying a different heart at different time to the same place still playback the scenes of the previous visit. The jelly-fishes, the wet sand, the circular corridor, the smell of sea, the fragrance smell of coffee....

A couple of weeks ago, a friend pointed out Orion in the sky. orion is a star constellation which you will only see it in Singapore around this time of the year.

Are you looking at the Orion that i taught you? Are you..

Deep Impact in 2036?

2005-12-08T12:05:00.000+08:00

Deep Impact, the movie in 1998

Got this piece of news off TODAY newspaper.

Scientists urge action to deal with asteroid likely to hit Earth.

LONDON scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390m-wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with the planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has estimated that an impact from Apophis, which has an outside chance of hitting the Earth in 2036, would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the nuclear blast over Hiroshima.

Thousands of square kilometres would be directly affected by the blast but the whole of the Earth would see the effects of the dust released into the atmosphere. In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon that was determined to plunge the world into eternal darkness.

The experts fear that there is very little time left to decide.

At a recent meeting in London of experts in near-Earth objects (NEOs), scientists said it could take decades to design, test and build the required technology to deflect the asteroid.

Ms Monica Grady, an expert in meteorites at the Open University, said: "It's a question of when, not if, a near-Earth object collides with Earth. Many of the smaller objects break up when they reach the Earth's atmosphere and have no impact.

"However, a NEO larger than 1km (wide) will collide with Earth every few hundred thousand years and a NEO larger than 6km, which could cause mass extinction, will collide with Earth every hundred million years. We are overdue for a big one."

Apophis had been intermittently tracked since its discovery in June last year but, in December, it started causing serious concern.

Projecting the orbit of the asteroid into the future, astronomers had calculated that the odds of it hitting the Earth in 2029 were alarming. As more observations came in, the odds got higher.

However there are no shortage of ideas on how to deflect asteroids. The Advanced Concepts Team at the European Space Agency have led the effort in designing a range of satellites and rockets to nudge asteroids on a collision course for Earth into a different orbit.

- The Guardian

no cheapo shopping

2005-12-05T10:50:00.000+08:00

Had dinner at Pete's Place, Hyatt last night. Food was great, ambience was good. Bills is never best. had a little talk on thailand with a couple of my friends to add on the previous entry.

No cheapo shopping. i can't enjoy shopping further in thailand. i can't fit into their clothes. Certified by jon. Thai guys generally are slim and middle-build. and it's hard to find size XL. ARGH~! come to think of it, i think i will fit better in ang-mo countries. In size and build of course. Gimme another chance to go bangkok. This time, i will open my eyes bigger. i want to prove myself wrong.(excuses~)

I also can forget about buying shoes there. No sizes either. not that it's cheap but better designs and stuff. Shit, i sounds like a girl. Anyway, the conversation below might sounds familiar to you. It happened to me at several shops.

At a shoe retail shop,
xiaoqiang: " Do you have size 44 for this colour?"

After a while,
Thai salesgirl: " Sir, try size 1st. i go check colour."

After a while,
Thai salesgirl: " Sorry Sir, No size. take this colour. Nice colour, same price. Cheap cheap."

xiaoqiang: " no thank you i only want this colour."

Thai salesgirl: " Sorry Sir, this colour no size. This colour nice colour, same price. Cheap cheap."

xiaoqiang gets up and walks away: " thank you."

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Came across one journal entry by rene40: interesting facts. Just for fun, my comments are in orange.

1. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight". ( hmm.. what about sweet dreams?)

2. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon. ( i wouldn't want a son-in-law if he becomes an alcoholic in our time. But i don't mind honey beer. sweeet~)

3. In ancient England a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F*.*.K (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Now you know where that word came from. (hahaha... another word for whoredom in those days. Nowadays, we hang "Do not Disturb" on hotel doors.)

4. In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.(Hahaha.. Now i know why ladies in Scotland don't wear skirts then and how kilts come about.)

through the pouring drizzle and the blinding snow

2005-11-27T22:32:00.000+08:00

just came back from bangkok. Flew over for a quick, short trip. Okie i am a living frog in a well. It was my first trip to bangkok. i guess it's the furthest place i travelled till this date. i thought it was a relaxing trip but then... it was just so hectic. Did abit of shopping. Tried to meet my colleague who went with her friend. Supposed to meet my friend but was called up to flew to Sydney in the very last minute.

They have bottled Ice-Milo in Bangkok. They should have it in singapore too.

It was a abit of weird when you see more ladies, girls and women...err a mixture of female species than guys. Well, i had a conclusion. Those girls you saw in the morning. They are 100% girls. Probably good girls. Those girls you saw at nights, maybe not be girls. you know what i mean. They are probably the richer or the party-girls or girls who work only at nights. Let's just they are more than friendly.

Friend 1: " we'll walk thru this lane and maybe look see look see at their night life."

Thai girl 1: " Hi~!"

Friend 2: " Hello."

Thai girl 1: " Hi! I love You!"

xiaoqiang:" Guys, can we walk a little faster?"

A very different education shock for me too. I was jaw-dropped when i saw those girls in school uniforms. No, i don't have uniform-fatish. But they just wore super body-hugging tops and very short skirts. This is what i call "everyday eat ice-cream/ or daily high on ice-cream."

I always thought thais are good english-speaking people or at least speak abit of english. It isn't true especially in those shopping malls. It was a duck quaking to a chicken. Most of them speak relatively in their native language. But rest assured that those at hotels are fine.

I want to go to bangkok again. Good food, good shopping. But no kids along please.

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Just watched finished watching " Love Story at Harvard". Today's episode was somehow similar. Those memories just came ringing.

She's Gone

2005-11-06T20:24:00.000+08:00

I came across this song was sometime ago passing a room in KTV. i stood still listening to the song outside the room peeping thru the window wondering who's the singer. I thought he sings well. then i realise he's just playing the song without muting the singer's voice. i thought he's weird.

Then i came across this song again in Diamond's IPOD this year. it just flashed back the KTV scene instantly. But after watching this korean drama " Love in Harvard" made me went mp3-hunting for this song today.

A bookmark in a book, a poem on the internet, a walk in the park. And she's gone...

Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn.
I can see your face, each time I burn.
Everytime it rains, Each time snows.
I can hear your voice everywhere I go.

And time it heals every pain. So that's what they say.
And I would give anything. To make you come back to stay.

She's gone, I didn't know it was so long.
If I can't feel her in my arms.
The days will be long and it will go on and on.
She's gone I didn't know it was so long.
If I can't feel her in my arms.
I'll sit here alone The pain will go on and on.
Oh no.......

Every breath I take Every step I make.
I would see you here in this world I make.

And thru the pouring rain. And the blinding snow.
I can hear you voice everywhere I go.
I know that I need her.
In every thing I do.
Goodbye is not the word I need to hear.

stupefaction

2005-10-15T15:07:00.000+08:00

this post is to tell people that i am still alive. still(always) zonked with work,movies, smoke and alcohol. Looking thru a corporate eye, there's just too many events and happenings in the coming months of November, December and January. Partly blaming on the close days of this year Christmas, New Years' Day and Lunar Chinese New Year. Cheez, it's not even Hari Raya and i'm talking about Xmas and CNY. errr....*blink blink*

i guess i've turned into a movie fanatic. On average, one movie per week. There areTill then i'm plain lazy to post reviews for every movies i watched. here's one i watched last thursday.

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- Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo -

Rob Schneider and Miranda Raison

Rob Schneider and Eddie Griffin

Rob Schneider and Skytriss

Hanna Verboom

Genres: Comedy, R21( for the adults in singapore rating)
Running Time: 1 hr. 17 min.

Deuce Bigalow is seduced back to his unlikely pleasure-for-pay profession, when his former pimp T.J. Hicks (Eddie Griffin) is implicated in the murders of Europe's greatest gigolos. Deuce must go back to work in order to clear his good friend's name. Along the way, he must compete against the powerful European Union of prosti-dudes and court another bevy of abnormal female clients including the beautiful Eva, who suffers from acute obsessive-compulsive disorder.

i don't remember seeing this scene of Eva(Hanna Verboom )

i was telling CK, we should go to Amsterdam while watching the movie. this show is basically a no-brainer, slap-in-your-face movie. Plus some stripping weather-woman and abit of racist towards.... *smile*. i think there are some scenes censored from the movie.

and i found my 1st adored dutch girl. Hanna Verboom. *drool* i went googling for her name but only to find brief biography and few pictures of her. hmm....

Date of Birth: May 11, 1983
Nationality: Dutch( born in Belgium)

Hanna Verboom made her motion picture debut in 2004 playing the female lead in the Dutch film Snowfever, directed by Pim van Hoeve and currently hosts the Dutch National TV channel BNN's weekly music show Top of the Pops. Born in the Netherlands, Verboom spent her early childhood in Kenya and the Sudan. After returning to the Netherlands she studied philosophy and economics at Amsterdam University, where she joined the student theater group and appeared in several plays with the company.

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My handphone plays a familiar tone; "Fallen by Lauren Wood" Oct 4th Tues morning, 10.50am. I was rather shocked less surprised. When did i download this song in my cellphone?

I've even forgotten whom did i assign the ringtone to. It was another stupefaction when i saw who's the sms sender.

" Hi Edmund, its been long. Hope all is well at yr side."

I hope you are fine as well. i sincerely hope.

Nanotechnology

2005-09-13T21:14:00.000+08:00

Take everything you love about iPod and shrink it. Now shrink it again. With 2GB (500 songs) and 4GB (1,000 songs) models; the pencil-thin iPod nano packs the entire iPod experience into an impossibly small design. So small, it will take your music places you never dreamed of.

Ipod Nano( white)

iPod nano Features
- Holds up to 1,000 songs and full-colour album art
- Only 9 x 4 x 0.7 cm and 42 grams
- Bright 1.5-inch colour LCD display
- Up to 14 hours of battery life(1)
- Apple Click Wheel
- Charges and syncs via USB
- Accessory-compatible Dock connector
- Completely skip-free playback
- Works with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
- Plays music, podcasts and audiobooks
- Holds up to 25,000 photos(2)
- Syncs contacts, calendars and to-do lists

With Comparison

Believe Your Ears. Call it astonishing. Unbelievable. Impossible, even. Then pick it up and hold it in your hand. Take in the brilliant colour display. Run your thumb around the Click Wheel. Put on the earbuds and turn up your music. That’s when everything becomes clear: It’s an iPod.

It holds up to three days’ worth of music. It plays for up to 14 hours between battery charges.(1) It displays the colour album art for the song you’re listening to right now. It carries your photos, podcasts and audiobooks. It syncs seamlessly with iTunes. It connects to a host of iPod accessories. Simply put, iPod nano is 100-percent iPod. And then some.

Up to 4GB(2) of skip-free storage on a featherweight iPod means you can wear almost three days’ worth of music around your neck. Or jog with 1,000 songs on your arm. Now that you can take your music everywhere, there’s no limit to where it will take you.

I think the black looks cooler..*drool* take a look at the pic below.

(1) Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and the number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.

(2) 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less. Song capacity is based on 4 minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod nano-viewable photos transferred from iTunes.

For more infomations please visit www.apple.com

Journey of Faith: Art & History from the Vatican Collections

2005-09-12T20:39:00.000+08:00

FROM TOP: A 13th century Reliquary Box with scenes from Christ's life; Tiara used by popes Pius IX and John XXII (dated 1877); Bronze oil lamp with monogram of Christ (second half of 4th century A.D.); Faith (1507), a painted altarpiece by Raphael.

a journey that might take 50 over years if you place your vision on an item for a minute. a journey that you can never imagine you would embark on. I have my eyes fixed on the relics and paintings( not all of them) in Singapore Asian Civilisations Museum. I always have this dream; that is to go Vatican City at least once in my life to take a look at this historic place,take a look at St Peter Basilica. Now my dream is 0.02% realised. I've saw a minature of it. ha~

FROM TOP: Throne of Pius IX (Paris, 1877); Chinese vase with images of buildings in Beijing (early 19th century); Rest On The Flight To Egypt (1570-73) by Federico Barocci; Saint Matthew And The Angel by Guido Reni (1635-40); The Vision Of Saint Helena (1580) by Paolo Veronese.

At Asian Civilisations Museum, Empress Place, Special Exhibitions Gallery 18 June - 9 Oct 2005.

The story begins with the main episodes in the life of Jesus Christ, and the journeys of the two apostles - Peter and Paul - to spread Christianity. The exhibition will touch on early pilgrimages to the Holy Land and later, to Rome as the New Jerusalem. Discover the role of the Roman emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, who journeyed to Jerusalem in search of the True Cross. Visitors can see artefacts from the Roman catacombs associated with the early Christians, and learn about the establishment of the Jubilees (special pilgrimage years). A series of architectural plans and views explain the construction of the basilica over the traditionally held burial place of St Peter, which has become the focus of all modern-day pilgrimages to Rome.

Aside from fascinating artefacts related to pilgrimages - for example badges worn by pilgrims during the 15th century, you will also discover works of art by famous painters such as Raphael, Veronese and Guido Reni, and see articles used and worn by the Popes. The exhibition ends with a fascinating selection of Christian material from Vietnam, China, India and Singapore.

meaty mean

2005-08-14T17:22:00.000+08:00

Just another crazy weekend over Friday. Went DXO to celebrate Samantha's B'day. Only to have char kway tiao, oyster omelette and satay to greet me and vicky when we arrived. okie we have a real late dinner.

Went off to zouk about 1-ish. found diamond, rae, karen and amy. been a while to see rae, karen and amy. they are forever busy. slept till 4 on saturday. Slack in front of the TV till 6 to have a meaty dinner. i tell you i am turning carnivorous this month. yes, thanks to the yearly 7th month of the lunar calender. roast chicken, roast duck, roast pig ... yada yada yada.. meat , more meat.

but judging from this weekend, i think i am exhausting out. completely burnt out. tsktsktsk..

Summer Rhapsody episode one is out. click here to view.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-08-08T19:26:00.000+08:00

Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka

James Fox as Mr. Beauregarde and dancing Oompa-Loompas

Genres: Musical/Performing Arts and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Running Time: 1 hr. 46 min

Charlie Bucket, a boy from an impoverished family under the shadow of a giant chocolate factory, wins a candy bar contest and is given a tour, along with four other children, of the amazing factory run by the eccentric Willy Wonka and his staff of Oompa-Loompas.

Basically, the movie has little or mild storyline. perhaps it's a child 's fantasy to come true to have a river of melted chocolate or a waterfall of chocolate. Hah! i do like the waterfall of chocolates, love the Oompa-Loompas when the music comes up and dancing. Groovy baby~.

Amazing Race at IKEA

2005-08-02T20:03:00.000+08:00

Was at IKEA last evening shopping for my room. before i forget, i am back home at Balestier. bye AMK and re-hi Balestier. i almost cannot recognise my house and room. A complete makeover. W.O.W.

Went shopping with my bro. Trying to brainstorm for ideas to make almost every single props, bits in the house look nice, compact and of course neat and tidy. IKEA is now on sale till 14 August 2005 in case you didn't know. Try to avoid weekends else you will be performing Daytona stunts with your trolleys. nono.. Daytona was a popular racing arcade game. i should mention Initial-D. Try to avoid weekends else you will be performing Initial-D stunts at corners and running childrens. It's still crowded on Monday. Sale~

My mind almost went loose when i found things suits my retro-theme bedroom. Bright, sunny and orangy is the theme. Vampires out of bounds. But i don't mind vampress.. :P still in IKEA, decided to take 5 while waiting for taxi. there stood 3 girls trying to fit a big big box into their corolla. i was thinking, do they ever think about limited space when they bought it? i'm sure they are very optimistic about the interior space of their silver car. Came a man with his family after shopping, helping them to carry the box. Me sitting there with eye-power and a helpful heart( aww~) decided to help the helpless man. err... and the 3 girls.

We figured the only way to put that damn thing in the car( the boot is too small for the box) is to lower the front passenger seat and fit that damn thing horizontally next to the driver. i didn't get to find out how the 2 girls gonna squeeze behind in the passenger seat with my brother haunting me to take cab out of IKEA.

While waiting that cab, we saw a lady, ang mo lady running to a bustop with a haversack, a carrier and a foldable chair on her hands. we only realised she is chasing a bus when it overtaked her and stopped to wait for her. what a nice bus captain. there're still nice people around. Standing ovation for bus driver and the angmo.( but we were standing while waiting, duh~)

And we missed the cab while clapping.

Tribute to Woman

2005-07-21T22:19:00.000+08:00

Was reading something online and came across this post by Charmaine. First read and thought was another post by another jealous male who can't get over his love;losing to a lesbian a.k.a. she-male. but it turned out to a tribute to women. yes, salute to god who create her( no, i am not embracing god). salute to her to be a role to balance the nature ecosystem. What makes a man? a woman. And i love women.

By the time the Lord made woman, he was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said,"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements, "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick and can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and
negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out; touched the woman's cheek.
"Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her
disappointment,her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed."You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is!

Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

However, if there is one flaw in women, it is that they forget their worth.

China demands Japan take responsibility for germ warfare

2005-07-20T19:13:00.000+08:00

this is weird. Was reading something off some piece of news. Awared that some countries did took their POWs for some experiments which you might have some mutated being in some parts of the country. Oh are we expecting X-mens? i've to say this is against geneva convention. but who cares at that point of time. i have weapons. i won the war. i own the land. perhaps that's the mindset of the warlords then.

Please read below for details.

China has demanded Japan take responsibility for the actions of its military in World War II after a Tokyo court rejected damages for Chinese victims of a notorious germ warfare unit.

"Germ warfare is one of the serious crimes committed by the Japanese militarism during World War II. The Japanese government should hold an honest attitude to bear the responsibilty," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"It should sincerely deal with the reasonable demands of the victims and properly handle this issue."

The Tokyo High Court Tuesday upheld a 2002 lower court decision that recognized wrongdoing by imperial Japan but said any compensation had to be paid by the government. The lawsuit was brought by 180 Chinese who said they were survivors or relatives of the victims of Unit 731, which conducted human experiments and bombed cities with the plague, cholera and other germs. The plaintiffs, who were in Zhejiang and Hunan provinces from 1940 to 1942, had demanded the court order the government to apologize and grant them each 10 million yen (90,000 dollars) in compensation.

The ruling was no surprise. In April, the same court rejected a separate compensation lawsuit filed by victims of Unit 731 together with survivors of the 1937 massacre in the city of Nanjing. China accuses Japan of whitewashing its past, pointing to the approval in April of a textbook that makes little mention of wartime atrocities. The book sparked three weekends of major anti-Japanese demonstrations in China, which has said relations were at a three-decade low because of the history issue.

In an editorial, the state-run China Daily accused the court of "forgiving criminals", but said it "did not come as a surprise given that tensions are running high between the two countries". "Unit 731 perpetrated the most shocking, heinous, cruel crime the civilized world has ever known -- it used human beings for vivisection to develop biological weapons," it said.

When Chinese nationals request war reparations from the Japanese government, they ask for justice. "History is a heavy page Japan will not be able to turn over if the country refuses to face it squarely," the China Daily said.

The Japanese government denied the existence of Unit 731 until 1998, when the Supreme Court indirectly acknowledged it by ruling that there was an academic consensus that it existed. At the same time, the government says it knows nothing about specific wrongdoing by the unit, which was disguised as a water purification bureau, and has rejected related damages claims. Lawyers for the Chinese plaintiffs have said they will appeal to the Supreme Court by the end of the week. - AFP

how long is forever?

2005-07-19T23:37:00.000+08:00

Today love, is a decision I do not know, I'm not sure if this is what I believe. Until today I never found a reason to wake up from the fantasy I'd conceived. Still I remember the heartache through the tears, through the fears, I made it through the night somewhere deep inside that there was never any reason to cry.

Someday, some way somehow, soon but not now.

I thought I knew how it should be. But now that it's gone, I don't know what I should see. What lies before me is a darkened mystery .Sometimes I think that I no longer believe. Count the hours, the days, remember the way. When you touched me, loved me, said you would stay. Feel the strain, the pain, your lips say my name. But now it's all gone and faded away.

Finally, I see that it's not what I thought it would be.

White petals of daisy flowers fall on my blue denim jeans. I lowered my head and smelled the burst of fragrance. Letting me in my future days, when I feel like sighing to always remember that day's starlight. Forever cannot happen. how long is forever?

- Sin City -

2005-07-17T21:18:00.000+08:00

Devon Aoki as "Miho"

Clive Owen as "Dwight"

Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba as Haritgan and Nancy

Alexis Bledel as "Becky"

Nick Stahl as "Yellow Bastard"

Jaime King as "Goldie"

Genres: Action/Adventure and Crime/Gangster ; R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue.
Running Time: 2 hrs. 06 min.

Sin City is a violent city where the police department is as corrupt as the streets are deadly. In this movie, we follow three stories, the central of which is Marv, a tough-as-nails and nearly impossible to kill( cannot die want lor~) street fighter who goes on a rampage of vengeance when a beautiful woman, Goldie (King), he sleeps with for only one night is killed while lying in bed with him.

Pretty violent, bloody show but yet tastefully directed ( i give 4 stars)like those classic 60s movie on big screen which reminds me of the movie, Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow. They tried to do as close as what was drawn in the comic. Guys, i mean man. a piece of comment, you feel abit hurt at your groin at one part of the show.

by the way, it's R21

Xiaoqiang Charity

2005-07-16T18:30:00.000+08:00

Playing Sade - By your Side

After reading Mr Brown's post in TODAY. i can't help laughing.

Hmm.. maybe i should start my own charity, Xiaoqiang Charity or XQC. Helping those who want to share their secrets but no one to confine to. Meeting with the person will be done outdoors/ open areas; i.e. coffee places, clubs, restaurants, etc. No first classy, fine dining please. No private conversations over MSN, emails or phone, etc to answer to the current call of transparency; conversation volume to be kept at minimal for me to hear and for you to say.

Donations will pay for the cost of the meetings, my tranportation fee to and fro, maybe lodging too. Extra entertainment fee will go to my drinking sessions. it might be peanuts to you when credit cards do their sliding tricks at the cashier/ taxi for you. Just don't complain when the bank sends a statement asking you to pay up for those expenses.

Estimated i can service 3,000 people. erm no, 2,000. Argh, heck, my memory bank a.k.a the brain has unlimited storage spaces which i don't charge for deposit procedures or administrations. it's a value-added service. All informations will be classed as confidentiality, only the cilent and myself have the access to it.

If you like, i can do a playback to whatever you've told me like a recorder.

HAHA... just kidding for XQC.

Top reasons why ladies today are still single!!

2005-07-12T23:21:00.000+08:00

Something which i read off. it just amused me. hope it cheer up your day. a joke to be taken with a certain pinch of salt, but funny nonetheless... my comments are in brackets.

1. The nice men are ugly.( i'm not nice.)

2. The handsome men are not nice. ( told you i am not nice.)

3. The handsome and nice men are gay.( i am not gay and not nice.)

4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.( i'm married to my career.)

5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money. ( i've no money, but i am handsome.)

6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money. ( i've no money and i am handsome.)

7. The handsome men without money are after our money. (i've no money, but i'm praying hard to strike 4D and TOTO every other day.)

8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don't think we are beautiful enough. ( but i love you~)

9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards. (you think, i thought; then who confirm??)

10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!! ( you say i'm shy liao lor.)

11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative. ( you never got me interested in the first place.)

NOW, WHO THE HELL UNDERSTANDS MEN? (don't worry, neither do i.)

"Men are like a fine wine.They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with." ( what about sex?)

just a pinch of salt hor~.. err pepper? abit of light soy sauce, maybe?

you're beautiful when shadowed by candlelights

2005-07-10T16:46:00.000+08:00

Currently playing You're Beautiful by James Blunt

the song currently playing was introduced by dickson. been drinking since last week. i guess the only day which i touched only coffee and water is thursday. this is terrible, what if i was put on alcohol analyser? i will never pass off. i may look fine though bits of alcohol transforms me into hellboy(bloodyred face). My blood will diagnosed with 30% alcohol, 30% ciggies poison, 20% caffeine and 20% of water and stuffs. i probably think too much. and pretty silly to wait for an sms till saturday morning taxing my beauty sleep.

I have this listening ability inborned in me which leads me to enjoy listening to someone sharing about his/her views or personal experiences shadowed by candlelights.

A candle light that silhouette her features.

Her fringes blanketing her forehead.

Her eyes reflects the orange glow of the flame.

Her lips outlining the red tones of background.

My eyes locked on hers;

giving more than 101% attention and focus to what she has to say. I just indulge in this picturesque settings while the music jazzing through the ears, chivas casting its magic on me on tuesday night.

- A Lot Like Love -

Genres: Comedy, Drama and Romance
Running Time: .1 min. 47 hr. Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet, Herschel Bleefeld, Kathryn Hahn, Moon Bloodgood

It takes some people years to fall in love at first sight. A LOT LIKE LOVE is a romantic comedy about destiny, connection and the frequently fuzzy line between chance friendships and happily ever after. A LOT LIKE LOVE traces the relationship of Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) and Emily (Amanda Peet) who met on a flight from Los Angeles to New York seven years ago - each of them declaring that they couldn't be more wrong for each other.

Caught this movie with friends before leaving for aussie. not a bad show; where fate has been toying with the couple. worth to catch it on weekdays.

fool again

2005-07-03T23:19:00.000+08:00

i woke up on saturday afternoon with a heavy head ( thanks to simon and his friend) and blurred mind. What was that i dreamt? it must have been a decade that i dreamt of her again. it's been quite a while. but still...

Dream: suppose to meet her for a dinner. saw her( yes still remember the face, though sometimes the face is blurred too, same voice too), chat up, saw another friend and chat longer. but the time i went to her, she fallen asleep on the table waiting for me with food untouched......

Been thinking about her over this weekend. thinking... Is she still alive? How's she doing now? Did she lead a better life? Was she happy? Have she found someone new? How do she look like now? Why did she left without a word? We never had to say goodbye.

My birthday wish? I really hope she's fine and things are working out for her. i do.

to love is to obey....?

2005-07-02T18:54:00.000+08:00

Everyday, i mean almost every working day. SAF never fails to greet me with their 3 choppers and the Singapore state flag. and their deafening figher aircrafts that flies better than any sound effects a home theatre system can give. National day is coming. National day = Public Holiday!!!

Was reading one article in TODAY, Voices column from Ms Frances Ong Hock Lin. Some issue which maybe the government is pretty concerned about. which also lead me think what went wrong. Did the society evolved and changed through time? i.e modernised. e.g. there's no TV in the much olden days, thus mum and dad has not other recreations and therefore make babies. now i know why i have so many uncles and aunties. Is singaporean women asking too much? or singapore men did not live up to expectation? or is it the handphone/ mobilephone/ cellphone( whatever phone you call it ) radiation that was introduced in the 90s(i think) that fried everybodies' mind, causing us to think otherwise. where is the so-called cut-off imaginery line that distingushed the standard? does individual wants and desires affect that line we speak?

what will happen to the double income family if there's no comprise between two parties? Would the same situation happen in other developed countries? i used the term developed countries as i think the context, equality is not so emphanised in not-developed/ developing countries.

Frances wrote as the writer, an educator, celebrated her 17th wedding anniversary this month,

SEVENTEEN years ago, my unhappy father walked me down the aisle in a Katong church. He was about to hand over his daughter to a man who eagerly grabbed her arms, as if to make sure the bride would be given away. My father left midway through the ceremony to drown his sorrows at the famous Marine Parade Satay Stall. But it was my grandfather who had the greatest impact on our marriage. He told me that people used to marry to fall in love, but that people now fall in love to get married. He saw marriages going up in smoke after the initial passions burned out. He believed that a wedding is only a day, but a marriage is a lifetime.

He was match-made to my grandmother, a great cook, and he surmised that she would support him in whatever he did. I have never seen them quarrel. From her, I learned how to make a husband happy. She saved the best meat for him, and would eat only when he was at the dinner table. Even after slaving the whole day over a hot stove, she would be bathed and powdered when he returned from work. And his slippers and a glass of water were always there to welcome him.

My grandfather, who knew I was an outspoken and stubborn child, worried that having a university education might make it difficult for me to submit to my husband. Growing up in the 1970s, with
women fighting for equal rights, I was at first shocked by what he advocated. I fought a good fight at university, debating with my male tutorial mates.

At work, I do not believe in the glass ceiling for women, and do not see myself as weaker then men.
But it was in the home context that I realised my grandfather’s foresight and wisdom. A marriage is not an equal partnership, where a couple are looking constantly to ensure that everything is
divided 50-50. That makes us calculative and mean, and reduces the marriage to a conditional clause: As long as he lives up to his end of the bargain, so will I. Instead of looking for the right person to be our spouse, we have to be the right person for them. We have to give 110 per cent without any conditions or strings attached to the marriage contract which, hopefully, we enter into with our eyes open.

The marriage vow basically says that even if a husband turns out to be a scumbag or a couch potato who cares more for Man U than for his mother-in-law, we still have to accept him. My husband and I have demanding careers, but when we come home, I give him a sponge bath even if I am tired. I prepare supper, and yes, I do peel prawns for him. I do so without asking for anything in return. He is the head of the household. When it comes to any major decision, his vote counts for 60 per cent, and mine for 40 per cent.

My grandfather was right. This is difficult. I find it challenging to submit to my husband. But I discovered that once I learned to obey him, it gave him a greater sense of responsibility, of wanting to take care of the family even more. In addition, when my children see that I obey him, they learn to obey him and respect him as a father. Being the heart of the family, my role is to complement, and not to compete with, his. I never challenge his views in front of others, which would make him feel small, insignificant and disrespected.

We try not to fight or quarrel in front of the children. Yes, we have thought of walking out of this marriage many times, but then we remembered that we started out with the belief that divorce was not an option. We will continue to fight, and our
marriage will be a rollercoaster ride. Given a chance, would I walk down the aisle again to the same man? Yes, I would, but this time I would obey him the minute he married me.

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

Came across a nice story, something that pinched my cheek thats tells me work hard and smart helps to make it one day. But really, no offense to Microsoft.

A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. "You are employed."

He said." Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."

I'm sorry", said the HR manager," If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."

The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email".

The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

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Your power is: Clairvoyance

Explanation: Your power is that you can
look into the future and see what is coming.
How far and long you can look is all depending
on your skill level. This can, as all powers,
be used in both evil and good. Even if it may
seem like a boring ability it is a huge
responsibility for the carrier, becase they are
constantly tempted with doing the wrongs deeds
(e.g. cheat on a test). It takes high morals to
not be brought down with it.

Therefor you fit with this power quite well.
You take responsibility and do what is the
right thing to do. This does not make you a
saint, since you're only human after all. But
it makes a trustworthy person and you are loyal
to camrades and/or team mates. In school you
were probably a good student. If you were
social varies from person to person, but most
clairvoyant people tend to prefer their own
company or that of close friends and family.
That is because you are wise and knows how to
treasure the reliable in your life, since you
know popularity can be a false element. You are
also not that big on taking risks and prefer
what is already explored. That is because you
don't like suprises, they can turn out bad and
then you won't be in control.
Negative aspects: Since you're always
doing the right thing and being trustworthy all
the time you can become frustrated. Also, all
that you carry on your shoulders may stress you
out. You need to relax to be in good mental
shape.

What Power is Compatible With You?
brought to you by Quizilla

matching in a water parade

2005-06-21T19:03:00.000+08:00

today must be one of the shit-est day of 2005.

woke up with a heavy head and cold and chill morning but couldn't sleep and laze in peace. the headache is worse than a hangover i swear. worse when you can't concentrate at work in the morning. yes, pop 2 piano dolls and it will save the day. it only save half of my day. i went indulge in water parade - army term for drinking plenty of water in a uniformed manner. not forgetting regular visits to the toilet till the cleaner gave me a look like i've been diagnosed with bladder failure.

Bak Ku Teh was a cheap-thrill for lunch today. There's this rundown kopitiam at block 4 of beach road, somewhere near the site where the chopped bodies were found.* shivers* Don't worry, the auntie only chops Bak Ku( ribs); not human body parts. It's one of the those traditional style of cooking with fragance soup and processed veggies. Bak Ku Teh lovers should try this one besides those lingering along Balestier Road. Please don't wear super nice, beautiful or branded clothes there. you just get yourself dirty and disgusted only.

i suddenly felt like a food critic.

My colleague passed me a pen that has 3 different symbols on 3 different positions( think of north south, east ) While looking at the "blue' symbol, press the button and the pen will come out. While looking at the "0.5' symbol, press the button and the pencil will come out. While looking at the "palm' symbol, press the button and the stylus will come out. cool innovative stationery but lousy application. duh~

Guess what 21st century aunties do during their free time. Not drama VCDs. Not bargaining at sales. Not majonging. Not even attending enhanced or cirricular classes with their kids. It's attending the hearing at courthouse. huh? mind you, this is one of their favourite pastime and you don't need newspaper or channel newsasia for happenings in the courthouse. They, the aunties will give you the first hand news for free. anything in the court. i got my news about the Khoo family incident from my self-proclaimed tai-tai auntie. kewl~

I turned around and tell my cousins. if next time, your mummy didn't return the call or smses.. you know that she's in a place where the mobile has to be kept in silent mode and she's "gan jiong" about the verdict.

Arbor Mist in winter

2005-06-12T22:29:00.000+08:00

okie i might sound dumb watching Winter Sonata in the already humid warm weekend. i feel belly belly hot..

Went to loon's place for another potluck session. i must say, vah~ plenty of drinks and foods... i gotten some cheesesticks after hearing that they might have too much food. ha! gotten some damage here and there.. shall not comment the balconies. but our dear dickson has one of the most innovative way of pouring drinks( and it wet my berms). ask him if you see him next time.

already marathoned through 9 discs of the korean soap. somehow the love story that is able to prolong the long series is when one party cannot make up her/his mind who she/he loves/likes. kinda bit similar to a couple of korean drama so far. less the weeping that is. But Winter Sonata so far is the only drama that makes me weep. i can't help it. the poor girl was again and again being played by the hands of fate.

already at episode 9. somehow, a shadow kept misting in my mind throughout the entire show, never materialise. just misty. somehow, the 1st person i thought of wasn't my ex but not any hot models/ chicks. not fiona xie as being voted under FHM umbrella of fans. someone i met recently. she was on her way back today from flying. i dunno why.

i am influenced by mr brown and singing in the bathroom( my poor neightbours)...oh oh oh~ i only kiss kiss where the sun don't shine~ you can hear the original in the background of my mulitply and blogger.

oh oh oh~

Treasures i used to call my own

2005-06-08T21:43:00.000+08:00

ok i am alive. just busy with my own stuff and stuff and stuff.:) Somemight already knew i'm currently putting up in AMK for the next 2 months or so due to major organisation and knocks and drills in my old house. AMK dwellers can call me for supper liao. HAH!

Before that was a ride on memory train to the past. i was packing my stuff into storages boxes. Came across things i used to play, wrote and some other things. Read those literature books used in my times in secondary schools, littles notes frens wrote to me, love notes from some secret admirer(?? , nice handwriting but i still dunno who they are), letters that just make you laugh and cry; pictures i've painted and drawn( those crayons, watercolours, blunt 2B pencils); laughing and sulking at old photos; trying to find a cassette tape player in my house to play those tapes; friendship bands with smunched wordings that i cannot make out what it is; dragonball cards and comic books with price tagged of $2.50 to $4.80; heavily-doodled textbooks and lecture notes; masa masa like Transformers robots, Mask vehicles with missing figurines, box of paper-bullets(hmmm..what's that for?), undersize-jeans, CareBear softtoy, Smurfs; a box of straws roses; autograph book with quotes they claimed that i'm their best friends but have lost contacts for zillion years; Temasek Poly clubs/events T-shirts( you might think that i hopped clubs to get free T-shirts); spectacle frames which i will never want to wear them again.....

now where was i. yes, in a confined pig-sty full of treasures i used to call my own. my own. no photos 'cos time is just too tight to snap pictures. Something that you might want to take not that there's no dumping ground in HDB estates and you need to apply license to discard items if you have more than 3 items( i have definitely have more than 3 lor~!)

Joke from my mum during packing

Mum: " Qiang ah! Qiang!"

Xiaoqiang: " simi daiji..."

Mum: " Qiang kam liao bey(1)? wu wei bo(2)?" (teochew context, (1)closed or buried. (2) any spaces available)"

Xiaoqiang: " qiang kam liao ju ay sai chu sua liao(3)."(teochew context, (3) a chinese religious warm event after hosting a funeral wake of xx number of days before cremation or buried in the ground)"

read this sadist, yet funny post about smoking is another way to die from one of the frens, estherq,

My group mate was desperately trying to complete his Consumer Behaviour assignment while chatting on MSN with me. He was telling me how stressed he was these few days etc.. and I was empathising with him with accomodating words, when *PAH! He said he was so unwell that he had blood in his mucus, and even coughed blood out a few days ago!! OMG? WTH???

So poor thing right? I thought so too....Until he said,

" I cough blood couple of times before as well from smoking consistently"

*PAH *PAH!!! It was like having pity on a beggar who used to be rich but gambled ALL his money away. You know how i felt?!!! I just told him, "Oh you smoke? The you deserved it."

He was taken aback by my hostile comment. Well.. i knew i was, but i didnt care (knowing he's a really nice gentleman who won't retaliate...Much...haha. So he cited an example and said there will be more to come after his assignments. "We shall have a good chat after this..."

He cited an example:

"u dun smoke no drink only know how to study score high marks, me drink smoke n drive at the same time... u happy happy joy joy in your own la la land come out of library ... i dun see u... i bang u, u die... i go to prison and live happily ever after for many many years... then i come out.. get back to life...

besides...if u notice.. all the nicest and kind hearted ppl always die early?... ppl like me... i guess.. will jsut haf to suffer long long time before i get to end me life..anyway... smoking is just another way of choosing how u going to die... "life's short, might as well do everything."

OMG, how can one have a mindset like this *Horrified*.

Revenge taste funny

2005-05-31T21:10:00.000+08:00

= Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith =

Genre : Action/Adventure and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Running Time : 2 hrs. 26 min.

The third and final installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy - the sixth Star Wars movie overall. Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side of the Force, the continuing Clone Wars and the final fate of the Old Republic should be revealed.

Yes... Young Skywalker has went to Or Or hi pin( hokkien verison of the dark side). and that also the start of watching movie marathon. i challenge my fren to watch all 6 episodes in a single day and knocked out on the 4th. so kids, don't try this at home.

Yoda: " Watch it, you must" ( if you are a Star Wars fanatic)

= Madagascar =

Genre : Comedy, Kids/Family and Animation
Running Time : 1 hr. 20 min.

This movie focuses on four residents and "stars" of the Central Park Zoo in New York City who are also best friends: a lion (Stiller), a zebra (Rock), a giraffe (Schwimmer) and a pregnant hippo (Smith). When one of them goes missing, the other three break out of the zoo looking for him, and eventually all four are captured and put in boxes to ship them back to the continent their species are originally from: Africa. An accident at sea, however, strands them on the shore of Madagascar. Having had humans take care of them their entire life, the four know nothing of surviving in the wild, or that one of them, the lion, is genetically predisposed to eat his three best friends. Exploring their surroundings, the four friends soon meet the Malagasy locals (a type of lemur given to having loud "rave-like" dance parties) and their carnivorous enemies, the fousas. As the two sides try to use these four new, strange (and large) friends to their benefit, our heroes are also confronted with the reality of their predestined roles in nature.

King Julien: " Yo gotta move it move it~"

" Yo gotta catch it catch it~" damn funny. i just couldn't close my mouth for the entire show. and it's been a while since we last watch a movie in such a big group. 22 tickets in all!

Kingdom of Heaven

2005-05-12T19:30:00.000+08:00

Duration: 2 hrs. 25 min.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is an epic adventure about a common man( Orlando Bloom as Balian) who finds himself thrust into a decades-long war. A stranger in a strange land, he serves a doomed king, falls in love with an exotic and forbidden queen, and rises to knighthood. Ultimately, he must protect the people of Jerusalem from overwhelming forces while striving to keep a fragile peace.

great movie that re-tells the history of Jerusalem and one of the holy war in history. you can go to http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/, available in 4 languages for more details of the 3,000 year old city. But how does a blacksmith knew so much about fighting a war? The muslims actually did their prayers in the morning in the midst of the war. this post gonna hurt my muslim friends but no offense. my verdict. if you want to win the war, hit hard when they are doing the prayers. after all they paid taxes to pray( in the movie). one question struck me. did chinese ever engage themselves in holy war? not that i knew of. only over land and power. Which is still happening right now. Taiwan and China. whichever sides wins, join them and repent later( hahaha.., that's what the priest said in the movie!)

remorse holiday

2005-05-04T21:19:00.000+08:00

edited on 6th may,

had one of the crazy night last sat. Was celebrating Shu Yuan's 21st and a couple of them got pissed drunk. Wonderful dance performance and a live duo-band by E.I.C. Was drowning in Ray's voice and ah hem..vodka. *i can't take my eyes off you*

Not sure if you guys can see the pix. pictures are complements from Mei.

i was quite taken aback when i heard our late president Mr Wee Kim Wee left us on 2nd May for paradise land. Don't really know him that well but.. i just felt it was a pity that i never had a chance to talk to him. For as long as i knew that he exists( when he was the president), i always wanted to talk to him at least once. never had a chance.

this month is/ will be a rather heavy month. both in terms of workload and.... let's just hope every single day will be fruitful, meaningful. let us all pray ( xiaoqiang, wake up, you don't pray...).

High in the morning

2005-04-21T20:45:00.000+08:00

Normally i will get abit moody on monday morning. yes. Especially when i did not my 1st shot of caffeine in the morning. then i looked the crowd around me on the train with their monday-blue colour faces. i told myself that's shouldn't be the way. Smile like you are not going to smile for the rest of your life.

Went to Arcade, Raffles Place to get my Han's coffee. Guess what i saw at 8.30am in the morning. A long queue in front of the lottery box. Uncles, Aunties, Executives... bla bla bla all queueing to buy their favourite numbers. i was like " Huh?" A total different world of people living on the same island.

Read the papers, followed the news. Yes, government going to build 2 casinos. smart move. *clap clap clap* Both targeting at different audiences. The venue at Sentosa which i think is meant for families while the one at Marina South is meant the expats, tourists and of course not forgetting the rich, the richer and the richer than the richer... Saw one lady being interviewed on TV that she don't mind paying $100 for admission fees just to look look see see our casinos. Aunty ah, pay admission fees then play abit lah.

If you worried about hooked on gambling in a negative way, don't worry. We have counselling centres, educational programs designed to help you. Maybe for a fee. See that chain-effect. You pay to get hooked and you most probably pay to get unhooked. So.. gamble with a entertainment attitude.

And thanks to the overwhelmed reporting that hit headlines. i think there should be other interesting news to cover.

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

Thursday joke
A rabbit was hopping through the forest when he came upon a giraffe rolling a joint.

The rabbit said, "Giraffe, don't do drugs. Come, run with me through the
forest."

The giraffe looked at the rabbit, then at the joint. He dropped the joint and ran off with the rabbit. They came upon an elephant snorting cocaine.

The Rabbit said, "Elephant, don't do drugs. Come, run with us through the
forest."

The elephant looked at his razor blade, mirror and lines. He then tossed them away and began running with the rabbit and giraffe. The three animals then came across a lion about to shoot up.

The Rabbit said, "Lion, don't do drugs. Come, run with us through the
forest."

The lion looked at the rabbit and then at the needle. He put down the needle and started to beat up the rabbit. Horrified, the giraffe and elephant asked, "Lion, why are you doing this? He was trying to help you."

The lion answered, "This little f*cker? He makes me run around the forest like a f*cking idiot every time he's on ecstasy."

if it kill you softly..

2005-04-17T22:28:00.000+08:00

was having a heart-to-heart talk with terry on friday...err... saturday morning. whaahahah yes, we were at zouk before that. but terry, i have to apologised. i was tired. really sorry. And both of us talked and agreed on certain issues and things.. perhaps not viable to reveal here...*hint hint*

hmmmm....,i must have written this somewhere before. it was a english translation of a piece written by one famous taiwan author, Zhang Xiao Xian. But someone re-wrote again.

++
Life is the process of finding love. Every person will need to find four people in their life. First person is yourself, Second person is the one you love most, Third person is the one who love you most, And the fourth, is the one you spend therest of your life with.

In life, firstly you will meet with the one you love most, and learn how love feels. Because you know how love feels, so you can find the person who love you most.

When you have experienced the feeling of loving others and being loved, you will then know what it is you need most. Then you will find the person who is most suitable for you, to be able to spend the rest of your life with.

Sadly, in real life, these three people are usually not the same person.

The one you love most, doesn't love you. The one who loves you most, is never the one you love most. And the one you spend your life with, is never the one you love most or the one who loves you most. He is just the person who happens to be at the right place at the right time.

Which person are you in other people life?

No person will purposely have a change of heart. At the point in time when he loves you, he really loves you. But when he doesn't love you anymore, he really doesn't love you anymore. When he loves you, he can pretend that he doesn't.

Same goes, when he loves you no more, there is no way he can pretend he loves you. When a person doesn't love you and wants to leave you, you must ask yourself if you still love him. If you also don't love him anymore, don't ever let him leave just to save your pride.

If you still love him, you should wish him happiness, and hope that he will be with the one he loves most, not stop him from it. If you stop him from finding true happiness with the one he loves, it shows you already don't love him. And if you don't love him, what rights do you have to blame him for a change of heart?

Love is not possessive. If you like the moon, you can't just take it down and put it in your basin. But the moonlight still shines upon you. In other words, when you love a person, you can use another method of possessing the person. Let him become a permanent memory in your life.

If you really love a person, you must love him for what he is. Love him for his good points, and the bad. You can wish for him to become like what you like him to be just because you love him. If he can change to become what you like him to be, you don t love him anymore.

When you really love a person, you cannot find a reason why you love him, you only know that no matter when and where, good mood or bad mood, you will wish to have this person be with you.

Real love is when two people can go through the toughest problems without asking for promises or listing criteria. In a relationship, you have to put in effort and give in at times, not always be on the receiving end.

Being away from each other is a type of test. If the relationship isn't strong, then you can only admit defeat.

Real love will never become hate...

++

Nescafe Blend 37

2005-04-10T21:42:00.000+08:00

i was making at the pantry the other day and saw this interesting label on this bottle of Nescafe. and yes, you can find this bottle at anything supermarket.

- Nescafe Blend 37 -
Milkman Charlie sprote amassed 37 wives in a short but full life. he attributed his remarkable stamina to a really full-bodied coffee every morning. This redoubtable character only ever drank one particular blend. So we changed its name in his memory. Nescafe Blend 37.

- A cup of character that's a lot easier to swallow than this tale.

Unfortunately, it didn't mentioned what coffee beans used in this blend. but i drank it that morning. yes i am a coffee person.

:( no effect at all~.

Are Asian women in danger of becoming TOO demanding??

2005-04-06T22:53:00.000+08:00

was reading terry's collectibles and found this article he qoute.

"Extracted from http://www.msn.com.my/women/love/article2/default.asp; Are Asian women in danger of becoming TOO demanding ?"
BY JENNIFER TAI, msn.com.my's women's channel columnist

When I was a kid, humility was something drummed into my sister and I as religiously as our multiplication tables.

Because both my parents had to work to sustain our young family, the Tai girls were raised mostly by my father's sister, an aunt who was the second wife of a successful trader. Together, they had a daughter, my cousin Jan, and cousin Jan was the princess of the Tan family, while we played her loyal subjects.

"Don't touch that chocolate, it's Cousin Jan's!" my aunt would always say, slapping our hands away.

"The ais kacang is not for you! You can have Milo instead," a servant girl working for my aunt once told me when she'd asked me to go buy the very dessert from across the street.

Did we feel deprived and treated like second-class relations?

Hardly, recalls my mother.

As kids, we seemed to have accepted that my cousin Jan was the daughter of a rich family, and we were not. This was the reason why things were the way they were.

In fact, if I remember correctly, we lived in reverence of our rich cousin for a long time. She played with us, took care of us even (she is ten years older) and life was good, because there were times that we did get chocolates and ais kacang.

Just not as much as she did, but it was okay, simply because Cousin Jan was older than us, and therefore first in line for all the goodies. Basic respect for your elders philosophy.

"It was a blessing in disguise," my mother told me yesterday.

"It is hard to teach a child humility, but years of living under your cousin's thumb did just that."

Of course, these days, such treatment would be considered child abuse.

With better opportunities in education and our careers out there, I wonder how many women today still consider themselves as genuinely humble.

I myself know only a few. Even I am not so humble these days.

Look around you. Perhaps seven out of ten women today are college-educated and hold a promising career. They may even have equally successful men (or women, whatever your sexual preference might be) as their partners. Speak to them, and they exude sheer confidence and style. No longer are we afraid to speak our minds and to show the world what we're made of. No longer are we bound by tradition to stay in our homes as housewives and mothers. These days, with technology, we can even be both professionals and parents.

We can do it all. We believe we can do it all.

Or can we?

As I sit here browsing letter after letter from the young women who read my column, I cannot help but wonder: Despite the higher education and better career opportunities, a lot of women were still failing in their relationships. Collectively, they seem to be making the same mistakes and lacking the same good sense when it comes to finding, and keeping, the right sort of men, eventually ending up with guys who don't respond to their needs.

Guys who don't seem to be coming up to par emotionally and mentally.

Guys who are leaving or even cheating, because the relationship has become too complicated.

Usually, the conclusion drawn is always that most men 'suck' these days. However, I could not help but wonder if sometimes, these problems occur because we women have lost perspective and possibly, because they have lost some of the important Asian virtues such as humility and integrity, trading them for more modern values such as independence and individualism.

I even wondered if the rising divorce rate had anything to do with women becoming more insistent of their right to a 'better' life (genuine victims of abuse and unfaithful husbands aside), despite not knowing most of the time what this better life entails.

An alarming proposition to be sure, but not without logic.

Are we failing in our relationships because we have become too full of ourselves because of our degrees and careers? Are we asking for too much in our relationships, unable to see the good in our men because we choose to focus on their flaws?

Are we incapable of being humble because we are afraid to be submissive? Have we lost our ability to be genuine (which isn't the same as being totally and brutally honest), opting instead to concentrate on our outsides with our religious facial massages, Atkins dieting and incessant shoe-shopping?

Perhaps it is time to take a step back, to take stock of our expectations and to re-evaluate our value systems because like it or not, the ideas we have about that ideal guy or that ideal marriage affect how we treat the other vital proponent of your relationships: your partner.

Perhaps we should ask if what we have today is already good enough, and to enjoy our chocolates and ais kacang - while we can still have them.

After all, what is the use of getting all the good (and good men) in the world, when you can't appreciate them?

JENNIFER TAI WRITES ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND FIRST-TIME MOTHERHOOD ON MSN.COM.MY'S WOMEN'S CHANNEL EVERY WEEK. SHE WELCOMES MAILS AT JENN@JENNEMEDE.COM AND DISCUSSIONS AT MSN.COM.MY'S WOMEN COMMUNITY BOARDS.

Swing, Miss, Swing

2005-04-06T22:34:00.000+08:00

- Swing Girls -

Artist Name(s) : Yaguchi Fumiyasu | Motokariya Yuika | Ueno Juri

Get ready to swing! From the makers of Shall We Dance? and Waterboys comes Swing Girls, an inspirational zero-to-hero tale about a group of girls who find their rhythm - and then some! Tomoko (Ueno Juri) leads a group of bored girls stuck in remedial summer math class, who decide to ditch their boring teacher (Takenaka Naoto) to deliver lunches to the school brass band.

But the girls' extreme laziness causes the lunches to spoil, and soon nearly the entire brass band gets sick. The remaining member is Takuo (Hiraoka Yuto), who recruits Tomoko's classmate Sekiguchi (Motokariya Yuika) into the band, even though Sekiguchi's musical talents are entirely in question. But Tomoko and the other girls soon follow, partly to get out of math class, and partly because it's their fault that the entire band got sick in the first place! But there's a catch: nobody knows how to play a wind or brass instrument, much to the dismay of Takuo, who proposes that the girls play swing band jazz - and take their act all the way to a battle-of-the-bands finale! Will the girls find a way to swing like tested jazz musicians, or will they discover that maybe math isn't so bad?

Directed by Yaguchi Shinobu (Waterboys), Swing Girls struck a chord with audiences thanks to its feel-good emotions and energetic cast of young girls, and ranked eighth at the Japanese box office for 2004. Like the characters they play, many of the actors were strangers to their instruments when filming began, and learned to play as filming went on! Full of humor, heart, and more than a little satisfying irreverence, Swing Girls is a toe-tapping, crowd-pleasing good time at the movies!

This movie is full of laughter. but if you will like the jazz music, you will like the ending piece. seriously.... i wanna get this DVD. anyone going to Japan???

- Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous -

Comedy
1 hr. 55 min.

The story catches up with FBI agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) shortly after she successfully disarmed a threat against the Miss United States Pageant while working undercover as a contestant in Miss Congeniality. Having become a media celebrity following her heroic pageant exploits, Gracie has been spending more time lately at the salon than the shooting range, working the talk show circuit and promoting her book. When her friends, pageant winner Cheryl and emcee Stan, are kidnapped in Las Vegas, Gracie's all-out efforts to jump back into action to save them puts her at loggerheads with the FBI top brass who don't want to risk losing their mascot and fear she might not be up to the job anymore.

WAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH~!!!!! just can't keep my mouth shut.

fellowship of shenton way

2005-03-20T23:31:00.000+08:00

Met Dickson after work on friday, since this joker joined the fellowship of shenton way.

Suppose to have dinner with him but then again, hunger got over me. Went to check out who is the newbie in my company's pantry. Found this cup noodle called " Lai Yi Tong"( Hanyu Pinyin context). it wasn't a cup, more like a pot with 2 pieces( i don't know what you call that) of noodles in it. Definitely filling for those pitless stomaches. Alright, that's not all, had half of a salmon sandwich from " THE Sandwich Shop", somewhere dried szechuan beef stuff and a bowl of beancurd. HAH!! talking about diet...........

Had one of those crazy ideas conversations with Dick at Killiney Kopitiam at Circular Road. like some marketing ideas, or info ideas to generate money. whahahaha.

But last friday evening wasn't that enjoyable at all. I tell you, you will get giddy or maybe high in some sense; when you go partial blind with only one side of the contact lens still intact and the other one L O S T. Lost that side of lens while washing my eyes. sigh~ And some of you might know, i am literally blind if i'm without my glasses. SO, talking to dickson with one eye blurred focusing on him( using my ears too) and another clearer eye catching the ladies who walked down the road.

Met Jeff and Vicky for dinner on saturday. Met Nic and Kel at Borders. Sorry kel, it really wasn't my idea. hope you guyz have fun. We could have a hearty dinner together at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao( i didn't get to eat my xiao long bao...ohhh.. boo..hoohoo..) Thanks to Jeff, we found another place to look at girls. but nono, we're not there to look at girls, we got vicky. Chilled at Cream Bristo at Pacific Plaza, gossips and jokes and talkabout each other lives.

what a weekend to chill.

oh oh did i mention the place to look at girls is where the Macdonalds' outside MANGO at Shaw Towers, Orchard?

Alright, something for you folks to do to maybe cure your monday blues. do this.

1) Open a blank Microsoft Word Document
2) type the following:

=rand(200,99)

3) Press "Enter" and wait for 5 seconds.....( don't worry it will not crash your computer)

What's your passion? your dreams?

2005-03-13T23:21:00.000+08:00

finally gotten to write something... wah ha ha~ damn... my fingers are itchy. but then again, i've no idea what to write now. * hmmmm...*

Went to Moloko Bar with Dickson for Vicky's birthday celebration, eventhough it wasn't the actual day. Dennis came over to singapore just for her. aww~ so sweet right. Though we didn't have much talk. Jeff left early with his gf. Saw Gerry with her friend, Fiona. Lemme see. Then saw Samantha and Lee( just gotten to know) and Jon and Kel. Hah... and Shay. Hey, what happen to zouk man? i still remember friday nights is very happening.

Anyway, went Liquidroom with the rest while some left for supper and home. then came a interesting conversation during supper after Liquidroom. The topic "What is your passion? Went thru quite argumentative conversation. Me trying to explain reality versus passion while my dear friend don't get my point in a slight. His arguement was that one can realise his dreams and passion if he dare. My arguement was yes he can if reality did not bite him nor cause him any burden and putting myself as an example.

I don't want to be a practical singaporean who slog to maintain his lifestyle. i have dreams but probably won't able to fulfil now. i am taking alternative route and longer route. and it might change too. But my dear friend was debating while his other half was trying to explain too. nonetheless, doubts were cleared at 6am in the morning. 6am!!!!!!

my reasoning. the same old reasoning. when you want something, you got to sacrifice something. and when reality really bites you, it sure hurts alot. You can't balance that well with dreams versus reality; it worsen when responsibilty comes in. *~sigh*

- Updated: 3:50 PM CET on March 13, 2005 -

Observed at Berlin Tempelhof, Germany

Elevation : 161 ft / 49 m, Mostly Cloudy
Temperature : 41 °F / 5 °C
Windchill : 34 °F / 1 °C
Humidity : 61%
Dew Point : 28 °F / -2 °C
Wind : 12 mph / 18 km/h from the West
Pressure : 29.77 in / 1008 hPa
Visibility : 7.0 miles / 10.0 kilometers
UV : 1 out of 12
Clouds (AGL) : Few 3200 ft / 975 m

still cold at Berlin.

white noise hitches

2005-03-12T11:29:00.000+08:00

- H I T C H -

CATegory: Comedy and Romance
Duration: 1 hr. 55 min.
Release Date: February 11, 2005 (wide).
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references.
Distributor: Columbia Pictures

A professional matchmaker's program is threatened by a female journalist who enrolls as a student and plans on publishing an exposé on his fradulent methods.

Love Will Smith the way he play a cupid for man. Can't keep my mouth closed 'cos i'm laughing almost through out the whole show. Also highlight the fact the women's actions speaks alot of words. So guys, listen and observe.

- W H I T E N O I S E -

CATegory: Drama and Thriller
Duration: 1 hr. 41 min.
Release Date: January 7, 2005 (wide).
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and language.
Distributor: Universal Pictures

Michael Keaton plays successful architect Jonathan Rivers, whose peaceful existence is shattered by the unexplained disappearance and death of his wife, Anna (Chandra West). Jonathan is eventually contacted by a man (Ian McNeice), who claims to be receiving messages from Anna through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), the process through which the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices. At first skeptical, Jonathan then becomes convinced of the messages' validity, and is soon obsessed with trying to contact her on his own. His further explorations into EVP and the accompanying supernatural messages unwittingly open a door to another world, allowing something uninvited into his life.

The starting of the show already irritates me. kept fligging. sorry that i have motion sickness but it's not healthy for your eyes either. anyway, if you are looking for some horrors, forget about this show. BUT i have to admit, i was abit touched by Michael Keaton strong devotes to his wife.

Observed at Frankfurt, Germany

2005-03-09T21:04:00.000+08:00

Frankfurt skyline at night.
Picture taken by Zielske, Daniel, provided by Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main.

Wind from the WNW (290 degrees): at 10 MPH (9 KT)
Visibility: greater than 7 mile(s)
Sky conditions: mostly cloudy
Weather: Light rain
Temperature: 42 F (6 C)
Dew Point: 35 F (2 C)
Relative Humidity: 75%
Pressure (altimeter): 30.27 in. Hg (1025 hPa)

It's still cold in Frankfurt.

Sometimes, i really wonder what's in their mind when one ask if he can be friends with you. when you say no, he starts to go on and on and on. Explain to you that he's not that kind of baddie. Ask if you like only girls and he's not gay. ask if you are married and he's not a pester. WORSE. He is a freaking old man who carries those rainbow nylon bags.

since when i allow myself to pick up by old man........*shake heads*

2005-03-06T19:30:00.000+08:00

Observed at Munich, Germany

Picture at Munich Airport, Sunset.

Updated: 11:50 AM CET on March 06, 2005,Observed at Munich, Germany

Temperature: 25 °F / -4 °C
Elevation: 1736 ft / 529 m
Windchill: 17 °F / -8 °C
Humidity: 69%
Dew Point: 16 °F / -9 °C
Wind: 7 mph / 11 km/h from the NNE
Pressure: 29.92 in / 1013 hPa
Visibility: 4.4 miles / 7.0 kilometers
UV: 4 out of 16
Clouds (AGL): Scattered Clouds 3200 ft / 975 m

It's freezing cold in Munich now.

the day when xiaoqiang turns sad

2005-02-17T18:58:00.000+08:00

Colleague A : "ayyy.... why you look so sad?"

........

Colleague A : " you bite your tongue?"

........

Colleague A : " you got fired?"

........

Colleague A : " quick tell, else i pour water on your hair.."

....

. . . .

. . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . . .

WHY DIDN'T I BUY TOTO TODAY?!!!???The prize money is 10 million dollars. i just can't find a better reason why i didn't buy lottery. Hey, i could be the next young b**tard driving a porsche where you see on the road naming " ahh.. another young b**tard driving daddy's car". *sobs*

lost somewhere in time

2005-02-09T20:56:00.000+08:00

Read a couple of blogs and journals recently. Met up with a lot of people. did a few catching up. Found out that most of my friends generally doing nothing yet. Some procastinating, some still bumming around. Some left life as it is. some chose to run away. some still waiting for money to drop from the sky. some spending time with their loved ones. some dread when V'day to come. And it hits me like what am i doing too?

Me? usual..... busy with work( i know some of you tells me to cut the crap). don't seem to have a life after work. so much so that hasn't been blogging that regular anymore. Maybe i engrossed myself too much in work but no work no money leh~ A few basic principle - if you don't work hard now, you probably won't have the energy to fire-bust by the thirties or forties. i'll probably be a fat bastard shopping for diapers, milk powders, teaching my kids 2+2=4 and watching the forever-heartlanders-favourite TV serials by my counterparts in the company. If you don't work hard now, there's no guarantee of the lifestyle you want. if you don't work hard now, you will be single for the rest of your life( that's BULLSHIT!!) if you don't work hard now, when are you going to work hard then?

Was talking to one of my lawyers' friend. He takes home a 5 figure sum of money every month and he clocks 100 hours at work a week; only means he left 68 hours for himself to sleep, eats, plays, do his stuff, etc. The only thing that he's proud of now, as in now is that he finally has a property to call his own.

In mist of achieving something, you lose/ sacrifice other things. i guess it won't balance like the way you want it to be. Balancing work and love, balancing family and friends. i guess it's hard to determine if the sacrifice is worthy until you gotten to that part of road.

K. L.

2005-02-06T13:38:00.000+08:00

Public bank skyscraper at night

Observed at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Conditions as of February 06, 2005

Elevation : 72 ft / 22 m
Temperature : 90 °F / 32 °C
Heat Index : 95 °F / 35 °C
Humidity : 52%
Dew Point : 70 °F / 21 °C
Wind : 2 mph / 4 km/h from the West
Pressure : 29.89 in / 1012 hPa
Visibility : 7.0 miles / 10.0 kilometers
UV : 7 out of 12
Clouds (AGL) : Scattered Clouds 1800 ft / 548 m; Mostly Cloudy 30000 ft / 9144 m

weather looks not bad in KL.

V'day supplement in Weekend TODAY

2005-02-04T18:31:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Conditions as of 4th Feb 2005, 6:00 PM

Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 90°
Wind: SW 5 mph
Dew point: 73°
Pressure: 29.77 in.
Heat Index: 98°
Humidity: 59%
Visibility: 7.0 miles
Observed at: Kuala Lumpur,

Look out for V'day supplement in tomorrow's Weekend TODAY.

Somehow, it's feels abit sad when you can't share your success with someone you dying to share it with. it even seems the success is not 100% complete. sigh~

2005-02-01T20:41:00.000+08:00

Morning dew on the grass when dawn break ,
A sparkle in your eyes when I awake .
Your warmth and words treat me right ,
Care and shelter me through the cold night .
Have made a silent vow in my heart to you,
Now pledge my love to forever be true ,
Girl, I love you

Lovely Rose at 87

2005-01-30T15:12:00.000+08:00

came across this email. so decided to share the story with you.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revealed in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn
eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

"Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."

perhaps perhaps perhaps

2005-01-19T20:49:00.000+08:00

Been a while since i last wrote.

Work. Been busy since last Dec 2004. You can never imagine the kind of workload you are getting. As most of my stuff are more ad-hoc. a lot of things came un-planned yet still have to do. i guess this is what we called surprises. Buried in work. soon i forsee my blog will be a monthly issue thing. wahahahahah.

Love. many have expressed their concern. i thank all who did. I'm fine. we're getting on fine. not that i'm expressive to some or the frequent readers; i guess i should left certain things unsaid. i was thinking.....

perhaps i was impulsive getting into a relationship,
perhaps i was just tasting abit of love after being single for so long,
perhaps i am selfish, giving too little,
perhaps i wasn't expressive...

alot of questions came in my mind when we first got started. yes, also those honeymoon days. now i am sure of what i want and of my mentality. i like her. and there are things there both couples should settle with both heads. not just letting one head to go spinning and knocking on walls; cracking oneself to solve it. and i think time does plays a big part. meeting the right person at wrong time equals to none. meeting the wrong person at the right time equals to none too. but how can we be sure if the person is right or wrong one at that time. time being a measurement introduce by man to keep track of night and day ; had been used in other terms.

As far as i thought i knew quite abit of stuff; i may be wrong. that there's no right or wrong answer to many things but a matter of choice. you made the choice, you deem it. and the final question, you might ask yourself is whether you make the right choice? i think its depends on individual. but don't cry over spilled milk. it's all part of the learning process.

when was the last time you went through a self-life teaching session?

journey to the past

2004-12-30T20:07:00.000+08:00

took a ride back to the past while looking at someone photos. it feels like i am floating somewhere above looking down at everybody's moment, happenings. this ride did not end just like that. it went on through the night (indirectly) till the next morning.

indeed it was a unforgetable ride. i felt closer, felt like gotten to know the person better. Afterall, it's memories that someone left footprinted on the path.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

some time ago a mother punished her 5 year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and said, "This is for you, Momma."

The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she found the box was empty.

She spoke to her in a harsh manner, "Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?"

The little girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Momma, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full."

The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her to forgive her for her unnecessary anger. An accident took the life of the child only a short time later and it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life. Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, and friends. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

so divine

2004-12-20T20:36:00.000+08:00

Take the quiz: "What does your birth month reveal about you?"

July
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood.Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets.Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studyin.

- LOVE SO DIVINE -

Cast: Kwon Sang-Woo, Ha Ji-Won, Kim In-Kwon, Kim In-Moon, Kim Seon-Hwa

The Skinny: Yep, even more Korean romantic comedy. Someday actually comparing all these movies will prove to be as pointless as deciding who makes the best brand of cotton swab. For now, Love, So Divine is average stuff that's nowhere near as good as some of its contemporaries (My Sassy Girl, Please Teach Me English). Still, it's better than 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant.

Perhaps I'm looking for something glossy with pretty Asian faces, or am just a silly sap at heart. Or maybe I'm just looking for the next My Sassy Girl. My latest attempt: Love, So Divine. Like many of its predecessors, it's got one girl, one guy, and a loaded situation that makes romance seem unlikely or just plain wrong. In this case, the love is between a fledgling Catholic priest (hunky Kwon Sang-Woo) and your typical sassy Korean female (sexy Ha Ji-Won). Their love is forbidden because, duh, he's supposed to be a Catholic priest. But they'll find a way, won't they? Of course they will! It's a Korean romantic comedy! If you really care about the quality of this film, you can continue reading. Otherwise, base your decision on the hotness of the two leading actors, and then go from there. I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

this is a Korean romantic comedy, meaning that the struggle to get these two sparring, mismatched types together can easily fit into a two-hour marathon of cloying plot devices, manufactured emotion, and delayed audience gratification. And...that's exactly what Love, So Divine is! While the film does amuse with random pratfalls and the occasional bit of situation comedy, overall Love, So Divine rides its photogenic stars for all they're worth—which is actually quite a bit.

So. Go catch it if you wanna catch hunky Kwon Sang-Woo but no muscle revealing this time.
catch it and you will feel the lovely dovey feeling too. i teared when she opened the pendant with the mirror in it. i just knew the meaning.

lastly, don't ever catch a 4.25am movie unless you wanna catch the freshest air in Orchard road.

uncertainty

2004-12-11T18:55:00.000+08:00

Festive season never cast its spell again like it used to be ever since i learnt about them. at least not on me. Not that i am going thru anything but my friends. yes, i am referring to BGR. or maybe the, the more adult(not adultery.. mind you) term is MWA, Man and Woman Affair.

i was wondered why couple chose to have something major happening during festive season. perhaps they didn't choose. it happened inevitably. it just happened. instead of spending time to think about how to celebrate this season. time wasted on quarreling; on miscommunications; on arguments... where are those sweet, lovey dovey thoughts? has it gone boring, dull when you spend quite some time with that person? or people now just can't be bothered. Or is it because after being together for some time, the so-called romance died.

i'm talking about singapore. where life at a point of time is uncertainty. though carefully planned pathed by a group of somebodies. many followed a typical pattern of lifestyle. you study till a certain age. national service for guys; working/ further studying for ladies. and then the mindset is differentiate, evolve and changes even with the similar age peers.

i was reading an article in TODAY.
Are Singaporeans mature enough as a society and as individuals to make their own choices? The question was raised last month on the topic of a casino, but readers are still buzzing ...click on the picture for a bigger view.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another week of Mr Brown's column - LITTLE MIRACLES

What most parents take for granted are small wonders for us

This is a photo of our daughter Faith, in a pram. She is three years and seven months old, and she is sitting in a pram that is too small for her.

It was the Deepavali holiday and that morning, I had gone to Serangoon North to buy a replacement fish tank for my poor fish. Their two-footer had leaked some weeks ago, and they have been living in the fish equivalent of a one-room HDB flat all this while.

So when faced with the choice of buying them a new tank, I decided to do what most Singaporeans do best upgrade.

The persuasive aquarium auntie told me that my discus would need more space eventually. I looked at the three-foot tank wondering first, how I was going to carry it, and second, how I was going to mount it.

"No problem, very light, even I can lift it alone," said the store auntie.

She must have been a former superhero (AquaAuntie), or was a Pro-Wrestler in her previous career, because when I swung the car around, I realised that it was going to take both my wife and I to carry this glass monster back to my car. It was the longest 25 metres I have ever experienced carrying a fish tank. The wife and I had to carry the tank together, while egging our daughter to follow us.

Now you may not think that this is a big deal, since most three-year-olds can generally be trusted with walking alongside their parents without their hand being held, and without running into traffic. But Faith is not a regular three-year-old. Faith is autistic, has no speech, and has a tendency to sprint away on tiptoe when she sees something of interest.

Fortunately, Faith found the fish tank extremely amusing, and scampered along with us, giggling and touching the tank like it was a new pet. That was a relief for us, until we reached the car and realised that the tank could only fit into the back seat instead of the boot.

So, we had to put the tank down, strap Faith into her seat first, then huff and puff the tank into the back seat.We spent the afternoon recovering from the morning, and then had the hare-brained idea of going to Ikea to look for a cabinet for the fish tank, plus have our dinner there.

Yes, you heard right, Ikea on a public holiday. It must have been the sun.

We were very co-ordinated in our approach to the whole thing. It was like a military operation. When my car joined the queue of cars trying to get into the car park, I told my wife and maid to stand by.

"When I say, NOW, take the kids out of their car seats, grab the baby bag, and exit by the door on the kerb side, then go to the restaurant to try and get a table, while I park the car, so we don't waste time. I will carry Isaac's pram up after I park."

"Okay ... NOW!"

A flurry of arms, legs and kids later, my squad was on their way to take the restaurant. I joined them, but they still hadn't found a table. So I handed the pram to mummy and started to look for people finishing their food. I grabbed Isaac from my helper, Celia, to see if having a cute baby boy in my arms would help get sympathy votes.

I had hoped to use his baby cuteness to counter the phenomenon where people suddenly decide to eat their last spoonful of food very, very slowly, when they spot you waiting for their table. When we found a table, I waved to my wife, who had been waiting outside with Faith and the pram, and when she came over, she was beaming as she pushed Faith over in Isaac's pram.

My jaw dropped.

I was speechless for a few seconds, but found my voice enough to tell her, "Take picture ... take picture!"

People around us were wondering what these parents were fussing about.

You see, Faith has not sat on a pram since she was less than a year old. She has not sat on prams, supermarket trolleys, tricycles and 20-cent kiddie rides, and other moving things that kids love. By contrast, they terrify her totally. Her senses could never deal with the lateral motion.

We gave up trying to get her into her pram long ago, and resigned ourselves to carrying her, or later, after she learned to walk, walking with her on our outings. Her pram was mothballed until Isaac came along almost two years later. But there she was, sitting happily in her former pram, playing with a packet of tissues and babbling to herself in a language only she understood.

We were almost reluctant to take her out of the pram, in case it was just a one-off fluke.

"I just decided to try it, while waiting for you," whispered the wife, as if saying it too loud might jinx it. "And she just got in without crying, screaming or fighting."

Thank God for a mother's optimism.

After dinner (gotta love them Swedish meat balls), we put Faith in again, just to see if she was really okay with it. She was.

In fact, when we stopped to look at something, she would get upset, and swayed herself forward to indicate that she wanted us to move. The wife and I just grinned and silently thanked God for this moment, pushing the pram as casually as our trembling hands could manage.

So, that's the story of Faith in her old pram. The photo means absolutely nothing to anyone else. It is not even well taken. But it will be one of the most profound reminders of life's little miracles that we, as parents of an autistic child, will carry with us to the grave.

That is why what most parents take for granted, like getting their child to sit in a pram, are little miracles for us. They sometimes arrive a little late, but that makes them all the more precious. We cannot wait to celebrate more.

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He is now looking for a motorbike for his daughter.

o m e n

2004-12-04T18:44:00.000+08:00

omen don't happen for no reason. it happen like a cause and effect thingy. it comes unexpectedly. sometimes you fail to catch it, witness it. the effect on you was like avalache ride.

i had it. i had one recently. for no reason, i woke up in the middle of the night. not feeling thirsty, not feeling heavy on my bladder, not feeling anything pressing against me. i just woke up. nevertheless still insist to rely on human instincts, wee and drink a glass of water. that's 5am in the morning.

for no reason again, went to check on my hp. Shacks, i got a missed call at 4 am. the person who called struck me hard. should i or should i not call back? after 1 hour later.....i hestitated to call back... hesitated till a sms came in. i decided to call back.

i called back and realised i wasn't there when the person needed me most. i feel bad about it. real bad. nothing can atone the feeling in me. eventhough the person never expects i will pick up. i know i seldom bare my feelings online. but i just felt that whoever is reading this. Please take extra note whenever you witness a omen. be it good or bad. just take care.

by the way, sony ericsson T610 ringtone is abit soft. you can't really hear it even you place your phone by the bed side. time to change a new phone*bleah*

joyride

2004-12-02T19:44:00.000+08:00

I'm sorry to say this. Things have been a bit tough lately here and life is getting shorter and shorter every day. I want to take the time that's left and smell the roses. So I am going to quit and travel full time with a biker gang to see the world and enjoy life while I still can. Don't worry about me - they all seem like really nice people. A photo of my new biker gang is below without me(of course!!! i am taking the picture)

*bleah*just kidding. i know you guys worried about me. i'm fine. alive and kicking busy with work. hella it killed me almost. won't be blogging much for this period of time i guess. but do look back. i promised i will blog whenever i can. i promise.

You are 80% Cancer

How much do you match your zodiac sign?

10 years...

2004-11-14T13:48:00.000+08:00

Something's wrong with blogger. i was struck twice in this bug of theirs, making me wondering should i change my Blog service provider. should i consider livejournal? Xanga? or some other free blog provider. but i also reckon that based in the this time of the year. i wouldn't have much time to blog either. or i should re-create one myself.

i've moved on from telling souls what am i doing for the day to a columnist; to a cynic and procasinating; to general stuff and reflections. i figured long time ago that it's my right to say what i wanna say in this blog, 'cos it's rightfully mine. and be a entertainer online for god-you-know-who is reading it across oceans and mountains. at the end of the day, it might just be friends checking on you since everybody is busy about their lifes, not able to open a time slot in their PDA to catch up with you. no wonder one said as you grow older, you have lesser friends.

things differ when you have different bunch of friends. one bunch laid-back, another party-animals, another schooling-dwellers. or is it another transition after i been through one when i was 21. seriously, it wasn't that easy when most told me 20s is the best time, prime time of your life where you are legally to do everything. and try everything without the fear of failing. commitments played a big part in me now. for a moment, i felt i can't let time running away just like that. take it easy, you might say. no lor, especially you get people slapping you with reality. "LOOK!!! you got to think about this." or "it's a project.....we need some plans...and maybe a contingency plan... "

the next question is whether am i acting my age.

depends on who's the audience, i sounded too mature to some and i sound kiddish to many. It was nice of gerry to say i don't look like my age when i cut my hair. yesh, dickson and i shared the priviledge of looking young, despite our age. not that we are old but maybe seriously we should sit down and think about how we want to live for the next 10 years.

am i just getting paranoid. HA!

something i qoute from Viventi -

"We all want to fall in love. Why? Because that experience makes us feel completely alive. Where every sense is heightened, every emotion is magnified, our everyday reality is shattered and we are flying into the heavens. It may only last a moment, an hour, an afternoon. But that doesn't diminish its value. Because we are left with memories that we treasure for the rest of our lives."

i pledge my love to you

2004-11-12T01:45:00.000+08:00

Now that i am at the beginning, waiting. waiting for a vintage love to come true. but something tells me it's not going to be easy. things won't just fall in places just as i want them to be. but i will strive to be a better man. a bold challenge i set for myself. things i hope to achieve.

Pledge of Love by Vesta Sikora

I've made a vow, to no one but you
I pledge my love to forever be true
I'll take care of you and treat you right
I'll lay beside you all through the night

I'll feed you and clothe you and keep you warm
I'll hug you and kiss you and give shelter in the storm
I'll help you and guide you and clear a path
I'll protect you and shield you from an angry man's wrath

I'll listen to your problems help you solve them too
I'll make you a rainbow and let the sun shine through
I'll take your side even if you're wrong
Just to prove our love is strong

I'll plant you flowers and make them grow
They'll be a symbol of love that only we'll know
I'll whisper your name when no one is near
So low that only you can hear

You'll feel my love even if we're apart
You'll know that we are one in heart

I love you

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

- The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) -

Category: Comedy and Romance
Duration: 1 hr. 55 min.

After getting over the revelation that she is a princess and part of the royal family of the small and obscure European nation of Genovia (with a population of just 50,000), American teenager Mia (Hathaway) moves to the actual country she represents, with her best friend, Lilly (Matarazzo) tagging along during summer vacation. As she learns the job of being a country's future ruler, one challenge she's faced with is the prospect of being set up in an arranged marriage.

seriously, if you need a laugh at the end of the day, this is one good choice. but the ending is abit abrupt. and the thought of Hathaway reminds me of Mel Gibson. both face features suited the roles respectively, Hathaway as a princess, and Gibson as a patriot.

taking a breather

2004-11-09T21:59:00.000+08:00

okie. this post is to tell people that your beloved xiaoqiang is taking a breather from his work. he is still alive and kicking. yesh, he has not been posting for the past week. yesh, there are rumours he has a gf. yesh, he is hibernating. yesh, he just want to keep quiet and be a listener.

HEY!!!

'Cos he is busy with his work. super busy. never in his life; that his year end is so busy. you can trying calling my handphone and chances are that your handphone shows i am on the other line. soon, i should opt for a CT-scan to see any damages done to the brain after all the radiation from my handphone. and my handphone is failing me. damn.

it's a festive season. it supposed to be happy-go-lucky. But then again, we can't ignored the fact the no work also means no money. xiaoqiang is trying his best to juggle between friends, work and family. especially at this period where his workload increased tremendously.

A Wish ...

When the moon is up in the sky
Shines a blue light,
Memories of the day we spent together
Will keep me from forgetting this date.

but knowing that being together
once again is kind of impossible
makes me think of what
may-be the best to do and to say ...

The wish that won't come true,
the song that won't be sung,
the way everything is happening
makes the world turn around us ...

If I could touch the stars,
I'd give them all to you,
and if the moon was in my reach,
that would be yours, too

seeing u happy is all i wanted to do,
seeing us succeeding is my hope for us two,
being together might be hard,
but i'll risk everything to be with you.

- by mooncycy -

Trip to the Ladies

2004-11-03T21:05:00.000+08:00

Got this from simon's post from the multiplyer Pauline's blog. it's really damn funny until i rofl until tummyache. Enjoy reading and *hint* *hint* try to read this at a place which silence can be broken. decided to post this after him.

" "I, Xiao Qiang, hereby swear after Simon; never ever again to ask my gal friends why they take so long in toliet for."

++

Trip to the Ladies

My mother was a fanatic about public bathrooms. When I was a little girl, she'd take me into the stall, teach me to wad up toilet paper and wipe the seat. Then, she'd carefully lay strips of toilet paper to cover the seat. Finally, she'd instruct, "Never, NEVER sit on a public toilet seat.

Then she'd demonstrate "The Stance," which consisted of balancing over the toilet in a sitting position without actually letting any of your flesh make contact with the toilet seat. By this time, I'd have wet down my leg and we'd have to go home to change my clothes. That was a long time ago.

Even now, in my more "mature years, "The Stance" is excruciatingly difficult to maintain, especially when one's bladder is full.

When you have to "go" in a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women that makes you think there's a half-price sale on Nelly's underwear in there. So, you wait and smile politely at all the other ladies, who are also crossing their legs and smiling politely. You get closer and check for feet under the stall doors. Every one is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter. The dispenser for the new fangled "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mum, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook if there were one but there isn't so you carefully but quickly hang it around your neck (mum would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance."

Ahhhh, relief. More relief. But then your thighs begin to shake. You'd love to sit down but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance" as your thighs experience a quake that would register an eight on the Richter scale. To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!"

Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday -the one that's still in your purse. That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It is still smaller than our thumbnail. Someone pushes open your stall door because the latch doesn't work.

The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet.

"Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious,tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle, and sliding down, directly onto the insidious toilet seat. You bolt up; knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly ashamed of you if she knew, because you're certain that her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because,frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, sending up a stream of water akin to a fountain that suddenly sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged off to China. At that point, you give up.

You're soaked by the splashing water. You're exhausted.

You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket, and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the taps with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past a line of women, still waiting, cross-legged and, at this point, no longer able to smile politely.
One kind soul at the very end of the line points out that you are trailing a piece of toilet paper on your shoe as long as the Mississippi River! (Where was it when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your boyfriend, who has since entered, used and exited the men's restroom and read a copy of War and Peace while waiting for you.

Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"
This is dedicated to women everywhere who have ever had to deal with a public restroom (rest??? you've got to be kidding!!).

It might finally explain to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked question about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other woman can hold the door and hand you Kleenex under the door.

++

lonely than loner

2004-10-31T17:26:00.000+08:00

happy halloween first and foremost. to the thousands of devils and evil spirits, enjoy while you can and where you can roam. whahahahah. but i wasn't in the mood to celebrate. guess i am really out of this age. perhaps it's not the age..

a couple of days ago, a friend asked, what's worse than lonely? i shrugged my shoulders.

" Dunno leh.. but i let know if i got the answer."

i wasn't sure if i were to feel this way. but it killed the jumping beans in me. loneliness. something which many feared. i never feared that nor awared of its existence. but yesterday, it came visiting me and i was taken back on how much it hit me. to an extent, i am awared i am missing someone; yet with so much of interruptions interfering.

i guess the saturation point of loneliness is when you can't be with someone at a period yet being together. the frequency of thoughts about that person increase whenever you saw something/ some place that will reminds you of that person. the depression sets in when you have something joyous to share and she's/ he's not there.

Every endless night has a dawning day.
Every darkest sky has a shining ray.
And it shines on you baby, can't you see..
You're the only one who can shine for me.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

- 2 0 4 6 -

Category: Drama
Duration: 127 minutes.

2046's story picks up right by the end of In The Mood For Love: after Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung) leaves, Zhou Muyun (Leung Chiu-Wai) becomes a very lonely writer. He meets a prostitute (Zhang Ziyi) and spends a night with her at room 2046, the very same room he had an affair with Su Lizhen. Then he starts writing a novel called 2046, in which he reunites with Su Lizhen. Chang Chen and Lau Kar-Ling play a couple of lovers; Wong Yaye and Kimura Takuya plays a pair of robot lovers. They are all characters in the book, and they are all from the future. It is sort of a sequel to In the Mood For Love.

think some of clips are censored. DAMN!! kinda draggy towards the end. but it's good. Catch the fantasy film by Wong Kar Wai if you appreciate his art.

You're on candid camera!!!

2004-10-29T14:48:00.000+08:00

i wished i own one of such camera. candid shots. real shots. those shots that tells bush( pronounce bullshit in 0.1 seconds) or carry thingy whether they are crap or wayang( army context for acting). and you never know when somebody take a picture of you digging nose like above. our president of the sleeping giant is pretty exhausted from managing 1 Billion and more people. then again, it's only human to do such things. who don't fart in the public.

the shots remind me of times at TP during orientation period. when i was pretty bored in the auditorium control room, i will scrolled and sniped at people who's stretching their neck muscles with their eyes closed, mouth half/wide opened; self-indulge in fingering with their nose for pleasure or reading a book in extreme dim lightings. let me tell you, the fun and thrill comes when they see( if they are awake) themeselves on the projector screen. wahahha *evil laugh*

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
another friday column of Mr Brown - iPod, uPod, lah ... iCool, u ... well ...

JUST when you thought you have joined the ranks of white iPod coolness, Apple decides to make black the new white.

Witness the U2 Special Edition iPod, in black. Suddenly, my white iPod doesn't look as cool anymore. And iPod accessory makers everywhere are tripping over themselves to make black iPod accessories.

Like screaming girls in a shoe shop sale, we geeks gathered around the computer screen of one of our own, "Ah Beng", as he ordered the black digital music player without blinking an eyelid, his renovation budget be damned. Mission one: U2 iPod ordered. Mission two: Figure out how to tell the wife-to-be that the walk-in shoe cabinet will have to wait till the next bite of the HDB cherry.

Marketing genius, I tell you. People don't shell out the bucks because they want an extra gigabyte or two, or they want an FM radio thrown in. People buy what looks appealing and what makes them look appealing. You can't wear an extra gigabyte, but you can show off white headphones.

I think Apple should go the whole hog with this. Let's see a PAP Special Edition iPod. If the Men in White can party at Zouk, they can have an iPod named after them. It will be white, of course, and the lightning logo will go nicely over the iPod's round jog wheel. You can have the PM Special Edition, SM Special Edition, and the MM Special Edition, all autographed by the relevant minister.

Included in the package would be mp3s of all that minister's speeches, for your leisurely listening. Cool, right? However, I don't think Singaporeans can ever be totally cool, even carrying an iPod, if we never learn to dress appropriately.

What's up with the shorts and slippers every where we go?

Sure, the weather here is hot as heck, but surely there's a place for shorts and a place for long pants? I don't care if you are the whatever vice-president of whatever leading company that designs and manufactures whatever high-tech products. Dress right to be treated right.

Some guy wrote in to the paper not long ago to complain about how some restaurant at Ritz-Carlton Millenia hotel made his friend, a vice-president of some big company who wears shorts every where, put on some baggy long pants provided by the hotel, because that restaurant has a dress code.

And it became some kind of anti-colonialism letter because later, other ang mohs who wore shorts were not turned away or made to wear restaurant--provided pants (apparently, the restaurant ran out of stylo long pants, they only had four).

Come on, lah. First of all, why you have to write in for your friend? Your vice-president friend cannot write in himself, issit? And if he is so accomplished, surely he knows that the clothes maketh the man. Your vice-president friend doesn't wear shorts to work or to meet clients, does he? Of course not, because his staff and his clients will think he is an unprofessional slob.

So, now it's okay to be an unprofessional slob outside of work?

The only thing the hotel seems to be guilty of is not having enough long pants (four is hardly enough for ultra-casual Singaporeans). So please go and buy some more, and maybe in a few more colours and styles. Get some formal leopard print ones too, I heard those are "in".

I have seen Singaporeans wear shorts and sandals to church (my God is very casual one, He won't mind) and other places of worship. I have seen them go to high-end theatre events without even a tie..I have seen jeans (Singaporean's definition of "smart-casual") at weddings and gala dinners too. Why dress up? I am not the groom or the bride, what!

Maybe we should just make shorts the national dress. Next National Day, everyone could show up in T-shirts, shorts and sandals, because it can get really hot on National Day Parades. Our leaders can sit in the VIP stands, casually dressed, listening to their PAP Special Edition iPods.

Speaking of gadgets and computers, I understand that there is help on the way for SMEs to buy original software at discounted prices soon. This is to help lessen the impact of the upcoming tougher copyright law.

Wow, how exciting. Imagine that, SMEs can now stop using their pasar malam copies of Microsoft Office, and buy a second original copy for the office of 10 people. No more sharing one original copy with 10 people. With the discount plan, SMEs can now share TWO original copies with 10 people.

Right now, my colleague, Ah Beng, is laughing with glee, squealing like a little girl, and gloating to all of us that his credit card has been deducted for the black U2 iPod he has ordered. I have never seen a person so happy that Apple has taken a bite from his wallet. The rest of us are staring at our computers, fingers quivering over the keyboard, wondering whether to order it online too. And wondering what excuse we can give our wives.

I would love to buy the new toy, but there is the baby milk powder to think about. Oh, why oh why, didn't I ask the wife to breast-feed all the way?

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He is very happy that Singapore has beaten Iraq and Pakistan in the recent Third Annual World Press Freedom Index conducted by Reporters Without Borders.

A little bit more and we could have beaten Bhutan.

the dreamers

2004-10-24T23:43:00.000+08:00

Category: Drama (ADULT Content)
Duration: 2 hrs. 10 min.

Recommended by Dickson. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci; written by Gilbert Adair, inspired by his novel "The Holy Innocents".An American college student, Matthew (Pitt), pursuing his education abroad in Paris in 1968 becomes friends with a French brother, Guillaume (Garrel), and sister, Danielle (Green), through a shared love of the cinema, while the May, 1968 Paris student riots (which eventually shut down most of the French government) are happening in the background.

It's political uprising, the glory of French cinema, and misconstrued sexual movie. some arty farty film. some might see it as porn. A whirl of sensuality, youth and rebellion set in Paris during the riots of 1968, ablaze with poetry and danger, and suffused with an odd kind of intellectual kitsch. seriously, you need to tweet your head before you can get the story. watch it if you are really into art. qoute "irreversible" otherwise you might just watch porn.

Infernal 90's affair

2004-10-24T01:41:00.000+08:00

i am chilling now at vicky's place. With nigel and dickson. yesh i getting the wireless cheap thrill of getting online. of course chat online and in the restroom. so those who i've chat last nite. DO YOU SMELL?!??!?!? we are watching this gangster cum police movie" Long Zai Jiang Hu with Andy Lau as the gangster and Louis koo in it. there was this scene where the superintendent is talking to the undercover in the toilet. wahahah. all the confidential stuffs was echoed in the toilet. think they were screaming too.

and seriously, if you were at HK that time and just sell knives. i think you will earn big bucks. all gangsters waved knives when there's a fight. *w a h a h a h a h a h a* what happen to the guns?? thought the secret societies earn millions of dollars???

unlike the infernal affairs shown in the movies recently. the police only talked to the undercover on rooftop, morse code, and bla bla bla... so gangsters and police nowadays morphed to be more creative and techy.

Last night was a weird session at Balaclava. the whole time there was like speedating. Met up with nigel and dickson, raymond (nigel's fren); and 2 frens who sat there and complained my butt is too near her face or we talked with our saliva. duh~ can't help it when both of them were sitting down. Met Sam( who i kept thinking he was another alex), his gf( oh dear, what's her name), kelvin, kelvin's gf chelsea. and they left for zouk.

came another group who shared seat with us and emerged a crazy drinking game. i thought we were just to chill. vicky and gerry came and too joined in the crazy drink game. but in the end when they left, i only remembered geradine, one of carol's old fren. HAH!! singapore is indeed smaller than i thought.

Then came another group. gerry brought her frens over to share the seats. met jennifer, fang fang...errr renny...err.. gregory... and.. and who else...seriously i can't remember their names. i have to admit i am half-gone. but that wasn't the case. i can't remember names just by talking to them for a few seconds. i have no photography memory. wahahaha.

At least i know something. Speed dating company will never have my name in their membership.

why we pay $50 for Singapore driving license

2004-10-22T20:03:00.000+08:00

Look at the picture above. in case you can't make it out what it is. i tellya. it's the driving license in IRAQ. i was wondering which lady is behind those curtains. and a brillant idea to observe their customs and taking photos. you never know who is behind the wheels and sped the highway across Baghdad. wait! is there highway in IRAQ?

at least those guys there in IRAQ can't fake a driving license that easily. *laughs*

Take the quiz: "What does your birth month reveal about you?"

July
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood.Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets.Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying

i am fun to be with. ( ooh baby just wanna have fun~)

i am secretive. (hmmmm.. Mr Mysterious)
i am difficult to fathom and to be understood. (hmmmm.. too profound)
i am quiet unless excited or tensed. (what happens when i am excited?)
i am takes pride in myself. ( i am !!)
i am honest. ( of course )
i am concerned about people's feelings. (hmmmm..)
i am tactful. ( of course )
i am friendly. ( errr.. think so)
i am approachable. ( that's friendly too...)
i am emotional temperamental and unpredictable. ( wahahahah)
i am moody and easily hurt. ( mood swing everywhere...my heart is make of glass)
i am witty and sparkly. ( keke.. witty)
i am not revengeful. ( i am forgiving but never forgets, the most i'll hand pig's head at your doorstep)
i am sensitive and forms impressions carefully. (S.N.A.G??)
i am caring and loving. (but my heart is made of glass..??)
i am treats others equally. ( justice is my middle name, you heard it)
i am strong sense of sympathy. ( but my heart is made of glass...??? glass??)
i am wary and sharp. (Sharp..? *ouch*)
i am judges people through observations. ( told you my middle name is justice)
i am hardworking. ( definitely )
i have no difficulties in studying. ( i was born smart)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
another friday column of Mr Brown - Poetry with swear words

When bad rap happens to good folk ... and kids, downloading illegal music is very bad

ONE of the problems with listening to MP3 music that your friends, er, "lend you to try", is that occasionally, some songs that come out of your iPod are, let's just say, not to your taste. Please note that I am not advocating music piracy or downloading illegal files, because that could result in a six-month jail term and heavy fines under a new proposed law. Plus, I hear that they are considering additional penalties of making you listen to the "Sars Rap" non-stop.

My friend only lent me a few songs to listen to, songs which I had every intention of returning to him right after I sampled them, to see if I like the music enough to buy the album. So, remember, kiddies, downloading illegal music is bad. If you do not listen to Uncle brown, we will be forced to put stickers of diseased lungs and exploding brains on new computers to deter you. Sermon over.

As I listened to my iPod in the car, my wife was listening right along with me as I drove us to work. The song in question started innocently enough, with a nice beat and the female singer going:

All you ladies pop that thing like this

Shake your body don't stop don't quit.

Before you could say, "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics", said singer was telling her listeners (me and my missus, in this case) how to "lick it" (again and again). I almost drove my car into a tree. My wife looked at me with a very disapproving look on her face and said: "Why you listen to this kind of song one?"

"Sorry lah, dear. I didn't know what kind of song it was when I transferred the song from my computer. This is my first time listening to it, too," I said, quickly hitting the Forward button, and the iPod helpfully played another song, this time by male rapper Nelly, which starts with: Drop down and get your eagle on, girl (flap your wings)

This earned me another stern rebuke. Even with the limited knowledge she had of rap music, the missus knew that Nelly was not rapping about the endangered American Bald Eagle. Later, I found out that the song that got me in trouble was called My Neck My Back, rapped by Khia. You cannot blame me for not spotting that one. I mean, I thought the song was about poor posture!

And the version I had on my player was already the "clean" version. I shudder to think what the explicit version sounds like. I must say that the singer was a cunning linguist. I am sure there are people out there reacting to this news in one of two ways:

Either you are now picking up a pen to write an angry letter to your MP and the newspaper forum page, about how evil music is eroding our Confucian values.

Or you are saying to yourself: "Please lah, brown, you such a prude one. This song so old already. Nowadays they are singing about their sexual relationships with farm animals liao!"

All this puts me in a dilemma. I like rap music, I like the beats and the clever sampling. The rhyming is, at its best, poetry. I confess I am a Lau Yankee (Old man trying to be hip). In fact, my little girl likes rap music, too. She seems to respond in a positive way to the rhythms and the music videos (I once saw her stand in front of the TV transfixed by a Beastie Boys music video). Something about the beat and the rapping tickles her autistic sensory system.

But why does all the rap music I like have to be about "hos" (derogatory term for a promiscuous woman) and drippin' and lickin'? Maybe they can rap about other things, wholesome stuff like fighting Sars or doing well for your PSLE exams, or paying your taxes on time.

Ok, maybe not. (Can't stop thinking of noooooo … "Sars is a virus, I really want to minus ")

Wah lau eh, rap music's obsession with swearing and sex can be a bit much lah. However, please don't start asking for more censorship. There is such a thing as the "Off" button and parents should manage their kids' media consumption themselves, rather than whining about why the Government is allowing all manner of evil to enter our fair land. On the topic of fair lands, some of you may know I just returned from a lovely holiday in Melbourne. It is always an eye-opener when we frogs leave the well that is Singapore and see how other cultures and countries do things differently.

For instance, we saw many public toilets with syringe disposal units. I am told that it is for diabetics. I am also told it is for the drug addicts. I understand now why they keep reminding passengers coming into Singapore, about the severe penalties for drug possession here.

Some drug addict may approach a Singapore cop to ask where the toilets with the syringe disposal boxes are, only to be introduced to the Uniquely Singapore Rope.

Also, their toilets are way cleaner than ours. We will lose to them in International Toilet Competitions. I also noticed that on the roads, right of way belongs to the trams, the cows, the kangaroos and other assorted animals. Cars have very few rights.

Not like Singapore, where the car is King ("I paid a princely sum for my car, so I am going to drive it like a King The King of Jerks").

"Give way to Livestock" is something you see a lot Down Under. I wonder if the cows come with ERP units to deduct toll charges should they walk on tolled highways. And if they do, do they pay in milk? Oh, in case you are wondering, they also have Australian Ah Bengs in their Ah Beng sports cars, too, blasting rap music about "hos", drippin' and lickin'. But they just don't squat as much as Singapore Bengs do.

Which reminds me, I need to return my friend the dirty MP3 songs he lent me. Don't steal music, kids.

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He wants his readers to know that they can read this column online, too, at the Today website. No need to register at all.

j o y r i d e

2004-10-21T23:27:00.000+08:00

thanks Bee Q aka wen lie for the today's ride to Joo Koon Circle. Study hard lah. and good luck for your exam.

Today is just another day of long discussion. and yesh Simon, if you are reading this. i am sitting on the same boat as you. work work and work and work..... *rock the boat baby rock the boat~*. Welcome to the corporate ladder....i mean corporate boat and cruise to retirement with cloudy balloons of bags of cash in the future..

I was meeting this cilent at Joo Koon Circle today. if you type Joo Koon circle in street directory online; it's located somewhere after SAFTI, after NTU. yesh, one of the super ulu( malay context for secluded) area in singapore. you will never touch these places if you have no business there. But then again, it wasn't that far compared to Ian's place in singy. Remb the horrid walk out from his place.

After the sales call with the cilent was the time that i stared hard and wide opened to the skies.. how the hell am i going to get out of here?!?!?!? the bus-stop? oh you mean there is one? i can't see leh * after walking for a while*

i was getting abit pissed and decided to call a cab when a lorry stopped beside me.

" you wanna hitch a ride out, young man??? "

xiaoqiang smiled, " yeah, thanks a million ".

i didn't know holding a cell phone in your hand can hitch a ride. this lady waskind enough to drop me at the road. she was even kinder to drive me to raffles place 'cos she was going there too. * awww~* where can you find such kinded-soul nowadays????

xiaoqiang looking at the lorry , " hey, you drove for this company? to deliver goods?"

" yeah, sometimes."

"sometimes?"

"yeah, i got to go, can't stay here for long. here's my namecard."

xiaoqiang looking at the namecard," Bye, and thanks for the ride."

?!?!?! CEO !?!?!?

Sacrifice of Iphigenia

2004-10-18T13:34:00.000+08:00

The Painting
Over 2,000 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied under a respected tutor. After several years the teacher's efforts seemed to have paid off when Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art. Unfortunately, he became so enraptured with the painting that he spent days gazing at it.

One morning when he arrived to admire his work, he was shocked to find it blotted out with paint. Angry, Timanthes ran to his teacher, who admitted he had destroyed the painting. "I did it for your own good. That painting was retarding your progress. Start again and see if you can do better."

Timanthes took his teacher's advice and produced Sacrifice of Iphigenia, which is regarded as one of the finest paintings of antiquity.

In Myths and Stories of the Trojan War
One of the more unpleasant stories about Agamemnon was that when he had gathered the ships of all the Greek armies at Aulis, ready to sail for Troy, unfavorable winds kept the fleet from departing. Agamemnon had offended the goddess Artemis, and he was told that he could placate the goddess and get favorable winds only if he sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia. Some variants of the story say he did; some say he didn't. Some say that although he offered Iphigenia as a sacrifice, Artemis took pity and substituted a deer for the girl. Artemis took Iphigenia to Tauris, where she became a priestess. Euripides, a classical Greek playwright, wrote two Iphigenia plays, one about her sacrifice at Aulis, and another about her years in Tauris.

In seventeenth century France, Racine retold the story of Iphigenia at Aulis, modifying the ancient Greek story with neoclassical French sensibility. The Greek army is gathered at Aulis, the winds are unfavorable, Agamemnon is told to sacrifice his daughter. He waffles, saying he will, saying he won't. Ulysses pressures him into doing it, because the army would rebel if he did not. Agamemnon sends a letter to his wife, Clytemnestra, asking her to send Iphigenia to Aulis, where he will marry her to Achilles (who knows nothing of this). Then Agamemnon tries to send another letter, telling them not to come, but it is too late.

Iphigenia arrives and finds out what is in store for her. She is an amazingly dutiful daughter, and is willing to die for her father and the Greek cause. She is taken to be sacrificed, but at the end a messenger comes, saying that she had disappeared from the altar, and been replaced by a deer.

...the picture to which all our accounts refer is the grief exhibited in varying degrees by the bystanders. The countenance of Calchas was sorrowful; that of Ulysses still more so; that of Menelaus displayed an intensity of distress which the painter could not outdo; Agamemnon, therefore, was represented with his face covered by his mantle, his attitude alone suggesting the father's poignant anguish. The description is interesting as illustrating the attention paid in this period to the expression of emotion. Timanthes was in spirit akin to Scopas. There is a Pompeian wall- painting of the sacrifice of Iphigenia, which represents Agamemnon with veiled head and which may be regarded, in that particular at least, as a remote echo of Timanthes's famous picture. F.B. Tarbell A History of Greek Art.

the painting above is The Sacrifice of Iphigenia, a 1st Century AD Roman copy of a 4th Century BC painting by Timanthes, discovered at Pompeii, and now in the Museum at Naples. Timanthes of Cythnus or Sicyon, a Greek painter of the 4th century BC. Like all other painters none of his works survived. Cicero (Brutus, xviii.70) listed him among the painters who used a four-colour palette. Timanthes defeated with The Sacrifice of Iphigenia Kolotes of Teos in a competition.

He also defeated Parrhasios in a competition on Samos (Pliny, XXXV.64, 71, 73–4). Parrhasios painting showed Ajax, who according to a story in the Aethiopis and Little Iliad was defeated by Odysseus in the competition for the arms of Achilles. When Timanthes obtained the first prize Parrhasios said that Ajax has suffered a second indignity.

interesting hor??

pence for thoughts

2004-10-17T18:24:00.000+08:00

i knew i was supposed to mention this yesterday. but it just slipped off my mind. you see, i was on my way to Orchard Mrt after a fruitful trip at Kinokuniya.

As i entered the station, a girl just came up from the escalator stopped me. then she went, she is from Johor. She can't find work. Her mum on danlysis. no money to buy food. Gave a $10 dollar note.*damn, would have given her $2 dollar note if i have one* NO. she is not super pretty, or revealing anything. i can't comment on my actions either.

She followed me down to the control station. kept thanking me and said she will return me the money. i rejected. nah. i don't think we will ever meet again.

till now that that i am typing this incident out. i still can't comment/ figure my actions. it's even harder for the flag girl to get 20 cents from me, let alone $10. i only know that a coin has both sides. head and tail. reality bites real hard on one when logics acts on her. but if she chose to con hearted souls * pointing to xiaoqiang*, that's it.

who would resort to lower themselves to beg from strangers.

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

i was searching some medical terms online and found some interesting facts about it. most sites link the dianogsis to babies. my friend, if you are reading this. i'm not sure if you should laugh about it. but still something to take note of. STRESS and Avoid milk products.

got from PAGEWISE:

It's estimated that 15 to 20 percent of all babies will exhibit signs of colic. In some ways, colic is a medical mystery. It appears to be digestion-related and tends to worsen in the evening hours. Though babies suffering from this malady will cry, scream, kick, and appear totally miserable, they are generally healthy from every other standpoint. There is usually no fever, diarrhea, weight loss or other measurable symptoms. During crying spells, the baby is usually inconsolable. Colic usually peaks at the age of six weeks and has usually resolved itself by three months.

There are several theories as to causes of colic.

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES. Since babies grow and develop rapidly in the months after birth, it's possible that bodily functions are not quite refined yet. The processes of digestion and peristalsis (the movement of food through the intestines) may simply be "out of whack." This is supported by the fact that most babies outgrow colic rather quickly.

EMOTIONAL STRESS. Stress has long been known to have an adverse effect on the digestive process. There are studies that show that first-born infants are more likely to be colicky than subsequent siblings, suggesting that the anxieties of a new mother are transferred to the baby. It does seem to be true that confident mothers are less likely to have colicky babies.

DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERAMENT. Just like adults, babies have very different temperaments and physical make-ups. Some babies that appear to have colic may simply be naturally more fussy than other babies. Others may be suffering from acid reflux (heartburn), which can result in colic.

DIET. Colicky babies do seem to digest lactose (milk sugars) more poorly than other infants. However, studies show that there is no statistical difference in the chance of developing colic between breast-fed babies and formula-fed babies. Yet there may still be a link to fussiness ¡V breast-fed babies tend to be hungry again sooner after a feeding, as their stomachs empty more quickly. With some babies, an iron-fortified formula seems to reduce the symptoms of colic. There is always the possibility of food allergies as well.

One of the most commonly used medications to treat colic is Mylicon, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical that prevents gas formation. Use this only on the advice of your pediatrician however. Sedatives and antihistamines (like Benadryl) at one time were commonly used to reduce crying, but are out-dated approaches to colic and should never be used.

Perhaps the safest of the colic remedies is the herbal approach. Chamomile has long been used around the world to settle stomachs. Other herbal remedies include ginger, catnip, and peppermint. Up to four ounces a day of herbal tea can safely be administered to infants. More than this may result in inadequate nutrition, if the baby refuses formula because his tummy has been filled by the tea.

The most holistic approach to treating colic is the lifestyle approach. Certain behaviors do tend to help prevent colic attacks. Try the following:

- Carry your baby with you during the day. Some studies have shown that babies who are carried at least three hours a day are less colicky. Other studies refute this opinion, but it is impossible to spoil an infant of under four months with too much attention.

- Respond to your baby's cries quickly. Letting an infant "cry it out" is not effective in the long run and leads to more crying.

- Don't smoke. Second hand smoke does seem to be a risk factor for colic and other early disorders (such as ear infections, colds, etc.)

- Relax. Babies pick up on your tensions and internalize them.

- Be patient. All babies outgrow colic. Remember, this too shall pass. Don't let your frustrations cause you to lash out at a defenseless infant.

- Avoid milk products. This means using a lactose-free formula, or having the mother avoid ingesting lactose if she is breast feeding her baby.

- Try more frequent burping. Colic may be related to gas. Try stopping a feeding every few minutes for burping.

- Feed more often. Babies who ingest less food more often have smoother digestive processes.

r e b i r t h

2004-10-16T17:57:00.000+08:00

currently playing Ian Brown - F.E.A.R

came across this article. just how many of you believe in rebirth? What is truly worth living for? If you believe in rebirth, you can have countless more lives to go. But since each will expire... then what is truly worth dying for?

From The Daily Enlightenment

' '.......It's been a few months since I moved in a highrise apartment. One of the reasons I bought it was for its terrific open paranomic view. From its windows, I could see the city skyline up to the sea. Waking up unwillingly for work this morning, I was washing up half-heartedly in the bathroom when I caught a glimpse of the scenery out there. For a moment, I was pleasantly surprised. I had clean forgotten about the magnificent view for about a week. Not that I had gotten sick of it, but I had begun to take it for granted. It had become an insignificant backdrop of daily life... having become a flat and lifeless piece of wallpaper instead of being what it really was - a dynamic three-dimensional world with a life of its own.

This happens when we get lost in our relatively unremarkable routines of life, forgetting the great scheme of things. When we lose mindfulness of our blessings and our larger purpose, we get ourselves stuck in the muck and mire of mundanity. When we forget the real reason we are living for, the worldliness of life becomes quicksand that sucks you into a spiritual vacuum. When that happens, we live less and less; we merely stay alive.

When we micro-manage and over-plan our life's mundane details, we become "penny wise and pound foolish", risking becoming blind to our spiritual life. See the big picture at your spiritual window! Deeply breath in the breath-taking view of boundless potential. Know where you are and where you are going! Don't get mindlessly caught up in the mechanical "rituals" of work, play and other whatnots. I'm going to brush my teeth while looking out of the window everyday to remind me of this. I'm going to greet the world and let it greet me. I'm not going to fret that it's just another day, but remember that the promise of a new day comes from living it well with appreciation and mindfulness.

What is the big picture? We are all here only for a short while. What is truly worth living for? If you don't believe in rebirth, this is it. Is it good enough for you? If you believe in rebirth, you can have countless more lives to go. But since each will expire... What is truly worth dying for? It is tempting to simply call it quits. But rebirth will only lead us back full circle. What you don't learn well of you will suffer of, time and again. Same old, same old. Thus what is truly worth doing is to understand the nature of life and death, so as to be able to live well and die well, and transcend life and death altogether in spiritual liberation. And this meaningfulness of life can be mutliplied infinitely when we help others realise the same......... ' '

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Another weekly column of Mr Brown - Roughing it Down Under

Life moves more slowly in Australia or maybe it's just this 56k modem

YOU will not believe it, but I am writing this on a coin-operated Internet terminal in Victoria, Australia. I am in a backpacker's hostel, writing in the middle of the night, because it was the only place I could find with Internet access at this hour.

I am on vacation with my wife and we are having a great time exploring the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne. It's just that I never thought I'd be writing my column on a terminal that looks like an arcade machine with a keyboard and a trackball bolted onto a stainless steel top.

When I inserted the $2 coin, the terminal proceeded to dial out. Yes, it is using an old--school 56k (or less) modem — when I heard those modem squeals and whistles, I thought I had entered a time warp. I am speaking like a typical Singaporean, of course. Always comparing things overseas with what we have back home.

As you may have guessed, I have no idea what is going on at home. I have not looked at a Singapore newspaper or news site for almost a week. So, if we had another blackout, or a new government committee has been created, or another country has called us a booger, I am unable to comment.

All we get here on Australian TV is Australian news. I must say I am appalled. Back home, our news channels carry at least a bit of news on Australia. The least they could do is offer some Singapore news, right? At the moment, all I know is that Australia's ruling party won in a big way and the opposition was thrashed. Wait a minute, that sounds a bit like the political situation at home.

We've noticed that outside of Melbourne, most of the buildings are low-rise. I mean, coming from Singapore, where almost every building is tall, it was a culture shock.

We drove for kilometres without seeing a single HDB high-rise. People here seem to enjoy living close to the ground. It seems a waste of vertical space, if you ask me.

I have to say, though, cars are really cheap here. We've spent many evenings watching Australian TV (because the shops generally close at 5pm — another alien concept to Singaporean shoppers) and have seen a lot of car commercials. Many of the cars here cost less than a COE back home!

Another thing we have explored in Australia is the food. I have so far seen durian gelato ice cream, bak cho mee (minced pork noodles) and "Singapore fried noodles". I was glad to find Singaporean fare here, but what on earth are Singapore fried noodles? It seems to be a dish that Singaporeans can only get if they travel overseas.

One thing you need time to get used to here is the crazy weather. One moment it is cold and windy, with a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. The next it is 32 degrees in the shade.

Coming from Singapore, where the weather is uniformly hot, adjusting to the weather changes has been a challenge.

I am surprised the government here doesn't do something about it.

If the Singapore government had to deal with such wildly changing weather, it would come up with some kind of law, a committee and maybe a campaign to look into how to create consistent weather.

I have to say, though, that Australians know how to take care of their elderly and disabled people. Many of the attractions we visited had disabled access and even buggies for wheeling old folks around. Have you ever seen a buggy service for old folks at a Singapore attraction?

The Singapore approach seems to be: "You die your business" (to quote an old Cantonese saying). And if you are too old to walk to the nature attraction, maybe you should be at home watching TV instead of inconveniencing us able-bodied folk.

I have to go now; my Internet time is almost up and I'm out of coins. I promise that next week, I will make fun of local things again. Thinking of home, I really miss my kids and my laptop.

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He will never complain about his computer again.

Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow

2004-10-14T19:29:00.000+08:00

I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of the Oprah Winfrey show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, she asked him if the statements about race he was accused of saying were true. Statements like: quote - "If I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish and Asians would buy my clothes, I WOULD NOT have made them so nice. I wish these people would NOT buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class white people". - unquote;

His answer to Oprah was a simple quote-"YES" unquote;. Where after she immediately asked him to leave her show. Suggestion?

If we are small, then send it to the whole community that's not white people and see the result. We have to see the result of unity. Let's find out if Asian and Non-white really play such a small part in the world. Stop buying any range of their product, perfume, cosmetics, clothes, bags, etc. etc.

Scene took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg and London. A white Woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess.

"Madam, what is the matter," the hostess asked.

"You obviously do not see then? she responded.

" You placed me next to a black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."

"Be calm please", the hostess replied.

"Almost all the places on this flight are taken.

I will go to see if another place is available."

The hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later.

"Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in the economy class. I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there is also a seat in the business class. All the same, we still have one place in the first class."

Before the woman could say anything, the hostess continued:

"It is not usual for our company to permit someone from the economy class to sit in the first class. However, given the circumstances, the Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting."

She turned to the black guy, and said,

"Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in first class."

At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.

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- Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow -

Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Duration1 hr. 47 min.

Famous scientists around the world have mysteriously disappeared and Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) along with ace aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law) are on the investigation. Risking their lives as they travel to exotic places around world, can the fearless duo stop Dr. Totenkopf, the evil mastermind behind a plot to destroy the earth? Aided by Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), commander of an all-female amphibious squadron, and technical genius Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), Polly and Sky Captain may be our planet’s only hope.

it's an old plot where an hero save the world, he got a damn pretty girlfriend. the evil has nothing else better to do than take over the world. but it's MUST WATCH movie, i must say. I AM A SCI-FiC fanatic. the entire movie kept giving me surprises. it's definitely worth the money if you are a sci-fi fan. and Gwyneth Paltrow still looks gorgeous in the old-school trench coat.

it's a bird...it's a plane..

2004-10-13T20:09:00.000+08:00

got the pictures from adrian(mah). i was saddened when i saw the news that christopher reeves passed away. i remembered "SUPERMAN" was one of the movies, i wanted to watch whenever there's a episode. like "STAR WARS". those were the days. now that it's history. i felt something in me is missing. i was a fan of him.

maybe you won't understand. it's a childhood thingy i guess. i guess there's always a hero when you are young.

Xiaoqiang Top Forties

2004-10-12T18:48:00.000+08:00

do you know that...

1) Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning! (hmmm...)

2) It's against the law to have a pet dog in Iceland! (awwww...)

3) Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark! ( that's the objective!!!)

4) Dolphins sleep with one eye open!

5) About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30! ( oh dear, no wonder the egyptian women are unhappy)

6) A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 600 m.p.h!( Wow! )

7) The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year! ( do they count wetdreams too??)

8) Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet!

9) Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue! ( the only bird could watch blue-films...?)

10) A jellyfish is 95 percent water! ( can we drink jelly fish when we are thirsty??)

11) The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump! ( it will be hell loose if they can)

12) The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly!

13) Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States! (now thats interesting.......)

14) America once issued a 5-cent bill!

15) Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different! ( imagine saliva slurp over the bank book...)

16) Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung!

17) A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue! ( yucks... imagine eating wax)

18) Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

19) Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!

20) Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!

21) You blink about 84,000,000 times a year!

22) In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word!

23) A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans! ( probably why the death toll went up after "Billy the kid" was shown..)

24) Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States!

25) The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth!

26) A hummingbird weighs less than a penny!

27) The Earth weighs around 6,588,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons! ( now tell me where can i find such a weighing machine..??)

29) A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!

30) The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used!

31) Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right of left handed... or is that paws?!

32) The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven!

33) Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lighting than women! ('cos we have something that points north??)

34) Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions!

35) Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow!

36) Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings! (that's a new addiction..)

37) Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight! ( it's definitely a cheaper way to slim down, now down with those slimming ads in the media..)

38) After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! Yuk! *puke*

39) Tomatoes are also known as Love Apples.

40) you can do something else better than reading all this...

change the question

2004-10-10T18:55:00.000+08:00

currently playing The New Amsterdams - The spoils of the spoiled

dickson and his opium poise....one of the spoil of the spoiled.

the song you listening now is recommended by D I C K S O N . dickson, you seen it now. i mentioned your name. click on his name to go to his site.

taken from 'A Whack on the Side of the Head ' by Roger von Oech,Ph.D

Several centuries ago, a curious but deadly plague appeared in a small village in Lithuania. What was curious about this disease was its grip on its victim; as soon as a person contracted it, he would go into a very deep almost deathlike coma. Most individuals would die within twenty-four hours, but occasionally a hardy soul would make it back to the full bloom of health. The problem was that since early eighteenth century medical technology was not very advanced, the
unafflicted had quite a difficult time telling whether a victim was dead or alive. This didn't matter too much, though, because most of the people were, in fact, dead.

Then one day it was discovered that someone had been buried alive. This alarmed the townspeople, so they called a town meeting to decide what should be done to prevent such a situation from happening again. After much discussion, most people agreed on the following solution. They decided to put food and water in every casket next to the body. They would even put an air hole up from the casket to the earth's surface. These procedures would be expensive, but they would be more than worthwhile if they would save some people's lives.

Another group came up with a second, less expensive, right answer. They proposed implanting a twelve inch long stake in every coffin lid directly over where the victim's heart would be. Then whatever doubts there were about whether the person was dead or alive would be eliminated as soon as the coffin lid was closed.

What differentiated the two solutions were the questions used to find them. Whereas the first group asked, "What should we do in the event we bury somebody alive?", the second group wondered, "How can we make sure everyone we bury is dead?"

Moral of the story?

You can always find more solutions by changing the wording of the question !

i pay $$$ for happiness

2004-10-09T17:44:00.000+08:00

hasn't been writing for this week. busy busy busy BUSY BUSY!!!!! B U S Y!! was reading this email by my friend. pretty interesting. it was fascinating when researchers came out with results of their findings. more fascinating when you knew about their objectives of their research. like the one mentioned below. but then again, happiness for sale?

By Marina Krakovsky
Summary: Why we find material goods less fulfilling.

Choosing between a new sweater and a pair of concert tickets? Buy the tickets, suggests a new study on whether our spending habits are likely to make us happy.

Philosophers since Aristotle have claimed that experiences fulfill us more than material goods. To test this claim, a pair of psychology professors examined discretionary spending on material purchases (such as jewelry or clothing) and experiential ones (such as vacations or tickets to a concert). In a nationwide phone survey of 1,279 adults, respondents were much more likely to claim that a prior experiential purchase made them happier than a material one-57 percent versus 34 percent-even after accounting for differences in price.

Of course, some items-such as books or sports gear-are both material and experiential. And one person's splurge may be another's must-have. So the researchers simply asked respondents to think of purchases they'd made "with the intention of advancing their own happiness."

The researchers, Leaf Van Boven of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Thomas Gilovich of Cornell University, found some demographic differences in strength of preference: A higher percentage of women, for example, were happier with experiences than
were men. Individuals with higher incomes and more education especially tended to prefer experiential spending-perhaps because the less discretionary income you have, the more any purchase will improve your quality of life. Even so, not a single segment reported being happier with their material buys.

Unlike possessions, our experiences get better with time. "We redefine and reconstrue them as we retell them, and they continue to be a part of who we are," says Van Boven. The research is scheduled to appear in the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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this is a chain mail. a chain mail. CHAIN MAIL!!!!!

Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them. Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear. Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you. What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry? If love isn't a game, why are there so many players? Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget. You can only go as far as you push! Actions speak louder than words. The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else. Don't let the past hold you back, you're missing the good stuff. Life's short. If you don't look around once in a while you might miss it. A best friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.

Some people make the world special by just being in it. Best friends are the siblings God forgot to give us. When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there. True friendship never ends. Friends are forever. Good friends are like stars....you don't always see them, but you know they are always there. Don't frown, you never know who is falling in love with your smile. Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end. Most people walk in and out of your life, but only friends leave footprints in your heart.

If u love something...let it go.
If it comes back to you its yours....
If it doesn't then it never was.
A kiss is just a kiss until u find the one you love.
A hug is just a hug,
until its from the one ur thinking of.
A dream is just a dream until u make it come true.
LOVE is just a word until its proven 2 u.

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Another Column of Mr Brown - Ah bengs, heirlooms and aphrodisiacs

strap strap strap

I think Singapore may have found a solution to our low national sex drive and low birth rate. Yes, Singaporeans need to follow the example of our northern neighbours, specifically Kelantan, and swallow. Swallow live mudskippers, I mean. And it shouldn't be the women who do it.

That's right, men, you can improve your flagging libido, your missing mojo, your ... er ... poor blood circulation by swallowing live mudskippers from Kelantan as an aphrodisiac. And you have to swallow them LIVE, Fear Factor-style. The men from the villages there swear by this fish's potency. Many of them eat four or five of the critters a day, which they catch in nearby mangrove swamps. I can imagine their wives' reactions when these men get home from work after taking side trips to the mangrove swamp. With their men full of eastern promise, like corks about to pop, their wives probably say: "Oh that fish smell on your breath! You've been eating that fish again! Too bad I have a headache!"

The report fails to mention whether the fish help the women in any way. I doubt it. Fish breath is never listed as a turn-on in women's magazines. Not in the issues I read, anyway ("Better Sex: Getting your man to share his inner fish") Next they'll be telling us that smearing live mudskippers on your face improves your complexion and gives you bigger breasts.

In Japan, Hideto Tomabechi claims to have developed a ringtone that can increase the breast size of those who listen to it. He is working on other ringtones that will improve your memory, increase your attractiveness to the opposite sex, cure hair loss and help you quit cigarettes. I am not making this up. His breast ringtone is a runaway success, as breast-challenged Japanese women (and their boyfriends and husbands) download the tune to upsize their chests.

No word on what effect it has on men's chests though. I'd put that phone on silent mode, men, if I were you. We don't want this ringtone enlarging stuff we don't want enlarged, do we? Speaking of family heirlooms, a few Hong Kongers had their family heirlooms crushed recently. Before you wince and say ouch, I meant the non-biological kind of heirloom. Not the other kind of family jewels.

Apparently, due to human error, a DBS bank in Hong Kong took 83 security deposit boxes full of valuables to a scrap yard, where they were destroyed. The contractors were supposed to dump the empty ones, but took the full ones from the bank vault instead. Haven't those guys heard of the advanced safety deposit box verification technique known as "Opening the Safe to Look Inside First"? And didn't anyone notice that the full deposit boxes seemed a little heavier than they should have?

I can feel the pain of those people as they try to explain to the bank what was in their boxes in order to claim compensation.

"Yes, that's the 25th Anniversary special edition Playboy magazine, commemorating the handover of Hong Kong. It is rare and priceless."

But how do you put a price tag on the Secret Kung Fu No-Shadow Kick manual that your ancestors passed down to you? Or the handkerchief Andy Lau blew his nose into when you attended his concert in 1991? Or the missing books of the Kama Sutra that your grandfather told you keep for the next generation ("The Missing 26th Position: Back to Back"). Without those missing books, you'd probably have to rely on some kind of course to learn how to do it. Which is why my helpful colleague, Ah Beng, sent out an email inviting friends and co-workers to a "Free talk on the Art of Love". The email said that a Love Coach would cover topics such as "Romancing the Beloved and Integral Tantra" in the free talk.

I don't think Ah Beng expected the overwhelming response to his message.

From Leonard: "I am quite concerned that you sent me this ... but if you insist, you and I must go, then you'll have to pay for me."

From me: "I feel you are trying to say something to me with this email. I know our relationship has not been that good lately, honey. We will work things out. I will take you out more often and buy you flowers, okay? Right after I get back from my vacation with my wife."

From a lady colleague: "Is this one of those tantric things that Sting does? Will there be a demo?"

From Michelle: "What's wrong with your sex life?"

From Charles: "Please take me off this list."

Ah Beng will probably think twice before he sends another email invitation ("Free talk on Live Mudskippers as Aphrodisiac"). That's what you get when you try to help others with their love lives. Wait until you lose your Ancient Chinese Love Manual in a crushed safety deposit box. Ah Beng won't be there to help salvage your love life.

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He is working on a ringtone that will help banks remember to check their safety deposit boxes before crushing them.

7th SIN - s l o t h

2004-10-03T15:41:00.000+08:00

this entry is the 7th entry which i am going to talk about the 7 sins. it will be written from a generic view, perspective, focus. as this might arouse, provoke the pinch in you. please read it as non provocative manner.*wink* what trigger me to write such a thing, you might ask. well, it all started when things in your life aren't gonna be what you least expected. it's the surprise of the surprises.

i will try to do it on weekly basis.( ayy i am busy with my work k~) And most of you know, my ink-girlish not the very powderful. so you have to ta-han with my D7 grammatic expression in words. ( then why bother to attempt it?? duh~)

Jokey Synopsis< What it is: Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Why you do it: You're shiftless, lazy, and good for nuthin'.

Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be thrown into snake pits.

Associated symbols & suchlike: Sloth is linked with the goat and the color light blue.

sloth( P ) Pronunciation Key (slôth, slth, slth)
n.
Meaning:
1) Aversion to work or exertion; laziness; indolence.

2) Any of various slow-moving, arboreal, edentate mammals of the family Bradypodidae of South and Central America, having long hooklike claws by which they hang upside down from tree branches and feeding on leaves, buds, and fruits, especially:

i) A member of the genus Bradypus, having three long-clawed toes on each forefoot. Also called ai1, three-toed sloth.

ii) A member of the genus Choloepus, having two toes on each forefoot. Also called two-toed sloth, unau.

3) A company of bears. See Synonyms at flock1.

Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said Sloth is "sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good... [it] is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw him away entirely from good deeds."

also From the Pocket Catholic Catechism:

....Sloth is the desire for ease, even at the expense of doing the known will of God. Whatever we do in life requires effort. Everything we do is to be a means of salvation. The slothful person is unwilling to do what God wants because of the effort it takes to do it. Sloth becomes a sin when it slows down and even brings to a halt the energy we must expend in using the means to salvation...

i qouted a simple event. i have a relative. god knows when it started, but the image she portrait seems to be scale more towards the lazy side. and times when she ask for my help, i try to. when i can't, i refer her to the elders. then she will said like they dislike her lah, or condemn is too strong for it. they won't help lah. when i spoke to the elders, they refer her as a lazy attitude.

just as simple thing like she won't come over to help out in the grandma's kitchen or just stay at home. by the way, she stayed close to my grandma. others will be looking at her, the attitude she portraits.

it seems to me that she does have a pessimistic personality. she also does lack of the eagerness to learn and the positive attitude. then again, does family and friends play a part to upbring this character.

sloth often associated with lazy as one of the sins that it's easily in front of most eyes. i am just plain lazy. i admit it. but the foremost life i want to pursue is not lazy but more like a wandering, worries-free. maybe idle on a un-stationary platform. i.e. to say a vagabond. but then again, this is singapore and the blood flowing in my body doesn't allow me to do so.

sometimes( or maybe most of the time) you find xiaoqiang is full of power, full of energy. that is because he can't sit still. there are so much of enthusiasim and curosity in his head. the flame of discovering new things and trying new things was eternally burning in that pig-brain of his. yet as much of learning and conquering new difficulties, i also see a sluggishness and weariness in this frame of burning torch.

not sure if this is a shortcoming. but xiaoqiang is not going to let this passiveness down. he will move on.. and on... and on.... and on.....

of all 7 sins mentioned over the past entries. they continue to live in you since the day you are born. it depends on how you look at it, and how you handle it. it then evolves to what you groom it/ them to be. but don't let these sins lead you down. afterall, you are only human. human err.