Cut Pay or No Pay

Just when hope gather pace that the Detroit's Big Three might get a bailout (thanks to the latest high employment readings), it came to a crashing stop when the United Auto Workers reject swift wage cuts.

They are facing the prospect of going jobless and yet still so ya-ya negotiate this and that. So unlike Singapore. When there is a pay or CPF cut, they just cut without any resistance. We just go back to our cubicle to cry and complain over the internet :'(

Coming back to these unions, by doing this, they will only hurt the company more. Don't they know that by accepting the pay cuts, they are not only helping the company but themselves as well?

No to pay cut? How about no pay at all?

A Visit to The Farms II - Kok Fah Technology Farm

NOTE: This is the second part of my farm visits over the weekend. As usual, my laziness cause this entry to be posted now. :P

According to Angie, there is a farm in Choa Chu KAng (CCK) selling fresh vegetables from the local farms. After our Saturday adventure, we decided to go down to take a look with my in-laws.

After much searching and driving around CCK area, we finally found the place. The place is actually not very difficult to find, it is just that I did not see the signboard pointing the way. Typical male driver, right? :P

Finally we found the place!

When we reach there, the place is crowded. It sort of like a mini marketplace except it sells vegetables only. The place is filled with elderly folks and the road outside is parked with buses. I guess they must have join those farm tours organized by the Community Centres.

Look at the crowd!

Judging from the color, the vegetables sold there are really very fresh. It's like they are just pluck right out from the farms. In terms of price, they are no difference from those sold outside in supermarkets. Given the freshness of the vegetables, this is ok.

We took a walk around the farming area and look at the vegetables grown there. Some of the vegetables growing on the fields look like fake due to its freshness. See the photos below for yourself.

We left the place with bags of vegetables and some fruits in tow. For the freshness of the things on offer, it will be a waste if we go back empty-handed.

Other than vegetables, the place also sell plants/flowers and aloe vera.

A Visit to The Farms I - D'Kranji Farm Resort

Due to my laziness, this entry is only put up today. :P

Last Saturday is Mum's death anniversary. My family and I went to her resting place to pray and give our offerings to her. After the prayers, I drove my family to the D'Kranji Farm Resort for a short outing.

Both dad and Angie look so excited after we reach the place. We tour around the place and check out the facilities there. We were quite surprised at the crowd there, the news of this place on the television lately definitely pull in quite a number of curious people like us here.

You can rent motorized bicycle here!

There is a seafood restaurant there and dad's sharp eyes spotted two helpers carrying a gigantic fish to the back of the restaurant. He quicken his steps and lead us just in time to watch in horror one helper hitting the fish with a mallet before killing it with a chopper. Argh… That was one unpleasant sight. Behind the restaurant are tanks of seafood for public viewing. The various strange seafood on display at least make us forget the horrific scene we just saw.

Look at the size of this fish!

We walk around the resort and visit some of the stalls there. As usual, dad bought various tibits to try. We came across a gaming room and ended up playing pool there.

Even my aunite is occupied herself with the arcade machine (No coin inserted, she thought she is playing when the machine is running the game video)

Take That!

Too bad we spent quite some time at the pools that by the time we walk to check out the villa, it started to drizzle. As dad looks tired, we decided to go back. It was a fun outing and we are thinking of booking a villa to stay one day. Mum will be glad to see how happy we are.

The Tiger's Words of Wisdom

"Buy what you need, not what you want. Spend on what you can afford now, not on what you can pay back later." ;)

This is the way we should spend our hard earn money. Sadly, this is not the case for the younger generation. Today, the youngsters only concern about catching up to the latest fashion and getting what they want by signing credit cards or as the Chinese says, using future money.

"We are the generation that saved and only bought something if we could afford it. Today's generation is one that borrows" - An elderly man outside Northern Rock when the bank goes under.

Games I like to Play

As Sheylara said, "Too many games, too little time to play.". For me, it's "Too many games, NO time to play!" :'(

Still, here are some of the games I like to play. Oh btw, I usually buy second hand games to play as it's cheaper and not illegal.
1. Crysis, maybe Crysis Warhead
2. Gears of War 2 - Does not own Xbox360 :'(
3. Fallout 3
4. Dead Space
5. Far Cry 2

Speaking about games, when newly owners of the recently release Red Alert 3 tried to install the game, they realized that the last character is missing from the 20 character CD key. This result in a lot of angry gamers to which the company come out with a "creative" solution.

Detroit, You Got A Problem

This week will be where the decision will be made on whether to bailout the three US automakers GM, Ford and Chrysler.

In my opinion, I say just let them go under. The US auto industry has been on the down turn way before the current financial crisis. The crisis only speeds up their demise. It is ok to save the industry if they are doing well all along. But here, we see that the three companies failed because of mismanagement and an obvious lack of ideas to challenge the Japanese car manufacturers.

Sales of US cars are down these past decades because all they can come out are expensive, big and gas-guzzling cars while their competitors are focusing on mid-size and fuel economical cars. If they are unable to stop the slide all these time, what makes them think they can correct the mistakes and improve their sales in a few months after getting their bailout?

And what pisses me off is the way the companies CEO is threatening the US government with unemployment and dragging down a whole lot of other industries should they go kaput. HEY! You are begging for money here, aren't you suppose to be humble about it. If they are so concern about the jobs of its people and welfare of the economy, they should have buck up in the first place to prevent such things from happening.

In addition, the way they are clueless on their operations of their company and the failure tom come out with a well devised plan on how they will spent the money if they get it shows much bad mismanagement.

So I am against bailing out the US auto industry. Yes a lot of people will lose their jobs, I sympathize them and may put the country into more financial turmoil, but it is something they are not good at anymore. Rather than wasting precious resources in saving a dying industry, why not focus them on other areas to save their economy. The pail is leaking badly, what make them think it will stop it from emptying by pouring more water into it?

Courtesy of YoungJedi

To the Semis We Match On

The Carlito Show

Yes, Manchester United has match their way into the Carling Cup Semifinal by thrashing Blackburn side 5-3 with a reserve team.

I say the movement and passing by them in the match is much better than the first team. The buildup for the last 2 goals, we simply cut through the blackburn defense like a hot knife through butter.

The only sore point of the match is the team conceded 3 goals. Not a very good sign given that we are playing at home. Can't relied on scoring more than we concede to win matches like that.

And for all those critics of Giggs being over the hill, the man answer them with a solid performance in assisting a couple of goals. Some younger players like Gibson, Possebon and Rafael show they can step up to challenge for the first team spots.

As for Tevez, banging in 4 goals in the match is a big shout to start him for the next match. After sitting out on the bench for most of the matches this season, he shows he has lost none of his sharpness.

Personally, I prefer Tevez than Berbatov in partnering Rooney up front. With Tevez and Rooney up front, our attack seems to be more fluid and deadlier. Maybe Sir Alex can revert to last season pairing up front but I believe he knows what is he doing.

The View Is Clearer Now

Big is Good!

Finally, I get to upgrade my PC display to a 22" LCD monitor, a Benq G2200W. I have to brave through the crowd at Sitex yesterday to get it at a low price of only $219. Bo bian lah, IT show usually last day will have big price slash :P

I love my new LCD so much. The images are so sharp and clear. The color is so brilliant plus so much display room. Wanted to upgrade it since last year and watch the price drop from $400 plus. I say it was really worth the wait.

As for Sitex, I went there at 11am, the time when the "exhibition" starts (I am not kiasu hor, there're people standing by the door even before it has open). Not many people compare to previous IT shows last day experience. Maybe it's because of the economic downturn, most people are just walking around checking out the prices and cautious about their spending.

Wanted to check out the netbooks (one of my targets for next year. Hehehe) but there are some many promoters surrounding the booth that I can't even get a chance to go near a netbook without being pester by them.

Speaking of booth, I also notice the exhibitors are cutting cost. There are no booth babes walking around distributing brouchers. One less reason to visit IT shows now :(

After I got home, I help out in doing some housework (must do something to keep wife happy before playing my toys mah :D) before doing the changing of guards with my PC display.

Angie reward me with a nice bowl of Pulut Hitam, another new item in her ever expanding menu. Quite tasty on her first try. Yummy. *slurpp*

Pulut Hitam

RIP Lo Hwei Yen

This is sad news, the Singaporean Chinese woman held hostage at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai has been killed.

UPDATED 01/12/2008:
May she rest in peace and reach a place where the world is more peaceful and forgiving and less evil than the one she just left. R.I.P :'(

A moving tribute courtesy of Wayang Party

Mini Iron Man

A father's love. When his son says he want to be Iron Man for Halloween, rather than just getting him the costume, the father put in additional gadgets to make it as close as the real thing. Check it out here

Thanks to chillycraps for the link

Youtube Has Gone Widescreen

Maybe I'm WLOS :P. Youtube has just gone Wide Screen. With the tons of Youtube clones sites popping all over the web, Youtube have to do something to distinguish themselves from the others.

With more n more people chunking their old CRT to wide screen LCD monitor, I guess this is the next step to go

Hello Kitty Netbook

As SITEX is being held at Expo this week, I surf the local IT forums and sites to keep myself up to date of the latest promo and bargains at our local IT Pasar Malam.

Then I came this article at the CNET Asia.
"After months underground, during which time she released only a pixellated propaganda video, the felicitous feline has surfaced once again, bent on pursuing her plan for world domination. As evidence, I present to you the Hello Kitty Netbook."

Hello Kitty Netbook

I thought having its own line of digital cameras is more than enough for the geeks. Now the netbook, the latest nerds must have gadget, is also not spared?

Kitty Cameras Anyone?

Oh btw, dun look down on the Hello Kitty digital cameras. They are 5-mega pixel cameras. Even better than the Nikon camera that I own :(

Guess the little muted kitten is really hell-bent on world domination...

You Must Be Shitting Me!

Monday Blues

It's Monday, start of a new week. Suppose to be fresh and energize after the battery recharge over the weekend. Yet... I am feeling half dead.

Couldn't really sleep soundly last night. The lingering thought that when I open my eyes, I have to go to work kept disrupting my slumber. The weekend passes by too fast and ended too soon. It feel as if before I can get to enjoy any proper rest, it is already Sunday evening.

I hate this feeling... :(

Cards And Such

Did some housekeeping and as I was packing one cupboard drawer, I found a stack of cards. Old birthdays, Christmas and CNY cards from friends and relatives as well as new unused ones.

Ever since emails, SMS and MMS comes along, together with the popularity of friendsters, facebook and blogs, receiving cards through snail mail is becoming a thing of the past.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Mr Miyagi's Jack Russel walking with doggy shoes. And I thought Mickey is the only one who walks that way when he put on the shoes for the first time.

McBoots from Benjamin Lee on Vimeo.

Some Food For Thought Before And When You Get A Furkid :)

The 10 Commandants

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you get me.

2. Give me some time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I have only you.

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.

7. Please don't hit me. I can't hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I really don't want to do that.

8. Before you scold me for being so uncooperative, obstinate or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is old and weak.

9. Take care of me when I get old. You, too will grow old.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say "I can't bear to watch" or "let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember I love you.

Food Fair n Crocs Sale

The Satay is Solid

This was supposed to be posted last Saturday but I'm busy with a lot of things. Last Saturday, Angie and I accompany my father to the Asia Pacific Food Expo today. The place was crowded with a lot of cheapo from the way they grab the free samples being given out.

As for father, He look so excited, kept looking around and checking out the various food on exhibition. He even ran into a couple of friends, one who is a stall owner who treat us free shark fin's soup!

After sending Father back, we went to the Crocs Sale. Whew.... I tell you, it was horrible. It is so damn scary. You need to queue to enter the sale and that almost occupied one exhibition hall by itself. Look at the photos to see it by yourself

An Exhibition Hall for Queuing Only!

Entering the sale hall is not the problem as we got in pretty fast. It's the mad dash for the sale items that is scary. People are grabbing and snatching for whatever that is on sale. But with a discount of 80%, who won't?

The Mad Singapore Sale

Since the sale started last Friday and we only got there on Saturday afternoon, most of the sizes for the clogs and slippers are sold out. Only the big sizes like 10 and above are left. Angie is disappointed that she is not able to get a pair of Crocs slippers.

But still we managed to get some Crocs clog for myself and father as well as some long sleeve tees for myself. The clothes usual price is $30 a piece and they are selling now at 2 for $15. With things selling at such low prices, not buying is letting you down.

Anyway, we thought the nightmare is over when we go to make our payment. It is then when we realize it has just started. The queue to make payment is damn long. It took us well over 2 hours to reach the cashier.

"Are We There Yet?

All along the queue, we saw a lot of abandon sales items being dump by the side. Shows that people just grab whatever they can get their hands on without thinking if it fits or do they really need it. The most hilarious of all is people in the queue still trying out these abandon goods as if it's some sort of final shopping.

Action For Singapore Dogs

I visit the Actions For Singapore Dogs (ASD) website during lunch the other day. They have a section for dog adoption.

While most of the dogs available for adoption are the so called "local breed" aka stray dogs/菜狗. I am shocked to see there are breeds like Husky, Silky Terrier and Maltese. I carry a heavy heart as I read on these dogs' history and plight.

There's Elfie and Audi who are found abandoned because of their bad character.



Toto and Samuel, both 13 years, who are abandoned probably because they are too old to be taken off. Samuel is blind and deaf some more :'( They are being throw away like toys because they are too old. TOO OLD!

Poor young Maximus is being given up and no one else in the family want to take care of him. Talk about treating your dog as part of your family...






But the saddest of all got to be Wiskey. 1.5 years of age when his owner decided to give him up and wanted to put him down! Thank god, the vet save the poor fellow and brought him to ASD. He should be three now. I wonder how is he...


A dog is a very loyal animal and no matter what you do to them, they will faithfully follow you. Now imagine you as a kid watching your parents left you at some remote street corner and you standing there, watching them drove off in their car...

Referring to the date when the entries are put up, some dogs are up for adoption for a year or more, yet they are still there for adoption. Some stray actually are very adorable. ASD took the time, money and effort to even paper train, sterilize and vaccinate them, yet no one even bother to take a look at them. Instead, Singaporeans continue to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars to buy puppies from pet shop and dog farms.

I went to those dog farms once. There, people watch the cute and cuddly puppies in the cages and wonder should they buy one. I admit the puppies can really pull your heart strings. However, they should really consider before committing themselves. It's a life long commitment.

These are living, breathing animals, not some stuff toy you can buy from Mini Toons, which you can throw away when you get bored of them or when it's too troublesome to manage. What about those puppies that are left behind? They may not have the looks like their brothers or sisters. As they grow older, the chances of them being bought also gets slimmer. To the pet shop, they are just goods and what do you do with unsold goods? I dun even dare to think about it...

Dun they have any feelings or compassion? What type of moral education are they teaching to their children? I hope their children will learn well and do the same thing to them when they grow up. On second thought, isn't this happening in our society now?

Finally, for all those dogs, be it a stray or abandoned, I hope they will find themselves a good home and no longer suffer such discrimination.

The Humans Are Dead

These guys are damn funny. They are the Flights of the Conchords from Kiwi land. Jokes aside, their music are also quite nice and catchy. Check out more of there funny acts on Youtube.

My favorite part in the video here is when Bret perform the binary solo. Total geek talk... ROFL

The Joker Exist

"Let's Put a Smile on that face"

So... the Joker really exist in real life.

A guy tried to rob a bank dress as a woman yesterday, threatening to set off a bomb. But too bad, the security guard is no fool and easily pin him down to ruin his plans.

This joker must be living in the 80s. Nobody rob banks these days especially in Singapore. Even if you do, at least bring a real gun along. And what is his purpose of disguising himself as a woman? So no one can recognize him? On the contrary, he only manage to catch the security guard's attention.

This guy must be thinking he is very smart and can rob a bank easily. Well, the only thing he achieve is become the joke of the town. He is really the Joker, literally

I Got to Get That Shirt....

GOW2 is Out!

Gears of War 2 is offically out for the upcoming holiday seasons. Too bad I dun own a Xbox360 plus I am too damn busy at work to go toilet let alone play games. So, I guess I'll have to wait for the PC version. In the meanwhile, I have time to drool....

System Overload!

My new project is really a nightmare. Well, it is not really a new project. More like a currently running project with a deadline in January.

They are currently in a situation of having too few software engineers and too many software bugs and issues to do. So my colleague and I are hot drop in to act as reinforcement to save the day.

Now here's the interesting part. The code is damn huge and very messy. There are not alignments and hardly any comments in it. Very unreadable. So.... I have to spend a lot of time going through the codes, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

This is really testing for the eyes and brain. This is one reason why my codes are always probably structured and full of comments. Comments that dun say what it is doing (anyone can see that) but explain why it is doing this.

It's ok if you are the only one doing the programming, but it is a total nightmare if someone is to take over your codes or comes in to help you work on it, which in this case that someone is ME...

Sunset @ Punggol

Sometimes we are so busy going through our lives that we failed to admire the beautiful world around us.

Happy Birthday, Mickey!

It's Mickey's Birthday today. Bought a small cake from his favorite bakery, Pine Garden, for him.

Happy Birthday, Meow Meow!

New Project New Cubicle

Today I have been assigned to help out in another project. Because my current office have no access to the server, which stores this project's work files, I have to shift to another cubicle/office.

Hence, I have to pack up my stuff, lunging my desktop to the new place. The whole experience make me feel like a first day on the job.

I have to clean up the cubicle as it is not occupied previously, setup my desktop and get help to login into the network. Now I am waiting for IT admin to connect me to the network. Meanwhile, I can't do any surfing, email reading. Even this post is written on a notepad.

I wonder how long will I be seating here. Other than Doan, most of the people here I hardly knew. Sigh... no choice lah. At least got work for me to do. Better than idling around; Sigh of the company not doing well and retrenchment is approaching.

Showing Up at One Half

Woke up early this morning and read the papers to check the football scores last night. When I saw the scores, I almost have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.

Man Utd 4 Hull City 3??!!! At Old Trafford! Man Utd leading 4-1 at half time! Something is wrong with Man Utd lately. We keep playing brilliantly for one half and struggle for the other.

Against Everton we were 1-0 up at half time after some blistering display, yet we let them draw 1-1 in the end. Against Bolton we wasted countless chances in the first half before scoring two in the second, one of which a penalty wrongly given by the ref. Against Chelsea, we shown them whose the European Champion and should be the one breaking their unbeaten home record when we were 1-0 up at half time. But in the second half we play like shit and conceded ten minutes from time to finish 1-1. Against Liverpool we tore them apart in the first few minutes, going a goal up early in to the match before ending up 1-1 at halftime. In the second half, we suddenly become timid little kittens and let the Reds come at us, ending up losing the match 2-1.

What is going on? Gas tank only enough to last for 45 mins? Maybe it's because by playing so well in the first half, we over exert themselves making it very tiring to maintain the same tempo in the second. Whatever the reasons, this is not acceptable. We really need to buck up.

Now, not to discredit Hull City, they really did very well this season for a team just promoted from the First Division. In fact, all three promoted teams did very well this season. They did their home work and proved that they are no pushover. Guess other teams have to work harder if they do not want to be relegated.

As for the title race, Liverpool defeat to Spurs is a bad trip after recently. They also sway facing a rejuvented Spurs under new management. This is going to be an exciting title race this season.

Only The Dead Survive

Dead Space. It's Finally Here