It's that time of the year again........

It's that time of the year again, time to perform my ritual yearly review.

What a weird year 2006 has been, indeed it has. A lot of downs, a couple of ups. Blood is shed, fear and dread of the unknown. The passing away of a beloved cat and of course, the Great China shift. Let's begin :

January - Settled into life back home after London, feel VERY london sick. I think this London sickness will never pass me.

February - I think the first few months back in Singapore is really affecting me. Day in and out, life is miserable. And then I got my cat! So now there's Tash and endless episodes of Naruto!

March -  I was offered a job in London, but I turned it down at the very last minute. The REAL reason? Cannot tell :)

April and May - Were nothing but a miserable smelt of Siglap, Edmund, Alvin and the pondering of why I am giving up so much over something that cannot be.

June - Met Hyuna and HyunJin over bouts of drama in Yishun. The first six months back in Singapore was horrible. It is enough to have me decided permanently that I will never want to return here to live ever again.

July - The big China Shift. For the next X number of months, Guangzhou and Hong Kong will be my new playground, life is turning for the better and for the first time in many months, I felt really happy and without a care for the rest of the world.

August - Took up an online TEFL course and applied for a place in the University of London. Built an entire marketing plan based on technological usage for company.

September - Guangzhou romping, Hong Kong walking and lots of exploring. It takes a little bit of effort to get used to life in Canton, it's not your average city and the people are not exactly the most well-mannered.

October - Incheon calling! After a 3 month break we see Hyun Jin and Lizzie again. It feels great. Korea's great. I believe this is the city I will want to move to after I'm done with China.

November - I'm starting feel a little at home in Guangzhou. Lots of visits to Hong Kong and Hong Kong's becoming my little escape zone from the China madhouse. With lots of help from Ming of course!

December - Back to Singapore for a -very- short holiday. Seeing the stuff that she left behind and how everyone is back home makes me miserable all over again. The only thing that made me happy is seeing old friends and having a good drink with them. And then of course there's Shanghai! Met up with Hyuna and HyunJin again and it felt absolutely smashing! Language may be a barrier for now, but give us some time and it will not be.

And in areas of personal development, here's what I did :

- improved my chinese both in character recognition and speech building
- started my intensive study of Korean
- came up with very very wild ideas for business and marketing, I mean, check this out: an Electronic Sales kit and a platform that allows you to sell remotely, the building of a trademark and lots of co-ordination for an IPO.
- Read tons. Everything from humour by author-cooks, journalists and ex-presidents to catch up on current affairs.
- BOUGHT A MACINTOSH!
- I have this idea to be a freelance marketing-executive, I want to see how well this will take off.

In my next post, I will plan out what I want to do for the next 12 months and then compare it when December '07 comes along and I want to see what I have achieved or lost.

Christmas Wishes!

A jet propelled flying reindeer

Magical disappearing cats

Technicolour candy canes

A packet of purple liquid stones

A penguin squirrel cross breed

Chocolate flavoured rocks

My very own invisible cloak

Geese that lay golden eggs

A beanstalk!

Walking, talking, wish granting chairs

A churn that churns salt and fish

Peace for the whole planet

Funny.

Found on a packet of "Maidi Confiture Biscuits"

- 100% abundant in nutrition
- It tastes crisp and delicious.
- Many kinds of nutritions are contained.
- Leisure & comfortable food
- Packaging materials include recycled fibres (?!)

Classic.

what i like about singapore

bedok. east coast park. the esplanade. palawan beach. the esplanade. nasi lemak. chatty taxi drivers. architecture. cleanliness. golden village. makan parade. singlish. hokkien. central expressway. class 95. drinkable tapwater. english street signs. pasir ris. the hyatt. mee siam. airconditioning. spicy food. chai chee secondary. bak kut teh. stray cats. and you.

Hong Kong drops GST while Singapore increases it

Both small countries, both economies similar. One drops GST, one plans to increase it. It doesn't matter if Hong Kong doesn't have a military, it doesn't mean that their national spending is any lower. It just doesn't make sense that a country as small as Singapore needs to increase their taxes once every couple of years.

Support free speech! STOP READING SINGAPOREAN MEDIA!

From the BBC :

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

Hong Kong drops sales tax plans
The Hong Kong government has dropped plans to introduce a new sales tax in the face of public opposition.
It had hoped that a goods and sales tax (GST) would bring in an extra $3.8bn (£1.9bn) in revenues to boost the city's public services budget.

Hong Kong currently has one of the world's lowest tax regimes, with a 16% personal rate and 17.5% for businesses.

Critics said a new sales tax would hit lower income groups disproportionately and could also hurt tourism.

Budget deficits

The government had held a nine-month consultation on the planned tax reform.

It has said that the territory needs to boost its sources of public revenues in order to cope with the welfare burden of an ageing population and any potential economic downturns.

The city ran up large deficits in the late 1990s after the Asian financial crisis.

"Although the public understands that GST can broaden our tax base, it is clear from the views collected that we have not been able to convince the majority to accept GST as the main option to address the tax base problem," said Financial Secretary Henry Tang.

At the moment only 35% of Hong Kong wage earners pay income tax, and the government has previously suggested that it could look at reducing personal allowances to get more people into the tax net.

updates to date

Yeah! A package came in this afternoon and it's my Hong Kong Frequent Visitor's card! Finally a loyalty card for hong kong! heheeh....goodbye to mile-long queues at the airport, hello priority pass! Next thing to get is a hong kong ID...

So what's new this month? IPO launches, salty/oily cookhouse food, barbequed oysters, big ideas and a trip to shanghai.

I'm now on a mission : pass the HSK, the chinese equivelant of the TOEFL test. Must to be sharpening up my Chinese

An expensive punishment

I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.
I will not be late for flights or other cross border transport.

Love your world

I just came up with this concept for an environment policy for the factories. Now this is a little more than a mere PR stunt. This comes from the heart.

I never really cared much about what discarding and heating can do on a personal level. But multiply this selfish thought by a thousand, a hundred thousand a hundred, hundred thousand. Now multiply this by a hundred nations and multiply that by 365 days in a year.

And now think about what a prick you are if you still don't care.

I heart marketing.

There was never a time that i felt i like my job better. Marketing is in my blood and i know it.

While my stint in London opened me up to retail marketing and adapting PR into daily operations, this new game in China is moving me through a new portal. And i love it.

I mean, with consumer goods, your market is everywhere. It's leaking from the houses and oozing out onto the streets. Pick your medium, build your campaign and blast your operations. Now with manufacturing, it's a different set of rules altogether. Your mediums are now now largely narrowed, your audiences have now become a niche and to complicate matters further, your competitors lurk everywhere with better rates and resources than you. Now what?

And just when you think that's it, your next challenge is to market across continents, time zones and languages. On a limited budget.

Is integrated marketing the answer? Yes, it's a bloody cliche, but it never sounded more true. I believe what's really important is to market to a database, collected and handpicked from the cherry farms of international exhibitions. Be intelligent, be there and prove that you are able to seamlessly migrate their work from a thousand miles over to you.
Use technology generously. Make the world smaller and make it seem like you're selling to them from around the corner of the street. Use the media. Involve a clever PR operation that truly benefits the world and gives you a little bit of exposure.

Marketing really is an art. All that text book garbage aside, it's really about how creative you can package something.

How to send a message over and how to send it out as subtly as a sledgehammer.

The yank weds the dragon girl

My colleague got married to a North Eastern Chinese girl. Rather interesting experience actually.

It was not easy.

着是我一生中第一次写的一张完全的问章。那为什么我的华语那么擦进呢？着是因为我以前上学的时后，头一天上华文可是，老师非常猛，天天都找我的麻烦。着么样，我就对华语表寺了一种怨恨。到我十五税，我就放气了着个语文。从此，我也没用过华语。

可是，今天的我，却认为多侗多几个华语字是很有用的！不只可以用在公做上，还可一用来跟多几个可爱的亮美谈天！

哈哈哈。

好了，我写着几行字，已经用了半个钟头，非常累。。。 又机会才写过把！

Being Rude.

There are two sounds that ubiquitous all throughout China.

One is the honk.

The other is the clearing of the throat. Followed promptly with a lump of green/white/bubbly freshly excreted spit on the floor.

What annoys me is that a country that is home to one of the earliest forms of civillization, art and commerce has degenerated into this. A grand empire that fought wars to defend their civillized way of life against barbarians have now turned into barbarians themselves.

And being of Chinese descent, i am saddened by the country's state of affairs. In my history books, i've learnt that China is the "sick man of the East". I hope what i'm seeing now is a China that is undergoing serious therapy.

The shoving, the pushing, the queue cutting, the shouting....all multiplied by 2 billion.

You don't order your food and service, you demand for it. You don't ask for a discount, you insist on it. You don't queue up for a taxi, you walk right up in front of the next person and snatch for one.

There is just so much road rage everywhere. You drive like you literally owned the road you're driving on. The right of way goes to the person with the fastest accelerator feet. Accidents happen everyday and are a common occurance. From mild fender benders to cars turned topsy turvy.

I won't even buy from local establishments, i'd rather pay more money for international brands. False bargains, cheats and questionable discounts exist everywhere.

The key is this: the more money you have, the more you can behave like a son-of-a-bitch.

The locals think that while they're working, they're "obliged" to perform service for you and will put up with your abuse. I've been in customer service before and i know that i'm not there to do no god damned service for nobody. At the end of the day, i work for my pay and i respect the person who respects what i'm doing.

I've delighted so many people and have enjoyed free food, friendly service, smiles and phone numbers just by using two words; "please" and "thank you".

It's important to be polite, considerate and civil. It is the basic restraint that humans have over themselves. Otherwise, our behaviour is actually very animal like.

For China, it's probably because the country is accelerating full throttle from third world to first, carrying in it's load two billion citizens who still have in their minds a long history of civil unrest, poverty, repression and occupation.

I believe that one day, with the proliferation of education, we will see the return of a great empire, a stunning culture and the return of one of the most civillized people on the planet. The Middle Kingdom as it truly is.

Malaysia Bodoh?

I didn't write this...this fantastic piece has to be credited to Michael Backman of The Age.

Classic.

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

MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races — the Malays and the Chinese — owns. It's an argument that's been running for 40 years. That wealth and race are not synonymous is important for national cohesion, but really it's time Malaysia grew up.

It's a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a country that prefers to argue about how to divide wealth rather than get on with the job of creating it.

The long-held aim is for 30 per cent of corporate equity to be in Malay hands, but the figure that the Government uses to justify handing over huge swathes of public companies to Malays but not to other races is absurd. It bases its figure on equity valued, not at market value, but at par value.

Many shares have a par value of say $1 but a market value of $12. And so the Government figure (18.9 per cent is the most recent figure) is a gross underestimate. Last month a paper by a researcher at a local think-tank came up with a figure of 45 per cent based on actual stock prices. All hell broke loose. The paper was withdrawn and the researcher resigned in protest. Part of the problem is that he is Chinese.

"Malaysia boleh!" is Malaysia's national catch cry. It translates to "Malaysia can!" and Malaysia certainly can. Few countries are as good at wasting money. It is richly endowed with natural resources and the national obsession seems to be to extract these, sell them off and then collectively spray the proceeds up against the wall.

This all happens in the context of Malaysia's grossly inflated sense of its place in the world.

Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their country and that their leaders are world figures. This is thanks to Malaysia's tame media and the bravado of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. The truth is, few people on the streets of London or New York could point to Malaysia on a map much less name its prime minister or capital city.

As if to make this point, a recent episode of The Simpsons features a newsreader trying to announce that a tidal wave had hit some place called Kuala Lumpur. He couldn't pronounce the city's name and so made up one, as if no-one cared anyway. But the joke was on the script writers — Kuala Lumpur is inland.

Petronas, the national oil company is well run, particularly when compared to the disaster that passes for a national oil company in neighbouring Indonesia. But in some respects, this is Malaysia's problem. The very success of Petronas means that it is used to underwrite all manner of excess.

The KLCC development in central Kuala Lumpur is an example. It includes the Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world when they were built, which was their point. It certainly wasn't that there was an office shortage in Kuala Lumpur — there wasn't.

Malaysians are very proud of these towers. Goodness knows why. They had little to do with them. The money for them came out of the ground and the engineering was contracted out to South Korean companies. They don't even run the shopping centre that's beneath them. That's handled by Australia's Westfield.

Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian rocket — the first Malay in space. And the cost? $RM95 million ($A34.3 million), to be footed by Malaysian taxpayers. The Science and Technology Minister has said that a moon landing in 2020 is the next target, aboard a US flight. There's no indication of what the Americans will charge for this, assuming there's even a chance that they will consider it. But what is Malaysia getting by using the space programs of others as a taxi service? There are no obvious technical benefits, but no doubt Malaysians will be told once again, that they are "boleh". The trouble is, they're not. It's not their space program.

Back in July, the Government announced that it would spend $RM490 million on a sports complex near the London Olympics site so that Malaysian athletes can train there and "get used to cold weather". But the summer Olympics are held in the summer.

So what is the complex's real purpose? The dozens of goodwill missions by ministers and bureaucrats to London to check on the centre's construction and then on the athletes while they train might provide a clue.

Bank bale outs, a formula one racing track, an entire new capital city — Petronas has paid for them all. It's been an orgy of nonsense that Malaysia can ill afford.

Why? Because Malaysia's oil will run out in about 19 years. As it is, Malaysia will become a net oil importer in 2011 — that's just five years away.

So it's in this context that the latest debate about race and wealth is so sad.

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil. But, like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the Malaysian Government is more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space when Malaysia's inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing about wealth distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That's not Malaysia "boleh", that's Malaysia "bodoh" (stupid).

ZA!

I will be heading to this place for the Chinese New Year...woooo ZA!!

I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!

WTF?! Hello Kitty airlines by EVA AIR ?!? what on earth are the PR people thinking?! I've had some really bizzare marketing ideas, but i take my hats off this one!

The Cat Files

Nostalgic Cat















Heat scan cat















Pop Culture cat














Gaussian cat















Pencil brush cat

Cat sketch

今天

..................................................reality....
.......................................of .....................
.....................dream ..................................
...............i .............................................
today.....................................................

之想

就在这个世界上来来回回。

去到哪里，爱到哪里。这么样，我每天都是一个新的人。

Corn Flavoured Sausage

Sweet.

...And then i went to Seoul

Strange that some of you may wonder "why are you going to korea"? Geez, can't a man take a trip without any agenda? Im here only to take a break from bad traffic, bad food, bad manners, pollution, poor hygine and to give my ears a break from Pu Tong Hua (mandarin). And to see if the place is nice enough to move to for my next destination. (Which is not something that will happen soon, so if you're my boss and you're reading....relax!)

Korea has some of the most polite and socially aware people i've met. They're really big on recycling too! At home, you don't just chuck your garbage in a bin or a bag anyway you want to. You need to purchase the town-council's approved garbage bags. This way, people think twice about throwing their stuff away. Paper cups in fast food restaurants are non-existent, they come in washable plastic cups! And while we're at the topic of restaurants, please remember to chuck away your junk on your own, cause everyone does so. And don't rush on the trains when they come, everyone moves away from the door to let others get off first. This is great! If everyone behaves, everyday would be so much nicer!

Anyway, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure (I've taken some 246 pictures inclusive my stopover in Hong Kong....so this is just a little sample) :

My Lunch

I've been offered this for lunch. I've been told that this is the greatest thing in Taiwan ever. Can't wait for lunch! mmmmm.....

Wisecracks

Over-read from someone's MSN header:

"angels fly high because they take themselves lightly".

cute.

I'm Seoul excited!

(I have since had new political views, please refer to www.fivestarsandamoon.com for updates)

But first, at the risk of sounding too anti-singapore, please take a look at this website : http://derekwee.blogspot.com/ especially if you're overseas, are over 40 or are just clueless about what's happening in the country in general.

I've been so busy, i hardly have time to write! In fact, i'm just squeezing in the last few minutes of my lunch hour to feed in whatever bit of information i can.

Here's a briefy of what's happend during the past few days:

- Went to a local amusement park
- Ate VERY local food
- Booked a flight to Seoul
- Got my hair cut
- Cooked lunch for my neighbour's kids
- Went out with my colleagues

Gotta get back to work. ----outz*

We banned Far Eastern Economic Review? Disgusting.

Another publication banned from Singapore. What are we? A nation of idiots? A bunch of f*ck-wits? Can't we decide what's wholesome and what's not? Are we unable to separate fact from bullshit? Or is there more bullshit that we should be worried about?

Not even my mom and dad have a right to tell me what i can or cannot do. I am free and it is my right to be free. I can decide. I don't need a bunch of dysfunctional old men, devoid of any sex life whatsoever, sitting in a corner of parliament... free to do whatever the fuck they want, free to spend however they like, free to wank to all manner of porn in the privacy of their mansions. I don't need them to legislate my life, to tell me that oral sex is illegal. To tell me what religion i can practice. To tell me not to chew gum? To tell me what i can or cannot write in my blog (of which people are free to decide if i'm writing bullshit or not).

It is embarrassing. I'm sick of foreigners thinking that i come from a nation of babies.

The PAP is up there along with Microsoft, McDonalds, Coca Cola and a watered-down version of the Chinese Communist Party. And like most dictators and monopolies, they leave you no choice but to keep buying from them and they decide what you need. Only the very brainless, soulless, weak of heart and abject lazy will take to such a system.


So it has happened: the Singapore Government banned the Hong Kong-based monthly periodical The Far Eastern Economic Review. Not only are counter sales prohibited, but anyone found with a subscriber copy faces arrest.

The paper was required to post a $S200,000 bond however The Review failed to do so, reasoning that no other country makes such a demand. The Government probably requires such a bond because it suspects that foreign courts will not enforce the defamation judgements of Singapore courts that are made in favour of Singapore's politicians.

Lee Kuan Yew likes to think that Singapore is modern; a member of the First World. He is wrong.

I HEART HONG KONG!

I have been isolated from the rest of society for too long. For those of you who think
that capitalism is such bad thing, may i invite you to spend 6 months in the futher reaches of the Pearl River in Canton.

When i was asked to sit in for the IPO meeting in Hong Kong, my eyes glowed with the
same excited, fanatical evil that a child rapist has upon being invited to a Macdonald's kiddie party. I NEEDED HONG KONG. I MUST HAVE HONG KONG!

3 hours and one rocky train ride later, I found myself soaking up a capitalist's heaven in Wan Chai. Ooooh, the cold air-conditioning, THE SMELL OF REAL PERFUME IN THE AIR, REAL WORLD FOOD, oooooh, the books! A REAL BOOKSTORE WITH *gasp* ENGLISH BOOKS!

And the brands!! The L'occitaines, the Bang and Olufsen, the Guess, the Zara, the Calvin Kleins, the The Body Shops. GIRLS WHO DRESS DECENTLY (which is to say, indecently to some of you, but i'm not much of a moralist). Just 5 minutes in Wan Chai and my head is spinning from a high that so far only skunk can deliver.

Throwing economic caution to the wind, i fished out the dollars and shopped like a woman. Believe me. After months of looking at shit consumer goods at Guangzhou's Tian He district, i feel literally, like the proverbial kid in a candy shop.

My soul was healed merely by the look and touch of designer furniture. My olfactory receptors have come back to life again with the subtle hint of sexy perfume and teased by savoury smells of a skillful baker at the cafe.

I look forward to heading back to China again with as much gleeful anticipation as eating a bowl of cockroaches. Laced with snake bile.

But now i'm back in the harsh reality of Canton with nothing but pictures of dear old Hong Kong. I must, must get out of this country again, i promised myself a trip to either Tokyo or Seoul and I must go again. Working in a place like this, it is so important to leave for a REAL CITY at least once a month or risk going berserk.

AND FOR THE LAST TIME, HONG KONG IS NOT LIKE SINGAPORE! So things are expensive there, boo-fucking-hoo, so they have the same shopping stuff as us. Then stay home and not leave changi airport ever! hong kong has culture, identity and a history that is as rich as china's. they even have a national language! they have enough guts to express themselves and geez, what will our oriental lives be without TVB? Does singapore have any of these? nOooOoOooo.......so stop saying "it's like singapore" cause i'm sure the hongkies would be very insulted. (and if not for the disturbing fact that they're technically run by Beijing, i would be very happy to move there)

Here are some pictures of Hong Kong. But don't just look at them. Go to Hong Kong. Go now. Pick up your phone book your favourite air line and just go.
















Cats on parade!




















Kitty bride of frankenstine.


A display of weird cat dolls.


At a junction of Kowloon Tong (i think)


Underwater tunnel.




What will the East be without the strange choice of words?

Voodoo doll chinese-fied.

Give a Chinese girl a Voodoo doll and look at what she does to it.

Turned a perfectly evil looking voodoo doll into a cutesy pig tailed thing.

thought of the day

wHatever YOU can do,

or THINK you can DO,

BEGIN it.

She was a cat.

Now she's taking it easy amongst clouds in kitty heaven.

To be very honest, it is a little sad that she had to go this way.... however, i won't bother with all the if's, but's and could have's, i will not blame anyone, not even the driver who hit her. Netiher will i blame myself nor my friend who helped me look after her. Death is a process of life and while she may only be a cat, i value her as much as the people who have gone before me.

This episode reminds me of something we all know all this while: That life is short. That life is unpredictable. While you may not be killed in an accident, you can be removed from existence just as easily by some disease. Would you have looked back on your life and think "yes, i've done things i've want to do" or "shit, i've made all this money, now what?" Sure....money can get you the best doctors and medical attention, but what if you've caught something like... HIV? Then what? It may buy you a bit more time, but that time is spent in misery.
Money has always, and will still take back-seat in my life, unless it's in line with what i want to do in life. Sure, i'd love to have lots of it, but i also will not allow it to cloud my thinking or my principals or let it stop me from doing what makes me happy.

I know some of you may think i'm over reacting, Tash may be just bloody road-kill, or that a cat's life has zero economical/productive value as compared to a human life. For those of you who think this way, I would like to offer you a middle finger and a simple "FUCK YOU", in it's full glory. The cat does show emotions. She is capable of expressing feelings like fear, regret and love. She can show me more love than most of my ex girlfriends can.
I'm not practicing double standards. I know i am a carnivore. But my principal is that i will not eat any animal that i have had a personal interaction with.

So Tash, i know you may not read very well, even more so now. But i hope you've had a good time with me....and your short term friend B.B..... i know you probably didn't understand Korean, and you ate her body lotion....and watermelon seeds....i know that some of my friends are frightened of you... i know you chewed up two of my very expensive earphones, destroyed an expensive tie, destroyed my bed and kicked cat litter all over my room....but it's all cool.

Perhaps someone up there decided that blood must be shed for certain things i've done. Perhaps you've taken the place of some ill fate that I would otherwise have suffered.

But goodbye for now, and mew hello to the two other people i know. Cause like you, they left me with hardly a goodbye.

Be in peace Tash.

Rest well. And as a mark of respect, i will not be posting anything for a while.

Romeo and Juliet : My version

But, soft! what accordion through yonder hacienda bequeaths?
It is the icon, and Juliet is the pregnancy.
outweigh, fair vacation, and summary the magnificent belfry,
Who is already perfume and ice with puppet,
That thou her tyro art far more scrawny than she:
Be not her earnings, since she is adorable;
Her robust flat is but overrated and rhythm
And none but yards do hear it; emit it off.
It is my lady, O, it is my writer!
O, that she knew she were!
She razes yet she ridicules nothing: what of that?
Her perdition discourses; I will blame it.

i REALLY have a massive headache!

...and i almost died of alcohol intoxication at that.

A couple of us decided that this shit beer and wine here isn't going to do anyone any harm. So we thought, sod this, let's down this bottle of weird alcohol - distilled from horses milk (yes, you read right). Half an hour later, everyone had a rough time dragging their sorry asses out my door.

I guarantee you, i never felt worse in my life. This hangover lasted me all the way till sunday morning.

My stomach still feels weak and my nostrils seem to have the intoxicating scent of the spirit lingering at the back of the nose, giving me that noxious, nauseating feeling...urgh.

NEVER am i going to do this again. If i had another drop more, I would've already been sharing the bed with the anti-christ.

Now let's get on to more cheery stuff. I can feel it in the air...... the cold temperatures are beginning to peek-a-boo every now and then. Last afternoon was a comfortable temperature. This morning at 9am it felt like 22 degrees everywhere! Yes, it'll get hot again later....but this can only mean one thing.... autumn is on her way! woo woo! and then after that.... winter!! my most favourite season!

But enough of that, let's get on to even more cheery stuff.....

I GOT MYSELF A MacBook !!

And i am very. very. very. impressed.

The minute i took it out of the box, the only words i could express were nothing but "WOW" and "it can do that?!?!". Truely, the Macintosh must have been designed by a team of tech-nerds and arty-farty types.

For starters, it is FAST. How long does it take for Windows to boot up? 30 seconds? 40? ...what about the Mac? From the time you press the power-on, till you hear the "BING" .... 2 seconds. I didn't even feel anything load! No sound from the hard disk!

The dispaly quality? Magic. 3D rendering is beautiful and re-draws in graphics sfotware is almost immediate!

Asthetically? Everything from the software to the hardware has been crafted with fine skill. Drop shadows, highlights, crisp fonts.... magnets to clip the power cord and display in place. The machine is crafted in pure, virgin white. This is THE sexiest computer i have ever owned!

You know when in windows (notice the drop in capitalization and loss of respect for the "w" in "windows") you change your settings, you would have to reboot the system or click the "apply/ok" button to realize your changes? Not for the Mac.

Even the technical manuals are written compasionately for humans, not some arcane techno-jargon.

You can even imagine my horror when the guy at the shop told me he'd sell me windows at a lower rate. idiots.

...now excuse me while i get back to my Mac.

Funny signs part 1

I can't help it! Some of these signs are just so funny! Really, some things are best left untranslated.....


(stress the civilization? i always knew the Chinese were up to something fishy.....)


(Any other form of graffiti, air-brush or road-kill is fine.)


(A hotline for tourist rescuing? What do they do to the tourists up there?)


(Translating is best left to the professionals.)


(Only in China, could such a sign be displayed in such grandiose)

i am psycho bunny

i am psycho bunny. i hopped into benjamin's room. i stomped him with powerful feet. i pulled his ears. i dragged his mangled body outside for my progney to play with. you no fool with bunnies! ever! let this be warning!

So Osama walks into this bar, see?

I read this really funny posting on one of my favourite blog sites. Go read it yourself, it's worth your time, honestly!

http://www.gregpalast.com/so-osama-walks-into-this-bar-see

Pirated DVDs : Amazing.

Look at the quality of copied DVDs here, for 5RMB (0.30 pence, SGD$1), you get : a DVD outer made from thick, matt coated paper, a jewel box inlay, a postcard (?!?), a plastic disc protector, an outer sleeve with contact information on how to get more illegal dvds.....and the movie itself is super high quality, an exact copy of the original! None of that filmed by a camera in a cinema or poor quality copying, this is the real deal.

I am impressed.

Yes, Singaporeans speak English!

Finally! Some recognition that Singaporeans actually do speak English!

If the image is too small and you're too lazy to click on it, it says that a requirement for the program is that you must be from Australia, Canada, Europe, Ireland, UK, USA, New Zealand, or Singapore.

The Global Volunteer Network (http://www.volunteer.org.nz/) is on the look out for nice people (like me) who will offer their skills to the world. They support the work of local community organizations in countries through the placement of international volunteers. So if you want to be connected to communities in need, and have fun in the process. Drop in on their website.

My new camera!

Ok, too much heavy stuff. Back to reality. I know i promised to get a digital camera and here it is! I've decided to experiment it on a dinner out with my immediate colleagues. You must understand that I have about 12,000 people working where i am, so i will use the term "colleagues" very loosely.

Laughing at singapore's national day rally.

(I have since had an "update" of political views, please go to www.fivestarsandamoon.com for further reading)

"...hope that singaporeans overseas will come back one day..."? You really, really, must be joking mr. prime minister. I've said it many times, and i'll say it again: In the eyes of singaporeans, i'm a school dropout. I was not offered studying opportunities, career opportunities nor even respect in the military.

I belong to the demographic of people who will be spending their lives in low waged jobs.

But was this the case elsewhere in the world? England believed in me. Australia believed in me. China believes in me. And i will be more than happy to perform and contribute to their economies rather than singapore's.

i detest the culture (or lack of it), i detest the rudeness, i detest the fakeness, i detest this cosmetic makeover...wool that is pulled over the eyes of all. So now we're trying to attract foreign talent? Well, if not for the money (or the girls), they wouldn't even be here. I know a Japanese girl who couldn't tolerate our attitudes just 3 months of living here.

i would rather contribute 40% in taxes to a communist government and get no benefits in return. after all, you've had more than enough of your fair share in the fines i gave.

Singaporeans have a reputation (abroad) for being rude, nose in the air snobs who think that the little island is all the world there is.

i will most definately not want to return willingly and i know many, many, many others who feel the same way as me.

Contestants for Ms. Korea

Due to popular request, we have pictures of the hottest girls in Korea.... live from Jeju Island.

한국에서 가장 귀여운 여자애들

You are what you eat. So choose carefully.

Since i got here, i've only dared try two types of food that hit my "weird food" threshold. One of which is donkey flesh:



And the other is raw prawns. Which is innocent as compared to donkey meat.

Then there are the other truely vial creatures that I will never, ever consume, no matter how discourteous it seems. And they are:

Scorpions


More Scorpions


And this monster over here (who's going to be turned into herbal soup)


"Vould yu like zome garleek to go vith your tortis monsieur?"



Yes. To me, it's disgusting. To others, it's a priceless delicacy. And I have a feeling I have not seen the last of what the Chinese put on their plates.

And when my cat comes over here, i'm going to request for police protection around her 24 hours. I will booby trap my house and i'll make sure who ever wants to try to stir fry her will be turned into human Royal Canin himself.

I promise I'll get a digital camera soon. I got mine stolen at the Bangkok International Airport. Twats. Either that or some idiot at the Singapore Airport who's stealing it for some cheap thrills.

Now pardon me while i get back to breakfast (of kiwi fruits and soybean milk thank you)