Shhhh!

After 7 years of blogging on and off, I've succumbed to micro-blogging.

2008-10-22T21:08:00.003+08:00

I'm going to be honest with you, I prefer immediate responses and more interactivity. Micro-blogging gives me that. Which is what I want. And, best of all, no spammers.

If you want to jump ship or also micro-blog in addition to blogging, I recommend Plurk.

You can follow me here. Occasional political talk, rants, but mostly - me.

Vote now!!!

2008-10-06T13:36:00.000+08:00

Usain Bolt: 37.15 Km/h, A Cheetah: 90km/h

2008-08-21T23:42:00.001+08:00

Picture: Usain Bolt

That is how amazing this man is! Michael Phelps might be the water God, but Bolt is the God of the track.

"I am Lightning Bolt. I am not Flash Gordon or anybody. My name is Lightning Bolt"

Bolt's comment on Phelps : "I will not compare myself to Michael Phelps. He swims. He is a great athlete to win eight gold medals. That is just great. I am on the track. He is in the water. So you really can not compare it pretty much. But he is a great athlete. And I congratulate him on being the best at what he does."

Watching him and the other athletes in the 200m, it seemed like the rest were jogging! He was miles ahead of them - in athletics term. He is indeed in his own class.

I am Blot, Lightning Bolt. Watch me win.

Today's Olympic Silver will go down in Singapore's record books

2008-08-17T23:59:00.001+08:00

The elusive Olympic medal is now ours. After 48 years, Singapore finally earns a spot in the "medal tally". For the first time, I watched the Singapore flag being raised, albeit not Gold medal, but Silver is still very good. My hats off to them! For Olympians, sports is their life. Tremendous effort and training is put in to obtain any Olympic medal. Most have dreamed of the moment when they take their place on the podium since young. To realise it, is a dream come true.

The odds were stacked against them but they put up a brave fight against the world number one, China. Even the Singapore coach said that we had no chance against China. The Singapore team hasn't even done a thorough study of the China team, as they were not expecting to get this far earlier.

Singapore's team lost, but they were good losers, they fought for every point and we didn't make it easy peasy for China to trash us. Singapore's table tennis team should lift their heads up high for what they have achieved.

I have to admit its getting quite frustrating watching China dominating some events. After the Gold-medal playoffs between Singapore and China, I switched to another channel to watch badminton - also playing for the Gold medal, badminton singles title - Malaysia and China. The China player, Lin Dan, seeded world number one, beat the Malaysian, Lee Chong Wei, seeded world number two. Both fought really hard, but in the end, China was just miles ahead, just as in table tennis - and took the gold.

As for Michael Phelps's 8th gold medal today, I just don't know how he does it! He could well be his own country!

-- Starwish

Pizza, Eggs and Mayo: A Look at Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps' 12,000-Calorie Diet

2008-08-15T22:57:00.000+08:00

Picture: Wow, look at that body!

Michael Phelps, 23 year-old Olympic gold medalist that has broken records with 11 medals, tells the media of his secret to staying fit and trim. His 12,000 calorie, high carb diet and his five hours a day, six days a week training schedule.

In the day and age where there are a ton of fad diets, many of which include a low-carb intake, it would be considered amazing by some to see what Michael Phelps, the swimmer that has won a record breaking, 11 gold medals for swimming at the Summer Olympics, eats on a daily basis.

The 23 year-old Phelps starts his morning off, at 5am, with a little snack before breakfast which includes three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, fried onions, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise.

His body then primed, he drinks a couple cups of coffee and starts on breakfast which consists of a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, some coarsely ground corn, three slices of French toast with powdered sugar on top and three chocolate chip pancakes.

By lunch his appetite is in high gear so he treats himself to a pound of pasta, two ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread with mayonnaise and 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

Time to prepare the body for the next day's training session by loading up on some more carbs, so Phelps treats himself to another whole pound of pasta followed by an entire pizza (no size of pizza given) and he helps wash that down with another 1,000 calories of high energy drinks.

Phelps says, "Eat, sleep and swim, that's all I can do."

Using a calorie counter, which calculates daily calorie needs for his size and weight, which is 6'4 and 195 pounds and works out 5 times a week, it shows that for a average 23 year-old male of his size, the daily calorie needs are said to be 2900 Calories/day

-- Digital Journal

Singapore Guaranteed of an Olympic Silver or Gold medal!!

2008-08-15T18:13:00.008+08:00

Singapore's table tennis team has done us proud!

Singapore’s women table tennis team have made it to the FINALS in the Beijing Olympics. Where they would probably have to meet China.

This means Singapore is on track in its quest for an Olympic medal after 48 years.

I started watching from the beginning of the match and it was nail biting as both sides (Singapore and South Korea) were equally good. Yes, I cried when Singapore scored the winning point. I was just overwhelmed with emotions. It meant THAT much for us, Singaporeans. Way to go, Singapore's women table tennis team and coach!

One thing for certain is, their faces will be splashed on the front pages of all Singapore newspapers tomorrow. The heroine of the match was definitely Tian Wei Feng. Her resilience paid off big time.

German Olympic stars bare all for Playboy

2008-08-14T23:34:00.001+08:00

Picture: Hockey player Katharina Scholz

The Germany women's hockey team's Olympic campaign is in danger of being overshadowed after one of their players starred on the front of today's Playboy magazine.

Katharina Scholz joined three of her Olympic colleagues to bare all for the German edition of the adults' magazine.

And, after her team's 4-2 victory over the US today, she admitted: 'I think now I have to play hockey and later talk about things like that. I think it a good opportunity but now it's not important for me for now.

The most important thing for me is playing hockey. And because I am playing hockey, I got the opportunity to go on Playboy. Otherwise I wouldn't. I have no plans on a career in modelling.'

American Olympic swimming champion Amanda Beard posed naked in Playboy last year, and in Beijing stripped for a campaign to end the fur trade, while British athletes have been photographed naked to advertise a sports drink.

'For me it was a good opportunity, and maybe when I look back after a few years I will be proud of it. Not everybody can go on the cover of Playboy,' the 25-year-old striker said.

'I did it because I am confident of my body and myself.'

Germany's September Playboy will have four different covers for the first time when it is published on Thursday, each dedicated to one of the athletes.

Sailor Petra Niemann, canoeist Nicole Reinhardt and judoka Romy Tarangul are the other German Olympians who will feature.

'It wasn't a group decision, we haven't seen each other. The shooting was separate. Everyone decided it for themselves,' she said without giving details about the picture that will appear.

--The Metro

China and its quest to achieve the picture perfect image

2008-08-13T18:20:00.002+08:00

Beyond the beautiful young lady dressed in a blue-coloured-cheongsam-type costume, it’s a wholly different picture.

You would have probably heard by now the “faked” fireworks and the young girl who sang their National Anthem who was replaced by another because she was not pretty enough.

The reasons given for the faked fireworks? According to an official, "It would have been prohibitive to have tried to film it live,”,“ We could not put the helicopter pilot at risk by making him try to follow the firework route."

This begs the question, why then couldn’t they present to us as it is? Was there really a need to go overboard? Of course there was, people around the world need to see a perfect image of China. The China that has moved on to achieve great things since the disastrous Cultural Revolution period.

I’m not questioning China’s economic power, but their human rights issues is appalling. Blatant discrimination against a child who was deemed not pretty enough to be on television. What kind of moral ethics are the children being exposed to since young? They are potentially destroying a child’s pride in order to project the “perfect” China.

In addition to that, China also erected walls and screens to cover up the slums, homes to some Beijing natives. Why was that action taken? According to the authorities those areas were, yes you guessed it - “not beautiful”.

Do you know that the Chinese government even restricts its citizens up to what questions they can ask foreign visitors? They are as follows:

• don't ask about income or expenses
• don't ask about age
• don't ask about love life or marriage
• don't ask about health
• don't ask about someone's home or address
• don't ask about personal experience
• don't ask about religious beliefs or political views
• don't ask what someone does

This is ridiculous. Now even the people you meet in Beijing are “fake” as in, not their usual selves. Its one thing for the Chinese government getting its way by faking, but to the extent of even restricting its citizens like this?

Now, this issue just takes the cake. According to Digital Journal, Chinese police pressured some of their nation’s minorities to pack their bags and leave the city quickly before the Olympics officially begin. The minorities refer to Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolians. They join ethnic minorities, migrant workers, petitioners and social activists in a city wide crack down that has spread in recent months. Some are being expelled by force by Chinese police.

Aren’t they part of what makes Beijing, Beijing? This somehow reminds me of Hitler expelling all “non-Aryans” during his Nazi rule.

I would hate to visit or even be in Beijing during this period of time. Why settle for anything less than the real thing (Beijing)? - as Coca-Cola would say it.

--Starwish

Bush mixes sports and politics at Olympics

2008-08-10T21:59:00.002+08:00

President Bush pressed his Olympic hosts Sunday to permit greater political and religious freedom, warning Chinese leaders they can expect to hear similar blunt talk from his successor.

In an Olympic medley of sports and politics, Bush also cheered from the stands as U.S. athletes launched their hunt for gold, while behind the scenes he and aides appealed to Russia to halt what the White House called ''dangerous and disproportionate'' attacks on Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally.

The president worshipped at a Beijing church and declared China has nothing to fear from expressions of faith. Later, he met with Chinese leaders and again voiced concern about the jailing of dissidents and religious activists, aides reported.

''As you know, I feel very strongly about religion,'' he told President Hu Jintao in a meeting at the Zhongnanhai government compound while reporters were present.

After they were ushered out, Bush told Hu that human rights concerns are a key part of the U.S.-China dialog, and ''the Chinese can expect that any future American president will also make it an important aspect,'' said adviser Douglas Wilder, who accompanied Bush. But Bush did not raise specific cases of dissidents.

At the same time, Bush praised his hosts for their swift response to a stabbing attack that killed the father of a 2004 U.S. Olympian. ''Your government has been very attentive, very sympathetic, and I appreciate that a lot,'' Bush said.

Todd Bachman, the father of Olympic volleyball player Elisabeth ''Wiz'' Bachman, was killed Saturday and his wife Barbara was gravely injured as they toured Beijing's 13th-century Drum Tower. The Bachmans of Lakeville, Minn., are in-laws of U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon.

The assailant, identified as Tang Yongming, 47, jumped to his death. The motive for the attack, which also left a tour guide wounded, remained unclear, though officials doubt Tang knew the Bachmans.

Bush also discussed with Hu efforts to verify North Korea's scrapping of its nuclear program. Bush has pledged to remove North Korea from the U.S. terrorism blacklist if a verification accord can be reached; Monday was the earliest that could take place. But talks have dragged on. ''Tomorrow probably will come and go without that happening,'' Wilder reported.

Outside his meetings with Chinese leaders, Bush joined the effort to halt clashes between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The conflict erupted Friday when Georgian troops moved to retake control of South Ossetia, a region bordering Russia that gained de facto independence in 1992.

The Bush administration has expressed concern that the attacks were occurring in regions of Georgia that were far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia.

Jim Jeffrey, President Bush's deputy national security adviser, said the U.S. has made it clear: ''If the disproportionate and dangerous escalation on the Russian side continues, that this will have a significant long-term impact on U.S.-Russian relations.''

Bush discussed the widening crisis by phone with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current president of the European Union. The two agree ''across the board'' on the need for a cease-fire, disengagement and ''respect for for Georgian territorial integrity,'' White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Despite his official duties, Bush has made clear his main role at the Olympics was as America's First Fan.

Sunday was a U.S. sports fan's dream.

Bush and first lady Laura Bush, daughter Barbara and former President George H.W. Bush, cheered from the stands of the Water Cube Olympic swimming venue as American Michael Phelps claimed the first of an expected string of gold medals by smashing his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley.

''God, what a thrill to cheer for you!'' Bush told Phelps afterward.

Phelps told reporters he looked up at Bush just moments after winning, and the president nodded.

''That was a pretty cool feeling,'' he said.

Bush's Sunday began with a worship service at Beijing's Kuanjie church, an officially registered Protestant congregation. A children's choir sang ''Amazing Grace'' in English and Chinese, but the service was mostly in Chinese. Aides said Bush was helped by a translator.

He exited to the strains of ''Onward Christian Soldiers.'' Speaking to reporters in a driving rain, he alluded to the millions of Chinese who brave harassment and arrest to worship at unregistered ''house'' churches.

''It just goes to show that God is universal,'' Bush said. ''No state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion.''

Speaking in Bangkok on the eve of the Olympics and again at Friday's dedication of a U.S. embassy here, Bush insisted China can only reach its full potential by allowing free speech and other freedoms.

Those words and his church visit, which followed a 2005 visit to another official Beijing church, were carefully calibrated to prod the Chinese while deflecting attacks from human rights groups who say Bush's Olympic sojourn lends legitimacy to a repressive communist government.

-- Associated Press

Watching the Olympics Games is addictive. My life for the next two weeks will practically revolve around Olympic scheduling.

Did you know that Singapore was the 188th contingent?

2008-08-09T14:35:00.002+08:00

Yes, probably the second best number after 88. And what is it about Li Jiawei dragging our flag! Its either that the flag was too heavy for her or she's just has no respect for our flag. Should they have let a true blue Singaporean (from birth) to carry our flag instead? Especially when its so near our National Day?

The neighbours cheered loudly for Singapore even though it was so near midnight. Reminds me of an international football match between Singapore and another country. You couldn't have missed the Singapore contingent with people suddenly screaming at midnight. Watching all the countries/territories entering kind of teaches you how many countries/territories there are in the world. Its like a mini geography lesson.

Putting that aside, the opening ceremony made me tear a bit, no, not when the Singapore contingent entered, it was when the 9 year old boy who saved two of his friends from the Sichuan earthquake walked beside Yao Ming. Wasn't it such an "Awwww" moment? He must have been the happiest 9 year old boy yesterday.

Besides that, I loved how they showcased a few of China's greatest inventions and history. And the use of technology! Fantabulous! Will Singapore have a grand opening for the first Summer Youth Olympics Games when we host them in 2010? Obviously not to this scale, but I'm hoping that we do well.

The part where it leaded up to lighting the gigantic torch was one of the best moments of the ceremony for me. The number one moment for me will be the many fireworks displays. They were just WOW! I admit, I am such a sucker when it comes to fireworks.

--Starwish

Will China be able to pull off the Olympics?

2008-08-07T15:04:00.000+08:00

Picture: Birds Nest Stadium

08-08-08, 8pm. Tomorrow is the day.

However, grey skies are still hanging over China. From human rights issues, pollution problems and now the recent attacks.With the world’s attention over China now, will more problems be uncovered? Its settling to know that China is not leaving any stones left unturned where security is concerned. But, haven’t you wondered how come China couldn’t get their pollution levels at Beijing under control despite having a 7-year preparation period?

Had they put in place appropriate measures to cut down the pollution levels earlier, they wouldn’t be frantically trying to lower it at the eleventh hour. Inducing rain, shutting down factories and limiting the number of vehicles on the road are several measures China has adopted. But, are they enough?

Pollution levels in Beijing have resulted in several Olympic teams setting up bases in countries such as Japan and Singapore; choosing to train there instead, before the Olympic Games officially begins.

Where human rights issues are concerned, journalists will not be able to access information on political and human rights stories because of China’s government censorship laws. Even the IOC admitted that it allowed China censor the Web for journalists covering the event.

We have yet to see if this year's Olympics will be memorable for good or bad reasons.

Putting all their misgivings aside, there’s one thing for sure - everyone will be watching in excitement as their respective countries compete in the Games.

And of course, the question on every Singaporean’s mind: Will this year be a lucky year for us? After a 48 year medal draught? Winning an Olympic medal is so coveted in Singapore that SGD 1 million is up for grabs for a gold medal winner.

-- Starwish

Mac Users Are Arrogant Snobs!

2008-08-06T17:18:00.002+08:00

The latest findings according to Reader's Digest show that Mac users are snobs. This is such a shocker. How did Xiaxue get this right? (she mentioned it during her iPhone review)

If you've seen those Apple advertisments on TV with a young, hip Mac user versus an old, slow PC user, you should get the idea that there's a bit of rivalry between the opposing computer camps. But why? Because they have wholly different personality traits, say branding experts.

Mindset Media, a US branding company that analyses the relationship between consumer behaviour and personality, surveyed 7500 Mac and PC owners. Its finding? Mac users are "snobs". In comparision to PC owners, they're likely to visit Starbucks for coffee more often, buy organic products and drive a hybrid car.

Mindset Media says that people who purchase Macs fall into what it calls the "Openness 5" personality category - which means they are more liberal, less modest and more assured of their own superiority than the population at large.

Ah, the rivalry continues...

Dancing prisoners are back!

2008-08-05T14:26:00.000+08:00

Remember the Youtube hit? Prisoners dancing to "Thriller" by Michael Jackson? It was all the rage last year! They're back! - this time, dancing to the tune of "Macarena".

Apparently Los Del Rio, (the duo behind Macarena) even endorsed it themselves!

You might be forgiven if you forgot your luggage, but your children?!

2008-08-04T21:16:00.001+08:00

I wonder if they did that on purpose? That or they have a bad case of amnesia.

"Staff at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel have found a four-year-old girl alone in a duty-free shop after her parents accidentally took a plane without her.

The parents boarded the flight to Paris with four of their five children.

The mother and father were sitting in different parts of the aircraft and did not realise their mistake until the captain informed them after take-off.

The girl was put on the next flight to Paris. The parents will be questioned when they return to Israel.

"It is usual that travellers in a rush forget their luggage but not a child. This never happens," AFP news agency quoted a police official as saying."

-- BBC

Why Obama won't look like all those other US Presidents on dollar bills (besides the obvious)

2008-08-04T14:40:00.000+08:00

Picture's Source

Brilliant!

High-heeled Crocs!

2008-08-03T19:48:00.000+08:00

Picture: High heeled Crocs

It’s true! the first crocs™ high heel. fashion fused with comfort for the ultimate in style

- Crocs.com

Great news for female Crocs fans! High-heeled Crocs are now here. Bad news for Crocs bashers. It seems that Croc's popularity won't die down anytime soon.

Newsweeek recently ran an article on Crocs here. Crocs even has hate sites dedicated to it. One of them is I Hate Crocs Dot Com.

Fashionistas have denounced the Crocs for years. They're ugly and against every fashionistas' rules. Are you a fan of the Crocs or a hater?

Personally, I'd say as long as you dress right for the occasion and place, it doesn't matter. Obviously, wearing Crocs to a fine dining restaurant is a big NO.

On Miss Singapore World finalist who had 50 ex-boyfriends

2008-08-02T21:45:00.001+08:00

We all know that "The New Paper" is Singapore's version of a tabloid newspaper just like how "The Sun" is in the UK. Hence, its expected that "quality" news will take a backseat. But, seriously, showing off how "rich" or how many boyfriends you've had, is stooping really low. Thats extremely pathetic. The things people do to gain attention, eh? I couldn't be more disgusted when I read that article.

Yes, she's only 25 years old who has had 50 ex- toy boys to play with.

"That's just five in a year - about one every two months - not too much,' she added. "

Whoa, thats not too much? Which planet is she from? Moronville?

"It's kind of a shallow reason,' said Valentane Huang when asked why she joined beauty pageants."

D'oh!

What a trash article. Seriously, what is the point of the story? Showing off? Displaying how much of a loser the girl is? This has to be the stupidest article I've read since the Xiaxue saga. I am ashamed to have read such junk.

-- Starwish

World's Ugliest Dolphin on Video!

2008-08-02T10:59:00.001+08:00

The video of the world's ugliest dolphin

A dolphin described as the ugliest in the world has been shown off on television after a breakthrough discovery.

The snub fin dolphin with an eye-catching bulbous head is the first new species of the creature to be found for 50 years.

After being identified three years ago off Western Australia's Kimberley coast, key details about the dolphin have only now been captured.

Wildlife experts had struggled to track down the dolphin, since snub fins are easily scared by rare human contact.

Researchers used the dart gun to get a DNA sample from the dolphins - allowing new insights into the animal.

Tammie Matson, from the World Wildlife Fund, said: "It may be the world's ugliest dolphin - some people have said that.

-- The Metro

Chinese Earthquake Victims Suing Sharon Stone for $1 Billion!

2008-08-01T21:55:00.000+08:00

Actress Sharon Stone suggested that the earthquake in Sichuan Province that killed 70,000 people was due to “karma” for China’s mistreatment of Tibet. Now, 1,000 Chinese from the region have filed a lawsuit against Stone for “emotional distress”

She said the following in an interview with a reporter during the Cannes Film Festival:

"At first, I'm not happy with the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans ...And then all this earthquake and stuff happened and I thought, 'Is that Karma, when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?''

Immediately after the comments, the Chinese bloggers and newspapers were very upset with her and demanded an apology. Last month, Stone issued a public apology and said that she misspoke and regretted that she made those statements.

But the Chinese are not satisfied with the apology: about 1,000 Chinese earthquake victims have banded together with a New York lawyer Ming Hai, demanding a $1 billion in damages.

Ming said in a statement:

"For the families who have lost their loved ones or lost limbs or suffered severe injuries, your statement and act has caused extreme emotional distress."

In April, two Chinese women also sued CNN for $1 billion -- a dollar for every Chinese person after CNN anchor Jack Cafferty said on live television that China is led by a bunch of goons and thugs.

I doubt either of the lawsuits will get the Chinese any money, but their future businesses and appearances with China will be affected in a large scale.

-- Digital Journal

To blog or not to blog? That is the question.

2008-07-31T23:24:00.001+08:00

I'm having a down time today. I didn't feel like blogging (even, micro-blogging) today, but I did, as you can see. Don't you have such days? You just don't feel like saying anything or nothing good comes out. You're sitting here, thinking of the many topics that you want to talk about, but as soon as you begin writing, you lose your path midway or you then realise that this post isn't good enough.

Very often, we are our own biggest critics, we criticise ourselves more than anyone else. Doesn't it drive you mad sometimes? Have you written articles that are still in the "Draft" mode, because you thought that they weren't good enough?

Spicy sambal stingrays, anyone?

Dinner was really good.

Move away Batman, here's God to the rescue!

2008-07-30T16:17:00.000+08:00

A little faith goes a long way when it comes to petrol prices....

Prayer services are being held at petrol stations in America a bid to get fuel prices to drop. Two prayer services will be held at St. Louis gas stations to thank God for lower fuel prices and to ask that they continue to drop.

Darrell Alexander, Midwest co-chair of the Pray at the Pump movement, says prayer gatherings will be held Monday afternoon and evening at a Mobil station west of downtown St. Louis.

Participants say they plan to buy gas, pray and then sing "We Shall Overcome" with a new verse, "We'll have lower gas prices."

An activist from the Washington D.C. area, Rocky Twyman, started the effort, saying if politicians couldn't lower gas prices, it was time to ask God to intervene.

The group thinks the prayer is helping, saying prices are starting to fall below $4 a gallon.

-- The Metro

Plurk your life away!

2008-07-29T23:43:00.000+08:00

I confess, I am addicted to Plurk. I've never been addicted to anything online! Second Life, Maple Story, any online games/applications, you name it, I've never been attracted to them. However, I can't seem to escape Plurk's powerful grasp over me.

I believe you've all have heard of Plurk. If you haven't, where have you been?! You cannot afford to be left behind in this tech savvy era!

Need.To.Constantly.Update.Self

In any case, I'm going to give you a run-down on Plurk. Plurk is a micro-blogging platform that allows you to network with people around the world. Or rather "a social journal of your life" as the people at Plurk like to call it.

Its something like Twitter, just better and more addictive. Again, if you've never heard of Twitter, there is NO hope for you.

I want and I need to increase my Karma (some point system that Plurk has). Although, I know that its the real Karma that counts. But still, argh, I NEED more Karma points!

I love keeping up with my Plurk friends and love talking crap with them. In fact, I am meeting a couple of them this weekend. I am sure we will have a ball of a time!

Plurk has to develop a 12-step-programme for addicted Plurkers like me. I'm getting sucked in deeper and deeper into Plurkville's black hole. This is a point of no return for me.

Frodo: I wish Plurk had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

-- Starwish

First ever eel energy drink on sale!

2008-07-28T19:00:00.001+08:00

A 'energy boosting' eel drink has gone on sale.The canned drink called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," made by Japan Tobacco Inc., hit the nation's stores this month just ahead of Japan's annual eel-eating season, company spokesman Kazunori Hayashi said Monday.

"It's mainly for men who are exhausted by the summer's heat," Hayashi said of the beverage, believed to be the first mass-produced eel drink in Japan.

Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather.

The fizzy, yellow-colored drink contains extracts from the head and bones of eel and five vitamins - A, B1, B2, D and E - contained in the fish.

The Japanese particularly like to eat eel on traditional eel days, which fall on July 24 and Aug. 5 this year.

Demand for eel is so high that Japan has been hit by scores of eel fraud cases, including a recent high-profile incident in which a government ministry publicly scolded two companies for mislabeling eel imported from China as being domestically grown.

The eel involved in recent scandals was prepared in a popular "kaba-yaki" style, in which it is broiled and covered with a sweet sauce.

The 140 yen (80p) drink costs about one-tenth as much as broiled eel, but has a similar flavour.

Eel extract is also used in cookies and pies made in Japan's biggest eel producing town, Hamamatsu.

-- The Metro

Personally, I love unagi but, drinking an unagi drink? Lets just say, I'm not so sure about it.

Is China playing cheat? Records suggest Chinese gymnasts might be underage!

2008-07-28T16:31:00.001+08:00

Recently, there was an uproar with some parents in Singapore over a seemingly "over-aged" primary school athletics contestant. Whether he is in fact "over-aged"or having a growth spurt, who knows? But the tables are turned in this case.

It is hard to find out a person's age, especially if the documents themselves are fake too. *sigh* we live in a fake, fake world.

China named its Olympic women's gymnastics team Friday, and the inclusion of at least two athletes has further raised questions, widespread in the sport, about whether the host nation for the Beijing Games is using underage athletes.

Chinese officials responded immediately, providing copies of passports indicating that both gymnasts in question - He Kexin, a gold-medal favorite in the uneven parallel bars, and Jiang Yuyuan - are 16, the minimum age for Olympic eligibility.

Officials with the International Gymnastics Federation said that questions about He's age had been raised by Chinese news media, USA Gymnastics and fans of the sport, but that the Chinese authorities presented passport information to show that He is 16.

But online records listing Chinese gymnasts and their ages that were posted on official Web sites in China, along with ages given in the official Chinese news media, seem to contradict the passport information, indicating that He and Jiang may be as young as 14.

In Chinese newspaper profiles this year, He was listed as 14, too young for the Beijing Games.

NYTimes found two online records of official registration lists of Chinese gymnasts that list He's birthday as Jan. 1, 1994, which would make her 14. A 2007 national registry of Chinese gymnasts - now blocked in China but viewable through Google cache - shows He's birthday as "1994.1.1."

Another registration list that is unblocked, dated Jan. 27, 2006, regarding an intercity competition in Chengdu, China, also lists He's birthday as Jan. 1, 1994. That date differs by two years from the birth date of Jan. 1, 1992, listed on He's passport, which was issued Feb. 14, 2008.

The other gymnast, Jiang, is listed on her passport - issued March 2, 2006 - as having been born on Nov. 1, 1991, which would make her 16.

--NYTimes

Carina Lau's Vera Wang Wedding Dress: Thousands, This woman's custom made dress : ONLY £2.50

2008-07-27T15:51:00.001+08:00

Picture : Carina Lau and Tony Leung in wedded bliss

Get this, this woman paid only £2.50 which is $6.70 SGD for her custom made wedding dress. Compared to Carina Lau's wedding dress, the amount she paid is peanuts. She bought her dream wedding dress from a Chinese man on eBay.

"Emma Dunn, 23, had been searching for her wedding dress on the internet and eventually found one she liked with a £1,500 price tag. But she decided to research all her options and it paid off when she found an exact copy of the dress while searching on eBay.

With ten minutes remaining to bid, and no reserve price, Emma quickly put in a bid of £2.50. After a nervous wait, she received an e-mail from China confirming she'd won the auction.

She said: "There were no other bids so I thought I had nothing to lose by typing in £2.50. I got an e-mail back from a man in Shanghai, who said he would make my dress for me, and asked for all my measurements."

Emma, from Melton Mowbray, was delighted when her dress arrived in a Parcel Force van six weeks later.

She said: "It was folded up nicely and neatly and it was an absolutely perfect fit. The postage and packing had cost £16.50 but I didn't mind paying that. People just couldn't believe it when I told them I'd bought it for £2.50."

Emma said: "We had a brilliant day. It shows you don't have to spend loads of money to have a great wedding."

--Ananova

For those who have no idea who Carina Lau and Tony Leung are:

Leung's credits include "Infernal Affairs," which Martin Scorsese remade as "The Departed," and John Woo's recently released Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff." He was named best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his performance in "In the Mood for Love."

Lau, an actress, appeared in "Infernal Affairs II," "Center Stage" and director Wong's "Ashes of Time" and "2046."

I am a big fan of Tony Leung's works and wish them all the best.

Randy Pausch, 47, Dies; His ‘Last Lecture’ Inspired Many to Live With Wonder

2008-07-26T17:54:00.004+08:00

Randy Pausch, the professor whose “last lecture” made him a Lou-Gehrig-like symbol of the beauty and briefness of life, died Friday at his home in Chesapeake, Va. He was 47, and had lived five months longer than the six months a doctor gave him as an upside limit last August.

The cause was metastasized pancreatic cancer, Carnegie Mellon University announced.

Professors are sometimes asked to give lectures on what wisdom they would impart if they knew it was their last chance. Soon after Dr. Pausch (pronounced powsh), a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, accepted that challenge, he learned he had months to live.

He hesitated, then went ahead with the lecture, on Sept. 18, 2007. He said he intended to have fun and advised others to do the same. He spoke of the importance of childlike wonder.

But Dr. Pausch did not omit things that would break just about anybody’s heart. He spoke of his love for his wife, Jai, and had a birthday cake for her wheeled on stage. He spoke of their three young children, saying he had made his decision to speak mostly to leave them a video memory — to put himself in a metaphorical bottle that they might someday discover on a beach.

As the video of his lecture spread across the Web and was translated into many languages, Dr. Pausch also became the co-author of a best-selling book and a deeply personal friend, wise, understanding and humorous, to many he never met.

“His fate is ours, sped up,” wrote Jeffrey Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal columnist who covered the lecture on the chance it would be a good story, and helped bring it wider awareness. The book he wrote with Dr. Pausch, “The Last Lecture,” was published this year and became a No. 1 best seller; last week it was still No. 1 on The New York Times list of advice books.

Some of the millions who saw Dr. Pausch on YouTube and elsewhere wrote letters and e-mail to The Journal and many blogs. Some said he inspired them to quit feeling sorry for themselves, or to move on from divorces, or to pay more attention to their families. A woman said the video gave her the strength to escape an abusive relationship; others said they decided not to commit suicide because of it.

-- NYTimes

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." Randy Pausch

New Zealand students offer reward for Rice arrest

2008-07-25T13:07:00.001+08:00

New Zealand students protesting the Iraq war offered a reward to anyone who carries out a citizen's arrest of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the country Friday.

The Auckland University Students' Association is seeking Rice's arrest for her role in ''overseeing the illegal invasion and continued occupation'' of Iraq, Association President David Do said. The group is offering a $3,700 reward.

Rice is making her first trip to New Zealand after attending a Southeast Asian security forum in Singapore. She is scheduled to arrive from Australia late Friday and fly out early Sunday.

U.S. officials traveling with her said that they were aware of the threat but that it won't affect Rice's plans.

But police in Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, warned that ''anyone who attempts to penetrate the police lines of security around the secretary will not be allowed to follow through with their plan.''

District Commander Superintendent Brett England said ''the consequences of such a security threat could be very serious indeed.''

On Saturday, Rice will hold talks with Prime Minister Helen Clark and Foreign Minister Winston Peters, meet with business leaders and attend an official dinner.

Rice is due to fly to Samoa early Sunday for meetings with South Pacific foreign ministers, seen by observers as an important event for the South Pacific region -- an area where the U.S. has pledged to strengthen its level of engagement.

-- Associated Press

Nude York City!

2008-07-24T23:46:00.002+08:00

A naked dining fad is proving popular in New York. About 50 diners - whose motto is "no hot soup" - meet regularly for meals where the dress code is literally non-existent.

Organiser John Ordover, who rents city restaurants for the monthly dinner parties, told the New York Post: "We're not out to shock or put on a public spectacle.

"We want only to do things that other people do in the way that we are most comfortable doing them. That, for us, is without clothes."

Diners are served by regular restaurant staff - forced by city laws to keep their clothes on.

"We've never had a restaurant say no to us, and the waiters think nothing of it," said Ordover, 46, who works as a web marketer when he has his clothes on.

"If you work in a restaurant in New York City, the chances are you've seen a lot more shocking things than a room full of naked diners," he added.

The au naturel look is also catching on at a New York stand-up comedy club and in some of the city's yoga classes.

"I had such a transformative experience on my own when I did yoga naked rather than clothed," said Naked Yoga NYC teacher Isis Phoenix. "I wanted to share that."

The classes have about 10 devotees who have to obey two rules - leave your clothes behind, and bring your own mat.

-- NYPost

Aliens do exist, according to Apollo veteran Edgar Mitchell

2008-07-24T14:22:00.003+08:00

Former NASA astronaut and moonwalker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens do exist.

And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'

He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head.

Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

Dr Mitchell, along with with Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard, holds the record for the longest ever moon walk, at nine hours and 17 minutes following their 1971 mission.

"I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said.

"It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it.

"I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit."

-- Digital Journal

Do you believe that extra-terrestrials exist? Or is it just some crap that people made up?

Is Straits Times turning into New Paper?

2008-07-24T00:19:00.001+08:00

Picture : From The Straits Times, 24th July

The Straits Times ran an article on Xiaxue and Dawn again today! Its under the "Home" section. Is Straits Times turning into New Paper? Whats happening? Are they so desperate to fill up space that they have to resort to this? I've been reading Straits Times since I was 10 years old. Its sad to see them going in this direction. Last week or so, they ran an article on a "celebrity" graduating from University. What is so surprising about it, that it has to be included in the "Home'" section? I'm sure there are more important news that concerns us, the readers, than miniscule stuff like that!

--Starwish (a very dissapointed reader)

Beijing to set up Olympic protest zones in parks

2008-07-23T15:14:00.001+08:00

Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said Wednesday, in a sign China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games.

Areas are being set aside in three public parks near some of the sporting venues, said Liu Shaowu, director for security for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee.

''We will invite demonstrators to hold their demonstrations in designated places,'' Liu told a news conference.

In a sign that Beijing is eager to minimize disruptions by demonstrations, the three protest areas are in outlying parks, not near the Olympic green where the largest number of sports venues are.

Liu reiterated that Chinese law requires all demonstrations be approved by police in advance, but when asked by reporters he declined to say whether that applied to the protest zones.

Special protest zones have been part of past Olympics, including the 2004 games in Athens.

But Beijing's decision marks the end of months of internal debate over whether allowing public protests might backfire, disrupting China's attempts to use the games to boost its image overseas and the government's popularity at home.

Protests abroad against China's restrictions on human rights and media freedoms and an uprising by Tibetans and alleged terrorist plots by Muslims in western China have prompted the government to ramp up security nationwide.

Visa sweeps against foreigners, efforts to encourage migrant workers to leave Beijing and police checkpoints in and around the city have touched off criticism that heavy-handed security may drain the fun from the Olympics.

Liu, the security official, said police were trying to strike a balance between the need for safety and the desire for festiveness. ''We are confident we can give the Beijing Olympics a good and joyous atmosphere,'' he said.

When it comes to security, Liu said the large numbers of people expected in Beijing during the games made it a ripe target for terrorist infiltration.

Though he declined to specify terrorist threats, police officials have said in recent months that they have foiled plans by Muslim separatists connected to the games.

-- Associated Press

S'pore's population est: 4.5 million.1 in 4 people in S'pore are foreigners, and about 1000 S'poreans give up citizenship every year.

2008-07-22T14:58:00.001+08:00

From what I know, there are a quite a number of Singaporeans living in Melbourne and Perth. One of the reasons might be because there are very little university places for local polytechnic graduates. And then, they pursue their degree overseas, and in turn fall in love with the country. Is the government to be blamed? Shouldn't the government have thought about building a 4th university a long time ago? Why only now? Is it a case of too little, too late?

"In the last three years, an average of 1,000 Singaporeans gave up their citizenship each year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said their reasons for doing so vary, and these range from marriage to foreigners, to yearning for a different environment.

Most of them took up new citizenship in countries in Southeast Asia, the United States and Australia.

Mr Wong gave this update in reply to a written question from Non—Constituency MP Sylvia Lim.

She had asked how many Singapore citizens emigrated from Singapore in the last three years, the countries they emigrated to and their reasons for doing so.

Mr Wong said those who emigrate generally do not declare this to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority when they leave.

So the only available data which gives an indication of the number of emigrants from Singapore is the number of Singaporeans who have given up their citizenship and left Singapore."

--ChannelNewsAsia

China women use donkeys to spice up sex life!

2008-07-21T22:08:00.001+08:00

Feral Australian donkeys are usually given a wide berth but now their skins are to be used as an aphrodisiac for Chinese women.

A Hong Kong company that specialises in traditional medicines is trying to locate up to a million donkey skins every year. Usually it gets them from South America but now it's seeking the fertile skins of some of the 300,000 wild donkeys ranging the Northern Territory.

Sydney-based exporter John Fleming is applying to hunt feral donkeys in the Northern Territory to sell overseas.

"They want the skins, but not for leather. Apparently there is a certain extract in the skin they can use for traditional medicine," he said.

Chinese traditional healers use donkey skins to extract Ejiao, which is used to make Nu Bao, a traditional Chinese medicine that supposedly improves vitality, increases a woman's libido and help with period pain.

"They're after a lot of donkey skins. As much as they can get their hands on," Mr Fleming said.

"It seems there are a lot of feral donkeys out there and people are basically shooting them for sport."

-- The Metro

Singapore will study kidney trading

2008-07-21T19:10:00.001+08:00

Singapore is considering legalizing kidney trading to help meet demand for kidney transplants, the city-state's health minister said Monday.

The Health Ministry will examine the feasibility of providing payments to unrelated donors to augment the supply of kidneys, Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament, acknowledging that the suggestion has stirred controversy.

''We should not reject any idea just because it is radical or controversial,'' Khaw said. ''We may be able to find an acceptable way to allow a meaningful compensation for some living, unrelated kidney donors, without breaching ethical principles or hurting the sensitivities of others.''

Khaw said the ministry would review possible changes to current legislation to allow payments for donations from third parties such as those from the charity and religious sectors. Under the proposal, which would need to be approved by Parliament to become law, patients would also get help in finding donors.

''There are desperate patients out there wishing to live and desperately poor people willing to exchange a kidney for a hopefully improved life,'' he said.

Khaw also said the Health Ministry would push to amend existing laws on organ transplants to remove an age limit on deceased donors, currently set at 60 years, because ''the suitability of the organ depends on its condition rather than the age of the donor.''

The two initiatives should enable Singapore to carry out 70 percent of the kidney transplants needed every year -- up from 50 percent currently, the minister said.

The two initiatives should raise Singapore's sufficiency in kidney transplants from 50 percent to 70 percent, the minister said. He said about 1,000 new cases of kidney failure are diagnosed every year, with nearly 40 percent unable to survive the first year.

Khaw's comments follow the cases of two Indonesian men who were jailed and fined by a Singapore court earlier this month after being convicted of agreeing to sell their kidneys to two patients in the city-state.

Selling or buying organs or blood is illegal in Singapore and carries a penalty of up to 12 months' jail, or a fine of up to $7,405 or both.

--Associated Press

Batman Breaks Spiderman Record At Box Office!

2008-07-21T11:47:00.001+08:00

KAPOW! The new Batman movie "The Dark Knight" smashed the weekend record set by "Spider-Man 3" last year, selling an estimated $155.3 million worth of tickets during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday.

The hotly anticipated film, co-starring late actor Heath Ledger as the anarchic Joker, surpassed the $151.1 million haul for "Spider-Man 3" during its first weekend in May 2007.

Going into the weekend, pundits had forecast an opening in the $100 million range, evidently underestimating the Batmania infecting movie fans across the world.

The Caped Crusader also generated $40 million from 20 foreign markets, highlighted by No. 1 bows in Ledger's native Australia ($13.1 million) and Mexico ($6.6 million), the Time Warner Inc-owned studio said.

With a little help from another new release "Mamma Mia!" which opened at No. 2 with $27.6 million, "The Dark Knight" propelled overall North American ticket sales to a record $253 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers. The old mark of $218 million was set two years ago, the company said.

"The Dark Knight" stars Welsh actor Christian Bale as Batman, and was directed by English filmmaker Christopher Nolan. They previously collaborated on "Batman Begins," which earned $48.7 million during its first weekend in 2005, and finished up with $205 million.

"Dark Knight" should hit that level by midweek, Warner Bros. said.

The new film reportedly cost about $180 million to make, thanks in part to the pioneering use of heavy Imax cameras to shoot 30 minutes of the 152-minute film for giant-screen theaters. The filmmakers also blew up bits of Chicago, which doubles for the fictional Gotham City.

-- Reuters

My Prediction Came True!

2008-07-20T18:40:00.005+08:00

Picture from today's Sunday Times

Remember my previous posting on "Do you think there'll come a day when local papers report about bloggers entangled in cat fights?"

Well, it was a slow news day and The Straits Times published an article on Xiaxue's and Dawn cat fight! And they made it to the front page. (quite sad, really)

The Straits Times is quite slow. The incident took place quite a long time ago ; seeing as how news spread like wild fire in the blogosphere.

(now, we shall see about my predictions for the Beijing Olympics)

CSI helped police solve murder

2008-07-20T17:42:00.000+08:00

US police solved a mysterious death after discovering uncanny similarities to an episode of TV's CSI.

When Thomas Hickman was found dead in a remote part of New Mexico, with a gunshot wound to the back of his head and duct tape covering his mouth, it looked like an execution-style murder.

But then police found a bunch of balloons tangled in a nearby cactus with a gun tied to the ribbons, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Fans of CSI recalled a similar scenario from a 2003 episode of the series in which balloons were used to make a gun float away after a suicide and urged the police to take a look.

"We weren't aware of the CSI episode," said Lt. Rick Anglada, of New Mexico state police.

"But the lead investigator continually heard stories that there was an episode similar to that and about a month later he actually rented the episode and viewed it."

It led officers to suspect that Mr Hickman had committed suicide but tried to make it look like murder by letting the gun float away.

"However, it was very windy that night so we believe the wind kept the balloons down, dragging across the ground and they began popping and eventually the ribbons became tangled up in a cactus," added Lt Anglada.

There were other signals the 55-year-old has taken his own life. Police spotted no signs of struggle in the field where he was found and his car remained untouched.

At his home in Texas they found metal shavings in his garage where he had used a hack saw to remove the gun's trigger guard, presumably to make it lighter.

Police were able to verify he had bought the balloons and the gun and they found notes left for his family telling them what to do in case anything happened to him.

They also found a life insurance policy that would pay his wife around $400,000 dollars or double that if his death was accidental. Investigators this week officially ruled the death a suicide and closed the case.

-- Ananova.com

Whats the one piece of advice Internet Marketing blogs won't give you?

2008-07-19T22:54:00.003+08:00

Why are Internet Marketing blogs so popular? Its simple. The same reasons why "get rich" books are so popular. "Rich dad, poor dad" etc, you name it, they're usually always on the bestsellers list. Everyone wants to make money and get rich. There will always be a demand for it. The only difference is that its just in a different platform, but the jist of it, remains the same.

Internet Marketing bloggers are excellent marketers, no doubt on that. By giving people advice, they are in turn getting tons of visitors which equates to generating lots of moolah from advertisments.

So, moving on, the one piece of advice that they most probably wouldn't give you would be : Create a "How to make money via the Internet/blogging" blog aka do the exact same thing like me!

Just like how Paris Hilton wouldn't say, "Ya know, if ya wanna be famous, ya gotta have a sex tape!"

-- Starwish

Sheep Sex is not an urban legend

2008-07-19T15:23:00.006+08:00

Believe it or not, there are people who have actually done the deed. According to The Metro, a man was arrested by police after investigating a series of violent sex attacks on sheep and has been banned from visiting farmland. Now if you're from Australia, you're probably no stranger when it comes to hearing sheep jokes as sheep outnumber people to the ratio of 4 :1.

But, this incident took place in south-east London. Their neighbour Scotland, must be laughing at them. (Scotland is well known for its sheep population)

"The arrest followed several complaints made to police about a man molesting sheep on grassland off Botany Bay Lane, Chislehurst, in May and June.

Witnesses reported a tall black man sexually assaulting sheep before running off, often leaving clothing at the scene.

Two joggers became suspicious when the man was spotted pulling up his trousers as he stood near a sheep that was lying on the ground.

A young stable girl who came face to face with the man during a similar incident also contacted detectives.

It is understood that the man was traced after forensic scientists identified DNA recovered from a pair of jogging bottoms found at the scene.

Two sheep were found dead in the field during the period of the attacks but it is not known if their deaths were linked.

Police are also investigating reports that the suspect also took photographs of the animals."

Good Lord, this man is sick!

If you're sexy, you may sound better than your not-so-sexy counterparts!

2008-07-18T18:12:00.002+08:00

People with voices deemed sexy and attractive tend to have greater body symmetry upon close inspection, suggesting that what we hear in a person can greatly affect what we see in them.

"The sound of a person's voice reveals a considerable amount of biological information," said Susan Hughes, an evolutionary psychologist from Albright College in Reading, Pa. "It can reflect the mate value of a person."

Hughes, whose new study is detailed in the June 2008 edition of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, cautions that an attractive voice does not necessarily indicate that this person has an attractive face.

A symmetric body is genetically sound, scientists say, and in evolutionary terms, in the wild, it can be an important factor when selecting a mate. But sometimes changes during prenatal development can slightly skew this balance. For instance, the length ratio between index and ring fingers, known as the digit ratio, is fixed by the first trimester, a time that corresponds with vocal cord and larynx development. If the hormone surge that affects vocal development also affects finger growth, there should be a connection between an individual's voice and digit ratio.

Hughes could not demonstrate a connection between voice attractiveness and digit ratio in her previous work, possibly due to vocal changes that occur during puberty. So in the new study, about 100 individuals listened to previously recorded voices and independently rated them on nine traits important during mate selection: approachability, dominance, healthiness, honesty, intelligence, likelihood to get dates, maturity, sexiness and warmth.

Study participants generally agreed on what made a voice attractive. But when Hughes used a spectrogram to analyze these voice ratings according to different acoustic properties such as pitch, intensity, jitter and shimmer, she could not find a common feature that made these voices seem attractive.

This indicates our perceptual system may be more advanced than expected.

"We can agree on what's an attractive voice yet I can't capture it with a computer," Hughes told LiveScience.

Investigating if a combination of these properties can define an attractive voice may shed light on a connection, she said.

-- livescience.com

Ever thought of using your baby as a mop?

2008-07-18T12:19:00.002+08:00

Trust the Japanese to come up with something as creative as this!

Baby: no longer useless

With global financial markets in turmoil parents looking in to firing their cleaners and using their babies as human mops.

Parents fed up of the take, take, take attitude of babies are turning them into human mops so they can learn a 'healthy work ethic' early by cleaning the floor as they crawl around.

The device is essentially a baby-grow with fluffy mop ends attached to clean up grime as a baby crawls around wooden or tiled floors.

In its sales pitch the advert reads: 'After the birth of a child there's always the temptation to say 'Yes, it's cute, but what can it do?'

'Until recently the answer was simply 'lie there and cry' but now babies can be put on the payroll, so to speak, almost as soon as they're born.

'Just dress your young one in Baby Mops and set him or her down on any hard wood or tile floor that needs cleaning.'

'You may at first need to get things started by calling to the infant from across the room, but pretty soon they'll be doing it by themselves.'

Hitting back at any possible criticism the advert adds: 'There's no child exploitation involved. The kid is doing what he does best anyway: crawling. But with Baby Mops he's also learning responsibility and a healthy work ethic.'

Japan is also the home of a roller cleaning device that can be strapped to a dog to clean the floor as it walks around.

-- The Metro

On the Anwar saga

2008-07-17T14:48:00.001+08:00

Anwar's out on bail now but he could still be charged for sodomy later. I can't help but to speculate that the incident 10 years back will repeat itself as the story unfolds. This is quite eerie. For someome aiming at a political comeback, committing such a crime is unthinkable. Now, it is either that people are framing him (evidence can also be faked) or that he did indeed commit sodomy.

Whats your take?

--Starwish

KFC employee spat and urinated in policeman's food!

2008-07-16T22:29:00.002+08:00

As they say...never offend a waiter, waitress or chef - you never know what they might do to your food.

A police officer and his family have been awarded $40,000 (£20,000) after suing a restaurant that had served them food tainted by an employee's spit and urine.

"Employees maintained 'special servings' of food reserved for ... officers," the lawsuit said. "The 'special servings' had been urinated in or spit in by KFC/Taco Bell employees."

The court heard that his two sons, then aged four and seven, became sick from the food they ate at a franchise of the Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell chain in October 2005.

The younger boy became violently ill with gastroenteritis and dehydration, vomited for hours and was forced to spend time in a hospital, the family's lawsuit said.

The suit also alleged that Mr Andrew, his wife and their children were victims of an employee scheme that targeted police officers.

-- The Telegraph

(The incident took place in America)

Latest : Anwar Arrested!

2008-07-16T15:05:00.001+08:00

Police arrested Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday about an hour before a deadline for him to appear at police headquarters to answer allegations that he sodomized a male aide.

The arrest was likely to exacerbate the political divisions and tensions that have been running high since the opposition made unprecedented gains in the March general elections, eroding the ruling coalition's strength in Parliament.

Anwar has denied the sodomy accusation -- made in a police complaint by the young male aide last month -- as a political conspiracy by the government to snuff out his publicly announced campaign to seize power by September.

About a dozen policemen, some of them wearing balaclavas, cordoned off the road leading to Anwar's house and stopped his car, said his lawyer Sankara Nair. He said the policemen informed Anwar that they had orders to arrest him but gave no reason.

Anwar was bundled into a police car with dark tinted windows and driven to the police headquarters where a crowd of opposition lawmakers including his wife Azizah Ismail gathered outside. They were not allowed inside, and there was no trouble or violence.

Azizah said Anwar called on her cell phone after being arrested.

''I feel apprehensive because my husband ... is not that well. He has a bad back, he's had surgery. And (during our) the brief conversation he said they (police) were not gentle,'' she said.

It was not clear why Anwar was arrested a little before 1 p.m. since he had said he would present himself for interrogation before the Wednesday 2 p.m. deadline set by the police.

Azmin Ali, the vice president of Anwar's People's Justice Party, called the arrest ''outrageous and very uncivilized.''

''This is not a criminal case but a political case,'' he said.

The arrest was made as Anwar was returning home from the administrative capital of Putrajaya. He had told reporters there that he would go to the police headquarters at 2 p.m. and ''give my fullest cooperation'' to the police.

The sodomy accusation recreated a drama surrounding a similar scandal he faced in 1998 when he was deputy prime minister and finance minister. Another sodomy accusation at the time led to his dismissal from the government and subsequent conviction and imprisonment. His downfall led to massive street protests by his supporters for weeks.

Malaysia's Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, but by then Anwar had served six years in jail on a related abuse of power charge. He was freed in 2004, when he revived his political career as an opposition leader.

''There is no basis for this whole fabrication and malicious attacks. It is just a repeat of the 1998 script. You can see the pattern,'' Anwar said in Putrajaya.

Anwar can be held in custody for up to 14 days, after which he must be charged. Sodomy is a non-bailable offense, punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

The sodomy accusation has hampered his campaign to topple the government, which suffered badly at the hands of his three-party People's Alliance in the March 8 general elections.

The ruling National Front coalition, which has traditionally enjoyed a two-thirds majority, now has only a 30-seat advantage over the opposition. Anwar's charisma and strategic skills were credited with boosting the opposition's strength in the 222-member Parliament from 19 to 82 seats.

-- Associated Press

No wonder people call us a nanny state - we need the government to butt in everything!

2008-07-16T13:40:00.003+08:00

From our hygiene habits to our love life. The ultimate solution to all our problems? The Government lah! And the root of our problems? Stupid Government policies! Ten years back we were using Switzerland as a role model, now its Sweden. Since we seem to have a fixation on European countries beginning with the letter S, will Scotland or Spain be next?

School bus mess : Enough, let Govt run it

As if the ding-dong over school bus seat belts was not enough, now comes another issue on higher school bus fares - whether it is anti-competition or not, whether Case should be involved and so on ('School bus fares going up on Aug 1', last Thursday).

Can the authorities comment on the transport mode of school children in Sweden? Does the government fund and manage school transport or are parents left to the vagaries of market forces when deciding which mode of transport?

On the one hand, the Government says children are our most precious asset and we need to move towards the Swedish model of better family welfare. On the other, those who implement policies are counting dollars and cents to see which policy makes economic sense - even over non-negotiable issues like children's safety and well being.

If we have to pay half a percentage point more income tax so children have better school transport with proper seat belts, so be it. But let us turn the school bus transport system inside out. It should be run by the Ministry of Education or schools themselves.

-- Nilesh Kantilal Sahita, Straits Times Forum

Things that make you go Awww : Widower's labour of love

2008-07-15T22:55:00.000+08:00

A Cambridgeshire widower has spent 15 years piecing back together thousands of fragments of romantic notes that he sent to his late wife.

Ted Howard, 82, wrote 98 letters to Mollie during seven years courting as he travelled Europe as a farm worker.

But Mrs Howard tore them into pieces and stuffed them in a cushion after she caught someone reading them in 1953, reports the BBC.

Mr Howard, of Ramsey, wrote the amorous letters on hotel writing paper as he travelled the UK, Ireland, France and Holland in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

But Mrs Howard, who died three years ago, tore each one into more than 20 pieces creating more than 2,000 fragments, some smaller than a thumbnail.

Mr Howard said: "I still miss Mollie terribly but having the memories helps me through. The letters brought back so many good times."

Mr Howard has now written a book based on the letters, which will be dedicated to his wife and called A Week At Stanton.

The retired farm worker and machinery demonstrator, said: "It was love at first sight. No two ways about it. I was at a village feast (fair) and this girl jumped off the carousel and came careering into me.

"It turned out to be Mollie. That was 19 July 1948."

Mollie was 18 at the time and Ted was 23. They married in 1955 and went on to have three children and six grandchildren.

--Ananova

To still be so in love after so many years is hard, hence I always find it so romantic when old couples walk down the street hand in hand.

Snoozing at the terminal - Singapore's Changi ranked 1st for 10 years in a row

2008-07-15T13:54:00.002+08:00

Airports range widely in what they offer overnight guests. The top-ranked airport at the Guide to Sleeping in Airports Web site for the last 10 years is Singapore's Changi Airport. It has dimly lighted napping areas, where comfortable leather chairs have leg rests and headrests. Some are even fitted with alarm clocks. There are also cheap sleeping cubicles available for travelers.

Sleeping at an airport overnight, once almost a sport for the young and short of cash, has become a lot more common lately, affecting even older and professional travelers. And a big reason is that airlines are no longer as free with complimentary hotel vouchers as they once were.

"Belt tightening by airlines over the last 18 months, and more so this year," is how Randy Petersen, editor of the online magazine InsideFlyer and the frequent-flier Web site FlyerTalk.com, explains it.

"They have to look at everything they spend a penny on," Petersen said. And because flights are fuller, he added, "they're not just dealing with a few passengers."

Bob Harrell, founder of Harrell Associates, an airline consultant, agreed. "If they're charging for extra bags, food and water, then the flip side is the airlines are going to go out of their way to minimize expenses on one side, while maximizing on the other," he said.

An unscheduled overnight stay at a German airport inspired one business traveler, Frank Giotto, the president of Fiber Instrument Sales in Oriskany, New York, to create the Mini Motel, a one-person tent complete with air mattress, pillow, reading light, alarm clock and pillow (which he now sells for $39.95).

Asked what airports would think of a tent city of his Mini Motels, Giotto expressed confidence.

"People sleeping in chairs don't seem to bother them," he said. "We could be forcing the airports to come up with a solution to respond to the tremendous need."

And there is even a Web site, the Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports (www.sleepinginairports.com), which lists the best and worst airports to spend the night in.

--International Herald Tribune, 15 July

So, thats another addition to our Number Ones list!

Couple 'suing' zoo for 10 million dollars

2008-07-14T21:16:00.000+08:00

A couple from New York is trying to sue the Bronx Zoo for $10 million after being stranded in a gondola for five hours, hanging above dangerous baboons.

The man and his pregnant fiancé's lawyer said they did not know whether they would survive the ordeal, the New York Post reported.

Dozens of people were stuck in the cable cars as it shut down on Wednesday and firefighters and police officers used a crane to rescue a family of three from gondola which swung about 100 feet (30 meters) in the air.

No injuries were reported but Damien Foster and Nandi Taylor who have filed a law suit said they suffered “psychological trauma” and the incident put her pregnancy at risk.

The Skyfari ride, which passes over the butterfly garden, the baboon habitat and part of the African plains exhibit where lions and gazelles roam, offers visitors a bird's-eye view of the celebrated zoo and its surroundings.

Each of its gondolas can hold up to four people.

-- The Metro

At least this doesn't sound as ludicrous as suing McDonalds because your son is overweight!

Malaysian police close down Parliament!

2008-07-14T13:00:00.000+08:00

Malaysian police locked down Parliament on Monday with roadblocks and massive security to prevent an anticipated rally by supporters of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is awaiting interrogation on a sodomy accusation.

Anwar's party, however, said it was not planning a protest.

Anwar's questioning later Monday was to coincide with an opposition demand for an emergency debate in Parliament on what it says is the public's lack of confidence in the government.

The police action against the opposition is likely to increase political tensions, already high amid Anwar's threat to bring down the government by mid-September even as he fights the sodomy allegation.

The debate is not the same as a no-confidence vote, but the speaker was still not expected to allow it. In the past, almost every opposition motion has been rejected on grounds of being non-urgent or not in the public interest.

Anwar, who is not a member of Parliament, was supposed to witness the session from the visitors' gallery before going to a police station for questioning.

But police obtained a court order barring Anwar as well as the public from coming within three miles of Parliament. Copies of the court order were pasted in public places. Members of Parliament were also told not to bring guests to witness the session.

The roadblocks, which also prevented journalists from entering with their vehicles, caused massive traffic jams in many parts of the city.

District police Chief Ahmad Sofian Mohamad Yassin said the measures were necessary because Anwar's supporters had not sought a police permit for a rally, as required by law.

''We have such laws that any public gathering must first have a police permit ... so we are going to disallow any gathering,'' he said, adding only ''those who have business'' in Parliament would be allowed to enter.

Anwar criticized the court order barring him and his supporters from Parliament as an ''abuse of the legal process.''

Tian Chua, information chief of Anwar's People's Justice Party, said the party had merely wanted supporters to come to Parliament for the debate.

''There is no protest planned. We want people to go into Parliament to listen to the debate,'' he said. ''I think it (the police lock down) is deliberately to create a situation to cause confusion.''

Anwar, who has become a thorn in the side of the government, suffered a setback when he was accused last month by a volunteer worker in his office of sodomizing him. Anwar has dismissed the allegation as a political conspiracy to thwart his political ascendancy.

The People's Justice Party and two other opposition parties together won an unprecedented 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament in March 8 elections. Anwar claims he can get more than 30 ruling party lawmakers to defect to form a new government.

Anwar did not contest the elections because a previous corruption conviction barred him from politics for five years. The ban expired in April.

-- Associated Press, 14 July

Text appeal is all down to sending the right message

2008-07-13T18:28:00.001+08:00

Chat-up lines are getting shorter because women are now rating prospective dates on the strength of their texting, a new study claims.And the men most likely to get the thumbs-up are those who can combine wit and wisdom rather than sending childish codes such as CUL8R for "see you later".

The way a man uses his mobile phone keypad says a lot about his personality, said the poll of 2000 adults.

More than three in four women (76 per cent) judge a potential date's character by his texting style in the early days of their courtship.

And nearly nine in ten (88 per cent) modern women prefer to use texts than real conversations after they initially swap numbers.

This is partly because 37 per cent believe men who call to talk after getting a girl's number can appear desperate, while texting does not give the same impression.

Despite the slang abbreviations associated with text messaging, a surprising four in ten (41 per cent) women are turned off by bad spelling and poor grammar.

They do not want brief, scrambled messages with two thirds (67 per cent) claiming they are more likely to go for men who send longer texts which include humour and some flirting.

Men are advised against sarcasm or appearing "lewd" but should use a witty style. Practical missives – such an instructions to meet at a certain time and place – are less popular and more than half of female receivers (56 per cent) are left cold by them.

-- The Scotsman

Men, hear hear!

Woman hit by lightning while filming with camera, survives, posts video!

2008-07-12T22:48:00.001+08:00

This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events. A woman is taking video of a rainstorm from her balcony when she is struck by lightning. She survives, and posts the video on Flickr.

Andy Warhol said we'd all be famous for fifteen minutes. The Internet and Youtube have redefined that to fifteen seconds. This is some of the most amazing fifteen seconds of footage I've ever seen.

Apparently, she was standing on the balcony of her house, filming the rain storm, and resting her right hand on a conductive railing. A lightning stroke hit her camera-hand. Thankfully, the charge didn't go through her chest cavity and stop her heart, but rather went across her back and grounded out through her other hand.

-- Digital Journal

This is just one of those things that makes me go speechless. Even "awesome" seems far off.

Why the Swedish way won't work

2008-07-12T14:28:00.000+08:00

I refer to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's suggestion in Thursday's report that Singapore emulate Sweden's strategy in improving birth rates ('Taking a leaf from Sweden's book to boost birth rate').

It may not work as Singapore has a very competitive educational environment relative to Sweden. Spending money on creches, giving fathers time off for each childbirth and other Swedish initiatives are not enough in Singapore. The reason our educational environment is so competitive is because parents know that without tertiary education, our kids will not have a good life.

The presence of cheap foreign labour has made low-skilled jobs unrewarding. This is not the case in Sweden. Garbage collectors, bricklayers and carpenters are relatively well paid in Sweden. Thus, even the less skilled in Sweden have a good life. Hence, the urgency on the part of Singapore parents to give their children a tertiary education.

Of course, importing foreign labour has boosted our growth rate. But the price we pay is that it depresses the wages of the lower-skilled workers. That is why Singapore has a high Gini Index compared with Sweden. The index measures the gap between the rich and the poor.

To boost our birth rate, child-rearing should be recognised as a career in itself. Ideally, we want the better-educated women to have more kids. Mothers who stay home tend to have more children than working mums.

I suggest that the Government pay mothers their last-drawn pay for a period of say 10 years after the second child is born, if she chooses to stay at home. If she has more children, the 10-year period restarts after the subsequent children are born. The higher her last drawn pay, the more she is paid.

Second, a portion of her children's future Central Provident Fund payments should be transferred to her after they start working for the rest of her life.

One reason people in the past had more children is that they saw their kids as a source of pension funds for their old age. It's time to restore the old relationship.

Tan Keng Soon - Straits Times Interactive

I think the main reason here is that life in Singapore is very stressful, who wants to bring up a child in a very stressful environment? Its either you make it or you don't. If you don't have a good tertiary education, you're doomed for life.

Xiaxue and Dawn on Yahoo Polls!

2008-07-12T00:27:00.002+08:00

This is the current poll results.

Go and vote now!

Woman Posts Cat!

2008-07-11T23:10:00.001+08:00

A cat was posted 450 miles by mistake after it crawled into a parcel box for a cat nap.

The cat's owner Gitti Rauch said her pet climbed into a box filled with presents for relatives. She did not notice the cat as she sealed up the package and sent it off.

After the two-day journey from Rottach-Egern in southern Germany to Dorsten in the north of the country the cat leapt out unharmed - and no worse for wear - when the parcel was opened.

Mrs Rauch, 44, said: "Janosch usually goes off on his own for a few days and I wasn't worried when I hadn't seen him for a while - then I got a call telling me what had happened.

"I can understand though how he survived the journey without a scratch. He is a very special little cat. He likes to ride in cars, he likes boxes - and he never complains."

The Local - Germany

Woah! Poor kitty!

We are enough!

2008-07-11T22:21:00.001+08:00

How often it is that we go the extra mile to please people and end up being disappointed? Why do we have to keep comparing ourselves with people who are more prettier, skinnier, taller etc than us? It only makes us feel worse off.

As you know, beauty/slimming centres, magazines etc, blatantly feed on our insecurities. I'm not saying that I've never felt insecure, I'm sure everyone has.

The thing is, we don't give ourselves enough credit. Being who we are can be tough. All of us play many different roles to different people. We are mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, friends, teachers etc. We always feel that we can be a better person. Yes we can, sure we can. But, lets save that for another day.

We need to realise just for this moment that we - we, are enough. Our purpose in life is not pleasing people to gain acceptance, we just have to be enough for ourselves.

We are enough!

Now, go tell your mom, dad, husband, wife that they're enough. Even writing them a "you are enough" post it note will mean a lot to them.

I am enough! And you are too ;)

-- Starwish

The ‘Fake’ Steve Jobs Is Giving Up Parody Blog!

2008-07-11T14:23:00.002+08:00

The once-mysterious blogger known as “Fake Steve Jobs” is turning off his iPhone for good.

Daniel Lyons, the former Forbes magazine journalist who wrote the blog The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs for the last two years, is moving on with his professional life and creative pursuits. In a final entry Wednesday entitled, “I’m sailing away,” the author, who is moving to Newsweek as a technology columnist this fall, said he was shutting down the popular parody of the life of the Apple chief executive and starting a new blog under his own name.

Mr. Lyons said that he had grown tired of his fictional creation, but mainly he was worried about making fun of a real person whose health has been a recent topic of speculation. (After a reporter for The New York Times asked about his lean appearance at a conference last month, Mr. Jobs said he was healthy.)

“I tried transitioning to other voices, like Jerry Yang’s, but it just didn’t work,” Mr. Lyons said, referring to the embattled Yahoo chief. “It seems clear that people reading the blog wanted to read Fake Steve or nothing.”

For Mr. Jobs’s online doppelgänger, the lights are dimming on a creation that once captivated the technology world. Publishing pseudonymously until an article in The Times revealed his identity last summer, Mr. Lyons wrote with insight and hyperbole about Mr. Jobs’s tyrannical moodiness at Apple and the fictional antics of other high-profile technology figures, including Microsoft’s Steven A. Ballmer and Oracle’s Larry Ellison.

An industrywide guessing game as to the identity of “Fake Steve” ensued, with the real Mr. Jobs and Microsoft’s Bill Gates weighing in.

Mr. Lyons translated the appeal of his blog into a novel, “Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, a Parody,” published in October by Da Capo Press, and he is writing a screenplay based on the book for Hollywood production house, Media Rights Capital. Unlike the book, Mr. Lyons said, the screenplay will feature a generic chief executive.

-- NYTimes

Bangkok voted world's best city

2008-07-10T16:24:00.002+08:00

Bangkok was voted the world's best city for 2008 and the Galapagos were picked as the best islands in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winners Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia.

Magazine readers also voted Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the world's top hotel while Singapore Airlines grabbed the best airline award again.

It was the first time that Bangkok, the vibrant capital of Thailand, and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador topped their respective categories, said Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure.

Last year, Bangkok was ranked number 3 and the Galapagos number 8. The 2007 winners of best city and best island -- Florence an Bali -- fell to number 5 and number 2 respectively.

"We're delighted to welcome so many new winners this year," she said in a statement. "Nature, and adventure, were clearly a draw in the selections."

Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.

The results were complied from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March. Travel + Leisure will honour winners on July 24 in New York City.

The complete "World's Best Awards" is available on www.travelandleisure.com. Following are some highlights:

Best hotel - Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa

Best island - Galapagos, Ecuador

Best cruise line (large ships) - Crystal Cruises

Best cruise line (small ships) - Silversea Cruises

Best international airline - Singapore Airlines

Best domestic airline - Virgin America

Best tour operator - Micato Safaris

Best car-rental agency - Hertz

Best hotel for $250 or less - Domaine des Hauts de Loire, France

-- Reuters

Beijing Olympics Results Already Predicted Before Actual Games Begin

2008-07-09T23:26:00.003+08:00

Study: China will win more medals than U.S in Beijing

Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has come out with a study that estimates China to win one more medal than U.S in the Beijing Olympics.

Accountants got their turn in the Olympics with the publication of a report that predicts China to top the medal tally in the Beijing Olympics in terms of overall medals as well as number of gold medals won. The report predicts China to win a total of 88 medals, one higher than United States overall tally of 87.

John Hawksworth, the report's author, says a number of factors such as population, average income level and being the host nation are taken into consideration while preparing the report.

Hawksworth predicts Russia will drop to third place at Beijing with an overall tally of 79 medals , down 13, followed by Germany (43), Australia (41), Japan (34), France (30), Italy (29), Britain (28) and South Korea (27). He also said former Eastern bloc nations are likely to do better because of their planned approach.

-- Digital Journal

hmmm? I also predict that China will be first.

Will Anwar Swear on the Holy Quran to Prove His Innocence?

2008-07-09T14:49:00.001+08:00

Anwar and his wife

It is on everyone's mind right now. Will he or will he not? Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the alleged person whom he commited sodomy with, challenged him to swear in front of the Ulamas (religious leaders). According to The Star Online, Anwar responded by replying, “Just inform me of the time and date. I am not afraid to keep my promise”.

Swearing on the Holy Quran is a very big deal. It is the most sacred book to Muslims just as the Bible is to the Christians. Should Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak also swear on the Quran to prove that he did not have an affair with Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu who was murdered in 2006?

With allegations, suspicions and tempers flying, will this measure bring a temporary reprise to the Malaysian political scene?

If they did no wrong, they should have nothing to fear - or do they?

-- Starwish

Bat found in teen's bra !

2008-07-08T23:10:00.003+08:00

A teenager was stunned to find that a baby bat had been curled up inside her bra for five hours - as she was wearing it.

Hotel receptionist Abbie Hawkins thought her mobile phone was ringing when she felt vibrations, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But she later discovered the tiny creature tucked away in the padded pocket of her underwear.

As staff and colleagues crowded around, Miss Hawkins, 19, produced the frightened bat, which her manager later released outside.

She said: "Once I realised it was a bat I was shocked, but then I felt quite sorry for it really. It looked very snug in there and I thought how mean I was for disturbing it."

Miss Hawkins, who works at the Holiday Inn Norwich North, added: "When I was driving to work I felt a slight vibration but I thought it was just my mobile phone in my jacket pocket."

It was not until her lunch break when she felt a strange movement inside her bra, which had been hanging on her washing line the previous night.

"I plucked up the courage to investigate and I pulled out a little baby bat. I just lost my breath when I saw it and I did not know what it was at first," she said.

Jaime Eastham, of the Bat Conservation Trust, said they had never heard of a bat being found in a bra before. But she said the animals roost anywhere that appears dark and safe.

-- The Daily Telegraph

If I was in her situation, I would have been so freaked out that I'd strip right there and then. Yucks! A bat in your bra! Can you picture that?!

More "national monuments" being erected

2008-07-08T12:22:00.001+08:00

Wah lau, like that I can say bye bye to ever owning a car in Singapore. If the government is really hardcore about deterring us from owning a car, why don't they increase the COE instead? Why must we have ERP everywhere? Here tax, there tax, everywhere tax, tax, tax! Now that the oil prices are crazy high already, still need to have more ERP gantries meh? If they really want all of us to take public transport then please increase the frequency of busses and MRT.

"It was Day One of higher ERP charges for vehicles going into the Central Business District (CBD) and Orchard Road.

The Land Transport Authority has said the higher charges, mostly double the old rates, are meant to manage traffic flow.

Our reporter Imelda Saad travelled with 30—year—old sales executive Tan Chee Kheong on the first day of the higher ERP charges.

In just half an hour, they passed not one, not two, but five gantries.

And that’s not counting the S$7.50 Tan already paid to get into the CBD for work in the morning and to meet our reporter in the afternoon.

Tan is resigned to the fact that he now has to fork out about S$300 to S$400 a month in ERP charges. He has no choice, as his work requires him to travel in and out of the CBD.

Tan said the ERP charges are literally eating into his salary despite his company increasing his transport allowance by S$150 a month.

Motorists Channel NewsAsia spoke with also questioned the rationale for imposing higher ERP charges within the CBD during the day.

"I just don’t understand why they have to increase the charges during the noon time when the traffic is not really that high," said a motorist.

True enough, as our reporter found out, it was a relatively smooth journey going from the CBD to Orchard Road and back.

A cabbie, who did not want to be seen on camera, said the higher rates will further deter taxies from going into the CBD area.

Some motorists said a better way to manage traffic flow is to improve road infrastructure and limit vehicle population growth.

Meanwhile, along the Singapore River area, five new gantries were also activated on Monday, charging evening ERP rates. The LTA said this is to reduce cross—traffic flow from one side of the city to the other.

For motorists, the latest rate revisions and the addition of new gantries will not be the end of ERP woes.

In November, more ERP gantries will be operational along expressways and arterial roads.

And when the Kallang—Paya Lebar Expressway is fully operational, new gantries will also be put up there, adding to the 60 or so already operational islandwide

However for many motorists, the new rates — which started on July 7 — could not have come at a worse time, given that fuel prices have also risen in tandem."

-- ChannelNewsAsia

Study: The French Are The Most Obnoxious Tourists!

2008-07-08T00:42:00.001+08:00

According to a new and recent study, the award for the most obnoxious tourists goes to the French. The French are now considered the most obnoxious tourists.

Not long ago, I had written about how Australia now ranks first as the most obese nation. Now, the French rank 1st for most obnoxious tourists in the world. The award for world’s most obnoxious tourists goes to France. Yes, the world’s most obnoxious tourists amongst Europeans are the French.

That puts France in second place. The poll shows that India possibly ranks behind France in having the most obnoxious tourists. In last place, that award goes to China. Out of 21 nations being the most polite when traveling abroad in the poll, France has ranked 19th. That’s pretty close to being in last place. The 1st place award for most polite tourists belongs to Japan.

Americans and Thais are tied in 11th place. 2nd place goes to the Germans, 3rd place goes to the British, and 4th place goes to the Canadians. But, 11th place is definitely a lot better than 19th place.

French commercial travelers or the “voyageur francais” were revealed as either unwilling or not able to speak in foreign dialects. However, the study has shown that the French fared pretty well for being the best-dressed tourists. That could be deemed as a plus for French tourists.

But, the 1st place award for being best dressed goes to the Italians.

For American tourists, the poll results did not seem to show any negativity. Instead, it shows that American tourists are in 1st place of willingness and effort to speak in local dialects. That is a major plus for American tourists.

France along with a few other countries came in last in that regard.

However, the poll shows that both French and American tourists are equally rude when traveling abroad. But, the reasons are different. Despite that negative aspect directed at American tourists, the award for most obnoxious tourists goes to the French. So no, the award for most obnoxious tourists does not go to the Americans.

Also, France ranks near last place in those that vacation in their home countries.

In a nutshell, France is ranked as the most obnoxious tourists amongst Europeans.

Coincidentally, French President Nicholas Sarkozy is one president who is not afraid to speak his mind out to anybody. Sarkozy gave verbal lashings to many people recently. Sarkozy is not really gaining any brownie points with the international community.

In regards to French tourists, they’re definitely got gaining any brownie points when traveling abroad.

-- digitaljournal.com

I'm surprised that Singapore isn't there! I guess we're too small to make such an impact.

Bride sues after bum wedding! LOL

2008-07-07T16:53:00.002+08:00

A bride is suing a designer after her £2,000 wedding dress came apart on her big day, leaving her bum on display at the altar.

The 30-year-old woman, who cannot be named due to Italian privacy laws, claims her big day was ruined by the poor stitching, reports the Daily Telegraph.

According to the writ the bride was left in tears and the priest was left not knowing where to look. The Carry On style incident happened at Chiavari on the Italian Riviera.

Details of the writ emerged after an initial hearing at the civil court, in nearby Genoa, chaired by judge Pasqual Grasso.

The woman is claiming damages of £20,000 from the designer, who was not named but is based at Rapallo, twenty miles from Chiavari.

Her lawyer Alberto Figone said: "This was supposed to be the biggest day of my client's life but it turned out to be the worst, her wedding was ruined.

"She was left extremely embarrassed because the stitching of her dress came apart at the altar, slid down and revealed her bottom to the whole congregation.

"The priest concluded the ceremony and the couple were married but of course she was not able to take any proper photographs of the ceremony because she was semi naked.

"As a result, she has decided to sue the shop in Rapallo that made the dress for moral damages as well as financial damages, and the request is 23,000 Euro."

The incident happened in 2006 but has only just come to court. The couple have since separated.

--ananova.com

Doesn't it sound like something out of the "Wild Weddings" show? hahaha

Proof WHY Miss Singapore Universe should be scraped!

2008-07-07T13:04:00.002+08:00

This poll was on Yahoo last year. Quite obvious, huh?

Scraping Miss Singapore Universe was quite a hot topic in The Straits Times a couple of months back. Derrol Stepenny Promotions (DSP) in charge of putting the show together held it at Mariott Hotel this year. Mediacorp commented that ratings have consistently been decreasing and sponsors are pulling out.

So, no slot on TV, because few people are interested in viewing it. And this year's merlion national costume, man, it just takes the cake. Its so frigging cheesy! Why can't we have for once a normal ballroom/evening gown designed by a well-known local designer like Ashley Isham?

Do you think there'll come a day when local papers report about bloggers entangled in cat fights/ lawsuits?

2008-07-06T23:36:00.003+08:00

I think there definitely will. Since the Internet can command a reasonable lot of influence and increasingly, more are trusting information that they get from bloggers than commercial advertisments (as its marketing afterall).

Internet scandals are already making waves in papers. Why not bloggers sueing one another? What more if they're "celebrity" bloggers? Like the recent one between Xiaxue and Dawn?
Or maybe even the recent hoo-haa with the Ping.sg community?

Especially if its a slow news day, the reporters might just turn to the Internet for "news".
Will Internet celebs be more well-known than real life celebs in time to come? Perez Hilton and Smosh from YouTube may indeed be more popular than some B and C listed Hollywood celebs.

What Makes An Ideal Husband?

2008-07-06T21:52:00.002+08:00

So how do you avoid a relationship where you end up saying, “The man who I was living with, I just didn’t know who he was” — as Brinkley did in court when talking about her husband’s $3,000-a-month Internet porn and swinger site habit? (Not to mention the 18-year-old mistress/assistant.)

Father Pat Connor, a 79-year-old Catholic priest born in Australia and based in Bordentown, N.J., has spent his celibate life — including nine years as a missionary in India — mulling connubial bliss. His decades of marriage counseling led him to distill some “mostly common sense” advice about how to dodge mates who would maul your happiness.

“Hollywood says you can be deeply in love with someone and then your marriage will work,” the twinkly eyed, white-haired priest says. “But you can be deeply in love with someone to whom you cannot be successfully married.”

For 40 years, he has been giving a lecture — “Whom Not to Marry” — to high school seniors, mostly girls because they’re more interested.

“It’s important to do it before they fall seriously in love, because then it will be too late,” he explains. “Infatuation trumps judgment.”

I asked him to summarize his talk:

“Never marry a man who has no friends,” he starts. “This usually means that he will be incapable of the intimacy that marriage demands. I am always amazed at the number of men I have counseled who have no friends. Since, as the Hebrew Scriptures say, ‘Iron shapes iron and friend shapes friend,’ what are his friends like? What do your friends and family members think of him? Sometimes, your friends can’t render an impartial judgment because they are envious that you are beating them in the race to the altar. Envy beclouds judgment.

“Does he use money responsibly? Is he stingy? Most marriages that founder do so because of money — she’s thrifty, he’s on his 10th credit card.

“Steer clear of someone whose life you can run, who never makes demands counter to yours. It’s good to have a doormat in the home, but not if it’s your husband.

“Is he overly attached to his mother and her mythical apron strings? When he wants to make a decision, say, about where you should go on your honeymoon, he doesn’t consult you, he consults his mother. (I’ve known cases where the mother accompanies the couple on their honeymoon!)

“Does he have a sense of humor? That covers a multitude of sins. My mother was once asked how she managed to live harmoniously with three men — my father, brother and me. Her answer, delivered with awesome arrogance, was: ‘You simply operate on the assumption that no man matures after the age of 11.’ My father fell about laughing.

“A therapist friend insists that ‘more marriages are killed by silence than by violence.’ The strong, silent type can be charming but ultimately destructive. That world-class misogynist, Paul of Tarsus, got it right when he said, ‘In all your dealings with one another, speak the truth to one another in love that you may grow up.’

“Don’t marry a problem character thinking you will change him. He’s a heavy drinker, or some other kind of addict, but if he marries a good woman, he’ll settle down. People are the same after marriage as before, only more so.

“Take a good, unsentimental look at his family — you’ll learn a lot about him and his attitude towards women. Kay made a monstrous mistake marrying Michael Corleone! Is there a history of divorce in the family? An atmosphere of racism, sexism or prejudice in his home? Are his goals and deepest beliefs worthy and similar to yours? I remember counseling a pious Catholic woman that it might not be prudent to marry a pious Muslim, whose attitude about women was very different. Love trumped prudence; the annulment process was instigated by her six months later.

“Imagine a religious fundamentalist married to an agnostic. One would have to pray that the fundamentalist doesn’t open the Bible and hit the page in which Abraham is willing to obey God and slit his son’s throat.

“Finally: Does he possess those character traits that add up to a good human being — the willingness to forgive, praise, be courteous? Or is he inclined to be a fibber, to fits of rage, to be a control freak, to be envious of you, to be secretive?

“After I regale a group with this talk, the despairing cry goes up: ‘But you’ve eliminated everyone!’ Life is unfair.”

-- NYTimes, 6th July

Yes, life is unfair! *weepeth*

Minister George Yeo asks Singaporeans to not be kepo about Malaysian politics.

2008-07-06T15:17:00.001+08:00

Why can't we be kepo (busybody) about our immediate neighbour's affairs? Afterall, whatever affects them affects us also what. Them increasing petrol prices affected us, so as limiting how many sacks of rice or other stuff that we can buy from Malaysia. We also depend on Malaysia for water and other supplies like chicken, ducks and occasionally holiday there. Since our political scene is very boring, of course we find Malaysia's and America's politics very interesting.

We're not really getting directly involved but rather commenting on the sidelines on what we feel/think on the situation. Afterall, Malaysia's news also makes headlines in our newspapers (because there are no sensational happenings in Singapore).

So, did Anwar really commit sodomy?

"Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has said Singapore must not get involved in Malaysian politics.

He gave this response when asked by the media if bilateral relations would be hit by the ongoing political turmoil in Malaysia.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim have been dominating the headlines in the past week over various allegations made by different parties.

Mr Yeo said: "We are not a participant. It's important we don't take sides in their domestic politics, indeed in the domestic politics of any neighbouring country. It is not wise and it will only complicate our bilateral relations. We deal with whoever is in power."

- - ChannelNewsAsia

Malaysia sends letter to Rice complaining of US interference in Anwar case

2008-07-06T00:09:00.001+08:00

Malaysia accused Washington on Friday of meddling in its domestic affairs by commenting on sodomy allegations facing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar has rejected accusations of sodomy made by a male aide last weekend, saying they were part of a conspiracy to keep him from seizing power from Malaysia's ruling coalition. Government leaders have denied trying to frame Anwar.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey on Monday urged Malaysia to keep politics and the legal system separate, saying "we will certainly oppose any use of law enforcement or judicial procedures for anything other than legitimate purposes of the law."

Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim told reporters that he sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday expressing regret about those comments, which he said were "uncalled for" and tantamount to interference in Malaysia's affairs.

Rais said he expected a response from Washington, but did not elaborate.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, revived his political career in March when his three-party opposition alliance won 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament, the strongest performance ever for the opposition.

Anwar insists he is close to engineering enough defections from the ruling coalition to bring down Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration. He has openly aspired to be the country's next leader if the opposition comes to power.

--AP

OrangUtan populations declining sharply! Extinct by 2011?!

2008-07-05T23:40:00.002+08:00

Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says.

The declines in Indonesia and Malaysia since 2004 are mostly because of illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations, Serge Wich, a scientist at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa, said on Saturday.

The survey found the orangutan population on Indonesia's Sumatra island dropped almost 14 percent since 2004, Wich said. It also concluded that the populations on Borneo island, which is shared by Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, have fallen by 10 percent. Researchers only surveyed areas of Borneo that are in Indonesia and Malaysia.

In their study, Wich and his 15 colleagues said the declines in Borneo were occurring at an ''alarming rate'' but that they were most concerned about Sumatra, where the numbers show the population is in ''rapid decline.''

''Unless extraordinary efforts are made soon, it could become the first great ape species to go extinct,'' researchers wrote.

The number of orangutans on Sumatra has fallen from 7,500 to 6,600 while the number on Borneo has fallen from 54,000 to around 49,600, according to the survey on the endangered apes, which appears in this month's science journal Oryx.

''It's disappointing that there are still declines even though there have been quite a lot of conservation efforts over the past 30 years,'' Wich said.

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's top two palm oil producers, have aggressively pushed to expand plantations amid a rising demand for biofuels which are considered cleaner burning and cheaper than petrol.

Wich and his colleagues said there was room for ''cautious optimism'' that the orangutan could be saved, noting recent initiatives by Indonesian leaders.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a major initiative to save the nation's orangutans at a U.N. climate conference last year, and the Aceh governor declared a moratorium on logging.

Coupled with that are expectations that Indonesia will protect millions of acres of forest as part of any U.N. climate pact that will go into effect in 2012. The deal is expected to include measures that will reward tropical countries like Indonesia that halt deforestation.

''There are promising signs that there is a lot of political will, especially in Aceh, to protect the forest,'' Wich said, adding however that much more needs to be done.

Michelle Desilets, founding director of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK, praised the study for offering the first comprehensive look at the species population.

''What matters is that the rate of decline is increasing, and unless something is done, the wild orangutan is on a quick spiral towards extinction, whether in two years, five years or 10 years,'' Desilets said in an e-mail.

In their paper, the researchers recommended that law enforcement be boosted to help reduce the hunting of orangutans for food and trade. Environmental awareness at the local level must also be increased.

''It is essential that funding for environmental services reaches the local level and that there is strong law enforcement,'' the study says. ''Developing a mechanism to ensure these occur is the challenge for the conservation of the orangutans.''

The study is the latest in a long line of research that has predicted the orangutans demise.

In May, the Center for Orangutan Protection said just 20,000 of the endangered primates remain in the tropical jungle of Central Kalimantan on Borneo island, down from 31,300 in 2004. Based on that estimate, it concluded orangutans there could be extinct by 2011.

-- Associated Press

Thats sad. OrangUtans are such friendly animals :(

Most Requested Funeral Songs!

2008-07-04T11:45:00.001+08:00

You've heard of most requested wedding songs, most requested prom songs, but, this is in a league of its own...

The most requested funeral songs!

AC/DC's Highway to Hell is becoming one of the most requested funeral tunes in Australia.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead from the Wizard of Oz, and Another One Bites the Dust by Queen are also popular, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Funeral managers at Centennial Park, the largest cemetery and crematorium in Adelaide, said only two hymns still rank among its top 10 most popular funeral songs: Amazing Grace and Abide With Me.

Highway to Hell, which includes the line: "Going down, party time; My friends are gonna be there too", is just outside the top ten, with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven.

Leading the funeral chart is crooner Frank Sinatra's classic hit My Way followed by Louis Armstrong's version of Wonderful World.

"Some of the more unusual songs we hear actually work very well within the service because they represent the person's character," Centennial Park chief executive Bryan Elliott said.

Among other less conventional choices were Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Monty Python, Hit the Road Jack, and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

--Ananova.com

Which songs would you like to be played at your funeral?

Curry grounds plane!

2008-07-03T12:10:00.003+08:00

A BA jet diverted after passengers thought they smelt poison gas was really grounded by curry.

The flight from Belgrade to London made an emergency evacuation after passengers panicked, fearing a terrorist gas attack.

But an official investigation into the incident at the Nikola Tesla Airport in the Serbian capital has revealed the fumes had escaped from a giant container of curry spices in the plane's cargo hold.

"The smell spread from the package of an aromatic food spice," confirmed the Serbian Ministry for the Protection of Human Environment.

At first, officials suspected a canister of powerful acidic chemicals had burst open in the hold.

But health officials have blamed the curry for the security scare.

"The chemical that was found in the cargo hold of the airplane did not leak out," said the spokesman. "It was sodium-selenite. But the smell did not spread from there."

Dozens of passengers had to flee the plane after it was returned to Belgrade and contained on a special emergency procedure runway at the airport.

Emergency workers wearing breathing apparatus helped screaming passengers off the plane before the source of the fumes was discovered.

-- Associated Press

LOL!!!

Polls show that Most Malaysians Believe Anwar Is Innocent

2008-07-02T15:40:00.001+08:00

Opinion polls showed most people believed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim did not commit sodomy against a young aide after a similar charge landed him in jail for six years before it was overturned.

A small survey by the independent Merdeka Center research firm found just 6 percent of respondents believed the allegations, and nearly 60 percent viewed it as politically motivated.

"It's going to be an uphill battle for the government because you are facing a more cynical public," said the firm's pollster, Ibrahim Suffian.The survey polled 225 ethnic Malays aged 20 and above.

A separate survey by the independent news website, Malaysiakini (www.malaysiakini.com), showed that 94.4 percent of its respondents believed the allegation was part of a political conspiracy against Anwar.

More than 7,000 people turned up at an impromptu rally late on Tuesday night in the biggest show of support for Anwar since the aide complained to the police at the weekend about an alleged assault at a luxury Kuala Lumpur apartment last Thursday.

Police have classified the sexual assault report against Anwar as sodomy, federal police deputy chief Ismail Omar was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times on Wednesday.

So far, the police have not questioned Anwar, who has dismissed the allegation as a top-level political conspiracy to keep him from standing for parliament, and to stymie his campaign aimed at wooing defectors from the ruling National Front coalition.

Winning a seat in parliament would be the first step on the road to Anwar's wider ambition of leading the opposition to power for the first time in Malaysian history.

The sodomy case emerged at a time when Abdullah's UMNO party has been riven by dissent and the loose opposition alliance was making a bid to take power. The three-party alliance made historic gains in a March 8 general election, winning five of 13 state governments and coming within 30 seats of taking control of the 222-member parliament.

Police are investigating the former deputy premier for allegedly sodomizing a 23-year-old aide, the same charge that landed him in jail for six years before the Federal Court overturned that conviction in 2004.

Sodomy is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.

Anwar has said he planned to file a legal deposition soon demonstrating that his accuser, Saiful Bukhari, had close ties with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and his staff.

At the rally, Anwar said he would not sit quietly and allow a repeat of what happened to him 10 years ago. The crowd, who had gathered at the indoor stadium in Shah Alam just outside the capital two hours before he turned up late at night, chanted "Reformasi," the battle cry of his reform movement.

A leader of his People's Justice Party told the mainly Malay crowd that the "sound of war drums" had begun reverberating from the opposition alliance.

"We will fight. When we take over the country, the first thing we will do is to bring down the price of fuel," Anwar said.

-- NY Times

I feel that this is too much of a coincidence - why would he dig his own grave? For what? Something that will make him lose the chance to be the next PM?! I also feel that this is a conspiracy. Konspirasi!

I have nothing against the current PM. This is just my view.

Pupil got marks for rude reply in GCSE Examinations

2008-07-01T23:45:00.001+08:00

A pupil who wrote "Fuck off" on a GCSE English exam paper was given two marks for spelling it correctly.

It meant he got 7.5% - and England's chief examiner said he'd have got 11% if he had added an exclamation mark.

The pupil gave the four-letter answer, which earned him two marks out of 27, when asked to "describe the room you are sitting in", reports The Sun.

Peter Buckroyd, chief examiner of English for the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, said: "It does show some very basic skills we are looking for, like conveying some meaning and some spelling.

"It shows more skills than someone who doesn't write anything at all."

But Campaign for Real Education chairman Nick Seaton said: "No wonder our exam system has lost all credibility.

"The candidate should have been given no marks at all. The remark is totally inappropriate and neither teachers nor examiners should be expected to suffer such abuse."

But the Government's exam regulator OfQual refused to condemn the approach.

A spokesman said: "It is for awarding bodies to develop their mark scheme."

Tsk tsk!

~ ananova.com

Good service from Best Denki and Bad Service from a Supermarket chain.

2008-07-01T12:54:00.002+08:00

The IT repairman from Best Denki came to my house to repair my PC today . He was on time, very friendly, spoke good English and obliged to teach me some computer related stuff as I'm quite dumb when it comes to fixing computers. It seems that nowadays most computers only last for 4-5 years since almost all are made in China. Are there PCs that are NOT made in China? Why is the quality of most China products so lousy?! I'd rather pay more for a made in Japan product if it can last longer and is of better workmanship. Its like they're really milking us out of our money..keep on wanting us to buy their products as the lifespan is so short. Is Fujitsu still made in Japan? My made in Japan Sony TV has been with my family for 15 years and its still going on strong. Nowadays, after a few years, this spoil, that spoil. Buay tahan!

I went to this neighbourhood supermarket last week and asked one of the staffs something concerning one of the products, and she didn't understand anything! She's a China person who doesn't even know simple English. Really pissed me off. Went to another supermarket nearby - at least their staff are quite conversant in English. Its really irritating especially when you're in a hurry and cannot afford the time to do "sign language". They should employ Filipinos instead, at least they can speak English. Yes, they may be more expensive, but at least you're keeping your customers. I say, to all service related businesses out there, even if you employ China workers, make sure that they have a basic grasp of English and know what products you are actually selling.

I'm not saying that ALL China workers or products are bad. I had a good experience at Puma a few months back with a China staff attending to me. He was accommodating and most importantly, he understood what I was saying and was very friendly. I own China made products too (doesn't everyone?), and some are good like the Skippy peanut butter that I had with bread for breakfast.

Spain Triumphs Germany in Euro 2008 ! Detailed account on how they won!

2008-06-30T11:18:00.002+08:00

Germany 0 - 1 Spain

FERNANDO Torres was the hero for Spain last night, firing the nation to Euro 2008 glory against Germany in Vienna and ending 44 years of underachievement.

Torres struck in the 33rd minute in Vienna and despite the efforts of Germany skipper Michael Ballack, they held on to their lead to spark wild celebrations in Austria's capital.

Heavyweights in European football who produce a constant stream of individual talents, Spain had not won a major tournament since 1964 but finally shook off their tag of being chokers, not able to cope with the pressure of the highest stage.

They have also been perceived as a nation divided by their regions – the lyrics to their national anthem are not used – but full-back Sergio Ramos had kept mentioning the word "united" in the run up to the final, and when Torres secured the Henri Delaunay trophy for them they were just that.

Just shy of his 70th birthday, Luis Aragones will now leave his post as coach, probably for Fenerbahce, as a champion. Vicente del Bosque has been tipped to take over and he will inherit a young squad who have their sights on the World Cup.

While Portugal appeared destabilised by Chelsea announcing Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new coach during these finals, there were no signs of the same happening to Spain following Fenerbahce's statement revealing Aragones as their new manager on the eve of their semi-final.

They finish as the tournament's top goalscorers, helped by Torres who took the English Premier League by storm with 33 rookie goals for Liverpool. He was not on the top of his game for the whole of the tournament, but the 24-year-old stepped into the shoes of David Villa when Spain needed him.

"Viva Espana" sang their fans before the sangria started flowing.

This was billed as a clash of Germany's efficiency and power versus Spain's fluidity and creativity, which were on display as Russia were swept aside in the semi-finals.

Germany's drive came from Ballack, with the Chelsea midfielder passed fit despite carrying a calf injury on the eve of the final. "Against the odds we will win the trophy", read one headline from a German newspaper on the day of the game, and Ballack was seen as the key to their chances.

They had been inconsistent in the group stages, then stuttered past Turkey after outmuscling Portugal. Only Ballack's level of performance had been high throughout all of it but he ends the tournament a "nearly man" again. Six years ago he missed the World Cup final through suspension just after Bayer Leverkusen missed a trio of chances for silverware. This season Manchester United pipped him to the Premier League and Champions League titles, and he finds himself the bridesmaid once more.

Facing Ballack was a Barcelona-bred wall of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas in midfield, with Arsenal's youngster getting his chance following Villa's injury. But before they were allowed to impose themselves on the game, Germany had already wasted two early chances.

Ramos lost his bearings and gifted a pass straight to Miroslav Klose, whose poor touch let him down as he sped past Carles Puyol, and the opportunity had gone. Then Thomas Hitzlsperger was teed up on the edge of the area by Klose but could not get purchase on his shot.

Spain started to move through the gears after their reprieve, never looking back after they were let off the hook. Their opening chance came after a Xavi pass had split the German defence to find Iniesta on the left. When the cross came over, Christoph Metzelder sliced towards his own goal and Jens Lehmann, at 38 the oldest player to feature in a European Championship final, athletically tipped around the post.

The post came to Lehmann's rescue when Torres climbed above Per Mertesacker to meet Ramos' centre, but the Liverpool man was not made to wait long for his goal. It came 12 minutes before the break when Xavi played the ball beyond Philipp Lahm. The full-back was favourite to clear but Torres used pace and muscle to get around him and chip over the diving Lehmann's legs before celebrating his goal by sucking his thumb.

It could have got worse for Germany had David Silva not volleyed over wildly when found at the far post by Iniesta.

German fans feared the worst when Ballack was forced off the field with a cut eye, but he returned after getting the bloodied injury treated twice. He was also booked along with opposing captain Iker Casillas for talking back at the referee.

Spain had chances to make it comfortable after the break, with Lehmann saving from Ramos' header and Iniesta seeing a drive cleared off the line. However, their own indiscipline almost cost them when Silva butted his head towards Lukas Podolski, but no card was shown.

Torres was taken off in the 78th minute, with his job done in waking the sleeping giants of European football.

How the final unfolded in ecstasy for the Spanish

Eight minutes: Germany's Thomas Hitzlsperger has the first shot of the night from the left edge of the penalty area but Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas gathers comfortably.

13: Christoph Metzelder almost puts through his own net when he swings a leg at Andres Iniesta's low cross but the defender's blushes are spared by Jens Lehmann's superb reaction save.

19: Half-chance for Fernando Torres from a right-wing free-kick but the Liverpool forward's header sails wide of the target.

22: Torres comes even closer moments later, with the striker rising above Per Mertesacker to connect with Sergio Ramos' lofted cross but the upright comes to Germany's rescue with Lehmann beaten. Germany clear only as far as Joan Capdevila, who fires wide.

29: The Germans claim a penalty as Spain full-back Joan Capdevila mis-controlls the ball and it bounces up to hit his hand, but referee Roberto Rosetti waves away the appeals.

30: Andres Iniesta finds Cesc Fabregas in space 25 yards from goal but the Arsenal playmaker's low drive is gathered without fuss by Lehmann.

33: GERMANY 0 SPAIN 1: Torres outpaces Philipp Lahm to be first to Xavi's defence-splitting pass and fires Spain in front as he lofts the ball over the advancing Lehmann.

35: Germany captain Michael Ballack is forced from the field after a clash of heads with Marcos Senna and requires lengthy treatment to a cut above his right eye.

53: A deep corner kick finds its way through David Silva, who drills the ball low towards the left corner of the Germany goal only for Ramos' flick to take the ball just the wrong side of the post.

59: Midfielder Ballack takes aim from 25 yards but the ball flies narrowly wide of Casillas' right-hand upright to the relief of Spanish supporters.

66: Ramos almost makes it 2-0 when he meets Xavi's free-kick with a bullet header but Lehmann pats the ball away for a corner.

68: Iniesta receives the ball in space inside the German penalty area but his toe-poked effort is cleared off the line by Torsten Frings.

81: Santi Cazorla's right-wing cross is nodded back across the face of goal by fellow substitute Daniel Guiza but the advancing Senna just fails to get a telling touch on the ball with the net yawning.

90+3: Italian referee Rosetti blows the full-time whistle to confirm Spain's first major tournament trophy for 44 years.

Thanks to : http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/

Germany didn't win but Michael Ballack is still hot!

The Perfect Lover Does Exist!

2008-06-29T22:45:00.002+08:00

Imagine having a boyfriend who's well, perfect. He's got every trait you've ever dreamed of. He does no wrong and is always there when you need him. He doesn't flirt with other females and even knows how to cook your favourite dishes! Sounds too good to be true?

The perfect lover exists, but, there's a catch - he's a robot! Meet Night Tenjo, a robot made solely to be the "perfect boyfriend". Izawa Riko is a temporary worker at a company dealing with pastries. She can't seem to find a guy of her liking or guys that she fancies, don't like her in return.

The answer? Why not have a robot lover? Just as Night Tenjo enters her life, she finds herself falling for a distinguished colleague. Now, she is trapped in a love triangle. Who will she be with in the end? Who's more appealing? The perfect boyfriend or the human one who is bound to make mistakes?

I would say, that this drama "Zettai Kareshi" aka "Absolute Boyfriend" is comedic and interesting as it explores very real issues in today's society. Hey, the Japanese are very well on their way into creating a real robot "boyfriend". Imagine the unimaginable!

If you're interested in watching it and can't find any links online, you can e-mail me at tainted dot love1987 at gmail dot com.

My overall rating for this drama is 5/5. Very original! Simply sugoii!

Durian Fest

2008-06-28T21:50:00.001+08:00

The neighbours were having a durian fest at the void deck next to my block. I should've signed up for it, damnit. It smelled good.

It would be nice if the GRC organised a seafood fest. I think its great to be able to interact with your neighbours through food. Afterall, eating is a common Singaporean pastime. They should organise more of these activities. What more, with our busy lifestyle, we barely know our neighbours, let alone chat with them.

So, as I was on my way back home last week, I saw a group of RC people and a MP at the lift lobby. When they saw me, they asked if I lived here and said "Welcome home!" in quite a loud tone LOL which totally surprised me. They were there to conduct a residents' survey. The MP was friendly and chatty. Its nice to know another side of our leaders.

Back to the durian topic, I also love durian cream puffs and cakes. Non South-East-Asians might equate durians as something bizarre. After all, the king of fruits was also once featured in "Fear Factor" hahaha! But its the same as blue cheese is to us - simply bizarre!

How to fall in love?

2008-06-27T22:04:00.001+08:00

Its easy, really...

Find a complete stranger.
Reveal to each other intimate details about your lives for half an hour.
Then, stare deeply into each other’s eyes without talking for four minutes.

No lah, if its that simple, everyone of us would be in love already. I've never been in love, so I don't know how to describe it to you all.

There's a scientific explaination about it though :

Stage 1: Lust at first sight (Yes, people, stop kidding yourself, love at first sight? What, are you in some romantic movie?)

This is the first stage and is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen – in both men and women.

Stage 2: Attraction (This is when the craziness begins)

This is the amazing time when you are truly love-struck and can think of little else. Scientists think that three main neurotransmitters are involved in this stage; adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin.

Adrenaline

The initial stages of falling for someone activates your stress response, increasing your blood levels of adrenalin and cortisol. This has the charming effect that when you unexpectedly bump into your new love, you start to sweat, your heart races and your mouth goes dry.

Dopamine

Helen Fisher asked newly ‘love struck’ couples to have their brains examined and discovered they have high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This chemical stimulates ‘desire and reward’ by triggering an intense rush of pleasure. It has the same effect on the brain as taking cocaine!

Serotonin

And finally, serotonin. One of love's most important chemicals that may explain why when you’re falling in love, your new lover keeps popping into your thoughts.

Does love change the way you think?

Dr Donatella Marazziti, a psychiatrist at the University of Pisa advertised for twenty couples who'd been madly in love for less than six months. She wanted to see if the brain mechanisms that cause you to constantly think about your lover, were related to the brain mechanisms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

By analysing blood samples from the lovers, Dr Marazitti discovered that serotonin levels of new lovers were equivalent to the low serotonin levels of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients.

Love needs to be blind (Love is indeed blind! *gasp*)

Newly smitten lovers often idealise their partner, magnifying their virtues and explaining away their flaws says Ellen Berscheid, a leading researcher on the psychology of love.

New couples also exalt the relationship itself. “It's very common to think they have a relationship that's closer and more special than anyone else's”. Psychologists think we need this rose-tinted view. It makes us want to stay together to enter the next stage of love – attachment.

Stage 3 : Attachment

Attachment is the bond that keeps couples together long enough for them to have and raise children. Scientists think there might be two major hormones involved in this feeling of attachment; oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin - The cuddle hormone

Vasopressin
Vasopressin is another important hormone in the long-term commitment stage and is released after sex.

On a side note, I've always wondered why do they say "fall" in love, not "jump" or "dive"?
Because it sounds better?

I'm sure being in love feels great and I hope I'd get to experience it one day, no matter how much I tease my friends who are in love :P

Thanks to : http://www.youramazingbrain.org for scientific facts

Back-up ALL your files before its too late!

2008-06-26T19:34:00.001+08:00

Firstly, thank God I still can use my sister's laptop, so I'm not offline entirely. Yes, I think I depend too much on my computer/Internet. I just called the people at HP to troubleshoot my problem, they said that there's something wrong with the CPU. I have NOT backed up all my info into external drives. Only about half. So, when the Best Denki computer repairman comes to my house on Monday, I'm going to have to face the prospect of losing all the data. I guess at least I have saved most of the documents. The rest can be re-downloaded.

So, people, sometimes your precious PC shows NO sign of being sick, but it doesn't mean that it is not susceptible to falling ill; resulting it to break down. I don't know if I was just lucky today, but it certainly didn't take me long to reach to a human voice for help. We all know the frustration that is robot voices. And computer companies are especially good at that.

Why are some still using Christmas songs for the "on-hold" music? Seriously!

Google Inspires Singapore Maths Textbook Authors?

2008-06-25T15:45:00.001+08:00

Take a look at the primary school maths textbook that kids use today (the one in the picture is for primary 3). Have you noticed the names of the cartoon characters?

Ooogol, Toogol, Zoogol, Koogol, Googol and Noogol.

Notice the resemblance to the most popular search engine?

I still remember the English Pets textbook animals - I often played imaginary games with them when I got bored in class :D

I have to say that the cartoons are cute though. Maybe they should branch out and do a maths themed educational cartoon LOL

Top 10 Singapore Food Blogs!!!

2008-06-23T13:02:00.004+08:00

Being a Singaporean, I must have at least a blog post talking about food, right? Polls have been conducted on things that Singaporeans miss the most when they're overseas, and amongst the top is always our food, after family and friends. Like most Singaporeans, I looove food, infact, more than half of my favourite blogs are food blogs! And my favourite TV channel is Discovery Travel and Living. (I know, kind of predictable, huh?)

"Singaporeans love their food. Try engaging in a casual conversation with a Singaporean, and you’ll soon find the all-consuming topic of breakfast, lunch or dinner being inevitably whisked into the discussion. Not to be mistaken as a cultural tendency towards ‘gluttony of excess’, the passion Singaporeans share towards food is closely knit to the very heart of society – community. Here in Singapore, you’ll find that eating out is more than just a common affair; it’s very much a communal affair as well." S'pore Food Festival 2008

Okay, lets get the ball rolling...(according to ranking)

1. The Travelling Hungryboy

A camera-phone moblog of (mostly) gastronomic adventures and epicurean musings from a United 1k global traveller that thinks that Anthony Bourdain has the coolest job in the world.

2. ieat-ishoot-ipost

Never waste your calories on yucky food.

Do you know that this blogger is a Doctor?

3. Eat and Train

Eating good and eating responsibly.

4. Never Trust a Scrawny Foodie

Where there are good eats, there I will go.

5. Small Potatoes Makes The Steak Looks Bigger

6. Gastronomic Ruminations

"There is no sincere love than the love of food" George Bernard Shaw

7. Good Food. Good Mood.

A photo blog and review of food in Singapore.

8. The Hungry Cow

It's one hell of an amazing grace.

9. The Skinny Epicurean

Life is too short for bad food.

10. Timeless Facade

Everything is a façade, only good food is a reality.

BONUS!!!

My fav Malaysian food blog : Masak- Masak

Which literally means in English, "Cook - Cook"

Disclaimer: I might not have visited ALL the food blogs in Singapore, but if you think I have missed out a few outstanding ones, leave a comment and I will check them out. It has been hard deciding on a top ten list.

Woman sues Victoria's Secret claiming thong injury

2008-06-21T13:11:00.001+08:00

A woman who says she was hurt by her thong panties when a metal clip flew off and hit her in the eye has sued Victoria's Secret, saying in a TV interview on Thursday that the injury caused her "excruciating pain."

Macrida Patterson, a 52-year-old Los Angeles traffic officer, told NBC's "Today" show that she suffered cuts to her cornea from the small piece of metal that had been used to secure a rhinestone heart onto the blue thong.

"I was putting on my underwear from Victoria's Secret and the metal popped in my eye. It happened really quickly. I was in excruciating pain. I screamed. That's what happened," Patterson told NBC.

Patterson's lawyer Jason Buccat, who also appeared on the "Today" show, said the metal staple causes "severe damage" to her cornea that required a topical steroid.

The product liability lawsuit, which was filed on June 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court and first reported on the Smoking Gun Web site, seeks unspecified damages.

A spokeswoman for Victoria's Secret, which is operated by Limited Brands Inc, could not immediately be reached for comment.

~ Reuters

LOL!!!, thongs aren't comfy anyways.

Reality Check

2008-06-18T17:53:00.001+08:00

I see myself as a very realistic person. Hence, at times my predictions and opinions about things are more in the "taking this into account and that into perspective", "I think....".

Some people may think that I'm a pessimist, but I am not - there is a big difference between being pessimistic and being realistic.

I see overly optimistic people as trying to fool themselves that things are really much better than they really are. (HELLO?! Are you in lala land?) Some optimists can be delusional to the point that they get annoying. I picture them as people who are always smiling or laughing as if everything in their life is perfect. And oh, wearing a t-shirt that says "Don't worry, be happy" - plus a smiley face :)

Pessimistic people are the people who usually go "Yeah, its not going to work out, see, I TOLD YOU!" They're probably the kind of people who think everything sucks and the worst outcome in any given situation.

But, being realistic, on the other hand, is the best. It is the in between of being an optimist and a pessimist. You get the best of both worlds. You're seeing both the best and worst outcome in a particular situation and settling on a moderate answer. Its in the middle of the spectrum.

Did you know that Walt Disney paid testament to the importance of having an internal critic as well as an internal optimistic during the creation of some of his most spectacular work? By combining the two mindsets, Disney was able to produce balanced work that was well grounded and equally ambitious.

I so want to be happy :(

2008-06-16T16:54:00.002+08:00

When a dream comes true, you don't always get the happiness that comes with it;
Happiness is not something you can feel every moment of the day;
Happiness comes in small doses, so just be grateful for that;
It's pointless to wish for a Big Happiness because it won't happen;
Perhaps happiness is overrated.

Like most people, everything I do, everything I hope for and everything I regret, hinges on the pursuit of personal happiness.

The problem with happiness is this - it doesn't last, and it is subjected to the law of diminishing returns. To attain something you wish for does make you happy, but only up to a point. Beyond that, more and more of that thing adds less and less to your happiness.

*I'm going to use a cheesecakes as an example.

I LOVE cheesecakes. Everything about cheesecakes hits the spot for me.

The problem is, while finishing the first one is so satisfying, finishing the second will make me want to puke.

Its a scenario that plays out in so many aspects in my life. Happiness is so hard to come by, yet when I do find it, it either doesn't last long or it loses its magic after a while.

Still, one could argue that happiness would be meaningless if you felt happy all the time. How can you understand happiness unless you have lived through unhappiness and can compare the two?

The trick perhaps is to learn to live for the moment and appreciate what you have.

It is hard to be happy when you are stuck in the past or the future.

It is hard to be happy when you chase after happiness, forgetting that, hey, it could well be right there, staring at you.

~ extracted from Sumiko Tan's articles. I always find a little bit of myself in her. We seem to share similar views on a wide range of issues.

*Edited to suit personal taste.

SG - A Tuition Nation?

2008-06-15T16:15:00.001+08:00

Weddings? Pffft!

2008-06-13T00:48:00.004+08:00

One of my closest cousin is getting married this weekend. It seemed like it was just yesterday when we were playing Monopoly, UNO and CD based computer games. How is it that we grew up so fast and now you're getting married?

Another 2 of my cousins are getting married later this year. Why can't we just be 10 forever and play together and laugh at life?

One of my favourite moments was when you carried me and swayed me around - I felt like I was the Queen of the world. No one else has ever did that to me. How do you even tell someone else to do that? That was the best feeling of happiness that I ever had. I know that when I'm going to look at your wedding pictures I will choke and tear. But I guess, looking on the bright side, I'm going to gain sisters-in-laws...

I'm happy for them but yet, I feel like they're going far away.

While I'm at this topic, I'm going to post the one of the most played song at Indian weddings :

School Holidays Survey

2008-06-12T11:57:00.002+08:00

Its the school holiday month now...

where are my students holidaying at?

2/4 - Malaysia
1/4 - Thailand
1/4 - HongKong, China, India

Some of my students are so adorable and I just can't help but to fall in love their cuteness and antics. They do say the darndest things! I like the conversations that we have - ranging from TV shows to family to school. Kids nowadays are much smarter - their knowledge surprises me sometimes.

7 killed, 10 injured in Akihabara stabbing spree

2008-06-09T11:13:00.003+08:00

extracted from Japan Times

Seven people died and 10 others were injured after a man hit pedestrians with a truck and then stabbed people Sunday in broad daylight on a street in Tokyo's busy Akihabara district.

Akihabara is a district of Tokyo known for its electronics shops and as a center of modern culture, including manga and animations, and attracts many visitors from both Japan and abroad.

Police arrested the man, 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato from Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, and seized a survival knife he was carrying. He admitted to stabbing all the people with the knife from around 12:30 p.m., the police said. The truck was rented in Shizuoka Prefecture.

"I came to Akihabara to kill people," investigative sources quoted Kato as telling the police. "I am tired of the world. Anyone was OK. I came alone."

OMG!!! O_O I have no words!

Stop those scare tactics of "sure fail" exams

2008-06-07T00:18:00.001+08:00

extracted from The Straits Times - June 6, 08

Many parents feel stressed when their children sit for high-stakes milestone exams like the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) or the O and A levels.

Many schools use shock scare tactics that are remarkably out of date. I'm talking about the habit of many schools to set mid-year examination papers of an unduly high difficulty level.

One parent cited her daughter's experience in an all-girls school with a Maths paper set at such a difficult level that half the class flunked. Concerned about the impact of this on students' motivation levels, she wrote: "I appeal to the Ministry of Education to compare the disparity between the simplicity of published primary Maths textbooks and worksheets with the difficulty of exam papers set by the schools.

Many schools set mid-year exam papers at an unrealistically high level of difficulty, deliberately to "jolt" the students and parents into a state of panic to work harder for the PSLE or O level exam. When the preliminary exams roll around later this year, the same pattern will repeat itself.

Thousands of students will be in tears over unwanted failing grades. Thousands of parents' stress levels will rise,fearing their children will do as badly in the PSLE or O levels, as they did for their prelims.

I am not a pedagogist, but it seems sheer bad educational practice to deliberately set an exam paper that seeks to fail most students.

That is not education; that is a psychological manipulation of a rather negative and perverse nature.

Schools justify it by saying that a little bit of failure spurs students to try harder. The practice results in better grades, they may argue. But people who argue forget the impact of repeated failure on a child's motivation and self esteem.

Some principals and teachers who use this "fail-them" exam scare tactic will point out that it has worked for years and raised the school's average scores in PSLE.

My retort to that is simple :

Your school's aggregate average may improve, but how many vulnerable children's self-esteem have you destroyed in the process?

And just as pertinently, how many children's zest for learning have you destroyed? And how many individual students end up doing worse, not better, because of anxiety and stress?

Fantastic article that totally captures the education scene here, a few days ago, someone wrote in the forum page that every kid "sure must have tuition" to catch up with the teacher/peers/education system.

Why are we so rigid on kids? As a tuition teacher myself, I know that both kids and parents are VERY stressed about getting good grades. I can write a whole blog post on this, perhaps another time.

I, myself, went through a lot of stress in my childhood - I always felt that I had to score good grades to be "recognised" to be "liked". I didn't like it. But now I feel like telling my students "Study hard, very hard now, then you can apply for a job at the Education Ministry and make big changes". hahaha