What's swimmin' in my Head...

Pre-race weights & provisional grid

2009-09-27T11:04:00.001+08:00

Below is the provisional grid for the Singapore Grand Prix with each car's weight. Note - Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello has dropped from fifth to 10th after he was penalized for changing his car's gearbox…

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 660.5kg
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 651
3. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 657.5
4. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 654.5
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 658
6. Timo Glock, Toyota, 660.5
7. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 650
8. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 664
9. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 664.5
10. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 655.5
11. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 680.7
12. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 683
13. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 680.5
14. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 678
15. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 690.9
16. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 693
17. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 683.5
18. Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari, 678.5
19. Romain Grosjean, Renault, 683
20. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 656

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-06-24T23:40:00.002+08:00

I'm back.... :)

make your own here

Facebookie

2009-03-08T05:05:00.001+08:00

Me here :)

Siow Liao...

2008-12-25T01:28:00.001+08:00

That's my famous phrase in the office nowadays... too much testing on SAP can make you go nuts... quarrel with gf for nothing and then start to forgo dinner... yes... me => forget dinner??? So highly impossible but it has happened...

Anyway... for my dear friends who still check in here... sorry for the inactivity here... I'm more of a Facebookie nowadays... so view me here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=784584584 and add me if you haven't :)

Have a very berry merry blessed Christmas and a happy new year too... its going to be slow, so make it a happy one no matter what :)

Take care...

New Job... New Career Path?

2008-11-01T16:40:00.001+08:00

In a couple of day's time, I'll be starting my new job at a new company in downtown Orchard Road. Hopefully this will be a good one although there will be some challenging projects lined up... :)

Mourinho wants to be in EPL

2008-10-22T00:58:00.001+08:00

Aww.. that's too bad... :)

Moonlighting

2008-10-22T00:48:00.001+08:00

...is to hold a second job in addition to a regular one.

But why does it sound like a bad thing? The word itself gives you the impression that its not a very nice thing to say.

However, it might become quite common in the coming months as we see the economic recession unfold before our eyes and for most of my peers, this will be the first time we're hit with a recession while holding a job. God help us all.

Already Stripped Bare Naked!

2008-10-16T16:26:00.001+08:00

Its been violated already... those guys did it again...

They took apart the latest MacBook Pro and laid bare all its internal parts and organs...

Latest Apple MacBook Pro Announced!

2008-10-15T20:03:00.002+08:00

Precision aluminum unibody enclosure
Ultrathin 15-inch LED-backlit display
GeForce 9600M GT
Multi-Touch trackpad
And more... all for S$3000++ yummy...

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

MIA since August

2008-09-24T01:17:00.002+08:00

What have I been doing the past few weeks?
Beats me... time still flies way faster than I can comprehend.
Anyway... Its the F1 season in Singapore and I'm all fired up for it...

Come 26th to 28th Sept, I will be among a group of 900 plus volunteers dedicating our time and our lives (literally) to officiate and run the FIRST ever Formula 1 night race for the FIRST time in Singapore. And I am only one of a few Malaysians lucky enough to be selected :)

I have some pics up but I hope to relay more information about my involvement in the near future. By the way, I'm a Flag Marshal. You can find out more about the race here: http://www.singaporegp.sg/
And my pics are here: http://dustyf1.multiply.com/photos

Sit back and enjoy the race on 8pm, 28th Sept 2008. Oh yes and watch out for me somewhere between Turn 8 and Turn 9 :)

Mystery 'iPhone Girl'

2008-08-29T10:05:00.001+08:00

Someone in Foxconn's assembly line took time off to take pictures of another worker with an iPhone that eventually ended up in a proud buyer's hand in UK. Check out his post.

Psystar Plans to Counter-sue Apple

2008-08-28T18:31:00.001+08:00

Wah.. this is turning out to be something quite interesting...

Here's the news from HardwareZone and Engadget.

Remember Apple and Creative's rift a few years back? Now they are good friends...

But Psystar is going to sue Apple for anti-trust... hmm... I wonder how far it will go this time :)

Palm's Latest Treo Pro comes from HTC

2008-08-28T18:26:00.001+08:00

Hmm... still want to get it? Hehe...

45 Million iPhones by Aug 2009

2008-08-27T13:20:00.002+08:00

Wah lau eh... too much liao...
Then my iPhone won't be so special anymore...

"Apple's Ambitious iPhone 3G Plans"

SingTel Singapore GP

2008-08-25T22:51:00.002+08:00

Now that the iPhone craze is over... Its time for me to concentrate on the next up-coming big event... the Singapore F1 GP.

http://www.singaporegp.sg/
http://www.singtelrace.com/

Back from the queue... Alive with my beautiful iPhone :)

2008-08-22T10:38:00.001+08:00

I arrive shortly before midnight and I think that was at the height of the queue... many people dropped out after that but it still took us (a few of us strangers formed a group to pass time) more than 5 hours before we reach the buying area...

Was it worth it? For me its a once in a lifetime experience... never will I queue up like this again... at least not in the near future.. hehe...

About the phone? I was thinking of selling it after I bought it but after a few hours with it... I'm in love with it... Its just so sweet... :)

First Blog from My iPhone

2008-08-22T06:40:00.001+08:00

This is officially my first blog from my fisrt iPhone. Wow... Can't
believe that this is actually happening.. I'm still trying to get used
to the typing but I hope this is worth it :)
More info later.. Got to finish my breakfast first.. Hehe...

Still in queue for the iPhone

2008-08-22T02:19:00.001+08:00

Its now 0215am and yes, I'm still in the queue. Everyone is tired but
still patiently waiting for their turn to hand over hard earned cash
to the smart asses behind this whole money making venture. It sure
doesn't look like the economy is slowing down. If anything, i think
Singapore's economy might just pick up because of the iPhone sale this
month..

Queuing for iPhone in Singapore

2008-08-22T00:28:00.001+08:00

That's exactly what i'm doing now. Its half pass midnight on Friday,
22 Aug. Am I mad? There are like hundreds, maybe thousands here
queuing with me and I thought I might be the 3rd guy in line. Haha..
As i type this, there are still people turning up for the queue.. More
updates later..

Malaysian Richest is Richer than Singapore's Richest

2008-08-21T14:32:00.001+08:00

And he is richer by US$3B compared to his Singaporean counterpart...

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/21/malaysia-richest-billionaires-biz-malaysiarichest08-cx_sm_0521malaysia_intro.html

http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/20/singapore-richest-billionaires-biz-singaporerichest08-cz_sn_0820singaporeintro.html

Malaysia still boleh la :)

Madrid Plane Crash

2008-08-21T13:42:00.001+08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572643.stm

SingTel iPhone Official Launch

2008-08-21T12:46:00.001+08:00

Starts midnight on 22-Aug at Hello! Comcenter...

More details below:
https://www.singtelshop.com/iphone/
http://home.singtel.com/singtel/index.html#iphone

I might be there.. hehe..

Concert Fever (Updated)

2008-08-20T23:39:00.001+08:00

And then I thought she's not coming here... but The Best Damn Tour is on sale here...

7-Sept...

Another SAD Day for My Country

2008-08-20T23:35:00.001+08:00

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080819/tap-as-malaysia-canceled-concert-b3c65ae.html

Oil Price Drop...

2008-08-13T09:43:00.001+08:00

... then USD up, bringing the RM along and I'm now seeing my SGD, already hit by inflation of more than 7%, drop another 2.5% in value against the RM but I heard its only temporary :)

$1000 iPhone app that does nothing? (Update)

2008-08-13T00:10:00.001+08:00

8 people bought it and then Apple pull it out of the App Store. (Story here)

It's coming on 22 August 2008!

2008-08-12T23:44:00.001+08:00

iPhone@SingTel

to me

If you cannot see this mailer, please click here.

$1000 iPhone app that does nothing?

2008-08-07T15:58:00.001+08:00

Will someone buy this app for the iPhone and let everyone know once and for all what it does??

Corona and Lime

2008-08-07T09:40:00.002+08:00

Corona And Lime by Shwayze

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFf-PdGdRPY

Baby will you be my corona and lime.
And I will be your main squeeze.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street.

Verse:
Yo. Lil girls in the city. Dress up pretty.
Go out and get messed up and shitty.
Girls by the sea, dress like hippies. And write love beads and go skinny dippin'.
Girls in the hills, go day trippin. To get their nails done, and hair straighten.
Lil girls in the 818. Get hot when I roll over laurel canyon.

Let me tell you about a girl I know.
She like hip hop and rock and roll.
She walk slow down the avenue.
I ain't met her, but I get her when I do.
Let me tell you about a girl I love.
She stay at home cause she hate the club.
Baby but, pretty little features.
I ain't met her but I'll get her when I see her.

Baby will you be my corona and lime.
And I will be your main squeeze.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street.

Girls in New York look like giraffes.
Long neck, long legs, tiny tits and ass.
Girls from L.A rock oversized shades.
And chill all day cause they already payed.
Girls in Miami. Street bikinis.
Bump techno by Dj Tiesto.
Girls from Detroit Like electro. And dance all night till they break they neck, yo.

Let me tell you about a girl I know.
She like hip hop and rock and roll.
Let me tell you about a girl I love.
Let me tell you about a girl I love.

Baby will you be my corona and lime.
And I will be your main squeeze.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street.

Now if you lookin for love, won't you put you hands up.
(if you lookin for love, won't you put you hands up.)
If you lookin for love then I'm lookin for love.
(If you lookin for love then I'm lookin for love.)
Now if you lookin for love, won't you put you hands up.
(if you lookin for love, won't you put you hands up.)
Now, if you lookin for love then I'm lookin for love, huh. And this is what I'm lookin for.

Baby will you be my corona and lime.
And I will be your main squeeze.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street.

Baby will you be my corona and lime.
And I will be your sandy beach.
And if your brother don't like my style.
We could take it to the street.
We could take it to the street

Concert Fever

2008-08-07T00:35:00.001+08:00

Singfest just ended in Singapore... MTV Asia music award just ended in Genting...

Then?

"The Best Damn Tour" by Avril Lavigne willl be in KL on 29-Aug!! And she's skipping Singapore?? How dare she!!

And Coldplay is playing in Japan this weekend!! That's the closest they'll get to Singapore for now :(

Sigh...

Apple Tricks

2008-07-31T14:10:00.002+08:00

Apple told its retailers to stock up on most Macs and iPods but doesn't say that its releasing new products.

Its like asking someone to stock up or buy up all your old inventories, and at the same time clearing all your old stock so that you'll be ready to come out with new products. So what happens when the retailers who buy up old stocks can't sell them off soon enough?

With this kind of news, most people will be waiting out to see what Apple has up its sleeves come September. Stay tuned.

Macbook Touch?

2008-07-25T15:26:00.001+08:00

http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/news/view.php?id=11265&cid=1

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=1786

iPhone Breakthrough

2008-07-22T10:40:00.001+08:00

But I think its only on the Mac platform for now...

http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/iphone/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209400178&subSection=All+Stories

Diana Krall Tour Dates in SIN/KUL

2008-07-21T00:23:00.001+08:00

9/27/2008
Singapore
Marina at Keppel Bay
Singapore Charity Event

9/29/2008
Singapore
Marina at Keppel Bay
Singapore Concert

10/2/2008
Kuala Lumpur
Plenary Hall, KLCC

iPhone Apps Demo on NYtimes

2008-07-18T11:53:00.001+08:00

Damn cool... makes you wanna drool and jump on the chair like he did...

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=094a107e207bfcbfc31daee93eb87932940509af

iPhone Madness

2008-07-16T14:01:00.001+08:00

First, some guy flew all the way from US to NZ to get their hand on an iPhone 3G so that they can be the first to take it apart and tell you what's inside and then now some guy is going to tell you whether an iPhone 3G can be blended...

http://www.iphonefreak.com/2008/07/never-do-this-to-your-iphone-3g-video.html

Sigh... the madness that comes with something so popular...

SINGfest 2008

2008-07-15T16:13:00.001+08:00

To be held in Singapore's Fort Canning Park, here are the "TOP" bands & artists performing:

On Aug 2 - Simple Plan, Travis, etc.

On Aug 3 - One Republic, Panic at the Disco, Pussycat Dolls (yummy), Stacie Orrico, ALICIA KEYS, Jamie Scott & Jason Mraz.

Ticket price? Prepare to burn a couple of hundred SINGdollar on this...

Search for SINGfest on Google to find out more :)

iPhone 3G Dissected!

2008-07-14T16:30:00.001+08:00

http://live.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iPhone3G

Cost of the iPhone in Japan & other parts of the world

2008-07-11T16:12:00.000+08:00

23,040 yen (US$215) for the 8-gigabyte model, while the 16-gigabyte version costs 34,560 yen (US$320).

Service plan? Not sure but you can get the details in the link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-telecom/

iPhone rip-off in NZ

2008-07-11T15:45:00.001+08:00

The first consumer iPhone 3G in the world was picked up in NZ a few hours ago by a student but guess what he has to pay for the phone and the 2 year contract? NZD6000 (US$4,550) just for the 2 year call plan!!! Yes, that's a 6 and three zeros behind!!!

http://news.theage.com.au/technology/new-zealanders-queue-in-main-cities-to-buy-iphone-20080711-3dd6.html

Queue for the iPhone 3G?

2008-07-10T10:50:00.001+08:00

People queueing up in Japan, Hong Kong and NZ for the first iPhones in the world to be sold tomorrow:

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0931722420080709?sp=true

- A carrier in Germany may sell it for 1 Euro. O2 in UK giving it away for free?

- China retailers are promising unlocked iPhone 3G units by end of the month!

And a comparison of worldwide iPhone 3G plans:

Worldwide iPhone 3G wireless plans compared

Review of reviews:

http://www.iphoneatlas.com/2008/07/09/iphone-3g-reviews-reviewed/

http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/07/09/iphone_3g/

MS Win XP stops selling on Monday

2008-07-01T13:42:00.001+08:00

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080630/tbs-microsoft-xp-f8250da.html?printer=1

Same trick twice?

2008-06-30T09:34:00.001+08:00

This is disturbing... Not the charge itself but the desperateness of
the ruling coalition. Who do they think they can bluff this time? I'm
getting sick and tired of their old tricks and insult on our
intelligence...

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/357058/1/.html

Gadgets: Pico Projector

2008-06-26T13:55:00.001+08:00

A mini projector on your mobile phone? Its due out by this year or early next year.

http://www.microvision.com/pico_projector_displays/

What else are they going to put in your mobile phone?

14-Inch Notebooks with 16:9 Aspect Ratio & LED backlighting Out Soon

2008-06-26T13:42:00.002+08:00

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2008/6/24&pages=PD&seq=213

http://electronicslounge.com/?p=1231

Viva La Vida Links (2)

2008-06-25T16:09:00.001+08:00

2008 MTV Movie Awards: The Musical Performances - Coldplay - "Viva La Vida (Live)"

Viva La Vida Links

2008-06-25T16:07:00.003+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mYc1m3lsM - Official Coldplay "Viva La Vida" iTunes commercial

'Viva La Vida' has second-best debut of '08 - News

Coldplay on Disc and in Concert - News

COLDPLAY - VIVA LA VIDA LYRICS

Amazon.com: Viva La Vida: Coldplay: Music - Only US$10 or less! Why do we have to pay more here???

(All links found on Google :)

Randy - more than just a name

2008-06-16T23:46:00.001+08:00

I learn something new today about this name...

Its also an adjective to describe something that can be inappropriate at certain times...

Poor guy, to whoever was given this name.

Check out some of these links:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/randy

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/randy

Scolari for Chelsea

2008-06-12T10:21:00.001+08:00

Wah kao... Mr. RA is at it again. First with Jose M from Porto and now with LF Scolari from the Portugal national side.

This is the 2nd time Portugal lost top coaches to Chelsea later after some success.

Hey... I might start supporting Chelsea again... haha... its Scolari in the English league!

Imagine Chelsea vs Inter Milan in the finals of the UEFA Champions League next year... woo hoo... Hot! Hot!

Apple's iPhone: So cheap ah?

2008-06-11T10:39:00.001+08:00

You probably have heard about the "twice the speed, half the price" iPhone announced by Apple on Monday by now.

Cheap! Cheap! was what everyone at the office was calling it yesterday but soon, there will be growing reservations about the phone once it gets into the hands of consumers around the world beginning this July.

For a start, the iPhone 3G is plastic. Yes and not metal like last year's model. Then it will be sim locked, tied to one single mobile operator whom you will be buying it from and have to be activated on-site. I expect the encryption on the sim lock will most probably be harder to crack this time round and even if it can be cracked, you'll be stuck with the 2 year plan that the operator will bundle with the phone. There are also a lot of other features on an iPhone that is missing as compared to other phones we have today. So it might be hard to adapt to the new iPhone.

The features aside, how the heck did Apple come up with the US$199 price for the iPhone? Maybe Apple got the operators to subsidize the iPhone if they want to sell it because it has to come with a 2 year plan. Another thing to note is the SDK (software development kit) that Apple is selling for programmers to come out with apps for the phone. There will also be an apps store for iPhone users to buy and download apps. Like what the iTunes is for the iPods in the US, iPhone users can purchase music and videos on iTunes and buy apps for their phones online as well, creating another eco-system for the iPhones and iTouchs.

Finally, will the iPhone be available in Malaysia? Not in the near future. Why? Either the mobile operators here can't afford to subsidize the phone or they just can't come out with the 2 year plan to accommodate Apple's pre-requisite to sell the phone. So, too bad. Malaysians can only wait for someone to crack the sim lock and sell the phone in the grey market. The Singaporeans will get theirs by year end and I've reserved mine :)

Pump It

2008-06-06T14:30:00.001+08:00

Seems like that's what they're doing nowadays...

As if loosing 2/3 in the election is not enough, this could be the nail in the coffin for them...

Maybe they know that they are in the coffin already and that's why this is happening...

Whatever it is, its just plain madness...

Sick again... but not so sick...

2008-06-05T13:43:00.001+08:00

Well, I returned from Kuching with a round of slight flu and running nose and now I'm coughing again...

Its probably because the air in Kuching is so clean that when I touch down in JB, my throat and nose just couldn't take the choking poluted air that blankets JB most of the time. And Singapore's air is just stuffy most of the time. Someone did mention also that it could be the air-con air in my office, which I suspect is a possible reason too.

Whatever it is, I'm probably just crapping... I'm sorry you actually read the blog and felt that your time is wasted... hehe... :P

Computex Taipei 2008

2008-06-05T13:32:00.001+08:00

Its where I wish to be right now...

http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/articles/view.php?cid=18&id=2576

In Sickness and in Health

2008-05-14T09:33:00.001+08:00

I've been sick lately... very sick...

It started with a high fever of 38.5 degree C last Monday and on Tuesday, the fever subsided but I started coughing and I've been coughing since...

The cough doesn't seem to want to go away, making me feel lethargic and breathless half the time...

So now... its official... I'm a sick person :P

How Apple Is Preparing for an iPod Slump

2008-05-01T01:38:00.001+08:00

"Apple's entire adventure with the iPod is helping it sell computers, although the magnitude is impossible to calculate. Apple sold 2.3 million Macs in the quarter for $3.5 billion. That is an increase of 51 percent by units and 54 percent by dollars. Not so bad when the economy is more than a little shaky.

Apple's computer sales have been growing 2 to 3 times as fast as the overall market. But this quarter the company says it grew 3.5 times faster than the PC market overall."

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/how-apple-is-preparing-for-an-ipod-slump/?ex=1224907200&en=1233043253b7cb04&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M042-ROS-0408-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M042-ROS-0408-HDR

Decide for yourself...

Newly Discovered

2008-05-01T01:23:00.001+08:00

I'm 2 years behind on this but it looks just so sweeeeeet...

http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue/gallery/

But if I say I must go there one day, its like visiting the Apple shrine... then again... Apple can become a religion or is already a religion among some die hard fans who regularly worship Steve Jobs, uses Apple products religiously, religiously promotes Apple products to their friends and family, and frequently burn money to Apple just to gain membership in the Church of Apple.

Who would have imagined that Apple would have made such an impact in our lives? The very thing I'm doing now is also because of Steve Job's idea of creating a personal computer for everyone to use. 5 or 10 years from now, every PC might very well be a Mac. You'll see why in my next post...

How high thou inflation shall go?

2008-04-24T14:36:00.000+08:00

My increment from last year nearly wiped out...

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/343141/1/.html

Wife of the CEO of my former company in the news:

2008-04-24T14:32:00.000+08:00

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/343354/1/.html

Sounds familiar...

2008-04-18T09:24:00.001+08:00

Darn Cool Stuff

2008-03-20T09:07:00.001+08:00

There's this line of T-shirts sold online in the US. Check it out here. Very cool... and some very very funny...

One sample here...

With the strong SGD againts the USD, I'm going to start shopping online very very soon, as soon as I can find the time :)

UMPC War Brewing...

2008-03-19T14:21:00.001+08:00

First, ASUS rocked the world with its Eee PC with its upgraded model expected to be announced anytime soon.

And then news of HP's Compaq 2133 leaked into the market.

So now I'm waiting to see how these 2 great new products will be priced and how its acceptance level in the market will fare. I'm also thinking of getting one... hehe...

The New Cabinet

2008-03-18T14:35:00.001+08:00

Hmm... it looks very new, almost shining but let's hope that it doesn't become another decorative item.

Interesting to note that the previous trade minister was dropped, and I really don't know most of them.

The size has also been reduced by almost 25%. Hope that doesn't mean it will be 25% less effective. Its already bad enough the last time.

Looking for a new furniture?

2008-03-18T14:24:00.002+08:00

Or a new Cabinet? The full list:

Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz

Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
Datuk K. Devamany
Datuk Hassan Malik

Finance
Minister - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Second Finance Minister - Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies - Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha

Defence
Minister - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy - Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister - Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies - Datuk Chor Chee Heong, Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh

Housing and Local Government
Minister -Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies - Datuk Robert Lau , Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Works Minister
Minister - Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy- Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Energy, Water and Communications
Minister - Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy- Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Minister - Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy - Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim

International Trade and Industry
Minister -Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies- Loh Wei Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Affairs
Minister -Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy- Tunku Azlan Abu Bakar

Education
Minister -Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies -Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail

Higher Education
Minister - Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies - Khoo Kok Choong, Datuk Idris Harun

Transport
Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy - Anifah Aman

Human Resources
Datuk S. Subramaniam
Deputy- Datuk Noraini Ahmad

Women, Family and Community Development
Minister-Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy- Noriah Kasnon

National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister- Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy-Datuk Teng Boon Soon

Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister- Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy- Fadilah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister - Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy- Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah

Natural Resources and Environment
Minister - Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy - Datuk Abu Ghapur Salleh

Rural and Regional Development
Minister - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy- Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister - Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy - Jelaing Mersat

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister - Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy- Senator A. Kohilan

Youth and Sports
Minister - Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy - Wee Jack Seng

Health
Minister - Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy- Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Information
Minister - Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy- Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Tourism
Minister - Datuk Azalina Othman
Deputy - Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib

FT
Minister - Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy- M. Saravanan

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/18/nation/20080318122250&sec=nation

Nearly half of Japanese bathe with cellphones

2008-03-18T14:10:00.001+08:00

Notable comments on my blog (updated):

2008-03-11T21:41:00.002+08:00

I hope everything will be ok. Peace... u knw my church had a whole prayer wk before this election...
and I wanted to tell u that the vcd sellers now are out on full force esp in ss2...seriously, like nobody's business! not scared at all cos they knw police is bz (like cat and mouse)... :S
-sp-

My reply:

wah lau... no joke man... the police might be busy elsewhere, but I hope they won't suddenly just let the crime rate go up... that'll be disaster...

Free Parking

2008-03-11T21:35:00.001+08:00

Tuesday March 11, 2008

MYT 2:06:45 PM

Penang CM announces waivers, new policies (2nd update)

PENANG: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday that the Penang Municipal Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council will waive all summonses involving hawker licences and parking offences issued before March 11.

Lim made the announcement just hours after being sworn in as Chief Minister.

The government could not estimate how much this involved, but Lim said that the waiver would not affect the councils' operations as it was monies not collected yet.

The announcements are part of the new government's "agenda for change to re-establish rule by the people,'' he said in a statement.

He said it will also review the policy of political appointments in the councils, and would look towards restoring local government elections.

Lim also promised that open tenders will be held for all state government procurement and contracts, adding that an online portal will be set up where information on tender bids would be posted for all to see.

All state government members and civil servants will also be required to publicly declare their assets.

"This is a government that is based on democracy. This is also a government that believes in equal opportunity and social economic justice. We are here to build a dynamic Penang for all,'' he said in the statement.

Election Tsunami

2008-03-10T09:58:00.001+08:00

From coalition to opposition, a taste of the other side for BN in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. It'll be interesting to see the changes that will happen in Selangor and Penang.

Day 10! KNS, where is MSK?

2008-03-07T19:09:00.001+08:00

Mas Selamat Kastari, KNS, where are you?

Anyway, I think that the whole "toilet break" show has gone on long enough. Time to wrap it up and bring the man home...

We're beginning to think that the manhunt is for show. The man might have been purposely allowed to run away so that they can catch the people who is in cohort with him or worse, he might have been accidentally killed in detention and the manhunt is staged..

Considering the efficiency of the police in this country, and the kiasu + kiasi government here, there is no way that they could have allowed him to escape, let alone run away and hide for so long in this tiny prison country.

However, in a worst case scenario and the worst possible embarrassment for the people of this country, the man could be actually sipping a cuppa or enjoying his coconut drink by the beach somewhere in one of the many thousands of islands in neighbouring Indonland.

Either way, the circumstances surrounding his escape leaves too much to the imagination.

Toilet Break

2008-03-07T19:03:00.002+08:00

Quotes from the NY Times Today

2008-03-07T15:30:00.003+08:00

"On Wednesday, Mahathir bin Mohamad, who preceded Mr. Abdullah as prime minister and is from the same party, reiterated his regret for having chosen him as his successor and called for Malaysians to elect a strong opposition — a stunning reversal for a man who while in office sent opposition politicians to jail. "

"Income distribution in Malaysia is the least equal of all Asian countries but Papua New Guinea, according to United Nations statistics."

Sure or not??? I find it hard to swallow this yet it could be true. You decide...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/world/asia/07malay.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Looking back a little...

2008-03-07T15:00:00.002+08:00

Don't think I will be going for the Maroon 5 concert since my GOOD friend decide to spend his money on the music festival in KL featuring Incubus, etc.

So, now the budget goes to the Singapore GP :)

At first I was thinking, what the heck, why is Singapore bidding for the F1 GP when there is one already in Malaysia. Then again, Singapore in their true KIASU style, not only bid for it, but made it a night race as well. So I was considering whether or not to boycott it since I "love" my country so much.

But there is MORE pros than cons watching the F1 in Singapore:

1. It is SO convenient. No RM50 parking fee to pay, no traffic jams to deal with going to the race venue since the GP will be held on a street circuit in downtown Singapore's financial district. Just take the MRT.

2. I caught the first 2 GP in Malaysia at Sepang, So why not catch the first race in Singapore as well? How many first times do you get in this life anyway? It'll be nice to see how well the Singaporeans can organise the race.

3. I used to dream of attending an F1 race overseas, until I realise how impossibly expensive that would be. I probably won't be able to afford it in the next 10 or 20 years. And by the time I can afford it, my priorities would have changed. BUT now, the overseas F1 race CAME to me! How convenient, haha :)

Today's Headline Quotes

2008-03-07T14:30:00.001+08:00

Under Apple's Watchful Eye - Games and Business Applications

"Think of Apple as the Singapore of the technology world. It is impeccably clean, very functional, supportive of capitalism — and ruthless with miscreants."

Wah... Suddenly Singapore get drawn into a comparison with Apple... I like the comparison made in that quote :)

mis·cre·ant (mskr-nt)

1. An evildoer; a villain.

2. An infidel; a heretic.

Crazy New Year

2008-02-13T14:07:00.002+08:00

Its been a pretty crazy new year so far but I try not to look at those things that are affecting my mood.

Commitment will be a big word again this year. Commitment to my work vs commitment to my family vs commitment to my church vs commitment to my (unofficial) new love...

A grown-up's life is filled with so much commitment. I wonder how can one really handle so many things in life. I wonder how can one really make the most of all these commitments without sacrificing one or the other. I wonder how can one commit to so many things when work is already so tiring. Where can we find the energy to commit to so many things? But I think some of you know the answer, so its important that you encourage those around you.

I told a friend recently that I've been 18 for 10 years already. Its time for me to be 28 now. I just hope the year of the Rat does not leave me any diseases or make my house stink :)

I got this from my pastor last week and now its for you:
My prayer for you during this CNY - that no rats will be found in your home but blessings, peace, joy and prosperity from our Lord Jesus. Have a blessed CNY! :-)

Maroon 5 Live in Singapore Update

2008-01-21T01:18:00.000+08:00

- Seatings for Cat 1 are those in the PA-2 area. Front row seats sold out... duh!
- Seatings for Cat 2 are currently allocated to T34 which is at the west side of the stadium and front row seats are available. I wonder if those in T03, T04 and T05 are still available. They are better seats in my opinion and have a more direct view although T34 is nearer. Hmm...
- Cat 3 is currently selling from T12 online currently and at the 3rd row.
- Cat 4 has front row seats available as well.

So... if you have the dough, my suggestion now is to go for T34 - front row seats. Pretty good seats, except for the angled view of the stage.

Overheard on the Radio

2008-01-02T19:04:00.001+08:00

Because of the recent scandal that hit Malaysia, a Singapore radio channel was heard commenting that "MALAYSIA BOLEH" because he was still able to do it at age 59. This proves that he is really healthy :)

2008 First Post

2008-01-02T18:30:00.001+08:00

A very blessed and happy 2008 to everyone who happens to drop by here :)

Although this came as a shock to everyone on New Year's day, let's be positive(?) and light-hearted(?) about it.

Wahhahhahhaha... (I'm laughing and crying at the same time...)

Switchfoot Live in Singapore

2007-12-31T10:38:00.001+08:00

Hmm... to go or not to go?

Anyone from Malaysia coming for this concert? Maybe we can go together, then it'll be fun :)

Choose your Concert

2007-12-22T03:32:00.001+08:00

Just found out that there will be 3 major concerts in Singapore in March 2008.

1. Michael Guang Liang on 1 March 2008

2. Incubus on 7 March 2008

AND... (drum rolls...)

3. MAROON 5 on 25 March 2008

Woohoo.... I love Singapore! Don't you? Haha :P
The Maroon 5 concert tickets are going for between $185 and $75. Buy your tickets now!

p/s: There is something wrong with Sistic's website, so be sure to try refreshing the website a few times when you visit there so that you will be able to see the missing information.

Talk about over-reacting...

2007-12-22T01:50:00.001+08:00

Windows XP SP3 on the way???

2007-12-13T09:22:00.000+08:00

A few different sources have told me that MS will stop supporting Windows XP by next year but then this news came:

http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/news/view.php?id=9340&cid=11

What's going on here? And XP will perform better than Vista?

Today in Tech News

2007-11-21T20:06:00.001+08:00

Here are some news about HTC:

HTC launches HTC Touch Cruise in Europe

HTC ships one million HTC Touch smartphones in five months

Chunghwa Telecom to cooperate with HTC to develop Android-based handsets

And then the not-so-good news from Samsung:

Samsung Electronics Sheds 1600 Jobs

Investment Jackpots

2007-11-09T10:46:00.001+08:00

If I have invested $500 in Google shares 6 months ago, I would have earned 50 cents for every dollar invested.

If I have invested $100 in Apple shares a year ago, it will be worth $200 today.

Wow, can you see where the trend is going with these 2 stocks?

Who would have thought buying Apple can earn you so much. An Apple a day really keep the doctors away :)

Soros says...

2007-11-06T12:38:00.001+08:00

If George Soros says something, we better sit up and listen and then take action if we can.

He recently told a group of students in NYU that the U.S. economy is "on the verge of a very serious economic correction " after decades of overspending. He avoided directly signalling a recession in the US economy but gave hints that money is already moving away from the US dollar into other currencies and other economies.

Like I say before, save your money! Save, save, save!

How much do you owe?

2007-11-06T12:19:00.001+08:00

The US consumers owe a total of US$915 Billion in credit card debt. And this amount if defaulted has to be write off by the credit card issuers because it is unsecured. That means it is a total loss if consumers don't pay back. America could easily become a bankrupt country. So, how much do you owe?

Despite the promises of benefits from credit card companies, it will be more beneficial to the whole economy if everyone pays for purchases by cold-hard cash. Paying by cash improves the liquidity of the economy and reduces the actual cost of buying something. But of course there is always a need to borrow money for huge purchases like buying a house or a car. Those are OK as long as the total monthly repayment is not more than 33% or half of your monthly income, depending on your financial status.

Today's Word: Obnoxious

2007-10-18T10:46:00.001+08:00

There was once a reality TV show featuring a very obnoxious colleague or boss in the office. I can't remember what's the name of the show but this morning, this girl in the office is giving me that very obnoxious feeling and I'm about to loose my appetite for lunch.

The best part about this obnoxious colleague is that she's being obnoxious without even doing anything! Just by knowing her and how she act busy around the office and pretending to be soft and sweet and innocent makes me want to puke. If I have her picture posted here, I think you might puke too, the server might crash and my blog might be banned. OK, I shall think happy thoughts now...

Abandon Ship!

2007-10-15T09:32:00.001+08:00

Now the ferries as well?

First the express buses are crashing left and right, now the ferries to my favorite island are burning up?

If you're thinking what I'm thinking, I hope it doesn't get worse from here. The best part is, all these are happening during our VISIT Malaysia Year 2007!

The Malaysian government should really take PRO-ACTIVE steps to stop all these from happening but I suppose that's just wishful thinking. Sigh.

On my CD shopping list

2007-10-09T23:40:00.001+08:00

Hillsong United - All Of The Above (2007)
Hillsong Live - Saviour King (2007)

Anybody know which one is better? Or are they both good?

HD on your phone?

2007-10-09T14:14:00.001+08:00

Ready for HD (hi-definition) and 3D gaming on your handphone?

I don't even have a handphone with a megapixel camera on it yet!

A New Giant is Born

2007-10-08T11:29:00.001+08:00

Its name is Flextro-lectron. Haha...

Computer to Read Minds

2007-10-04T18:10:00.001+08:00

Die lah... now they are going to know if we are working or not...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/computertoreadminds

When cars become too quiet

2007-10-03T13:43:00.001+08:00

People actually complain.

Q4 Approaching

2007-09-28T09:59:00.001+08:00

3 quarters of the year is already coming to pass but I've only done 1 quarter of the things I wanted to do on my to do list.

I hope I can catch up...

Respect for people who dare

2007-09-25T12:42:00.001+08:00

Hats off to this guy with his take on Malaysia and his creative use of the national anthem. Not sure if I should put the link to his video on YouTube but its there, you can go search for it. Don't accuse him for being disrespectful of the country or for the language he use. He was just voicing out his opinion and how he felt about his country. We all have certain feelings for our country and better to have some feeling than no feeling at all.

Don't get him wrong, he loves his country and so do I. So happen that he is in Taiwan and out of the country that he finds the freedom to express himself. And did I mention that he is featured on the front page of one of Singapore's free Chinese+English newspapers today? That really tells you how much we are suppressed in Malaysia. Its because of the lack of freedom in Malaysia that they can do what they want and get away with it and call it their country while we who work hard have to constantly improvise to meet the challenges and continue to enrich them who don't really care about us.

If only we use our time and talent for Christ the way Wee did about his beliefs.

Argh!!! Earthquake!!!

2007-09-13T11:48:00.001+08:00

I'm still safe so far. Thank you :)

An Apple Mobile Network?

2007-09-12T18:49:00.001+08:00

This would be interesting...

Apple Sells One Millionth iPhone

2007-09-12T18:34:00.001+08:00

2 days ago, Apple announced that they have sold a million iPhones. Wow! All that in less than 2.5 months!

Oh no... another case in MMU Melaka

2007-09-10T11:08:00.001+08:00

This is sad...

Very sad... I wonder what happened?

The iPhone unlocked v3

2007-09-04T14:58:00.000+08:00

Here is a comment on the current buzz around the iPhone crack.

And there's more news for iPhone hackers. Remember me if you found the site through my blog and collected the bounty :)

The iPhone unlocked v2

2007-09-04T14:19:00.001+08:00

Remember the guy from my last post who used a solder and some software to unlock the iPhone from AT&T's network? He said he didn't want anyone making money off what he did but guess what? He traded his cracked iPhone for a Nissan 350Z and 3 new iPhones. So much for his noble heart.

Apparently, he's not the only one with a crack. Even the Australians have come up with at least 2 different methods to break the SIM lock. And here is where you could get one if you have US$1000 to spare or as low as US$700 according to some ads I saw.

Anyway, if you search for iPhone in Google News, you will find all these on the top of the results list.

The iPhone unlocked

2007-09-03T10:46:00.001+08:00

Well, its sooner or later :)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6963696.stm

So when will we see an iPhone in Malaysia or Singapore? Its only a matter of time.

It'll probably run best on Digi's network, given that it is an EDGE phone.

Then again, as I mentioned before, its a multimedia device with phone functions, so it doesn't really matter which network it runs on. Its just so d### cool to have one :)