"SNATCH THIEVES" AT THE FRONT GATE

Well, this is the first time I witness a snatch thieves or you should call them snatch robbers. I was playing badminton with Lee Ling in the front garden of the semi-detached house I am renting currently at Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru. A lady occupant who just moved in was planning to go out and apparently had booked a cab. We were playing just beside the front gate while she went out to wait for the cab. Then, came a motorcycle with two people. They definitely looked more of the Pakistani-Indian complexion to me. They just stopped at the front gate where she was. The person sitting behind came down with a knife. It is like a kitchen knife used for cutting fruits, 15cm long blade. She surrendered her handbag to them. We thought it was her friends because she did not shout. If she had, she may be stabbed. It happened very fast in merely 3-5 seconds.

I was preparing my badminton racquet to protect us if they ever plan to come in through the gate when I saw the knife. Luckily for her, the handbag only had her cosmetics and beauty tools like combs. She had her wallet and handphone in her pocket. She only shouted at them when they were about to leave. I was thinking even if she shouted early before they could come to her, I really don't know how I would have reacted. If I had opened the gate to go out with my badminton racquet, I could endanger myself as well as Lee Ling as I opened the gate. Would I just stare inside as she surrendered her handbag to them? I still can't find an answer myself.

Well, this teached me a lesson never to judge any person as potential snatch thieves or robbers. The person sitting behind can easily hide a small knife inside his jacket or something. It is around 6:45pm and it was still not yet night. They were extremely brave eventhough we were playing badminton there to come and rob the handbag. We just have to be more careful especially when preparing to come down to open or close the gate to enter the house. You should never show off your handbag in the open, especially if you have to walk at the road side.

Johor Bahru is not known as the capital city of crime of Malaysia for nothing. I'm sure you heard of the latest news of the international drug ring which was busted just two days back in Johor Bahru. The drugs are worth RM48mil and over 46kg of heroin, 1,980 Eramine pills, 11,316 Ecstasy pills, 0.37kg of syabu and 1.54kg of ketamine. You can only get such high profile figure in the capital city of crime in Malaysia.

The Star

FOOTBALL: TWO COMEBACK VICTORIES

We saw two comeback victories in two matches.

Bolton Wanderers 2-3 Arsenal

When Bolton were two up, Donny Ginola messaged me to share his frustration with the form of the Gunners lately as well as giving up with the red card of Diaby. He thought it was all over while I chose not to reply him as Van Persie is back so I thought why not I wait till the end. Arsenal had 3 goals in the second half in reply. I was expecting the most a draw honestly. That very late own goal by Jlloyd Samuel was indeed an icing to the cake to Arsenal. The win means their league title race is still alive as we see Manchester United demolishing Aston Villa 4-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring again. Can somebody stop him?

Real Betis 3-2 Barcelona FC

Real Betis and Barcelona went through the same thing. Krkic and Eto'o scored for Barcelona but in the second half, Betis replied from Edu twice and Juanito to seal an incredible comeback. Villarreal's 3-0 victory against Atletico Madrid with goals from Santi Cazorla and two from Kahveci Nihat means they have now climbed to second in the table. Real Madrid will play today against Sevilla FC and the outcome will roughly give a hint of how the battle of the league will be until the end of the season.

FOOTBALL: MOURINHO TO GO INTER MILAN?

Well, after speculations about taking over at Barcelona and Milan, it is surprisingly to hear that he may go to Inter Milan instead. We haven't hear from the loud mouth for quite some time already. It has been so quiet in the English Premier League since he left. I have to admit I really missed his sarcastic and sometimes humourous remarks. Mourinho, wherever you will go, don't forget to give your usual comments during interviews. We need some humour in football.

FOOTBALL: ROMARIO FINALLY RETIRES

42 years of age, I think it is about time this talented striker retires. Whether he really did hit 1000 goals in professional football or not as being declared when he scored a penalty for Vasco da Gama against Sport Recife, he truly had played beyond the ordinary retirement age of most strikers. For all his football career, this dude played with PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Valencia and Vasco da Gama as well as carried Brazil to a World Cup victory in USA in 1994.

I always enjoyed his predator instinct in the penalty box and his ability to go through the most tightest of spaces with defenders crowding there and still score. Incredible! He does not have the height for heading as well as the speed but he is still so lethal. His ball control and mental judgement in that split second is what made him a force to reckon with in the penalty box to fool the defenders and the goalie. That's how almost all the 1000 goals came about. Alright, even if the whole world is arguing that not all are scored at the professional level, let's say 500 were genuine, they are still a lot of goals.

DAD'S 51ST BIRTHDAY

One additional reason why I went home apart from the election is to attend dad's birthday. I decided to book a table for 5 in Tanahmas Hotel, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. I think there are only two places which is worth eating in Sibu. They are Tanahmas Hotel and Sheraton Restaurant from the whole list available. Golden Happiness Restaurant and Blue Splendour Restaurant are almost close too. The rest are really no better than home cook food, especially from Premier Hotel. Garden Hotel surprisingly have some good lunch set meals but I never tried the rest. I also never try the food in Orchid Hotel so this comment is excluding it.

I booked the whole Golden Palace Restaurant literally since nobody was booking the place until after we were almost done with our dinner. Well, I ordered 5 dishes with Chocolate Truffles cake from downstairs. Tanahmas Hotel has some really great cakes so there is no hesitation to also order from them.



The group photo of the 5 of us having dinner.



Dad.



Mom.



Lee Ling.



The candles to mark the birthday.



Dad cutting his cake.



The chocolate truffles cake. I thought of ordering this instead of any cheesecake as it will make us really full before we consume any of the dishes. The cake is really not bad. I had one of the best chocolate truffles cake in Singapore from one of the famous chefs here so I always have high expectations for the quality of the chocolate truffles cake.



Sis doing the cake distribution.



Opening dish of a mix of vege and seafood.



Cod fish.



Roasted duck.



Balck pepper beef.

There is also a bowl of soup for each of us.

Overall, we were very satisfied with the food quality. The only negative point is being a hotel in Malaysia, they have to serve Halal food so we can't have pork. Still, I am happy to be able to celebrate dad's birthday with nice food and good cake.

FOOTBALL: RESULTS FROM THE WEEKEND

Manchester United 3-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
Tottenham 2-0 Portsmouth
Everton 1-1 West Ham

Inter Milan 1-2 Juventus
Roma 2-1 Empoli
Fiorentina 1-0 Lazio
Torino 0-1 AC Milan
Udinese 2-0 Livorno

Sevilla FC 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Barcelona 4-1 Valladolid
Levante 1-2 Villarreal
Real Madrid 2-3 Valencia
Racing Santander 2-0 Recreativo Huelva

English Premier League (31/38 matches)
1. Man Utd 73 points
2. Chelsea 68 points
3. Arsenal 67 points
4. Liverpool 59 points
5. Everton 57 points
6. Portsmouth 50 points

Italian Serie A (30/38 matches)
1. Inter Milan 68 points
2. Roma 64 points
3. Juventus 58 points
4. Fiorentina 53 points
5. AC Milan 49 points
6. Udinese 47 points

Spanish La Liga (29/38 matches)
1. Real Madrid 62 points
2. Barcelona 58 points
3. Villarreal 56 points
4. Atletico Madrid 50 points
5. Racing Santander 47 points
6. Sevilla FC 45 points

It is good to have a look at all three leagues up to now for the season thus far.

In the English Premier League, Arsenal's lead at the top is further destroyed after the weekend. There is no stopping Manchester United and Cristino Ronaldo. The amount of goals he scored are really crazy! Somebody stop him from getting the golden boot! It will be a great shame to all strikers in the English Premier League. Now, even Chelsea are going further up the table. Liverpool's lost means they should basically concentrate at finishing fourth and focus more on the Champions League. As for Arsenal, I really don't know whether they should focus on both the league and the Champions League. For me, it is hard to say up to now. They do have lots of talents and I agreed their youth system had paid off for what they achieved so far. Whether they will lift a trophy this season is really hard to say now.

For the Italian Serie A, Inter Milan just lost to Juventus and opened up more chances for Roma to battle it out with them. After their exit from the Champions League, Inter Milan lost their stability and consistency in the Serie A. They were invincible and unbeatable before that. While AC Milan are slowly climbing up the table and could go easily finish at least fourth or higher.

As for Real Madrid, they have been finding it hard to win lately. Schuster may win nothing at all this season if the trend continues. Their invincible, confident home record is badly shattered now. I am secretly celebrating here because I am still unhappy to this day about Capello's exit. To be fair to Schuster, he is having a hard time with the injury problems. Well, Barcelona have the rising star Krkic to turn to now that Messi is still injured and the likes of Ronaldinho and Henry off form. He has been delivering the goods lately.

Well, all three leagues are having very close battles right till now. It will be interesting to see who end up champions for all of them. As it looks now, Manchester United, Roma and Barcelona look like favourites from my opinion.

FOOTBALL: SUPER WEEKEND

Sevilla FC Vs. Atletico Madrid

Inter Milan Vs. Juventus

Manchester United Vs. Liverpool

Chelsea Vs. Arsenal

Real Madrid Vs. Valencia

Enough big matches to entertain your weekend? Well, the matches in England especially will be crucial to the title race. Whatever it is, hope we see many goals scored and great matches played.

FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST EIGHT DRAW

Quarterfinals:
AS Roma VS. Manchester United
Schalke04 VS. Barcelona
Arsenal VS. Liverpool
Fenerbahce VS. Chelsea

Semifinals:
Arsenal / Liverpool VS. Fenerbahce / Chelsea
Schalke 04 / Barcelona VS. Roma / Manchester United

All I have to say is Barcelona and Chelsea are given easier draws and should advance if they play their usual football. Well, Champions League history have shown some upsets so you are never too certain at this stage. Chelsea and Barcelona both are not going through a smooth period. Arsenal VS. Liverpool will be interesting as it will definitely feel like a Premier League match. AS Roma VS. Machester United? Both are having good form now. Could there be a repeat of the matchup the last time they met?

WORLD FOR FREE

I talked about the Gatsby contest I joined earlier which enabled me to win a 8D/7N accomodation in a choice of resorts in 31 countries. I am given around a year from this May 2008 till April 2009 to travel there to stay. The lists are so wide range that I really need the advice of people who had travelled to those places. Some of the destinations are truly exotic. More info here: WFF RESORTS

The choices include:
1. Austria
a. Hotel Neue Post

2. Croatia
a. Croatian Island Apartments

3. Cyprus
a. Akteon & Eleni Holiday Villages
b. Callisto & Panthea Holiday Villages
c. Les Villas at le Meridien
d. Club Aphrodite

4. Dominican Republic
a. Acuarium suite resort
b. Casa Marina
c. Casa Marina Reef
d. Alegro playa Dorada
e. Alegro grand flamenco
f. Alegro punta cana
g. Viva Vacation Resorts

5. Egypt
a. Hilton Sharm el Sheik
b. Domina Oasis Coral Bay
c. Amphoras Holiday Inn Resort
d. Gardenia Sharm Resort
e. Le Pacha Resort

6. France
a. Chateau country club
b. Jausiers vacances
c. Maeva club hotel hyeres parc
d. Maeva Clubhotel Les Mouflons
e. Residence fort socoa
f. Residence Mer & Golf I Ibarritz

7. Fuerteventura - Canary Islands
a. Atlantic Gardens Resorts

8. Germany
a. Domina Parkhotel Kurhaus

9. Goa
a. Averina Beach Club
b. Royal Goan Beach Resorts

10. Gran Canaria - Canary Islands
a. Anfi Del Mar
b. Club Puerto Calma Resorts

11. Greece
a. Anezina village
b. Creta suites
c. Villea Village
d. Grand Leoniki
e. Leoniki Residence
f. The Village Heights
g. Nostos Village Holiday Resort

12. Ibiza
a. Las Terrazas de Cala Codolar
b. Vadella Pueblo Country Club

13. Indonesia
a. Bali Tropic Resort & Spa
b. Jimbaran hill resort
c. Keraton Jimbaran Resort
d. Royal Bali Beach Club
e. RVC at Hotel Rama Candidasa
f. Swiss-Belhotel Bali Aga

14. India
a. Country Inn-Bhimtal
b. Ajit Bhawan
c. The Ffort Holiday Klub

15. Italy
a. Park Hotel ZanZanu
b. Villa Maria Mimosa
c. Marilleva Hotels
d. Fonteluna Residence Club
e. Agiturismo Frescina Health Farm
f. Residence Club Baia delle Ginestre
g. Residence Toscana Verde
h. Park Hotel La Steccaia
i. Hotel Gallo
j. Hotel La Paul and Smeraldo

16. Kenya
a. Aquarius Beach Resort
b. Mnarani Club
c. Residence Karibuni
d. Royal Reserve Safari & Beach Club
e. Taman Jua Residence
f. Mwembe Resort

17. Malaysia
a. Berjaya Tioman Beach
b. Duta Village Beach Resort
c. Swiss-Garden Resort & Spa Damai Laut
d. Swiss-Garden Resort & Spa Kuantan

18. Mallorca - The Balearics
a. Club Ferrera Playa

19. Malta
a. Pergola Holiday & Leisure Club
b. Porto Azzurro Resort Club
c. Sunny Coast Resort Club
d. Hotel Serena Beach Club

20. Mexico
a. Club Casa Dorada
b. Fiesta Americana Vacation Club
c. Golden Shores & Crown Paradise
d. Grand Hotel Tijuana
e. Spa Palace
f. Sun Club Sierra Nuevo Vallarta
g. Melia Vacation Cozumel

21. Netherlands
a. NH Zandvoort Hotel

22. Poland
a. Klub Mazury

23. Portugal
a. Balaia Park
b. Balaia Village
c. Barringtons gold & health spa
d. Four Seasons Vilamoura
e. Village Cascais Suite Hotel
f. Clube Albufeira

24. South Africa
a. Banana Beach Holiday Resort
b. Boulder Bay
c. Chakas Rock Chalets
d. Kruger Park Lodge
e. The Peninsula

25. Spain Mainland
a. Club Calahonda
b. Club Delta Mar
c. Club Riviera
d. Sunset beach club
e. Aloha Gardens
f. Club Caronte
g. Club Marbella / Regency Palms
h. Oceano Beach Club
i. Miraflores Beach / Golf

26. Switzerland
a. Castel Club
b. Royal Alpage Club

27. Tenerife - Canary Islands
a. Chayofa Country Club
b. Club La Costa Resorts and Hotel
c. Regency Resorts

28. Thailand
a. Absolute sea pearl beach resort
b. Arayaburi Boutique Hotel

29. Turkey
a. Club Flipper VIP Condominiums
b. Club Pera Palas
c. Laluna Beach Club
d. Wybas Foca Holiday Resort
e. Summer Garden Makumba
f. Horizon Apartments

30. UK
a. Akeld Manor and Country Club
b. Sutton Hall Club
c. The Osborne Club
d. Langdale
e. The Edinburg Residence

31. USA
a. Vacation Village at Parkway
b. Tropic shores
c. Stallion Springs

I thought I should visit Europe and my top choices are:
1. Switzerland
2. France
3. Italy
4. Spain
5. Greece

I can spend those 8 days in one of them and still go to the other four later. Well, I do need comments and suggestions, especially for those who had been to these 5 places. I thought perhaps the most fruitful way is to spend in one which has the highest standard of living, meaning most expensive cost of accomodation. Then, I can save the money to go to the rest. The best time to go in the year is also crucial.

FOOTBALL: INTER MILAN VS. LIVERPOOL PREVIEW

1 more English team into the next round? Can Inter Milan defend the Italian pride one more time at the San Siro? Liverpool's fortunes are getting better since the 1st leg. Everything is going smoother and the results improved. Inter Milan have to go all out to be able to deny Liverpool at home. Liverpool will make the tie a lot more difficult for Inter Milan if they score at least a goal or more. Hope we will have an exciting match!

CONGRATULATIONS MALAYSIA!

I flew back with my own money to vote eventhough many told me to 'claim' from someone. I told them this is not my principle. I will be too ashamed of myself if I had.

I came back for the first ever participation in the election. I am glad with the results overall. I never expected Kedah, Perak and Selangor to fall. Well, still congratulations Malaysia for one of the most incredible results ever! I'm glad I was part of it and will definitely be proud to tell my next generations.

This give hope for a better future in a true democratic country. My hope was not hopeless afterall and worth every cent I spent for the airfares.

GATSBY MOVE WITH STYLE CONTEST RESULTS

After winning the lucky draw for the one night stay at Marina Mandarin Singapore which I shared in a post earlier, I won another 1 of the 100 draws by joining Gatsby's Move With Style Contest. I remembered vividly how I ended up joining this contest. I was looking for the Moving Rubber product in Jusco when this lady who is promoting it encouraged me to join. She said just try your luck, you will never know you can end up as one of the winners.

I like the Moving Rubber as it has a wide range of products to cover all kinds of hair length and style. The style map is a good overview of all the ranges available. I bought the purple Wild Shake earliest but it was abit too hard. You need a litre of shampoo to clean your hair. I like it though as it gives you the most versatile strength to shape your hair style. That's why I decided to go for something softer and decided to buy the apple green Air Rise. This is the one I bought which caused me to join in the contest. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a little bit too soft. I decided my third try will be to get the in between. Thus, I just bought the grey Grunge Mat recently.

I also like the fact that they teach you how to style your hair based on the different ranges in both photos and videos.

1. Pink Spiky Edge
2. Purple Wild Shake
3. Orange Loose Shuffle
4. Light Blue Cool Wet
5. Grey Grunge Mat

Now, you can also shape a nice hairstyle to your taste! Of course when they showed the ads on tv, I almost died of gay syndrome. Check the gay version of Takuya Kimura.

FURUSATO





Not very long ago, I posted about a great Japanese restaurant called Sosaku which I tried. The other one which I mentioned in the post was a restaurant in a hotel. the hotel was Straits View Hotel and the restaurant is called Furusato. I thought I should gave it a try since it was mentioned to be good.

After ordering the set meal, I really have to say I must give it the title the best Japanese food I ever tasted! The chicken teriyaki and the unagi were among the best I ever tasted. From the best I ever tasted, these ranked one level higher. I just could not believe that it can be even better than the best I ever tasted. Oh well, this goes to prove that until you tried the best, you will never imagine what the best taste like. Well, everything else is good and I have to say the price is very reasonable for a hotel setting with quality Japanese food.

Highly recommended from me!

FOOTBALL: MILAN AND MADRID ARE OUT

Well, after two days of competition, top Champions League holders Milan and Madrid crashed out of this season's competition. They were well beaten both at home. For Arsenal, I would say the Fa-Fla partnership worked wonders in the midfield to kill off Ka-Pir partnership. Milan have probably the oldest defence in the world. It is time they seriously think of how to renew it! For Roma, it must damn sweet for Cicinho. I am a great fan of Cicinho and was extremely saddened by the exit of him in favour of old Salgado. Well, let's see if Schuster can savage anything left for the season.

Chelsea won 3-0 convincingly while Porto lost the shootout against Schalke 04 on the same day. Barcelona managed a slim 1-0 win against Celtic by paying a price of having Messi injured. Sevilla FC went out on penalty shootout too. Finally, Cristino Ronaldo was on target yet again to bring Manchester United through. We still have to wait for Liverpool to play the match out hosted by Inter Milan. Can they repeat what Arsenal did there?

From now on, it seems like the Champions League is pretty much an open competition. I can't really say who are the favourites now. It is very much balanced. It would feel like a English Premier League if Liverpool qualified as well. England will be proud if that happens.

WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR THE ELECTION?

Many asked me such a question. Well, I pretty agree that if I am to vote, I will be very much choosing a candidate or party which reflects equality, fairness, transparency and accountability. I agree with the view of The Christian Federation of Malaysia. Alright, I am not a holy person here but I agree with their outlook very much.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia has joined the fray by telling Christians to vote for candidates whose political views and policies "reflect God's standard and Christian values."

"Pay attention to their past performance and for their stand on issues related to constitutional rights, civil liberties and the freedom of religion," the nation's biggest church group said in its election message.

To me, to achieve what I want above, every race, religion, culture and background have to be equally if ideally, if not, at least well represented in the parliament. It is only then that there will be check and balance as well as equal sensitivity to everyone's needs, feelings and situations.

Finally, the other criteria is whether the country's interest is put above and higher than self interest. Whether the candidate or party is thinking of the long term future of Malaysia as well as the next generations. Whether their plans are sustainable, making sense and not just gimmicks to lure votes for the coming election. Of course, this is more tricky and harder to identify. Still, you can easily make a decision based on their past records on past projects and promises. Who is a bigger liar?

With all that in mind, you will guess easily who I will vote if given the chance.

FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 SECOND LEG

AC Milan VS. Arsenal (0-0 Agg)
Barcelona VS. Celtic (3-2 Agg)
Sevilla FC VS. Fenerbahce (2-3 Agg)
Manchester United VS. Lyon (1-1 Agg)
FC Porto VS. Schalke 04 (0-1 Agg)
Chelsea VS. Olympiacos (0-0 Agg)
Real Madrid VS. Roma (1-2 Agg)
Inter Milan VS. Liverpool (0-2 Agg) 11th March 2008

It is strange that Liverpool are playing a Premier League match against West Ham on a Champions League night. I have never recalled such situations before in as long as I have watched the Champions League. I could not understand why since AC Milan are playing at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza or commonly known as Stadio San Siro a day earlier. I have no ideas. If you look at the results from the first leg, Liverpool have the most convincing record to bring to the coming leg. The others merely won by 1 goal the most and if not, just drew. It is very much an open competition and I won't be surprised to see a lot more surprises going into the second leg.

AC Milan and Arsenal have both been drawing lately in their respective leagues. This match will probably be determined by a moment of genius of Kaka or Fabregas. 50-50 for me to go to the either side but Milan have the slight edge because of their Champions League magic and experience. Barcelona can win over Celtic with the lead they took from the first leg but the latest defeat against Atletico Madrid by letting them score 4 goals did expose their weak defence. Sevilla have not been their great if compared to last season. This season, they look extremely uncertain and inconsistent. Their recent defeat to Deportivo as well as trailing by a goal from the first leg are making their lives very difficult to pull through. Manchester United are in great form and are playing at home. They will have the edge.

FC Porto's shock defeat from the first leg will very much make their second leg encounter against Schalke 04 difficult and open. Chelsea have internal affairs to sort out and going into a tie which can go either way. They better put themselves together or suffer an early exit. As for Real Madrid, their main problem is injury and the latest casulty is the glassman Robben, another injury proned player in the same fragile level as Ronaldo and Dyer. They should be happy to welcome Robinho back and will be hoping that he will be able to make the difference in the tie to give them a win. As it stands now, Roma have the advantage.

THE PREGNANT LADY

When I first visited Singapore around the age of 9-10 years old, the 3 things I remembered from the trip was Sentosa, Marina Mandarin Hotel and double seater bicycle rides. Of course as a young child, I wouldn't know it is called the Marina Mandarin Hotel. I just know it is like a pregnant lady. It is because of its pregnant like shape that it had a lasting impression in my memory. Somehow, I could just remember that building.

Marina Mandarin Hotel Singapore was designed by John Portman. I visited the interior in Year 1 of my architecture undergraduate studies to see its' interior signature design of Portman. It gave me a feeling that I was inside a volcano. Few years later, probably after the September 11, they tightened the security and forced you to only access the floor where your room is located. Still, I always admire the interior setting. It is just so unique.

Around 18 years later today, I finally got the chance to sleep in her! When joining the My paper/aLife "Make LOVE Happen" event for a 1/100 chance to ride the Singapore Flyer, I also won the lucky draw for a one-night hotel stay. I didn't know Marina Mandarin was the hotel in the draw as it was not stated during the registration period. Only after attending the event that I knew I had a 1/100 chance of winning the stay which is worth at least S$300.

It is therefore very interesting and appropriate to me that they gave away this stay in the Pregnant Lady, since the main aim for this event is to rediscover the keys to securing a lasting marriage and starting a family together - basically a marriage preparation talk in their Marriage Enrichment & Fertility Awareness Series. A coincidence?

Dr. Peter Chew, a consultant obstetrician, gynaecologist and aLife's chairman gave a talk on "Fertility Awareness". I tell you like me you thought you know all about it from your Secondary 5 Biology class but after the talk, you will be surprised how much you don't know about your and your wife's body. There was also a talk by John and Nicole Jegathesan on "Speaking the Language of Love". Although the couple's talk was good, but I felt that it was too general and it would be better if they gave more specific examples. Still, I think I learnt a lot from the event and was happy I attended. Apart from that, the buffet dinner could have a bit more varieties. It was not as good as I had expected.

Back to the lucky draw. Well, we were asked to fill in the feedback form to be thrown into the box with a hole on top. I was filling up my details when I saw people throwing in. I told myself to improve my chances of winning, I should aim at throwing in at the middle and folding the paper at an appropriate size. If you folded your paper too small, the person who would pick it had lower chance of getting your paper. If your paper was not folded at all, he might have problems getting it out from the hole. I told myself my chances of winning was 1/100. Although all these could improve my chances of winning, at the end of the day, it was still down to pure luck.

Therefore, I folded it to an appropriate size to fit through the hole just nice. Dr. Peter Chew was given the honour to pick the lucky draw winner. The MC, Daniel, got it from Dr. Chew to read out to the audience. He announced that the guy had the same name as him and had the same handwriting as him. I thought for a moment it could be me because my handwriting is really like unreadable. He just called Daniel without the surname. There was total silence from the floor.

I thought I should remain silent since there could be more than 1 Daniel in the crowd. Well, it is not a very common name but not too rare either. I worked with 2 Daniels as my colleagues now. The MC called for Daniel again and asked if he was around. It was only then I stood up and walked to the stage to receive my prize! It was definitely one of the best prizes I had won. I wish to thank My Paper and aLife for organizing this event and I truly learnt something valuable as well as enjoyed the Singapore Flyer ride.





So the ultimate last question I would always like to ask:
Would you really get pregnant by staying in the pregnant lady? Hehe!

ELECTION FEVER IN JOHOR BAHRU




A giant Rocket!


For your own welfare, vote for the Balanced Scale!


The outsiders shout and scold with no solutions, the insiders strives for effective results!



Can talk but not walk the talk, Rocket keeps boasting!




MCA strives extremely for development, Rocket's saliva simply shoot!




Rocket never fulfill their promises, vote for MCA who always make it into a reality!

"PROUD" TO BE FROM SIBU?

Sibu postal balloting deferred

By JAMES WONG
Sunday March 2, 2008

SIBU: The postal balloting for the army and police personnel in the Sibu parliamentary seat has been postponed following the discovery of a double registration of postal voters in the electoral roll.

A total of 2,618 postal ballots (2,050 for the army and 568 for the police) were supposed to be released to the respective officers at the Resident’s Office yesterday for postal balloting to take place.

Agents for DAP's Richard Wong Ho Leng found that the electoral roll contained 13 duplicate names of postal voters.

However, Wong said a check by the Election Commission on its computer showed there were only 10 double registrations for the constituency – voters with slightly different names but with the same identity card numbers who registered on different days.

An SUPP spokesman here confirmed that postal voting did not take place yesterday.

Wong, who is also DAP state chairman, said the EC had postponed the release of the postal ballots as a result.

The police personnel will only get the ballot papers on Tuesday and the army on Thursday.
“We cannot allow any irregularities. Every vote is sacred,” he added.

Wong is facing Barisan Nasional’s incumbent Robert Lau Hoi Chew and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Robert Lim Chin Chuang in the Chinese-majority seat with 53,679 voters.

HOW I CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY?

Well, let the photos do the talking at the end of this post.

Thanks to My Paper's "Make Love Happen" Event, I managed to get 1 of the 100 places available. Lucky me, especially when thinking of the occasion which was just a day before my birthday. The experience of boarding it is similar to cable cars but of course with wider and taller panaromic views. They built a small garden or forest just below the wheel. Of course, experiencing the garden will give you a very different feeling since you know you are below such a gigantic wheel.

It was opened earlier for Chinese New Year celebrations and for Valentine's Day. My ride is on the eve of the official opening on 1 March 2008. This observation wheel exceeds The Star of Nanchang (at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China) by 5 metres, the London Eye (Millennium Wheel) by 30 metres as well as taller than The Eye on Malaysia. It is so far the tallest in the world. My only regret? For not owning a DSLR camera to shoot the city scenery at night.

SINGAPORE FLYER

(Bangkok, 23 Jan 2008) Singapore's most anticipated new tourism icon, Singapore Flyer, is all set to lift ASEAN tourism to thrilling new heights when the S$240-million giant observation wheel takes flight on 1 March 2008.

Singapore achieved a new record for its tourism sector when it received its 10 millionth visitor in Dec 2007, and is poised for greater growth as a key ASEAN destination venue with exciting attractions like Singapore Flyer, as well as the first-ever Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix night race in September 2008 and the two upcoming Integrated Resorts to be completed in 2010.

Singapore Flyer, Asia’s largest observation wheel when it starts operations, will present a Uniquely Singapore experience with breathtaking top-of-the-world views at a height of 165 metres in the sky. Visitors will be treated to a panoramic 360-degree view of the burgeoning Marina Bay area and even parts of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, from the comfort of 28 air-conditioned capsules. Each scenic ride lasts for about 30 minutes.

Fact and Figures

Groundbreaking: 25 September, 2005

Constructed: 2005-2008

Use: Observation Wheel

Cost: S$200M

Architect: Kisho Kurokawa Architects & Associates, DP Architects

Structural Engineer: Arup

Contractor: Mitsubishi - Takenaka Consortium

Developer: Melchers Project Management

Owner: Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd

What is the Singapore Flyer?

The Singapore Flyer is a giant observation wheel from which visitors can experience some of the best views in the entire region.

Diameter of the wheel:
150 metres

Height:
165 metres (the height of a 42-storey building) or 541.3 feet

Duration of ride:
About 30 minutes

Capsules:
28 fully air-conditioned and UV protected capsules with capacity for up to 28 people each.

Each capsule measure 4 metres by 7 metres.

View from the top:
Singapore's city; from Changi Airport to Sentosa Island, and beyond into parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Location:
Raffles Avenue, Marina Bay. The Flyer is within walking distance to over 4,000 five-star hotel rooms, the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Esplanade - Theatres By the Bay, and the new Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (casino), due for completion in late 2009.

Land Area:
33,700 square metres

Transport/ Accessibility

• MRT (Circle Line); Promenade MRT (Ready in 2010)
• Parking for 33 tour buses and 280 motor vehicles
• Pedestrian access via the waterfront, Raffles Avenue, and the New Bridge from the nearby Integrated Resort.

Easy Access for the Elderly and Wheelchair Bound
A synchronised double door entry/exit system enables access from both sides. A "step on" platform at each entry/exit makes it convenient for the elderly and the wheelchair bound.

Revolutionary Wheel Rim
The slim ladder truss rim represents an engineering design breakthrough, moving away from the conventional triangular truss 'ferris wheel' configuration.

Precision Wind Engineering
The wheel design, based upon an extensive study of wind speeds at high altitudes ensures that passengers will be able to enjoy Singapore's spectacular skyline without experiencing lateral movement or vibration. The emphasis is on comfort and safety.

I'M 27TH TODAY!

Well, what do you know, I am getting older again today. This is the first year I started working (very old!!!) and hopefully I find the everlasting joy and interest in my job. I am famous for not staying in things I am doing for a long time. I know that's my character and habit.

It's time to bring more dedication, hardwork, perseverance and patience. Now that what I do is related to responsibillity to family and no longer about me myself and I. I hope I can mature down, analyze my possible future routes and make my decisions wisely.

The only reason why I don't want to go into practice is because it's about dedicating your life 90% to your career. I for 1 is not a slave for my job and hopefully I won't change my mind a year or two later. I just met some friends from practice in campus few weeks back during the career fair. One thing in common I heard from them is:

WE WANT MORE SLEEP!

Many went to get applications to be SIA pilot. Serious shit. Their excuse for changing their profession to be a pilot?

WE WILL HAVE MORE SLEEP!

Enough said.

SIA Pilot

Maybe I should consider it too. I saw the requirements and I am qualified. I saw the salary scheme and it is definitely much much nicer than anything else I had encountered so far. However, 7 years bond is quite long. Oh well, leave it as it is for now. You never know.