Spike I clicked on this blog's sitemeter today and got a shock.Received an huge spike in hits all thanks to Stella and some gal from the cozycot forum. FighterLi First saw this clip in Alvinology. Li Yapeng, better known as Faye Wong's hubby, was pissed off when a paparazzi shoved a camera at his baby girl's face and clicked away. He proceed to get into a verbal spat with two of the reporters. Unable to control his anger from the taunting and continued furious clicking, he pushed and slapped a cameraman. To be honest, I think those HK paparazzi present are really nasty pieces of works. Go after the celebs, take their photos, try to get a few soundbites, file the story, thats it. Job done. Why disturb a baby and provoke a fight with the celeb who's protecting his daughter? This guys have children too, don't they? Air These are some of my favourite classic sports moments. Michael Jordan edging out Dominique Wilkins and Jerome Kersey on route to capturing the 1986 and 1987 NBA all star slam dunk champion. Check out the take off from the free throw line. Air Jordan indeed... Dream I have a dream.That I can hit the snooze button by 11pm every night and wake up fresh and alert before the sun rises. I will slip into my running/swimming gear, and enjoy a 45 minute workout before I proceed to work.It's a flashback to the early period of my navy days when I had my early morning swims and runs almost everyday. Although it lasted for a short two months, I can still remember how fresh, energetic and relaxed I felt for the rest of each day. Best of all, I can easily switch off by 11pm every night and enjoy nice restful sleep.But bad habits started creeping in. Especially in a country with such a colourful nightlife. Nights become days because there are just so many things to do! Be it catching a must-watch midnight movie, dry swimming with fellow mahjong kakis, karaoking with Singapore idol wannabes, heading out for late night pratas, nasi lemak and milo dinosaur, catching up with friends and buddies over a round of drinks or shopping for groceries in nice-and-cheap mustafa, it just doesn't feel right to sleep so early. Heck, I can even stay at home, stay up late and watch a game of soccer, switch channels on late night TV, try to claim another cup in winning eleven, chat with friends on msn, surf the web or read till 2am to 3am. Sleeping - what a waste of time right?BUT, I guess the lack of sleep is taking its toll on me. For one, the eyebags look horrible. Two, I get sick much more often these days. Three, by the time I get back home from work, I'm too tired to go for a swim. Four, I feel weak, sleepy and lethargic during the day. Five, weekends are spent sleeping in and lying down on the couch playing PS3 when I should be jogging around the estate.Maybe its time to start reverting to good sleeping habits?I'll dream about it first and see how... Wayang Dawnwayang was closed down for the second time today. But the protagonist doesn't seem to realise that paper can never be used to put out fire in the cyberworld. To be honest, I'm amazed a seemingly sweet young thing can be so shockingly full of deceit and hypocrisy. Never judge a book by its cover? Definitely.Click here to read the never-say-die dawnwayang blog and you'll see what I mean.UPDATE:Dawn is suing Xiaxue. You can read the lawyer's letter from Xiaxue's blog. Incredibly, more dirt is being unearthed as I'm typing this post. Plagiarism evidence found by forum members. Using photoshop to enhance her boobs in random photos. Hooking up with dodgy HK agents. For the latest, most updated news on this continuing saga, you must read these four blogs!- Xiaxue- Clapbangkiss- XXvsDY- Dawnwayang_ Insomnia I realised I've not been getting enough sleep.And the major reason for my self-imposed letharginess is the word inflation.Rising oil prices, food prices and electricity bills have resulted in a peculiar phenomena rarely seen by mankind - economy downturn and inflation shaking hands. Its double whammy for middle-class folks like me and many of my friends who juggles the pressures of work and the stress of keeping a young family going.After all earning $2500 in 2008 is not exactly like earning $2500 in 2002.I remember beaming at my $1600 payslip when I first joined the Navy in 1999. Compared to those $4-5 an hour part-time waitering days, it was almost like striking 4D every month.I felt rich. Very rich.Almost a decade later, yesterday in fact, I look at my electronic payslip after the annual July increment and grumbled. Mind you, it wasn't the best increment I've seen in my life but it was alright...although its frightening to think fresh grads earn so much more these days, case in point, my female friend stepped out of the University straight into a S$2.8k a month job.Hello, my accumulated 6 years of NS and work experience count for nothing is it?Well, I guess when it comes to salary, its never enough. Maybe I shouldn't let greed overcome me?Before the HR department calls me in for an interview, let me talk about some research I've done recently. Actually its not exactly research, the information can be found here.To quote MOM's survey findings on occupational wages, 2007:"Reflecting the premium on skills and responsibilities, managers received the highest median gross monthly wages at $6,101 in June 2007. This was followed by professionals at $4,030."Okkkkkkkkkk......."The rise in wages was even steeper for managers with those in their 40-44 earning nearly twice as much as younger managers aged 25 - 29, before stabilizing thereafter. This partly reflected the differences in job scope of managers, with the mature group having a higher concentration of senior managers overseeing more employees and resources, compared to the younger cohorts."Ah that explains. And now for some serious numbers:"Advertising and public relations managerMean: $6,763First Quartile: $4,479Median: $5,976Third Quartile: $8,280"Hello! I thought I was doing PR? What happened?As always, the MOM survey was so meticulous it answered all my questions."Advertising and public relations manager25 - 29 years old: $3,90030 - 34 years old: $4,80035 - 39 years old: $5,80040 - 44 years old: $6,50045 - 49 years old: $8,40050 - 54 years old: $6,06955 - 59 years old: $5,640"Notice the diminishing trend once you hit your 50s? And check out the maximum figure. This means I will never reach $10k a month? A scary thought. Really. Come to think of it, a pay cheque of $8,400 a month by the time I'm 50 years old (thats 2028) won't mean alot will it? $8,400 in 2028 might be equivalent to just $3,000 in 2008.After all, a plate of Hainanese chicken rice alone at a neighbourhood hawker centre might cost you 10 bucks. A glass of ice lemon tea by then will probably make you poorer by another 2 bucks. If you are driving, every tiny step on the accelerator will set you back by $5 and make your heart stop for a second. Petrol will have probably hit new highs at $1000 USD per barrel. Good luck to you if you are stuck in a traffic jam.How about you want to go for a holiday in Japan with your wife after a year of hard work? Imagine a pair of return air tickets to Tokyo costing you $8000. Multiply that by two if you are bringing your two kiddies along. Disneyland? Sure. Because the earth will be so crowded by then (There are 6.7 billion buggers right now, and probably 8 billion in 2028), you will need to queue up for two hours just for a ride on the silly little roller-coaster. And its US$50 per ride. Take it or leave it! How about savouring some local delights - fresh tuna and salmon sashimi? Sorry, most tuna species are extinct. Want some fresh salmon? Its $100 a plate.You can't take it no more. So you cut short you holiday. You decide against taking a cab as the flag-down rate is $10 excluding peak-hour, airport, booking, luggage, screen wiper and whatever other charges they can think of. What's more, there are 20 ERP gantries sitting smartly outside T1 to T5, ECP and PIE.So you decide to take the MRT. After all, saving the earth (whatever there is left) is the hip thing to do. You wait for five trains before you can squeeze into one because Singapore's population is now 8.5 million. You finally reach home, take a lift up to your 59 storey flat (wondering what happened to good old 12-storey flats) and swear never to go for a holiday again.Ok, I digress. I think too much. I went totally out of point. All I can say is I've an over-active brain.And you wonder why I can't sleep at night... Debbie I was pretty amused by the gorgeous Debbie Wong and her silly story with the laptop. Here you go... ColourBlind From the creative director who brought you the recent MCYS father-daughter-shoe ad.Check out Yasmin Ahmad's impressive past works in youtube! The Freedom of the Road An interesting email from a friend who's been globe trotting for the past few years and who's currently calling Damascus in Syria his home.By Ian LyeThe freedom of the road.It's that sense of absolute liberty to go wherever your heart prompts you, without any regard for time or place, unburdened by responsibilities, timetables or irate parents. The only limits are those imposed by one's imagination and purse strings.It's been a while since I've had that feeling. Two years to be exact. It's been so long that I had almost forgotten how great it feels to be able to indulge my wanderlusts at a whim. This past week, I rediscovered that feeling.It's been about ten days since I've made it back to the Sandbox. While at a hostel in Damascus, I made friends with a couple of backpackers. A.'s a Briton who has been on the road for a couple of years now, traveling twice up and down the coasts of South America and on to Australia, Asia and now the Middle East. K.'s a tall, blonde Icelander who's in the midst of a trek from Cairo through the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan and on to India. He's been traveling for five months now, and has no idea when he'll go home as he has no return ticket yet. Both of them had met on the ferry from Egypt to Jordan and are now traveling together till the inevitable separation of paths comes sometime down the road. Despite their differing backgrounds (A. is 26, worked formerly in the finance sector; K. is 21 and has not yet been touniversity), they both share that same insatiable wanderlust and sense of that adventure that's all too rare nowadays.In a way, they've rejuvenated me. For a while, I'd been brooding about where my life is headed and what I'm going to do with it. This trip, in many ways, seemed like the finale on what's been a great 27 years of globe trotting. I envisioned myself coming back and finding a job to pay the bills, settling down and all the rest of that jazz.It's been really refreshing to meet kindred spirits that have shown me that no, I'm not weird for wanting to see the world and actually going ahead and following those dreams, that there is another way to live life.So, when they asked me if I would like them to travel with them to the desert city of Palmyra, I hesitated only for the briefest of seconds. The room I had arranged to rent in Damascus was not yet ready to move into as it was still occupied, and instead of hanging around in the city for a few days, here was the chance to see more of Syria with a couple of rather laid-back, interesting travel companions.The past week's been a blast. At first I was just going to Palmyra with them, but I had such a great time that I ended up traveling on to Homs, Hama and the really cool village of Hosn, which is perched on a mountain. Along the way, we picked up several more companions, including a amiable Korean lady, a Lithuanian and German law students who had just spent a semester in Turkey, and finally another Korean girl who was taking a one year break from university to travel. And so we were six, spending our last night on a rooftop of a hostel, with nothing but a mat to sleep on. Yet the wonderful conversation, the beautiful setting and sleeping under the stars will forever be etched in my memory.After parting ways in Homs, I made it back to Damascus yesterday and finally moved into my room in the Old City. I'll be living above a goldsmith's workshop. The goldsmith, Haitham, owns the place and rents the rooms upstairs to foreigners studying Arabic in Damascus like me. To be honest, it was a little disappointing, as I had been hoping to rent a room where I would actually live with the family. However, things have been working out so far, so I guess I'll give it a go for a month at least. I'll be rooming with an American student (who I haven't actually met yet, as I think he's traveling), and a couple of Swiss guys and two Italian girls round up the rest of the contingent. They've all been really friendly so far, and Michael, one of the Swiss guys, actually showed me how to get to the university and register this morning. The other Swiss and the two girls will be moving out soon though, so I should have some new room mates pretty soon.I've finally registered for classes and taken the mandatory AIDS test. On Monday, I will have to take the placement test to discover which level I will be placed in. I have been trying to catch up on my grammar terms and revising my vocabulary, but at this point, it's pretty much all in God's hands.This weekend though, I travel to Beirut to meet up and party with A., K. and possibly the rest of the gang. Despite the clashes and unrest in Tripoli this past week, it should be good times! I can't wait to revisit Beirut and see what it's like now. In a sense, it feels like I have unfinished business there, since I was forced to leave by the outbreak of the '06 Israeli-Hezbollah war. This trip should provide some closure. I'll be sure to provide details in the next email. Till then,Salaam,I a n Rivalries The sports industry is worth millions, maybe billions of dollars in the States. I've always been intrigued by the NBA, although less so after the Jordan era. The recent NBA Finals "re-sparked" a rivalry that has been brewing since the good-old-days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 80s. The experienced Celtics won again thanks to their three ageing superstars. In contrast, Lakers youthful exuberance, led by the great Kobe Bryant, can only bring them so far. Will the Lakers-Celtic rivalry erupt over the next decade similar to the classic LA-Boston matchup of the 80s? We can only wait and see. In the meantime, I've been watching alot of ads online recently and these NBA ones are definitely some of the best I've seen. Here you go... Euro2008 Although Holland and Portugal are out of the Euros and Arsenal is not one of my preferred teams...I still think this ad is AWESOME!Hands up for those who think the protagonist is Robin Van Persie. YouTubeIdol The new Stefanie Sun? RememberThis?Part2 RememberThis? Surprisingly, Euro 2008 has not turned me into a panda. The reason a big soccer fan like me is not watching? Perhaps, just perhaps, Europe has stopped producing soccer superstars that make us sit up and go "wow!". Its the same for soccer ads recently, they lack the "omph" factor. Check out these soccer ads of yesteryear. It was more fun discovering these than watch a Euro 2008 match. WhyEnglandDidn'tQualifyForEuro DietCoke+Mentos Beirut Two years ago...Today...Hopefully peace will prevail. Parody Incredible Believe Jose Jose's got a point you know. Over the years, we've heard managers and fans whining that they are young, that they are improving, they don't have luck on their side and they have injuries etc etc etc. Ultimately, history will remember the winners, not excuses. As the saying goes, to come in second means you are the first loser."Jose Mourinho has described Chelsea's season as 'really bad' and insists the London club's campaign could only be described as great by someone with 'the philosophy of a loser'. The former Chelsea boss was speaking before his successor Avram Grant was sacked, but was critical of the 52-year-old Israeli's short stint in charge at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho, when asked if the season had been a good one as depicted by Grant, told The Observer: 'That depends on your philosophy of leadership. 'In my philosophy it was a very bad one because in football 'almost' means defeat and Chelsea almost won the Carling Cup, almost won the Champions League and almost won the Premier League. Almost is nothing. 'After two titles per season for the last three years there were zero titles this season, which in my philosophy means a really bad season. Maybe in the philosophy of a loser this was a great season, which I respect.' Mourinho admitted to being 'very sad' at Chelsea's defeat in Moscow to Manchester United, adding that the supporters, the board and many of the players 'deserve more'. However, he sounded a note of optimism, adding: 'I believe that after an empty season new success will come to Chelsea. And I will always be a Chelsea supporter.'" (soccernet.com) Goal Gooooooal! Goooooooooal Gooooooooooal Gooooooooooal!!!! Goal Gooooooal! Goooooooooal Gooooooooooal Gooooooooooal!!!! Objectivity If a person is bad in your eyes, does that means everyone else must think he's a bad guy as well?Some objectivity is lacking in this world. It is sad to see some of the brightest people I've known behaving like five year old kids when they let emotions rule their head and yea, cloud their judgement.From young, my mom told me to treat people with respect, especially those who are nice to you. I don't claim to be able to foresee what ulterior motives someone had, how someone's going to make use of another person and leave him to die or someone who backstabs others.Why make the world so complicated? We're already stressed enough, juggling work, family and financial comittments. If we've to constantly watch our backs, it will be mentally draining. Yes, a bad guy, say a dark lord look-alike has plunged a samurai sword in your back before. Maybe 10 swords. Well sure, he did it, well done. Congratulations to him.Are you going to brood about it for the rest of your life?Are you going to assume everything he does from now on is wrong and everyone should view him in the same light? Its like what Geroge Bush said to the world when he ordered the invasion of Iraq,"You're either with us or against us!"Tell me you don't think this is unreasonable. I say its stubborness, arrogance and insensitivity rolled into one. I'm old enough to be able to judge a person by myself tyvm. And if i'm wrong, hell, its my bloody mistake isn't it? Let me face the music. Let me learn the hard way.What saddens me more is when some people assume that others are always doing things for themselves, especially if that someone is a person you were close to and respected alot. You would have though that the friend knows you as a person. And when you realise that they are not concerned about you at all, but more concerned about how you are going to burden others, it sucks, especially when burdening other people is the last thing on your mind.Bias is a bad word. Arms&legs Yes, its confirmed.This is the place where the wedding will be held.Cost me an arm and a leg.The bridal package cost me another leg.That leaves me with one arm (essentially my ERS allocation after all these years).And what did I do with it?I splash out the cash on the sexiest looking machine in the world, a PS3! Oh yeah!So if you see "Away" on my msn for the next few weeks, you know why... Pure Went for the Launch of Pure about a month back. My duty? To meet the elusive photographer who started the pure project. After which I can pack up and run!Me and my two partners in crime. Ow, my eyes were half closed.Turns out our photographer is quite a hottie! Mind If you are feeling stressed out at work and feel that your life sucks, try reading this.It will make you feel better, almost immediately.The only thing that puzzles me is, this chap blogs about how burned out he is, how he has got not time for social life and how "sapped and dejected" he is.Yet, he finds time and energy to write super long blog entries. Mind you, he's been doing it since August 2005.Maybe its all in the mind? FacebookNumberOne? According to a report recently, Friendster is still the number one social networking site in Singapore with Facebook hanging on its coat-tails.Many of us are probably poking each other on Facebook everyday but still logging on to Friendster once a week for sentiment's sake (and because we haven't added all our old Friendster friends on Facebook yet).My take on this? I don't see Friendster rolling up their socks anytime soon. The popular myspace failed to dethrone Friendster but Facebook will absolutely murder them within the next couple of years. RealConfused This might cost Real Madrid the La Liga title. Here's what happened. One minute, a host of Real players were celebrating a seemingly great goal by Arjen Robben, next minute the confused players discovered that the linesman has already flagged for offside. Getafe was not in a charitable mood though. They took advantage of the situation and poured forward in a quick counter attack as the shell shocked Real players looked on. Four against two and the next thing we know, Getafe has scored the only goal of the game! What a joke! Perks One of the perks of my job involves food. What a scrumptious spread for the four of us!And of course, getting to know good people such as Dr Tan and his wife.We were kept entertained by Mrs Tan's useful financial planning stories and we in turn entertained the shy, yet playful kids. I was so well fed that by the time we left, I can barely walk!