Pursuit of life's beauty

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Having thought of blogging about personal life once again, Wendy decided to cater a blog specifically on her life which is full of ups and downs, fun and sadness (Whos life isn't like that -_-).

Entitled "Pursuit of life's beauty", such a nice and catchy title, did it make you wanting to know more about her and travel with her as she seeks a life full of beauty?

A little prerequisite.
A life worth pursuing...

Making a decision on what to blog for my 1st post here can be a rather tough one...and I finally decided to give a small introduction to my life...I hope whoever steps in here will not be bored to death by my simplistic life...

Read more.
P.S If you are interested in wine, or want to learn about the sophisticated knowledge and story behind a bottle of wine, you can hop over Wendy's sweetalicious wine lovers blog here.

 

Rising Cost of Living in Singapore

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More ERP gantries, higher ERP rates to ease congestion.

SINGAPORE : More electronic road pricing (or ERP) gantries will be put up and some ERP rates will be raised as part of the government's wide ranging move to ease traffic congestion.

So the incremental ERP charge will be raised from 50 cents to S$1 progressively from July.

At the same time, the ERP base charge, which is the starting charge for a new ERP gantry point, will be increased from S$1 to S$2.

But road taxes will be reduced by 15 percent from July this year as part of the general move towards taxing based on usage, rather than ownership.

To lower the upfront cost of car ownership, the Additional Registration Fee (or ARF) will be lowered from 110 percent of the Open Market Value (or OMV) to 100 percent from March.
Cathay ups ticket prices.

SINGAPORE : Expect to pay up to S$10.50 on a weekend to watch blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince or The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

At a media conference on Tuesday, the cinema operator and film distributor said it was raising ticket prices for films by 50 cents or about 6 per cent due to "escalating prices in goods, services, labour, film rentals and the Goods and Services Tax".

What's more, an additional 50 cents will be tagged on for blockbusters such as Harry Potter and Iron Man.

Mr Rafdi said that Cathay would categorise a movie as a blockbuster only if it has an "A-list cast and/or director, a big production budget of more than US$100 million (S$142 million), is a part of a successful franchise (like Spider-Man, Batman and Shrek)" and open on the same day in Singapore as in the United States.

Only around 20 out of the hundreds of films released here would qualify as a blockbuster this year, he said.

When contacted by TODAY, Shaw Organisation, which operates seven cineplexes here, said it would not be following Cathay's lead. "There has been some increase in our cinema operation costs. However, Shaw has no plan to raise its movie ticket prices at this point," Shaw's executive vice-president Mark Shaw told TODAY.

The other major operator, Golden Village, did not respond to TODAY's queries by press time. Moviegoers TODAY spoke to were mixed on the ticket price hike.

 

Starhub Promotions

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Received a promotions list for this coming Chinese New Year Starhub Promotions.

Take a look here if you are interested.

Afraid to miss out any promotions in future? Subscribe to our feeds to have our daily posts delivered to you.

 

Traffic Accident

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Below are some of the useful informations written by Mr Tan Kin Lian, ex-CEO of NTUC Income Singapore on the procedure in handling a traffic accident you are in.

If you drive a car and you meet with an accident, you face a dilemma. Which party is at fault? Do you want to settle the liability on the spot, or leave it to your insurance company to handle?

In the case of a minor accident, it is best that both parties agree to have a private settlement and not to make any claim on the insurance policy. One party may agree to pay a sum of money to the other party to repair any damage.

The private settlement should be recorded in writing and be signed by an independent witness. Some insurance companies have issued a simple form that can be used to record a private settlement. If you do not have this form, a simple agreement can be written. In fact, if both parties are honorable, a verbal agreement will be adequate.

If you make a private settlement, both parties will keep their No Claim Discount.

If private settlement cannot be reached, you have to make an insurance claim. Both parties can, on the spot, record down the circumstances of the accident and the extent of the damages to the vehicle. Photographs can be taken. If most or all of the facts are agreed, the insurance companies for both vehicles can settle the claim quite easily.

The insurance companies have issued a form called the Singapore Accident Statement, which can be used for this purpose.

If you cannot reach a private settlement or get a Singapore Accident Statement agreed on the spot, with photographs of damages, what is the next best approach for you to take?

You have to make a report the accident to your insurance company as soon as possible. You have to bring the vehicle to the reporting center, so that photographs of the damages can be taken. These will be useful to settle the repair cost, and also to establish the party that bears the liability for the accident.

It is best for the policyholder to let the insurance company arrange the repair. They can find a suitable workshop to repair the damages at a fair price. They can ensure that the repair is carried out to the quality standard. The policyholder is freed from the hassle of arranging the repair. In some cases, they are given a courtesy car to use during the period of the repair.
Full article here.

 

Car Accident

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Wendy drove me to AMK library to return and borrow my book today. I collected my reserved book titled "Fire your stock analyst by Harry Domesh". This book teaches one the process and method on analyzing stock. I decided to pick this topic rather than my usual investment strategy book as I figured that I really need to have more knowledge on accounting. I also figured that reading those typical accounting textbooks used in tertiary education would be plain boring to me. Hence, after some googling and reading up, I decided to reserve this book from NLB. Reserving a book from NLB cost only $1.55 and renewing it cost $0.50. Much more cheaper than buying the book itself. Of course if you came across a book where you think you might need it for reference in the future, you can buy it at the outside stores.

While on our way back home, we met with an accident. Luckily no one was injured. We came to a stop before a traffic light when a car bumped into us from behind and the momentum from our car hit the car in front. Apparently, both the cars behind and in front suffer minimum damage while our car suffered the worse, ok worse among the three. We alighted in the middle of the road at lane 2. The incident was resolved quickly as there was no dispute. After exchanging of contact number and taking of photos, we were off.


The front


The rear

And just for your information, the car in front is a Honda Jazz while the car behind is a Toyota SUV while ours is a Toyota Vios. That kind explain the damage incurred. In my next post, I will share with you guys a very informative guide on the things you need to do when you met with an accident. Believe me, this is really necessary to all drivers out there.

Before I was about to publish this post, I received an email from friendster saying my dear has posted a new entry at her friendster blog. Oh my god that was fast, she has the traits to be a pro blogger! You can see her blog here. Oh ya, the understanding you need to derive from her blog and my blog about this incident is that, IT IS NOT HER FAULT! (I have been hearing it for the umpteen times). Li Ling, listen to me ok? Its not your fault!!!

Subscribe to my feeds if you do not want to miss out any post that might be of use to you.

 

Minnie Ripperton Lovin' You

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Minnie Riperton (November 8, 1947July 12, 1979) was an American singer and songwriter noted for her rare five and a half octave vocal range, and her 1975 hit single "Lovin' You".

Her family inscribed the headstone on her grave with words of her most famous song "Lovin you is easy cause you're beautiful". I love this song. she sang it so beautifully.

 

MRT network length to double by 2020; two new lines to be built

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SINGAPORE: In a massive new investment, the government will pump in another S$20 billion on new rail lines and extensions islandwide, Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced Friday.

Mr Lim said the new and extended lines will go to places as diverse as Marine Parade and even Tuas.

When the plans come to fruition in 2020, there will be one MRT station within five minutes' walk in the city, in a network that will become denser than Tokyo's.

Two new lines will be built.

The Thomson Line, to be ready by 2018, will run from Marina Bay through the Central Business District, all the way up to Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands. It will connect to another new Line, the Eastern Region Line, at Marina Bay.

The Eastern Region Line, to be ready by 2020, will serve areas such as Siglap and Marine Parade.

Existing lines will also be extended.

The North-South Line will be extended one kilometre south to serve the Marina Bay area developments while the East-West Line will be extended another 14 kilometres west into Tuas.

To avoid long waiting time and crowded trains, there will be 93 additional train trips during the morning and evening peaks.

The authorities will also add more trains and improve the infrastructure over the next four years to reduce waiting time from the current 2.5-4 minutes to two minutes at busy stations during peak periods.

Full Story.

Looks to be a good move to cut down congestion and reduce the number of cars on the road. Hopefully it will be a success where most people will travel on public transport. Only considerations are the level of comfort and efficiency. Once these 2 are satisfied well, I cannot see why people will spend more to drive their own car or even take taxi.

 

CPFIS Account

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If you are not in the loop, this is what gonna happens. Under the new rules, which will take effect on April 1, a CPF member will not be allowed to invest the first $20,000 of his CPF Ordinary and Special accounts savings under the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS). Money already invested through the CPFIS will not be affected. A member can still use Ordinary Account (OA) funds for housing, CPF insurance and education schemes.

Wendy and I went to DBS this afternoon to open our CPFIS account. CPFIS account is needed if you want to invest using your CPF money. We have decided to invest our CPF OA in unit trust before the amount gets locked in. With regards to which UT to purchase, we are still doing our due diligence. I am leaning towards the Infinity Index Fund by Lion Capital due to the low expense ratio and its an equity fund! I love equity.

What is Index fund? (Extracted from Wikipedia)

An index fund or index tracker is a collective investment scheme (usually a mutual fund) that aims to replicate the movements of an index of a specific financial market, or a set of rules of ownership that are held constant, regardless of market conditions.
I have already got Wendy to open her unit trust account at Fundsupermart, Singapore's No.1 Unit Trust Distributor. While I am handling most of our unit trust/shares investment, Wendy is in charge of our wine investment which she has more extensive knowledge than me. You can visit her blog at http://winelov3r.blogspot.com. (note: this is not a paid review :P)

 

Top O-Level scorers from Methodist Girls' and S'pore Chinese Girls' School

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Extracted from Channelnewsasia.

SINGAPORE: The 2007 GCE O-Level results were released on Thursday.

And the top students were Chan Xinhui from Methodist Girls' School, and Pearlyn Ler Jia Ning from Singapore Chinese Girls' School.

Both scored 9 A1s and 1 A2.

MGS also produced the top Indian and Malay students.

Can you all guess which is the subject that they got A2 for?

 

Fastest Finger First

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You reached 323 points, so you achieved position 29810 of 220274 on the ranking list


You type 433 characters per minute
You have 77 correct words and
you have 1 wrong words


77 words

free Touch typing

My first attempt, whats yours?

 

信樂團 (Shin)

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Was surfing for some of their video when I came across these 2 powerful English songs. Ah Xin (the singer) really has a powerful voice, I think they made Asian proud with their type of music.






 

Added new link

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If you are attentive, you would have notice the additional link at the top of this page named "Subscription". It embed a very nice video explaining the usefulness of RSS, "Really Simple Syndication". As the name says, its really simple to subscribe and really simple tool to make your Internet life much smoother and time-saving.

If you knew what is RSS, why not subscribe to my feeds now? Or if you want to subscribe via email updates, just enter your email address in the box on the right and click "Subscribe".

 

Can't sleep? Put away your cell phone

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Extracted from Channelnewsasia.

STOCKHOLM : Chatting on a mobile phone before bedtime makes for more restless nights, a Swedish researcher who headed up a study on the subject cautioned on Monday.

"If you feel you have trouble sleeping, you should think about not talking on a mobile phone right before you go to bed," said Bengt Arnetz, a professor of social medicine and stress research at Uppsala University, north of Stockholm.

Arnetz, who spoke to AFP in a telephone interview from the United States, said he and a team of researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University in Michigan had found that mobile phone radiation appeared to cause insomnia, headaches and concentration difficulties.

Over a period of 18 months, the scientists studied 35 men and 36 women between the ages of 18 and 45, intermittently exposing some to 884 MHz wireless signals, the equivalent of the radiation received when talking on a cell phone.

Others meanwhile were placed in the same conditions but received only sham exposure.

"The ones who were exposed reported headaches, it took longer for them to fall asleep and they did not sleep as well through the night," Arnetz said, claiming his was the largest study so far on the subject.

Is this the reason why my Li Ling fails to sleep well during some nights? hmm.....

 

I love my job

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Check this out!

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Are you amazed?

It seems that the best driver in the world is man, top earner is man, richest person is man, even now highest pitch is man!

Whats next? Next is I gonna get bombed by all my female readers.

 

Chikungunya fever detected, believed to be locally transmitted

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SINGAPORE: A new strain of viral disease called chikungunya, which is transmitted in the same way as dengue fever by aedes mosquitoes, has been detected in Singapore.

The Ministry of Health said the first case was reported on Monday.

Investigations revealed that the patient, a 27-year-old foreign national residing on Clive Street, had contracted it locally as the person has not travelled out of Singapore for several months.

All previous cases of chikungunya reported in Singapore were contracted overseas.

Following the report, the Health Ministry together with National Environment Agency (NEA)'s Environmental Health Institute have begun to screen persons living or working in the Clive Street area.

So far, investigations have found five other persons with chikungunya fever.

They have been sent to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital for further medical assessment and two have been admitted for isolation.

The Health Ministry is continuing with its screening of residents and workers in the Clive Street area for chikungunya fever.

NEA is also conducting intensive mosquito control operations in the area and will extend it to cover the Little India enclave over the next few days.

Residents and premises owners have been asked to check their premises daily to remove any stagnant water that may breed mosquitoes.

The Health Ministry said Chikungunya fever, like dengue fever, is a mosquito-borne disease and the best way to prevent chikungunya fever is to take precautionary measures to prevent mosquito breeding.

Persons infected with chikungunya fever should stay indoors to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.

The disease is characterised by sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain with or without swelling, and low back pain.

Some patients may develop a rash affecting their bodies and limbs.

Most symptoms last for three to ten days but joint pains may last for weeks to months.

Outbreaks have occurred in recent years in Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Indian Ocean islands.

The Health Ministry has requested residents or individuals who work in the affected area to provide relevant information to Health Ministry officers who are currently carrying out epidemiological investigations.

Those who have been in the Clive Street area recently and have developed a fever are advised to consult their doctors. - CNA/ac

Source.

 

Newcastle United 4 - 1 Stoke City

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English FA Cup: Round 3 - REPLAY
Final - St James' Park Attendance: 35,108
Newcastle 4 - 1 Stoke
Michael Owen (8)
Claudio Cacapa (31)
James Milner (68)
Damien Duff (76)

Liam Lawrence (8


 

What pets do when we are not at home

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Unlucky Day

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Today was an unlucky day for me.

Firstly i have an interview at 10am at Lavender. Waking up at 8am, I intended to make a trip to Ang Mo Kio before heading to Lavender. However, I waited for more than 20min before realising that I will be late for my interview. Hence I decided to postpone my trip to Ang Mo Kio to the afternoon.

Fast forward to Lavender. I reached the place exactly at 10am. Met the job agent and she handed me a pile of papers. One was asking for my particulars while the other was a pre-selection test for the position i was applying for. It took me around 35min to complete the 20 questions paper! Upon finishing the paper i was given a short briefing by the agent. She mentioned something that stunned me for a few seconds. She said the position was a "one year contract". After few more min or negotiating, I was given an apology and "golden handshake".

Since morning, I have been wanting to go to the washroom. Immediately after getting out of their office, I looked for the nearest washroom. I saw a coin machine that dispense toilet paper (SHIT!), and I hadn't had any coins during that moment. I have to endure all the way to ICA Building. It was uncomfortable, trust me.

Then i met Wendy for lunch at Raffles area. She recommend me the wanton mee and "you tiao" there only to realise the highly recommend "you tiao" was sold out. After finishing we walked around the area before bidding farewell (with a kiss of course ;p). I proceeded to Ang Mo Kio. I chose the option of taking the bus instead of mrt as i always prefer a bus ride. It was a humid day and the entire 1 hour journey was spoilt by the weather argh. I thought i could enjoy a good nap and some newspaper reading.

Fast forward to my home. Feeling the hot weather, I decided to go for a swim. 35min into the swim, it rained. I decided to take a bus home instead of the usual walking only to realise I purposely left my wallet at home thinking I do not have to use it. With the extra coins left, I was praying that it was enough for me to take a bus. I had 80 cents. I scanned through the list and saw the lowest price was 80 cents. However, it was for non air con. I waited for a good 30min before walking home when the rain was slightly lighter.

 

Smile today :)

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Nice doggie ... GOOD boy A little power nap ... I hate it when this happens!MAN ... I'M GETTING SO FAT I CAN HARDLY

SCRATCH MY OWN BUTT!!

THESE MORNING WALKS ARE KILLING ME!I'M SO CUTE, THEY WON'T CARE IF I SHRED THIS!

WHICH PART OF QUIET DIDN'T YOU

UNDERSTAND?

I REALLY NEED TO GET GOING, BUT JUST

CAN'T SEEM TO GET MOTIVATED ...

Have you smile today?

 

Singaporeans need to boost their investment literacy: financial expert

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SINGAPORE : Community Development Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan says Singaporeans lack financial and investment knowledge.

And he says this is one area the Ministry will have to focus on - which a financial planning expert agrees.

Thousands of senior citizens and their families thronged the inaugural Silver Industry Exhibition.

Many came to check out innovative products and services that cater specially for the silver-haired.

Some also took opportunity to find out if they are 'retirement ready'.

Dr Balakrishnan, who opened the exhibition, says the huge turnout is a good sign that Singaporeans recognise that ageing is an important area worth paying attention to and investing in.

But retirement financial planning is one large area which he feels Singaporeans could brush up on.

He says: "The level of financial knowledge in Singapore is still inadequate. So I'm also glad that we also have several booths in this exhibition which will hopefully give more information to people so that they can make informed choices.

"Or if they don't have enough knowledge on their own at least they know where to go for help, who to ask, who to rely on for financial advice - so this is another large area which we in the Ministry will have to focus on - which is to increase the level of fiscal and financial understanding and knowledge in Singapore."

One expert in financial planning says Singaporeans need to make their CPF savings work harder by keeping a sensibly diversified portfolio of investments.

Arun Abey, Head of Strategy, AXA Asia Pacific Holdings, Australia, says: "The CPF scheme in Singapore has been a marvellous innovation and periodically it's been adapted and modified and those modifications are good. What Singaporeans need to understand is that they cannot simply rely on CPF.

"Nor should they be looking to the government to bail them out. We need to take more personal responsibility for the quality of our retirement - so we need to supplement CPF savings one, and secondly, we need to make our CPF savings and other sources of savings work much harder."

Mr Arun says if Singaporeans could capture from their CPF savings an additional 5 percent return - over and above the inflation rate, when compounded over a working lifetime, even an average worker could be a million dollars richer at retirement!

He adds: "An extra million dollars in their retirement fund. That makes a lot of difference - just an extra 5 percent by investing in a globally-diversified portfolio shares, rather than keep it in cash. That's what we need to learn!"

The key is to start early, plan long term, and invest more in equities but Singaporeans tend to be risk-averse.

So learning how to invest smartly, is what makes the difference between a million-dollar retirement, and one spent worrying about funding the golden years. - CNA/ch

Source.

 

omg my oyster omelette

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SOME hawker centres are taking oyster delicacies off the menu because a tough crackdown by hygiene watchdogs is severely curbing supplies from China.

About 80 per cent of all oyster imports were rejected last year, leaving eateries with desperate shortages.

Hawkers at Newton, Bedok and Old Airport Road centres said supplies would last for at most a week or two. Most hawkers The Sunday Times spoke to said they had been relying on frozen stock that they had stockpiled.

Mr Patrick Tan, 22, stopped serving oyster omelette at his Marine Parade stall yesterday after his supply ran out.

He used to sell about 40 plates of oyster omelette a day - that meant earnings of about $150 - but now he sticks to his other dishes.

Some hawkers are even looking at alternatives for their recipes.

Mr Jeffrey Lim, 50, who serves oyster omelette at Bedok, said: 'I am asking customers if they don't mind having prawns instead.'

Shih Lin Taiwan Street Snack, famous for its handmade oyster mee sua, has switched to scallop and more shredded chicken.

The oysters - about 139.5 tonnes - were rejected by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) last year because of noroviruses, which cause food poisoning.

Noroviruses are found in either food contaminated with faeces from an infected person or in polluted waters.

Importer Lee Tak Seng of TS Frozen Foods said his business has dipped at least 20 per cent because of the crackdown.

The AVA has suggested that importers look at other sources such as Australia and New Zealand.

But importers say these markets are pricier than China and the meat would be too expensive for local hawkers.

Mr Lee described this as the worst period he has seen in his 10 years in the trade.

In the past months, he has had to dump 10,000kg of oysters and has tried to send back another shipment of 20,000kg to his suppliers in China.

'It's been crazy, I have to pay duties both ways when I try to send back stuff - one consignment costs me at least $70,000,' he said.

Some hawkers, including Mr Tan Ah Piang, 65, went to the AVA on Wednesday to ask for leniency. But the AVA said food safety is its primary concern and it cannot approve products that are unsafe.

But it did assure the hawkers that it will speed up checks to allow them to get their oysters earlier.

AVA spokesman Goh Shih Yong also told importers: 'They should look at other sources for supply if the consignments that come from the same country always fail to pass the test.'

The high incidence of infection last year is in stark contrast with 2006, when only 6 per cent of frozen oyster imports failed AVA tests.

Mr Goh added: 'Yes, there is a definite shortage. But we consider food safety of paramount importance.

'Oysters are considered high-risk foods. So we test each and every batch coming in.'

 

Eight Lies of A Mother

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"EIGHT LIES OF A MOTHER"


The story began when I was a child. I was born as a son of a poor family.
Even for eating, we often got lack of food. Whenever the time for eating, mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was removing her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry".
That was Mother's First Lie.

When I was getting to grow up, the persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near our house, she hoped that from the fishes she got, she could gave me a little bit nutritious food for my growth. After fishing, she would cook the fishes to be a fresh fish soup, which raised my appetite. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the rest meat of fish, which was still on the bone of the fish I ate. My heart was touched when I saw it. I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her. But she immediately refused it and said "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish."
That was Mother's Second Lie.

Then, when I was in Junior High School, to fund my study, mother went to an economic enterprise to bring some used-matches boxes that would be stuck in. It gave her some money for covering our needs. As the winter came, I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awoke, supported by a little candlelight and within her perseverance she continued the work of sticking some used-matches box.
I said, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go for work. "Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired."
That was Mother's Third Lie.

At the time of final term, mother asked for a leave from her work in order to accompany me. While the daytime was coming and the heat of the sun was starting to shine, the strong and persevering mother waited for me under the heat of the sun's shine for several hours. As the bell rang, which indicated that the final exam had finished, mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared before in a cold bottle. The very thick tea was not as thick as my mother's love, which was much thicker. Seeing my mother covering with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!".
That was Mother's Fourth Lie.

After the death of my father because of illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. By held on her former job, she had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. No days without sufferance. Seeing our family's condition that was getting worse, there was a nice uncle who lived near my house came to help us, either in a big problem and a small problem. Our other neighbors who lived next to us saw that our family's life was so unfortunate, they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother, who was stubborn, didn't care to their advice, she said "I don't need love."
That was Mother's Fifth Lie.

After I had finished my study and then got a job, it was the time for my old mother to retire. But she didn't want to; she was sincere to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetable for fulfilling her needs. I, who worked in the other city, often sent her some money to help her in fulfilling her needs, but she was stubborn for not accepting the money. She even sent the money back to me. She said "I have enough money."
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

After graduated from Bachelor Degree, I then continued my study to Master Degree. I took the degree, which was funded by a company through a scholarship program, from a famous University in America . I finally worked in the company. Within a quite high salary, I intended to take my mother to enjoy her life in America. But my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son, she said to me "I'm not used to."
That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

After entering her old age, mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived in miles away and across the ocean, directly went home to visit my dearest mother. She lied down in weakness on her bed after having an operation.
Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep yearn. She tried to spread her smile on her face, even it looked so stiff because of the disease she held out. It was clear enough to see how the disease broke my mother's body, thus she looked so weak and thin.
I stared at my mother within tears flowing on my face. My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother on that condition. But mother, with her strength, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain."
That was Mother's Eight Lie.

After saying her eighth lie, She closed her eyes forever!

I came across the above touching story here. And the moment I finished reading it, my handphone rang, it was my Mum. Whenever she is coming back to home, she would call me to ask if I want to eat. Normally, I would say no unless I am really hungry. Partly because I do not want her to spend unnecessary money. I know its a small money for $3 noodle/rice but every little bits count especially now that my father has been separated from the family. However, this time round, I said yes to her. I would want to see the delightful looks on my Mum tonight.

Now, the story above moved me, I hope it moved you. Did you make your mum smile today?

 

Just some random photos

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South Africa Desert (I am on top of a hill about 2000m above sea level)

The sandwich Willy made for me for one of the mugging night. I prefer his pasta!

Cute little baby sleeping so soundly in Orchard Library. I was reading my book while waiting for Li Ling's facial.

 

Study = Fail

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My hoot at Crocodile House

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Went to Crocodile House today. Prices are quite low there and bought quite a couple of stuff.







 

Fried Rice

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Decided to cook some fried rice today using the leftover rice. Youtubed for video on cooking nice and simple fried rice and viola.




The end product.


 

Stoke City 0 - 0 Newcastle United

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English FA Cup: Round 3
Final - Britannia Stadium Attendance: 22,861
Stoke 0 - 0 Newcastle



 

Taxi fares in Singapore

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Fares and surcharges
Applicable to CityCab, Comfort, Yellow-Top Cab, SMRT Taxis. Different fares apply to other operators

Flagdown fare: S$2.80 (≤ 1 km)
Meter fare
S$0.20 (every 385 m thereafter or less > 1 km and ≤ 10 km)
S$0.20 (every 330 m thereafter or less > 10 km)
Waiting: S$0.20 (every 45 seconds or less)
Booking
S$3.50 (0730 - 0930 and 1700 - 2300 hours Monday - Friday)
S$2.50 (all other times including public holidays)
S$5.20 (advance)
Peak hours
35% of metered fare (0700 - 0930 and 1700 - 2000)
Late night
50% of meter fare (0000 - 0559 hours)

Public holidays
S$1.00 (1800 hours eve to 2400 hours of New Year's Day, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali, Christmas Day, first and second day of Chinese New Year.
Should public holiday fall on a Sunday, the surchage will be imposed till 2400 hrs on Monday)
CBD
S$3.00 (1700 - 0000 hours, Monday - Saturday, except public holidays)
Locations
S$5.00 (Singapore Changi Airport: Friday - Sunday from 1700 to 0000 hours)
S$3.00 (Singapore Changi Airport: all other times)
S$3.00 (Seletar Airport)
S$2.00 (Singapore Expo)

Higher flag-down rates for certain models.

All Electronic Road Pricing charges incurred on the trip are to be borne by the customer. An additional 10% administrative charge on the total fare is also incurred when payment is made on credit or charge cards. Higher fares apply for premium taxi services that employ premium vehicles, such as CityCab's Presido and MaxiCab, Yellow-Top Cab's Sovereign limousines, SMRT's Prestige and London Taxi and Airport Transfer service, and so on.

Observation: Singapore must win the award for the most complicated taxi fare structure in the world.

Source.

 

US stocks dive on shock jobs report

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NEW YORK - US stocks plunged Friday after data showed the weakest job creation since 2003 and a rise in unemployment to a two-year high, fueling recession fears.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 256.54 points (1.96 percent) to close solidly below the psychological 13,000 level at 12,800.18.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite shed 98.03 points (3.77 percent) to 2,504.65 and the broad-marketStandard & Poor's 500index lost 35.53 points (2.46 percent) at 1,411.63, according to official final figures.

More.

 

Sales Sales Sales

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Heard that G2000, Zara, Topman etc all having sales now, who wanna join me to get some shirts and pants?

btw, there is Crocodile sales going now on at their factory. Prices as low as $20 for their shirts.

 

CPF : Money Got Enough?

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Video animation highlighting the key changes that will help Singaporeans work longer and save enough for retirement.


 

Happy New Year 2008!

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It was a last minute gathering. To be precise, the gathering was discussed and organised the night before around 11pm where Jits called for an 'O' group meeting in MSN. All the members from the DCNT were gathered and conform to the suggestion initiated by Jits. Time and venue were set at 6.30pm at Happy Pot Steamboat aka "Tian Tian Huo Guo".

D-Day has arrived. I reached the RV at 6.15pm. Thinking that I was late, I fastened my pace in order not to miss the TTR timing. However, upon reaching the RV, I could not find any of them. I sent an SMS signal to Jits and found out that they were still on the way.


Can you see what I am eating?


This almost looks like a natural panorama!

We arrived at Happy Pot Steamboat and requested to sit inside. A quick scan at the food, it was bad. Luckily, there was a list of ala carte "premium" food which we need to order but its freeflow. On the list there were the Tiger Prawn, Pork, Beef, Lamp, Beancurd, Pig Liver and Kidney. I thought that Pig's Organs are not well accepted but what a surprise I got. Jits, JJ, Desmond and Gavin kept downing them! I was they were gross! yuks



I was not really hungry as my brunch is still occupying much of the space in my stomach. In addition, the food was not very appealing other than the Pork and Tiger Prawn. Hence, I only attack both of them and the Ma La Soup. The soup was superb and I drank non-stop from beginning till the end. Thumbs up!


We agreed that playing with food is bad.


But we further agreed that this little Tou Fu would need some hair.

We left around 9.30pm heading towards Shaw Tower. There was only 3 movies on show. We slack around before decided to go Suntec Eng Wah. They wanted to catch some movie as it was still early while I was waiting for my sick and poor Wendy as she wanted to watch the fireworks at Esplanade.

Unfortunately, there was only the first row seats for AVP2 at Eng Wah. Not giving up, we went to Marina Square. Halfway through, my sick Li Ling has arrived and I have to leave them. Jits told me that they watched I am Legend and previously I have told them timeless counts that its not worth it. Seeing is believing, they agreed on my comments after watching the show. TOLD YA GUYS!

There was incredibly lots of people while I tried to maneuver my way to City Hall MRT. I finally saw my sick Wendy standing in the middle of the crowd. Knowing that Marina Square through to Esplanade was packed with people, we took another route to Esplanade (via The Aldephi). We finally chose a spot where we could have a view of the entire fireworks only to realise there was a stupid sign blocking 1/5 of it.


I wonder what is Li Ling smelling?




The stupid sign


Check out the short video clip I took.


This is Taiwan's Taipei 101 2008 Fireworks. I know what you are thinking.