Naomi 1st Birthday Party at Jervois 18 Dec 2010

HPBD Naomi!

Click here to see the full album!
..

Sunday Walk with Neo Family and Stanchart Marathon Runners on 5th December 2010

Every sunday, we'd stuff ourselves with an eat-out breakfast and so we thought of talking a Sunday late afternoon post breakfast walk.

Little did we know we'd bump into Marathon runners that day on East Coast Park!

See rest of album here!

Hanging out with Sam and Dom

Sam is my brother-in-law and I hang out with him more nowadays because he and my sis is now living closer to us than before.

Geylang Serai as compared to previously at Bukit Panjang.

There was a recent session where I was introduced to their Nespresso machine.

I am an addict

Hi, My name is Franklin,
And I am an addict.

Before the addiction,
I was young, confident and assertive.
In the beginning,
It was always fun to try with friends.
Learning by mimicking.
I thought it was part of the process.
Process of becoming an adult.
Integrating to be part of society.

Soon it was no longer social.
The need to satisfy the habit was present,
Even when no one was around.
I thought I was in control.
To be able to choose when to give in,
And when to give up.
But in the end,
It was the habit that was in control.

Mood swings became evident as the habit grows.
The habit was brewing an alter-ego within myself.
Each decision became a chance,
For Jekyll and Hyde to argue.
I realized I was slowing changing.
Into the alter-ego born from the habit.

Each day I wake,
Praying to be sane and abstain.
But I was fighting a losing battle,
Mr Hyde will not suppress his hunger.

But starting from today,
Things will be different.
I will abstain,
And I shall suppress.
Any urges from within.
Because I no longer want to be associated
With the aftermath of giving in.
Starting from now,
I will say no.
And be assertive and confident about it this time.
Because precious time had been lost,
And will never be returned.

All I can do now,
Is to prevent myself from giving in.
To live each day with conviction.
My name is Franklin.
And I was an addict.

Kalista 21st Birthday at Costa Sands Chalet Pasir Ris

It's not everyday that I get invited to a 21st Birthday party..

In this case, it was the party's of Mrs Neo's niece, Kalista Koh, whom turns 21 on 26th November 2010.

The rest of the album here

China Yun Nam Trip pictures

I was in China for a leisure trip with Mrs Neo and Isabel Neo..

The pictures and details of the trip are here!

Picnic at Pasir Ris Park 5th Nov 2010

We went to Pasir Ris Park for a picnic on the 5th Nov 2010.

Though it rained heavily when we reached there, we manage to still have a good time eating and cycling and rollerblading. Thanks to Auntie Jaey for preparing all the food that day!


Nathaniel was all dressed up like "Paddington Bear" with a blue signature raincoat!

See the similarities between Nathaniel and Paddington bear?


Isabel and her cousin Clarisse was having tons of fun with bubbles too!

See the rest of the photos here!


Or enjoy the slideshow of all the pictures taken that day below.

Despite the heavy rain and wet ground, we had loads of fun!

Isabel Advance Bday Party at her Kindergarten 29 Oct 2010

Isabel's birthday is on 17th December.

But because its school holiday during that period, we wanted her to be able to celebrate in school. So Isabel's mummy and her favourite grandaunt arranged a little advance celebration for her in her kindergarten on the 29 October 2010, a few weeks before her school term ends.

Isabel's grandaunt, Jaey Neo, makes such nice cupcakes!
We had to see them before anyone else does...

Here are the pics taken the night before the party!

Click here to see the rest of the preview pics of the cupcakes!




Here are the pics taken on the actual day

Click here to see the rest of the pics taken at the kindergarten where Isabel had her "Advance Birthday Party" in school.

Isabel Kindergaten Graduation Concert 23 Oct 2010

Isabel K2 Graduation Concert at Bethesda Bedok Church Kindergarten School

We are so proud of her!!
Her class did a song and dance.


More photos here!

Gosh, she looks so much like my mum when in make-up.

How to handle telemarketing calls

Saw an article on how to respond to telemarketeers and thought I shamelessly share it here for all my readers.

I love #10!

My firstborn is graduating soon!

Isabel Neo, my firstborn, whom I often fondly refer to her as my "dotter", is graduating from Kindergarten soon.

She is in K2 now and will be graduating at the end of 2010.
On 16 Oct 2010, we were asked to rehearse her graduation ceremony in her school with her at Bedok Bethesda Church's Kindergarten.

View Larger Map

In 2011, she'd be attending Primary One in St Hilda's Primary School.

View Larger Map

We are so proud of her and we are looking forward to her start of the formal education from Primary to Secondary School and so on and so forth.

See the rest of the pictures of Isabel's graduation ceremony rehearsal here!

New Beginnings

This is a recent epiphany from me.

Recent events that are happening around me gave me a small enlightenment. So thought I'd share with my readers.


" When I was younger, whenever I encountered a disappointing outcome to a challenging situation or predicament, I often prayed that the outcome could be different and cry out to the heavens why it couldn't have been a better outcome.

Now with maturity, when I encounter a less than preferred outcome, I only ask for the courage to accept the results and learn from the experience. 

Then I'd pray that I'd be able to commit the experience to my memory. So that when the time comes that I am placed in the same predicament again, I would remember my previous course of actions and probably exercise my free will to take on a different path to see if I could obtain a better outcome. "

Q: 如果真的可以从头再来 ... 你的选择将会是什么 ?

A: 我会选择有勇气去接受.

We are CRANE country

I remember driving past the Marina Bay Sands resort hotel while it was still under construction and the amount of mechanical cranes I saw there was a lot.

Seriously, a lot of cranes. Within an area of 100 square meters, I could estimate that there'd be around 10 cranes within the area. I believe there should be about 100 cranes I saw parked within the vicinity of the construction area then..

 Picture from Singapore Rocks blog

Now that the resort has been completed, the silhouette of the cranes in that area has been replaced by a magnificent hotel resort.

Marina Bay Sands Resort

However, I believe all around Singapore, the number of cranes has not reduced in total.

The Singapore cityscape skyline is defined by its constant construction and inevitably the silhouette of cranes. 

Cranes in the cityscape

This got me started thinking..

Is there a limit to how many cranes that can be imported in Singapore? 

Is there a COE scheme for importing and owning cranes? 

Could there be a better way to limit the number of cranes in Singapore? 

Are there more parked and unused cranes compared to the ones in use? 
Are these cranes environmentally friendly on their exhaust emissions?

Can't the construction companies rent and loan them from a central crane rental facilities whereby the number of cranes can be controlled within this country?

Let's play "Spot the Cranes" game
Click to enlarge picture

Like it or not, we are CRANE country. 

Welcome to Singapore...
A country that is uplifting 
and 
We will get you hooked.

Sam and Dominique's House warming Part Deux 09 Oct 2010

See the rest of the pictures here

Wedding Anniversary 06 Oct 2010

6th October was the day we said "I DO!" on the year of 2001!

So every year from then on, we celebrated the day we committed ourselves to each other....

This year, 2010, was no difference, we went to Fiesta Brasilia at United Square.

View Larger Map

It's a buffet style restaurant which serves roasted meat and the service staff will carve out the meat for you right at your dinner table! FYI, with Citibank credit cards on weekdays dinner, its 1 for 1!

We also had a bottle of Cabernet and I was so tipsy that I had difficult driving home that night. Thanks to Christine whom were my eyes during our drive home. I was operating the gas pedal with my eyes closed....

Here are some pictures taken on that night... We were dressed for the night... Even Nathaniel was on his Sunday best.

Sunday at Marina Barrage 03 Oct 2010

Mrs Neo wrote on her Facebook wall....

"What to do on Sunday"

Luckily for us, Mr Bernard Tan, responded with an invitation and off we went to Marina Barrage for a picnic..

View Larger Map

Here are some pictures taken that day for both the Neo and Tan family

We saw a barn owl that day too!
Click the link below to see the owl at Marina Barrage.

Click here to see the rest of the pictures taken that day

Sam and Dominique's House warming at Geylang Serai 02 Oct 2010

My sis and brother-in-law's new place at Geylang Serai.

I hope my camera pictures do their house design justice..

See the rest of the pictures in full detail here..

Christine's Birthday BBQ Chalet

See all the pictures taken here

My mummy's birthday

Everyone has a mother.

So, I have.

Everyone knows their birthday.

So, she knows.

Everyone needs to eat.

So, we ate.

Farbird (29-Sept-2010)

28th September is my mum's birthday.
Me and my missus brought my mum and stepdad out for a good buffet dinner at Ban Heng Restaurant, located at Upper Boon Keng Road.

View Larger Map

They serve nice Chinese Teo Chew cuisine unlimited ala carte orders for a very affordable price.

After our hearty dinner, we went to the Esplanade for a walk. Thank to Uncle Jack, I was able to recall and reminisce about the good old Satay club. He reminded me the old name of the place when I was trying to explain to him the place we should park at Connaught Drive. For those whom do not know, Connaught Drive is a stone's throw away from the Esplanade, Merlion, Fullerton Hotel, Marina Square, Suntec City Malls and parking is free after 5pm.

View Larger Map

 The good old satay club now gone.

Here is a slideshow of the pics we taken on mum's birthday!

Click here to see all the pictures taken that day

My mum still looks so radiant despite her unhealthy lifestyle... hehehe

Fire in my Honda Jazz 2007 in Singapore

On 21st July 2010 at about 1530hrs, I was driving along East Coast Parkway, toward the direction of Changi Airport, I was exiting via the Rochor exit when I noticed a slight drizzle and I activated my driver side window switch to wind up all my windows.

To my surprise, thick white smoke started to appear from the driver side window switch assembly, the smell of the electrical burn was overpowering and the thick white smoke did not stop even after I stopped operating the window switch. I was driving at 60-70km/h at that time and there were no road shoulder along the exit of the highway where I could stop to inspect or put out the fire (if there was one).

I looked around my car for some fluids I can use to temporarily resolve the situation. I managed to use some mineral water from an open bottle to hopefully douse the fire. That stopped the thick smoke but the smell from the burnt circuitry and possibly plastic was still very strong in the confined cabin space of my Honda Jazz purchased from Kah Motors(Singapore) in 2007.

2 options came into my mind..
I could stop the vehicle safely at the next nearest appropriate location after the expressway exit, or I could drive direct to Kah Motors(Honda local agent) for them to check it up, despite inhaling the fumes and potential fire risk to me.

I chose the latter so as not to become a hazard to other road users and causing massive traffic jam as a result. From Rochor to Kah Motors Service Center at Ubi, I was constantly observing the window switch unit for any signs of continual burning. And as I was unable to operate the window switch, there was little fresh air coming in and I had to inhale the fume and bear with the overpowering stench.

Once I reached Kah Motors at Ubi, it took them 5-8minutes before the first person came out to serve me. (Did they not consider this critical?)

The first person that talked to me was their Service Supervisor, Mr LIM TIAM LAY, whom told me that they will replace the window switch free of charge since my car is still under warranty ( 3 years and my car was bought on 24th July 2007, with current mileage of 86,000km ). And he did not mention of the Honda Jazz/Fit Window Power Recall, until I brought it up.

As I brought the subject of the recall, I remembered clearly reading up this piece of news in Singapore that Kah Motors(KM) did mention in their press release that my batch (manufactured in 2007) was not part of the recall and was safe to use without the need of any replacement of the window switch.

And Mr LIM assured me again that my vehicle was not part of the 'faulty window switch' batch as adviced by Honda(Japan) to KM. As their policy of the service center, they were only able to replace the window switch free of charge.

But that was not good enough for me. I feel KM/Honda have a social responsibility to anyone and everyone whom had placed their trust and confidence to buy a car from them.

To sell a car that is a potential fire hazard and life-threatening is not expected from a corporation such as KM/Honda. I asked Mr Lim, if the plastics and materials used in the power switch was ROHS compliant for human safety and he was unable to reply to my question. For any electrical/electronic product that is to be used in a confined space which involve humans, the materials used must be ROHS compliant to prevent any health hazard to the person in the event that the product burn and produce toxic fumes.

At the point, Mr LIM invited his 'Service Manager', Mr KEVIN ANG, to the room where we are having the discussion. Mr Ang had informed me again that my car was not due to the faulty window switch batch and also told me that carbon monoxide which we breathe in everyday on the road may be as toxic as the fumes produced by the burning. At this point, it made me realize that I no longer needed to speak to the service manager about the science and the fumes hazard as he did not have the knowledge to comment and yet suggested nonsensical facts to divert the fact that I had been inhaling the possibly toxic fumes and not him. I doubt he understand the ROHS standard.

Next, this Mr ANG continued to tell me that almost every fault is possible and can happen in any car that Honda produces and KM sells and that is the reason why there is a warranty period. And that this issue is no different from any transmission or brakes problem. And that every fault in the car is life-threatening, as argued by every car owner experiencing fault that he has dealt with.

Mr Lim and Mr Ang had also shown me the report from Honda Japan that vehicles out of the recall batch may experience the problem and it was also stated in the report ( which was not for public distribution ) that there was a 5% chance of the burning to occur and it may not lead to a fire.

The keyword was "MAY", which means it "MAY" also lead to fire. That keyword in the sentence regards to the fire hazard was clearly imprinted on the report and now in my mind as well.

Mr Ang told me that for every Honda Jazz that comes to KM for regular servicing, they are obliged to remove the window switch assembly and check for symptoms. He even told me that he had purchased a large magnifying lamp for his technicians to check this assembly for all the Honda Jazz [ regardless of batch ]. I asked him for his procedure of checking and symptoms that the technicians are looking out for. Instead of replying, he redirected my question with another question. He asked me if I do come for regular servicing. I actually do "NOT" service my vehicle at the Honda appointed agent "KM". MR ANG continued and said that if I do not come for regular servicing, that might impair my warranty status and they are not able to be sure if anyone had tampered with my window switch assembly. He also said that for those whom come back for regular servicing, their Honda Jazz will be inspected and preventive enhancements were made on the Honda Jazz if they suspect any risk of fire on the window switch.

I had asked Mr ANG, if there was a chance of the fire happening on other Honda Jazz out of the recall batch, why KM did not try to contact all other Honda Jazz owners? Mr ANG, nonchalantly replied that for a small percentile, there wasn't a need. I guess he was doing his best to protect the company's interest and image with his reply. I see no point in going into any further discussion with KM's representatives. Last, I asked if the Honda Jazz sold under KM should come in for checking of the window switch and not for servicing, will there be any charges? He replied that for warranty vehicles, they are obliged to check and implement the preventive enhancement even if they are coming in for this check alone and not the servicing.

Mr Ang again tried to reassure me that the faulty window switch assembly was to be replaced on the house, but they'd have to retain the faulty part under warranty policy. I kindly refuse their offer and I told them I will pay for the replacement so as to get my hands on the "faulty" power switch. I paid about S$160++ for the replacement part.

If KM/Honda has no regard for social responsibility, perhaps something should be done outside their loop. I believe if I was to accept their warranty replacement, they will not do much about it and continue to sell cars that "MAY" be a fire hazard.

To all the other Jazz owners that are not within the recall batch, they are also not doing any form of contact to inform them that there is such a risk. Neither are they publicly announcing that they are offering any free replacement or checking to these owner of Honda Jazz out of the recall batch.

I feel all Honda Jazz owners whom owned a Jazz manufactured in 2007 and before should be aware of this and get it checked at KM as soon as possible.

The day after this happened, I checked the internet for the recall articles from major newspapers and media company from both Singapore and out of Singapore.

This is what I found.

The recall was activated because a child died in Africa due to a fire that resulted from the faulty window switch.

Reuters : Honda Motor Co recalled 646,000 of its Fit/Jazz and City automobiles globally over a faulty window switch after a child died when fire broke out in a car last year

The international news release announced that all Honda Fit/Jazz manufactured from 2002-2008.


JapanToday : Honda recalls 646,000 vehicles worldwide over power window switch

NYTimes : Honda recalling cars to fix switch


CNN : Honda recalls 646,000 FITs for fire hazard

The Singapore media news reported that only Honda Jazz/Fit manufactured and sold between 2002-2004 are affected ( as told to them by Singapore local Honda agent, Kah Motors ).

Why is it that internationally, all the Honda Jazz from 2002-2008 are recalled and for Singapore, the recall are only for 2002-2004?

Are you driving the fire hazard?
Do you drive the fire hazard with children?
Should you be informed?
Shouldn't such companies have a social responsibility to the car owners?
Should companies' interest and image be prioritized over safety of consumers?


Below are pictures depicting the extent of the damages on my affected window switch of the 2007 Honda Jazz I purchased from Kah Motors(Singapore)

$3.80 Hair Cut

This was originally posted by my Bro-in-law, Sam.

I append to his post with the list of Snip Avenue outlets for its economical S$3.80 haircuts

NORTH
- Blk 418 Yishun Avenue 11, #01-391 Singapore 760418
Tel: 68533348

EAST
- Blk 201E Tampines Street 23 #01-116 Singapore 527201
Tel:67850406
- Blk 539 Bedok North Street 3 #01-607 Singapore 460539
Tel: 62462607
- Blk 631 Bedok Reservoir Road, #01-964 Singapore 470631
Tel: 62423602
- Blk 214 Bedok North St 1 #01-171 Singapore 460214
Tel: 64481355
- Blk 419 Tampines Street 41, #01-90 Singapore 520419
Tel: 67810390

WEST
- Blk 509 Jurong West Street 51 #01-160 Singapore 640509
Tel: 65612021
- Blk 156 Bukit Batok Street 11 #01-06 Singapore 650156
Tel: 6561-3863

CENTRAL
- Blk 27 Bendemeer Road, #01-663 Singapore 330027
Tel: 62982554
- Blk 192 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 #01-670/ 672 Singapore 310192
Tel: 62582559
- Blk 682 Hougang Avenue 4 #01-366 Singapore 530682
Tel: 6386-1129
- Blk 804 Hougang Central #01-142 Singapore 530804
Tel: 64890430
- Blk 108 Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1319 Singapore 530108
Tel: 62808025
- Blk 263 Serangoon Central Drive, #01-79 Singapore 550263
Tel: 62899519
- Blk 88 Whampoa Drive, #01-853 Singapore 320088
Tel: 62543926

Operating Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10.00am - 8.30pm
Sun & PH: 10.00am - 8.00pm

Lightning strikes Singapore Flyer with Amusing results

Recently weather in Singapore are stormy and often causing floods.

There is also a one off case of the lightning striking our Singapore Flyer.

I found it amusing that a large round ferris wheel can be rendered non-operational due to poor grounding..

In any case, another image came into my mind..

Large round thing and a lightning bolt...

Hmm... I wonder, I wonder, I wonder.

Prophecy?

This one for Mrs Neo

Did I miss out anything?

Nothing is more Important

My wife recently ticked me off for not replying to her sms.

She sent me a message on the phone a couple of hours before and later in the evening, she complained that I did not reply her sms.

She added, "What can be more important than replying your wife's sms?".

So I nonchalantly replied, "Nothing is more important than replying to your sms".

In actual fact, I was doing 'nothing' at that time and since 'Nothing' was more important than replying her sms, I continued doing nothing instead of replying.

Doing 'nothing' is actually quite useful and relevant in context, since nothing is always more important than something.

When shit from someone else really help

My initial thoughts was that I must have misread fecal into foetal..

Fecal Transplant

But upon reading the entire article, I was quite surprised that severe diarrhea can actually be cured by putting in someone else's faeces into your rectum!

Good bacteria found in the donor's faeces was transferred into the colon of the patient suffering from severe diarrhea.

Weird but true..

Kudos to the doctor that came up with the solution when he ran out of all options.

Source : NYTimes : How Microbes Defend and Define Us

Would you like some of my good bacteria too?

Barack Obama's signature

Vengeance, Karma and Enlightenment on a Friday morning

I started out the day happy, driving the nanny to my place and bringing my wife to work.

Much was accomplished the day before ( Thursday), that was what probably gave me a happy start on Friday morning. But it was short-lived....

端午節 Rice Dumpling Festival/Dragon Boat Festival

The article below talks about the historical figure in China that committed suicide because he was filled with anguish about his ignorant king that was easily influenced by other corrupt officials.

端 午節 Rice Dumpling Festival/Dragon Boat Festival:

During my secondary school days, a chinese teacher whom was rather knowledgeable actually shared with the class a lesser known tale about Qu Yuan, 屈原.

My 34th Birthday

I want to sincerely thank everyone for the birthday greetings. I would also want to take this opportunity to thank my mum & dad for taking their chances about 35 years ago. Though the two of them didn't work out well down the road, I'm sure they didn't regret having me 34 years ago. And I hope I'd done them proud many a times.

To be brought up to become an adult and eventually asking another individual to take her chances with me, I want to tell this fine lady, whom took the risk, and celebrated so many birthdays with me....

I LOVE YOU!!!
Thank you for being with me, birthday or not, I appreciate your company & presence.

1437

My recent splurge and the story of 3 nations

Thanks to Alex and Qingkai for enticing me to this hobby again.

A couple of days back, I'd bought a second hand digital SLR in Singapore.

Thanks to the internet, there's a very active online discussion forum about photography and equipment in Singapore, aka Clubsnap.com .

GST credits and then some

Last week, I received my letter to inform me that I will be given free money by the Singapore government.

This is the GST credits. Money given to citizen to help them with the 7% GST implemented. To those whom do not know the term "GST", here's a wikipedia entry on Singapore's GST.

My Daddy

The blog post below was from another person's blog.

We share the same daddy.

---------------- From Dominique Neo's Blog -----------------------------------

My Daddy: "He is someone whom I have a Love-Hate relationship with!

He is one whom I fear due to his authority figuire as a daddy. No nonsense talk and senseless behavior.

He is one whom I find sense of security whenever I face any fear/problem. No fear when daddy's around. 

Now that I am married, being a mother of my little rascal. I seems to be in a better position to understand his role as a daddy when we're young. Understands his sacrifices for us and appreciates all his effort to provide us a good life while he slog like a dog.

Daddy, I feel that it's still a Love-Hate relationship. I Love you and Hate to see you suffer!

A book I read which wasn't paid for and it tells about how crime doesn't pay

FarBird's take on spike of Singapore's COE prices in April 2010

For those whom don't yet already know of Singapore's method of issuing new car registrations, please have a read at Wikipedia's entry on COE.


Ok, now listen to my take on why the COE went up so sharply in early April 2010.

The COE price of the different classes of vehicles are determined by a quota bidding system.

This means that if there are 100 vehicles that got de-registered last month, there will be 100 new COEs up for grabs in the upcoming bid. If 200 potential car owners cast their bid for the COE, the price of the COE will be determined by the 100th decremental bid price casted.

Outrageous Parking Charges in Singapore

In the name of rising COE, which rose to S$34,001 just 3 weeks ago, for the purchase of a car of capacity 1600cc and below, this implied of the situation that was to follow..


Rising petrol, rising parking charges, etc etc... ahhhhh....

And....

This was shown to me today.

A friend incurred this amount of parking at a carpark at Alexandra Road area.

In the first place, can the ERP cashcard take up to $750 top-up?

Mind Blowing Experience

I met a lady whom refused to tell me her real name.
Instead she tells me she wants me to known by her nickname "Mind".


I know she is hinting me to "mind my own business".



So I tell her I, too, want to be known by a nickname.
I tell her to address me as "Experience"..


The summary of our acquaintance session?

Confessions of a Former Christian

I saw this video on Youtube..

I felt the urgent need to share it with everyone.

I felt like laughing at this person's perspective of his previous chosen religion.

And at the same time, I know this video is going to agitate many people.

Many will want to argue their point....  

until the cows come home or pigs start flying [ whichever comes first ]

Just enjoy the video.. with an open mind.

 

Funny Sponsored Movie Poster of Twilight Saga NEW MOON

I think there was a very big marketing opportunity missed out by 2 parties..

Take a look at my original idea!

Lesser Known Part 2 of the Heineken Screamers Advert

Bet ya didn't see this yet!

The names that people call

Most of my friends know me as Franklin. Friends in real life,I mean...

Virtual friends of the online realm address me as "farbird".

For close friends & family, they usually just call me "Frank".

Friends from the army national service, they refer to me as "Neo".

With the different names called out, I could, in my own way, guess the person's identity, without turning around to see the face of the person calling out for me.

And so I guess for everyone else, they must have different nicknames for themselves assigned by their different social circles...Much like a callsign that a pilot is assigned to protect his or her identity..

And so onto another discovery...
For people whom are the closest, they will almost definitely re-introduce themselves again at a certain degree of closeness.. And coincidentally, they all want to be known by the same nickname...

"Coming" is the name they want to be known as. And they will re-introduce themselves in a frenzied manner.

This happens to me usually when I am resonating at 3-5hz.

I am "Coming".

Overheard on a train

A kid was asking his mum in mandarin if the taiwanese serial drama will be airing tonight...

妈咪，妈咪，今晚有没有做“爱”？

“爱” is a popular taiwanese drama airing in Singapore free-to-air Channel 8, on weekends 7pm.

赌徒啊，赌徒

赌徒啊，赌徒。。
给你赢十万，
你会博五十万。。
就算给你赢得一白万，
你会满足而收手吗？
如果会满足，
哪么。。
你也许不算是个赌徒。
可是，如果你不是一个赌徒，
今天也不会沦落至人去楼空。

Temptation and its unbearable lightness of being

What we have.... is never enough, which is why all of us will always seek out to achieve what we dream of having.


Rule number 1
Since us humans can never be contented, each and everyone of us venture out with what we have and what we own to seek an exchange of efforts against rewards for better things in life.


Rule number 2
We are creatures bound by our 5 senses. What we see that is nice and pretty, our minds tell us to own it. When the skin experiences gentle and soothing caresses, our mind tells us to refresh that experience again and again and again.

Rule number 3
Because of Rule number 1, there will always be some form of expectations of rewards when efforts and commitment is given.

Whatever you give a woman, she'd multiply it!

Saw this on the web and I like it!

Committed to going green

Today Paper (Singapore) had an article about the Republic of Singapore initiatives to go "green".

To me, the entire article is irrelevant to the ecological friendliness in Singapore.

The most interesting part is the last sentence, which states that the government is increasing the salary of ministers by another 8.8% this year...


This translates to a whoopping 58.28 million Singapore dollars going into the pockets that are already well filled.

Did you know?

Singapore government ministers are the most well paid in the world..

See here for top 30 best paid ministers in the world [ May not be fully accurate but read the last sentence of the this article for some semblence of the figures ]

More statistics here!

In the current times of hardship faced by almost all non-ministerial citizens of Singapore, the only response I believe the citizens have for this issue is.... why?

Or some might say, why not me?

I have the answer.... to those whom are disgruntled upon hearing the above news and articles...

Coz you f**king voted for them, right?

The above paragraph was inspired from this article from MrBrown.

Singapore drivers and round-abouts

I was taught driving in UK where I studied there for a good period of 4 years.

Though some might say its always easier to learn driving outside of Singapore but that doesn't mean a driver trained in Singapore is always a better driver than those whom obtained a license elsewhere.

Take for example, navigating and negotiating a round-about.

Singapore has removed most large round-abouts in the late 80s. But there are still some smaller ones in neighbourhood estates. Personally, I feel most younger Singaporean drivers do not know how to enter and exit round-abouts.

神与魔

神或魔只在一念之差

Traumatology?

WTF is Traumatology?

Trees imitating humans!

Reducing Carbon footprint

Carbon Footprint, what exactly is it?

In short, it is the total greenhouse gases emitted by a organization, country, event or product. And greenhouse gases is probably the single element that contributes most to the global warming effect that the Earth is experiencing now.

In the old days, no one bothers about what is carbon footprint...

Best game controller in the world!

Best game controller...
Left Left Right Right Up Down Up Down A B A B!

I think it comes with "Rumble" feature just like the Playstation/XBOX controllers!

Now someone please tell me where to buy this T-shirt!

Source : Gizmodo : The Nipple Gamepad T-Shirt

Awesome Benches

Does my butt look big in this?

More weird benches here


Source : http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com

Dogs and feet and shoes

My missus recently gave a very interesting point to ponder about dogs and cats.

According to her, she wonders

"Why pet owners allow their pets to go outdoors and return to the house with dirty paws. But yet the owners themselves wear shoes outdoors and remove their shoes when returning to their house to keep the floor clean."

So should dogs and cats wear shoes?

樹不要皮，必死無疑。人不要臉，天下無敵

Saw this on facebook posted by an old friend...

樹不要皮，必死無疑。人不要臉，天下無敵

It is translated as ,

If trees shed their bark, it will definitely die.
If a man shed his face [ie sense of shame], he will be invincible!

A long time ago, my dad, in one of his experience sharing sessions with me, told me that a man, if desperate enough, will shed his sense of shame, his dignity as well as his pride, because he already has nothing to lose and will do anything to survive.

And the best examples will be the beggars on the street. They are on the brink of their lives, and will not hesitate to give up their pride and dignity to kneel down and kowtow to any passersby to ask for spare change. In return for giving up pride and dignity, they also have to face rejections even after paying homage to passerbys.

To most whom find them a social problem and brand them as lazy people that chooses the easy way out, consider this penny of a thought from me....

If these poor beggars are willing to give up their sense of pride and dignity and embrace shame wholeheartedly by reaching out their hands for spare change which amounts to a insignificant sum to the average passerby, do think about what have these people given up. To trade the basic dignity of a human being for loose change, that is not an easy pill to swallow.

Would you kneel for a stranger for a few coins?

But to look at it from a more positive perspective.
Probably, by giving up some pride and dignity will allow or empower one to do things in a certain manner in which most normal individuals wouldn't do.

And if success come by means of travelling the less trodden path, then probably the one whom dares to sacrifice his dignity and pride (and if pride and dignity is already the last 2 assets he own, he'd have nothing much to lose anyway), would have everything to gain from decision to go down the lesser trodden path that may be difficult at first but will most definitely bring him to the peak faster than anyone else.

And I am sure that is what this Chinese proverb is all about....

樹不要皮，必死無疑。人不要臉，天下無敵

 

Some Morals I learnt from the movie: Law Abiding Citizen

I had the chance to watch the movie, Law Abiding Citizen, after a good friend W, mentioned about it during one of our late night buddies (F,W,A,A) chit chat sessions.

It was a very exciting movie in terms of plot. Gerard Butler starred in this movie and he was also one of the producers. Jamie Foxx was casted as the second lead in this vengeance thriller.

OMG, so retro cool, play videos in ASCII mode!

ASCIImeo is a site that plays online flash videos from VIMEO in completely text ASCII mode!

See an example video rendered in ASCII!

Original video clip at Vimeo

For God's Sake! I can't translate the 3 simple words preceding this sentence to Bahasa Melayu!

My first article on the usage of the word "Allah" in Malaysia was first published in March 2009..

Recently, their decision to allow the word "Allah" to describe the spiritual almighty for other religions, besides Islam, has been overturned again such that, other religion cannot use the word "Allah" to describe their religion's "Almighty" in the Malay Language.

Too much PC games for 5 year old Isabel

My daughter or "dotter" (I prefer dotter) is 5 years old and likes to play PC games.

My wife and I have an old laptop for her just to let her play some PC games. And recently, I introduced the game "Plants vs Zombies" to her..

Initially, I thought the game would be too complicated for a 5 year old toddler but she amazed us by showing us that she can understand the game and how to play in order to win...

I was quite hooked to this game a couple of months back... A simple strategy game that needed fast clicking mouse fingers...

On passing our corridor plants, my wife told me that our dotter told her after seeing a dying plant that, it was eaten by Zombies... [due to influence from the game]

That comment made my day.

For those whom have yet to be addicted to the game yet, a trial play mode is available at POPCAP.

To buy it is only S$19.95.

Did the Zombies eat your plants too?

Severed legs

Severed legs found @ Jervois condo,River Valley area,Singapore

A Brief History of the Ampersand

The "&" symbol...

Seriously, how many people know that it is known as the AMPERSAND symbol?

Most of us read it as the "and" letter and on the PC keyboard, the "and" key.

So you think you know?

Read the history of the AMPERSAND symbol below.

A Brief History of the Ampersand: "


Cameron Chapman of Web Design Depot has written a heavily-illustrated article about the history of the ampersand. This old symbol has again become popular in the last several years with the emergence of abbreviated written communications, such as tweets and text messages.

The word “ampersand” was first added to dictionaries in 1837. The word was created as a slurred form of “and, per se and”, which was what the alphabet ended with when recited in English-speaking schools. (Historically, “and per se” preceded any letter which was also a word in the alphabet, such as “I” or “A”. And the ampersand symbol was originally the last character in the alphabet.)

Link via The Presurfer | Image: Cameron Chapman
"

Avatar Movie: Learn How To Speak Na'vi

Not only the Elvish language, aka Sindarin, from Lord of the Rings was a created language used in fiction.. Now Na'vi is also a learnable language, thanks to its linguistic creator, Professor Paul R. Frommer. All hail "Eywa"

Na'vi is a a constructed language spoken by the fictional indigenous race (the Na'vi) on Pandora in James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. The language was created by Paul Frommer, a professor at USC with a doctorate in linguistics. This website exists to share this beautiful language with all who want to learn.

Learn Na'vi Website
and
Handbook Download (pdf)

Read the full article at Geekologie.com
Read my review of Avatar movie here

Disney to buy Chinese Cartoon Company?

There are so many talents waiting to be spotted in China... and yet they are flooding the immigration customs of Singapore, dying to defect and convert to become a Singaporean citizen.

Ever heard of a Chinese domestic made cartoon called The Pleasant Goat and the Big Big Wolf (喜羊羊與灰太郎)? It’s a children’s cartoon series created by a local Chinese company and has over 590 episodes, broadcasted by 65 TV stations since its first appearance in 2005. To many Chinese, this cartoon represents a kind of Chinese nationalism and culture as it was developed purely by a domestic company... and it’s the only domestic cartoon brand that is sizable enough to compete against Walt Disney cartoon products in China. Now there is a rumor that Walt Disney wants to buy “The Pleasant Goat and the Big Big Wolf”.


Read the full article here at Shanzhai.com