Introducing China's animal of the year, a piggy named "Zhu Jianqiang". This pig has achieve celebrity status as it survived for 36 days buried beneath rubble in the Sichuan earthquake. And guess what, it only survived on rainwater and a bag of charcoal. Tough yeah. Now it has been sold to the Jianchuan Museum, and will be fed and taken care of till it dies.

Frankly, even though the economy is now in recession, we should show resilience and have the never give up attitude. Cut on unnecessities and we can all get through this tough times. The sky will be more beautiful after the storm.

Source of photo and news from yahoo news.

Still my FAV

Wow....in the midst of recession, Spyker is rolling out their new model of sports car in Singapore - the C8 Laviolette SA which cost a whooping 1 million SGD. Oh anyway, they are targeting the rich...and like the report says, the rich still need their toys. They will not stop buying, at most they will just buy less...=)

The model looks good...but my fav is still the Maserati GranTurismo. Even though it is 30 to 40% lesser, it will still take a long long time for me to be able to afford it. Nevertheless, there is no harm in admiring and dreaming about it right? Will share a photo of the cool cool M. GranTurismo. hee.

Time for all to ZzZzzzzz

Medical advice...take naps =) Read from yahoo news that interrupting sleep seriously disrupts memory-making. Taking a nap may boost a sophisticated kind of memory that helps us see the big picture and get creative.

Way too little clearly is dangerous: Sleep deprivation causes not just car crashes but all sorts of other accidents. Over time, a chronic lack of sleep can erode the body in ways that leave us more vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses.

For more details, you can read the news here

Oh, by the way, the recommended sleeping hours is seven to eight.

Now you can tell your boss why you need to take naps during working hours, or tell your tutors why you fall asleep during class. It is to get more creative to increase productivity =)

Lunar cemetery

From yahoo news "A US funeral business that specializes in launching cremated human remains into Earth's orbit has begun taking reservations for landing small capsules of ashes on the moon".

What?? Cemetry can also be found on the moon?? And one gram portion of cremated remains to the moon cost charges 9,995 dollars, USD that is. That's so expensive. And whether it gets to the moon or gets floated around in space no one knows. Will it become UFO next time, capsules flying all over? And two other US private space companies, Odyssey Moon and Astrobotic Technology, are currently working on making commercial flights to the moon. Erm, who will want to visit cemetry on the moon? Maybe during Qing Ming festival to sweep the graves? =P

Poor Chang-er, in future she has to share the moon now not only with her rabbit, but with many dead bodies. Should be quite a frightening experience for her.

Jay Chou bags hat-trick of World Music Awards

This entry is dedicated to my wifey.

Jay Chou has bagged the best selling album for the China region at the World Music Awards, with his cowboy album "I Am Busy". This is currently the only Award in the world that gives recognition to artists based on their album sales.

This is the fourth time that he has snapped up this prestigious award. By bagging this year's award, Jay also achieved a unique hat-trick of titles in this Award. He had previously won it in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Strangely, I thought this is not his best album and yet he can achieve the best sales. Hmm....then this new one, "Capricorn", will be even better. I love the song "Fragrant Rice" in this album. Can't comment on the rest as I havent get the chance to listen to them yet.



Pictures courtesy of xin.sg and China Daily =)

Exams are over....phew !!

At last, exams are over....woohoooo. Didn't really do well for Educational and Organisation Psychology but at least I think I did okay for Computer Networking =) Well, they are over so let's not think about them until results are out.

Had quite a wonderful weekend. Sat wifey tried making donuts. It turned out quite nice, other than the fact that I feel they were being fried too long, hence the colour turned out quite dark. Hehe.

On Sunday, wifey tried baking blueberry muffins and fruit tarts. I seriously think the muffins are fantastic, other than the fact that the blueberries we bought are too sour. I ate at least 6 muffins...hehe...getting fat. The crust of the fruit tarts are too thick, hmm...tasted more like cookies than tarts. Nevertheless, with more practices, I think wifey will succeed in making good pastries. She has a talent in baking =)

Looking forward to this weekend...duno what will be on wifey's list of baking again. Nice Nice. Jiayou deary. Waiting patiently for the nice pastries you make.

Ps. The pics are not the actual pics of the pastries. Got them from the net =p

These 2 days, the news were all about Barack Obama. True, he has made history by becoming the first African-American US president-elect. Other than that, what's the big deal? He has not done anything yet to change the world, to change the fate of US. Yes, he has made many promises, but which candidate doesn't do that? Everyone was cheering for Bush four years ago when he got elected, but then again, looking at his accomplishment till date, was it a job well done? Well, I can't tell, as I am not directly involved.

So other than the fact that history was made, I think we should wait till Obama starts his term before deciding whether yesterday (05th Nov 08) was a day worth celebrating. Meanwhile for me, I will be keeping my fingers XX and hope that he delivers his promises. Not only will that change US, it will indirectly change the world.

Anyway, congratulations, President Obama.

Start of another week

Well, a new week has started. Last weekend was good, wifey baked nice cookies for us....slurp...yummy. And wifey ended up winning $7 at mahjong at my in-laws place, though we were losing at first. Hehe. Yesterday I was unable to resist the temptations and ate a few cookies prior to dinner at my mum's place, which was rice with egg and tofu. Haha.

Anyway, work has been piling up. Exams are nearing...erm tomorrow in fact, and most of the time when I wanted to stay up studying, I ended up falling asleep. Haiz, duno how to pass tomorrow. Have to get the 'geess' of the stuff and just 'smoke' my way through. Like what Mari said, just try and make crap sounds logical and we will be fine. Easier said than done woah.

Today is wifey's birthday. HAPPY 22th birthday deary !! She has already gotten her first 2 presents, a cute winnie the pooh mouse with accompanying mouse pad. Hmm, I still have got a 3rd one for her, which she will only get during dinner time. Keep guessing...hahah. Anyway, have to get back to work.

Busy busy bee.

Glad that it's FRIDAY

At last, it's the end of the week. Work has been piling up !! Arrgghhh !! Anyway, it's well deserved break from work but it doesnt mean I can rest. Exams are coming up. First paper is next Wednesday - Educational Psy...follows by the following Monday - Organisation Psy and Comp network. Woah...after these 2 weeks, I will be free...only from exams coz there is still work to cope with. =x Actually I should be glad, that in this economy downturn, I still have a chance to stay busy, which means my job is secured.

Anyway, just read from Yahoo that a deal has been signed for Singapore to host MotoGP race, same as F1 but just that it's on 2-wheels. Haha. Anyway, the earliest will be only be in 2011, provided the tracks are ready for the race.

Okay, time to leave the office. Time to chill...hahah. Have a good weekend. I sure will...with my dearest wifey and my cutest daughter...hee hee. Tata.

It's a big surprise....

Really surprising to know that I have 2 young pretty ladies following my blog = ). Didn't expect others to know about it other than my wifey =) And so, a big "HIYA" to Sandy and Crystal. Oops..that means have to be more wary of what I am writing =P.

Anyway, came across a comment made by my friend in his msn: "十年修得同船渡，百年修得共枕眠". Hmm, how do I translate this to English? Well, it means that it takes 10 years of cultivation to be able to travel with someone on the same boat, and 100 years of cultivation to be able to sleep with someone on the same bed. Hopefully my translation didn't go too far off. Woah...imagine...a 100 years of cultivation to be able to marry someone you love. It's more than a lifetime.

I guess it's time for me to appreciate my wifey more.

Melamine again !!

How bad can it get? First it was the chinese dairy products, then the by-products that make use of the chinese dairy products and now even eggs are affected. EGGS !! Did the feed the chicken with Melamine?? Yes it seems, the feeds for the chickens.

Hong Kong government did the tests on mainland imports of eggs and found this deadly chemicals in them. According to the report, the concentration of Melamine found is 2.9 parts per million, more than the legal limit in HongKong, which is 2.5 parts per million. This is already the 2nd batch. The first batch tested positive for Melamine in concentration of 4.7 parts per million.

Although there is no danger to health unless taken in huge quantity (10kg child would have to eat 24 eggs and a 60kg adult 283 eggs to reach their daily tolerable intake of Melamine), it is a disgust to know that there are so many products the manufacturer in China has polluted with Melamine.

AVA has stated that our eggs are not imported from China and are instead imported from Malaysia and local farms. Hopefully the tests that follow will show that these "local" eggs are free from Melamine.

Singapore Hit Awards 2008

Did not watch the delayed telecast on Sunday but here are the winners. Are they deserving winners? For you to decide. Listing and picture is courtesy of SingaporeHitAwards2008.

最受欢迎男歌手奖 - 杨宗纬
最受欢迎女歌手奖 - 张惠妹
最受欢迎团体奖 - S.H.E
最受欢迎新人奖 - 杨宗纬

最佳本地歌手奖 - 蔡健雅
最佳演绎男歌手 - 陈奕迅
最佳演绎女歌手 - 梁静茹
最佳创作歌手 - 蔡健雅

最佳组合 - 大嘴巴
最佳乐团 - 苏打绿

亚洲传媒大奖（男歌手）- 陈奕迅
亚洲传媒大奖（女歌手）- 蔡依林
亚洲传媒大奖（团体）- 五月天

海外杰出歌手奖（中国内地）- 张靓颖
海外杰出歌手奖（香港）- 陈奕迅
海外杰出歌手奖（台湾）- 周杰伦
海外杰出歌手奖（马来西亚）- 梁静茹

舞台魅力奖 - 五月天
年度人气奖 - 林宥嘉
最具潜力本地新人奖 - 何维健

For the complete listing, you can go to http://www.singaporehitawards.sg/2008winners.htm

Horoscope

Happens to saw this in Yahoo....
Here are some highlights for me in Year 2008.
Accurate??
Guess to some extend...

New opportunities arise this year, resulting in a positive turn for your career.

You may become more methodical and practical than usual in managing your responsibilities.

As you successfully achieve your career goals this year, it will be important to maintain a watchful eye over the security of your family life.

You will cultivate good relationships through the end of the year, which will reflect positive changes in your life. Your will enjoy socializing more than usual.

As your career takes off, it will be much easier than usual to express yourself with warmth and charm.

Which means to tell me that...I should concentrate on my career now !! Time to work !!

Over the weekend

Weekend is normally family time, so did not log in to blog the happenings. Anyway, a brief update.

Friday night was fine, meeting up with Mari for supper. Talked quite a fair bit over schoolwork, life and relationship. Never ran out of topics when meeting up with Mari. Left around 11pm+. The rest of the nite did not go quite smoothly.

Saturday was just idling at home the whole day, ended with a dinner cooked by wifey. Been so long since I had a meal that she prepared =p

Went shopping on Sunday at IMM, wanted to get some clothes but didn't in the end. Bought a microwave oven and an electric oven, as well as an electric egg beater, as wifey wanted to bake cake for me for the first time. Hehe. Also brought some groceries. First time we shopped from 5plus all the way till 9plus. Exceeded the IMM free first 3 hours parking. Wifey was displaying her enormous appetite as well...waoh.....slurp.... ; )

Yesterday was Deepavali...and recently I think Mediacorp is not doing work. Always dun have good shows over the holidays. Haiz. Do we really have to subscribe to Starhub cable TV? Anyway, wifey baked a really nice cake....slurp....the pre-mixed she bought has a strong smell, but it still taste fabulous...even my sweetie Val loves to eat it. Was fighting for me over the cake too. Haha. Went to my in-laws place for dinner and mahjong, managed to win around $25 but wifey lost $61 ...haha....luckily still can cover. So not too bad.

Overall, this holiday is quite well spent, did quite a lot of things together, and slept quite alot. Woah...got back the energy, not that I am that eager to spend it on work. Hahah. But then again, no work, no money...so how to do all those things that we love to do?

I guess given the economy downturn, we just have to stick with the job we have. Still have some loans that need to be cleared, studies that need to be completed. Once those are all done, I think I should seriously sit down and think of what I want to do, what makes me happy. I guess earning enough and being happy is more important than earning alot and being unhappy isn't it? Our lives are so short and since we spend quite a fair bit of them at work, shouldn't we do something that we love..... = )

Okay, back to work for now.

Good day...good news

Good start to the day...started off with 4 kisses instead of 3....a steady increase. When will it be 100 kisses huh? Hehee...oops...asking for too much maybe?

Heard another good news on 933....petrol prices drop another 5 cents. Not a big drop but then again, it's twice in 2 weeks. Given the economy downturn, it's a bright spot amidst the dark. Mileage clocking has been scary for me recently, around 500km a week. So the lower the petrol prices, the easier it is on my pocket.

The weather has been real good to sleep in recently, just that never had the opportunity...sobz...had to wake up at 6am almost everyday. So...TGIF....time to make good use of the long weekend to sleep in....heheh. Yawnz....getting tired after mentioned the word "sleep".

Alrite..back to work...have a nice day.

Lunch time news

Well, was browsing through yahoo during lunch and saw one interesting news that caught my eyes..."NUS researchers create antibody that may eradicate viral diseases". The viral diseases mentioned are SARS, AIDS and even common flu. This sets me thinking, is it really good for the human race that such antibodies are created?

Lets take AIDS for example. To be frank, it could be the thing that keeps many off from casual sex. Of course you can say that there are many other concerns such as responsibility to the family, the trust and love and what have you. I truely agree. But there is no denial that for many, AIDS is still something that is bugging them when it comes to having casual sex. The torments of it as well as the humiliation. But having such a cure, does it mean that the deterent is no longer effective, there is no stopping people that had such fears in the first place?

So what can be good, can be bad. It just depends on how you see it. It can be a medical cure but then again, it can be a social disaster. Anyway, to me it is a piece of welcome news, something that brings hope to many others in the world. =)

The statement holds true

My statement below holds true...once again life has shown its miracle...lifting you when you feel down. It can just happen to anyone, for me it happen becos of someone, what she has said and what she has done. I love you....just you...only you....

Nitez~

A split-second change

I guess life is always like that...hitting you when you are in the high...and lifting you when you are in the low. How fast things changes....but nevertheless, we still have to live with it. Learn to ignore. Learn to set free. Learn to let go.

My family photo =)

Shown here is my family photo, my lovely wife, my cutie daughter and of coz myself. Hehe. Should be able to identify right?

Feeling great

I am in a good mood today....hmm...maybe cause it started well, with not 1 but 2 kisses....hehe. Was expecting like 100 kisses but time does not permit it. Hehe.

Anyway heard from 933 that Ah Bian was tricked when he got someone to do a prediction for him using tarots cards and he teared when he chosen the death card. And the someone is just a 16/17 year old teenager, not even graduated from college. It gets me thinking...why do people go for such predictions? Will it change your life after knowing the results? Wouldn't it raise your expectations, when the result is good and kills off your spirits, if it is negative? We have the power to control our lives and we should do so, no matter what will happen in the future. That is the whole point of living isn't it?

Things that happen along the way could be devastating, but it makes you stronger if you survived. It makes you treasure what you have and teaches you to treasure it now if you didnt. I have been through pains and I have learnt well, to treasure what I have, to be thankful for all the good things that had happened to me, and to be thankful for the chances I am given to make amends to things that I have done wrongly. In some sense, I am luckier than others, some who didn't have a chance to make amends, some who didn't have a chance to live life at all. If everything was known in advance, and all measures were taken to avoid the bad and embrace the good, will life still be as colourful and challenging and will we be able to build up our characters?

Anyway, enuff of my thoughts. I am happy as it is, with lotsa love and responsibilities. And more importantly, I am still living to face the challenges. =)

Some details

Well, I am 31 this year, married to a beautiful wife and have a loveliest baby gal I can ask for. But like what reality is, life is never perfect. Which means to say that even with such a near perfect environment, like everyone else, I have my problems and I do feel down sometimes. However, like what my title suggests, we should be glad that we are still living each day, and for those who doesn't realised, yes, that is what I am trying to say in my title.

First Posting.....

First attempt at the creation of a blog. Never knew that it could be so simple. No wonder blogs have been springing up everywhere, faster than retail shops that started and closed down...faster than the shares that fluctuated so wildly.

Hopefully this blog will be updated frequently, with my ups and downs, that is, if I am free enuff to do so, just like now. Opps....better not let my boss see this blog. And hopefully this blog is able to withstand my whining and complaining.

Not sure whether anyone will get to see my blog, but it doesnt matter anyway. At least I get to see it. And years down the road, when I see it again, I will know how I feel at this time of my life, and what has been been through my life.

Cya' blog =) And welcome to my life.