I visited San Street at Suntec City on Friday evening to take a look at their latest arrivals.
Above: Zero Hour tees - $32.90, Zero Hour Polo Tees and long sleeves - $35.90, ALI tees - $22.90, ALI jumpers - $47.90, ALI bags with interchangeable cover - $35.90 , Extreme bags - $32.90
Above: Exgal tees - $24.90 and $26.90 (with shiny printing)
San Street informed me that there is a 20% discount when you buy a second T-shirt at its Suntec City and Queensway Shopping Centre outlets. There's also a 20% discount on all bottoms! Selected Exgal polo tees and Exgal tees are at 2 for $35 - only at Suntec. All promotions till 13 October 2007 so go grab yours quick aye. Location of the outlets here.
(Disclosure: I'm the Brand Ambassador for San Street, the distributor of Extreme, Action Ladfigure Inc and Zero Hour in Singapore. San Street is also a main sponsor of this blog.)
Barbarella is a 1968 erotic science fiction film that starred Jane Fonda as Barbarella, a 41st century astronaut that lands on the planet Lythion. She sets out to find the evil Durand Durand in the city of Sogo, where a new sin is invented every hour. The above clip shows the scene where Barbarella is tortured in the Excessive Machine, a sex organ that can drive a victim to death by pleasure.
Singapore said that hope in Burma rests on UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari who is set to meet the ruling generals today to convey worldwide outrage over a violent crackdown on anti-government protests and seek a way out of the crisis:
Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo said he believed the government would "be restrained in what it does" during the visit of Gambari, a Nigerian professor.
"But then the demonstrators may come out in full force. Then there could be heightened tension as a result," Yeo told reporters after meeting British Foreign Minister David Miliband.
"If he fails, then the situation can become quite dreadful," Yeo said. "He's the best hope we have. He is trusted on both sides."
Hotels, airlines, military materiel and training, crowd control equipment and sophisticated telecoms-monitoring devices for its secret police — Singapore is manager and supplier to the junta, and the "cronified" economy it controls.
It's impossible to spend any time in Burma and not make the junta richer, thanks to Singapore suppliers' contracts with the tourism industry. Singapore's hospitals also keep Burma's leaders alive — 74-year-old junta leader Than Shwe has been getting his intestinal cancer treated in a Singapore government hospital, protected by Singapore security. Singapore's boutiques keep junta wives and families cloaked in Armani, and its banks help launder their money and that of Burma's crony drug lords.
...Often writing as "William Ashton" in the authoritative Jane's Intelligence Review, Mr Selth has described in various articles how Singapore has sent the junta guns, rockets, armoured personnel carriers and grenade launchers, some of it trans-shipped from stocks seized by Israel from Palestinians in southern Lebanon.
Singaporean companies have provided computers and networking equipment for Burma's defence ministry and army, while upgrading the bunkered junta's ability to network with regional commanders — so crucial as protesting monks take to the streets of 20 Burmese cities, causing major logistical headaches for the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military.
So whose side are you really on, Singapore? It's nice to have our government show the world that it cares in resolving the crisis in our neighbouring country, but it has to do more than just talk, especially since the world perceives that we are aiding the junta.
In my previous post, I said that countries with close ties to Burma have to take the lead in solving the problem in Burma. That means the likes of China and Singapore should stop the talk and begin to walk the walk. It is time to put your money where your mouth is. If countries like Singapore are really serious in solving the Burma problem, then they should take drastic actions to hurt the military generals in Burma. The UN and the world can only do so little if Burma's closest friends are still supporting them financially.
I think it's time for Singapore to take a step back to reassess its relationship with Burma and then finally do the right thing. There are plenty of other ways for Singapore to make its money. Investing and supporting a cruel regime in our backyard is definitely not the way.
1. Laws that protect children to be reviewed 2. Education Ministry gives 18 schools top marks for overall excellence 3. Govt sends clear signal to those who engage in high-risk sexual activity 4. Singapore says hope in Myanmar rests on UN envoy 5. Hwa Chong gets to the top 6. Changes to Infectious Diseases Act proposed 7. Singapore's close relationship with Burma's junta 8. FIA gives green light to Singapore's F1 circuit 9. Singapore drawing more foreign investors 10. Can S'pore say no to nuclear energy?
Read them all at Topix News, edited by yours truly.
When I was growing up in the 80's, one of my favourite kids program on TV is this trippy show called Button Moon. Produced by Thames Television, each 10 minute episode featured the adventures of Mr. Spoon flying to Button Moon in his homemade rocket-ship.
Not many people know this but Button Moon sparked my love for the moon and later on my interest in astronomy. I remember after watching each episode, I would then daydream about my own travels to the moon and beyond. I imagined that I was sitting in my spaceship and it would blast off to take me to the moon where I would then make friends with the different beings living there. It was so much fun. And I grew up wanting to be just like Mr Spoon.
Today, I stumbled upon some episodes of Button Moon on YouTube and they sure brought back lots of sweet memories. I'm even singing to its theme song again:
"We're off to Button Moon! And we've followed Mr Spoon, Button Moon! (Button Moon!) Button Moon! (Button Moon!)"
This is a miniature refrigerator that straps to the wrist. It encloses a pellet of dry ice which when evaporates, forms an invisible gas that lowers the temperature of the blood in the arteries of the person wearing it. This cooled blood is then carried to every part of the body making him feel cooler than the surroundings. Don't you just love 1930s inventions?
Not contend with his 600 plus Star Wars action figures filling up an entire room, Josh Budich created tiny pixel illustrations of his collection - each one representing a Star Wars figurine that he owns. Amazing!
1. Important to avert violence: George Yeo 2. Singapore 'poaching' more Filipino software developers 3. Singapore Company Receives International Nod for Innovative Toy Design 4. S'porean man shot and kicked by Myanmar riot police 5. S'pore becomes playground for stem cell experts 6. Foreign population in Singapore exceeds 1 million 7. Latest statistics show 26,000 Singaporeans are over 85 8. All condo, club pools should have lifeguards 9. S'poreans turn up their noses at smoking 10. PM Lee opens Army Museum, pays tribute to 700,000 NSmen
If you are going to Iceland and you are fascinated with dicks of all shapes and sizes, then you must pay a visit to The Icelandic Phallological Museum. This strange museum contains a collection of over one hundred and fifty penises and penile parts belonging to almost all the land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland. I absolutely love their logo!
This US$6,299 Hello Kitty robot is made for parents who do not have a lot of time to keep their child company. The robot can communicate with the child using Hello Kitty's voice. It can even remember faces and calls you by name thanks to its Stereo CCD Camera and Voice Recognition Microphone.
Faces in Places is a cute blog that collects photographs of faces found in everyday places. One of my favourite pics is this one titled, "That sinking feeling".
Californian illustrator Christopher Lee was asked in late 2005 to create Star Wars characters based on his own style, technique and vision. His drawings (below) were then given to companies who obtained the Star Wars license to manufacture various Star Wars consumer products.
This hard disk advertisement found in a 1981 computer magazine shows just how expensive hard disks were back then. The ad says that a 26 megabyte hard disk cost US$4,995 - that's equivalent to around US$11,425 in 2007 dollars!
Video above taken on September 24, 2007, showing both monks and ordinary civilians protesting the military government in Burma. Part two here.
More than 100,000 people had taken to the streets to rally against the evil junta. Latest news is that the Burmese army began raiding a monastery and had arrested at least 100 Buddhist monks on Thursday. At least four people have died after a military crackdown on the protests.
There are a lot of people in the emergency ward in the hospital and people are dying there. One witness told me that there were three monks that were brought in by a taxi driver and one of the monks died at the table - the other two are in a critical condition. A lot of other people are severely injured. - Thian, Rangoon
At about 10 o'clock the riot police blocked the road, but the monks pushed through the blockade and climbed the Shwedagon pagoda from the eastern side. After eating there, they came down from the pagoda about noon, in a line. At that point they were rounded up and charged with batons by the police. The monks responded merely by reciting prayers. People fled from the scene and it was mainly women who were targeted and beaten. The mob was dispersed and some people were arrested. Near the eastern stairway, tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. The monks - together with monks from Thingangyun - are said to march towards downtown. About thirty monks were badly hurt and hospitalised. - Anonymous eyewitness, Rangoon
I just talked to my sister, who lives in Rangoon. She knows someone at the local hospital in Rangoon. They have been treating three monks, who were taken to the hospital by responsible taxi drivers. The monks had been beaten up with the back of rifles. One monk had a deep wound exposing his brain, and he has already died. The other two are being treated under intensive care. Many more people died today, but there is no information about it. Many taxi drivers who are at the site of the violence take injured monks to nearest hospitals. The junta are using dirty tactics - they don't fire guns, but beat people with the back of their rifles. The monks defiantly did not fight back, endured the pain and died. - Sanda, Stocksund, Swede
I applaud the Burmese people and the monks for the courage to stand up against their oppressive military rulers. This is a country that has been run by the military since 1968 and I don't see the junta quiting its power anytime soon. The country's rightful leader, Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has been kept in detention by the military rulers after she and her party won a democratic elections in 1990. This military regime is one of the world's most repressive and abusive that rules by decree, controls the judiciary, suppresses nearly all basic rights, and commits human rights abuses with impunity.
Can the monks and their fellow Burmese people do anything more to return democracy to their country? I don't think so. The military is too strong in the country and even if there are more mass protests, they will be cracked down pretty swiftly. And there are still many people in Burma who fear the military.
Sanctions against the junta are welcomed but they will only help a little. The likes of China and India who have strong links to Burma have to do more to pressure the junta to return democracy to the country but I foresee that these two countries will stick to their non interference policy. What the world needs to do is to take really drastic measures. For example, Asean should kick Burma out of the group to send a strong message that we do not tolerate such a regime in our region that brutally persecutes its people. And countries including Singapore should stop investing in Burma. We should not be discussing any economic ties with the military junta as long as they are not willing to relinquish their power. We need to let the rulers know that the world will shut them out if they continue this brutal rule over their country.
1. Singapore's seaport to get WiMax 2. Toilet talk serious business for Singapore's sanitation evangelist 3. Singapore's transport authority to go greener 4. More dogs being abandoned or given up 5. 880 stroke patients in Singapore to undergo TCM clinical trial 6. NSF 'a current danger', denied bail 7. Singapore welcomes UN decision to send special envoy to Myanmar 8. Singapore sending five Pusan's way 9. Fresh insights from MM in book on language policy 10. ITE wins prestigious Harvard award
In the 1970s, Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki took a series photos of heterosexual and homosexual couples engaged in sexual activity in a Japanese park and the peeping toms who stalked them. View a slide show here and read the story here.
Lovely Flickr photoset of matchbox labels from around the world. The majority of the matchboxes originated from Eastern Europe in the 1950s and 60s. There are 445 matchboxes in the set.
Batwoman Movie is a super cult classic made in the late '60s. The low budget movie stars Maura Monti as a busty and scantily clad Batwoman who fights a mad scientist bent on creating a supreme race of men. Go watch a clip of it. You gotta love Batwoman's outfit!
Dude does amazing artwork using a Etch A Sketch, a popular toy that uses two knobs to draw lineography. For those of you who have played with one before, you would know how difficult it is to draw something nice with it. Don't have one? Try out this online version.
1. Most Singaporeans want sky gardens in residential areas 2. 6 in 10 S'poreans bored with their sex lives: Survey 3. Minister says Singapore should poach medical specialists 4. Substation event gets police nod after civil society groups excluded 5. Govt to spend $2b for more clinics, hospitals, hospices 6. Biotech's sexy, but maritime sector is 'basic' to S'pore: MM 7. Singapore top paradise for business: World Bank 8. S'pore is free of horse flu: AVA 9. NLB sends 800,000 mailers to recover $5.4m in fines 10. S'pore firm tests traditional Chinese stroke drug
Japanese dude shows you how to undress in 2 seconds. It's a great skill to have especially when you really need to get your clothes off in a hurry. Ahem.
Californian dude has an amazing gallery of rare 60's and 70's Asian pop singles - mostly Singapore titles and the rest are records from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand. Visit his MySpace page to listen to some of these oldies.
Surgeon spent many hours looking at photos of topless models and discovered the formula to perfect breasts. From The Daily Mail:
The key aesthetic elements are nipple position and the proportion between the upper and lower halves of the breast, he said.
"The ideal is a 45 to 55 per cent proportion - that is the nipple sits not at the half-way mark down the breast, but at about 45 per cent from the top."
He added: "All of the models I looked at conformed to these parameters. None of them were augmentedand yet they were clearly considered to have beautiful breasts, so I wanted to examine how that could be achieved in someone not so well-endowed by using an implant.
The author, David Boey thinks that the soldier might have served at the Charlie Company of the 1st Guards Battalion, or the Infantry Training Depot. He should be in his early 40s now and his surname could be 'Liew' or 'Lien'.
You can contact the author at dboey[at]sph[dot]com[dot]sg if you have any information regarding this mystery.
1. S'pore among top 3 cities for meetings 2. Racist blogs taken offline 3. Singapore's magic monkey trees inspire cult, cynics 4. PM says `heterosexuals should set the tone' 5. 250 trained to spot problem gamblers 6. Honest Filipina worker in Singapore lauded 7. Singapore Cord Blood Bank joins global network 8. Bt Batok remains worst hit dengue area 9. Singapore loses to Hong Kong in corporate governance reform 10. Microsoft's Halo 3 video game hits S'pore with a bang
I promised you guys and gals that I will post another video of the HP Dragon over the weekend so I'm sorry this is out one day late. Here's the video of me setting up the Dragon's integrated digital and analog TV tuner that enables me to watch, record and pause live TV anytime on the Dragon.
Setting up was a breeze. I plugged my Starhub cable from its set-top box into the Dragon. Then I used the dockable Media Center Remote to activate QuickPlay and then click on the relevant buttons to start the set-up. It took the Dragon more than 15 minutes to complete the scan of the available TV channels. Once completed, it listed down all the channels and all I had to do next was to choose the right channel to watch my cable TV.
With the Dragon, I can also record Live TV. I tried that out too as you can see from the video above. Again, using the Media Center Remote, I just had to press the record button. The screen went blank for a few seconds before the recording began. It also went blank when I stopped recording and seconds later the Dragon reverted to the Live TV. This could be a little annoying for some but overall using the Dragon to watch and record Live TV was relatively easy and fun. I love it!
1. Bak kut teh on a Singapore Airlines plane 2. Govt addresses Singaporeans' concern about living long enough to enjoy benefits of plan 3. Singapore's Inflation Highest in More Than 12 Years 4. The rant over rent: Landlords strike back 5. 3,000 retailers still petitioning Nets for lower fees after hike 6. Flu vaccine for 1,000 needy residents 7. Sexual harassment study launched 8. Soven gets 4th win in Singapore leg of Wakeboard World Cup 9. Imports 'failed', but locals will take up baton: Athletics chief 10. Quick test for bird flu devised
Ramen lovers in Japan can now take a bath in a tub full of ramen thanks to a Japanese spa. From Reuters:
Because of health regulations, the Yunessan spa in Japan's hot spring town of Hakone does not use edible noodles.
Instead, noodle-shaped spa treatments are placed in bath water that contains elements from pork broth supplied by a nearby noodle shop.
Spa officials say taking a dip in the noodle bath is good for health as ingredients in the broth such as pepper collagen help improve the bather's metabolism and cleanse the skin.
You gotta give full marks to the makers of these Chinese fake brands for coming out with really creative names for their products. Playstation becomes Polystation. KFC becomes KLC.
According to this AFP story about Cambodians using blogs to inform the outside world about how the people there are thinking and progressing, the country's former King could be its founding father of blogging:
A Cambodian blogger asked recently whether former King Norodom Sihanouk should be considered the country's founding father of blogging.
He got no definitive answer. Cambodian blog watchers say the 84-year-old monarch may not have known he was blogging when he unveiled his Web site, updated daily by his staff since 2002 with his views on national affairs, correspondence with his admirers and news about his film-making hobby.
But it is clear that young, tech-savvy Cambodians are joining Sihanouk in embracing blogs. The trend is changing their lives and their communication with people abroad — even as electricity remains an unreachable dream for most households in this poverty-ridden nation of 14 million.
Pictures of animals created from vegetables. On the left is a pic of cauliflower sheeps. I don't think kids will ever eat their veggies if they are this cute.
I can imagine a lot of Vespa lovers will go crazy when they see one of these Vespa table lamps designed by Maurizio Lamponi Leopardi. The Italian designer uses a real Vespa handle bar for that table lamp. Besides making motorycle/scooter inspired table lamps, he also designs other equally amazing table lamps.
The folks at GamePro.com pay homage to the major contributions made by Japanese companies to the video game industry with this timeline:
1889 - Nintendo is formed in late September by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards which are used for several popular Japanese games. Over the years the company will transform into one of the most powerful and influential video game companies in the world.
1941 - Gunpei Yokoi is born. His ingenuity in creating a mechanical arm for his own enjoyment while on the job would later inspire Nintendo authoritarian president Hiroshi Yamauchi to extend Nintendo's business beyond that of playing cards. Yokoi would go one to design Metroid and the Game Boy before dying in a car crash in 1997.
1950 - Ken Kutaragi is born. His curiosity for taking apart toys to see how they work led him to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. After seeing his daughter play the Famicom (NES) in the Eighties, he realized the potential of video games. He would go on to become the "Father of the PlayStation," making gaming more ubiquitous than it ever had been before.
Learn how you can use bleach to make some cool stencil art on your t-shirts. The artist behind this spent two years of research and testing with bleach to find the best way to produce images on garments that would be more “tattooed” into the fabric than screened on.
Super Rabbit is a comic book featuring a fictional, funny-animal superhero published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics, during the 1930s and '40s. You can view some high quality scans of Super Rabbit Vol.1 Number 3 here. Go Super Rabbit!
1. National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign to focus on mental wellness 2. Pre-participation screenings urged for sporting weekend warriors 3. Singapore to let golf clubs build hotels 4. Singapore showcases Asian art 5. Views divided, so gay sex law stays 6. Playboy's mobile content to play by Singapore rules 7. 16 cases of snatch thefts reported recently 8. Deterring sex fiends online 9. Singlish? Don't make it part of Spore identity 10. Singapore is not just for the rich
Dude has a growing collection of old books that contain a large number of maps. He thought it might be interesting to scan and make them available for others to see on his website. Hooray! View his gem of a collection here.
Peter Gwin wrote an absolutely brilliant piece for National Geographic Magazine about pirates who patrol the Strait of Malacca. For his story, he traveled to Batam to meet an experienced pirate who shared with him some secrets of how pirates there really work. From National Geographic Magazine:
In my hotel room, we laid a map of the Malacca Strait on the bed. Jhonny’s thick fingers traced the coastlines with practiced familiarity. He pointed to places with obscured shoals and noted currents and unmapped islands. “This area,” he drew his finger around Batam and Singapore, “too many patrols now.” He moved his finger to a spot south of the strait, “now the best place for shopping is here.”
“Shopping,” Batam argot for the lowest level of piracy, is roughly equivalent to robbing a liquor store. Even the smallest cargo ships and tankers carry sizable amounts of cash, used to buy supplies in port and to pay the crew. Often these ships are older and have less security than newer, larger ships. Sometimes, Jhonny says, the captains are running their own scams, conserving fuel by going slow, then selling the excess to passing ships and pocketing the cash. He explained that shopping trips are carried out by teams of “jumping squirrels,” pirates who use wooden boats called pancungs, rigged with powerful engines, to stalk the ships at night and climb up the sides and rob the crew. I tell him I would like to meet a jumping squirrel. “It’s possible,” he said, and dialed a number.
I think I got to get myself a Nintendo Wii soon to play this new Star Wars game that enables the player to use the Wii Remote as a lightsaber. Dang. This will be the best game ever! From Times:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, developed by LucasArts, will also be released early next year on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s handheld DS machine and Sony’s PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
But it is the Wii version that is causing the biggest buzz – literally, possibly, since the Wii Remote is equipped with a loudspeaker.
Jim Ward, President of LucasArts, said: "The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console's motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life.
"We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force."
Dude makes his own air conditioner using a fan coiled with copper tubing and a garbage can filled with ice water. His homemade air conditioner can cool a room in 15 to 20 minutes and lasts up to 3 hours!
Apparently you can never sue god because he has immunity from any prosecution by puny earthly courts. A US state senator who sued the almighty last week found that out after he finally got a respond from 'God' in the form of two court filings - one of which named God's Army Field Commander, the Archangel St Michael as witness. From Yahoo News:
Chambers, a self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians, said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. He said he's trying to makes the point that anybody can sue anybody.
Not so, says "God." His response argues that the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction.
It adds that blaming God for human oppression and suffering misses an important point.
"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.
1. Wakeboard Tour Hits Singapore 2. New, tighter rules for en bloc sales passed 3. Singapore to attract more foreign doctors 4. Healthy prospects for mature workers 5. Tremors felt in Singapore again 6. Singapore counts on '881' for Oscar 7. Some SMEs underestimate market wages 8. Specialist centres: preparing for the next lap 9. HDB launches sixth build-to-order project in Fernvale 10. Singapore biotech drive loses star UK scientists
Here's a video that I took of the new HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series Notebook PC, aka the Dragon, courtesy of the lovely folks at Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific and Burson-Marsteller (SEA). Over the weekend, I will post another video showing how to use the Dragon's incredible integrated digital and analog TV tuner that enables you to watch, record, pause live TV on the computer.
A Singapore company is selling a machine that provides a 24-hr protection against mosquitoes and other biting insects. Called the Mosquito Magnet Liberty Plus, it mimics a human by emitting a plume of carbon dioxide, heat and moisture and Lurex, a short-range attractant. According to the company's website, this precise combination is irresistible to female mosquitoes. As the mosquito approaches the trap hoping to bite a human, it is quietly vacuumed into a net where it dehydrates and dies. This machine doesn't come cheap. It costs close to S$2k!
"Books in Chinese Propaganda Posters: Objects of Veneration, Subjects of Destruction" is an exhibition of old posters from China that portray the changing attitudes of the Chinese towards books, book knowledge and learning in general. View all the posters here. This 1969 poster on the left says that educated youths must go to the countryside to receive re-education from the Poor and Lower-Middle peasants!
For those of you who love women in spacesuits, here's a website that lists all the spacesuited ladies found on tv and film from the 1950s to 2000s. Yay!!!
Khet is cool board game that combines classic strategy with the physics of lasers and optics. The aim of the game is to illuminate your opponent's pharaoh by firing a laser and eliminate them from the game, while shielding your own pharaoh from harm. The laser is built into the board and once fired will bounce from mirror to mirror on a series of Egyptian themed pieces. I think it's like a high tech chess game!
1. Jeyaretnam reinstated as an attorney after appeal is accepted 2. Launch of Singapore's largest mobile X-Ray container 3. Singapore offers study grants for Filipinos 4. Seven in 10 people in Singapore frown on homosexuality 5. Singapore to strengthen anti-money laundering laws 6. Citibank Ranked as Employer of Choice by Graduates in Singapore 7. Singapore invites immigration from US 8. Some Shell station pumps run dry after delivery glitch 9. HDB to introduce "family-friendly" car-parking arrangement 10. Giuliani says Nato should admit Singapore
I received a copy of In My Time from its publishers recently. The comic book written by our very own Mr Miyagi and illustrated by Malaysian Chua Jon Dep, recalls some of the excitement, challenges and mirth from Mr Miyagi’s time in National Service.
Mr Miyagi informed me that the book was done together with the help of Mindef. He said the idea for the book came because everyone was tired of him telling them his army stories so they suggested why not put them in a book. After talking to publisher Marshall Cavendish, together they then approached Mindef who was looking to do something for NS40. The result was Mr Miyagi's first ever comic book, In My Time.
I had a good time reading In My Time. The texts are funny thanks to Miyagi's wacky sense of humour and the comics are well drawn too. I think all NS Men will love this book because it will make them recall the memories of going through Basic Military Training, unit life and reservist.
In My Time will be available at Kinokuniya and Borders from 21 September. It costs only $9.95 so go grab a copy aye!
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management is a book written by Isabella Mary Mayson and first published in October 1861. Essentially a guide to running a Victorian era household, the book contains advice on fashion, child-care, animal husbandry, poisons, the management of servants, science, religion, industrialism and a very large number of recipes. Read the entire book here.
Snip from Chapter 1 - The Mistress: "AS WITH THE COMMANDER OF AN ARMY, or the leader of any enterprise, so is it with the mistress of a house. Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment; and just in proportion as she performs her duties intelligently and thoroughly, so will her domestics follow in her path. Of all those acquirements, which more particularly belong to the feminine character, there are none which take a higher rank, in our estimation, than such as enter into a knowledge of household duties; for on these are perpetually dependent the happiness, comfort, and well-being of a family."
Just what I've always wanted - chocolate LEGO bricks! They are incredibly simple to make. Just pour melted chocolate into the LEGO ice cube trays. Yum.
You had seen the Firefox Bus before on this blog. Now here's the Firefox Car, created by the folks at Mozilla Japan to compete in the largest all-Japan custom car show in Nagoya this month.
1. Foreigners will not be allowed to interfere in Singapore's domestic affairs. 2. Government's role is to ensure S'poreans save up enough funds for retirement 3. MPs suggest ways to make annuity scheme attractive 4. New route, highlights for Chingay 2008 5. Daughtry to rock St. James Powerhouse 6. Singapore stops missile parts shipment to Iran 7. Boys, 9 and 11, Charged in Sex Assault 8. Former NKF chairman Richard Yong sentenced to 15 months' jail 9. 8th person dies of dengue 10. Hospitalized men in Singapore to be asked to take HIV test
Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to an online electronic bulletin board at 11:44 a.m. on September 19, 1982, during a discussion about the limits of online humor and how to denote comments meant to be taken lightly.
"I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-)," wrote Fahlman. "Read it sideways."
The suggestion gave computer users a way to convey humor or positive feelings with a smile -- or the opposite sentiments by reversing the parenthesis to form a frown.
Carnegie Mellon said Fahlman's smileys spread from its campus to other universities, then businesses and eventually around the world as the Internet gained popularity.
This just sounds like something out of a science fiction story. Meteorite hits village in Peru. Villagers then fell sick. From Yahoo News:
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said.
Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.
"Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned," he said.
The intelligent folks at SpaceWeather.com thinks that this story is BS:
This report is probably erroneous. To gouge such a crater, the meteorite on impact would have liberated energy equal to about 1 kiloton of TNT (akin to a tactical nuclear weapon) leaving a clear signal in worldwide seismic and infrasound records. So far, no such signals have surfaced.
I think it is more likely that the meteorite hit the ground, severed some chemical or sewage pipes and that led to the villagers falling sick.
Scans of 'What on Earth are we doing?', a book published by Ladybird in 1976 that shows us how we can prevent further damage to Earth before it is too late. Snip from the book's forward: "What is the most dangerous animal in the world? A hungry tiger could kill a man in a few seconds and an angry elephant could soon trample him to death. Yet tigers and elephants are neither as dangerous as the animal you see when you look in a mirror. MAN is the greatest danger, not only to other human beings but to the world in which he lives in."
The BBC has received special access to a top secret file so sensitive, it was locked away in 1945, not due to be released until the year 2021. The file reveals a remarkable saga of how thousands of Indian soldiers joined Adolf Hitler to fight British rule in India. From BBC:
Bose, who had been arrested 11 times by the British in India, had fled the Raj with one mission in mind. That was to seek Hitler's help in pushing the British out of India.
Six months later, with the help of the German foreign ministry, he had set up what he called "The Free India Centre", from where he published leaflets, wrote speeches and organised broadcasts in support of his cause.
By the end of 1941, Hitler's regime officially recognised his provisional "Free India Government" in exile, and even agreed to help Chandra Bose raise an army to fight for his cause. It was to be called "The Free India Legion".
Bose hoped to raise a force of about 100,000 men which, when armed and kitted out by the Germans, could be used to invade British India.
He decided to raise them by going on recruiting visits to Prisoner-of-War camps in Germany which, at that time, were home to tens of thousands of Indian soldiers captured by Rommel in North Africa.
1. Singaporean's song to rally Olympic spirit 2. NSman's arms theft due to human error and poor building design 3. Odex adopts the warning approach 4. Monkey God tree in Jurong attracts crowds 5. Oral, anal sex legal in Singapore 6. 2 successes, 1 more cord blood transplant in progress 7. International arbitration court launches in Singapore 8. Singapore Changi Airport Breaks Record in International Best Airport Survey 9. Singapore Companies To Decide On Their Own Whether To Invest In IDR 10. Higher interest and better returns with CPF changes
Skating is a popular worldwide sport but these crazy Saudi guys are taking it one step further. They are skating on the road with their sandals! I wonder if they are wearing special sandals or normal ones.
Some English lessons for you people! The BBC Learning English website teaches us how to use 'have had' and 'had had' together in a sentence. From BBC:
Had had is the past perfect form of have when it is used as a main verb to describe our experiences and actions. We use the past perfect when we are talking about the past and want to refer back to an earlier past time, Madiini. In these examples, note the use of before, after, already and by the time as a trigger for the past perfect. Note also that the contracted form of had had is 'd had.
-She'd had a lot to drink and wasn't capable of walking home by herself.
-After he'd had a good night's sleep, he felt much better.
-She sacked him before he had had a chance to explain his behaviour.
-By the time he was twenty he'd already had four different jobs.
-I'd already had a word with Joan about re-locating to Manchester and now she's had time to think about it, she quite likes the idea.
There are reports coming from all over the world of kids wearing Crocs sandals that had their toes caught in escalators. From AP/Google:
In Japan, the government warned consumers last week that it has received 39 reports of sandals — mostly Crocs or similar products — getting stuck in escalators from late August through early September. Most of the reports appear to have involved small children, some as young as two years old.
Kazuo Motoya of Japan's National Institute of Technology and Evaluation said children may have more escalator accidents in part because they "bounce around when they stand on escalators, instead of watching where they place their feet."
In Singapore, a 2-year-old girl wearing rubber clogs — it's unclear what brand — had her big toe completely ripped off in an escalator accident last year, according to local media reports.
And at the Atlanta airport, a 3-year-old boy wearing Crocs suffered a deep gash across the top of his toes in June. That was one of seven shoe entrapments at the airport since May 1, and all but two of them involved Crocs, said Roy Springer, operations manager for the company that runs the airport terminal.
Tshirt Slayer is a site where metal band lovers can upload pics of their favourite or rare metal band t-shirts and share their devotion to metal band t-shirts with the rest of the world. Go show them your metal!
I recorded this video using the excellent and free CamStudio. It shows an animation of recent earthquakes from Tuesday, September 11 to Friday September 14 2007. The first big earthquake that struck the Sumatra region last week happened on Wednesday at 11.10 UT (7.10pm SG time), after which you will see a flurry of activity near the same area.
1. A mission to save stressed 'trees of the seas' 2. 60,000 throng NATAS Travel Fair 3. Civil society making its mark, quietly 4. ITE students help build rally car that wins at APRC 5. Fake monks and nuns prey on charitable in Singapore 6. MM Lee graces Raffles Hotel's anniversary gala on his 84th birthday 7. One in six people suffer from mental illness in Singapore 8. Sotheby's Ends Singapore Art Auctions With S$10.8 Million Sale 9. Singapore Gives Up On Hosting 2008 ASEAN Championship 10. Hot-air balloon needs new home
According to a story published on Thursday, more Singaporeans are taking advantage of the buoyant economy, rising affluence and lower air fares to head overseas for their holidays. Since holiday travel is now at an all time high in Singapore, it is not surprising to see many people flocking to Natas Holidays 2007 which began on Friday.
This year, the popular annual travel brought together 160 exhibitors, including new participants like Air Bagan, Air Zimbabwe, Asia Global Vacation, the Austrian Embassy and Jakarta City Government Tourism Office. The organisers even boasted that it will be one of the largest and most successful fairs held in Singapore. So yesterday, I decided to head to Singapore Expo to check it out.
The first thing that greeted me once I was outside the hall was the crowd of people queuing to buy tickets to get into the fair.
It was so crowded as you can tell from the video above. Don't you think these people look like robots coming out of a factory assembly? Haha! Here's another video.
Once inside, I noticed more queuing.
Queue! Queue! Queue! Queue! Bloody hell, to get a free cup of Milo, also need to queue.
And if you're not in the line to grab the travel offer that you fancy, you'd most likely be sitting while you wait for your turn. Sigh.
Anyway, I managed to grab lots of flyers and brochures while I was walking around.
Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Sydney! Argh! So many places to go to! Damn, I'm confused.
One of the exhibitors at Natas that caught my attention was online travel agent ZUJI.
Unlike other booths at the fair, the ZUJI booth was simplicity at its best. It only had stacks of flyers and a laptop on the table which says "Book Online at zuji.com.sg". Ironically, amidst all the queue and crowds, they were present with one objective in mind - to encourage people to 'quit the line, and book online.' The ZUJI folks even had guys walking around with big signboards to spread the same message. I know queuing seems to be Singaporeans' favourite pastime but it's definitely not mine. I HATE to queue - well, maybe for delicious donuts but that's the only thing I would queue for aye.
I thought it's a brilliant idea by ZUJI to come to Natas, get a booth and tell people not to queue. Why queue when you can save time and money aye? I think nowadays online bookings are getting quicker, easier and safer and they are beginning to offer more and more products online. There's also the price transparency. I can go to sites such as ZUJI, Priceline and Expedia, and let them do the searching for me to quickly come up with the best deals. Ok, I know websites can never replace the advice and knowledge of an experienced travel agent because there are always going to be limitations in the complexity of the bookings the websites can process but for people like me who prefer the convenience of the internet, online travel agents like ZUJI are definitely here to stay. With these sites, I can book travel safely, securely and conveniently for hotels, flights and other travel services that I need. Nothing beats sitting back at home and let my mouse do the clicking instead of braving the crowds at travel fairs.
I'm not a big fan of mooncakes but I might just put some of these cute Nokia cellphone ones into my mouth. Judging from the photos, I think they are officially sanctioned by Nokia. Let's see if this starts a cellphone mooncake war between the cellphone makers.
Someone created a MTV for the classic Hokkien song Ji Pa Ban. It is about a man's dream of having a million dollars. I do not known any Hokkien but it's such a catchy song and the MTV is dope! Translation here:
If I have got one million, one million, I got one million, my whole life no worries,
Never say nobody knows, say already very shy, Eat until so big, never sat on a plane before,
Worked so hard for so many years, no car no house and also no lover, See people get married and do business, got money and got success,
If I have got one million, I wanna sit on a plane, I wanna explore the world, Hawaii to sun bath, Japan eat sushi ( treat you eat sushi )
If I have got one million, I wanna buy car buy house, Eat all the delicacies of the world, who got the good luck, Be my girl
If I have got one million, one million, I got one million, my whole life no worries,
Never say nobody knows, say already very shy, Eat until so big, never sat on a plane before,
Worked so hard for so many years, no car no house and also no lover, See people get married and do business, got money and got success,
If I have got one million, I wanna sit on a plane, I wanna explore the world, Italy drink coffee, Road side eat spaghetti ( road side eat spaghetti )
If I have got one million, I wanna buy car buy house, Buy shop to collect rent, easy easy no need to work, Bring dog go for a walk...
Lancerlord spotted some cards by ZUJI while looking through a ZO Cards rack. Each card comes with a badge that discourages Singaporeans from doing what they like most - queuing!
My mate Ben Koe wrote a story recently for Marketing Magazine about how public relations practitioners should reach out to bloggers. From The eOK .network:
To begin, it is important to get personal with bloggers. By personal I don't only mean get to know them as friends (yes that's well and good), but getting to know what they want is paramount. What they are interested in, what they like to do with their time, what they like to eat, etc. Sending a press release that's unrelated to a journalist's beat can be ignored as "business", sending an irrelevant one to a blogger is just spam.
It is also fundamentally wrong to think of bloggers as journalists. Blogs are not publications but conversations. Unlike journalists, bloggers have no interest in filling space to complete a media product. The mainstream media has deadlines to meet, pages to fill, and programme timing to follow--bloggers don't. What a blogger would write and talk about has little to do with editorial calendars and plans and a lot to do with interest and passion.
Most shy young practitioners who first join the PR trade are often instructed by their seniors to "pick up the phone and pitch!" When it comes to bloggers, throw that out and try email, IM, and other online communication. Most bloggers don't blog for a living and would not appreciate being interrupted during office hours by PR pitches. Follow up is equally important with bloggers, as it is with journalists, and nothing would please a blogger more than having their readers leaving a permanent remark on their blog in the comments. But do mean what you write because generic comments and useless information are often regarded as spam and discarded.
1. Health insurance to be mandatory for foreign workers 2. Professional computer gaming gets fragged in Singapore 3. Glenn, Flying Dutchman in hot soup? 4. New seafront site released 5. Singapore reveals A380 will seat 471, airports not so happy 6. A380 Charity Auction Raises Over S$1.9 Million 7. Singapore National Science and Technology Awards 8. Singapore holding off Shanghai port challenge 9. MediaCorp Raintree Pictures' "881" crosses S$3m mark at local box office 10. More tremors felt in various parts of Singapore
He sees, hears, talks, shows emotions and remembers who you are. He even walks and performs amazing stunts. He is Zeno the boy robot, developed by Hanson Robotics and modeled loosely after the Japanese comic character, Astro Boy. The company says that Zeno is a representation of robotics as a character animation medium, one that is intelligent - an interactive learning companion and a synthetic pal. Zeno is priced between $200 to $300 and should be available to consumers within the next three years.
We've all stumbled across a 404 error page before. It is usually a boring white page with an error message indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server but either the server could not find what was requested, or it was configured not to fulfill the request and not reveal the reason why.
The folks at Smashing Magazine recently asked their readers to design their own 404 pages. Take a look at the 40 working examples of user-friendly, creative and outstanding 404 error pages submitted by their readers here.
Amazingly, the earthquakes that have battered Indonesia since Wednesday have claimed only 13 lives so far. From AFP/Google:
"The total number of dead is now at 13 with 50 others injured," Rustam Pakaya, who heads the health ministry's crisis center, said in a text message alert.
Two fatalities were recorded in each of the cities of Bengkulu and Padang, while four were killed in Bengkulu province's Mukomuko, three in North Bengkulu district and two in West Sumatra's Pesisir Selatan.
An official from Bengkulu province's disaster coordination centre cautioned that no details were yet confirmed on the deaths in Mukomuko.
The first quake, an 8.4 magnitude one, did unleash a 10 feet tsunami but this time the people in Indonesia got lucky thanks to a quirk of nature that sent the full force of the tsunami out to sea. From Yahoo News:
But the huge mass of water spawned by the initial 8.4-magnitude quake was pushed to sea rather than land, said Mike Turnbull, a seismologist at Australia's Central Queensland University.
"It could have quite easily have been the other way," he said, noting that pressure between the shifting Australian-Indian and Asian plates has been building up over hundreds of thousands of years and was ready to explode. "It's a quirk of nature that this is how it happened."
Although the 10-foot-high tsunami slammed into at least one fishing village on Sumatra on Wednesday, damage overall was "minimal," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after the Air Force conducted an aerial survey.
Aftershocks are still occurring. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake has just rocked Sumatra again at 12.03pm Singapore time. According to the USGS website, the region has been rocked more than 30 times since the 8.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday evening.
In July, the developers of Burj Dubai announced that it has overtaken Taipei 101 in Taiwan as the world's tallest building.
Still under construction, the final height and number of storeys of Burj Dubai have not been revealed. It will be completed in 2008-9. It will have residential, commercial and retail components and the world's first Armani Hotel.
1. Buildings inspected by engineers found to be safe after tremors 2. Ex-NKF chairman Richard Yong convicted on 3 criminal charges 3. Singapore company launches e-robots in India 4. Football: Singapore, UAE draw 1-1 in friendly match 5. U.S. eyes $330 million artillery sale to Singapore 6. More tremors felt by Singaporeans on Thursday morning 7. Spaceport plan still on the cards, says consortium 8. Singaporean students urged to be specialists facing globalized world 9. Singapore highlights the importance of biofuels on its energy strategy 10. Finance executives: Singapore's cost of living a "big problem"
Monkey Suicide is a site all about stuffed monkeys in sticky situations. So far 205 monkeys have been sacrificed. This pic on the left shows one dead by overdose.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this video clip was taken in Indonesia during the massive earthquake yesterday. It shows violent shaking of the fishtank and the chandelier, and lights turning on and off by themselves - just as you would expect if you are hit by a strong earthquake aye. But it's not taken in any of the earthquake hit areas of Indonesia but here in Singapore!
The video was shot by 12 year old Clarissa at her home. It was then submitted to CNN I-Reports. Singapore has felt tremors over the years from earthquakes that hit Indonesia but I think yesterday's tremors are the most powerful that we have felt. And the video by Clarissa just shows us how violent the tremors were yesterday. Scary stuff aye.
I thought I was sick. I was sitting in front of my HP Dragon and all of the sudden I felt a little giddy. I decided to sit still and I could actually feel my head sway. Then I looked at my door and saw it moving too. I stood up in front of the door to check if there's any wind blowing but I did not feel anything.
I suspected an earthquake. I quickly checked the news online but there was nothing. Then my friend, Isabell MSN'ed me to ask if I felt the earthquake. We are both living in the east. She thought she was imagining things.
The USGS website was first to report this as an earthquake. It says a 7.9 magnitude earthquake (now upgraded to 8.4 magnitude) struck Southern Sumatra at 7.10pm (6.10pm Sumatra local time). Both Isabell and me felt the tremor at 7.15pm. I felt the tremor for a good one minute.
On TV, Channel NewsAsia is finally reporting it now. The earthquake is reported on its website too.
"Singapore buildings sway after earthquake measuring 7.9 hits Indonesia; Indonesian authorities have issued a tsunami warning"
This is the second tremor I felt in Singapore. The first was in March this year.
Oh Britney. What happened to you? For those of you who missed Britney Spear's shocking performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, click here to watch it.
Was Britney's outfit too revealing or was she just too fat? Anyway this is what I think. She can't dance, she can't sing, she looked horrible and she's a mess! What the hell was she thinking?
1. New drugs developed to treat rare blood disorders 2. Dream Of A Malaysian-Singaporean Regional Metropolis 3. 60% surge in conjunctivitis cases in last three weeks 4. Manager of cybergaming national team quits 5. Airport keeps talented old guard as advisers 6. AWOL soldier faces 2 more charges 7. Championship Gaming Series: Trouble in Singapore 8. Online lynching: What's a firm to do? 9. Singapore to have a taste of Vietnamese style 10. Forensic experts from Singapore to be trained at India's DFS
The folks at DESPAIR, INC., created their soul-crushingly depressing posters known as Demotivators because they believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. With Demovitators posters, you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!
These are some of their posters that I like.
Now I can increase my success by lowering expectations. Ha!
Dude put three McDonald's cheeseburgers and some french fries on top of a pizza. He then sprinkled lots of mozarella cheese over them before putting them into the oven. His creation: the Pizzaburger.
A Soviet Poster A Day is a delightful blog that posts scanned images of Soviet posters. The excellent write-up for each poster is a must read. Poster on the left: Safe, Profitable, Convenient! Deposit in savings-bank!
Map Scarves are silk scarves that have detailed maps of famous cities printed on them. These scarves are inspired by the silk 'escape maps' issued to Allied airmen during WWII. I think this is a brilliant idea. No need to look for a map when you're lost in cities like New York. Just untie your scarf for help.
Ever wondered how you will look like with pieces of meat as your hair? Take a look at Julia Kissina's interesting work here. She has been taking photos of women with meat hair.
Thai company Yumi Modal makes hand made Terminator statues, Alien Sculptures, Predator & Star Wars Replicas from scrap metal auto-parts. Every month, it makes 3 to 4 big statues together with dozens of medium sized ones and about a hundred smaller sized statues.
Yup as you can see, it pays to sign up with Advertlets. So if you are a blogger, what are you waiting for? Go to Advertlets, register and add the Advertlets banner advertisement codes into your blog.
Regarding the payout to Singapore bloggers, I will be contacting those of you who have cashed out recently. Moolah is coming!
1. Casinos will help Singapore shed its 'museum' image 2. US space tourism company short of financing, partners for Singapore spaceport 3. 7th dengue death in S'pore 4. Bus fares to go up by 1 to 2 cents from Oct 1 5. New online entertainment channel coming 6. Businesses and police form watch groups to enhance security awareness 7. Bumper crop of S'pore films produced, released commercially this year 8. Singapore transsexual battles culture of shame 9. Bikini-clad man charged in Singapore 10. Singapore's Lee Urges Openness to Investment
Nickelodeon Magazine asked some of the world's goofiest and most talented illustrators to give the magazine their take on Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa. I'm not too sure if Leo likes a good laugh or two but I don't think he will be too pleased with these impressions of his work though. But hey, it's Nickelodeon!
Here's how you can make your very own golf ball gun that can shoot 380m away using some pvc pipes. Kids, please don't use this to shoot your neighbours ok, no matter how bad they are. And please don't steal golf balls from your dad.
This PC case from Spotswood looks like a bass drum. Each case is handcrafted with high-quality maple veneer plywood. Because of its unique round shape, it eliminates stagnant hot air pockets. The maple veneer plywood construction reduces noise, provides ultimate strength, and coupled with three cooling fans, ensures maximum cooling efficiency. I love it, not just because I'm a drummer.
1. Ducks at the Harbourfront next year? Why not? 2. Online auction for first A380 seats sells out 3. Long waits cited for eye, bone specialists at Singapore hospitals 4. Singapore Entertainment Mall Set For 2011 5. Fit for life, not only work 6. Govt may let some groups opt out of annuity scheme 7. Tampines West residents complete giant cross-stitch patchwork 8. Last Duck Race in Singapore 9. Dengue Central 10. Oh Odex, It's been a PR disaster
I've been using the new HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series Notebook PC, aka the Dragon for roughly 2 weeks now. I can tell you that it is one hell of a machine. Before I blog in detail about the Dragon's amazing features, here are its specifications for those of you who have been asking for it.
Operating system installed: Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate
Standard memory: 2048 MB
Memory type: DDR2
Memory layout: (2 x 1024 MB)
Maximum memory: Supports up to 4GB DDR2 memory (Dual Channel Memory Support; For 4 GB memory configuration, up to 1 GB may not be available with 32-bit operating systems due to system resource requirements)
Internal hard disk drive: 400 GB (2 x 200 GB)
Hard disk controller: SATA Hard Disk Drive
Hard disk drive speed: 4200 rpm
Optical drive type: LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support
Memory card device: 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
Network interface: Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Wireless capability: Integrated bluetooth
External I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI connector, 1 eSata connector, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, S-video TV out, 2 headphones-out Stereo, 1 mic-in, 1 IEEE 1394, Consumer IR, AC Adapter, Native External Speaker Configuration Ports: Side, Rear, Centre/Sub, Front
Video capture interface: IEEE 1394 FireWire® Interface
Expansion slots: One ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
Display size: 20.1” WSXGA+ High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display
Display resolution: 1680 x 1050
Video adapter: ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ HD 2600 XT
Video RAM: with 256 MB dedicated video memory, up to 1023MB Total Available Graphics Memory
TV tuner: Integrated HP Digital + Analog Hybrid TV Tuner
Control panel: HP QuickPlay media player software and its dedicated menu controls, music and DVD buttons
Internal audio: 3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated
Speakers and microphone: Altec Lansing® speakers (4 Panel Mounted and 1 HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer supporting up to 7.1 external speaker configurations)
Keyboard: 101 key compatible notebook keyboard with scroll bar and integrated numeric keypad, 3 Quick Launch Buttons
Pointing device: Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad
Power supply type: 180 W AC Power adapter
Webcam: HP Pavilion Webcam with Integrated Microphone
Weight: 7.05 kg
Dimensions (W x D x H): 47.5 cm (L) x 33.95 cm (W) x 5.85 cm (min H/max H)
As you can see, the Dragon has almost everything that you can ask for in a high-end entertainment notebook! Impressive aye.
PingMag has a story about the intricate science of Japanese nail art. The nail art scene in Japan is one of the most vibrants in the world. Over there, nail chips are designed with a sense of season or with different styles to suit a variety of fashions just like jewellery and accessories.
My favourite book store Borders is coming to my favourite shopping mall Parkway Parade. Yay! The new Borders will be located where MPH used to be in Parkway Parade - down at the basement.
MPH closed its outlet there recently. I reckon business hasn't been too good for them there. It will be interesting to see if Borders can do better.
Well, at least this is good news for Easterners like me. Soon, we don't have to go to busy Orchard Road just to hang out at Borders. I can imagine my future Sunday afternoons at Parkway Parade Borders and then later in the evening, walk to the East Coast Beach nearby and enjoy a drink or two. Perfect!
For hardcore Hello Kitty fans, this Hello Kitty wedding in Hong Kong must be the ultimate dream wedding but for me, I'll kill myself if I have to go through one like this. I don't hate Hello Kitty but this is a bit too much.
Dude uses paperboard, KFC buckets, mooncake, egg-pie and milk boxes in addition to chopsticks, popsicle sticks, the core of ball-point pen, clew, plastic spring, etc to make this incredible 36cm tall Bumblebee that has more than 60 movable joints!
1. Gamer accused of illegally accessing account 2. Spread brightest pupils across schools 3. Singapore Red Cross wants a first aider in every family by 2020 4. Second Life: Financial Services Firms like Singapore's First Meta Move In 5. More firms turn to sponsorships over traditional advertising 6. Myanmar's Air Bagan launches Singapore service 7. Durai gets new job in UAE 8. What they say about Hsien Yang appointment 9. New film-making technique Machinima gaining popularity 10. Singapore to make dying at home easier for terminally ill
Singapore takes its "no protest" stance pretty seriously. Recently a small group of Japanese anime fans decided to gather at the Youth Park with their cavalry of toys to protest against a clampdown on Internet downloading of anime material by Singapore animation distributor Odex.
Riot police vs action figures! Poor action figures - they don't stand a chance. So remember kids, don't use your toys for an outdoor protest ok? You don't want to unnecessary activate the riot police. Leave your toys at home where they belong.
(This story was brought to my attention by someone who posted this link to Topix Singapore News, where I edit.)
Pictures of a Storm Trooper, Boba Fett and Alien - all made from scrap metal - taken in a shopping mall in Dubai. I got a feeling they are there to scare away the little kids at the mall.
Aesthetic Apparatus design cool concert and gig posters and sell them online. Their Sold Out Poster Gallery is just as dope. I wish I can buy them all and hang them on my wall. Seriously, these are really amazing work. To read the story behind each poster, just click on them.
Yo kids! Here's a project for you to do at your school's science fair - the Barbie Doll Electric Chair! It's perfect for showing how an electric chair works and discuss electric currents and conductivity. Warning: Project may disgust the entire female community in your school.
1. Singapore Exchange Hit by Another Computer Glitch 2. Some Bukit Batok residents unperturbed by dengue threat 3. Hybrid cars: Are they for you? 4. Malay movies saved in Asian Archive move 5. A grandmother's anguish 6. Singapore court rules on bad feng shui 7. Epitome of the modern woman keeps starring role 8. Singapore sees a cyber protest 9. Anime nation 10. Spectacular F1 nights in Singapore
Here's a picture of a Starbucks (not the real one of course) in Goa, a state located on the western coast of India and famous for its beaches. I wonder if they serve good coffee there.
I've been suffering from the irritating flu for sometime now. My nose has been running non stop. At times, it is worse than a tap of running water.
Thankfully it is definitely getting better after a trip to the doc who told me that I should be taking more Vitamin C. I have not been eating fruits that much lately maybe that's why my immune system has been weak.
Anyway, I was at my neighbourhood 7 Eleven store yesterday to buy some stuff and I came across this small bottled drink called YOU C1000.
It has 1000mg of Vit C! I decided to give it a try. It tasted really good - kinda like a lemonade soda. But more importantly, after drinking it, I felt much better already. I swear!
(All pics taken with the LG Shine mobile phone. Review of the LG Shine here and more related posts here.)
I tell you the Japanese are amazing. If you like slow motion effects like they did in The Matrix movies, then you will love this live action version of a couple fighting over dinner. These Japanese performers can even do a rewind!
For the premiere of the new season of Family Guy in the US, Fox made a special promotional poster of the characters in the show dressed up as Star Wars characters. The episode itself is a tribute to Star Wars. I'm definitely going to watch it. Let's hope someone posts it up to YouTube. LOL.
Idea Mapping is a technique for simultaneously generating ideas and organizing them into a hierarchy. This Flickr set contains Idea Maps collected by Jamie Nast, author of Idea Mapping. The map above was created by Judy (Grewell) Bess and is featured in Jamie's book. The map documents all of the final planning for Judy's husband who was dying of cancer.
They don't call these LEGO Star Wars toys, the Ultimate Collector Series for nothing aye. They are the the greatest LEGO Star Wars models ever produced! There are six to choose from: Millennium Falcon, Imperial AT-ST, Imperial Star Destroyer, Death Star II, Vader's TIE Advanced and Sandcrawler. Lucky I have no patience to play with LEGO or else I would have buy all six.
Now this looks really fun. The Easyglider is a personal sports vehicle that pulls you across the streets at a max speed of 20 kph. It can be used with your inline skates, your skateboard or the char – the small, included Easyglider chariot-like trailer. You can also plug your mp3 player into the integrated steeringbar and play your music through the four speakers sound system. There's also a kids version!
1. Spectacular F1 nights in Singapore 2. Singapore Zoo to invest close to S$9m in new children's attraction 3. Singapore tops as preferred holiday locale 4. Singapore's watch industry grows rapidly 5. U.S.-Singapore team applying nanoelectronics to embedded computing 6. Taipei mayor praises Singapore 7. A sad day for Singapore football 8. Runaway corporal spent 4 hours in hotel room 9. SMRT, SBS ramp up wheelchair-friendly bus fleets 10. Singapore's Economy to Grow Faster Than Expected
My friend Isabell just bought a new Hp Pavilion Entertainment PC at Comex 2007. Understandably, she's very excited playing with her new toy. Here are bits and pieces of our conversation on MSN:
IZ-abella says: so tell me the model again pls
Isabell is trying very hard not to murder her new HP Pavilion Entertainment PC! says: you are going to laugh.... i have no idea
IZ-abella says: *tries hard not to laugh
Isabell is trying very hard not to murder her new HP Pavilion Entertainment PC! says: let me go check the box... ah it's the HP Pavilion TX1222 AU
IZ-abella says: Ah, the tablet pc. I thought you got yourself the new HP Dragon. Hehe. Can't be it aye because I've been told it's not for sale yet.
(fyi, the Dragon is HP's new 20 inch Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series Notebook PC. I am extremely privileged to be the first blogger in this region to use one. Thanks HP!)
Isabell is trying very hard not to murder her new HP Pavilion Entertainment PC! says: eh? how to shut down arh
IZ-abella says: ha
Isabell is trying very hard not to murder her new HP Pavilion Entertainment PC! says: eh! i actually clicked the right button but why is my power button still blinking? Hmm my nickname has to be changed to "Isabell does not know how to shut down her notebook" soon
IZ-abella says: try slaming it to the floor hard
---
Ha! Ok. I know. I know. I was being evil. But seriously kids, please do not slam your notebook on the floor if you can't shut it down ok? I suggest finding the right shut down button which is the safest approach.
1. Police explains why public not informed about missing armed NSF 2. Singapore's newest boutique hotel catches the eye of F1 3. "Historic" cooperation reached on Malacca Straits safety 4. Man who fakes injury jailed for six months 5. Singapore's wealth fund flattered by imitation 6. Odex: No action will be taken for downloads made before Monday 7. Failed relationship may have led soldier to go AWOL with rifle 8. Singapore 'could become fund management hub' 9. Singapore opposition leader jailed for three weeks 10. Singapore to start wireless-payment trials
Dude uses an empty Sprite bottle to make a pair of fashionable eyeglasses that can also be worn on the wrist. Pics and instructions here. How's that for recycling eh?!
Gobelins is a visual communications school in France that teaches photography, animation and multimedia. I was watching several animated short films made by their animation students and I was very impressed. The one I like best is Chronos 1.0. It's about a time traveler. Very cool animation. Go watch them all.
I know some of you had a good time squeezing my zits. I also know there are some who are happier letting them grow all over my face. Tsk! Anyway, here's another flash game for you to play. See how many I.Z. puppets you can smash. Remember to smash me, not the rabbit ok. Ha!!!
This has led to hackers unlocking the iPhone and it looks like the folks from iPhone-Singapore are doing the same and making money out of it by selling the unlocked (hacked) iPhones which may or may not be illegal.
According to the site, it has already sold a couple of unlocked iPhones to its customers from Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and even the UK. One of the customers, Bahula from India left a comment on the website: "After ordering my iPhone from iPhone-Singapore, I received it in 3 weeks. I am so happy, this phone is very good." Another customer, Jason from Singapore said: "iPhone-Singapore.com has made my dream come true, this iPhone is magical!"
There's no way to verify the authenticity of these comments or the website so I'm not sure how reliable the service is. But oh well, if you have S$1500 to burn and you really want to be the first few in Singapore to own an iPhone, then I see no harm trying the website out. Just let me know when you receive your iPhone.
1. 'A Bull in China' Leaving New York for Singapore 2. $200m fund to help raise standards of govts across Asia 3. Relief for ODEX-phobia? 4. UK promoter sued by STB for charity concert that never happened 5. Bukit Batok is worst dengue hot spot now 6. Gaming lab to be set up in Singapore 7. S'pore games studio eyes overseas publishing deal 8. Odex won't send any backlog letters 9. Singapore most popular online 10. Nabbed in Orchard Rd after hunt: NSF with rifle, ammo
You know, I think I want this cake for my birthday on November 21.
Oh my god! It's the Muppets!!!!
There's my favourite Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie and all the characters from The Muppet Show! This is just so awesome. Now I need to look for a confectionery that can make me one of these. View the Muppets Show Cake here (Flickr set).
The Japanese have an easier way for those of you ladies who want to increase your cup size. No expensive boob jobs. No medical treatment. No pills. Just cookies and tea.
The F Cup Cookies and Tea (links in Japanese) supposedly contain a breast enlarging herb. Eating the cookies and drinking the tea daily may help you increase your boob size. Not really sure if they do enlarge the breasts to a F cup but...
As they say, any increase, even if the slightest is very much welcome.
This map attempts to show the entire visible Universe. Start from 14 billion light years and then zoom in all the way to our nearest stars. It's a fantastic way to understand how big our universe really is.
Men and women view kissing differently according to a study carried out by a team from New York State University. The team found out that kissing means more to women than men. Hmmm. From BBC:
They (women) use kissing as a way of assessing the recipient as a potential partner, and later to maintain intimacy and to check the status of a relationship.
But men placed less importance on it, using it to increase the likelihood of sex, Evolutionary Psychology reported.
The questionnaires revealed men were less discriminating when it came to deciding who to kiss or who to have sex with.
They were more willing to have sex with someone without kissing, to have sex with someone they are not attracted to and agree to have sex with someone they considered to be a bad kisser.
But kissing was more important as a bonding mechanism to women.
The itbed is made from 7 mm thick cardboard that can be folded like an accordion for portability. It comes in two models: one for futons or thinner roll-up mattresses and the other is for traditional mattresses. I think it's great for guests who are sleeping over at your place.
If you like war documentaries, you should watch this exclusive first look at THE WAR, a seven-part series that tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
An Asian equivalent of the lost city of Atlantis has been found by a Japanese researcher. The city known as Mu was believed to be sunk by an earthquake some 3000 years ago. From Reuters:
"Judging by the design and the disposition of the ruins, the city must have looked just like an ancient Roman city," said Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University and the chairman of the non-profit Marine Science and Culture Heritage Research Association.
"I can envisage a triumphal arch-like statue stood on the left side of the Colosseum and a shrine over the hill," he told Reuters Television.
Some of the initial divers notices the rocks were unnaturally smooth and formed a sort of staircase near the island's shores. Subsequent dives by Kimura revealed irregular rock outcrops over 1 square km (0.4 square mile) and mounds of rubble.
Kimura says he believes the city had a castle, a shrine, an arch, statues and a colosseum.
1. Can Singapore Air Teach China Eastern To Fly? 2. CEO drew on experiences to Lead Jetstar Asia back 3. Singapore bans Burma protests 4. Determined shoppers at Comex lugged home hot-ticket items 5. NUS students build sports wheelchair that's lighter, cheaper 6. PM: Malay- Muslims now much better off 7. Car accident ends lives of two friends 8. Is it time for privacy laws? 9. New Singapore Salad Sauce aims to take on global market 10. Photo collage by NUS students makes it to Singapore Book of Records
The Vacuum Bazooka works by using atmospheric pressure to propel a projectile. All you need is a vacuum cleaner and several easy to find items. Learn how to make one here. Watch the video here (QuickTime). Fire away!
The NmG Personal Electric Vehicle by Myers Motor is such a fun car. Not only it is powered by electricity, it has a radical design guaranteed to get you more attention than a much more expensive sports car and it can even travel up to a maximum speed of 76 mph!
Here's a good coverage of Comex 2007 (Day 1 and Day 2) which was held recently over the weekend at Suntec. You can find several pics and write-up of the cool products available at the show.
The 60,000 sq m Cool Baby Pet Theme Park is fast becoming a mecca for Beijing's pet lovers and their pets. From Asia News Network:
The grounds boast lodging for dogs in the form of lovely wooden cabins, a fountain, small bridges, and even a mini-train. Beach umbrellas and colorful rocking chairs line the pool, which has proved to be the most popular pooch attraction this summer.
This is a place for owners to socialise, exchanging cute tales of their charges while the puppies run free in the large off-leash area, where music is broadcast through speakers.
Admission costs 10 yuan (US$1.32), and evening is primetime for hounds to hangout. They chase each other while their owners stretch out in the shade, or fuss with doggie snacks.
Garden parties for pets and friends can be booked at 150 yuan ($19.84) for the day.
The park also provides longer term lodging, and training courses to teach dogs skills to rival their star counterparts in movies such as Firehouse Dog and 101 Dalmatians.
I was at Cafe del Mar recently to celebrate WH's birthday - not the famous one at Ibiza (I wish!) but here at Sentosa. The iconic beach bar at Ibiza, Spain is famous for its chillout music and lovely beaches and sunsets. I was very sure the one at Sentosa cannot match its Ibiza cousin but I discovered when I was there that it is not that bad actually. In fact, I kinda love it. It has a bungalow, dipping pool, beach chairs, the signature Cafe del Mar music, nice food and drinks, and a lovely scenic view - definitely the place you should go to for spectacular Singapore sunsets.
As they say, pictures speak louder than words. Lovely ain't it?
That's the bar which is connected to the pool. You can dip in the pool and then just crawl to the bar for all your alcohol. Cool!
The food served at Cafe del Mar is surprisingly very good. We ordered a few dishes, starting with the Tortilla De Patatas.
It's a modern Spanish omellette made by cramalized onions, bacon new potato emulsion and chives oil. It's very good. They have other Tapas on the menu too.
The Maello Paella was next. I think no Spanish dining is complete without the paella. The Maello Paella is one of the recommended dishes at Cafe del Mar. Safron rice baked with seafood morsels, fragrant with spices saute capsicum, fresh tomatos and herbs - yummy!
We also had the Grilled Succulent Lamb Chops - Australian lamb racks marinated with herbs and olive oil and then grilled. The dish is served with vegetable compote with tamarind and tomato cilantro salsa. My favourite of the three!
And lastly, the lovely birthday cake! I bought this Strawberry Hazelnut cake from Choz.
The very happy birthday girl with her cake!
Overall, my experience at Cafe del Mar is a very pleasant one. I definitely wanna go there again. Oh, it's best if you go during the weekdays when it is less crowded and the service is so much better than the weekends.
The folks at Build Your Own Death Project wants you to help design a cigarette box. Go to their site, download the template, paint/draw your design on it and once you're done, send it back to them. They are already showcasing several cool cigarette box designs that they received. Oh. You can even download and print those cigarette boxes! I like the one with Jesus holding a cigarette.
No one designs space suits better than science fiction artists. This nice guide shows you some of the space suit designs used in old sci-fi novels, magazines and movies. Notice how these space suits look like the Michelin Man.
From next month onwards, if you are a Buddhist monk in Tibet, you are not allowed to reincarnate without the permission of the Chinese government. From MSNBC:
According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.
Poor monks. Reincarnate also must ask permission from government. So I guess we may see the next Dalai Lama reincarnated in countries like United States, India, and maybe who knows, even Singapore.
4 Singapore companies have been selected among the 100 most promising private technology companies in the Asia Pacific region by Red Herring Magazine.
AcuLe@rn, First Meta, iWow Technology and Ohanae were all named in the prestigious Red Herring 100 Asia 2007 awards, held at the Red Herring 100 Asia event in Hong Kong.
The Red Herring editorial team carefully selected the 100 winners out of 200 finalists based on quantitative and qualitative criteria such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their ecosystem. The 200 finalists are based in 16 countries/regions including China, India, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Australia and Vietnam.
I.Z. Reloaded covers news, pop culture, blogs, websites, gadgets, the fascinating and the weird from a Singapore perspective. The blog is a runner up in both the 2006 Weblog Awards (Best Asia Blog) and the 2004 Asia Blog Awards (Best Singapore Blog) and it is also the first Singapore blog to be syndicated by Newstex. I.Z. is the Editor of Klik.TV and is currently serving as the Brand Ambassador for Comboutique Asia. Previously, he has served as the Blog Ambassador for Advertlets and as the Brand Ambassador for San Street. Send him stories, invites, sponsorships or write to him at izreloaded[at]gmail[dot]com.
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