Reminds me of another forum I know My vices I’ve got a couple, namely cigars, scotch, women and books. Yup. My four vices and all of them will get you killed. You don’t believe me duckies? Cigars - Lung/ mouth cancer. Scotch - liver failure. Women - oh… soooo many ways with this one. Books - developing ideas that runs contrary to societal ones. So how did I get started with all of them? Let me enlighten you… Cigars - Well this one started while I was still a young boy serving my National Service. Tons of smokers abound during NS days of course. Hence all the yellow boxes. Anyway… I resisted smoking cigarettes because I was well indoctrinated with the “tobacco bad” mantra. This despite the fact that my 3 of my dad’s mahjong kakis all smoked cigarettes. My dad of course did not smoke. Only my maternal grandpappy smoked a pipe. But one day I was handed a cigar. Not one of the good ones mind you, but one of those bought from 7-Eleven. I actually don’t recall why we were smoking or why I went ahead, but I think it must have been a special occassion. So I took a puff and liked the taste. I did not really think too much about it, but I think I ditched the “tobacco bad” mantra. Anyways… I ended up in the US with cheap tobacco and I took up smoking cigars more often. Then I tried my first cigarette. A Camel. It tasted like watered down cigar smoke. ‘Nuff said. I developed a “cigarette bad” mantra. So now I only smoke cigars. But not that often either. I can only handle so much. Scotch - Started drinking at 17, but not Scotch. Scotch only came when I was 20. I was helping myself to all the alcohol that my dad did not drink. And there was quite a bit of Chivas Regal 12 year in there. So I just started drinking that. Then I headed off to the States, where the liqour was cheaper of course (beginning to see a pattern about my cigar and scotch vice). Started trying all sorts of scotch and soon settled on my favourite. Lagavulin 16 year. It was always sold out once it came out, and sadly it is the same here in Singapore. That’s because they bring in small quantities to non-traditional markets, and there seem to be enthusiasts here too. Books - This one is my earliest vice. 9 years old. Bought one of those Asiapac comics. And well… That’s the whole story. Never stopped reading since then. Of course mostly non-fiction or science fiction (yay Scifi Channel). Do not ask me what is my most favourite book. I don’t like to play favourites. Although I will say Dune is by far one of the best. Women - Hmmm… Not sure when this started, but let’s just say that once my balls dropped and facial hair started to appear, I hit the road running. Am I as picky about my women as I am about my other vices. Not so sure. I think I am, but then again most males (which I like to think I am one) will tap just about anything that is female and human. So you decide on that one. As with my books, don’t ask me which is my most favourite. I would like to keep my life and my balls. Thankyouverymuch. So there you have it. My 4 vices. What vices do you have? And how did they start? Best Film Endings Taken from here. I like this one: Se7enDavid Fincher, 1995 Kevin Spacey’s gruesomely creative serial killer takes the Seven Deadly Sins as his inspiration for a series of horrible and slightly sanctimonious murders. Can Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman catch the killer before he dispatches all of his targets? The “head in a box” denouement is a jaw-dropper of an ending. Pitt and Spacey’s characters take on the mantles of Wrath and Envy, respectively: Spacey’s jealousy of the cop’s domestic bliss with bride Gwyneth Paltrow causes him to chop her head off; Pitt’s rage and grief prompts him to execute the killer on the spot. Quiz taking Courtesy of Aloeve Your view on yourself:You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don’t like conflict. Because you’re so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you. The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true. Your readiness to commit to a relationship:You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person. The seriousness of your love:You are very serious about relationships and aren’t interested in wasting time with people you don’t really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love. Your views on educationEducation is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can. The right job for you:You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy. How do you view success:You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying. What are you most afraid of:You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don’t ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you. Who is your true self:You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve. Wealthy historical figures 2008 Yup. Thanks to Wiki. The top 20 are: # Image Name Age when at peak of earnings, or in 2008 for living people Current age, or age at death Wealth in Billion USD Company or Source of Wealth 1. John D. Rockefeller 74 97 318.3     Standard Oil 2. Andrew Carnegie 68 83 298.3     Carnegie Steel Company 3. Nicholas II of Russia 49 50 253.5     House of Romanov 4. William Henry Vanderbilt 64 64 231.6     Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 5. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII 50 80 210.8     Monarchy 6. Andrew W. Mellon 80 82 188.8     Gulf Oil 7. Henry Ford 57 83 188.1     Ford Motor Company 8. Marcus Licinius Crassus 62 62 169.8     Roman Senate, conquest, assorted business ventures 9. Basil II 67 67 169.4     Monarchy 10. Cornelius Vanderbilt 82 82 167.4     New York and Harlem Railroad, shipping 11.   Alanus Rufus 49 49 166.9     Investments 12. Amenophis III 50 50 155.2     Pharaoh 13. William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey 38 38 153.6     Earl of Surrey 14. William II of England 44 44 151.7     Monarchy 15. Elizabeth I 69 69 142.9     House of Tudor 16. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 54 86 141.4     Standard Oil 17. Sam Walton 74 74 128.0     Wal-Mart 18. John Jacob Astor 84 84 115.0     American Fur Company 19. Odo of Bayeux 61 61 110.2     Monarchy 20. Bill Gates 44 52 101.0     Microsoft Yup. Bill Gates is No 20. Just barely edging out Stephen Girard. Who was a wealthy banker from Philly. Oh yeah and quite a nice number are monarchs. Haha. So either be a Capitalist or a Monarch. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII is the first Asian on the list at 5. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is the first Southeast Asian on the list at 28. Then T.V. Soong is the first Chinese at 33, he’s also the first non-royal Asian on the list. So think about it. Then go raise an army and go be a monarch. The Food only Americans could have made Check them out here. Especially the Turducken (I have never had that). I actually like Philly Cheeststeak, “Chinese” Food, the Reuben, Corndogs, and my number one favourite… Buffalo Wings. I tell you Sunset Grill comes pretty close. I mean I would go to Hooters, but then everyone would think I go there for the women. Good thing Sunset Grill is better. Level 6 is as far as I go. Although I think with a glass of milk level 8 or 10 might be doable. So… Sunset Grill anyone? Comic Con I thought the Comic and Toy’s Con (our first ever) was not bad. I mean I wished there was a lot more stalls and vendors, but it really was not that bad. Got to see a lot of our local cartoonists around, and sample their works. I kinda wished the big names would have shown up. You know… DC (and Vertigo), as well as, Marvel. Show up next year guys. Be nice to us here in Singapore. It was good to check up on the Magic booth. Things have changed a lot since 4th Edition. Haha. 9th Edition. Wowee. Also the girlfriend was interested. Maybe I can get her into the game as well. Haha… It was a little tight, and there was quite a bit of pushing, but it wasn’t the PC fair. Well I look forward to next year’s one. Hope to see more comic book companies, more cartoonists, and perhaps more comic book shops as well. Because I am that vain Yes folks. You can know get an over sized widget to announce that you are a loyal follower of me. [Ed: talk about megalomania] It’s huge, but you know you want it. Custom made by moi of course. Here’s the code: Here’s what it looks like: So now run along and add it to your blog. You know you want to. How to start a Cult This is really funny shit. Wish I had a cult. Really funny Ad Best part is when Potassium Meets Water. Audio Illusion Wow. Listen to this first one with headphones. It’s virtual barber shop. Yaw Shin Leong, WP, SDP and PAP Ok. So everyone has weighed in. I only have a few things to say. Before I start allow me to say that I am not a WP supporter and definitely not a SDP supporter. If anything I would vote PAP. Also I think Yaw is right to do what he did. If you are a rabid anti-PAP type (which usually also means you’re a fanatic SDP type), then don’t read any further. Reason is not for you. Just assume I am a PAP stooge, go drink your milk, take your pills and go to bed. There seems to be some opinion that the opposition should stick together like as if that was as natural as ducks swimming. If we are to look at our neighbor up North, whenever the opposition tries to form an alliance it has always been a shaky proposition. Eventually the DAP will get tired of PAS and leave. At the last election DAP was warning people about voting for PAS. Similarly the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are in opposition in the UK, but they do not get along. Not at all. At the current level our opposition is at, it would be too early to talk about a parliamentary alliance. Also the WP has always been a party with a long tradition dating back to Labor. Note that when the SDA was formed, WP was invited. WP rejected the offer, at the time JBJ was still an important part of WP. The SDP and the WP represent to very different ends of the political spectrum. In my opinion the SDP occupies the liberal position, which is all about freedoms and rights. This tends to appeal to the upper middle class which has less bread and butter issues to worry about. A very principled stand. I just don’t quite like their tactics. The WP has always represented the more socialist strain of the spectrum. Generally it has always had the lower and lower middle class in mind when it goes off campaigning. So if you were a WP supporter your next natural choice is not the SDP. It would probably be the SDA or PAP. Party members may not necessarily vote for their own parties even (that would be odd, but ballots are secret. don’t start that crap with me about it not being secret. i will beat you senseless). However I do not believe that the WP would order its members to vote for other opposition parties. And the WP might also be sore about SDP’s last minute decision to take Sembawang GRC from them. I mean they did work hard there. Think about it. In terms of work put in the WP and SDA work a lot harder in various GRCs and SMCs during the off season than the SDP. The SDP likes to have large national type protests and then travel overseas and bitch about Singapore. The WP and SDA try to cover the ground and meet people. I personally agree with Yaw. I face the same issues. I vote for the PAP because I think they best represent me best. I do not believe in a spoilt vote. The WP is too socialist for me. The SDA is too much of a personality cult. The SDP is too radical. So that leaves me with the PAP. The least unappealing for me. My order of preference is PAP, WP, SDA and finally SDP. Until the ballot allows write in candidates, that is my choice. So I don’t think Yaw was wrong to vote for the PAP. He does not believe in a spoilt vote. Also the SDP took Sembawang GRC away from the WP, and then proceeded to do the worst amongst all the GRC teams. Also the candidate that the SDP presented may be unacceptable for Yaw. Now if Yaw admitted he did not vote for the WP then I would argue that he should leave the party, but not voting for the SDP is totally ok by my book. He’s not a SDP member, so why does he need to vote for them? Chevy tells Citroen to shove it The original Citroen ad Chevy’s reply Now why would Chevy do that? Well Chevy was featured in Transformers, so they paid quite a bit in product placement. Also it’s cheeky. Why buy a car that transforms and dances, when you can get one that does its job. =P Disciplining your Child is YOUR responsibility OMG!! Singaporeans are so damn f-ing lazy that they want the State to discipline their children. Here are several cases that of course failed the pre-screening stages for Beyond Parental Control order: 1. Kid plays computer games 8 hours a day, but does it after he finishes his homework. Dad is mad that kid play computer games all day. Parents also don’t let kid go out. What else the kid going to do? Twiddle his thumbs? Jerk off all day? Stupid goondu parents want the courts to deal with this? The court should fine them for wasting the court’s time. 2. Girl skipped a couple of classes and got a tattoo. Mom wants to send girl to a home?! How about we send the Mom to a mental institution? The child is not Beyond Parental Control. It is not her fault that her mom is retarded. I mean there are disciplinary issues with both kids, but they are not beyond reasoning. Honestly I am all for reviewing the CYPA so as to put the onus on the parents to be good parents. Counseling should be made compulsory for parents. Failure to do so would result in a fine. Seriously folks if your kid did not break any criminal laws, they are not beyond control. Perhaps beyond your control, but that is your failure as parents. Go seek help. I know I would. I much rather admit that my child and I need help in communicating, rather than threatening to send my child away. Also stop wasting the State’s time. Probably the world’s most famous tune Between 15s and 20s you should hear one of the most famous tunes in the world… The Nokia ringtone. I did not know that it was part of a piano piece. It’s actually quite a nice piece. 75 Skills every Man should Master Read this on the Esquire tree killing version, but you can read it here. (Bold means I have mastered it. Italics means I am trying to master it.) 1. Give advice that matters in one sentence.2. Tell if someone is lying.3. Take a photo.4. Score a baseball game. (Erm… think this applies only to the American Hemisphere and Japan)5. Name a book that matters. 6. Know at least one musical group as well as is possible. 7. Cook meat somewhere other than the grill.8. Not monopolize the conversation.9. Write a letter.10. Buy a suit.11. Swim three different strokes. 12. Show respect without being a suck-up.13. Throw a punch.14. Chop down a tree.15. Calculate square footage. (Square meters also accepted)16. Tie a bow tie.17. Make one drink, in large batches, very well.18. Speak a foreign language. 19. Approach a woman out of his league. 20. Sew a button.21. Argue with a European without getting xenophobic or insulting soccer.22. Give a woman an orgasm so that he doesn’t have to ask after it.23. Be loyal. 24. Know his poison, without standing there, pondering like a dope.25. Drive an eightpenny nail into a treated two-by-four without thinking about it.26. Cast a fishing rod without shrieking or sighing or otherwise admitting defeat.27. Play gin with an old guy.28. Play go fish with a kid.29. Understand quantum physics well enough that he can accept that a quarter might, at some point, pass straight through the table when dropped.30. Feign interest. 31. Make a bed.32. Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using the terms nutty, fruity, oaky, finish, or kick. 33. Hit a jump shot in pool.34. Dress a wound.35. Jump-start a car (without any drama). Change a flat tire (safely). Change the oil (once).36. Make three different bets at a craps table. 37. Shuffle a deck of cards.38. Tell a joke. 39. Know when to split his cards in blackjack.40. Speak to an eight-year-old so he will hear. 41. Speak to a waiter so he will hear.42. Talk to a dog so it will hear.43. Install: a disposal, an electronic thermostat, or a lighting fixture without asking for help.44. Ask for help.45. Break another man’s grip on his wrist.46. Tell a woman’s dress size. 47. Recite one poem from memory.48. Remove a stain. 49. Say no.50. Fry an egg sunny-side up. 51. Build a campfire.52. Step into a job no one wants to do. 53. Sometimes, kick some ass.54. Break up a fight. 55. Point to the north at any time.56. Create a play-list in which ten seemingly random songs provide a secret message to one person.57. Explain what a light-year is. 58. Avoid boredom. 59. Write a thank-you note.60. Be brand loyal to at least one product. 61. Cook bacon.62. Hold a baby.63. Deliver a eulogy64. Know that Christopher Columbus was a son of a bitch. 65-67. Throw a baseball over-hand with some snap. Throw a football with a tight spiral. Shoot a 12-foot jump shot reliably. (Again quite American here)68. Find his way out of the woods if lost.69. Tie a knot.70. Shake hands.71. Iron a shirt.72. Stock an emergency bag for the car.73. Caress a woman’s neck. 74. Know some birds.75. Negotiate a better price. Forum Flame War Characters This comic is funny. Many of these characters exist on our forums, including the CowboyBar. Isn’t it Ironic. This is funny. Taken from here. 7 Deadly Sins of Relationships I did not know we had one of these. But I totally agree with them. A lot of these things just add up and kill a relationship. Pity these tips were not around when I was a much younger man. Summer Movie Season It is upon us. Rejoice and be glad. We are about to get entertained. What a great summer this will be. Indie Jones, Speed Racer, Iron Man, Get Smart, Batman, X Files, Clone Wars and more… Woot Woot! My picks: Iron Man Speed Racer The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Kung Fu Panda Get Smart Wall-E Hancock The Dark Knight The X File: I want to Believe  Tropic Thunder  Movies I suspect my girlfriend will make me watch: Made of Honor (McDreamy is in it) Sex and the City Movie (Actually I’m 50/50 on the hunch she’ll make me go watch it, she’s not a fan of the series) Midnight Meat Train  He’s Just Not That Into You (No Trailer, Big names) The Accidental Husband  Movies I will drag my girlfriend to if the movies come to Singapore: Son of Rambow Mongol The Promotion (No trailer, Limited Release, Stifler’s in it) Mama Mia! (Probably drag my Dad too) Step Brothers  The Rocker (No trailer) Swing Vote (No trailer) Star Wars: Clone Wars  Hamlet 2  Movies we might watch if we are bored: The Incredible Hulk The Happening The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (No trailer yet, Jet Li is involved) Beer Myth Busters Myth #3 – Beer Makes You Fat Inactivity and bad diet make you fat. Beer, when enjoyed in moderation and as part of balanced lifestyle, doesn’t. (pmg: so it isn’t the beer) Myth #4 – Stout is a “Meal in a Glass” Most stouts are no more caloric or filling than the yellow lager many people knock back by the pint on a Saturday night. The reason we think otherwise is because we expect something that has a very dark colour to be richer than something that’s pale. See Myth #1. (pmg: more stout for me) Myth #6 – Cold-Filtering Here’s one from the marketing geniuses behind the big breweries. Simply, all beer is cold-filtered, since only a fool would run their beer through a “hot filter,” even if such a thing did exist in a brewery. What the use of this phrase is really saying, usually, is that the beer is not pasteurized, as are many of the world’s biggest selling brands. (pmg: stupid tiger and their stupid ideas) Myth #11 – Fruit Beers Are “Girly Beers” Get it straight: Hops only started being used in brewing about 1,000 to 1,200 years ago. Up until then, for at least five millennia, beer was flavoured with a wide variety of spices, herbs and, yes, fruits. In fact, archeological research has shown that King Tut drank fruit beer, and he was one dude you could hardly consider “girly.” (pmg: honey lemon wheat beer anyone?)Myth #15 – Beer and Fine Dining Don’t Mix With its wealth of flavours and finely nuanced characters, the world of beer has a style to pair with any food, from the commonplace to the extravagant. (See Myth #9 for more on this.) The reason we tend to place wine at the table rather than beer is because that’s what the French do, and the western world learned much of what it knows about fine dining from the French. (pmg: stupid frenchies) More myths busted here Something to think about An unpublished paper as reported by Slate makes the argument that Muslims who have gone on the Hajj are more tolerant of other races, religions and women. That is an interesting study. The test was on Pakistani pilgrims, maybe MUIS should allow one to be done on Singaporean Muslims. It may be interesting. If the facts point towards the Hajj making Muslims more tolerant, we should consider testing what happens if we send supposed “self-radicalised” Muslims there. Being culturally Catholic I know the power of pilgrimages, but nothing compares to the Hajj, of course. Pulp Fiction Done by Shakespeare J: My pardon; did I break thy concentration? Continue! Ah, but now thy tongue is still. Allow me then to offer a response. Describe Marsellus Wallace to me, pray.B: What?J: What country dost thou hail from?B: What?J: How passing strange, for I have traveled far, And never have I heard tell of this What. What language speak they in the land of What?B: What?J: The Queen’s own English, base knave, dost thou speak it?B: Aye!J: Then hearken to my words and answer them! Describe to me Marsellus Wallace!B: What?JULES presses his knife to BRETT’s throatJ: Speak ‘What’ again! Thou cur, cry ‘What’ again! I dare thee utter ‘What’ again but once! I dare thee twice and spit upon thy name! Now, paint for me a portraiture in words, If thou hast any in thy head but ‘What’, Of Marsellus Wallace!B: He is dark.J: Aye, and what more?B: His head is shaven bald.J: Has he the semblance of a harlot?B: What?JULES strikes and BRETT cries outJ: Has he the semblance of a harlot?B: Nay!J: Then why didst thou attempt to bed him thus?B: I did not!J: Aye, thou didst! O, aye, thou didst! Thou hoped to rape him like a chattel whore, And sooth, Lord Wallace is displeased to bed With anyone but she to whom he wed. More can be found here. Never cross the Big O It is not a good idea to cross Oprah Winfrey. It does not matter if you are a famous author, a book publisher, a popular talk show host, a luxury brand, a rapper or an Oscar winning actress. Oprah always always wins. She pwns you, no matter who you are. Donald Duck Family Tree The Donald Duck Family. It’s really cool. This guy actually bothered. With a family tree and all that. Singapore Toy & Comic Convention Remember that I blogged about it once? Well there is a pre-registration page for visitors. My only grouse is that the site is not very firefox friendly. Boo… Other than that. Go sign up if you’re interested. Ever wondered what was the last meal on the Titanic? This site is good. It even tries to tell you more about the sauces and what not. The guy really put in effort. Only thing we don’t know is what the Waldorf Pudding is. More News about Rice: World Rice Organisation? Article from the Economist Blog. They’re arguing for a Rice Central Bank. Heh. It would be hard, grain can’t be kept for that long. As the author mentioned we may just have to accept that grains will be more expensive from now on. Actually it was mentioned in the blog post that one of the reasons, besides bad weather, is the fact that we are growing biofuels. So more land is being used to grow corn and cane for fuel, and less for food. Green fuel is causing higher grain prices? Best Game Eva You have to play this game. The end song is fantastic. Best game in the world. Serious. Listen to the end song. Streetdirectory.com: My point of view There’s been quite a bit said already. The current news is that Streetdirectory.com will be coming back. Some people have said that closing down Streetdirectory.com was wrong of SLA. After all the map was free use; the maps were public domain. It’s a huge blow to open source and the development of the Singaporean internet industry. I agree with that comment to a certain extent. It does hurt a little bit. On the other hand (Economics training for the win), Streetdirectory.com sued about 500 companies for using their maps, which was actually free-to-use maps since they cannot prove to the court that their maps were value-added on top of the SLA version. I’ve used the SLA maps (I actually use them over Streetdirectory.com), and they are as specific as the Streetdirectory.com ones. The only difference is that you can get driving directions (which I have no use for, I like to plan my own routes, their routes are not as good as MapQuest). Streetdirectory.com is not exactly the poster child for Open Source. So I do think that SLA was within its bounds as a watchdog agency to order Streetdirectory.com to cease and desist suing other firms for using their maps, since the maps are free-to-use government maps. I do hope that Streetdirectory.com will sober up a bit and make their services more valuable to their customers and stop Odex-ing everyone. That’s the fastest way to lose goodwill. Especially if the thing you’re Odex-ing people for is free.