US Geniuses

AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs

Wow, if I saw a headline like that, I would be going ballistic! In fact, I am going ballistic.. These banks are the leading cause of the current GLOBAL economy crisis. All ran running to the Govt for help, got a Vampire to approve the record-setting bail-out, and look where the money's going now? US tax-payers' money!

Further evidence of a flawed bail-out: Wall St execs continue to fly around in personal jets. My gosh. This surely doesn't make a lot of sense. Billions of $s in losses, what's a little company jet expense? We're getting free money to tide us over till we start rolling in the cash again!

Article here & here.

Escape Theme Park

Have you been to Escape Theme Park? Sherm had a voucher and its the holiday promo now - $8.80 per adult. Link here.

Being a wet morning, we made the right decision to set off the instant the rain lightened, reaching the place in dry weather, with no glaring sun overhead though it was about 1-2pm by the time we started on the rides.

So the date was on, and Sherm and I set spent over 2 hours exploring the rides. I was immediately reminded of the old East Coast amusement park and various UK funfairs I attended in the years before. There were attempts to dress it up a little, and I liked how they tied the old-favourite Viking ride with the new Log-boat ride.



The Haunted II mansion was our first stop, and what a scare it was! Animatronics and lights and a particularly expressive group we entered with, made it all the more fun. I think the RCC Haunted House could pick up some tips from this. The walk-through was quite long, they made use of every space well, tight corners, dark corridors, surprises here and there, with some really creepy displays of ghastliness about. Only 3 staff were deployed at any one time, the greeter, a house-stalker, and a ghost (pontianak). Motion detectors, hydraulics and air sprays made up the rest of the scares.

The other highlight was the Go-Karts, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Having drove one a couple of laps when I was younger, I learnt then to use body weight to help the karts go around the corners faster, and this allowed me to go from 5th position to 2nd, having started in the 2nd group that was flagged off about 5 secs after the 1st 4. I'd recommend going earlier to have more chances at this when the queues are short, or go in 1s or 2s so as to be able to slip in between larger groups when the wardens ask for you, thus legally jumping the queue. Oh, and using engine brake down the long slope would probably help your position too. Another bit of advice - always anticipate idiots rear-ending you when stationary, so don't relax in your seat or you might need a neck brace.

We later tried the Viking - something that I was so afraid of when younger, that I hardly ever got on it. This was my second time on it, and I can proudly say I wasn't afraid! Unless you count knuckle-white death-grip and a reluctance to speak mid-air..

And then the double-karts - I decided that in order to really enjoy this ride, that we let Sherm take the wheel. Afterall, I drive her around everywhere all the time, so why not let her take the wheel and give me a real thrill?


In the driver's seat - Shermy!

While Sherm was cautious on the individual go-karts earlier, she really let loose on this one.. We took off quick as lightning and had a huge crash at the top of the first corner! As there was no reverse gear, we had to wait for a marshall to pull us out.


Me wanting to get out of the passenger seat after 1/2 a lap and a huge crash on the 1st uphill turn..

Because we made a clever observation regarding our choice of kart, we managed to avoid a car that stalled just after the first turn due to a mechanical failure. So after the "safety car" (read the assistants) came out to push the wreckage (the broken down kart) away, we had about 5 mins sitting under the sun to take some pics.. which we did, and the kind marshall helped us to take a lovely shot too. When the laps recommenced, Sherm then went for another 2+ laps with a maniacal grin on her face..

Worst ride was right at the door.. some space tea-cups ride. Take my advice, its really really boring..

A lovely place to go to for some old-school fun!

The Internet is for Porn!

Avenue Q's the Internet is for Porn, sung by characters from World of Warcraft..

Avenue Q, incidentally, is a play that just ended its run in Singapore. It's an adult-version of "Sesame Street" that deals with issues of the post-college set. It taught me stuff like the uses of the internet (porn), what the most stable business is in times of economic uncertainty (porn), and that when you help someone, you can't help helping yourself, and words like "schadenfreude".

And its really quite funny, many youtube videos abound, check it out!

Tropic Thunder Roars!

This is one ultra hilarious movie - its a movie about a movie about a book about.. we'll end that here due to spoilers.

But yes, it's satirical, it's rude, it's cool! It's a movie about a movie (oh I said this already..), and get this.. Robert Downey Jr acts as a white Aussie actor, a method actor (multiple-oscar winner), really serious about his acting.. who undergoes skin pigmentation procedures in order to play a black man..

Did that bite yet? Are you piqued? I certainly was! That was one of the first lines in a trailer I saw some time back that got me laughing so hard at the prospect that I just HAD to catch Tropic Thunder when it came out. And no regrets there, I was LMAO (especially after the initially slow part) for most of the movie. Jack Black also has some extremely hilarious erm, several-liners, apart from his usual duh roles.

Don't miss the start of the movie, prior to the actual movie's start, leads off with some phoney Ads and movie trailers starring the actors who will be in Tropic Thunder. Its a great and entertaining way to get a quickie background on the characters who would appear in the actual movie. Again, Robert Downey Jr's Satan's Alley trailer scored multiple points with Sherm. She proclaimed later that she'd watch it if it were a real movie.



Maybe Sherm will oblige us with an inspired review (hopes!) lol..

There are 30 billion prime numbers below 700 billion. The rest are all subprime.


- thanks to Pritpal & Ivy for forwarding this.

National Museum Trip

We took a trip to the National Museum sometime this month.. What we got out of it were a couple of cool pictures and a good look at the new old building.



We love this shot! =)




The museum's rear facade is quite a facade actually, everything looks like its meant to be larger than it is - "What is this?? A centre for ANTS!??"




Shermy imitating pop art. Or.. Mky being copycat.

The Dog

Lovely shots of my dear Jackie boy, taken by dear Shermy on her wonderful Samsung mobile phone. =)

Samsung Innov8 Photohunt '08

Shermy and I entered this contest held last Saturday at Samsung's flagship store at Vivocity. Upon finding out we were chosen as one of 28 teams for this contest, Shermy and I went down to Vivo that night to do some scouting and observing. We got maps and tried to familiarise ourselves with the layout and particular landmarks and patterns in the entire mall. In that short time however, we could only cover level 1 and a bit of level 2, leaving the rest for another day.

Come Saturday, we went early and recce'd the rest of the mall. Registration time - we found out that only the 3rd Floor Skypark would be used afterall. But our scouting was not in vain as we HAD spent some time there, even taking a window seat at Marche for lunch!

As the competition began, Sherm and I were released with 8 photos of objects to be found in the Skypark. From our starting point, we went in a clockwise direction, hitting our first objective within seconds. As we progressed, Sherm's sharp eyes and our carefully talked-over plan seemed to work, and we got the second, third and fourth objects in quick succession. The fourth in particular was one that neither of us immediately knew. A painted cross?? Shermy's brilliant mind associated it with Marche and the red painted cows outside, and voila! She had to kiss the cow's rump for the pic =)

We continued our route, jogging, even running along; we already knew the last 2 shots would be taken near the end point, so we continued for the fifth and sixth pics. At number seven, we realised the objective, a "toy" in the window of a toy store, had been switched! Nevertheless, we took a shot at where the toy was and ran for the final pic - the island of trees in front of Time Zone. And then ran back down the the 2nd floor store where we rushed through the 8 required questions with answers found within the Innov8 brochure.

All in all, we completed our quest in 15 mins flat, out of an allocated 30 mins. From our own batch (they released the teams in batches), we thought we were first back.

Our confidence was high, we were proud of ourselves. But the day was not ours to have. We ended up 9th because of a careless mistake on our part, forfeiting one of the images - the island of trees. We knew we had it.. The Innov8 was to be ours.. The eventual 2nd place winners, a pair of Uncles definitely came back after us, so could have attained 2nd or even first.

But all in all, it was a fun experience, and we resolved to take part in more such games in future. Because it made our adrenaline rush, and the competitiveness in us had a chance to shine =)

Would you like to join us next time?

938 confuses me

So my primary source of news reported this article earlier in the evening:

Updated: 9th October 2008, 1959 hrs
S&P trims NTUC Income's credit outlook

Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's says it's revised the rating outlook on Singapore-based NTUC Income to negative.

S&P previously had a stable rating on the insurer.

The revised outlook on NTUC comes on the back of the recent turmoil in the investment markets which S&P says has negatively affected NTUC Income's financial profile.

S&P also believed NTUC Income's under-performing non-life business and its lower but adequate capital level, have made a negative impact.

But S&P credit analyst Connie Wong stressed that at the moment, it's not downgrading the insruer's credit ratings.

She said, "We affirm the company's rating, basically. But however, we have a negative perspective on the company that if the company's performance deteriorates further more due to the situation and it affects the capitalisation which does not commensurate with the current rating, it can be subject to a lowering of the rating. But if they can get over the situation, the rating can be affirmed and the outlook can be reverted to stable as well."

S&P said it affirms NTUC Income's financial strength and counterparty credit ratings.

This, it said, was to reflect the insurer's strong business franchise and its satisfactory financial flexibility.

And later that night, there was this report:

Updated: 9th October 2008, 2050 hrs
NTUC Income ranks highest in S&P rating



NTUC Income ranks highest among all financial instituitions in Singapore despite the global financial turmoil.

In the latest report released by Standard and Poors, a financial rating company, NTUC Income was reaffirmed its AA rating.

Under the ratings system, a company rated ‘AA’ has a very strong capacity to meet its financial commitments.

Chief Executive of NTUC Income Tan Suee Chieh said its sound fundamentals, diversification strategy and strong governance was the key to its financial strength.

He reassured policyholders that NTUC Income will continue to be prudent and well diversified in its investments.

Makes one go hmmmmm....

Hamster in a Bottle

Taken by Shermy. A well-composed shot! Diggy, the hamster in the bottle, actually looks quite unreal. Makes for a good wallpaper. hehe

We're a Nation strong and free forevermore

SP Power tariffs raised 22%, Singtel raises fixed line charges. In a time of economic uncertainty, our government-owned companies decide that its the best time to tax the people more, indirectly of course. Directly, why, they give us tax breaks, some crap share, and road tax rebates (do they still give this?).

CTE will have 2 additional flyovers. Yay for jam-less transport. More reason for ERP gantries.

With paper losses on investments held by various organisations and companies registered from the last few months, and the short commodity-boom, I am not at all surprised that an increase in direct revenue becomes a tactic that has been recalled. Afterall, the shareholders come first. (read: Temasek, aka, Ministry of Finance, aka the gahmen). And companies need to pander to them first and foremost. The gahmen, of course supposed to pander (too strong a word, well, whatever it is they're supposed to do - listen to us? or in our case, tell us what to do) to us.

Oh surely, the pain isn't too great. It's only, what? An additional few hundred a year, a drop in the pond if you have a multi-million dollar paycheck.

Did you watch "Thank You For Not Smoking?" Its a pretty good movie and there's a certain disturbing relationship in there that I believe we might find has become alarmingly close to home.

(the) Academy of Tobacco Studies, (is) a tobacco lobby whose stated purpose is to research the links between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Unsurprisingly, the group, funded by cigarette companies, does not find any link between the two. ~Wiki

Links you might want to see:

Temasek's major stakes

Gerald Giam's blog.

Beautiful Photos of the F1 Night Race

I'm not an F1 fan. I like cars, I like racing. But I'm a MotoGP guy all the way, through and through. Bikes turn me on.

The F1 came to Singapore, and it was a big event. I must admit that I got really excited by it and come race day, I spent the evening with Shermaine's family, and it was fun (F1 Party)!

I was moved by the whole night race because I guess, even if I don't admit it, I feel a sense of pride that such a hugely popular event is being held IN Singapore, by Singapore. Must be that bit of Singaporean blood in me. The same part that felt a semblance of disappointment on hearing that JBJ had passed away.

Anyway, my dad sent me this link, which has very nice shots of the inaugural event held last weekend here, on the Little Red Dot.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th Anniversary!

Shermaine and I shared our 4th Anniversary today, the official one.

I brought her out to Ma Maison at Bugis for dinner and serenaded her with my first ever poem to her!



There are many things to celebrate this past year together. We've grown together as a couple and realised many new insights into things which we weren't privileged to as a result of seeing them as single people previously. Moving ahead, we're seeing a future together more and more, with the next step possibly within reach in due time!

I contributed a small sum to her new powerful Toshiba Qosmio F50, the rest of which she paid for, and she got me a "Pro-class" Nikko Subaru Impreza WRC 2002 radio-controlled car! Check out review here (exact same chassis, just different shell). She also got me a SPORK! Its a fork, spoon AND knife combined into 1 fully-usable utility - its my new office "tool"!

Here's to another great year ahead with Shermy!


The food at Ma Maison - taste-wise we thought it was a tad salty and were thankful for ordering a mix of different flavours. Otherwise, the Miyazaki/Ghibli-like atmosphere and window-side seat right in front of a sink/counter/hanging pots (not to mention the awesome view of a KTV across the road) offered a unique ambience in which to pretend we were back in Japan with.


When all the dishes have arrived, you are presented with this key which you have to bring to the cashier to pay with. Sherm took a rather nice shot of it, and hastily too!

Google Chrome - Google's Browser Project

Google will be launching a fresh new browser with innovations to improve popular browser architecture and processes today. This comes complete with downloadable comic to explain the differences. Take note, its only Beta right now, there will surely be some bugs to iron out before the launch version in time to come.

Link 1
Link 2

Download here.

Alternatively, use the tried, tested and proven Mozilla Firefox 3 for the best browsing experience today!
Firefox 3

Please don't tout any Microsoft stuff. I'll go open-source (though Chrome isn't entirely so) anytime!

Super-deformed Transformers?

For a long time, I kept wondering why Ironhide and Ratchet looked so terrible as toys. This blog post echoes my sentiments.



I invite you to look at these images and try as hard as you can, to imagine Ironhide's head as a glass screen. When I was young, I tried filling the screen with imaginary eyes, chromedome and fin, etc.. Man, I tell u it was hard.



Well, this latest addition to the really old toy (as in, its just been released lo..) now makes your encore Ironhide/Ratchet look somewhat like what its meant to be.


So all this while, they've been missing their HEADS! And all this while, Takaratomy never thought to fix this issue till.. now.. I pity all the traumatic little kids who made that purchase, and all the silly men who bought the Encore series (new releases, still without heads) and all the silly collectors who paid top dollar for this. All that pent up frustration. lol..

China's tops at Olympics.. or USA?

Just being nit-picky, but I always thought the most number of Golds was placed tops at any games. Am I wrong? So while searching for results online, I came across this site, and according to that site, USA is tops, although China holds the most number of Golds. Why? Because they're basing it on TOTAL number of medals won now. hmm..

Just a gripe. Singapore's never gonna be higher than 50+ ranking anyway right? Kudos to our Olympic athletes, they showed a lot of bite and spirit.

Another random rant:

Microsoft is so hard up to prove to people that they have a competitor, and that is Apple. Apple has an insignificantly small market share of abt 8% so far (from Yahoo news), and so MS feels threatened. The problem is.. there are a lot of people who don't see Apple as the competitor. Such as me.

I don't want Apple cos its freaking ex, they seem "cooler" cos of the marketing and admittedly, some of their functions are really nice (it just works), but you simply can't play good games on a Mac!

MS is afraid that Apple is gaining share of the consumer market? So am I! Is there no one else out there!? I'm all for Ubuntu and the Linux alternative, but that's gonna take ages to catch up, I feel, just cos its a whole 'nother ball-game.

Healthier as a couple

I apologise if this sounds like a gushy TMI post in advance, just wanted to share how much different it is to me, having someone like Shermy around to care for me.

Now I know what it means, to have someone "care" for you. I just finished drinking my green tea + wolfberry/red date mix today and pondered while biting into the chinese herb - this is something I don't usually take, probably wouldn't even consider taking, were it not for Sherm. She expressed concern over my dietary habits and has since been making a conscious change to it. Every weekend, we head out to the Cold Storage or Shop N Save, and pick up some items which we will both consume over the coming week. This usually includes some fruits, perhaps a few muesli bars, cereal and veggies even. Though not much, they do contribute to a healthier, more balanced diet (mine especially). This was something I never bothered with. It's good to know that someone wants to keep me healthy cos they treasure my existence. =)

Of course, the changes have manifested - I now eat most of the veggie in my favourite ban mian; my new favourite at Lau Pa Sat is actually a beef la mian, that is actually thinly-sliced beef on top of a vegetable la mian; I consume fruits and yoghurt on a regular basis now; and I always am conscious of having at least 1 veggie in my cai fan at lunch.

And so, I do my part for advertising the joys of being attached. lol.. not.

Random gush now ends.

Equilibrium (2002)

Guest reviewer Sherm:

"It's 1984 meets Brave New World, only grey, with a barren emotional landscape to replace the soma-induced wonderland that is the latter, and a running background theme of gratuitous violence (yay!). The movie takes root from the premise that human emotion is the base of all evil - remove desire, love, vengeance, hate... and one gets world peace. Equilibrium echoes Brave New World in more ways than one, questioning ideas of social control by a greater power, ostentatiously for the greater good of Mankind. Replace "Ford" with "Father", unlimited access to trippy feel-good Soma with Prozium and set it in an Asimov-esque background of technological superiority... World Peace, but at what price?

An equally enjoyable show if appreciated as a trashy action flick (gun kata: the idea is novel, actual realistic applicability doubtful, but gosh i wanna learn it if i can look as cool!), and a must-watch for all Christian Bale fans!"

***** ***** ***** *****

This movie is known for having one of the top number of body counts by a single character:
Cleric John Preston killed 118 in the movie.

After Shoot'em Up (Smith at 141), his status has been reduced to third place, with the Japanese chambara flick Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974) taking top spot at 150.

Interesting film trivia. =)

Movie Body Counts
Wiki link for Equilibrium


The Grammaton Clerics are watching you...

Why So Serious? - The Dark Knight

Have you watched the Dark Knight yet? Awesomely gripping show.. More action-packed and breath-holding than the Batman Begins (which was pretty good too), and even darker (if you thought Batman Begins was dark). Taking some thematic elements from the Long Halloween comic series, the story focuses more on the tri-party relationship of Bats, James Gordon and Harvey Dent, how Two-Face came about, and linked in its entirety by the lunatic criminalities of The Joker.

When I heard Heath Ledger was The Joker, I had quite a few misgivings, but watching the actor take on the role and humanly personifying the Joker, I could think of no better actor than he to play it. Many comments I heard prior to watching the show included "Joker made the show", "Heath Ledger will win a posthumous Oscar nomination", "Its good". And.. they are all true.


The BatPod, aka the Bat Bike, was a let-down. The posters showed the underside of it, somewhat impressive, its actual appearance revealed 2 giant wheels with guns, held together by a tiny frame and a man on it. Meh.. BUT.. the upcoming Bandai Batpod looks really good! What does that mean tho - the design works better as a toy than a "real" thing? hmph..

(the engines are IN the wheels by the way..)

Sherm and I will be watching it again soon, having read up a little more on it, to catch the nuances, and for me, the proper Jokerisms. Yea, its that good.

Dark Knight Review
Dark Knight Figure/Batpod by Bandai here.

Chicken Rice Company Chicken Rice REVIEWED

Edited on 23 July:

The Chicken Rice Company's Chicken Rice (CRC)... isn't very nice.
Well.. it wasn't anything fantastic or anything to shout about. I was more appalled by the portion or the choice of part that I was given. The serving consisted of 1 plate of rice, 1 separate plate of chicken pieces on top of tow gay and achar on the side.

The rice was fine, the chicken... was a single wing. All 3 pieces of one wing (the middle part with 2 bones was cut in half to make 2 parts..). Picking up your plate of chicken rice and doing a double-take when you realise your chicken rice's chicken came in just 3 pieces.. I walked away wondering.. maybe its cos I got the 'All About Food' deal, so they budgeted a bit, gave less chicken.. forgivable.. but its a promotion.. you don't promote your food by giving.. 3 parts..?

I commenced on the meal.. and after finishing, I still can't see how Sakura chicken rice is any better. Maybe less tasty? More lean? Less skin/fat? Possibly healthy choice? I had a slight MSG attack after the meal though.

I'll tell you, that the 3 measly pieces of chicken still bothered me. Yes I like rice, but I don't eat a meal consisting of just rice and 3 pieces of a wing. And oh yea, the tow gay wasn't very tasty at all. Not at all. Neither was the soup.

For a shop that frowns on eating the white chicken with dark sauce (as heard on the radio - that's what soy sauce chicken is for), I expected the dish to be something astounding, but I definitely needed dark sauce - in the chicken, the veggie AND the soup. And did I mention I had only 3 countable pieces of chicken to feast on?

I'm sorry, CRC Chicken Rice got the thumbs-down, I regret putting this offer on my blog without trying it first.

Now - Anyone knows where my favourite China Square chicken rice ($3.50 for huge tasty/saucy serving + tow gay and chicken soup - soup has meat in there equivalent of the CRC Chicken serving) went? The stall was originally in the building that's now under renovation, at the basement corner, near the male toilets entrance. Please let me know!! THAT'S chicken rice to order..

One-for-one Sakura Chicken Rice this week only - $3.80 for 2 plates of Chicken rice, only for All About Food listeners. Just say "All About Food" when you order to claim the deal.

The 2 branches are at Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre.

Links:
The Chicken Rice Company
Interview with 938 Live.

Miyagi

Some months ago, Sherm and I purchased a pair of hamsters which we initially thought were of the same litter but found out soon after that Miyagi (aptly named) was the older, thus was the one who was more in control of Diggy, and apparently bullied him. We separated them because of the conflict and although Miyagi was initially with Shermy, she couldn't seem to contain him in the new cage that I bought. Ever the escape artist, Sherm nicknamed him Hizbollah Hammy after his 3 escapades.

I ended up with Miyagi as the cage I built seemed more escape-proof. He's been at the foot of my bed everyday. Always waking up with me in the mornings for his first feeding of the day, and when I arrive back home in the late afternoons/night for his second one. My sis would pop by some nights to disturb him, or play with him, and my dad would check on him everyday and report his activities to me - either slept all day, or ran his wheel a lot. And run his wheel he did; he was very fast! And he never made the silly Hammy mistake of letting the wheel do a loop de loop on him - he always knew to slow the wheel down before stopping or getting off.

The favourite thing to do, Sherm discovered this, is to feed him one of the flavoured chew-bite thingys. Just give him one of those over-sized chew things and see him lift it in his open mouth, running around and around his cage as though "Look at me, I've got a prize! I've got a prize! See See!" oops.. dropped it. Pick it up again and wheee around and around. He could do this for a good 5 mins before finally starting on the meal. >_<

He was the cleaner of the two hamsters, by far. He pee'd in the sandbox and hid his food safely in his house or in a corner of the sandbox, always making sure to cover it with bedding so I wouldn't steal it. And he never smelled bad nor did he dirty his wheel, unlike Diggy. He was however, always looking unsatisfied in his house. He always wanted to escape or look "over the edge".

Well, one morning recently, I woke up and was a little surprised as to why Mi wasn't awake as usual, looking excited for breakfast. I checked on him quietly and he looked like he was still sleeping, there was slight movement from his inert form, so I had thought he just exhausted himself that night on his wheel. I came back that afternoon to find him still in the same spot. Lifeless and cold.

Sherm and I gave him a burial fitting of the escape artist, in the corner of my garden trough, he has gone on to his heavenly escapades. I was quite shocked as to how his life came to such an abrupt end, it seemed so short. He was ever the vigorous and zesty one. Our grief lasted several days, aided by a quick cleanup and full attention on Diggy.

The previous night, I had a dream - I had Diggy in my hands and I decided to put him in what I thought was a hamster cage. I turned away to do other stuff and when I looked back, I realised in alarm that the occupant of that cage wasn't a hamster but an orange-banded tarantula! I saw, in horror, as the tarantula leaned over in slow-mo and bit the distracted Diggy on his neck, and the hamster then went limp. I remember shouting in exasperation in the dream, waking myself up, unable to sleep for a good 1/2 hour after that.

And I can't believe how affected I am by his death. This little hamster that was close to me for so few months. I'm already thinking of another 2 hamsters to replace Mi, after I'm done making the cage more fun with a new tube-setup. Hamsters are replaceable that way, but they do leave little hamster pawprints in your heart.

Mky Commenced

Sherm had her Commencement ceremony today. She has officially graduated from NUS, and as a Mitsui- Toatsu Award winner too - top Japanese Studies student for the year! Congratulations Shermy!

Ah, to be a student once more, the care-free life, the adventures, the freedom. I've begun to realise just exactly what that sentiment means, though it doesn't necessarily imply where we are today isn't any worse off. =)

The mortar-board & gown wearing students were charged with going out and making their mark in the world; I'm sure Shermy will leave her pawprint in the civil service just as she did at NUS.

Incidentally, Effendy had his ceremony the same day, albeit in the evening. On to the PhD eh old chap? And luaus, grass-skirts and ugly floral-print shirts along the way!

SVDP Food & Fun Fair '08

Sherm attended her 1st church food & fun fair this Sunday. My mom was selling her famous prawn noodle soup, about 3x more than her normal quota for canteen duty, so she had asked for help and Sherm gladly agreed. That Saturday evening, we got the required materials for putting up signage, and spent some time making 2 really good (IMHO) and cute signs.
Sherm and I are quite proud of it, and the comments that were passed about them from others were positive and affirmative. We discovered that Sherm is also quite a good sales person, instantly mingling with the customers and offering them something to suit their preferences at the expense of her effort. hehe, both my parents and I were quite proud of her. =)
Later in the day, when the prawn stall was winding down, we went to check out the Regina Coeli Choir's much talked-about Horror House! Some days prior, I had helped a little in the structural construction, and received a generally good feeling when I saw the younger members of the choir happily and quite productively putting the house together. Led by Mark, Mike and Jon, and having discussed ideas with several members of the choir, the Horror House itself was quite creepy. This was evident when I led some tours into the entrance and some of these were stalled at the first door which opens into complete darkness. Moreover, entire groups would come running back out minutes later, some crying. Does that tell you how creepy it was? Kudos to the RCC actors, and the wailing sopranos too!

Pics soon! (Although no pics of the horror house from me =( )

Congrats to P. Singh

This pic won a new camera stand for P. Singh. The winning picture is also the first one displayed in the winners' page. I feel awfully proud of the dude. =)

Check out the winners' page here.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

This is an absolutely, HILARIOUS movie! I'm surprised, cos its, u noe.. Adam Sandler. He's done the underdog routine so often its no longer funny (observed by Sherm), but he's no underdog this time round. The movie's rude, it's politically incorrect, and it actually carries a message!
In the Zohan, Sandler puts on an Isreali accent, has a new hair-do (the Avalon!), picks up a tan and plays the role of a super counter-terrorist Zohan, whose inner passion is actually hair (to make it "Silky Smooth") - albeit from an outdated Paul Mitchell's compendium. ;-_-;
Sherm and I were laughing our guts out; the movie was well-paced, there was lots of action and hilarity, ridiculousness aplenty, and lots of gyrating! Admittedly, the bingbangboom with the elderly ladies tended to get a bit much after a while, but the movie as a whole is so awesomely funny, we could easily overlook that. Keep your eye out for multiple cameos throughout the movie, and amazingly, Rob Schneider actually has a proper role this time (and it ain't no gigolo).
Must watch! Highly recommended!

More on ERP gantries

In Malaysia, Govt decides to relax fuel subsidies, price of oil rises to just under market rate. Perfectly logical, no govt can sustain such subsidies even in the short-term. Result - opposition leads masses in large-scale protests.

In Singapore, LTA (the govt itself) decides to raise ERP gantry prices ($2 to $3 is a 50% increase ;)) AND will be adding additional gantries to ease congestion in town cos speeds are under "desired" 20km/h (not to say it affects the well-being of the people - we ALL know its a money-making scam by now). Oh oh! and Saturdays are now considered peak hour periods too, a lot of people go to town on weekends, so must tax la! Not sure if anyone's complaining, it IS the CBD, jams ARE expected at peak hours (even Saturdays, Sundays are next I bet); are we expecting a peak-hour 40-60km/h drive there? Is anybody going to raise this issue to the Govt? Will there be large-scale protests? I'm not advocating it, I'm just making a comparison.

And whether the conveniently placed article in today's morning edition of Today, which reports how much better/efficient the public transport system is, is just a coincidence or not is anybody's guess. This simply means, we CAN'T raise the issue, because the alternative is made to be more attractive. Take PT or give in to PAPitalism.

Edit: Oh and let's not forget the poor souls who thought they could afford call-hiring cabs at peak hour to get out of CBD. If I'm not wrong, getting OUT of that zone has just become gantry-taxed too! It's time for a NEW CBD to form, OUTSIDE the old one! lol

Shermy Gold - the Winning Entry

Shermaine took part in Gold 90.5's Citibank Gourmet Pleasures Gold Food Review SMS Contest some weeks ago. Listeners were invited to send in a food review of any dining experience they have had, and I think the theme was Japanese that day. Shermaine promptly hammered an entry on her nondescript mobile phone and after a short while, received an sms reply from Hamish telling her that she won!

Sherm's winning entry:

When it comes to japanese food, it's gotta be Nara at Goldhill Centre. don't let the mysterious names of the courses put you off, but let the scrumptious food do the talking! The sashimi is always impeccably fresh, succulent and well-sliced. Thick enough for a luxurious mouthful when complimented with a daub of the excellent shoyu provided, a real sensory explosion! No tough sinews or limp fish here! California maki deserves praise too, stuffed to bursting point with tasty tamago and more, it's lifted from plain good to the realm of sublime from the deft addition of ground tea leaves as a topping. Savour each bite, intense but with a clean fragrant finishing note from the tea leaves - dangerously addictive. It's Nara for me!

Congrats Shermy! Well-written, and hunger-pang inducing! =D

Omakase

This post is long overdue. Shermy took me out for dinner on my birthday in April. We settled on Nara Japanese Restaurant cos it was part of our UOB credit card discounted places. It was a small restaurant with what Sherm termed as a very japanese place - including the use of space-maximising architecture.

One of the reasons I wanted to come here was cos of the long bar they had.. very otaku of me I suppose. Anyway, I looked at the menu and was stumped as to what to order. There was so much variety and of course, I couldn't tell for instance, one fish from another.

At the back of the menu, I saw - "the Dinner set". And immediately decided on that! Listed on it were generally titled "fried dish" ,"steamed dish" etc, if I remember correctly, about 6-7 items. And cos no specifics were given, I guessed it depended on what the chef's preference was that evening, thus omakase. Sherm chose the ladies' set and thus commenced our evening of indulgence.

What followed was a seemingly endless stream of food.. from the appetizer,

the fantastic cold tofu with pitan sauce for me, the awesome triptych of different taste and sensory experiences for yours! spicy wasabi octopus, smooth and rich monkfish liver, and salty seaweed salad!! =9
~Shermy

to the thick slices of raw fish (which sherm specified which 3 types we preferred - salmon, mekajiki and kanpachi - to the fish gindara saikyoyaki (cod grilled with miso paste) - the BEST COD EVER -, to the tempura mix, and then the sushi (the California maki is TO DIE FOR! Who ever thought of using green tea leaves to give it such a fragrance) and then the miso soup/ unagi chawanmushi, and finally ice-cream macha dessert. And on top of it all, good japanese beer to wash it all down, woot!

We learned in the end that if you ordered sets, you wouldn't get the UOB discount, but after that feast, we didn't really care, it was ALL WORTH IT~! Even the food from the ladies' set, seemingly 1 tier lower than the dinner set, was delicious, both sets complemented each other since the Ladies' set had a fried veggie dish while the Dinner set came with the tempura. Not to say the other dishes were the same, apart from our specified choice of sushi, the raw fish and the soup/chawanmushi, everything else was different. Highly recommended experience!

Thanks Shermy for the birthday dinner, it was a great treat!

Unfortunately it was dark, and my Samsungmobile cam couldn't get a decent shot of the food, so there's no accompanying pictures for this delicious entry.


Nara Japanese Restaurant
167 Thomson Road
Goldhill Centre
6256 6568

Overkill - by Prit

Love the geometry in this shot - you made a rectangle with a tripod and had squares patterns overlap in differing sizes!

Awesome shot by my buddy Pritpal. He's using this shot to take part in a competition. If you appreciate it and have something nice to say about it, do log in to your Flickr account and add a comment, fave it even.

Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - is a complete waste of time. What was Steven Spielberg thinking? How could they take a series of classic adventure movies involving mythical lore and ancient culture along with an intrepid archaeologist who happens to be an adventurer, several hot women and his father, and turn it into an.... ALIEN movie.....???

We're not talking abt forgivable alien movies like Aliens vs Predator, or Signs, or even Mars Attacks. You already knew there were gonna be aliens in those. We're talking kitschy flying-saucer, elongated medula-oblongatas made to look like they're transparent plastic constructs with cling-wrap stuff inside.. in a movie that has established itself to be about a rebellious archaeologist/adventurer toting a fedora and whip, who opposes Nazis at every turn and always manages to get away! Oh the sacrilege!!

I'd rather sit at home and watch ALL the previous movies on DVD every 10 years or so, than let them come out with a long-awaited episode, only to find out that they completely screwed the fans and the franchise over to make a silly (its not even a smart one) alien movie! I wanted to watch an Indiana Jones movie gawddammit - not an alien movie!! I felt so cheated!! Laudable mention to Spielberg for giving an early warning in the first scene, when the alien coffin was revealed with the words 'Roswell' on it.. "Step out of the cinema now, before your image of Indiana Jones is completely crushed and trampled on!"

Feeling nostalgic about an 80's movie set in the 30's-40's and feeling nostalgic abt said movie suddenly set in the 50's (the cold war, I like Ike references, bomber jackets and Marlon Brando bikers) is a very very different thing. Even the billy bomber's cafe scene looked more like it came out of an American-retro musical than anything resembling a movie.

I can go on about Cate Blanchett and her inconsistent accent, the humongous plot holes, as well as an incompetence regarding plausible physics (standing on the outside-edge of a vortex does not mean you're immune to the centrifugal forces), or disregard for Mayan/Peruvian culture (other than being Russian cannon fodder), or even Harrison Ford's unsuccessful attempt to replicate his patented "Indy Jones' grimace" because his aged cheeks are now quite obviously botox'd. Oops, I guess I did.

Only thing going for this overly-long movie (2.5 hrs?) is the Indiana Jones' theme song - The Raider's March -, several cave-running moments that did bring back the old Indy, and Shia LaBeouf made up as Marlon Brando from The Wild Ones (not even Indy related).

*thinks a few moments*


yup, nothing much else worth watching it for. Downright TERRIBLE.

Poor Shermy, her 1st X-men movie was part 3, and her first Indy movie was this. Along with Star Wars Episode 1, these are all lousy endings to excellent classics, and terrible introductions to people who want to find out about them.

Lucas and Spielberg are now officially TEH SUX big-time.

Broadway Beng 3

ok, I know this comes QUITE late.. but I caught Broadway Beng 3 on Mother's Day with the parents and Shermy, and I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! HIGHLY HIGHLY!
The run ends on 18th May (it has already been twice extended I think), and I'm unsure how many tickets are left due to its popularity.
What is it about? About an Ah-Beng who does Broadway songs lor.. You should have a basic understanding of Hokkien and perhaps know Lion King & Sound of Music for this instalment. Well, even if you don't know SoM, Ah-Pui there will explain it to you.. in 10 mins.. extremely comically.. with back-up dancers.. lol..
I've never seen Shermy laugh so uncontrollably before and the best bit came when Ah-Pui waved at the audience (after his encore), and dear Shermy actually put her hand up and waved back... wahahaha!
So yes, bring your momma and papa, and go watch Broadway Beng, we don't know if there'll be a part 4!

Strawberry Cookies

Shermy finally got an off day allowing her to get back into baking! On Sunday, she whipped up a batch of Strawberry Cookies (I helped in punching out the shapes! and making the expressions.. -_-;;) which turned out great! She recalls my mom's advice to her - to leave the cookies to stand out of the oven, allowing them to harden - rather than bake em till they dry out - and voila! it worked! Perfect strawberry cookies..




And these pictures were taken by Sherm using my infamously blur Samsung camera phone.. while in a moving van.. and they look so clear lo... compared to my own attempts at taking pics of the zoids. sigh..

Zoids Assembly Line: Dibison

The Zoid was designed with a single intention, and that was to fight the massive Death Saurer that had so far dominated the Helic Forces. To achieve this, the designers loaded it with one of the heaviest weapons loads ever seen on a Zoid. The Dibison's principal weapons are an array of seventeen 105mm mortars mounted on its back. Long-ranged and capable of indirect fire, the weapons can be used to saturate an area or focus on a single target.

Additionally, the Dibison's super-heavy Crusher horns are one of only a few weapons capable of penetrating a Death Saurer's armour, while its Crusher Hooves can be used to trample enemy Zoids underfoot. While not very agile, its speed and mass allow it to effectively charge down enemy Zoids. The Dibison's armour is very thick, allowing it to wade through enemy fire. Finally, the Zoid is fitted with an extensive sensory system, allowing it to detect and engage enemy Zoids at long range.

~ Wiki

I picked up the Dibison after Shermy got the notice on the forums about it being in the discount bin ($19.90 only!). It was very easy to build, having few sprues. The Dibison is the first Zoid I've built that comes with die-cast metal parts - the horns and hooves), which makes this a rather unique Zoid. As you can see, the metal-bits along with the awesome array of mortar cannons make it a very impressive-looking unit.

I really should get my own digital camera so I can take proper macro shots. These pictures don't show the detailing that I've put into the model.. Dibison's the first kit that I actually spray-painted. Initially, I applied matte top-coat with the intention of smoothening the surface for decal-ing, but ended up "spraying dust" (so it appeared) onto the surface. To solve the problem, I applied a thin layer of gunmetal so i had a new surface to work on, the decals added a whole new dimension, and the Zoid was birthed. =)




And with the completion of the Dibison, I've now begun work on the Berserk Furher, one of the most complex to build.. Time for some Dino-loving! Watch this space for completed pics!

Wubi update

hehehe... From my Wubi experience - This is a screenshot of the Cube (a function of Compiz - 3-D desktop manager - 4 desktops with different programs on each), edited on the Gimp photo-editing tool, while playing Rhythmbox online radio (apparently a program better than i-tunes but had an internal problem tht needed a restart as I typed =P). Apart from Compiz which is an advanced add-on of the default animated graphics, the other programs are all included in Ubuntu's "Hardy Heron" version (which incidentally took 20+ mins to completely install, problem-free). I love that if I want something, I just have to find it on Synaptic Package Manager, download it and voila, its installed. I've even installed the Linux version of Quake 3 Arena, but have yet to test it.

Main failure so far is inability to run CoX properly. I can get the game started (with the help of Wine), log in, but I can't see the game-world at all, only the menus, map locations, etcetc. Not sure if its cos I run an ATI Radeon X1300 video card, AMD supposedly doesn't provide open-source versions of its driver, so its well-known to be quite buggy. Actually, even in Windows, my graphics weren't entirely optimal, optimally configuring CoX was a chore. Word to video-card buyers - stick to Nvidia!
Anyway, after the initial test and reading forums, I've decided to run 2 OS's: Win Xp for games, and Linux for everything else. Need a second HDD tho, current one's too small.. Maybe I can finally move my music back to my pc..

I will port Ubuntu over as the default OS for my parents' Dell, that should keep it virus-free, since they don't run complex games like CoX, it should work great for them - keep 'em safe and problem-free. Entirely recommended for the safety of PCs the world over - you won't need to run your anti-virus/spyware programs as religiously, if ever (so they say).

Update: Installing Ubuntu (not the Wubi method) on my parents' PC has proven to be quite troublesome. I have burned 3 ISOs so far (warning, burn them at low speeds to avoid disk-read problems), and had some problems with installation not reading SATA disks (solved by hitting F6 at installation menu and adding "all_generic_ide" to the optional line), only to be hit with a disk-read error.. I burned a new slow-burn ISO last nite before taking a break, will try again tmr. Inadvertently, I managed to run the Ubuntu Live CD - you can test out the Ubuntu OS without having to install it by booting with the CD.

Second update: 06 May '08 - Still encountering similar error whether I run Wubi or Ubuntu installation. Reckon its related to the SATA problem faced previously. 2nd reason could be the integrity of downloaded ISO causing problems. As a result, I've requested for a free-of-charge Ubuntu 8.04 Installation CD to be sent via snail mail. This should take 4-10 weeks to arrive. As you may guess, these delays have dampened my enthusiasm a tad further, though my own PC's Wubi still works great.

Shermy Gold!

HAHA! Congrats to Sherm! She just won an sms food review competition on Gold 90.5 FM! =D More makans (sic) ahead!

Will post her review on Nara Japanese Restaurant and my birthday experience there once I get my hands on it!

Software Evolution: Wubi for me!

Ever since uni and the discovery of Firefox, I've been somewhat into open-source applications found online, testing, sourcing, removing. So it came as no surprise that in my search, I started wondering "what is Linux?". In time, my reading up drew me to Ubuntu, an easy to use distro of the Linux core (which is arguably the best/free programming core out there). I'll leave the techies to explain pros n cons etc, in lay-man's terms - its free, its safe and its cool!

Ubuntu is an operating system that includes a lot of free and open source applications and uses Linux as its core. Linux is like this amazing solar-powered engine that can be used in a street car, in a F1 or it can be daisy chained to drive a truck or an airplane. Ubuntu is like a car using the Linux engine, a zero emission, fully accessorised and easy to drive all-terrain, with power, acceleration and looks matching far more expensive supercars... Imagine something like that... ...for free.

~Wubi FAQ

With such a boast to live up to, how could I resist? So I've been toying with getting an old PC or a spare hard-disk for this project when I stumbled upon Wubi, a version of Ubuntu that allows Windows users to simply install it like a regular program within the Windows O/S! Removing it can be done under "Add/Remove Programs" as well! That sounded like my time had arrived - I can run BOTH Win XP and Ubuntu to get the best of both worlds!

N.B: by the time I got started, version 8.04 of Ubuntu had already merged Wubi with Ubuntu, so I guess my research was a little slow.. >.< (this happens to be today by the way)..

The Ubuntu Philosophy:

1. Every computer user should have the freedom to download, run, copy, distribute, study, share, change and improve their software for any purpose, without paying licensing fees.
2. Every computer user should be able to use their software in the language of their choice.
3. Every computer user should be given every opportunity to use software, even if they work under a disability.

So I've installed the O/S already, and its been EASY so far, click, click, click. I've yet to use all the pre-installed applications due to time constraints, but I will in the next few days. One word of advice, try to do a disk defrag before installing, it should make accessing your HDDs faster (this being the con to not installing the O/S on a specially partitioned drive).

Here's a list of Ubuntu equivalents of Windows applications. As you can see, they've got everything covered. Are they better or worse? With my experience with Open-Office some years back, I'll say that its probably just a matter of getting used to it. Also, the bells and whistles will be different, but hey, if its in your cup of tea, keep it, if not, toss it. No harm done. =)

And if programming language floats your boat, you can try picking up the code and see if it makes sense, if you haven't already.

Downside of all this is - Gaming. The programming architecture of games just makes porting over Windows-based games to Linux troublesome. Even with the use of aids like Wine only offers semblance of a proper gaming experience. This will be the deal-break for me - if I can't get my Windows games working properly on Ubuntu, then I will always have to have 2 O/S within my PC. More on this in future.


Links:

- Ubuntu Guide here. Tends to be a bit confusing at first, but once you install Wubi, and realise actually how easy and normal it is, this guide becomes readable. =)
- Download Wubi now!

29th Birthday Present

Some years ago, I played a game called Final Fantasy VII. In the years after, I sought a certain picture of Cloud Strife astride his bike (apparently called the Hardy Daytona) but without much luck. In truth, I only found the image emblazoned on some weird anime hanging screen which I wasn't keen to spend $20 on then.

Then came Advent Children, and the Fenrir became the next objective to have. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to purchase the toy when it was launched; AC's version of Cloud and Fenrir bike just didn't match up.

Who would have known, on my 29th birthday, I will be presented with the freshly-launched Cloud and the Hardy Daytona, the exactly sought-after item, from none other than my church buddies (thanks Psyko, for sharing the passion).

This is it:


And this is the Fenrir:


And this is mine, pic courtesy of Psyko:

More pics of Diggy!

Miyagi has been shipped off to Sherm's house as of Sunday. I have one less cage to take care of, and don't have to divide my attention between 2 hammies now.

Here're some pics of the little one from Sis' camera today:



Diggy in all his kaypoh glory!


Being mysterious and elusive (actually he's just camera-shy)


Hamster in a bottle! "Don't rub me the wrong way.." so obligingly posed for my favourite "Hamster in a bottle" position. =)


Diggy's dig - his newly-converted penthouse. Comes with removable bath (opposed to an attached bath), feeding dish, multi-coloured pipe/tube/stair, wooden shelter, and all purpose wheel (not only does he run on it, he pees and poops on it too..).

Just wanted to say here that I did not approve of the colours, Miyagi's strictly green and orange + natural colours is my choice. Garish primary colours clash bright bright is Sherm's. But ok la, quite cute too. =p

Introducing: Diggy & Miyagi

I've been busy. Shermy and I recently adopted 2 Campbell dwarf hamsters from the Pet Village in Serangoon Gardens. We named them Diggy & Miyagi and they're currently residing in my house. Initially we wanted them to be housed together since they were from the same enclosure at the shop, but our noobness and their character differences just made it impossible for a day to go by without poor little Diggy letting out squeals of anguish several times throughout the day.

Diggy, the younger one, is a greedy little hoarder. He camps by the food dish at meal-times or when he hears the crinkling of the food bag so he'll be the first to stuff his cheek-pouches with the preferred seeds from the mixed-grain feed that I provide them 2x a day. Miyagi on the other hand tends to take his time, going to the food dish only when he has tired himself out on the wheel or after his naps. He's also rather picky, eating only the choicest grains from the dish and tossing aside the rice grains (I think) that make up the staple of their diet. The problem as you can see, is that Diggy has already taken the best stuff, and Miyagi ends up being starved. Fights break out when he spies Diggy pulling out a tasty morsel for makan and tries to steal it from him. A hungry Miyagi eventually became de-energized and crabby, tending to bully Diggy whenever he was caught unaware.

Thus often we'll hear poor Diggy squealing. This usually means we'll find him on his back, paws in the air, appearing to bemoan his lot in his short 2-year lifespan. Sherm terms this the "iyada" position a.k.a. - whine whine -

As such, they were eventually separated into 2 cages and there they've live somewhat happily so far.


This is Diggy, he's quite photogenic isn't he? Sleeping in his toilet roll tube with just his head sticking out. awww... =)


This is Miyagi leaving the food dish. He's not usually so fast, but I think he was trying to avoid getting his picture taken by Sherm. He's also not very friendly then. Come to think of it, he's still not very now.. Actually from the white underbelly fur, this may very well be Diggy..


Well, this is Miyagi for sure, he loved the wheel (he's tending toward the lazy side these days). Was always trying to set faster run-on-the-spot records while he was still living with Diggy. Showoff..


Note: Apologies for the fuzzy pictures, I'm still using Samsung mobile to take pics, will get clearer pics in future.

Deaf/Mute & Biking round the world

I met this biker yesterday, his name is Yarets and he's attempting to set a Guinness Book of Records for a round-the-world trip on a bike by a deaf/mute. He's hit 40 countries so far (maybe more), and he started in 2000.

He's currently parked outside Paradiz Centre where he's taken up a wall outside of Guardian Pharmacy to display his pictures and words. I enjoyed gesticulating to him and him with his large motions, very successfully expressing what he's accomplished thus far. I'm especially impressed that he encircled Australia and took the longest straight road in Australia (the desert) at "breakneck speed" (he described the speedometer's needle as having gone a full circle and more lol)!

I love his spirit and enthusiasm, and I love what he stands for. Please do give him a visit if you can and some support to keep him going. He's headed for the rest of South-East Asia next. I think he might miss the Beijing games lol..

Check out his website here. Where his pictures speak volumes.

Yoshoku

Check out Yoshoku article in IHT! Sherm's and my favourite! =D~ You should listen to Shermy articulate about all these delicious things. We're lucky that Singaporeans embrace this kind of food. We go to that Yoshoku place at Bugis next!

FTI's Trader's Insight: Lesson about Human Nature

Taken from FTI's thread entitled "Technical Analysis Fallacy"

A Lesson about Human Nature.
The Turtle and the Scorpion.
------------------------------------------------------------

Once upon a time, LONG LONG ago in China
There was this scorpion, who wanted to cross a river.
Since he could not swim, he waited along the river banks for someone who could.
Along came a turtle, and the scorpion promptly asked if the turtle would give him a ride across.

The turtle quickly replied, NO, NO, NO.
Why? The scorpion asked.
The trutle replied, because you will sting me while I am carrying you across.
The scorpion replied, If I did that, then we would both drown
and What would I benefit from that? he asked.

Accepting the scorpions reasoning, the turtle agreed to give the scorpion a ride across.
While half way across the river, as the waters became choppy.
and the ride became rough, the scorpion stung the turtle.
And as the turtle was drowning, he asked the scorpion why he did it.
Now they will both drown.

The scorpion replied,
I am so very sorry, I couldn't help myself from doing it.
You see, ITS MY NATURE,

---END---


What it means:

The lesson my dad taught me was about the human self-destructive nature.
Thats why we smoke.
Thats why we drink.
Thats why we take drugs and medicine (poison)
Thats why we lov to lov chicks that are naughty.
and thats why most people get killed in markets.

He was not a Forex trader , he was a business man , but he knew the consequences of the human nature.

You see mankind loves to destroy, its easier and their nature.
We destroy so that we can rebuild.

Many traders harbour this self-destructive mechanism, in their subconscious .
even lots of dealers. It's an urge, thingy, something that you cannot scratch.

The fact that most traders are successful in life, otherwise they wouldn't have the capital to trade, works against them. Because they would through their successes have developed a kind of confidence about themselves. When this confidence is carried into positions in markets, it tend to work to their detriment , esp when the view is erroneous. But not unlike Warren Buffet, it can also work in their favour, the prerequisite is close to unlimited capitalisation.

My parents... one has irresponsible email-spamming habits, and the other is semi-knowledgeable about smsing.. let's just say a little knowledge is quite dangerous to have.

Just Arrived: Hot Rod & Starscream Revvies!

Pre-ordered Hot Rodimus (Revoltech Yamaguchi Series No 47) some weeks ago, and they've finally arrived! Thanks to Psyko, I also added Starscream (No 46) into my purchase. I was vascillating between buying and not, and gave in to just the Hot Rod initially, but after stewing for these couple of weeks, I just HAD to get Starscream too, he's such an iconic Decepticon!
Enjoy!

MSG, the secret behind the savour

Article in NY Times about my bane: MSG. I confess, I love the products made with it.. but too much.. sigh. Another thing to balance in my life.

Zoids: Sabre Tiger

I'm pretty excited about an order I've made for the soon-to-be-released Kotobukiya HMM Sabre Tiger. Didn't understand why people in the forums had issues with how it looked. See for yourself:

From Zoids: Chaotic Century - Raven's Zaber Fang

Beautiful ain't it? I doubt I'll be able to get MINE to that standard, but I'll try! My level of model-kit making is only limited to cleaning burrs and nips and panel-lining (with pencil) so far. But I intend to go into spray-painting before I start on this kit.

Ya.. so this is my new-found hobby.. model-kitting.. I'm such a nerd la.

Make Your Money Work For You

How much do you really know about what to do with your money?

Here's a good article from Yahoo! Finance that explains essentially that "investments" are

- Saving
- Retirement planning
- Speculation

and then proceeds to give a better overview of the categories for you to better make financial decisions.

More Revoltech

You all may know Inoue Toro, the Sony Cat..


He's cute, he's inane and he has no fingers. Shermy has one in her office and it's cracking up her office ppl with his daily caricatures and silly faces. I almost wish I had one.. but nah.. I like A LOT of the other stuff you see at Collection DX, which is where these pics are from incidentally. The Revoltech line of toys by Kaiyodo is simply great value for money, it looks and feels good, its almost fully articulated and very very poseable!




And then I stumbled on THIS image of Toro combined with Saber (another Revoltech which I'm sure cosplayers among u will recognise).. which really cracked me up!

What an interesting concept - a junior school that inculcates financial education, seemingly the most important principle advocated at this school.
Investing Joins 3 R's at Unusual School - taken off Yahoo Finance.

Ariel Community Academy

Let's Revoltech!

Disclaimer: Movie Versions of 'Super Valkyrie VF-1 A Ichijo Hikaru' and 'Strike Valkyrie VF-1 S Roy Fokker' are from Kaiyodo Revoltech line of products.

Shermy's 24th Birthday Tea Party

Sherm celebrated her 24th birthday on 23rd Feb - Happy Birthday! I organised her friends and my friends who were also her friends for a little gathering at my place that Saturday afternoon, and it was great!



The big problem I had to get over during this entire time was - to have alcohol or not. Cos I was more used to organising drinking things and drinking parties (or being in them and doing what had to be done), and it took me quite a while to get used to the idea that there was NO alcohol. Strange but true..
So it probably helped that most people knew everyone else, and things got rolling pretty fast - especially since my mom's Bacardi was available for those who desired it.

The highlight of the day was taking my two dogs, October and Jackie out for a walk.. with the whole group of us as the entourage. Yes, everyone got a turn to hold the leash.. And who should show up but Eastpaw in his driving shades looking all cool.. only to drive right by the correct entryway and disappear for the next 5 mins in my sprawling estate that is Seletar Hills. He eventually got to the party and proceeded with a rapturous oratorial speech about needing to canvas funds for the Zoids recommisioning effort (ie. Shermy's Zoids-buying fund). Great effort dude!

It was finally time for the cake cutting, and out came the piece de resistance - Littlefoot Patisserie's Signature Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake. What a beauty it was, with a customised design by Littlefoot himself of a lock and key with the words "Happy Birthday Shermy" on it. The idea of the lock & key stemmed from the very fact that Shermaine never had her coming-of-age 21st birthday bash - she was in Japan at that time, and celebrated it with just her Taiwanese girlfriend then. So this bash was sort of an overdue 21st, with all her NUSKK friends and our mutual friends.


Loretta & Chris indulging Shermy Mouse


Kendo gals - Kat, Ju Yeoun, Sherm, Ting Ting and Kitt


The inside of the signature cake was a surprise - stacked cubes! Not to mention nobody refused a second offer of it =D~ it WAS delicious!


The only shot of the food that we prepared (and gratuitous couple shot!)

I also had some incriminating photos of certain individuals (Justin & Kitt) who wore cat ears as well. I am currently accepting offers for those pieces of evidence. Bidding starts at $5.

And so, thank you all for coming, Shermy & I had a great time, and I believe so did you. =D
I promise, next time we'll have "proper" drinks (I'll need to stock up first).