In the news

MM's remarks regarding the status of chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia
I guess it is something that everyone knows about and say nothing about. The old battle axe however brought it up at a recent 'liberal' forum and unsurprisingly he got lots of flak from our neighbours. I may be critical of MM Lee in many things, but I think on this issue he was just stating the obvious. It is not something that even the malaysians have not discussed before. But the reality is that racial bias does exist in all countries...even SINGAPORE, where there is a majority race in the populace. No amount of legislation can change that. But I must say In Singapore we have a better deal than our counterparts elsewhere.

New Japanese PM
As much as I am an admirer of former PM Koizumi and his policies, I feel the new PM is better for ties in the region. He is seeking to build bridges with his counterparts in China and Korea, which is always a good thing. But in my narrow view the Chinese and Koreans should just let the past go. Its been like 60 years since the last bullet was fired in the war on the eastern front, but till this day politicans are still taking about apologies and re-writing history. I dun think such a situation exists anywhere else in the world (with the exception of the middle east), where nations bear a grudge for a war fought so long ago. Of course the war was horrific and as they say there are no innocents in war. There was a great loss of life and many wrong-doings on both sides. We sure can't erased the past but it does no one any good to carry this bitterness any longer.

Bloodless Coup in Thailand
Let me say up front that I think Thaksin was a good PM. Would have been better if not for all the political chaos that surrounded the months prior to his usurping. In the end it was the only way to move forward. I guess the entire political situation was encapsulated in the first remarks the incoming PM made when he said that his policies would be 'for the people and not the economy'. In fact it is symptomatic of the problems that Thailand faces when politics takes priority over the welfare of the people...and the nation. Hopefully the new Pm will get a free hand to implement his 'reforms' and signal a return to a full democracy without undue interference from the junta.

Airbus delays it shipments of A380
So now its another 10 months behind schedule. Reeks of unprofessionalism. And heavy fines will follow. Wonder how they even got all these big multi million dollar contracts with no way to fulfil them. Airbus may even lose several of the outstanding orders by SIA, Qantas,Emirates and Virgin Atlantic.

North Korea's Nuclear Tests
Kim Jong Il does it again to plunge his people even deeper into crisis. If North Korea follows through with their threats, then sanctions will follow. Last thing the impoverished North Koreans want or need right now. But tell them that.

Iran Moots New Nuclear Plans
See above.

Football Stuff
Man U sit proud at the top of the table. Chelsea are a little off the pace. Arsenal have hit their stride. Liverpool came good..and then fell apart.

Steve McClaren and his England are undefeated in 3 matches. David Beckham has not been recalled since the debacle at the World Cup. In fact he has even been relegated to a subs role at club level too. And Madrid are doing well in the Primera Liga.Wonder if there is any connection between the two....hmmm...

St Michael's School to be re-named SJI Junior from January 2007
My Alma Mater is gonna undergo a revamp of both name and of curriculum to tie up better with Saint Joseph's Instituion. I guess it is gonna be even more than a feeder school than it already is. There is even gonna be a heritage centre! Wonder if I be in any of the pics. :P

Singapore first adult magazine
Following on the heels of Cosmopolitan, FHM and Maxim, Singapore is soon gonna be getting it own adult magazine,whatever that means, Love Airways. It will feature animal sex and nude paintings(wtf??). Contents include reviews of overseas love hotels, nude photography, medical science, nutrition and the "sexual habits of other animal species." I guess it is a step in the right direction.

MPs to perform hip hop dance moves at Chingay Parade
Nothing reeks of coolness more than watching the people we elected into office gettin' down at a ChinGAY Parade.

pets life

There have rumbling regarding my lack of posts lately, so here I am again. *cue drumroll*

Its that time of year again when I contemplate the fate of my beloved set of wheels Sunny. He is old and due to retire, but in the end I always decide to keep him. And after the recent problems (windshield washers does not work, left front door window is inoperative), I thought that maybe it is time to put behind me my single largest expenditure each month. But I think he still has a few more years left in him. I will see to his outstanding issues in due time. Meanwhile mum has been bugging me to send Sunny for servicing as she has seen 'black smoke'.I think that is a load of crap. Sunny emits no more smoke than any other car. All cars will give out smoke when you first start and when you press the accelerator. That is how it clears itself. Notwithstanding that, she is bugging me to send it to her friend, Steven, who I think is out to make a fast buck. I have it on good record that you do not have to send your car in for servicing just before the VICOM/ROV inspection. In fact that is what I been doing each year. I send it for inspection and each time it passed with flying colours. The thing about servicing the car before inspection is just a clever way of making money by leveraging on people's insecurity. Anyway Sunny was last serviced in July and is not due for another until January next year!

Been getting more and more restless at work. Just do not feel that this is my calling in life. I have always wanted to be my own boss and run my own business, and I guess the time is nigh. I just cannot imagine myself doing what I am doing now for the rest of my life, let alone for the next few years. The main thing holding me back right now is the investment and the risk. Starting and upkeeping a business in Singapore is not easy. Starting with the overheads and rentals and all, you may not see tangible profits until a few months or years down the line. And the risk of failure somewhat makes having my own business daunting. I say a couple more months and then I decide the next step.

The Israel trip is next month! Well...close to 2 months away, but who is counting? Been looking forward to it for so long and now I can finally smell it. My only regret is that I am going alone. How I wish my Agnes was with me on this trip of a lifetime, but I am sure there will be other trips in our future together. I will be making full payment this Sunday. I received news that I have a room mate! I sure hope he and I can get along. Would be cool to have someone to share the journey with. There will be a briefing for all those going on the Israel trips on 8 November. I will most probably be going as of right now I am clueless as to what to expect. Hope my bunk mate will be there too...

I may or may not have said it here, but Rusty is a new addition to my hammie collection. He is a Cinnamon Banded Long Hair Syrian Hamster. He is so pretty but not friendly at all at this stage. I noe that with lots of TLC I can make him into the loving pet I envisaged when I first pondered upon getting syrian.

As usual I will be giving away some of my hammies. I have too many as it is. I love Willow's pups. They have such a nice coloration compared to all my other hammies. I will be away in November for my Israel trip, so I will need someone to babysit my beloved rodents whilst I am away, Agnes volunteered her services a while back, but that may not be entirely a good idea as she has exams during that period. Of course there is someone a little bit closer to home whom I could ask to do the needful during my leave of absence. If all else fails, there is always the Singapore Hamster Club nanny service to the rescue!!

I also had purchased an air cleaner for my room. It was something I had been wanting to get for a while now. now that I have hamsters in my room, it only makes sense to have one. My room door is always closed and there is no real window to speak of, so my room gets stuffy in a hurry. I also have my long standing issues with asthma so an air cleaner is good. Although Agnes did not seem too fond of it when she was last here. But ...bygones...

We have a new addition to our burgeoning family, Minty. She is also a My Little Pony (or MLP like the fanatics like to say) like Rain. Best part is she sings! How cool is that to have your own singing pony. Too bad Christmas only comes around once a year.