I am sure that everyone from the Gen X or Gen Y batch has a favourite movie which he/she likes a lot. I pondered over what mine was and came to an inconclusive conclusion. That's the norm, my compositions in school always halt at an indecisive ending

Prior to Inception which everybody praises it after watching, I decided to pick some movies which I like most. For Mandarin films, I believe A World Without Thieves (starring Andy Lau) is the best of all. The message which the movie is trying to convey can be sensed greatly

Compared to Jack Neo's movies which try very hard to "teach" you some moral values through laughter and jokes with this year's Being Human being the epitome of morality (as it teaches you to Being Human Being?!), AWWT is simple and straightforward

Another movie which I would like to talk about is an English one. I seldom watch English movies so if I do recommend one, it's gotta be above average. And that is My Sister's Keeper

The storyline is similar to the original one from the book except for some parts. If you haven't read the book or didn't even hear about it before, just watch the movie. If you're a female, there's a 70% chance that you will cry while watching it. Lastly, the ending is superb

To be honest, I think this is my favourite movie or rather movies of all that I had watched so far in my life. It is a Japanese show. The story takes place in Japan, the actors are all Japanese, the story writer is also Japanese. It's adapted from a Japanese comic

So if you have guessed it, yes, it is Death Note. A perfect movie that just looks so perfect. It doesn't have humorous scenes which I usually look out for. The second volume is ridiculously long like Avatar but unlike the blue-alien film, every part of Death Note is crucial and thrilling

The only part which I dislike about this movie is that Light had to lose to L. I supported Light from the start of the show but the scriptwriter did not share the same view as me

An Average Singaporean

Hello again everyone! I'm back after a one, two, three day hiatus thanks to some assignments. So what had I been doing for the past 72 hours?

Well, I am not going into details like what most bloggers do (I woke up at XX am, took MRT to XX place, met XX and XX, went to watch XX movie, then eat XX at XX place, then bought a XX for XX, then we saw an XX and laughed like XXXXX)

Actually the only important thing which I recalled doing was breathing. That is really important and the most important to do to ah, ah, ah, ah staying alive, staying alive

Alright, lame jokes aside, I have thought of this topic recently. What/Who is the average Singaporean?

I have listed some points which I believe are the pre-requisites to becoming an average Singaporean

First of all, you need to be a commoner. Someone who walks down Orchard Road without getting much attention unless you forgot to zip your pants. JJ Lin is no commoner, same goes to Ris Low although they're uncommon for different reasons. Ok, so you get my point?

If you are a student

You undergo academic rigours in your school where only exam results matter

You are forced to join a CCA even though there isn't one which interests you

You only realized that PSLE was not that crucial after all when you obtain your O Level

You are aware that your school has more and more China students every year

If you are a working adult

You undergo work stress as Singapore is a highly competitive place where only work performance matters.

You are forced to squeeze on the MRT or pay ERP wherever you drive to

You only realized that qualifications are not that crucial after all as foreigners with lower salary demands can easily be employed

You are aware that you are getting older and older but your salary hardly moves

Weekends, what does an average Singaporean do on a weekend?

You sleep as long as possible until you think it's enough

You go to NTUC to stock up necessities and join a dragon queue with many other fellow Singaporeans

The only day/days of the week which you seriously read the newspapers

You read the newspapers to look for any discounts

If it is worth the deal, you quickly head down to the destination before another kiasu Singaporean does so

You take self-declared afternoon naps

Play sports with friends on a Sunday morning

You queue up at Singapore Pools to buy 4D without complaining

At least one of your meals in these two days is not home-cooked

Watch a movie that you think is worth spending ten dollars (or more if your girlfriend joins)

Go to JB

Things that an average Singaporean would and would not do

You can queue for an hour to buy Toto but will never queue up for ten minutes to enter a public toilet

You are willing to spend six dollars to eat KFC but will never pay ten cents to enter a public toilet (unless there's an urgency)

You use your home's toilet paper sparingly but pull out large amounts in a public toilet

You may forget to bring your handphone out but will never forget to tap out when alighting a bus

You privately complain about the ruling Pay and Pay party but never dare to voice it out publicly

You drive to Malaysia to refill your car's petrol but rather waste more time than take a taxi

You eat at a hotel only during wedding dinners and never visit a foodcourt if there's a hawker centre nearby

What do you as an average Singaporean think about?

Pay and Pay is incompetent to lead the country but when you look at the opposition, you sigh even more

ERP stands for Every Road Pay

HDB stands for Heavy Debt Burden

GRC stands for Governance, Risk and Compliance

You are thinking of more ideas which will soon surface

RC block parties are a waste of time and money

What number should I buy for 4D

Feel like punching those annoying China people in public

Feel like whacking them up as well

And ask them to balek kampong

When will I ever strike Toto

Should I put a parking coupon

Never shop at 7 Eleven unless it's at an unearthly hour

Roti Prata definitely needs to be eaten with curry

Buying clothes at departmental stores and Expo sales

What is really so good about Apple products

LKY should just retire

My country is always the safest among all the ASEAN members

Why must we serve NS

NS is a waste of time

Will I be able to survive after retiring

HDB flat prices are way too high currently

Marina Bay is the only place in the country we can boast about to the world

NEWater is an awesome invention

I love Singapore!!!

That was insanely humourous and it triggered a series of trajectories and transcending senses throughout my body and mind causing myself to display an uncontrollable expression of laughter. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

A million years

Once upon a time, a boy met a God and they talked

Boy: God, may I know how long is a million years?
God: In my perspective, a million years is like a minute to me
Boy: Then how much is a million dollars?
God: A million dollars is like a one dollar coin to me
Boy: Oh God, can you give me a dollar?
God: Sorry, I'm busy now. Can you wait for a minute?

As the old saying goes, time and tide waits for no man...

Ok, woman is included as well

Which is more important?

Oh sheeet. So near yet so far. I struck three numbers for yesterday's Great Singapore Sale Toto draw. 14, 23, 29. I should think positively

This is the first time that I got three numbers right. Ok, so just buy a few more times and I may be one of the winners in the Group 6 prize. Then, buy another few more times and I may end up as a Group 3 or 4 winner and then...who doesn't like to dream?

I was thinking about an old topic this morning. Who doesn't love money? People who say they don't love money are the biggest hypocrites in the world. It seems very strange to me that whenever I tell people money is great, they will argue back citing examples like health and family are more crucial

Come on people, you all need to look from another angle. Money, family and health are the three most equally important things in everyone's life. So you should not juxtapose them for comparison. It is just like asking someone if charcoal or lighters are more crucial for a bbq

Neither one of the three can be removed from everybody's life. Of course, money can't buy health and health can't buy money either. Both of them are "un-buyable" or rather not for sale

Just like why vegetarians maintain herbivore diets and there are always people jogging at a nearby park, there will also be others willing to queue up an hour to buy Toto. All of them are seeking different goals. So you cannot describe a person as overly health-conscious or too money-minded

Cherish what you have now before it's too late to regret

iPad or iPhone or Toto?

So we all know that the legendary iPad and the great-grandson of the over-hyped iPhone (4th generation) will be released in Singapore tomorrow and on 30th July respectively. Seems that none of the three telcos are selling the iPad which is rather surprising

Anyway, I can assure you that there is nothing great about a tablet PC from Apple. I had already touched one before about two months back. It is heavier than what you expect when you hold it for the first time. iPad is just maximizing an iPhone so that you need not squint your eyes when looking at the screen

I still think that a good old laptop would be a wiser choice. Apple die-hard fans like Galvyn will be eager to argue with me that this device is wonderful or any other adjective that means very good. That is the mentality of Apple fans, they defend their favourite brand like how the government defend the policies they've came up with

As for iPhone 4, there has been some antenna problem with this smartphone. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has offered free cases to all iPhone 4 users to fix the problem. I think we are better off buying our own plasters and fix the problem on our own

Oh yeah, check out this link. It is a leaked email of Singtel's iPhone 4 launch. So much so for my loyal support for them when such an embarrassing thing occurred. Well, never mind, I ain't no iPhone fan either and will never buy one unless there are no other brands on earth

In a nutshell, do not spend unnecessary money on these pretty-looking Apple products. Use the money to invest in tomorrow's 8.3 million Toto draw man!

These days, all of my blogger friends hardly blog. Things really change drastically in a span of one or two years. The norm thing which we used to do was visit each other's blog every other day. This fact has ended up becoming just a dream now

I find that I am the only person left stranded on a deserted island while everybody else have swam away. Can't be that I am too passionate right? Their blogs can be left rotten for like a month

I think it is more about one's character and mindset. Bloggers will experience mental block or there is just nothing interesting in one's life for one to pen it down. I do have similar experiences too but managed to overcame them

If I can do it, so can you. Come on fellow bloggers, swim back to this island and join me. I can assure you that it is a paradise island.

Flood

Floods have recently been a hit in Singapore and have been hitting the headlines on newsprint publications. Seems that we must be mentally prepared to expect a flood every time we go out now

Old newspapers appear everywhere on the ground of shops to absorb water while newspapers supposed to be delivered to houses vanished to nowhere. Cars are soaked in water so badly that one might need an ultra bamboo stick to hang it dry. People end up sitting on tables instead of chairs in kopitiams

PUB claimed that a culvert was blocked by debris which resulted in the first flash flood at Orchard Road last month. However, Saturday morning's sequel proved that that is not really the main problem since the drain has been cleared

Did Marina Barrage play a part? This dam was built to increase Singapore's water catchment areas and alleviate flooding in low lying places. Well, it did by holding back Kallang River

Dams are made to hold river water while this one is used to hold water back from the sea. The other side of it blocks run-off water from rain from flowing to the sea. The outcome of this is of course floods in areas (like Orchard Road) that look impossible to have a flood for a long, long time

Water flows from high to low. The water level in Marina area is higher than than one of the sea. Therefore, when the Marina Barrage gates open and water flows, it is flowing from within the Marina area to the open sea

That is where problems occur. An inland flood will result in water stranded there as it is not flowing quick enough to the pool. Because the Marina area's level is higher than the sea so water is accumulated at a slower rate

If there was no such thing as Marina Barrage, the Marina area and the sea would be at an equal level meaning that the latter is still higher as a whole

And who was the one who came up with this reservoir?

Nokia E52

I changed to a new handphone today. It is Nokia E52 ( I know it's kinda old but I think it suits me the most). After four years and three Sony Ericsson phones, it is back to basics with Nokia again

I still haven't sent an SMS with it yet. Wonder who would be the first lucky one? Anyway, there are three things which makes Nokia a better brand than Sony Ericsson through my experience from using their mobile phones

Nokia's battery lasts longer than Sony Ericsson. Using the latter will result in more amounts of charging. Fortunately, I can always take advantage of the free electricity available in school but that is not long-term. Nokia is still the most reliable

Sony Ericsson is better known for its beauty than practicality (somewhat similar to a certain computer brand that is the name of a fruit). I pride myself as an uncle so all those geeky stuff don't excite me. Well, I only utilize my handphone to call and SMS only

Sony Ericsson always have problems with their USB ports. After plugging in the charger, I will need to "twist and turn" it until the screen indicates that the phone is charging. Sometimes, twisting and turning for ten times will be a waste of my time because nothing happens

Seems that Finland is still a better place than Sweden after all

Some bloggers blog using Wordpress

As they always feel very depressed

Wordpress has a password-protected post feature

Allowing them to rant freely like painting a picture

People who choose to use Blogger are still the best

At least they are brave enough to put their posts to the test

Raymond

YOG Mercedes

Omg, now even Mercedes taxis are used as Youth Olympic Games transport. I bet the government is trying to justify that they are really the highest paid politicians in the world. Well done. My condolences to the taxpayers

Inertia

Inertia. What is inertia? Newton's First Law describes it as an object in motion will continue moving in a straight line and an object at rest will remain stationary unless acted on by an external force

This fundamental principle of physics does not only put into use in the world of science. Anything, be it living or non-living, has inertia. Here are some examples of it that Issac Newton himself would never know of(unless he is still alive)

Political landscape. Malaysia suffered a political tsunami in March 2008. Five out of the twelve state legislatures were won by the opposition. The ruling party failed to get two-third of the parliament's population. Life still goes on

The British left Hong Kong. Life still goes on. The Juche Idea still exist in North Korea in the 21st century. Life still goes on. Switzerland is still the "democratic-est" country in the world. Life still goes on. Even Singapura was separated from Malaysia forty over years ago and life still goes on

The results of the following events were not an impact big enough to make a drastic change. Or rather, there wasn't something that powerful to make an alteration in history. This is where nature is at its most truthful form

On the other other hand, news like Lebron James moving to Miami Heat from his boyhood club Cleveland Cavaliers may have changed his life and those of many many people. The Cleveland people are hating James to the core while Miami can't wait to embrace their new superstar

Most people lead an inertia life. To be more specific, it is always the uncreative and dull friends of yours who are the inertia slaves. Everything has a routine, including their mindset. It is complex for them to analyse issues

Creative people or people who have a little bit of creativity are always more well-liked. They are those who re-define Newton's First Law. An internal force within the object can make a difference to its movement

In the case of the Singapore story, our ministers built the country's infrastructure and economy from third-world to first (although the current batch has screwed things up). Malaysia were surprised and tried to surpass us. Indonesia are jealous of our achievements. Taiwan didn't bother to take notice of us. All of them still remain the same more or less till today

Boundaries can be exceeded. One just needs some force within oneself

12 july

I am tired today so I do not have the mood and energy to blog. Will do it tomorrow will I recover all my power or whatever you call it. And you should know why I am jaded so I guess I need not state the reason here

Congratulations to everyone, everyone, you and me, is a winner in some way or another. You just need to see it from a different perspective

Before the final takes place in six hours' time, have a light moment by watching this video. Emmanuel Eboue of Ivory Coast listens to the North Korean coach when the two teams were playing each other in their group match

World Cup tips 11

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, hey! As expected, Uruguay and Germany will be facing each other! Of course, I am referring to the meaningless third place play-off. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, hey! It'll be Holland's Utility Movement versus Spain's Precision Engineering in the final!

Uruguay vs Germany
Tip: Total goals = 4 (Match No.: 0763, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 04, $4.70)

For twenty years since the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the third place match always ends with a winner in full-time. This year's one should not be an exclusion so one can avoid betting on a draw. Also, my research has found out that for 32 years, at least 3 goals will be scored in this match

With the above two facts, we can narrow down on what to bet. Betting on 1x2 seems a bit risky as both sides are equally competent. Go for total goals in this case. 3 or 4 goals would be a good bet. If you are courageous enough, take Uruguay to win 3:1

Ok, I know the Germany fans are going to whack me and cook me together with an octopus

Holland vs Spain
Tip: Do not bet on this match

Why? Because the percentage of you winning will be lower than usual. You will bet with your heart, not with your brain. But then again, even if you use your brain, it is useless. Why not just watch this match in peace? Watch this match for the sake of football, not for the sake of money, just for once only. That is the bottom line of watching sports

firefox 4

 

I didn't want to take an image from another website so I decided to showcase my wonderful drawing skills


Mozilla releases Firefox 4 Beta 1 today. There have been speculations that Google Chrome is posing a threat to Firefox which prompted the latter to refresh and improve itself

Tabs are now switched to the top, which makes the latest version look similar to Chrome. For Windows 7 and Vista users, just one Firefox button sits in the Menu bar

Other than the new image, Firefox 4 also has crash protection features. This means that in the event of a plugin  crash, only the plugin would be affected and not the whole browser

HTML 5 support is also the new feature one can look out for. Internet Explorer 9, which has yet to be released, also supports this technology. Currently, browsers only support HTML 4 standard which has been around for more than a decade

You can give it a try by downloading it and provide feedback to the developers. However, do take note that it is not very stable yet as it may not work well with the add-ons

McDonald's Cup

I had McDonald's for lunch today and this is the cup which I got for upsizing my meal

Looks very exquisite and high-class right? Very suit me right? Agree? Agree with me? Agree that I very the bu yao lian hor?

Ginza Bairin

You might have heard of Ginza Plaza or Ginza Line but do you know about Ginza Bairin?

It is a specialty Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet) restaurant from Tokyo with an 83-year history. There are four outlets in Japan and one each in Hong Kong and Hawaii. Ginza Bairin was first launched in Singapore during July last year at ION orchard. This year, the restaurant has expanded its menu. I would like to recommend some of the new dishes which they have

The number one new food is none other than the Special Black Pig Katsu Don (Korobuta Pork). It was named Japan's number one Donburi by Donburi experts on a popular Japanese gourmet show on TV Asahi. There are also black Pig Loin katsu and Black Pig Katsu curry

Another must-try newbie on the menu is their Mini Tonkatsu Burgers. The burgers come in a set of three, great for an appetizer. Also, it is only available at the Singapore branch

All Tonkatsu sets are served with Tsukemono (pickled veggies), their special Tonkatsu sauce and a bowl of Tonjiru Miso soup

Want to know the price? Not really that pricey lah but do expect to pay a bit since it is at ION Orchard. However, it will be worth it

All images taken from Ginza Bairin's Facebook page

World Cup tips 10

Singapore Pools is really efficient. The day after the quarter-finals are over, the odds for the two semi-final matches are out. So I decided to be efficient as well and have listed the predictions here. Remember, and always remember, it is okay to bet so long as you bet with the legal operator. And of course, do not be greedy

Uruguay vs Holland
Tip: Draw after full-time (Match No.: 0761, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.40)

It is the semi-final already, what do you expect? Three strikers chiong-ing around the opposing penalty area? Impossible. Both teams will play slow and steady football, something which Arjen Robben will not be used to

Holland's formation is pretty predictable, a five-man midfield behind Robin van Persie as the lone striker. Even the five men in their midfield are easily foreseen. The last time the Dutch entered the semis was way back in 1998 where they eventually finished fourth. They can at least finish runners-up this time (if you get what I mean)

Uruguay are the number one cheating team among the four remaining countries. They will get their retribution for ousting Ghana in the dirtiest way during the quarter-finals. With Luis Suarez banned, Diego Forlan is the only man which the Oranje need to look out for. Uruguay's chances of scoring would be limited. If they do score, it will be a long range goal

I think the game would end as a draw after ninety minutes. Both teams would cancel each other out in midfield. Holland will be the ones smiling after the penalty shoot-out


Germany vs Spain
Tip: Draw after full-time (Match No.: 0762, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.10)

No players will want to take risks at this stage of the tournament. So, as punters, we have to be careful and not take risks as well for this kind of match. Betting a draw looks really safe in my perspective. Just pray that both teams defend like it's the last game of their lives for ninety minutes to hand out a 0:0 scoreline and you would have won money

Honestly, I reckon you bet the Uruguay-Holland one. Most people would follow their hearts than use their brains when betting on this game. However, even if one uses his brain, he might not come to a conclusion as to what should he bet on

Betting this match is more like an added thrill when watching the match, not so much about winning money. I shall follow my heart and predict Spain to advance to the final. Yes, as you know, I dislike Germany

2 july

I had plan to play soccer today. Well, it is actually a training session for the upcoming school soccer league which we are participating in. Unfortunately, the weather spoiled our plans by having a heavy rain which lasted for four hours and still counting

So I decided to make full use of my time to take an afternoon nap with such a comfortable atmospheric condition. I think I was really in deep sleep because I actually dreamt of myself waking up from that sleep

Actually I do not think we need regular training, we are only amateurs. The only ones who need training would be the goalkeepers but we have still yet to have one in our team. Definitely not me unless you want to concede ten goals per game

Here's a video before I end

World Cup tips 9

Quarters-finals! Yes, we're into the quarter-finals now. Forget about Japan's tragic loss in the penalty shoot-out or the fact that C.Ronaldo will not appear in this tournament again

As more and more teams get eliminated, it gets harder and harder to predict matches. The fixtures of the last 8 will see two games of powerhouses facing each other, namely Holland vs Brazil and Argentina vs Germany

Holland vs Brazil

Tip: Both teams to draw, Brazil to win after extra-time (Match No.: 0757, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.50)

A big showdown where Total Football United takes on the Samba Kings. Well, looks like a 50-50 game but Brazil will still gain the upper hand. Every Brazilian team is a phenomenon, the current one is of no exception

Brazil play with virtually nine forwards. Their centre-back is already the central playmaker so everyone else in midfield and attack can spread around and go forward. Holland's defence is not that perfect after all. Right-back is their weakest link so expect Robinho to loiter around that area

Betting on which team to win might be dull (and risky) so if you are looking for some excitement, why not bet the first scorer? There are a whole lot of choices for you to choose from but bet with your brain and not blindly go for your favourite player


Uruguay vs Ghana

Tip: Total Goals = 2 (Match No.: 0758, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 02, $3)

As I have mentioned above, the matches are getting harder and harder to predict so do not blame me if this tip differ a lot from the actual score. Don't ask me who will win because this is truly a 50-50 game.

However, I would choose Ghana as I hate Uruguay (as well as Paraguay) because they defeated South Korea(and Japan)

Can Luis Suarez score again? Or will Asamoah Gyan find the net first? I don't understand why people say Gyan is a good striker or things like that. Two out of the three World Cup goals he scored are from penalties. Suarez is the dangerman that the Black Stars have to look out for. 1:1 stalemate for this game


Argentina vs Germany

Tip: Argentina to win in full-time (Match No.: 0759, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 01, $2.15)

A rematch of a quarter-final match in the 2006 World Cup. Germany emerged victorious after the penalty shoot-out where the game ended in a 1:1 draw. This time, it would be Maradona's team to reach the semis

Germany's weakest link is their goalkeeper. If Gonzalo Higuain and the other Argentinian strikers polish up on their shooting during training, Germany might be in for some embarrassment

Argentina to win it 2:1. The goals would not look beautiful but who cares so long as it's a goal. And Lionel Messi will still not break the deadlock after this match. Miroslav Klose will play his 100th international match but it'll be a sad day for him


Paraguay vs Spain

Tip: Draw-Away (Match No.: 0760, Bet Type: 03, Selection No.: 06, $3.80)

Paraguay to win this game is like asking an ostrich to fly. The South Americans will soak up the game with defensive tactics. I can foresee a boring first half whereby neither side look like they want to advance to the next round

All eyes will be on David Villa and whether will he score. If you ask me, I will tell you that everybody on the pitch has a chance to score so Villa only has a 10% chance of scoring. If you have some cash to spare and lots of bravery, take Spain -1.5 ball although winning by two goals will be difficult at this stage