King of Pop passes on

Everyone knows who he was.

Madonna was the queen of pop and he was the king of pop.

My dad introduced this phenomenal popstar to me when I was in my secondary school. He has got a few music vids of him.

His music vids were undisputedly the best in those days.

And his signature dance moves...crotching grabbing and moonwalking...

Memorable even till today.

RIP, MJ

'Fulfilling' November

It's been a while since I updated this...it's been a month!

Packed with activities and events, I had a very 'fulfilling' November...

I 'almost' won a car with the help of my sis and my dad...'Almost!' yes, it was that close....


























Me and hubbie splurged over 300 bucks on sports shoes...















I got a bike for myself...














Clumzcat was back... Read Gigi's account of our fabulous dinner by hubbie!














And...some random photos of hubbie's cooking...





I tink I gained 2kg in Nov...

Lo and behold for Dec...more dinners, fun and activities!

Hopefully, I remember to bring along my 'sanyo'....

Hazy days

Went out, into the haze this morning.

The smoky smell lingers in the air and I have phlegm in my throat. I had a few really bad coughs just now, I tink I choked on the dust particles. My eyes are smarting and I had to keep blinking my eyes to keep the tears coming...

Reached the building and the air-conditioned environment. Relief but not for long...

Now, I m going into the haze in another 15 mins. Damn....

3-hr PSI Readings ( 7 Oct 2006 )
Time 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm
3-hr PSI 89 101 119 130 128 115

Check out the nea website for the latest update on the PSI levels....

The Great Singapore 'Bear'

Where's the S'pore bear?
UN organiser disappointed S'pore not taking part in 142-nation bear exhibition
By Mindy Tan (the new paper)
September 07, 2006

ONCE upon a time, there were 142 bears.There was a Malaysian bear, a Thai bear, a Vietnamese bear and many more from all over the world.
Bears standing in a circle in alphabetical order by country name in Berlin's historic Bebelplatz in July.

But the Singapore bear was not among them.

So the poor Singapore bear missed out when the painted fibreglass bears travelled all over the world and raised over 1.18 million euros ($2.36 million) for United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
The bears representing 142 UN member countries are part of the United Buddy Bear (UBB) public art exhibition.
The countries paid 2,500 euros each for a bear to be represented in Berlin, Germany.
After the Berlin stop, the exhibition moves to Vienna, Austria, this month.
Each country had to send an artist to paint the bear. It also had to cover the artist's expenses. (See report on facing page.)
The UBB exhibition has been travelling around the world since 2002.
Dr Klaus Herlitz, a German, who conceived the idea in 2002, said it has been seen by 12 million people in eight cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Britain's Buddy Bear is dressed as a sheikh draped with the Union Jack.
And 1.5 million visitors saw it in Germany during the football World Cup in June.
The bears stood alphabetically, hand-in-hand, in a circle in Berlin's historic Bebelplatz.
The participating countries submitted their bears painted in their country's own art styles.

LOST OPPORTUNITY? So did Singapore miss out on a great opportunity?

The reason could be Singapore's SingArt Lion project, launched in 2004, which the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the National Arts Council (NAC) chose to concentrate on.
Sixty fibreglass lions painted by local celebrities, including photographer Russel Wong, Raffles Holdings chief executive and president Jennie Chua and plastic surgeon Woffles Wu, were part of a public art display then.
Like the UBB exhibition, they were auctioned to raise funds for charity. The starting bid for a lion was $8,888.
When contacted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spoke on behalf of the NAC, the STB and the Singapore Embassy in Berlin.
An MFA spokesman confirmed that UBB organisers had approached the Singapore Embassy in Berlin. The matter was then referred to the NAC and the STB.
'After due consideration, the NAC and the STB decided that it would be better to concentrate their efforts and resources on promoting Singapore's own SingArt Lion project,' he said.
In an e-mail reply to The New Paper, Dr Herlitz said: 'We are proud that 142 United Nations member states were represented in the circle in Berlin.

'Unfortunately, Singapore was not part of it.

'The matter would be less of an issue if smaller countries, for example, San Marino, were not represented. But it is a great pity if Singapore does not participate.'
One disappointed visitor was university student Madari Math Ly Haroun, 27. The German has been to Singapore.

At the exhibition, he said: 'I was looking out for South-east Asian bears and was surprised that Singapore was left out.

'Cambodia's bear was intricately painted with a picture of Angkor Wat. I wonder what a Singapore bear would have looked like?'

NOT TOO LATE

But it is not too late. The offer for Singapore to enter its bear is still open.
Dr Herlitz added: 'Maybe it would be possible to show the exhibition in Singapore one day, in a central location of the city.'

Singapore, no more disappointment!
.
.
.
.
.
.

I present you...................

the GREAT SINGAPORE BEAR!
(yep, the one in the blue shirt!)

PS: I bring this to sleep every nite ;)

Kings preferred in Japan

It’s a boy, and Japan’s relieved

TOKYO: People in Japan expressed relief and happiness on Wednesday that the birth of a baby boy to Princess Kiko had gone well.

The birth of the first male heir in the imperial family in more than four decades takes pressure off Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako to have a boy.

Their four-year-old daughter Princess Aiko is not allowed to become sovereign under law that limits the succession to males.

The baby prince becomes third in line to the throne after his uncle, the crown prince, and his father Prince Akishino. (source:Daily news)

"Boys are better" according to Japan.

I was told by the tour guide during my Japan trip, that the jap working women are required to go to office earlier than the men to prepare coffee and tea. They are also allowed to leave the office earlier so that they can rush home and cook for their husbands.

Glass ceiling phenomenon in japan? I tink they have a 'solid concrete ceiling' on the corporate ladder to prevent women from reaching top positions!

Well I have this to say, "Boys are not always better! hmmp!"

Look, we are on the news! - dbl O aftermath

10/07/06
The Business Times (p4)

Gold prices increase again!

WAH!

THE PRICE OF GOLD IS NOW $40 PER GRAM!!!!

HURRY! GO SELL YOUR GOLD :O

The $200 plus bracelet given to me by my auntie less than two years ago, now fetches $500 plus..wow!