2 days to go...

"Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion. Don’t play with fire. If they mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs."
The time has come for Umno members to act firmly against those who openly question Malay special privileges, said an Umno delegate today.

Hasnoor Sidang Hussein, a delegate from Melaka, stressed that it was not just the duty of Umno members but also of all Malays to protect their interests.

He added that the party and Malays should not be passive and defensive towards groups who question the Malay special privileges.

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Talk about meritocracy! So the official malaysian government line is that Malays have a 'right' to privileges as indicated in theirconstitution so that the Malays do not get left behind by the more industrious 'other races', i.e. chinese.
The fact that they see this as a right to such priviledges is beyond me. It simply means that most Malay's in key positions or businesses probably got there due to their racial links rather than due to their competency or skill! What are they so afraid of? To compete in an open market on equal footing with everyone else? This is probably the main reason Malaysia continually gets left behind in the exhaust smoke of their little southern neighbou. Incompetent buffoons control everything and seem incapable to get themselves out of the mess they find themselves in. Thank God tyou have Petronas,otherwise you guys would not have a foot to stand on.
But more worryingly is the call to arms and 'to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion.' What kind of world are we living in that someone would defend such priviledges,even to the extent of inflicting physical harm upon those that oppose such an opinion? Sounds so Hitler like. And we know what happened then.

On an obliquely related note, My poor hammie San got hurt in a big fight with his brother. Poor fella has only 3 legs to start off with. He can hardly defend himself in a straight fight. Now this had to happen. Hope he gets well soon. He will always have a special place in my heart. He is a real fighter and I hope he pulls through this ordeal. He sustained rather vicious head injuries. His right eye is bulging out and you can hardly see his left one. I am sure it is not as bad as it looks but still, my heart goes out to the poor fella. He just huddles in the corner of his cage, and does not seem to be eating or drinking.

Yesterday Agnes and I spent some time together before I set off for my Israel trip. Before that I had to go down to Finlayson Green to collect a cheque, so was delayed a bit. Then I went to pick my dear up. We took a long drive to Orchard Lido, to watch Flushed Away. We also did some window shopping and had lunch at Food Republic at Wisma. The movie was not bad. The slugs were hilarious!

After that we wandered around aimlessly. I took a long drive that took us to Holland Road...Clementi Road.... Bukit Timah Road...Woodlands Road.... SLE....Lentor Avenue...Yio Chu Kang Road...
And then I decided enough was enough and headed back to my place. Was the best decision I made. At least there we could rest and chat. I rather do that than go shopping or visit some touristy place under the circumstances. We napped a bit, before catching some TV. We ordered in KFC delivery. Then lazed around in bed till it was time to go home. All in all a good day.

The Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera is coming from 23 Mar - 15 Apr 2007

Matinee shows - 2pm
Evening shows - 8pm

TICKET PRICE (Exclude Booking Fee)

Standard (Fri & Sat Eve 8pm)
- S$160, S$135, S$110, S$85
VIP Box - S$180

Standard (Tues-Thurs, Sun Eve 8pm), (Sat & Sun Matinee 2pm)
- S$145, S$120, S$95, S$70
VIP Box - S$160
Student - S$50

Broadway's longest-running and most popular musical, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, returns to Singapore for a strictly limited season in March 2007.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber's phenomenal hit first burst onto the London stage 20 years ago, and continues to play to full houses nightly in London, New York and around the world. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has been seen by over 80 million people worldwide, has been performed in more than 20 countries, has won over 50 major theatre awards, and has grossed more than S$5 billion.

With 130 cast, crew and orchestra members, spectacular sets and more than 230 costumes, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA contains some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous and stirring music, including "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Music of the Night".

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a world-wide sensation which will take Singapore audiences on an unrivalled musical theatre journey.

The Phantom awaits your presence...


DURATION

Approx 2 hrs 30 mins
Interval: Approx 20 mins

for more details go to the official SISTIC site
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overcoming life

In just a few days I will be on my way to Israel. Cant hardly wait. So looking forward to it. Only regret is that Agnes will not be coming with me. But in a way the timing is such that Agnes has her exams during that period ,so she can concentrate fully on her studies whilst I am away.

Been making preparations for my trip, but I get stuck in between overpacking and underpacking. Do not want to turn up there without all I need, but also do not wanna have to bring too much stuff that I can't close my luggage bags on the way back.

Still have stuff to do and buy

• get a decent haircut
• buy some lip balm
• a hat/cap (actually i have lotsa caps)
• maybe some Melatonin so I can get some sleep on the plane and over there.
• some other stuff which I can't remember right now....

I gotta remember to charge up the batts for my handphone and cameras prior to setting off on Monday,otherwise I be dead in the water.

On Friday me and Agnes gonna spend the whole day together. Yippie! Not really sure what the program is for that day. We do intend to watch a movie, Flushed Away. Maybe we could go to Vivocity? They have a spanking new cinema there. We could then also go visit the MV Doulos docked nearby and do a little shopping. Being that our monthly anniversary falls on Sunday, we will probably treat ourselves to a nice dinner whilst we are at it. The most important thing is to spend time together on Friday, rather than what activities we choose to do that day. Gonna miss her so much whilst I am away in the Promised Land.

Another of my concerns are my beloved hammies. I know Noel and my parents have agreed in principal to take care of them when I am away, but still I am a tad concerned. I have already stocked up lots of hamster food for when I am away. So everything is in place, they only have to top up the food and replace the water. In fact I even purchased those hamster stick things, which can last 4 to 5 days. By right they should last longer, but knowing my hamsters it may all be in pieces by the 2nd day. They just love to hoard their food and eat whatever is available. You can take the animal out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal.

Just wanna do a plug for Corrinne May here. I just love her lyrics and voice. Kinda harks back to Jewel or Sheryl Crow with her folksy, laid bare songs. One of the best local talents in years.
She has a concert/performance on 16th December at the Esplanade entitled, what else, Christmas With Corrinne May. Tickets are already on sale.
Corrinne has 2 albums out, her critically acclaimed, Safe In A Crazy Word, and her first one, Fly Away. There is also her christmas album, The Gift!

can read and listen to more about her here: Corrinne May

In other life related updates, I have decided to postpone my imminent resignation til the end of the year. By then things will be alot more settled and it gives me a big more leeway and breathing space to plan out the details of my business. I have so much going on at the end of the year, that if I left according my my original projection, I would probably have been caught ill-prepared.

In related news, Sunny's road tax will be renewed until June 2007, so the Kangoo is on hold for the time being.

Agnes and I are planning a trip up north in mid December. Probable places to go will include KL,Malacca and Perak. We may even wanna consider visiting Genting whilst we are up there. Everything is tentative for the time being, as Agnes and her family have a wedding to attend in Perak. So we will probably have to plan our travels around that event. Also I have yet to settle the off/leave situation in the office. Ai Khim is away till the 18th and I will only return from Israel on the 30th. I left her a note pertaining to my desire to clear my off and then take 1/2 a day's leave from the 13th to the 15th, AS WE HAD DISCUSSED. That being a weekend, it works out to 5 days total we can play around with.

Isn't Ben Hur like the greatest movie ever made?

U2's new greatest hits album,U2 18 Singles, is coming out next week. No idea why they are releasing yet another greatest hits album after The Best Of 1990-2000 (in 2002) and The Best Of 1980-1990(in 1998), but they claim this is the definitive U2 album, and suckers like me will probably go out and buy it anyway.It will feature songs from ALL their albums and 2 new songs.

Just stop here.... will write again soon...I promise...
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