I saw this post/target while randomly surfing Live Journal Entries and I decided that I wanted to reach this target too.

"hominem unius libri timeo ~ Beware the man of one book", Thomas Aquinas

I definitely do not want to be the a man of a single book, hence, the target for 2009.

1. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
2. Identity and Violence - Amartya Sen
3. Mort - Terry Pratchett
4. Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes - Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
7. Arcadia - Tom Stoppard
8. Soul Music - Terry Pratchett
9. Alexander the Great - Paul Cartledge
10. Going Postal - Terry Pratchett
11. The Chicago School - Johan Van Overtveldt
12. Good Book - David Plotz
13. Traitor's Knot - Janny Wurtz
14. Pygmy - Chuck Palahniuk
15. Toto Chan - Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
16. Interesting Times - Terry Pratchett 
17. I, Lucifer - Glen Duncan
18. City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers
19. Stormed Fortress - Janny Wurtz
20. Economic Gangsters - Raymond Fisman & Edward Miguel

Currently Reading:
Qiu Xiao Long's Death of a Red Heroine
Guards! Guards!

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts,
others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly,
and with diligence and attention.
~ Francis Bacon ~

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it .-James Bryce

So one of the entertainment headlines is:

New Moon enters record books

I really do not understand the appeal of this franchise. I watched Twilight and I thought it probably was the worst show I have watched in a long while.

So how is it that this movie franchise is so successful?

I caught TNT Britain's latest touring production A Christmas Carol.
I loved it.



TNT’s latest offering to Singapore, A Christmas Carol, is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic. This stage adaptation is timely, playing in Singapore during the world wide release of Disney’s screen adaptation of the same story and the lighting up of the streets of Singapore.

The play was staged simply with the director content to let the actors and the story do the talking. What was most striking was how the actors and the acting was the main focus of the production, in contrast to what Singapore audiences are used to – productions where multi media and other production take center stage. The audience was treated to a real feast of music, vocals and story telling.

The cast is led by Anthony Pedley as Ebeneezer Scrooge. Anthony Pedley gave a strong performance, bringing alive on stage Scrooge with all his mean heartedness. What was most enjoyable were the tableaux which were created on stage. The ensemble created a clock on stage with clever staging and use of vocals. The method of creating imagery with just imaginative direction was simple and effective.

The director’s training in the Grotowski Method is highlighted in how he approached the staging of this classic. The staging relied very heavily on the actors and their interaction with the audience. Sets, lights, props and costumes were kept to a bare minimum with the staging reliant purely on the actors. The intimate nature of Jubilee hall allowed the actors to fully engage the audience, highlighting the message of this timeless tale.

This heartwarming Christmas classic is a must see this festive season and I would strongly recommend this production. And for those who would not spend the little to support this production, well, beware a visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Based on a newly discovered astrologer (promoted by the gf), I am supposed to start getting fit or have been wanting to lose my Freshman 15lbs.

"You seem to be thinking quite a bit about becoming healthy and fit, and with Mars in your sixth house, this would be the perfect time to initiate a fitness routine that you like so much you'll follow it consistently in months and years to come. To get started, you may want to work out under the supervision of a coach, trainer, or gym teacher. Mars in Leo will make you energetic and enthusiastic, but just be sure you don't overdo. As long as you follow sensible advice, you can make quite a bit of progress between now and early June.
You may want to add weight lifting to part of your program. Mars rules iron, so you could see good results with weights, if done properly. (And no, women don't get "overbuilt" by using weights. Weight lifting is great way to build strong bones.) If you have a dog, include him in your routine, too - you both can run together, for example, and you'll both feel better for it! "

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Your November Horoscope by Susan Miller

 

 

 

 

Pisces Horoscope for November 2009

So late last evening, after dinner, Wanyun and I trooped to Dr Seet's house to discuss some matter. After a glass of wine, we were tempted by him to watch a movie. He said, "Oh, just watch 20 minutes of it and you can go when you want to." On reflection, I am convinced that Dr Seet knew the quality he screened - Brideshead Revisited. It was an amazing show. I liked it so much that I sat through the whole of it. Emma Thompson was simply wonderful and the tension, subtext and cinematography was simply marvelous.

Catch it on DVD if you have not!

Yesterday, I had an extremely special privilege. A private wine cellar of an acquaintance was opened for my viewing.
I saw the usual petrus, mouton rothschild ect... But most importantly, I saw a bottle of Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947. 

Not that I tasted it...BUT the idea that I could touch and see one was enough, for now...

International jazz singer Laura Fygi is in town rehearsing for Zebra Crossing's take on the Broadway musical Victor Victoria, and KK Seet sits down with her to talk about how before this she had refused to do musicals, her two left feet, and how Laura Fygi is also an accomplished gardener and homemaker off the stage too!

Welcome to the weekly show that helps you get an audience for your show. Hosted by theatres most famous academic Dr KK Seet, this is theatre like you've never seen before.

Get the insider scoop on the latest shows, the most up to date goss on your favourite actors in the punchy talkshow that provides all you need to know about what goes on on-stage, and off!

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- New York chef Daniel Boulud will open a restaurant at the $5.4 billion Marina Bay Sands, which is being built in Singapore by Las Vegas Sands Corp. and is expected to open next year.

He will be one of six celebrity chefs opening eateries at the Marina Bay Sands, which will be the island nation's first casino.

Boulud operated a restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas. He found out recently Wynn Resort's Chairman Steve Wynn was not renewing his five-year contract.

"It would have been cheaper for Steve to keep me then what he's paying for his divorce," Boulud said at news conference last week with the Singapore tourism bureau at his New York City restaurant, Daniel, located on the upper East Side.

Wynn is divorcing his wife, Elaine. In August, the pair sold 2 million shares of the company's common stock, worth $114 million, to get more cash in anticipation of their pending divorce.

The Marina Bay Sands will transform the Singapore skyline with three towers rising 55 stories directly across from the business district. Topping the three towers will be a cantilevered SkyPark the length of four football fields, which will include a 650-foot-long infinity pool, event space and 360-degree views of the city.

Robert Kennedy on his campaign trail for the US presidency on March 18, 1968, at the University of Kansas:
"We will find neither national purpose nor personal satisfaction in a mere continuation of economic progress, in an endless amassing of worldly goods. We cannot measure national spirit by the Dow Jones Average, nor national achievement by the Gross National Product. For the Gross National Product includes air pollution, and ambulances to clear our highways from carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and jails for the people who break them. The Gross National Product includes the destruction of the redwoods and the death of Lake Superior. It grows with the production of napalm and missles and nuclear warheads.... It includes... the broadcasting of television programs which glorify violence to sell goods to our children. And if the Gross National Product includes all this, there is much that it does not comprehend. It does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It is indifferent to the decency of our factories and the safety of our streets alike. It does not include the beauty of our poetry, or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials... the Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America -- except whether we are proud to be Americans."

Anyone interested in purchasing a brand new Lenovo U350?
S$950.00?

Brand New Lenovo IdeaPad U350 Notebook (Black) Intel® Pentium® Processor SU4100 (1.3GHz / 800 MHz / 2MB L2 Cache)

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

13.3" WXGA LED Display

320GB HDD

2GB DDR3 RAM

1 year Regional (ASEAN countries and China) Carry-in Warranty

If you have ever wanted to dance like the Kings of Mambo who strut their stuff on retro nights at Zouk nightclub, here is your chance.

Wong Shi Jie and Jerald Chen, both 27, have day jobs, but on Wednesday nights for the past eight years, they have showed their wild side, grooving to tunes that their parents once danced to.

Their synchronised shimmying on the dance floor is so hot that they even take attention away from the professional dancers on the podium.

Mambo involves performing synchronised moves to disco classics such as Square Room and Forever Young.

And at the end of this month, both of them will teach their synchronised movements in a free mass dance class as part of the Esplanade's da:ns festival.

The two jivers, along with seven other Mambo Jambo dance floor groovers, will conduct a step-by-step demonstration at the Esplanade Forecourt on Wednesday evening.

This is the first time Mambo moves will be taught on such a large scale in Singapore, says the pair.

Mr Wong, a business developer, says: 'It's a sign language of sorts. I'm amazed at how it has evolved over the years.'

To aspiring Mambo movers, he has this advice: 'The key is to know the lyrics well.'

Preparing for the class has led the group to firm up the 'gesture dictionary' of Mambo moves.

Mr Wong says: 'Although the regulars know certain actions go with certain sets of words, we found some slight dissimilarities which we have since coordinated.'

He reveals that he is sometimes the butt of jokes from friends who are not regular Mambogoers.

But he overlooks this downside, as he has a passion for retro songs and loves the sense of community he has with other dance regulars.

'It started out innocently enough. When I started going to Zouk, the podium dancers were a source of amusement for a while.

'Then, I thought, 'Instead of laughing at them, why not join in?''

Now, it has become a weekly reunion of sorts.

He adds: 'Every Wednesday has become a time for me to enjoy the music and unwind.

'I think it is something different because in clubs, usually the attention is directed towards the DJ. But on Mambo nights, it is to the dancers.'

The only downside, chips in Mr Chen, a management consultant, is waking up in time for work on Thursday mornings.

'I have two alarm clocks for that purpose,' he says.

 

Yesterday evening, I went to catch Broadway for Suakus and that got me thinking.

They started the show by asking how many "live" musicals the audience have watched in their lives. That got me thinking. Additionally, importance was also placed on "locality" i.e. how many local musicals have we watched. I thought it might be interesting to start a list... and here goes:

Broadway:
Phantom of the Opera

Chicago:
Wicked x 4 times
The Producers
Hairspray
Man of La Mancha
Les Miserables
Guys and Dolls

Singapore:
Rent
Avenue Q
Forbidden City
Haunted
Chang & Eng
Beauty World
Kampong Amber
Temptations
Woman on Canvass
Remix
Admiral Odyssey
Jack & the Beansprout
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

West End:
La Cage Aux Folles
Les Miserables
Mary Poppins
Billy Elliot
Rent

I think that is about all that i remember, for now. I am pretty sure there must have been one or which slipped through the hole...



 

The cost of an HP inkjet cartridge, black (25 ml) for desk printer is S$43, which translates to S$1,290 per 750 ml

A bottle of 1996 Chateau Mouton Rothschild costs half the price
A bottle of 2003 Chateau Pichon Lalande costs 6 times less
A bottle of 2006 Hermitage blanc, Tardieu-Laurent costs 10 times less
A bottle of 2005 Pommard, Dominique Laurent costs 14 times less
A bottle of 2006 Les Sorcieres, Domaine du Clos des Fees costs 33 times less


PRINT LESS, DRINK MORE

Last Sunday, after the surprise present from the GF, I decided to try my hands at cooking 2 recipes from Jamie's Cookbook.

Smoked Salmon with Chili Salsa
Wild Mushroom and Beef Straganof

It was really successful I must say



Preparation of the 2 dishes


The results

So yesterday, the girlfriend was all mysterious and purchased a surprise for me.
I sneaked a peak at it during our train ride back and saw that the surprise was wrapped in a nice gold wrap.

I was pretty sure it was a book. She heightened the anticipation and only allowed me to open my present after she had left.

*drumrolls* It was a Jamie Oliver cook book!  I am really excited. I am so going to be trying plenty of his recipes. He always makes it look so easy on his Naked Chef Program.

I feel a little sad that we are a fairly unforgiving society. No second chances, no maybe we should let her try.
Oh well,  a closure to the long running saga...

________________________________________

MISS Ris Low has resigned as Miss Singapore World 2009, days after her past conviction for credit card fraud was exposed.

The organiser of the local beauty pageant, ERM World Marketing, said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon she will no longer represent Singapore at Miss World 2009 in South Africa.

ERM said it will be interviewing a new representative to represent Singapore at Miss World 2009 in the coming days and will announce her shortly.

The organiser said it has met Ms Low and her parents and 'they have agreed to allow their daughter to resign from the crown as we feel is in the best interest for the Miss Singapore World Pageant and Singapore at large.

'We are accepting her resignation,' said ERM.

On Ms Low's conviction in May and her bipolar disorder, ERM said there was no way of checking if a contestant has a criminal record or suffering from depression.

'Ris Low was determined, well behaved and performed well throughout the 2 month competition and even went on to win eight special awards. This is not easy task to accomplish from a group of 22 contestants. With her good performance and beauty, she excelled in the competition.'

On her command of English language, which has been criticised by the public, the organiser said: 'We felt that person who made fun of her on YouTube was malicious and did not do her justice. The video clip was presented in a way to ridicule her.

'The incident was a one-time interview which misled the Singapore public to believe she spoke English poorly. During the Grand Finals competition held at the Shangri La hotel on the July 31, she spoke perfectly good English, had a good answer (short, sharp and sweet) and performed very well to impress the 11 judges that she was good enough to win.

'So perhaps her spoken English could also be an effect from her Bipolar disorder.'

ERM said it felt sorry for Miss Low but added: 'We cannot compromise on our contest rules, regulations and the image of the Miss Singapore World Pageant.'

ERM, which broke its silence only on Monday said it did not give any comments earlier to the media and press because 'we were taken aback by this incident and we did not have any documentary evidence to justify the allegations and could be faced with legal implications later'.

'Ris Low committed this offence as a young offender, and we had to be sensitive to handle any comments delicately where a young offender is concerned. The treatment would be different if she was over 21 years of age,' it added.

'We like to add that this is the first time in Singapore beauty pageant history that such an incident has occurred. We had to be careful with the approach.'

- Taken From Straits Times Online -

Honestly, they have a 500,000 strong CHURCH going on... Hilarious
______________
THE founder of a religion inspired by the Star Wars films was thrown out of a supermarket for refusing to remove his hood, AOL reported on Tuesday.

Daniel Jones, head of the 500,000-strong International Church of Jediism, was asked to leave the Tesco supermarket in Bangor, North Wales as his attire was deemed to be in violation of Tesco's rules, which forbid the wearing of 'hoodies' while in the supermarket.

Mr Jones, who also goes by the Jedi name Morda Hehol, claimed he was 'victimised over his beliefs' and left 'emotionally humiliated' when staff deemed him a security risk and told him to leave.

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'I told them it was a requirement of my religion but they just sniggered and ordered me to leave.'

According to the rules of the Jedi church, members should wear a hood in public places. 'It states in our Jedi doctrination that I can wear headwear. It just covers the back of my head,' Mr Jones said. 'You have a choice of wearing headwear in your home or at work, but you have to wear a cover for your head when you are in public.'

Mr Jones said he had gone to the store to buy something to eat, and gave staff a Jedi church business card when they stopped him about his hood.

'It was discrimnation. They were making a joke against me. I was really upset. Nobody should be treated like that,' he said. He has made a complaint to Tesco and is seeking legal advice. Mr Jones also hinted of a threat should the ban continue. 'I'll advise worshippers to boycott Tesco if it happens again. They will feel the Force.'

The Telegraph reported that a Tesco spokesman defended the store's actions, saying: 'He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores, although we would ask them to remove their hoods.'

'Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood.'

'If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers.'

Hainanese Chicken Rice is Malaysian? I would have thought that the Hainanese community would dispute this.  Bak Kut Teh as well? Go figure…

__________

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA will lay claim to its signature dishes like laksa and chicken rice which are being 'hijacked' by other countries, the tourism minister said according to a report on Thursday.

Those on the list include the fragrant coconut milk rice 'nasi lemak', spicy soup noodle 'laksa' and pork ribs herbal soup 'bak kut teh', Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said according to The Star newspaper.

'We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,' she was quoted as saying.

'In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa... all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh,' she added.

Ms Ng said her ministry will announce a strategy on how to brand the dishes as Malaysian.

'That is Part Two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,' she reportedly said.

Ms Ng did not name which countries were hijacking the dishes, which are popular around the world and particularly in neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia.

Her comments came amid a diplomatic row with Indonesia, where protesters have accused Malaysia of stealing its cultural heritage.

The dispute erupted in Indonesia in August after erroneous reports emerged that Malaysia had screened tourism advertisements featuring the traditional 'pendet' dance of Indonesia's Hindu-majority Bali island.

The ad was actually a promotion for a Discovery Channel programme, but despite an apology from the network, protesters vowing to 'crush Malaysia' have burned national flags and thrown rotten eggs at the embassy in Jakarta.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman will meet his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta on Thursday in a bid to cool the tensions which Malaysia has described as a 'grave concern'.

Ties between the two countries are regularly punctuated by rows over cultural issues as well as the welfare of Indonesian labourers and maids working in Malaysia. -- AFP

 

http://www.ubs.com/1/e/media_overview/media_global/releases?newsId=170250


The worldwide study conducted and released by UBS lately, titled “Price and
Earnings 2009″ has some unflattering results for Singapore. (download the
study here). While our economy has the highest GDP (PPP) per capita in
Asia at $49,288 according to a World Bank report (source: Wikipedia), our
people do not enjoy a quality of life which commensurate with it.

Though we are technically a developed first world country, some economic
indictators as shown by the UBS study suggested that Singaporeans are not
that better off than those in Third World countries.


Low wages
Singapore has a GDP (PPP) per capita higher than Switzerland, but our wages
are way below the Swiss. The UBS study found that employees in Copenhagen,
Zurich, Geneva and New York have the highest gross earnings. With its
extremely high gross wages and comparatively low tax rates, Switzerland is
a very employee-friendly country. The net wages used have been deducted
for taxes and social security. Zurich and Geneva have wage indices (gross)
of 119.8 and 107.5 respectively. In contrast, Singapore has a wage index of
only 31.3, comparable with Moscow (30.9), Tallinn (28.7) and Johannesburg
(26.7).
In the Asia-Pacific region, it is exceeded by Tokyo (83.0), Sydney (74.1),
Auckland (44.1), Hong Kong(42.3), Taipei (35.5) and Seoul (32.3)

Low domestic purchasing power Where does an average income buy the most
products and services? Wages alone do not determine the standard of living
in a particular city or country. A better way to measure prosperity is to
divide the average annual salary by the total price of a selected basket of
goods and services (as used in the UBS study). This tells us how much
purchasing power local wages. Again, Zurich (106.9), Sydney (95.9) and
Luxembourg (95.4) topped the list - its citizens have the highest domestic
purchasing power. Singaporeans have a low purchasing power of only 39.9,
comparable to Kuala Lumpur (39.5), Warsaw (34.0) and Bogota (33.7). Other
countries in the Asia-Pacific region which are ahead of us are Tokyo
(82.2), Auckland (68.9), Taipei (58.9), Hong Kong (58.1) and Seoul (57.4).
In other words, though the cost of living is higher in Tokyo, the average
Japanese has a domestic purchasing power more than twice that of an average
Singaporean.
Though Malaysia is still a developing country and has a GDP (PPP) per
capita of only $14,215, less than 3 times of ours, the ordinary Malaysian
citizen has about the same domestic purchasing power as the Singaporean.

Low relative purchasing power of wages
This is calculated in the UBS study by using a specific, highly uniform
product that is available everywhere in the same quality, and then
calculate how long an employee has to work to afford it in each city. For
the purpose of this article, the iPod nano (with 8 GB of storage) is used.
An average wage earner is Zurich and New York can buy a nano from an Apple
store after nine hours of work. A Singapore worker will have to work three
times longer after 27.5 hours. The figures for selected Asia-Pacific
cities are as follows: Sydney (9.5hrs), Tokyo (12hrs), Auckland
(16hrs),Hong Kong (19hrs), Seoul (22hrs) and Taipei (23.5hrs). Again we
came in last among the 4 Asian Tigers.

Long working hours
People work an average of 1,902 hours per year in the surveyed cities, but
they work much longer in Asian and Middle Eastern cities, averaging 2,119
and 2,063 per year respectively. European cities had the lowest working
hours per year. A global comparison showed the people in Lyon and Paris
spend the least amount of time at work: 1,582 and 1,594 hours respectively.
Singaporeans spent on average 2,088 hours at work per year with 11 days of
vacation. This is less than Hong Kong (2,295) and Seoul (2,312), but more
than Tokyo (1,997), Taipei (2,074), Sydney(1,747) and Auckland (1,884).
Singaporeans also took the least number of holidays after Hong Kongers (10
days/year).

High cost of living
Singapore was ranked the second most expensive place to live in after
Tokyo, surpassing Hong Kong for the first time. Let us compare the food
prices in Singapore and other developed countries since food is a basic
necessity. In the UBS study, a basket of 39 food items is put together and
weighted mainly according to Western European consumption habits. The
average worldwide cost of the basket is USD385. In Asia, Tokyo topped the
list with an index of 124.7, followed by Hong Kong (96.5), Singapore
(89.4), Seoul(89.0), Taipei (67.9) and Sydney (66.3)

Conclusion
The high cost of living coupled with low wages and domestic purchasing
power condemns the average Singapore worker to an ignonimous, monotonus and
stressful working life. Singapore workers have to work harder to earn the
same amount of money and save for a longer period to purchase the same
product. In 1991, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong promised Singaporeans
that we will be able to achieve the “Swiss standard of living” within a
decade. Ten years later, we have a living standard which is closer to
Russia than Switzerland. Like Singapore, the Russians has a low wage and
domestic purchasing power and Russia, especially the city of Moscow, has one
of the highest cost of living in the world. In the next part of this
article, we shall examine the uncanny similiarities between life in
Singapore and Russia after the disintegration of the Soviet Union

Almost starting on our long holiday.