When mummy asked if I would like to watch "Red Cliff", I was elated! She said that it was a Hong Kong-Australia Business Association (HKABA) event... IF ONLY!

It was only after we had arrived at The Hilton, Sydney, for cocktails, that mummy whips out the invite and informed me, nonchalantly, that John Woo was the Guest-of-Honour.

It was only then that I realised the official launch of "Red Cliff" was in conjunction with the Sydney Film Festival 2009.

Below are some photos of the night. Enjoy!




























Synopsis

From the acclaimed director of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II, FACE/OFF and THE KILLERS, comes a dazzling, visionary epic based on the legendary Battle of Red Cliff, in which a force of fifty thousand defeated an army of nearly one million.

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd PRIME MINISTER CAO CAO convinced the fickle EMPEROR HAN the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.


The film was directed by John Woo, and stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling and Zhao Wei.

With an estimated budget of US$80 million, Red Cliff is the most expensive Asian-financed film to date. The first part of the movie alone grossed $124 million in Asia and broke the box office record previously held by Titanic in mainland China.

The release date for "Red Cliff" in Australia is July 23, 2009. However, "Red Cliff" was released in 2008 all over Asia with "Red Cliff 2" already released in early 2009.

I am eagerly anticipating the launch of "Red Cliff 2". I'm definite it would be more spectacular as John Woo never disappoints!


More entries on HKABA.

Labels: HKABA, news n gossip

They've finally caught the BASTARD after 14 months! Congratulations? Hmmmm!

Mas Selamat fled Whitley Road Detention Center in Singapore and they found him in Malaysia, apparently.

Should I say "job well done" or "about bloody time"?!!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/427691/1/.html

Labels: news n gossip

Below is an article that appeared STOMP. The original article & photos can be found here.

Creepy-crawly found in Kopitiam's fish noodle soup

Zebracubes says in an e-mail:

“My visit to the newly-renovated Kopitiam at Plaza Singapura turned out to be an awful experience after I discovered an unidentified worm in the fish noodle soup.

“The incident happened on March 8 2009 at 1250pm. After consuming half of the soup, I spotted a multiple-segmented legged creature upon scooping for the next bite.

"It was a nightmare to see a blue-pigmented worm around 5-6cm long with approximately 20 pairs of legs and a pair of feelers drifting in my soup.

"It looks like a centipede.

“I called upon the chef and the management of the Kopitiam branch to investigate this unhygienic practice.

"The insect was still most probably alive minutes before the cooking process as it was neither shrivelled nor was it taut.

“The presence of such an unsightly find reflects badly on the hygiene level that might have occurred in the kitchen.”

Beware of wad lurks beneath those murky waters!

Labels: news n gossip

In the last few days, Victoria suffered a massive tragedy. With the summer's heatwave at its peak, arsonists (mother-fuckas who have nothing better to effing do) have set ablaze at least 25 bushfires across the state of Victoria.

With the death toll approaching 200 and almost 1000 homes destroyed, Australia has rallied around and raised $30 million for the victims.

A total of $28 million has been donated to the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund, which doesn't include corporate and government donations.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced an extra $5 million on top of the $10 million already pledged by the federal government.

Aldi Supermarkets gave $250,000.

Honda Australia donated $200,000, while the Australia Olympic Committee and V8 Supercars Australia each donated $100,000.

Australian golfers Craig Parry and Nick O'Hern pledged a total of $200,000, while the proceeds of race meetings in Victoria this weekend will also go to the appeal.

Help even came from Singapore and New Zealand!!!

Singapore has offered Australia the use of a fleet of helicopters based in Queensland to battle wildfires that have claimed 173 lives, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

"If it would be helpful to your efforts, Singapore can offer the use of our Super Puma helicopters currently stationed in Oakey for your relief efforts," Mr Lee said in a letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd .

"We are also ready to help in any other way that we can," he added in the letter, released by Singapore's foreign ministry late Monday (local time).

The Super Puma helicopters are suitable for search and rescue operations and to transport people and equipment.

Because of its limited local airspace, Singapore has stationed 12 Super Pumas in Oakey, Queensland for more than a decade under an agreement with the Australian Government to allow its air force to conduct training exercises.

Mr Lee also said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the loss of lives and extensive damage caused by the Australian fires.

- *AFP*

I'm proud to be a Singaporean, now and forever! :)

Medical personnel, firefighters, forensics specialists, The Red Cross, trucking companies and volunteers from all over Australia have also made their way to Victoria to offer assistance.

The saddest thing about this tragedy is that, it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to bring out the humanity in people.

Wonder why it takes so much for the human race to show kindness, to extend a helping hand, to give without taking.

May God bless us all in this trying times!

Labels: just me, news n gossip

I finally got to watch the entire infamous sex scandal video starring Singapore's very own Tammi. My thoughts as I was watching were...

1. Hmmmm wads all the hype about?
2. I've seen better (No offence tammi)
3. Singaporeans never watched porn b4?

So now... Wad was all the hype about? Was it because she was real? Like she could have just been the girl next door, ur neighbour, ur fren, ur classmate?

Would that really have made a difference? We've all had sex. Well, most anyways. Just cause we dun tape it down and then let it get misplaced and have some tard upload and share it with the world only ma. How different is Tammi to us?

Nope, the video didnt turn me on. Like I've said, I've seen better!

Singaporeans, as far as I've known, have travelled to JB to buy VCDs and I do think that porn is readily available in Singapore too. U just have to know where to look. Sex videos of other Singaporeans & Malaysians have been online for quite some time too...

So wad's the deal with Tammi? Is she famous? Well-known? Is it her age? As far I know, she was with that bf for quite some time... sex is a natural progression, I guess.

So wad's the deal?!!

Labels: just me, news n gossip

For most Asians, 08.08.08 is a very auspicious day as in the chinese language, 8 is pronounced as 'Fah' which coincidently sounds the same as the 发 in 发财 (prosper)!

The opening ceremony for the XXIX (29th) Olympiad was held in Beijing on this auspicious day.

We flew to Melbourne for the Opening Ceremony's celebrations hosted by 3CW Chinese Radio where mummy, on behalf of CMC Markets, was a major sponsor.

Chikky was supposed to come with us but was unwell and couldnt make it :(

Mummy booked us into Quest Serviced Apartments in Southbank for the weekend. It was conveniently located close to the city and to where the event was to take place. Rates for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment was only approx. AUD$240! How great is that!

We cabbed down to the event hall that evening. The event hall was actually a converted boat shed! Not the small ones u'd imagine but those that actually housed and repaired numerous boats! It was HUGE! Close to the size of a warehouse!

The evening started with a VIP cocktail session where Henessy was the featured sponsor! YES! We had Henessy VSOP (I think), Moet & Chandon Champagne AND Sharks' Fin Dumplings with XO Sauce! YUP! It was yummy!

Dinner was 3 courses. It was acceptable but nothing to rave about except for the dessert. Personally, I found the Masters of Ceremony (there were like a total of 5! -_-") too long-winded. they tried to conduct the event with English AND Mandarin and dragged it out in the attempt to entertain us. -_-

The highlight of the evening was still the reason for our esteemed presence!

The Opening Ceremony of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing!

The theme this year was that of the ancient art of painting, where paintings were actually scrolls. It absolutely touched me when they not only had choreographed dancers to paint the 'outlines' but when they had every athlete walk through HUGE rainbow-coloured stamp pads and leave a mark on the painting.

Then there was the 'Lighting of the Olympic Torch' where they flew the guy up and he ran around the whole inner circumference of the stadium before he lighted up the gigantic torch, whose flames rose high above.

The fireworks for the entire event wwas absolutely spectacular and breath-taking! Hunny even commented that no other countried would be able to match that!


I re-considered posting this cos of the controversy and scandal that was uncovered.

1. The little girl who had the solo was lip-syncing. Hey, dun get me wrong! Nothing wrong with lip-syncing if its you actually singing, right? However, they substituted the original singer because she was fat and ugly!

That's not reason enuf in my book!

2. The 'spectacular' fireworks did not happen on 08.08.08 itself but was added to the telecast from a prior taping! HELLO?!!! The world's dignitaries were all present! OMG la! Sia suay in front of the world's leaders is ok but cannot lie to the rest of the world watching ar??

Why werent the fireworks displayed?!!!

TSK TSK TSK!

Labels: charities n events, just me, news n gossip

An 11-year-old Romanian girl who is 21 weeks pregnant after being raped by an uncle will be able to have an abortion, even though it is forbidden by law.

Romania's abortion limit is 14 weeks. It had been suggested the girl might travel to the UK for the abortion.

Some 20 Christian Orthodox groups had threatened to press charges if the girl was allowed to abort the foetus.

The girl was raped by a 19-year-old uncle who has since disappeared.

Her family only discovered she was pregnant when they took her to the doctor because she seemed sick.

HELLO!! 11 year old girl also wanna rape meh?!! WTF! 19 year old boy cannot masturbate or find a gf?!! KNNBCCB!

I'm Catholic but seriously, wad century liaos??? The age of no birth control and anti-abortion is passe puh-leaseeee!

I'm a strict believer that a person's life is not his own, nor anyone else's but his parents.

Only the poor girl has a say if she wants to keep the baby or not. Only her parents have a say in the 11 yr old girl's life. Who gave religion groups the fucking right to decide someone else's life?

That 19 year old uncle deserves to have his dick cut off with a machete! FUCKER!

Who's the bigger monster here? The CB uncle or the Catholic groups? U tell me pls!

Great world we live in!

Link

Labels: just me, news n gossip

The residents of Hastings Point in Northern New South Wales are protesting against developers turning their beautiful and peaceful haven into a commercialised tourism destination, such as Gold Coast.

Support them by spreading the message or even donating. More infor can be found on www.savehastingspoint.com.

The below video was made by the residents for the residents of Hastings Point. :D



Cheers!

--------------------------

The moments we've shared,
The talks we've had,
The quarrels we've sparked,
All these, Jun, are love love ~

Labels: just me, news n gossip

Got this from an email today. Thanks SexXY for forwarding this. -_-"

I suddenly had an almighty urge to become VEGETARIAN!!




The text says:

Hi friends. Hope you all co-operate in eradicating this evil thing.
With regards to what you are going to witness here is a fact. Don't get scared!
It's Japan's hottest food.
In Japan, dead babies or fetuses could be bought at 10000yen to 12000yen from hospitals to meet the high demand for grilled and barbecued babies...
What a sad state! Please forward this to blah blah blah......

Is this a HOAX??? My chinese sucks so please click on the last picture to see the label on the bottle!!! It says "Brain xxx" Fuck man!

It's one thing that the Japanese are sadistic, pervertic but now barbaric???

FUCK! And I had roast lamb for dinner! FUCK!

Labels: just me, news n gossip

Fuck this is good. See it for urselves.

Link

Labels: just me, news n gossip

To commemorate the day on 15 Feb this year, some secondary schools had organised a 'blackout' day, complete with 'food rationing' to let students experience what their forefathers went through during World War II.

At one school, the blackout lasted from 9am to 11.30am, with the power supply cut off at the classroom blocks.

They had to sit through lessons without lights and go without the cooling comfort of fans.

During recess, the students were given ration coupons for sweet potatoes, the only food sold in the canteen that day.

Some students had never even heard of sweet potato and wondered how it was to be eaten.

Another common complaint: The water from the water coolers was not cold enough.

Teachers, who spoke to The New Paper on condition of anonymity, generally agreed.

One of them gave an interesting example: 'I know a 10-year-old student who goes home on the school bus.

'There was a time when he simply stood there after getting off, refusing to go home because his maid wasn't there to carry his bag and take him home.'

Another teacher said: 'Students these days are definitely spoilt. When you take away certain privileges that they are used to having, then they appear handicapped and cannot cope.'
________________________________________________________________

WOW! Imagine being in Secondary School and NOT know how to eat a sweet potato? Dun parents cook nowadays? Dun students go for BBQs and camping trips?

I remember how we would use to cook sweet potatos in an open fire by just simply putting them over the flame or in foil and in the fire.

The joy was in the peeling of the hot potato and smelling the sweet scent of the flesh inside! Yums! The trick was to peel as you eat... and my gawd! was it deeeelicious!

Yes, I grew up sheltered and spoil but i was NEVER a brat (not according to ME anyways). I had a maid since I was 6 years old.

She was more like my primary carer after my mum left and we had to spend our time between my aunt's and dad's.

She did everything for us. From bathing us to school to cleaning both houses and watching over us. She did more than ONE mother ever could.

When she went on holidays, we learnt to deal with it. We were taught not to depend totally on her and carry our own weight.

Till this day, I do NONE of the housework for I have a hunny who takes care of all that! :D

Yes, sometimes when I ask for too much, he'll ask me...

Him: "Wad did your last slave die of?!!!"
Me: "MOUTHIRITIS!!"

There I would be, laughing my head off! LMAO!

Even at this VERY moment, he's doing a load of laundry and cleaning the bathrooms.

It's not like I CHOOSE not to help out but wadever I do doesnt meet his standards and he would only go over wad I've already done.

Imagine wiping a table down the 1st time. He'll think that it wasnt done properly and would re-do it. WTF man! Since he's gonna do it ALREADY, den I might as well save my strength and NOT DO IT to begin with!

I reckon my reasoning is way fucking sensible. Dun u?

Labels: just me, news n gossip

Jemaah Islamiah (JI) detainee Mas Selamat Kastari, 45, escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre at 4.05pm yesterday and, at press time, was on the run.

The police immediately mounted a massive manhunt in the area.

It is understood that checks were also made at the Tuas and Woodlands immigration checkpoints.

Mas Selamat, who walks with a limp, is not known to be armed, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a press release yesterday.

He had led the Singapore JI network and was among five JI members detained here under the Internal Security Act in 2006.

He had even plotted to hit Changi Airport with a hijacked plane.

Gurkhas and armed officers with red berets, wearing bullet-proof vests, with kukris around their waists and holding revolvers, lined Malcolm Road, Mount Rosie Road, Mount Pleasant Road and Whitley Road.

There were also more than 20 police vehicles along those roads, including Special Operations Command vehicles, fast response saloon cars, Toyota Hi-Lux sport utility vehicles and blue buses.

The New Paper also spotted police along the Pan-Island Expressway towards Onraet Road.

The public have been advised to immediately call the police on 999 if they know of Mas Selamat's whereabouts.

---

Who is Mas Selamat Kastari?

• He was Singapore's most wanted man when he was on the run from December 2001 to February 2006.
  
• Former head of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist cell here.
  
• Wanted to crash a hijacked plane into Changi Airport. Other targets: US personnel and naval vessels, the Defence Ministry, water pipelines from Malaysia, US Embassy and the American Club.
  
• Joined Singapore JI around 1992. Had military training in Afghanistan in 1993. Returned in 1998 to study Taliban system of government.
  
• After 2001 crackdown, went on run to different places in South-east Asia. Arrested in Tanjong Pinang, Indonesia, in 2003.
  
• In and out of jail until final arrest in 2006 in Java. Deported to Singapore soon after that.

Labels: news n gossip

Espire condom slipped off during sex!!!

Link


"Yesterday I use then fug until halfway the condom slipped and stuck in the cheese pie. Then my GF panic until siao. Luckily I got enough skill to go and dig out.

I still go one more (Of course never use before one lah.).

Who wants? I can mail to you. This condom really not for me. The condition is after you use must review here."

The most common reply in the 13 pages of replies to this thread starter:

"the condom too big for you?"

Doesn't help that the name of the brand of condom also a little dubious.

Should check the espirary date. Worse, someone pointed out that the copy for the condom reads:

"Espire. An innovative brand… An expression of high quality and great pleasure for the new generation… ...The condoms are designed to fit the Asian male size."

Er, what you mean "Asian male size" ah?

So really, I don't think you want to declare on a public forum that a condom designed for the "Asian male size" was too big for you.

PWNED

- Taken off MrBrown

Labels: news n gossip

A parody, in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, by means of humorous or satirical imitation.




Psycho101.

Labels: news n gossip

One of the MOST commercialised days... VALENTINES' DAY.

Wad started off as a day to commemorate St. Valentine's martyrdom for love-torn couples became a money-making opportunity for merchants.


Personally, I feel that it's not only a waste of money but also a needless exercise to buy overly-priced candy, gifts or flowers... especially FLOWERS!!! Why pay exorbitant amounts of money for something that only lasts a few days?

I see no need to celebrate one's love on one designated date...

Every day is Valentine's Day as long as the one u love is by your side no?

Tell that special someone that u love him/her at every opportunity u get. Give tokens of love just to show that you love him/her. Why leave it all for just ONE day? Is that all he/she's worth?? ONE day of real romance?

I'd rather have ONE 2 carat diamond as opposed to 10 x 0.2 carats. Get my drift?


Back then...

Emperor Claudius was a cruel bloody ruler. When he could not recruit enough soldiers for his endless campaigns he blamed it on the men not wanting to leave their lovers and families. Consequently he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.

St. Valentine was a Christian priest who secretly got couples married. He was apprehended and jailed. But many visited him and showered him with notes of good wishes and flowers. One of these people was the daughter of the prison guard. Before being hauled off to his fate this holy priest left her a note thanking her for her support and signing it of as ‘Your Valentine’.

Finally on the fatal day in February they dragged into the presence of the Prefect of Rome before being clubbed and beheaded.

The day of his martyrdom is celebrated as Valentine’s Day.


In Chinese culture, there is a counterpart to Valentine's Day, called "The Night of Sevens" (七夕); according to legend the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid meet in Heaven on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.

Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women, and less commonly men, give candy, chocolate or flowers. It has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers. In Japan this is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from the words giri ("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"). This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ); chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning "friend".

By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called White Day has emerged. On March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Originally, the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows; hence "White Day". However, lingerie and jewellery have become common gifts.

Labels: just me, news n gossip

HE USED YOUNG PATIENTS FOR SLEAZY VIDEOS

HIS job was to heal broken bones. Instead, this doctor in the Indian city of Chennai found the business of peddling flesh more lucrative.

Orthopaedic surgeon L Prakash was sentenced to life on Thursday for secretly filming patients in the nude and posting their pictures on the Internet. He also made pornographic videos using young girls and boys who came his way.

The sleazy doctor hit the headlines in 2001 after a teenager tipped off the police.

The Times of India reported that the teenager, with evidence of pornographic pictures from Prakash's website, had told the police that he had fallen for the charms of two girls.

The girls then took him to the doctor's clinic, then his house and later to a little islet off north Chennai. The teenager was forced to have sex with the women which the doctor filmed.

Following the leads, the police arrested Prakash in December 2001 along with his X-ray technician, driver and ward attendant - for aiding him.

Prakash was charged with taking nude pictures of patients, filming sexual acts with them, and posting them on pornographic websites.

He was also charged with threatening a girl with a revolver when she resisted him.

The police said that in some cases the doctor had blackmailed women patients with the secretly-taken nude photographs and forced them to participate in sexual acts for the pornographic videos.

Police said that Prakash teamed up with a relative to launch two porn websites. He is also alleged to have sent the pornographic videos to France on CDs marked 'surgical procedures'.

The Daily News and Analysis newspaper reported that Prakash used young boys and girls, including those working in his clinic, to pose for pictures and videos.

His farmhouse on the outskirts of Chennai provided the backdrop for many porn videos.

He also used a guesthouse to detain girls and sexually exploit them with the help of the others.

The police tracked down the doctor's covert activities with the help from an information security company.

When they raided his farmhouse, the police found machine-gun bullets. It is said the doctor reportedly went wild-boar hunting near his farmhouse.

LIFE IMPRISONMENT

Sentencing him, Judge R Radha said: 'Since he has played with the modesty of women, his crime cannot be taken lightly and he deserves life imprisonment.'

The doctor and his three associates have been in jail for the last six years.

The doctor's case is the first in India that was registered under the information technology act, which came into force in 2001.

Sending out a stern message to those who try to abuse the Internet, Judge Radha said the orthopaedic surgeon got the 'maximum sentence' as his crimes were not of an 'ordinary nature'.

Tamil Nadu state medical council president Dr K Prakasam said the convicted doctor's licence will be cancelled.

'His name will be formally removed from the registers once we obtain a copy of the judgment,' said Dr Prakasam.


This is wad I call JUSTICE.

Labels: news n gossip

Yusheng or yee sang (鱼生) is a Chinese-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.

Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigour.


"Fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou traditionally celebrated Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, by feasting on their catches. This practice may have started in Chaozhou and Shantou as far back as the Southern Song Dynasty.

In Malaya's colonial past, migrants imported this tradition; porridge stalls sold a raw fish dish which is believed to have originated in Jiangmen, Guangdong province that consisted of fish, turnip and carrot strips, which was served with condiments of oil, vinegar and sugar that were mixed in by customers.

The modern yusheng dish originated in Malaya in what is modern Singapore during Chinese New Year in 1964 in Lai Wah Restaurant and was invented by master chefs Than Mui Kai (Tham Yu Kai, co-head chef of Lai Wah restaurant).

The taste of the original raw fish dish was standardized with a special sauce using plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, and the fish was served with carrots, chilli, turnips, limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges and other ingredients, turning this simple dish into an exquisite salad with 27 ingredients.

The original dish used raw mackerel, although in deference to the popular wishes of customers, salmon was later offered as an alternative.

Since then, yusheng has become a staple Chinese New Year dish in Singapore as well as in Chinese communities in Indonesia and Malaysia and is typically available only during this festive season. It is also popular in Hong Kong."

"Today, this dish is served as an appetizer to raise 'good luck' for the new year and is usually eaten on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year.

In a celebration known as "lo hei"(Cantonese 撈起 or 捞起), families and friends to gather around the table and, on cue, proceeding to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying 吉祥话 (Jíxiáng Huà, auspicious wishes) out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year.

Typical ingredients include: fresh salmon, daikon (white radish), carrot, red pepper (capsicum), ginger, daun limau nipis (leaves from lime tree), Chinese parsley, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers (or fried dried shrimp), five spice powder. The dressing is made primarily from plum sauce."

Labels: foodie lover, news n gossip

Another sign where we shall hold our grounds to NO PETROL DAY for this month!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS 14th FEBUARY 2008 NO PETROL DAY!!!

AFP - Monday, February 4

SINGAPORE, Feb 4, 2008 (AFP) - World oil traded flat in Asia on Monday after concerns for the US economy appeared to outweigh the impact of OPEC’s decision to hold output steady, dealers said.

In morning trade, New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, was three cents lower at 88.93 dollars a barrel.

On Friday the contract plunged 2.79 dollars to close at 88.96 dollars per barrel, after briefly rising into positive territory following OPEC’s widely-expected decision to leave its output quotas unchanged.

It was the first time this year that the New York benchmark contract closed below the psychological 89-dollar level.

Brent North Sea crude for March delivery was two cents higher at 89.46 dollars a barrel after settling 2.77 dollars lower at 89.44 dollars a barrel in London on Friday.

At its meeting in Vienna on Friday, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which pumps 40 percent of world oil, held its official daily output at 29.67 million oil barrels.

Shortly after OPEC’s announcement, fresh US economic data led to renewed fears for economic growth in the world’s biggest energy consumer.

A US government report showed the economy lost 17,000 non-farm jobs in January. It was the first jobs loss in more than four years and indicated the strains from a housing crisis and a related credit crunch were spreading through the world’s biggest economy, analysts said.

There may have been some reassessment of energy demand after the US data release, along with some profit-taking, said David Moore, a commodities strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.

“It’s possible, I suppose, that these themes have continued a little bit in this morning’s trade,” he said.

The market may also be already looking ahead to an easing of demand at the end of the Northern hemisphere winter next month, Moore added.

Mike Fitzpatrick, an analyst at MF Global, said the latest US data “should further burden a market concerned with weakening demand.”

US President George W. Bush, expressing worries over the global economic impact of high oil prices, had expressed hopes that OPEC would increase output.

Explaining its decision, the 13-nation cartel said stockpiles of crude were likely to increase in the first half of this year. The group also noted “the projected economic slowdown”.

Ministers from OPEC are to meet again on March 5.

The cartel remains concerned about a potentially deep recession in the United States, which could reduce demand growth for energy, oil analyst Andrey Kryuchenkov at Sucden brokerage said earlier.

The International Energy Agency, which represents the interests of oil-consuming countries, Friday tacitly accused OPEC of increasing pressure on a vulnerable world economy by its refusal to pump more oil to help bring down crude prices.

Since striking a high above 100 dollars at the start of the year, New York oil prices have slid owing to fears of a US recession and a global economic slowdown.

But crude futures are still almost double the level of a year ago.

burs-it/km

The above were plagerized from Dion's blog, with permission of cos.

Help blog and spread this info. Support this cause please for it affects us all yea?

Labels: news n gossip

Taken from www.asiaone.com

AN Indonesian maid has been arrested by the police for abusing her employers' two-month old baby boy at their home after video recording showing her hitting and kicking the infant was posted by the parents on YouTube.

The maid, who is in her mid 20s, has been released on bail, following questioning by the police. But investigation is still ongoing.

The baby's parents were was shocked when they saw recorded images of the maid abusing the baby in her Paya Lebar Crescent home, which were captured by a closed circuit TV they had installed recently.

They filed a police report on Jan 26, and also posted the video recording on YouTube, outraging many Netizens.

The series of six videos (http://youtube.com/user/oreomummi) has attracted more than 36,000 views.

Many who saw the videos bristled with anger....

.... The employers said they decided to install the CCTV after reading media reports of maids abusing their young charges.

They were horrified and shocked when the very first video recording they did caught the maid in the violent act.

'The maid appears mild and gentle in front of us. We never suspect she would be so cruel to our baby,' Madam Wong was quoted as saying by an online site....

Forwarded by Ben.

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6

WTF sia?!!! Vid 1 shows her stuffing her own fucking face while the baby's bawling his eyes out. The way she tried to quieten him sucks pls.

Vid 2 shows her FORCE-FEEDING the baby boy! PCB! No wonder he's crying... HUNGRY LAR! Yet u feed ur own fucking face 1st. Ur employers pay u to eat si bo?

I see the way she forces him to drink milk milk I already wanna slap the shit outta her... See her bounce him around in his sarong and 'burping' him makes me wonder how tolerant her employers are.

If she was my maid, I would be the 1 in jail for causing her bodily harm. Hats off to her employers.

I can understand if she may not have had prior experience with babies since she's only in her 20s BUT the disdain she showed in the vids tells me that she's had experience. Fine... a 2 month old baby tends to cry alot, kinda fussy and is a handful to look after BUT dun have to freaking abuse the baby right?!!! As if the baby has a choice! m**her-f**king SLUT!!!

I cldnt bring myself to watch all the vids and only stopped at vid 3. I dun see the point of antagonising myself any further, do u?

I have faith in Singapore's Justice system.

Karma b*tch, karma.

Labels: news n gossip

Hmm... Although celebrities, like us, are human and of cos humans make mistakes but seriously...

WHY DO U HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS AND DOCUMENT IT?

Simply asking for trouble IMO.

I understand that a human being has needs. We all do. I dun give a damn who dating who, who's betraying who, who's fucking who. I'm not God, I ain't no saint, had my fair share of 'fun' so I'm in position to judge another.

but...

WHY DO U HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS AND DOCUMENT IT?

Make me understand pls.

Celebrities are fully aware that nothing is private in their industry. All the more they should be EXTRA careful. They are being followed wherever they go. scrutinized whatever they do and criticized whatever they say.

So seriously...

WHY DO U HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS AND DOCUMENT IT?

No matter which angle I work it, I can never come up with a satifactory explanation.

So now folks... I have pictures to proof that the above video is all bullshit ya? Victims? Didnt seem that way in the pics :P

Mebbe this is all a publicity stunt to boost and promote themselves? Hmm... with Gillian THAT hairy... wouldnt it be negative publicity? Or mebbe this is the direction her career is headed? Geez, with celebrities u'd never know -.-

Email me if you wanna see them yea?

p/s: Pics are compliments of my bear, Cupid :D

Labels: news n gossip, NSFW