I missed the chance of walking on water

The Bigwalk 2008.

I overslept. Was supposed to wake up at 5.30am this morning but my alarm failed to wake me up.

Next year, I will definitely be there.

Movies: Tropic Thunder

I just watched Tropic Thunder this afternoon. This is one of the best comedy I have watched this year. Ok. I don't go to the movies that often nowadays. The last piece of comedy I have watched was Big Stan.

This is a good movie for the family.  You should watch this over the weekend and have a good laugh.

Would you stay in a murder house?

A real murder not a virtual murder.

Supposedly.................

There's a murder or multiple murders in an apartment few years back or even a decade ago. The apartment is then put up for sale.

I won't even if it's not haunted. It may be haunted since there's a possibility of the dead with grievances still residing in that house.

(It may or may not be haunted). Nobody knows for sure except for the residents.

But here's the catch.......

The property prices will soar in future, say 3 years later, you will make good profits from the sale of your apartment if you buy it now.

The downside - Murder apartment and possibility of being haunted.
The upside - Handsome profits from the sale of the apartment.

I won't stay there.

That's out of my comfort zone no matter how much profits I will e getting in the near future. I do like horror movies but I don't like to be part of the movie.

For half of it's market value? 50% OFF.

I won't stay either.

Will you buy the apartment and stay there?

How was the week for you?

I thought I would end my Friday the usual way. Work. Go back home. Take dinner. Blog. Fall asleep.

Until I saw this news from Yahoo.

Woman jailed after 'killing' virtual husband

I ended my workday with lots of question marks. Why so serious over an online marriage which means nothing?

Do you feel the same way as I do?

The news here:

By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer
AP - Friday, October 24

TOKYO - A 43-year-old player in a virtual game world became so angry about her sudden divorce from her online husband that she logged on with his password and killed his digital persona, police said.

The woman, who has been jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his ID and password to log onto the popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in May, a police official in the northern city of Sapporo said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman, a piano teacher, had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison or a fine up to US$5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" create and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting monsters and other obstacles.

In virtual worlds, players often abandon their inhibitions, engaging in activity online that they would never do in the real world. For instance, sex with strangers is a common activity.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married to kill the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and taken 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sapporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

Bad online behavior is usually handled within the rules set up by online worlds, which can ban miscreants or take away their virtual possessions.

In recent years, misbehavior in the virtual world has in some cases had consequences in reality.

In August, a woman was charged in the U.S. state of Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through the virtual reality Web site "Second Life."

In Tokyo, a 16-year-old boy was charged with stealing the ID and password from a fellow player of an online game in order to swindle virtual currency worth US$360,000

Lost another broker

I picked up a letter from my mailbox this evening.

It was from CIMB, my brokerage, I have no intention to open this letter since I have received a lot of letters from them saying the same thing - They have assigned a new trading representative to me. I am guessing since they do not send me letters other than for this reason.

I started with GK GOH in the beginning. That was donkey years ago..............................

My brokers kept leaving, I am not sure if they left for other companies or they had left the industry, I know the market is pretty hard on their business. Not only the current market. Ever since the launch of online trading, a lot of brokers were left broke.

DIY trading is so much competitive in commissions.

I never trade through my brokers ever since I started online unlike those early days of trading which I do not trust the online system.

And I guess those who really survived have upgraded themselves to the role of financial advisers/analysts.

Anyway....I finally opened the letter (before I throw it away), I am not surprised ....... a change of trading representative. This is the 7th time I have received this from CIMB.

"Change is the only constant?"

I guess I have to upgrade myself as well. It's a dreadful rat race which I am grateful that I am still in it (employed) and trying to get out of it (financial freedom).

I still prefer Yahoo! but only for 1 reason

Yahoo! days are over. It was one of those really promising companies in Silicon Valley and I must admit that I was quite fascinated by their early ads "Do you Yahoo?" At first, I thought "This looks like an exciting company which will probably be better than AOL and Alta-Vista"

It was for a few years.

Then I wonder what happened to them.

The search engine is not as good as before or I should say Google is better. It's easier to find websites on Google than Yahoo! The accuracy isn't that good on Yahoo!

The auction is gone too. Yahoo! auction is one of the best out there, I have traded a few times on the auction and it's so easy to find stuff. I don't like eBay for your info.

But...

They shut it down.

Now, I have 2 reasons not to Yahoo!

Why would Yahoo! provide more emails like Y mail and rocketmail? Shouldn't they just focus on the usual Yahoo email, anyway, the new layout in Yahoo! email is good. But Gmail is also good with the layout not to mention Windows Live email. I like it with a @live.com email, this looks better than a @yahoo.com email.

In fact, I have all 3 accounts, primarily using Yahoo! while trying out Gmail and Win Live and I use more of Win Live lately as compared to Yahoo! because of the Win Live's interface.

A total migration will come soon. So, my 3rd reason for not going Yahoo!. I am used to reading news on Yahoo! homepage, I find it much easier to browse headlines than MSN or USAtoday. It's the only reason why I am still addicted to Yahoo!

Was a big fan of Yahoo!, not a big fan for now and unless Jeff Yang could do something to give Google a run for its money, I doubt I will be using Yahoo! for long.

It lack the coverage of Google, lacks the innovation it seriously lacks the talents behind those innovations.

Maybe in the next few months......

Do you still Yahoo!? No, I don't anymore.

Harry's bar promotion for golfers

I received this advertisement from Harry's bar and I thought I could just share this with my readers.


Are you as mad about golf as Harry's is? Then you will be very interested in knowing about the Barclays Singapore Open - Singapore's pre-eminent golf event, being held at Sentosa Golf Club 13 - 16 November 08.

This amazing 4 day event will showcase the talents of some "Gods of Golf", whose golf skills inspire and awe us at every par,namely:

• Phil Mickelson (World Rank 2)
• Padraig Harrington (World Rank 4)
• Ernie Els (World Rank 9)
• Adam Scott (World Rank 16)
• KJ Choi (World Rank 17)

Plus 5 top European names will be confirmed in the next few days/weeks.

All Harry's bars are the exclusive sellers of Barclays Singapore Open Early Bird Tickets at the special price of $88. That’s an EARLY BIRD 59% DISCOUNT on the $140 Official Ticket Price for the 4 Day Event.

So if you are mad about golf - pop down to any Harry's Bar for your ticket and get this amazing deal from today until 11 November.

See you at Sentosa 13-16 November!

Don't buy fake degree

Another unaccredited degree from an unaccredited university- West Coast University. It pays to do due diligence on the university. A degree course from reputable university may cost a little more but it really pays to go for the established ones.

If I remembered correctly, 218 people have been caught using fake degrees.

I wonder why anyone would enrol in a degree programme from an unknown university or buy a degree. It’s not about fairness since buying a degree for job application is already violating the law.

Anyone enrolling in a degree programme should conduct due diligence on his part.

Tan Kin Lian is the man

I like Mr Tan's blog and I believed there are many out there sharing the same sentiments. He stood out to organized a petition, help the dejected investors and speak for them when they needed a voice.

Well, he mentioned in his blog that he doesn't want to be called a hero, but I think he deserves all the praise we could give him.

In every turmoil, there will always be someone like him, there is still hope even when you are cornered and it's true in this case.

Too serious for you?

Am I getting too serious with my posts?

I hardly write about entertainment as you can see.

Drop me a suggestion.

Thanks.

Why are my groceries getting lighter?

You need your spouse and your kids to help you carry your $10 worth of groceries.

That was 10 years ago....

Your boy in pre-school could carry your $10 worth of groceries.

That is the present.

In every market, there is an invisible hand helping you carry your groceries without sweat and the name is inflation.

In the next 10 years....your cat tells you it could carry your groceries for half a pack of Whiskas.

Life savings gone and they are helpless

I felt sad when I saw this picture on the front page of the papers today.

The old folks whose lost their money to the sub-prime were coerce into buying the Lehman bonds. These are people who are not financial literate and will rely on the expertise of their advisers for investment matters. The typical target group for advisers.

And these adviser are not keen in giving prudent advice, they care for nothing but their commissions. They are only interested in building their own wealth and hitting targets.

Irony. The advisers get richer while clients become poorer.

Mr Tan Kin Lian has taken the initiative to organise a petition for the investors, and if you are an investor and have yet done so, please visit here: http://www.petitiononline.com/ISTFI1/petition.html

Their retirement funds and life savings are gone. The old folks have nothing left for their golden nest.

I have never trusted any financial advisers. Never in my life.

I have only listened a recommendation of an adviser only once in my life, I was recommended a payout fund from Allianz, I lost money.

I can't blame them since the market is out of their control.But I will feel better if I am the one choosing the wrong funds. I will take responsibility for that.

The more of such news, I read the more I see the importance of financial literacy.

I am not a racist but 1000 of them.....

The government has decided to go ahead with the workers dormitory despite pleas from the residents.

I am not a Tai Hwan resident. Phew.

I am definitely not a racist, but 1000 workers VS a tiny community of landed properties owners, you see the leverage here? They will even outnumber any police on patrol in the neighbourhood.

The residents are very concern about their safety and there’s nothing wrong with that. Who isn’t concern? I mean, they paid premium for the land properties for a reason right? Building a dormitory in the neighbourhood is going to affect home prices there.

If you walked into a posh restaurant in your slippers and as soon as you step in, you are going to expect stares as if you are walking on a red carpet to the Oscar. Can you blame anyone?

Sometimes people speak in strange languages which I have never heard of, they look like Indonesians but they don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia. I wonder where they came from. I am just curious.

1000.

Even 300 Spartans will have problem with 1000 of them.

This is scary.

We won't discriminate anyone, but we will still feel insecure.

The new Singapore Mint's coins are beautfiul

Nice orchids.

Unfortunately, the $100 Formula 1 gold coins were sold out.

PowerColor ATI HD 4850

I have been using this 512mb DDR3 graphics card for over 2 months and I guess I should really put up a review here.

Card performance is good but the drivers are bad.

I am using this on VISTA 32 so I am not sure if XP users have problem with this card. The most common problems I get are freeze screen and the BSOD. Unfortunately, despite upgrading drivers, the current Catalyst Control Center is v8.9, the same problem occurs everyday.

I don't know why this has to happen since the card is real good BUT the drivers cannot make it. The card gets heated pretty easily. But a bigger fan could solve this.

Table tennis-Singapore coach quits over "insulting" offer

Somebody's got to leave afterall.

By Ossian Shine

SINGAPORE, Oct 14 - The man who helped deliver Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years is set to quit as table tennis coach after rejecting an "insulting and insincere" new deal from the city-state.

Liu Guodong, who led the Republic's women's table tennis team to a silver medal in Beijing in August, has turned down a two-year deal offered to him by the Singapore Table Tennis Association , local media reported on Tuesday.

"What they have put on the table is simply insulting and insincere. They are forcing me to leave," the 35-year-old told the Straits Times newspaper.

"I have helped to win an Olympic medal for the country, and they can't even match my salary to that of a consultant," he fumed, declining to reveal details of the package.

"They told me to take it or leave it. I refuse to be bullied by this kind of attitude any more."

STTA's new chief executive Chew Soo Sheng said the body was now working on finding a replacement women's head coach from China.

" have already shortlisted six names for the job," Chew said. "We respect coach Liu's decision and we thank him for his contributions to the sport over the last few years."

Liu's contract expires at the end of the year.

I don't know how much the STTA is offering the coach but since he said it's insulting.......

Isn't that what some employers do when they want to remove an employee in an indirect way?

Who wants to play for Singapore in future? One is leaving because of offer and the other one may leave because of possible marriage.

No wonder parents are not comfortable sending their kids to sports school.

This weekend is a Monday

Image source: Focus in mind

Bad news, you know what I meant, the crisis and Singapore's heading for recession and possible unemployment in December. G7 coordinated efforts to calm the finanical markets. We will only know how well the markets respond when the market reopen on Monday.

I have already seen the glum in some of the people I know.

A former colleague called me this morning, "I have 2 hamsters to give away, do you want them?". Hmm...this bad huh. I don't keep pets, I have no time for them and I have no tolerance for pet poos. 

I can sing the blues now, not on a Monday but the weekend blues. I am lucky to have my salary increment recently but I am not optimistic about my bonuses, pragmatically, my company shouldn't pay bonuses at all.

I am looking at my own competitiveness now to increase my niche when the market recovers, I need to restructure myself, rejuvenate myself and refresh myself. Continuous upgrading is the key, like what the old text says "Change is the only constant".

The slowdown could be a blessing; it's time for further education.

Do I sound pessimistic here? I hope not.

Singapore F1 2009

The next F1 night race in Singapore will take place on 27 September 2009. 

Gold is green

Proven. Proven. Proven. Gold is the evergreen investment.

For centuries, gold has always been the favourite among investors, kings, queens, emperors and pharaohs. Who doesn’t like gold? I know I do, I mean physical gold not gold certificates.

I prefer physical gold at least it’s tangible unlike certificates. I wanted a Canadian maple leaf bullion coin but gold prices have been svery bullish. I was totally put off by the prices.

But the bad thing about gold is that it doesn’t pay dividends or interest.

I am new to gold investment and I have lots of homework to do before becoming a serious investor in gold.

I have a couple of things missing in this blog

Please be patience, my logo isn't up yet, tags are not activated but I will continue to post so remember to bookmark my blog or subscribe to the RSS.

Thanks.