Thursday, 22 January 2009

How To Moonwalk like MJ?

When will I made it there?

or shall I say, anywhere near, that looks like such?





Wednesday, 14 January 2009

A List of The World's Currencies

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provided ISO 4217 standard that define codes of three letter and relative three digits number for each currency. Here is a relative table.

Out of these 163 currencies, how many of these have you come across?


Code Num Currency State
AED 784 United Arab Emirates dirham United Arab Emirates
AFN 971 Afghani Afghanistan
ALL 008 Lek Albania
AMD 051 Armenian Dram Armenia
ANG 532 Netherlands Antillian Guilder Netherlands Antilles
AOA 973 Kwanza Angola
ARS 032 Argentine Peso Argentina
AUD 036 Australian Dollar Australia
AWG 533 Aruban Guilder Aruba
AZN 944 Azerbaijanian Manat Azerbaijan
BAM 977 Convertible Marks Bosnia and Herzegovina
BBD 052 Barbados Dollar Barbados
BDT 050 Bangladeshi Taka Bangladesh
BGN 975 Bulgarian Lev Bulgaria
BHD 048 Bahraini Dinar Bahrain
BIF 108 Burundian Franc Burundi
BMD 060 Bermudian Dollar Bermuda
BND 096 Brunei Dollar Brunei
BOB 068 Boliviano Bolivia
BRL 986 Brazilian Real Brazil
BSD 044 Bahamian Dollar Bahamas
BTN 064 Ngultrum Bhutan
BWP 072 Pula Botswana
BYR 974 Belarussian Ruble Belarus
BZD 084 Belize Dollar Belize
CAD 124 Canadian Dollar Canada
CDF 976 Franc Congolais Democratic Republic of Congo
CHF 756 Swiss Franc Switzerland, Liechtenstein
CLP 152 Chilean Peso Chile
CNY 156 Yuan Renminbi Mainland China
COP 170 Colombian Peso Colombia
CRC 188 Costa Rican Colon Costa Rica
CUP 192 Cuban Peso Cuba
CVE 132 Cape Verde Escudo Cape Verde
CYP 196 Cyprus Pound Cyprus
CZK 203 Czech Koruna Czech Republic
DJF 262 Djibouti Franc Djibouti
DKK 208 Danish Krone Denmark
DOP 214 Dominican Peso Dominican Republic
DZD 012 Algerian Dinar Algeria
EEK 233 Kroon Estonia
EGP 818 Egyptian Pound Egypt
ERN 232 Nakfa Eritrea
ETB 230 Ethiopian Birr Ethiopia
EUR 978 Euro Eurozone
FJD 242 Fiji Dollar Fiji
FKP 238 Falkland Islands Pound Falkland Islands
GBP 826 Pound Sterling United Kingdom
GEL 981 Lari Georgia
GHS 288 Cedi Ghana
GIP 292 Gibraltar pound Gibraltar
GMD 270 Dalasi Gambia
GNF 324 Guinea Franc Guinea
GTQ 320 Quetzal Guatemala
GYD 328 Guyana Dollar Guyana
HKD 344 Hong Kong Dollar Hong Kong
HNL 340 Lempira Honduras
HRK 191 Croatian Kuna Croatia
HTG 332 Haiti Gourde Haiti
HUF 348 Forint Hungary
IDR 360 Rupiah Indonesia
ILS 376 New Israeli Shekel Israel
INR 356 Indian Rupee India
IQD 368 Iraqi Dinar Iraq
IRR 364 Iranian Rial Iran
ISK 352 Iceland Krona Iceland
JMD 388 Jamaican Dollar Jamaica
JOD 400 Jordanian Dinar Jordan
JPY 392 Japanese yen Japan
KES 404 Kenyan Shilling Kenya
KGS 417 Som Kyrgyzstan
KHR 116 Riel Cambodia
KMF 174 Comoro Franc Comoros
KPW 408 North Korean Won North Korea
KRW 410 South Korean Won South Korea
KWD 414 Kuwaiti Dinar Kuwait
KYD 136 Cayman Islands Dollar Cayman Islands
KZT 398 Tenge Kazakhstan
LAK 418 Kip Laos
LBP 422 Lebanese Pound Lebanon
LKR 144 Sri Lanka Rupee Sri Lanka
LRD 430 Liberian Dollar Liberia
LSL 426 Loti Lesotho
LTL 440 Lithuanian Litas Lithuania
LVL 428 Latvian Lats Latvia
LYD 434 Libyan Dinar Libya
MAD 504 Moroccan Dirham Morocco
MDL 498 Moldovan Leu Moldova
MGA 969 Malagasy Ariary Madagascar
MKD 807 Denar Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
MMK 104 Kyat Myanmar
MNT 496 Tugrik Mongolia
MOP 446 Pataca Macau
MRO 478 Ouguiya Mauritania
MTL 470 Maltese Lira Malta
MUR 480 Mauritius Rupee Mauritius
MVR 462 Rufiyaa Maldives
MWK 454 Kwacha Malawi
MXN 484 Mexican Peso Mexico
MYR 458 Malaysian Ringgit Malaysia
MZN 943 Metical Mozambique
NAD 516 Namibian Dollar Namibia
NGN 566 Naira Nigeria
NIO 558 Cordoba Oro Nicaragua
NOK 578 Norwegian Krone Norway
NPR 524 Nepalese Rupee Nepal
NZD 554 New Zealand Dollar New Zealand
OMR 512 Rial Omani Oman
PAB 590 Balboa Panama
PEN 604 Nuevo Sol Peru
PGK 598 Kina Papua New Guinea
PHP 608 Philippine Peso Philippines
PKR 586 Pakistan Rupee Pakistan
PLN 985 Zloty Poland
PYG 600 Guarani Paraguay
QAR 634 Qatari Rial Qatar
RON 946 Romanian New Leu Romania
RSD 941 Serbian Dinar Serbia
RUB 643 Russian Ruble Russia
RWF 646 Rwanda Franc Rwanda
SAR 682 Saudi Riyal Saudi Arabia
SBD 090 Solomon Islands Dollar Solomon Islands
SCR 690 Seychelles Rupee Seychelles
SDG 938 Sudanese Pound Sudan
SEK 752 Swedish Krona Sweden
SGD 702 Singapore Dollar Singapore
SHP 654 Saint Helena Pound Saint Helena
SKK 703 Slovak Koruna Slovakia
SLL 694 Leone Sierra Leone
SOS 706 Somali Shilling Somalia
SRD 968 Surinam Dollar Suriname
STD 678 Dobra Sao Tome
SYP 760 Syrian Pound Syria
SZL 748 Lilangeni Swaziland
THB 764 Baht Thailand
TJS 972 Somoni Tajikistan
TMM 795 Manat Turkmenistan
TND 788 Tunisian Dinar Tunisia
TOP 776 Pa'anga Tonga
TRY 949 New Turkish Lira Turkey
TTD 780 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Trinidad and Tobago
TWD 901 New Taiwan Dollar Taiwan
TZS 834 Tanzanian Shilling Tanzania
UAH 980 Hryvnia Ukraine
UGX 800 Uganda Shilling Uganda
USD 840 US Dollar United States of America
UYU 858 Peso Uruguayo Uruguay
UZS 860 Uzbekistan Som Uzbekistan
VEB 862 Venezuelan bolar Venezuela
VND 704 Vietnamese dong Vietnam
VUV 548 Vatu Vanuatu
WST 882 Samoan Tala Samoa
XAF 950 CFA Franc BEAC Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon
XAG 961 Silver (one Troy ounce)
XAU 959 Gold (one Troy ounce)
XOF 952 CFA Franc BCEAO Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo
XPD 964 Palladium (one Troy ounce)
XPF 953 CFP franc French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna
XPT 962 Platinum (one Troy ounce)
YER 886 Yemeni Rial Yemen
ZAR 710 South African Rand South Africa
ZMK 894 Kwacha Zambia
ZWD 716 Zimbabwe Dollar Zimbabwe

Monday, 12 January 2009

I am Blaming It On Phiten


I was told wearing a Phiten Titanium necklace would be the perfect solution for my neck and shoulder pain, so I went to get one.

The necklace is enhanced with titanium which is a safe, allergy-free metal that realigns the bioelectric current in our body. Wearing it constantly claimed to increase our blood circulation and relax our muscles.


Honestly, as soon as I wore it, my stiff shoulders instantly felt better, so I have been wearing it for days - to work, during sports and even to a wedding banquet - which later proved to be a wrong move.

The increased blood circulation meant alcohol reached my head quicker...which also explained why I was down so soon that night with only a few glasses of red and managed to make an embarrassing fool of myself
.

Phiten to be blamed.




Monday, 5 January 2009

Against All Odds

What do you say are the odds of finding a phone lying on the streets?

How about the odds of recovering your phone after you have lost it?

OK, how about the odds of finding a phone lying on the street and discovered it actually belonged to a friend you know!

My friend and I were leisurely walking on the promenade at lunch hour and while I was absorbing the ultra-violet rays, I came across something shiny on a bench and it was a phone lying unattended.

We looked around, there was no one and we sat on the bench, thinking what we should do with it. We decided to sit there for 5 minutes, hoping the owner would come back for it.

Whilst the wait, my friend did a quick search on the recently dial list in the phone and, I glanced a familiar name sat on top of that list.

"A friend of mine," I shouted.

I haven't met this friend of mine for ages and I have only managed to add her in my facebook 2 days ago. I was quite sure that has to be the friend I know, no mistake about it because the family name and the first name are both unique. It was no Joe Bloggs.

I called my friend up using that phone, told her I wasn't who she thought I was and explained how and where I came across the phone and wanted to connect to the owner etc etc.

The story goes...The phone actually belonged to my friend's sister - whom I also know and have lost touch for years. She came look for it a minute later and there we were - reunited by the most erie lost & found.

Such a coincidence and we were simply speechless. Perhaps it is time to buy the lottery - the both of us.

Thursday, 1 January 2009

A Year In Review

The world in 2008 has been reeling from what claimed to be the worst economic crisis in 75 years. Alright...

According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008, it is also a year dedicated to:


International Year of Planet Earth,
Year of Languages,
Year of The Potato,
Year of Sanitation and
Year of the Frog

Fair enough.

Despite of a painful sum of total asset vanished into vapour, the cruel fact has miraculously changed my valuation system from half empty to half full. I am continuously hopeful that opportunities still lie all around, which really is a self-realisation of no pain no gain - a blessing indeed.

It has never been clear since birth which direction in life is most promising for me, but in 2008 I found it incredibly difficult to choose and prioritise between the things to focus on. If I have to choose 1 thing, writing on my blog has somewhat seem to be a girl of my own heart.

Coincidentally, this post happens to be the 100th in 2008 on alampy. With over 3000 page views accumulated, that averages out to about 30 views per post. I never expect any reviews or comments on anything I wrote , but readers let me know that stuff I wrote are inspiring and they are becoming an alampy regular. For that, I will give myself a little pat on the back and thanks to those who encouraged me to write. Well done alampy!!


Lost about half a stone over the year compared to the peak, which was rather out of the blue. Guess I need to give credit to the weekly badminton regime and the guys who keep hitting me. Might find my way back into some tennis in 2009 and I have identified someone who will teach me R&B if I am feeling groovy. You see, I am lacking focus again!


It's been a year since my best friend departed this world and I have managed to keep my cool - Too cool in times, friends have even expressed concern whether that could be suicidal. I still question god on the "why" and therefore, not much luck plunging into Christianity as yet but well, who knows when he will come banging on my doorstep and I might just let him in one day.

Wedding bells are still yards and miles away - did not meet no billionaire on the cruise that's why. Will keep investing on the Lottery though, might prove to be a better return on my investment.

2009 is definitely going to be a year to focus on even fewer things, and I should really kick ass on those.

It is the year to pull my act together.

Tuesday, 30 December 2008

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!


Monday, 29 December 2008

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!

Sunday, 28 December 2008

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.

Saturday, 27 December 2008

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.

Wednesday, 17 December 2008

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?

Friday, 5 December 2008

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.


Friday, 28 November 2008

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!

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Where Is Our Safest Bet?

The Bank - prone to bankruptcy...










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

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

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!



Saturday, 15 November 2008

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!



Wednesday, 12 November 2008

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.

Wednesday, 5 November 2008

"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!


Saturday, 1 November 2008

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!



Thursday, 30 October 2008

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!


Wednesday, 29 October 2008

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?


Tuesday, 14 October 2008

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?



Monday, 13 October 2008

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".


Monday, 6 October 2008

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.

Wednesday, 1 October 2008

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.


Monday, 29 September 2008

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?

Wednesday, 10 September 2008

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.



Saturday, 6 September 2008

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!


Sunday, 24 August 2008

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.