Wednesday, 30 January 2008

£440,000!! for a piece of metal..






No, not the car... the number plate. Businessman Afzal Kahn's delight was in
overdrive on Sunday after he bought F1 - Britain's most expensive registration.

The 37-year-old custom car tycoon got the plate for £440,625 - £375,000 plus VAT -
and other charges took the total to around half a million pounds.

It beat the previous record of £331,000 for M1, sold by auctioneers Bonhams in
July 2006.

Mr Kahn has put F1 on his new Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR, which cost £200,000 less
than the number.

0 comments
dreamed of racing on 4:19 pm

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Tuesday, 29 January 2008

Materialism - A price to pay
Among the world’s most materialistic, Singaporeans are driven to achieve,
but it could also be painful for the nation and individually.
By Seah Chiang Nee Nov 17, 2007

WHY are Singaporeans, among the region’s best educated, so easily conned into paying
money to people they have never seen – just on the promise of a financial reward?
How can anyone be persuaded to pay thousands of dollars to claim a lottery prize that
in the first place they had never participated in? Or a worldly-wise businessman talked
into sending a small fortune on a money laundering deal offered by some Africans half
the world away whom he would probably scoff at as academically inferior to himself?
Yes, hard to believe, but these examples are happening every day in this sophisticated city.
In the past two months 179 lottery scams were reported. Singaporeans, either out of greed
or naivety or both, are increasingly falling prey to the temptation of easy money.

The latest victim was a schoolteacher in her 30s who was swindled of S$61,000 by a
voice on the telephone after an hour of conversation. The all-too-familiar operation runs
as follows: “You’ve won a $150,000 lottery in Hong Kong. You have to first pay $5,500
in taxes and fees.” She paid and got no joy. In several follow-up talks with the China-based
syndicate, the teacher was incredibly persuaded to pay more money, which she raised by
borrowing from friends and her bank.

These – and other scams – had each victim poorer by anything from hundreds of dollars to
S$350,000 (in one case). Why do so many get taken in? The most common cause is, of course,
greed and the second, naivety – or both. To be sure, foreign scams by phone or on the
Internet are a global phenomenon, and the victims not confined to Singaporeans.
But being particularly materialistic, status-conscious and impatient to get rich
would render Singaporeans more vulnerable than most. (A 2001 study on
national identity concluded that we ranked among the most materialistic,
money-obsessed people in the world.) The trait stems from a sense of Singaporeans’
insecurity, of being part of a tiny resourceless city-state with little financial safety net should
they run into trouble. At best, the chase for the dollar, similar to early 20th century industrial
America, could also be a driving force for enterprise and achievement. In fact, it has largely
been responsible for turning a squalid Singapore into today’s prosperous nation.

Time means money, so we’re always in a hurry – acting fast, talking fast, even playing fast.
Singaporeans are now walking as fast as the people in Hong Kong. We run up an ascending
escalator just to save time, and impatiently push the lift button several times in a ridiculous
habit to make it, as many hope, move faster. With its relentless economic pursuit, the
government sets the pace by pushing people to be individualistic and self-reliant
(“there’s no free lunch” or “no bail-out for failures”), which has developed into some
not-so-pretty traits. Materialism has come to dominate many lives, spawning an
unacceptable level of greed, arrogance and selfishness. This extreme pursuit (some call us
“economic animals”) is contributing to a decline in collective morality, even as people
become more educated and globalised. There are more corporate shenanigans and charity
bodies being investigated nowadays; on the rise are job scams and elderly folk being
mugged. The late David Marshall once accused the People’s Action Party government
of turning Singaporeans into “successful crooks”.

A new China immigrant from Shenzhen recently wrote on the Internet of his five-month
stay here, and of his shock at finding a Singapore so vastly different from the “nice” place
he had heard about. “Everyone here seems to be crazy about money. “Why is this happening
here? Back in China, we are also concerned about money, but not like this; every other thing
is about money here,” he commented. “In the office, people are always talking about 4-D,
en bloc property, shares or higher salaries. There was also an idiot who blew S$2,000 on a
soccer match last week. That’s a lot of money to lose in a single day. “I know of two girls
in my office who moonlight as insurance agents and sleep around with clients. All that for
money.” To be fair, the preoccupation with quick profit prevails also in today’s China,
and among the Chinese diaspora.

Greed and the lure of easy winnings are the main reasons why the world’s casino operators
love Asia – Singapore in particular – and want to set up operations in the region. It has more
young people willing to take risks that their forefathers would probably shun, either as
initiators – or victims – of get-rich-quick businesses. The recent spate has prompted the
Monetary Authority of Singapore to issue a warning to consumers to be extremely wary of
unregulated get-rich-quick schemes.

It said the number of such unlicensed outfits offering rapid financial returns had ballooned
from 25 to 95 over the past three years. The trait has long worried the government. In 2001,
a committee to remake Singapore had suggested correcting “the shallowly materialistic credo
that may dominate lives here.” The then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in 1997:
“Singaporeans cannot just be materialistic, self-centred and impatient to get rich quick.”
He suggested creating a more “gracious society”, something that could take a very long time.

(This was published in The Star, Malaysia on Nov 17, 2007)

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dreamed of racing on 10:57 pm

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昨天股市又大跌，虽然损失了好几千元，不过只要hold住的话也只是paper loss.. 估计要在年中，
股市才会恢复。钱财是身外物。老实说，我不是一个贪钱的人，也不会为了钱做出卖朋友或伤天害理
的事。金钱虽然能帮助人，但很遗憾的，人们往往是为了钱而干坏事。所以金钱害人多过于帮助人。

上个月和fraser去马来西亚修车，他谈到卖了一只三万多元的钻石手表给新加坡最有名气的股票经纪。
那个股票经纪是个billionaire！拥有七辆法拉利。为何有七辆？因为一个星期有七天，每天都
驾不同的法拉利出门。卖完表后，那个billionaire请他们去高级的pub喝酒。叫的酒都是上千的，
给的小费也是上百的。对他来说一千元就好像一分钱，这样说一点也不夸张。当时招待他们的服务生
是个即年轻又漂亮的小姐。在那种高级酒吧那个billionaire竟然对那位小姐问价！那位小姐当然
不肯。那个billionaire刷的一出就是一千元！（他拿出的是新币，不是rupee)女招待员还是不肯，
结果billionaire就一千元一千元地丢在桌上，丢了七八张，那位小姐终于答应了！嗨..

我的好朋友曾经说过每个人都有一个价，只不过高低罢了。但我坚决反驳他。因为我坚信我不会为了
钱出卖朋友或去伤害人。我当时还挺矛盾的，因为他很坦然地说他会为了大数目的金钱而出卖我。
我是该难过还是该对他的坦白感到欣慰呢？之后我问了以前的同事她是否会为了一千元而出卖自己的
身体.. 她竟然毫不犹豫的说"如果真的有一千元当然会啦.." 晕..

大多有了钱的人都会变，变得看不起人，傲慢，现实，自私自利等等。当然不是每个有钱人都这样。
所以，我不希望成为很有钱的人（嗨，我已经感觉到有人要骂我了..呵呵），因为我不敢说我100％
不会变。我只希望有足够的钱拥有一间小房子，小车子，每年旅游一次就好啦。:)有时我会庆幸自己
不是生在有钱人的家庭，要不然我就不是今天的我了。

2 comments
dreamed of racing on 12:14 pm

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Friday, 25 January 2008

went to pick up my wife juz now.. finally, she is all healthy again.. hahahah..
total spa treatment = $300.. beside changing the water pump, the timing belt,
oil seals, alternator belt, power steering pump oil seal are also replaced.. only
rinsed her with water juz now.. she's covered with dust, dirt and bird torpedoes..
got time then bath her.. kekek..

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dreamed of racing on 11:50 pm

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Thursday, 24 January 2008

Saint Martin is the smallest island in the world to be shared by two different
nations. Only 37 square miles are owned by France and the Netherlands Antilles.
the planes impress most people on the beach, flying over just seconds before
touching down at Princess Juliana international airport.. paradise for the beach
lovers, having a lovely tropical beach, and for the aviation fanatics that spend
hours on end observing the very low flying skills of giant commercial plane pilots..






3 comments
dreamed of racing on 1:31 pm

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Tuesday, 22 January 2008

Joke of The Month

What The Fish

One day, Ahmad and Ramli decided to go fishing in the sea. They needed a boat,
but did not have one so they decided to rent a fishing boat.

When they went out to sea, they tried one spot first, but had no luck catching fish.
So they decided to try another spot but to no avail. They sailed to a number of
different spots and as luck would have it, they finally found one spot where they
managed to catch fish after fish.

So Ahmad told Ramli that they should come back tomorrow to fish again, and asked him
to somehow mark the spot or try to remember where they were so that they would have
a lot of fish to catch. Ramli said that he would take care of it and they both
returned home, satisfied with the day's catch and eager for the next day to come.

The next morning, as they were on their way to the boat rental shop, Ahmad asked
Ali, "So, do you know the spot where got a lot of fish?"

Ali replied, "Jangan tension, I very clever, I do what you tell me and mark the
area."

"So what did you do?" asked Ahmad.

"I very clever I tell you, I painted an X under the boat at the spot where got many
fish!" replied Ali.

Ahmad looked at his friend for a very long time and finally gave him a deserving
smack on the head while shouting, "You stupid kotek!!!!!! What if we get a
different boat today?!!"

1 comments
dreamed of racing on 2:54 pm

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juz went to Ah Gu's garage to check my car.. luckily its juz coolant leaking
from the water pump.. i was so worried of an internal leak.. phew.. fraser sms
me yesterday that the bearings in his engine is giving way.. endless problem..

i found a local site for nature lover.. its feature a google map of singapore
showing different nature areas.. gona wake up my lazy camera from hibernation
again.. i'd registered for the first ReefWALK of 2008 with bluewatervolunteers..
i can't remembered the last time i went to kusu island.. merely juz pass by
donkey years ago.. ok, enough of my office blogging..



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dreamed of racing on 11:10 am

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Monday, 21 January 2008

STOP ANIMALS ABUSE!!



Burberry may be best known for its distinctive plaid, but its use of real fur is
making the design house synonymous with cruelty to animals. Burberry continues to
use fur in its designs despite the fact that leading clothing retailers like
Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Ann Taylor, Polo Ralph Lauren, and others have pulled
fur from their stores forever.



Cruelty Capital, USA
KFC suppliers cram birds into huge waste-filled factories, breed and drug them to
grow so large that they can’t even walk, and often break their wings and legs.
At slaughter, the birds’ throats are slit and they are dropped into tanks of
scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious. It would be illegal for
KFC to abuse dogs, cats, pigs, or cows in these ways.

KFC’s own animal welfare advisors have asked the company to take steps to eliminate
these abuses, but KFC refuses to do so. Many advisors have now resigned in
frustration.

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dreamed of racing on 10:10 pm

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Thursday, 17 January 2008

the market is quite volatile these few months.. market decline sharply
few days ago and i lost almost 2.5k.. but its a good time to invest now..



mac introduced the world thinnest and lightest notebook.. only 0.4 ~ 1.9cm,
at 1.3kg.. featuring Intel Core 2 Duo chip running at 1.6GHz, (1.8GHz optional).
Intel was willing to engineer a new version of the Core 2 Duo specifically to
Apple's specifications -- it's 60 percent smaller than others.. along with it is
a 1.8-inch hard disk drive with 80GB storage capacity, 2GB of RAM, 13.3-inch
LED-backlit widescreen display that has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.. priced
at just below $3k.. i'll definitely choose this over Sony VAIOs..

my friend from retailing told me that there're news that GST gona increased to
10% this year.. by buying a macbook air, you gona pay $30 tax! as if the ERP
gantry at TPY is not enough.. there's even rumours that more gantries will set in
at various towns including AMK! wtf..

see the different you can make to help our mother earth..

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dreamed of racing on 9:43 pm

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Monday, 14 January 2008

Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic™ knows. Answer 20
questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and
Belief-O-Matic™ will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to
consider practicing. Click on the above banner to start Belief-O-Matic™ or here
to know more about various religions..

i was reading through beliefnet community and came across people discussing
why they chosen buddhism.. in summary, below are some of the reasons..

1) Buddhism is in accord with any scientific theories. In Buddhism, the universe is
formed 13 billion years ago, similar to modern science.

2) Buddha teachings let me understand the way of life, the way of nature and the
way everything exist in this world.

3) 'Doubt everything. Find your own light.' Buddhism bases its beliefs on realising
the ultimate truth yourself, not blindly believe on what you're told.

4) Buddhism is the most scientific and realistic religion.

"A good Buddhist should embrace clear-cut scientific evidence; if a religious dictum
is proven wrong, it must be amended."
- Dalai Lama

5) This quote from Einstein says it all:

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for
the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both
the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the
experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity"
- Albert Einstein

Lastly, Buddhism is the source of liberation.
Like the Buddhist saying goes: Pain is unavoidable, Suffering is optional..

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dreamed of racing on 11:21 am

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Saturday, 12 January 2008

很久以前朋友借我阿牛的专辑，当时一听到海洋就喜欢上这首歌。
也找了好久才让我找到他的mp3。

凌晨一点溜跶街道上
冷清迷惘
街灯将影子狠狠拖在地上
拉得好长好长

独自回到那间乱糟糟的小房
把你的照片握在手上
你是否在遥远
很遥远的地方彷徨

我失去主张
想到你涓涓的泪两行
恨不能立即见到你
给你我的肩膀

你说要化为一片蔚蓝蓝的海洋
来纵容我疯狂
任由我翱翔兴风起浪

恨自己的胸膛还不够坚强
承担不了你所有的悲伤
想你的情绪我越理越乱
失去方向的风帆无法靠岸

海洋 －阿牛　词曲：阿牛　编曲：周金亮　专辑：城市．蓝天

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dreamed of racing on 9:39 pm

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Friday, 11 January 2008

Quote of the day

Fulfillment of desire is an illusion; desire leads to more desire, not satisfaction.

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dreamed of racing on 12:08 pm

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nowaday, the vehicle i see most often on the road beside taxi is the triple s..
so many of these little newly hatched chicks running around (yellow color),
the most famous being the one trying to outrun TP in Boat Quay.. haha..

i was washing my car yesterday and saw again a pamphlet of another car
trader on my windscreen.. this remind me of my collleague who told me the
day before that no one is interested in his car.. he'd seem many times
these small paper or name cards on other vehicles not juz not on his.. haha..

had a friendly with kenji's friend EG9 with B20 engine.. first time he never
activate vtec which end up me being ahead quite a no of cars length.. the
second time with his vtec on, he's ahead of me 3+ cars.. the third time,
kenji with daniel in his EG9 and end up behind me again.. i think i'll only
be 1-2 cars behind him if i change my gear a little later.. anyway, its a
great run which end up my coolant boiling! i'm going to replace my faulty
radiator cap as it can't hold any more pressure.. and i think i better get the
thermostat too..

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dreamed of racing on 9:41 am

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Monday, 7 January 2008

for those who missed the drifting competition at Auto Expo, there's another
one coming up this April at Changi Exhibition Centre.. tcket are already
available at Sistic.. Formula Drift Singapore is the circuit’s very first
championship to take place outside of North America.. this inaugural one-day
event promises to raise the local motor sports scene onto the next level..

my new pc hang everyday until i have to reinstalled windows.. wth..
recently installed Heroes V of Might And Magic.. i know its an old game..
but i'm always a Heroes fans.. finally got to play it on my new pc!

MC King passed away last friday.. last night i was lying on my bed thinking
"so what if i sleep tonight and never wake up tomorrow?" and then i realised
that i'd wasted much of my 27 years of life.. alot of time are used studying,
working, sleeping, playing games.. should have spend more time on meditation,
social work and dharma practice.. money should be more well spent etc..
sometimes i'm thinking one need knowledge and wisdom to live happily..
not all people live happily.. but i believe for those who do, wisdom live
within them..

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dreamed of racing on 4:03 pm

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Thursday, 3 January 2008

2008 is the International Year of the Reef (IYOR), celebrated worldwide to
raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to
their sustainability, and to motivate people to take action to protect them.

IYOR was first declared 10 years ago in 1997 and a decade later, IYOR is back!
This time, Singapore will be celebrating along with 50 countries around the world
to celebrate our reefs! In fact, all the reef-loving groups in Singapore have come
together to dedicate 12 months of round the year events to celebrate the amazing
coral reefs we have in Singapore! All are welcome to participate in these events
and to submit to the IYOR Singapore executive committee any related projects that
they would like to add on the IYOR calendar of events! More details can be found
in the Events section.



Corals are invertebrate animals belonging to a large group of colourful and
fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group that you may
have seen in rock pools or on the beach include jelly fish and sea anemones.
Although Cnidarians exhibit a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, they all
share the same distinguishing characteristics; a simple stomach with a single
mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles. Each individual coral animal is
called a polyp, and most live in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically
identical polyps that form a 'colony'. The colony is formed by a process called
budding, which is where the original polyp literally grows copies of itself.

Coral are generally classified as either "hard coral" or "soft coral". There are
around 800 known species of hard coral, also known as the 'reef building' corals.
Soft corals, which include seas fans, sea feathers and sea whips, don't have the
rock-like calcareous skeleton like the others, instead they grow wood-like cores
for support and fleshy rinds for protection. Soft corals also live in colonies,
that often resemble brightly coloured plants or trees, and are easy to tell apart
from hard corals as their polyps have tentacles that occur in numerals of 8,
and have a distinctive feathery appearance. Soft corals are found in oceans from
the equator to the north and south poles, generally in caves or ledges. Here,
they hang down in order to capture food floating by in the currents that are
usually typical of these places.

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dreamed of racing on 9:53 am

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Tuesday, 1 January 2008

Happy Two Thousand And Eight! i remembered in 2006, i heard that 2007 is not
a good year for me.. now thinking back, its indeed not a good one.. not good
in relationship, not good in financial, not good in family, not good in
career.. almost everything is bad.. and i heard that 2008 is a very good year
for me.. haha.. i'll let you know how it is next year today..

anyway, had the countdown at privé Gastrobar Cafe with TCC members..
(Marina at Keppel Bay) it juz opened last saturday and were already crowded
with people.. its a nice place to chill out and i like it to be open space..
there are yachts owned by the residents living in Caribbean at Keppel Bay
parking in front of the condo.. i heard a new condo Reflections at Keppel Bay
is ongoing construction which cost a few millions for a unit.. the villa is
priced around 10 millions! we managed to catch the fireworks firing off at
mount faber.. its really nice and the fireworks were also quite unique..
we left privé at 1am and head to Orchard, meetup with the rest of TCC
members at youth park kopitiam and to start off the 1st OG of 2008!

swei called from australia sending his new year greetings.. heard from him
that zq are going to melbourne for good.. leaving his family at sg and staying
with his gf at melbourne.. no news from him yet still dare to say we "bo xin"!
knn go fcuk spider lo.. okok, wish everyone a very happy 2008 and a great year
ahead! HUAT AH!!

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dreamed of racing on 10:45 pm

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