2009 To Arrive 1 Second Later

Wait a second.

The start of next year will be delayed by circumstances beyond everyone's control!

Time will stand still for one second on New Year's Eve because a "Leap Second" will be added to 2008 to let a lagging Earth catch up to super-accurate clocks.

So at precisely 23:59:60 at Greenwich on New Year's Eve, there will be a one-second void before the onset of midnight and the start of the New Year.

We'll have an extra second to celebrate the new year!

Bombay Sapphire

The most popular type of gin in the world, London Dry is what most people think of when they think of Gin. For me, brand names such as Beefeater, Gordon's would strike my mind first.

Not until Benson introduced me to Bombay Sapphire, I began to fall in love in the intensely smooth Gin & Tonic.


This beauty contains at least 10 botanicals infused into the spirit, with the lemon peel and almonds giving its unique aroma. Truly sensational for someone with a character to drink!

And oooh, look at the pretty bottle! Look no further - you are the one!

Till Death Do Us Part

After attending like the 5th weddings in 2008, last night shall literally be my last this year.

I love attending wedding ceremonies, witnessing the newly wed, often my good friends, recite the divine wedding vows, promising into the unknown future "Till Death Do Us Part".

It takes zillion of courage.

I only knew the bride and not the groom in last night's wedding banquet. She is my soul mate's ex-boy friend's best friend's ex girl friend. It is quite unbelievable when both of us sat there last night and thought about it over fine wine, particularly when all our memory of the bride is associated with her ex, my ex, her ex...in other words, a prehistoric time dating back to over 2100 days ago!

Last night, we were being invited to witness her most courageous moment in her life - to share truthfulness to herself and be true to her partner; dare to say how she feels; dare to express what she thinks in front of all. Dare to promise to live, thrive and grow together, honouring her truth and finding the love within to share that truth, until death do them part.

The wedding signified the ending of a chapter - A chapter full of fond memories of the pre-historic days.

The wedding now invites us into a new chapter - A chapter filled with hopefully more joy and let come what may.

Quantum of Solace

Well, I did say my Christmas Movie ought to be Madagasca II, but I ended up going for Quantum of Solace instead.

I agree with you sis, all in all, Daniel Craig is million miles away from the likes of all other James Bonds. The outcome of the whole plot was more or less aligned with my expectation and just like the previous Casino Royale, this is more of an action-packed thriller than a Bond movie.

More than often, Daniel Craig comes across more as an assassin than a British secret agent; Can't recall many beautiful Bond girls, but compensated with lots of gorgeous scenery in Italy, Haiti and South America; And - worst of all, the lack of gadgets is impossible to associate it to anything related to a Bond movie!



Ok - It is when "Miss Fields" was found dead on the bed - did they attempt to tie the film to a Bond movie. The Goldfinger-style death scene is rather cool, but it doesn't really quite fit in, which is a shame.

The Perfect Career Match

Conducted a personality test to find out what sort of career suits me and the below claimed what ought to be perfect:

• Artist
• Historian
• Banker
• Novelist
• University Professor
• Photographer
• Vet
• Paralegal
• Graphic Designer
• Online Content Developer
• Webmaster
• Producer
• Managing Director
• Nutritionist
• Advertising
• Nursing

I don't quite see a fit anywhere. Can you?

Memory Triggers

Music and scent, two of the most evocative ways to bring my own emotion to the fore.

Scent in particular, is the most powerful memory trigger, not sure if you'd agree.

No kidding but I can still recall the smell of the first shower gel I used, can you?

It happened 2 decades ago in Singapore and I love the pleasant smell of it. I was too young to recognise the brand and after all these years, I was quite certain there was absolutely no way I could be able to search for it.

Recently, I bought a bottle of Neutrogena "Rainbath" and - instant playback of my first shower experience with that shower gel. How bizarre!!

Less dramatically speaking, I can also easily relate a particular smell to a particular person. Nail polish remover for instance, always remind me of my sis, who constantly uses it. Freshly mowed lawns can evoke images of my boarding school; scent of leather recalls a ride in a brand-new car; and only recently - I found kidney pies can remind me of a dear friend.

Many a thing can also trigger my good old memories, a snippet of a song, a movie, or a photo. I find scents are the most evoking of all and they can cause me to relive long ago times so vividly, nothing else exists apart from the same feeling I felt when that memory was born.

Farewell to Woolies

Got to bid farewell to some really pleasant memories from the old days.

Despite its American roots, the century old Woolworths managed, from the moment it arrived on U.K. shores, to assume a quintessentially British identity (Unlike McDonald's incongruous golden arches or GAP's preppy khakis).

"Woolies" has always been the seemingly perfect fit for British's High Streets. Sad enough, it is the next victim pulled down by the financial crisis massacre.

Well, can't blame the macro climate entirely for Woolworths' demise, because nowadays, who wants one-stop shop when there are so many well-stocked niche retailers out there and who wants cheap clothings that look cheap, when you can buy cheap clothing that don't?

Once upon a time, variety of its product range was a strength, it is now Woolworths' curse.

Bye bye pick'n' mix!
Bye bye 2.99 CDs!

Where Is Our Safest Bet?

The Bank - prone to bankruptcy...










Or the Police Station where law-beholders break the laws?

A Mobile Phone for Kids

I always wonder why such a device came so soon in the market.

Finally - a mobile phone that is simple enough to let kids aged 6+ (or 60+) talk on the phone on a restricted basis. The number of incoming messages and calls can be limited by parental settings on the phone.

In addition to the call and hangup buttons, there are keys to cycle through the phone book and two dedicated keys for "mommy" and "daddy".


A limited 1,000 sets are now available in Hong Kong for HKD1,280. Not bad for an emergency contact phone for your little ones.....or for kids aged 60+ like my parents perhaps!

My 2008 X'mas Movie: Madagascar 2

Surprise Surprise!

I have been keeping a secret for a while and that secret cannot be revealed until yesterday.

The plot was to give my mom a surprise visit this weekend in Shanghai and celebrate her birthday weekend together.

Parents have been in Shanghai for a few weeks as father was there to get his whole set of teeth fixed. Since then, I have been working with Amy alone on this plot for weeks, making sure the pair of them would stay until this weekend and most vitally, ensure they are at home when I turn up at the door yesterday. How Amy did that, I am not too sure, but the passcode I had shout at the main entrance gate upon arrival was "Delivery, open the door please".

After 3 weeks of planning, there I stood in front of them at the door step, the "delivery" successfully brought forth a really pleasant surprise to mom and dad! I have always suspected the clever them would have smelt something fishy prior to my arrival, but obviously from their reactions, it proved that our disguise was all too perfect.

I am sure everyone loves nice surprises every now and then. I got upgraded to business class for some unknown reasons on my flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai yesterday - Pity it was only a 2-hour journey.

By the time I had my entree of abalone, enjoyed the shark fin soup (from a proper bowl made of nice China), mushroom sautee tenderloin, fruit platter, Haggan Daz ice cream, plus 2 cups of coffee, the plane was ready to land. I didn't even have the time to test out all the functions of the chair I was sitting on!!

Anyhow, we started the birthday weekend celebration by having what else but the seasonal hairy crabs at home. We will go out for some shopping in town today, eat out at night and head to a safari zoo tomorrow. Let's hope the weather will not surprise us with rain!

Unprecedented Presidents

We have the first African U.S. President elected last week with Chicagoans jammed the streets to watch the 44th U.S. President addressed the nation for the first time.

Today we have the history's first former Taiwanese head of state to go to prison with the allerged charges on Money-laundering, bribes and embezzlement.

This world we're living in - is unprecedentedly dishevelled...I think.

"I Have A Dream"

16th Century: The Atlantic Slave Trade began and prevailed

200 years later...

1863: Abraham Lincoln promised freedom for slaves and slavery abolished in Amercian Civil War

100 years later...

1963: Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a Dream" speech

45 years later...

2008: A list of Black Celebs straight from my head:

50 Cents, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Bobby Brown,
Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy,
Justin Timberlake, Kenye West, Mariah Carey,
Mike Tyson, Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton,
R Kelly, Seal, Snoop Dogg, Thierry Henry,
Usher, Whitney Houston......


and how can I not add - the new kid on the block - The first African-Amercian President Barack Obama.

Looks like King's dream is coming true!

Dream on guys! Dream on!

The Craze In Oktoberfest

Just for Laughs

The Quebecers love producing prank don't they?

First we have the comedy "Just For Laughs"- second to Mr. Beans' series as one of my must-watch in-flight entertainments.

With just 2 days before the U.S. Presidential election - we have Palin who took a prank call from a fake Sarkozy!!

"Ohhh, have we been pranked?" The Incompetent Palin asks. "And what radio station is this?"

Check this out - it's absolutely hilarious!

Wordle

This site is quite fun to play with - powered by Java.

Here are supposedly the most commonly used words in my blog.

Who would have thought I used the word 'Healthy" that many times? Most Weird!

AA Hires Royal Chef!

Anyone who has been on an American Airlines flight would agree what they served, has never been quite edible.

Flipped through "Business Traveller" over coffee the other day and came cross this piece.

They have recently enlisted the former chef to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, to design its new menus on flights between Europe and the US.

Signature dishes will include old favourite cottage pie, chicken stuffed with Cumberland sausage, oatmeal-crusted pork with a Drambuie juniper berry sauce, and beef fillet with morel mushroom sauce.

Only if you fly business or first on AA, would you be able to have a taste from the Royal Chef.

Though I do miss the typical English cuisine, I'd never pick AA out of all the other airlines choices under the Asia Miles alliance. Would you?

Don't Be Fooled By BMI

My friend was nagging about her Body Mass Index (BMI) has just put her under the obesed category.


I tell ya, I never believe that one can really define who is healthy and who is not, based simply on one’s weight and height.

First of all, our BMI does not take into account muscle mass or hip-to-waist ratio – key facts defining how healthy we are.

In my case - I may have a healthy BMI, but I am definitely NOT a healthy eater.

I can’t resist jam or butter on my toasts; I often have a stodgy meal for dinner such as cheesy lasagne, fish & chips or curry; and my portion sizes rival any man. Desserts are a weak point for me too - love anything with chocolate or cream in it and potato crisps as snacks are simply irresistable.

I figured there must be some exceptions to this one-rule-fits-all formula, cuz there's no way I am healthy based on what I take in.

Well, I am thinking good old common sense, combined with a bit of mathematical calculation.

I look at fit people, one of the things that isn't hard to see is that they generally - again; there's still good old body type to contend with - have waists.

Where fat does most harm is when it's deposited around our midriff, where it lies much more deeply, coats our organs and puts us at far greater risk of diabetes and heart disease.

I checked out the web - some say the crucial measurement is the difference between your waist and hips. A woman's healthy waist ratio is 0.8 of their hips; a man's is 0.95.

Well....I guess whatever you do, how about we stop sitting in front of the computer, move your butt and go out for a nice little walk now?

Who Said Brown Is Blind?

Less than a month ago, his popularity plummeted after a long series of political missteps and he nearly went jobless.

As if he didn't have enough on his plate, Gordon Brown is said to be having increasing problems with his eyesight. Close friends of the Prime Minister said that he can now only see extremely large print and needed guidance at public events.

Yesterday with his well-funded program of bank nationalization and guarantees for deposits and loans - Brown, despite his left blind, has "shown us the way".

Italy d'amore

I never come to know Italy is full of love and romance.

Italy d'amore in virtually all corners of all the wonderful cities or unique towns I set foot on; whether it was in Livorno, Sorrento in Napoli or the capita Roma. Firenze in Toscana or Venezia & Padua in Veneto.

It was like the country awaited me to discover its true meaning of 'amore', whether I was strolling a city street, checking out their museums or discovering a secret garden.

Before I forgot all the feeling of love, I decided to hurriedly jot down what I could recall the Italy I came to know.


Rome - visited the exquisite city very hastily. Saw St. Peter's Basilica from afar and drove past The Colisium. Known as the Eternal City, Rome originated as far back as 753 BC and is one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II. As the heart of Christianity and being seat of the Roman Catholic Church, it truly is a city that consists of old heritage in a modern cosmopolitan.

Livorno was my first port of call, gateway to Tuscany and entrance to the country. Tuscany is known for its wines and production of extra virgin olive oil. Italian Renaissance was found everywhere here.

Florence is a city full of medieval flavour, established by Julius Caesar in 59BC and has also been the birthplace for one great after another. Including Leonardo da vinci, Michelangelo
and Galileo Galilei (Galileo borned the day Michelangelo died). It is a city where I had to "get wrapped to see the naked" - the famous David di Michelangelo, for example.

Naples, located halfway between two volcanic areas, one of them being the volcano Vesuvius. The place dates back to around the 9th century and is home to several wonderful churches whose origins began in the 12th-13th centuries.

Sorrento is traditionally held as the home of pizzas, spaghetti, Margherita, Geleto and Limoncello (a lemon liqueur only available there).

Pompeii was an interesting place. Destroyed, and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption thousands of years ago. The volcano buried Pompeii under many meters of lava and ashes and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

Venice - How often would you get to set foot on Piazza San Marco at midnight hours? Well I did. The night view of the city totally took my breath away. However, I must stress the fact that I would think twice if I have to sail on a gondola in the rather smelly Venetian canals, if given the chance. Let alone that part of the senses, the mouth-watering window shopping experience of Gucci in one of the alleys would prove all worthwhile.

GPS or A to Z?

I am not too bad in map reading myself and I do enjoy having the ultimate authority to command the driver next to me when I have possession of the directions.

Recently, I have employed a GPS navigator device - TomTom and my driving experience with him (Tom) has proved excellent. As with all digital devices, I have my expectation set on Tom to be fast, accurate and simple enough to figure out without a manual.

I must say once again that hi-tech innovation really is granting us the convenience and speed much needed in this society. Tom performed without hesitation and error - well, most of the time.

He was flawless in the first 3 hours of driving and I was very pleased with him. He made sensible route plans, would beep me whenever I was 5mph over the speed limit and even sent out gentle reminders of the speed cameras ahead of time. It was when we began ignoring him by making numerous detours, that annoyed the diligent Tom. He then made some wrong calculations and guess what - we got lost.

I paid Tom USD20 a day and so I thought I have every right to utilise his brain and not mine. Nothing against technology but after being left stranded by Tom, I came to realise total dependence on GPS wasn't such a good idea. One can always reset the system when feeling a bit lost, but then don't we look rather dumb then?

It freaks me out when I come to think of the next generation losing the hang of map reading just like we depend on spell-check these days and we are already losing the ability to spell.

Guys - don't give up on your good ole A to Z maps - not yet.

Wedding Anniversaries

Did you know these wedding anniversary representations?

Notice how the naming system jumps from annually for the first 20 years, to every 5 years.






First ten years
1st Paper
2nd Cotton
3rd Leather
4th Linen
5th Wood
6th Iron
7th Wool/Copper
8th Bronze
9th Pottery
10th Tin

Over ten years
11th Steel
12th Silk
13th Lace
14th Ivory
15th Crystal
20th China

Over 20 years
25th Silver
30th Pearl
35th Coral
40th Ruby
45th Sapphire
50th Gold
55th Emerald
60th Diamond
70th Platinum
75th Diamond (USA)
80th Oak

Does it mean we ran out of proper names, or simply because we can't be bothered to celebrate every year when you get a certain age?

Sweet Sixties' Confectionery

I must check this museum out while I am there. It has an exhibition that focuses on the wrappers of chocolates and sweets from the 1960s. I am in for a treat.

Yundi Li's Ravel Tonight

His enthusiasm has matured.

Throughout the night, Yundi always try to find a way to connect better with the audience in his chemical reaction on Ravel's concerto with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

I haven't seen a full house in the Concert Hall for a quite while and tonight, the full house included me and my friend, all came in search for an inspired, romance and fabulous technique for the evening.

We can always be rest assured of great satisfaction - every single time he performs.

Couldn't get his autograph this round, but I am sure I can wait as he will have more chances to perform in Hong Kong now that he is officially announced as the artist-in-residence with the Hong Kong Philharmonics for 3 years! Yeah!

London's 8-minute Slot

While Beijing relied on vast numbers of participants to impress audiences in the Beijing Olympic Games, London used fame and pop culture in their 8-minute slot to fusion into the closing ceremony - heralding the start of the four-year countdown to theirs.

The child of London gave a football to David Beckham, who then kicked the ball to those Great Britain athletes gathered in the stadium.

Honestly, I had no idea what that meant in that instance.

I then searched online just now and found out this actually symbolized the power of sports to unite the world and the importance of sports for young people, a central theme of the London 2012 Games.

Was it only me? Did you guys get that, cuz I didn't quite.

Glorious Triumph

The three top-seeded table tennis players from China have duly booked their gold, silver and bronze medals with outstanding performances.

It's just an awesome feeling and prideful event to see China's national flags raised in the air....not 1, not 2 but 3.

Can history repeat itself tonight in the men's single?

Liu Xiang Limps While Nike Beams

Liu Xiang has been China's secret weapon - an athlete who bore the hopes of 1.3 billion people on his shoulders and simply not allowed to lose.

Well, yesterday in the Bird's Nest, incredibly, he lost.

Guess who's the biggest winner?
I'd say the advertisers.

Liu advertises everything from milk to Nike, Cadillac to Coca-Cola - are on every hoarding, on the side of every bus and features in numerous TV ads.

The bespoke pair of Nike Zoom Aerofly LX spikes, which made its debut yesterday got all the attention "on the side-track", as opposed to "on the track".

Not due to its distinctively colours, it was because Liu was limping and all cameras naturally zoomed in to the limping feet wearing the tailor-made spikes.

Didn't that alone enough to make Nike the biggest winner?

See You in London!

The entire nation looked forward to this moment for years - The defending Olympic champion lining up to run the 110-metre hurdles at the Beijing Games.

Liu Xiang made it to the lanes, but pulled out at the last minute. I'd think no one other than himself would be more desperate.

Well, we can only wish him well and see him back in shape in London in 4 years time.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Pictograms

You can see strokes of Chinese characters and a hint of Chinese tradition; you can feel a display of distinct and graceful asethetic motion mixed with an embodiment of modern graphics.




These are the pictograms of this year's Olympic Games - so recognizable, rememberable and easy to use - I think it is a very successful piece of marketing and communications tool - with style - and it's the best.

Boring, Mystifying and Soporific - Not

The words "Boring", "Mystifying" and "Soporific" spotted in headline news in the past days could signify the Olympic Equestrian Games currently hosting in Hong Kong hasn't got what it takes to persuade local spectators to hang around till the very end.

For me, I don't know anything about the trotting, passage, piaffe, pirouettes and what not. Nonetheless, I do utterly respect the trainers who teach horses to do Ballet dancing or make them to do Tai-chi!

To show support for my home city hosting its first ever Olympic event as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic, I decided I'd bid a ticket online and go enjoy a live game in Dressage.

One facet of the jewel in dressage has to be the harmony presented between the horse and the rider. It is that harmony which has kept me wide awake throughout the evening.

Ultimately, I'd say last night's dressage was the most gloriously enjoyable Grand Prix I've ever watched. It's like witnessing beautiful living sculptures dancing, conquering space and defying time.

The only downside was: I now need to sort out more than 600 shots taken in that 4 hours!

China Did It!

August 8 usually carry a 50% chance of rain in the city of Beijing and the $400 million, 91,000-seat Bird Nest has no roof.

The Chinese government just cannot sit there and let the rain ruin what could be the most spectacular Olympic Games Opening Ceremony ever.

While everybody just talk about the weather, the Chinese actually did something about it to guarantee clear sky for the Opening Ceremony last night, as they know a brilliant Opening means everything for the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

They manipulated the weather by firing over 1,000 rain dispersal rockets on the day to blow away rain clouds. As a result, no rain during the entire Opening while the suburbs of Beijing had torrential rain throughout the evening.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by thousands watched by millions more on TV last night. The nitty gritty details of the showcase, the breakthrough and the creativity within, are going to be the talk of town over the next few days or even weeks.

China did it. They explored and orbited the moon, suppressed the rain, organised their first Olympic Games.

I think they are up for anything now.

A Killer App in Facebook Killing Your Time

The Chinese version of the Mob Wars named "古惑仔 Online" is no stranger to many. It's an epic game of Mafia war game, played on Facebook.

The game earned quite a reputation within a short span of time introduced and has the ability to lure thousands of players online each minute of the day. Not only that, the game requires you to form alliance so players with more buddies stand a higher chance of winning in the gangster fights, granting you an advance to the next level.

That's what facebook is after - network participation - and there's no stopping it.

A word of advice, for those who are not prepared to invest your time online 24 hours a day, 7-days a week, don't attempt to go anywhere near it.

Players all started with petty thieves and work their way up the ranks to build their almighty criminal empire. I started playing this game a week ago and this has been the most sticky game in facebook for me so far.

For someone like me, who doesn't quite manage to master my assets in real terms, find it a challenge in doing so in the game.

For instance, I have bought weapons and arms which I don't need; made the wrong choice in cars and sold properties which can otherwise give me a better ROI.

Other times, I have wasted precious time on the wrong strategy and most often than not, have forgotten to deposit my hard earned cash in the bank before I logout at nights and ended being stolen.

The game is all about opportunity cost and this is what I like about the game.

It serves as a reminder in real life, that we are to make decisions every minute. We are faced with opportunity costs all the time and there's no time to sit back and regret about a wrong move you have mistakenly made.

That's life, you gotta move on.

In this game - the most you get is being knocked out and be unconscious for a while, you will wear out but no, you won't die after all that constant fighting.

I guess that's the only difference between online game and reality.

My 3rd In A Week

I've been to the cinema and watched 3 movies in the last 6 days. Now that's my personal record.

"The X Files: I Want to Believe" - is the third.

It's hard to admit to the fact how time flies, when this movie reminded me of how I used to glue to each episode, expecting the extra-terrestrial lives in the 90s.

This is still one of my best loved television series of all time, which explained why I need to watch this one-off monster episode before it comes down this week.

Mummy 3

Imagine Jet Li defeated by Brendan Fraser in a hand to hand combat.

Well, this was what happened in Mummies 3 - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

I have seen the first 2 Mummy films before and so I wasn't expecting too much for the third film of the series. To make a difference in the 3rd one, I gathered the director tried to throw in everything that they have got and hope it worked.

So what have we got? We have Yetis, we have an ancient Chinese emperor played by Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh as a witch. A setting in the Himalayas, Shangri La, England and Shanghai in the 1940’s. Wrapped with the mandatory special effects and English humour all over it.

I personally think the mix worked quite well, accept for 1 thing.

I miss Rachel Weisz as the plucky librarian/adventurer. Can anyone tell me why isn't she returning to reprise that role?

Transporting High-end Athletes

• These are athletes competing in the upcoming Beijing Olympics 2008.

• With their superb training, million-dollar price tags and excitable temperaments, many are celebrities in their own right.

• They are seasoned flyers and they fly with an entourage, a fleet with grooms and veterinarians.

• Their flight attendants attend to the smallest of details, from providing these athletes with 6-star service to making sure they wear protective foam boots and occasionally, ear muffs to block engine noise.

OK....they are not human, but equine.

I discovered that these horses are receiving super star treatments, way more humane than we humans have been getting.

First and foremost, in order to ensure the whole transport of these high-end athletes as smooth and stress-free as possible, cargo plane pilots need to use the full extent of the runway and get air traffic controllers to approve a flight path devoid of sharp, unpredictable turns.

While on board, the flight groom pays full attention to their drinking preferences and make sure they do not show the slightest sign of dehydration. Water sweetened with Gatorade and apple juice is served from time to time without the need to ask.

"How do you like it Sir? You may nibble on wet hay, or take it dry"

Once they disembark in Hong Kong, they will be transferred right away (and I mean right away without delay) to air-conditioned trucks (temperature set at 73 degrees) for the 30-mile trip to the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The journey from the tarmac to the stables cannot exceed 100 minutes. By that time, humans are basically still queuing in the immigration or at most, collecting luggage at conveyor belts!

The World Deserted By The Civilization That Destroyed It

I watched the film Wall E today. It tells a story of a world deserted by the civilization that destroyed it and robot Wall E - was left on earth to clean up the mess.

It is much more than a Pixar animated movie and it's different from any other Disney's Pictures, it has a good cause to it and I think it serves as a wake up call for us all living on earth.

The characters in the movie are all obese, constantly in communication with each other but only through video chat. They don't take the time to get to know people sitting next to them and the notion of getting up and talking to their mate next to them? Forget it - all they really need was instant messaging!

Sadly - this is not alien to us at all and we are resembling that increasingly fast. The arrival of the movie is here to remind us that we are all wrapped up in a cyber world and fast forgetting how to live in the real world.

We should all learn a lesson from this heartwarming animation. Every once in a while,

• Take out those ears and listen to the amazing sound of nature around you
• Let those text-messaging fingers rest and take a minute to shake someone's hand
  
• Watch a movie on a real theatre, not on an iPod
  
• Laugh with someone in person instead of LOLing in IM

CJD - As Mad As Hell

It's been more than a decade since I last donated blood successfully, and just now, I was glad to see a mobile blood donation counter set up right in our office building.

The enthusiastic me then made sure I stuff myself and be prepared for the transfusion after lunch. Only to find out from Red Cross once again, that I am still not eligible to donate because I spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more in the United Kingdom between January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1996.

They claimed there's evidence from a small number of case reports that CJD can be transmitted through transfusion!

Symptoms of CJD or mad cow disease include: memory loss, personality changes and hallucination.

I seem to possess all of them from time to time.

May be it really is a safer bet to reject my generosity.

Real Cheap To Borrow, Where's The Catch?

I just received a call from my bank, luring me to accept an instant loan from them.

Knowing the economic equations, Banks always try their hardest to turn us into debtors and why on earth would I want to bear more debts than I should?

With the inflation rate staying at levels above the deposit rate, there really is a strong incentive for consumers like us to spend rather than to save. So this time, I thought why not and I listened patiently and waited for the catch.

USD100,000 Loan
USD400 interest per month
Repayment spread across 6 months

Where's the catch?

In an essay at the website of the monetary authority, it reads: "Generally speaking, negative real interest rate is an abnormal phenomenon that has implications for economic and financial stability. Given a choice, we'd prefer not to have negative real interest rates."

We don't have a choice, do we? Hong Kongers are bounded by the currency peg and must keep our interest rates low as the U.S., troubled by the fallout of the credit crisis, is cutting the cost of money to stave off a recession.

The catch is, we are currently in a negative real interest rate era. Be warned!

What Do They Have In Common?

Ratatouille (2007)
Cars (2006)
The Incredibles (2004)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
A Bug's Life (1998)
Toy Story (1995)

1. They share the same screenplay/story writer, Producer & Studio
2. I have watched all of them first time in cinema
3. Subsequently 3 times at least on DVD

Statistics tells me it will be no exception for WALL·E (2008).

USB Drive For The Paranoid

One of my USB Thumb Drives decided to wander away and I have not yet found it.

While I am still thinking where I misplaced it, or could it have actually been kidnapped, I came across this little neat invention.

Look at it -- it is a USB flash drive that's designed to resemble a torn cable.

Now, who on earth is going to steal a gadget which looks like nothing more than a slashed cable? Should replace my encryption-enabled thumb drive with one of these. Wicked.

Mao Off The Note

These people queued for days and are willing to pay hundred times higher than the face value of 10 yuan to obtain a newly issued bank note from the People's Bank of China.


You know why?


Mao's off the bills, replaced by a birdsnest.

Can I Unplug My Refrigerator At Home?

The refrigerator is very much considered to be a "must-have" appliance at home and on average, it accounts for more than 20% of the energy consumption per household per month.

A crazy thought came to mind today exploring the possibility of doing without one at home.

I am thinking for a second - it might not be as crazy as it sounds, and could well work for me.

Assumptions:

• I live in a city with 24-hours convenience stores just round the corner (cold drinks and frozen food easily within reach)
  
• I consume raw, perishable food (supposedly no overnight storage needed)
• I can survive without the indulgence of high saturated fat (such as butter, mayonnaise, peanut butter, cheesecakes, ice cream)
• I can live without the need to entertain guests (with chilled wine/ice wine/champaign)

This act is by no means in an attempt to conserve the environment nor save up elec bill. I just think this piece of under-utilised appliance is actually taking up too much of a space in my flat.

When you think about it, almost all other electrical appliances have some sort of technological advancement in the past decade that changes your life and somehow refrigerators remain as refrigerator and nothing more than a refrigerator.

I would hope to see some network attached to it and intelligence built-in in the near future, so I can abandon the thought of abandoning the poor thing.

An Internet Freak Without Internet

I usually start and end my day with my fingers at the switch of the computer. My daily routines will include accessing the internet to check emails, be fed by rss feeds; chat with friends, play games, not to mention the hours spent on googling odd facts, and basically just wasting time by staying online.

Last night was supposed to be like another nights, but internet failed to connect. I have eliminated all the usual suspects and possible root causes, freaking frustrated as I should be with a solution yet to be found.

Can anyone imagine a night without internet access? I tell you, that is considered hell to someone who demanded the internet service provider be the first to move into a new flat - even before Santa Fe movers got in and Electricity/Gas installed.

I'd like to know how others would have felt when their internet was off for no reasons.

A Wild Card Surprise

Zheng Jie was the first Chinese to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in history and I am so thrilled.

She got into Wimbledon this year only because she was given a wild card. However, she has justified that by beating four seeds on her way to the semi-final clash with Serena. Her baseline bashes were awesome!!

Would definitely support her all the way, I have had enough of the Apes - The Williams sisters!

Changing Attitudes for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Baby

I came across the below on my friend's blog and I just can't help but want to share with all my dear friends who are mothers and fathers - I assure you will nod your heads and smile as you read.


Your Clothes
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean & discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Diapering
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Pacifier
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Swallowing Coins
1st child: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: when second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: when third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!!

Babies Meet The Aunts II

Too Much "Sex N The City" Lately

Right, since I have a date with the girls this Friday for the Movie "Sex And The City", I have been doing some last minute catch up with the gossips in Season 6 which I missed.

Swallowed too many episodes in 1 go before bed, resulting in the weirdest dream last night and the oddest thing was - I could remember subtle details of the dream.


I was in a wedding and I recalled literally word by word, the first paragraph of the wedding speech by the bride and....that bride was me and no, I ain't gonna tell you who the bridegroom was.

Readers must think I am desperate in getting wed and hence the dream. OK, fair enough, now I am blaming on the "Too Much Sex N The City Lately".

How I wish I could just write "Too Much Sex Lately", crossing out all the words in between "Sex" & "Lately".

Battles Amongst the Brits on Technological Advancement

After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the newspapers read: "English archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the Scots."

One week later, "The Kerryman," a southwest Irish newsletter, reported the following: "After digging as deep as 30 meters in peat bog near Tralee , Paddy O'Droll, a self taught archeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing.

Paddy has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Ireland had already gone wireless."