been too long since I last blogged. been busy with stuff. everyone knows being busy with stuff is a bummer.

anyway...
we got in touch with mona, and the renovations are due to start on the 17th of march. at least she is making a real effort to get stuff done and i am quietly optimistic that this time we will have a home.

as for the wedding dinner/banquet stuff, we are going down to traders hotel this saturday to discuss stuff, and by all accounts we should sign the deal there and then.we both like the hall and reception area and the price (with all the perks thrown in) is comparable to just about anything else we encountered with other hotels.and oh..and charlotte the person we are talking to, she is like the wedding planner...is way too hyper and sweety-like.

with the above matters close to being resolved, we can then concentrate on other matters at hand. such as the new set of wheels, marriage preparation classes, thorough medical check-ups and to finalise the wedding dress and photo package.
i am sure there is more to do. so 2008 is gonna be a year of changes, with so much to be done. gonna be glad when it is all said and done.

Mimi passed away on sunday.
thought I would reproduce the tribute I wrote at sghamsters.com here as well.
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I was just about to feed my hammies a moment ago, when I noticed Mimi was on her side and not moving. After probing her and calling her without any response, my worst fears were realised.
As many members will know Mimi (along with Momo) were the first two hammies I got when I joined this forum. And Mimi has come to me to almost all the outings I brought my hammies to.
Got her in Feb 06, so she has managed to live a somewhat long yet full life. had what i believe 4 litters. and her pups have found many good and loving homes across singapore. and her legacy will live on in the lives of her children...

The thing i remember most about her was a gentle nature and willingness to be handled. Of all my hammies she was the one most at ease to be carried. she would not escape her cage even if I left the door opened.

goodbye faithful friend

my most recent pictures of Mimi:


think many members would remember her most for her dramatic winter coat change:

probably my favourite pic of Mimi

my first pictures of mimi (and momo)









~R.I.P.. My Special Girl~

as befitting a pet of her status, she was buried at my office. I quite like what we did for her. initially I had wanted to cremate her and do an urn not unlike what had been done for camou when he passed. but this is almost just as good.


(taken with my handphone camera,hence the poor picture quality)

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been a while since agnes and myself have watched a movie. in fact if memory serves me right we have not watched a movie this year.or maybe we did.

movies to catch (at the cinemas and on DVD)

- CJ7
- Kung Fu Dunk
- Juno
- Water Horse
- Ah Long Pte Ltd
- 10,000 BC
- The Leap Years
- The Spiderwick Chronicles

Reuters.com - Malaysian churches break taboo on politics

Malaysian churches break taboo on politics

Mon Mar 03 07:32:40 UTC 2008 By Ahmad Pathoni KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian churches have waded into the nation's charged politics, openly urging Christians to support candidates who back religious freedom in this weekend's election. Race and religious tensions have mounted in the run-up to the March 8 vote with Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities complaining their rights are being trampled by the Muslim-dominated government. The Christian Federation of Malaysia has joined the fray by telling Christians to vote for candidates whose political views and policies "reflect God's standard and Christian values." "Pay attention to their past performance and for their stand on issues related to constitutional rights, civil liberties and the freedom of religion," the nation's biggest church group said in its election message. In a rare move, the Catholic Church of Saint Francis Xavier near the capital Kuala Lumpur held a political debate last week, drawing some 300 people including opposition and government candidates. "It's very difficult to practice our religion freely. The leaders in Malaysia, the way they interpret Islam is very scary," said Albert Tan, a Catholic. "Racial integration is going from bad to worse," the 45-year-old property developer told Reuters after a church service, adding that he was likely to vote for the opposition. Christians make up about 10 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people. Muslim Malays form just over half while the remaining are either Hindus, Buddhists or Sikhs. "BACKDOOR ISLAMISATION" Christians say they are upset over a series of developments, the latest being a government ban on the use of the word "Allah" for God in Malay-language Christian literature. The dispute came out in the open after the internal security ministry ruled the term Allah -- long used by Christians in Malaysia to refer to God -- could only be used by Muslims. And last month, a church group told the government to stop harassing Christians after authorities seized Bibles from them. Last May, the country's best-known Christian convert, Lina Joy, lost a battle in Malaysia's highest court to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card. In delivering judgment in that case, the chief judge said the issue of apostasy was related to Islamic law, and civil courts could not intervene. In a country where race and religion are inextricably linked, rising religious tension also throws the spotlight on the privileges of the majority Malays, who are Muslims by definition. Mosques are found in every nook and cranny in Malaysia but Hindus and Christians say it is difficult to obtain approval to build their own places of worship. Non-Muslims have also complained, mainly in Internet chat rooms, about the state permitting building of huge mosques in areas with small Muslim populations. State television routinely airs Islamic shows but forbids other religions to be preached. "I would say that the feel of subtle, backdoor Islamisation of the national life is a major concern," said Wong Kim Kong, Secretary-General of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia. Although there is no official policy to discriminate against any religious minorities, the government has been unable or unwilling to deal with violations, he said. Not all Christians are worried, though. "They (the government) don't stop you from praying," said a 50-year-old churchgoer who gave her name as Lilian. "At the end of the day, the church is within yourself." (Editing by Jalil Hamid and Sanjeev Miglani) (ahmad.pathoni@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: ahmad.pathoni.reuters.com@reuters.net)