We Lost to A Better Team.

Manchester United got dethrone by Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Final last night. We totally did not show up for the match. Other than the initial 10 mins, we were totally overrun by the excellent Xavi and Iniesta in midfield.

The lost of Fletcher due to an unjust red car in the semi-final hurt us here. The first goal from Barca is the sucker punch that really knocks the wind out of us. It also stabilizes the Barca team, who has been nervy until that point of time. It gave them the confidence. Overall, our midfield performance is terrible and we employed the wrong tactics in trying to play attacking football against such a strong attacking team.

For the way we lost, somehow I did not feel as sad as I should be. Maybe it's the feeling that we lost to a better team. Considering we have won the league cup, the world club cup and our 18th premier league title on top of being in the FA Cup semi-final and UCL final, we actually have quite a successful season.

Here's looking forward to next season...

Home Made Chicken Rice

It started as a casual remarks as Angie colleague is buying ah-char, so I recommend that she made chicken rice to supplement it.

And so she did last night. She bought one whole chicken and marinate it. The chicken is cooked in hot water. Rice is made by using those over the shelf chicken rice sauce with white rice.

The result is very nice. It taste even better than some of the chicken rice sold outside. The chicken is not oily and very juicy. My wife cooking is getting better and better everyday.

Mas Selamat Staying In Malaysia For the Time Being.

So now the Singapore police (especially a certain Mr Wong) can breathe a sign of relief knowing that Mas Selamat will be detained in Malaysia for two years.

No more worries on where to lock him up or whether they should give him any toilet breaks. Come to think of it, ever since news of his capture are made known, we have not seen a single photo of him. All the news reports are showing old footage of him. Makes me wonder is he really been caught?

Until the news of his capture, we have totally forgotten about this man just within a year. Now that he is so called detained in Malaysia. I wonder anyone will still remember him two years later. Maybe this is just a ploy by our government to wash their hands off this embarrassing mess.

Mr Brown's Wash Your Hands Too

That Legend Giggsy

A tribute to my most favorite player of all time, Ryan Giggs. It's amazing that I have watch him play throughout his career from a 17 year old to now at 35. For all those wonderful young players groom under Sir Alex, I still believe Giggs is still his most favorite. A truly living legend.

P.S. love the song played in the middle by Staind - So Far Away.

Warp Back to Stone Age

My home PC broke down on Sunday night. It was working properly 4 hours ago. Dun tell me it’s over-worked because I hardly do anything stressful on it nowadays.

Since I am not sure which parts of the PC is toasted, I have to rush down to Sim Lim to get various replacement parts to test out each of them. Burn quite a hole in my pocket. Turns out it’s the damn graphic card. Luckily, the card warranty ends in June 2009 (how nice the timing in the failure)

Since I am repairing the PC, I also took the opportunity to clean out the innards of the PC and tidy things up. IN the process, I found that the cables of the power supply unit are burn like short circuited. I guess this must be the cause for the graphic card failure.

So I got a replacement for the power supply (the old one warranty is still valid, whew….) and my PC now is back and running again, allowing me to write this entry. For three days I feel like I was back into the Stone Age. I have no access to the Internet and I can’t do anything. It was definitely a torture for me.

But thankfully, the failure is not on the motherboard or CPU or else I would have to reinstall my windows operating systems and that is a real pain. As for the replacement parts I bought, I have to resell them, which will be at some losses for me. Anyone want an Intel E5200 CPU or Asus P5KPL-1600 motherboard?

This Blog Is Not Dead

Yep, I am still around. Been super duper busy these past few weeks. This is no thanks to some wonderful planning by the higher management in scheduling a complicated project to complete within 8 months with only a handful of engineers. So engineers like me are being hot dropped in as delayed becomes desperation in an attempt to speed up the process. We ended up working nights and weekends to catch up the impossible deadline. I got so many things to write, my trips in Taipei, my Batam trip and so many more thoughts and views. But when I get off work at the end of the day, all I want is to slouch around, clear my mind and sleep. In the meantime, just bared with this, k.

Old Town Coffee

Woooo... it's been some time since my last update. Too busy with work these days. As my colleague mentioned today, I look like a porcupine.

"Too many arrows sticking out of my back..." -_-"

Yep, ever since I was duped into the printer project, I have been working overtime and weekends. Oh... this reminds me to ask for 2 off days from my project manager for last Sunday and accumulated OT hours. All these work result in me not able to find time to post my Taipei and the recent Batam trip.

Anyway, before I go off topic too much. Last Saturday, Angie and I went down to East Coast, Playgroud @ Big Splash for makan on the way back from my parent's place. I say, the place is happening sia. There are many people eating and shopping there. Yes you heard me right, shopping because there is a car boot sale there.

So we went to Old Town cafe for our dinner. The white coffee they served is the best coffee I ever drink. It's so smooth. Not too sweet and not too bitter. Just the right balance. After drinking that, the coffee at the canteen at my workplace taste like long kao (drain) water. The nasi lemak I have is not like those sold in your local coffee shop. The chicken is well fried and crispy. The rice is fragrant and kinda taste like chicken rice IMO. ROFL!

All I say is the food and coffee is very nice. Definitely worth going back. Maybe will organize a trip there with my family as the seafood restaurant (thanks to Jasmine) offer quite an affordable ala carte lunch.

Minimization

These days, we are seeing our electronics gadgets getting smaller and slimmer. That's the age of minimization. Making things more portable. Never have I thought they will do the same thing to fruits.

Yes, you did not read wrongly. Let me introduce the mini mango, mini watermelon and small pineapple. Now I can bring a watermelon to work without bursting my bag. :P

Roller Blading for the First Time

A few weeks ago, Angie and I went to Changi Village for breakfast and cycling. Often seeing some kids roller blading at my place. I decided to borrow my sister-in-law's roller blade to have a try myself.

We find ourselves a nice spot by the beach to put those blades on. After struggling to wear them (my sister-in-law have smaller feet than mine), I finally get to stand up with the blades on the grass area. Everything is so stable.

"HA! This is a piece of cake." I thought to myself, "Let's hit the road!"

Man, I was so wrong. The blades came alive immediately when I step onto the bicycle pavement. My legs keep wobbling trying to keep my balance. I can't even find the energy to push myself forward. Most of the time I am struggling not to fall on my backside. How did those kids and babes at East Coast do it?

After struggling for half an hour plus so humiliating falls and laughing by Angie, I decided to call it a day. I end up with quite a sore ankle from all the twisting n balancing. I guess it is not as simple as it looks then. :(

My Headphones Gone Wireless

Ah... my new Sennheiser wireless headphones have arrived. Bought it at Amazon and get vpost to ship it over here. Only problem is the power adapter is the US 110V. Have to go to Homefix to get an AC convertor. No more irritating and dangling wires.

The headphones works like a charm. The sound quality is excellent. I can wear the headphones and walk all the way to the kitchen without any loss in sound or drop in sound quality. Cool....

Saving Gas?

Angie bought those gas saver net, which supposed to help save your gas usage. The concept of the net is to increase the heat around the bottom of the pot, hence reduce the time for food to be cooked.

To prove this concept, I did a simple test. Boil a pot of 500 ml water with and without the net. And the results

Without Net: 3 mins plus
With Net: 5 mins plus

This is a shocking result! So instead of saving gas, I'm using more! Geez, I duno if this result is conclusive. Will try with a bigger pot next. Stay tuned...

Going Downhill

Wow, Man Utd must be feeling that the race for the EPL title is too easy for them. After getting thrash by Liverpool last weekend, they proceed to lose again this weekend and to top that off, got 2 players send off in the process. Well done.

I hope the international break will wake the players up from their slumber or else they might as well give the EPL title away.

We Had It Coming.

After watching how Manchester United shoot themselves in the foot and get thrash by Liverpool, I have terrible time sleeping last time. I just can't comprehend how we managed to throw the game away after taking the lead and end up losing 4-1. At Old Trafford, our home ground some more.

We had it coming. After winning with some sloppy play for the past few weeks. I know we have it coming. I never thought it will be this bad. I guess I got to thank the following people for making me lose sleep

Thanks Vidic for choosing to have your worse performance in this season at such an important game

Thanks Rooney for saying the hate thing before this match to fire up the opposition.

Thanks Evra for making a unnecessary tackle on Gerard resulting in a penalty for Liverpool to take the lead right before half time

Thanks to Carrick n Anderson for all their miss passes and letting the Reds overrun our midfield.

And finally, Thank you Liverpool for bringing Man Utd team back to ground. Now, they will wake up from their dreams and start to get serious in their play

P.S.: I never gonna watch Man Utd match when I am at my parent's place no matter how big the match is. Seems like everytime that I do that, they will lose. Either I rush home to watch or dun watch at all. >:(

I Am Blessed

Been overwhelmed with work lately. But something happen over the weekend which makes me realized how blessed I am.

To have a wonderful wife, who always thought everything for me and being there for me and forgive me for all my cock ups.

To have great parents, lowly educated they are, yet able to raise my sisters and I up to be honest and righteous adults.

To have understanding and supportive sisters, who always stand behind me and support and encourage me.

To have a helpful uncle, always willing to lend a helping hand to my family without asking anything back.

To have considerate in-laws, who spare a thought for us and offer to help us whenever they can.

And I always thought I was destined to have bad luck as always. What I fail to see all the wonderful family members that I have around me. I AM truly blessed. Thank you everyone for making me feel so :)

2009 Oscar, Actor in Supporting Role - Heath Ledger

Truely, truely deserved...

Life's Irony

Our life is such an irony. When we are young, we have all the time in the world but no money to do whatever the things we like. We work part time and save on our pocket money just to have that little bit more to buy the games, toys or bags that we so desire. All these times, we long for the days when we will grow up and earn a salary. With the salary we will be able to buy anything we want easily.

How irony it is that when we reach that stage, though we have money, we find ourselves lacking in another thing call Time. There are tons of things to do yet we always find ourselves running out of time. No time to shop, play games or enjoy ourselves. Everyday is the same routine. Go work, go home. How to find time for ourselves then?

So in the end, we are sort of back to square one. We still unable to enjoy the things we like. :(

Keep The Flag Flying

A tribute to Manchester United's heroics last year. Keep the flag flying...

"On his bed in Rechts der Isar, a Munich hopital, Sir Matt Busby slowly whispered five words to his assistent Jimmy Murphy:
"Keep the flag flying Jimmy."
50 years on destiny took us to Moscow, for Matt and for the Busby Babes.
Because Manchester United will never die.

Let's do it again this year...

Mum Knew the Best

Got this from my friend through email.

Ho Ching Steps Down...

Surprise, surprise.... I wonder what could be the reason for Ho Ching stepping down as CEO and Executive Director of Temasek Holdings from Oct 1. A result of the wrong investment decisions (read: Merrill Lynch).

And how appropriately named her successor is, Charles Goodyear. We certainly need that now.

Pay Cut!

Yes, it finally happens. 10% pay cut starting this month. Sigh....

And the funny side as my colleague puts in, our workload seems to increase and yet we are getting paid less for it. Well, that's the pitfall in working in a manufacturing sector. Production orders still take up the bulk of the company's income.

Sigh... Times are really bad now. You are paid lesser, work more. Your work is something you don't like to do but you have no option cause you have no where else to go... Sigh...


On a side note, today is the anniversary of the Munich air crash that took away more than half of a great Manchester United team in 1958.

Wii Fit Parody

LOL!!!

Life Goes Back to Normal.

And so, CNY came and went. Life goes back to normal. All those hectic preparation and cleaning for the past few weeks just to celebrate those 2 days (some say 15 even though life goes back to normal on the third day in Singapore)

Off we go, back to our office and work. Looking forward to the next holiday... which will be in April... Sigh....

Balls Slapping, New Goal Celebration?

Ok, you just scored a consolation goal in a 5-1 thrashing. Nothing to celebrate about. What worse can happen?

Your team mate coming over and slapped you in the balls. Ouch!!!

Don't Drink Pokka

Vivian Lai should really threaten to quit being the spokesperson for Pokka. All the advertisements they put up make her look so ugly. The worse is the latest CNY one. I thought it is a fox vixen standing next to Mark Lee when I saw this at the bus stop advertisement board the other day. Is this the best photo they can find for the funny and pretty actress?

Sigh… the sacrifice you have to make for money…. *tsk tsk tsk*

After seeing it, I don't even want to drink Pokka product. Not that I like Vivian that much, just that I don’t want to turn into a vixen after drinking it. Eeeyer... *shiver*

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

Yes, the time when you have the longest holiday in Singapore (2 days of holidays leh! -_-"), get to answer those awkward questions from relatives, listen to crappy celebration songs wherever you go and worse of all, SPRING CLEANING!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Chinese New Year (CNY) is here again.

I used to look forward to CNY. It's a time when I get lots of Hong Bao, where I will use the money to buy the toys I have wanted. (I dun like to ask from my parents for money to buy the things I like. I work for my stuff).

Now I just hate it. Tired of all the irritating questions from my relatives.

"When you going to have girlfriend?"

"When getting married?"

"When having a baby?"

Yeah… I like to tell them “When will you shut up?”

Man, they are like flies at a picnic. A good friend of mine once told me, the next time someone post this question to me, answer them tonight. *roll eyes*

As for spring-cleaning, I don't know what is the rational behind it. It's not as if we did not do any house cleaning for the entire year. So why when CNY is near, we have to move all the furniture out and ensure every corner and spot in the house is speck and clean. You mean the guest will wear white gloves and go around the house doing spot checks?

Furthermore, it’s not as if it will start that way for the rest of the year. Everything will go back to the way it were (Read: messy) 3 days after CNY. So why bother so much? :P

The Crappy Things About Little Nonya

Yes, I know the show has ended but just want to get this out. Little Nonya has gathering a large following ever since it started showing on Channel 8. It's a great show although draggy at times. However, Mediacorp really needs to examine some things they did for the successful drama.

1. Which character is Xiang Yun or Jeanette Aw acting now? I believe this is on every viewers' mind especially for those who just started following the series. Mediacorp must be tight on budget, if not how else can they explain getting 2 actresses to play each other in different times.

Xiang Yun plays, Tian Lan, Jeanette Aw's mother while Jeanette acts the role of the Tian Lan's daughter, Juixiang, as well as the grand daughter, Yueniang. In return, Xiang Yun play the elderly Yueniang. This is really very confusing especially when the show keeps jumping to and fro between the different timelines. Getting one actress to play both mother and daughter roles is ok, but having two inter swapping around is truely mind-boggling.

2. I wonder how old is Tao Jie, Yueniang's buddy. She is a servant of the family from the start of the show before Yueniang is born, right till the end when Yueniang is a grandma liao. Wah kao, I like to know what she eat and do to maintain.

3. Lastly, after making such a successful drama, Mediacorp have to spoil everything by making that additional 3 mins of crap. They hype it making everything thought it is some sort of alternate ending where the two leads will end up together. Turns out to be an explanation exercise. on why Chen Xi and Yueniang cannot be together and that they still love each other.

My question is what the fuck is that for? To please some viewers who are unhappy with the ending? Treat us like idiots. They could have just ended the series and move on. But NO... everything must be explained. Sorry also must explain. Congrats Medicock. For once, you made a good drama and you have ruined it with this crap

More complains can be found here: So, what is really wrong with “Little Nonya”?

What's My Name Again?

Wah liao! What is wrong with people? Is my name so difficult to spell? I kept encountering people spelling my name wrongly. It's only 5 letters, is it so hard to remember or pronounce?

People keep putting the L always put in front of the Y. So instead of being called Daryl, I am called Darly! Makes it looks like darling and in one case, an ex-manager call me darlie. YES! The damn toothpaste. Grr.....

I Have AIDS..

Haha... of course not lah. Just that the chinese medicine I am taking now, the pills looks exactly like the ones taken by the AIDS sufferers in 不凡的爱. Same capsule look and same color, yellow and red.

I better not take them in public or else people will start moving away from me. :P

Manchester United Crush Chelsea

What a way to start the new week! Trouncing Chelsea 3 nil. Hell, we didn't even start with our first choice central midfield and Rio. Giggs is my man of the match. At 35, he is rolling back the years with yesterday's performance.

幸福万岁 - Love Matters

Jack Neo's upcoming movie for the new year. Will look forward to it. :)

Minutes to Midnight

Well, here we are. Last day of 2008. Nope, I am not going to do any New Year resolutions. I never have the discipline to follow them anyway. I hope that everyone will make it through the round seas and the clock will move back to more comfortable levels.

See ya next year!

My "Christmas" Gift

This is cool! Got this in the mail from Angie's AIA friend last Friday. A great "X'mas gift" for me. :P

The Bear Looks Happy...

Looks like from the Command hook series by 3M. And nobody notice any problems with the design? Courtesy of Banned Toys

Sweet Chocolate

Actually, they are not sweet at all. These are made from dark chocolates and another new addition in Angie's armory of recipes, which she learn from a colleague. Yummy...

Singapore Non-Flyer

I say, the Singapore Flyer stopped moving and trapped 173 passengers on Tuesday. Damn sway man, just 1 day and 1 week before the big payoff. Many people especially couples will be celebrating X'mas eve and New Year's Eve on it.

For some who are trapped in it, judging from their reaction, they are really enjoying it. Of course they do, as one forummer in EDMW puts it,
"In fact it’s a value for $$ ride, usually is 30mins, now its for hours, with free food, transport home, compensation."

Yeah, plus coming down in a safety harness drop from the Singapore Flyer. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. ;)

These people are really enjoying themselves

Christmas Eve Celebration

My sisters suddenly thought of organizing a Christmas Eve party at my parent's home. So they proceed to order some Christmas food from Gaint@IMM. I am on half day and when I left office, I call up Jasmine to check if she needs any help in collecting the order. Turns out she is already at IMM and erupting her volcano because Angeline, who is supposed to accompany her to collect the stuff, is not there yet.

"Shit, are we going to have a Or-Been Christmas dinner?” I thought.

Thank god, the fire was put out when they reach home. Only casualty reported is one Giant staff who tried to con Jasmine of her cranberry sauce with a bottle of mustard. :P

Did I mention that they order some food? Ok, I realize that "some" is a big understatement. It's a whole lot of food. We have turkey ham, sausages, ribs, salmon sashimi, broccoli and mini carrots etc. Our uncle and his family even bought a big box of Kueh Lapis. Yikes! How are we going to finish all that?!!

Nevertheless the 9 of us sat down to eat our dinner. We chit chat ove rthe course of the dinner. Uncle talks about his recent HK vacation trip while showing the photos taken. At the end of the dinner, we only managed to finish half of what we have. We have to help out in taking some of the food back. At least we now know what we should order next time.

Oh... the Kueh Lapis was spared... :P

Last Minute Work

It must be some kind of prank. Every time, just an hour before knocking off, something must cock up at work and I am force to work OT.

Dammit! Can't they choose a better time?

Some days, I can sit here doing almost nothing. When you thought it is almost time to go home for that nice dinner, something/someone came up with some critical issue and you are forced to stay back. Timing is so zhun (accurate) meh?

Another Draw At The Top

Three of the Big Four of the English Premier League dropped points again after drawing their respective match. Woohoo...

That leaves the remaining Big Four team, aka Manchester United, a chance to catch up since they were not playing this weekend.

Hopefully, the win at the World Club Cup competition will galvanized the Red Devils to start scoring and win games rather than playing well but losing or drawing the game.

Got Ambushed During Lunch

I was sitting in the canteen "chopping" seat while my colleagues buy their lunch. Along came this pretty lady who wave at me and proceed to sit next to me.

"Hi sir, would you like to sign up for our credit card service?" -_-"

Times are really bad for these credit cards promoters. Calling up your mobile is no longer effectively as people like me will not pick up unknown numbers call. Now, they will appear everywhere just to get you to sign up for them.

Is Greed Is Good?

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good." - Gordon Gecko (Wall Street, 1987)

Ever since the fallout of the US economy, it's been one bad news after another. First it was the sub-prime failure follow by the fall of the big financial institutions. Even a country (aka Iceland) goes into bankruptcy. And when Lehman Brothers name no longer exist, so do all the savings of those who invested in their mini-bonds. As America is praying for some bailout plan for the three US automakers, it is hit by news of the Madoff fraud.

How did it end up like this? The answer is greed. When the economy is booming, the lure of easy money causes people to let their guard down. Checking of reliability and soundness of investment plans and packages has becomes “leh chay” and considered to be slowing down the road to riches. Everyone is blinded by greed over the obvious risk.

It is only when the bubble burst and the well runs dry, will people realize the faults and mistakes they made. History has taught so many times the pitfalls of greed. Yet every time we managed to crawl out of a hole, we managed to dig ourselves into another one. Back to the post title above, is greed really good? Yes, not only it is good, it is also perfect…

…for self-destruction.

Who to retrench first - PM vs Labour Chief

Courtesy of TheOnlineCitizen (TOC). Maybe our labour chef should double check with his boss before making any speeches in the future.

NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say
LABOUR chief Lim Swee Say wants companies to put Singaporeans at the end of the queue when shrinking the number of their rank and file workers. Mr Lim believes the way to go in the current downturn is for firms to let non-Singaporeans go first, by not renewing the contracts and work permits of their foreign workers. ( Straits Times – 5 Dec 2008 )

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
If we just send away the foreign workers now, it will do us harm. For example - companies which are already in difficulty and they hire half foreign workers and half Singaporeans and you tell them that foreign workers must go out. And when you take Singaporeans, his cost will go up and the company may close. And if the company closes, even the half who have jobs may lose their jobs. ( Lee Hsien Loong, 8 Nov 2008, CNA )

Mirror's Edge

Once a while, there will be a game that revolutionize the gaming world. Makes us sit up and say WHOA! Currently, that game is Mirror's Edge.

Ok, I maybe a bit WOLS here but I saw this game a few months ago and did not really pay much attention on it until now. This is a First Person Shooter (FPS) game, but unlike regular FPS, guns are hardly used here. The game innovation is based on using the art of Parkour to move around.

I am a big fan of Parkour as well as free running and Yamakasi. Only the French can create of something this graceful. The way the movement is executed is pure art form. Till now, every time I watch the traceurs (Parkour practitioners) perform it in free flow still kept in awe. And now they have a game that is based on it, which you can perform those very same movement. Couple with a cool soundtrack (Still Alive by Lisa Miskovsky), this is one kick ass game. Only worry thing is it will give you a bigger headache that regular FPS games. Let's start running

Real Life Parkour by its creator, David Belle

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