HE’S HERE!

OH MY GOD! HE FOUND MI! on fb

i haven’t been contacting him. tis muz b a sign

i m over the moon, no, not TAT moon

Basel

Basel – the place…

…… an amazingly vibrant protestant Swiss-German speaking city located right on the frontier between Switzerland , France and Germany ……..

……and children are given for their birthday a little wallet with three compartments, one for Swiss

and a term tat all risk ppl noes

Japan’s NEC says to cut groupwide workforce by 20,000

30 Jan 2009

Japan’s NEC Corp (6701.T)said on Friday it would cut its groupwide workforce by 20,000 people, and look for ways to exit its industrial liquid-crystal display-related business.

The job cut, to take place by March 2010, includes a previously announced staff reduction by NEC Electronics. As of the end of December, the group employed 150,000 people.

other news tdy

29 Jan 2009

- SIA is slashing up to 300 flights this quarter, cutting capacity on
routes where loads are weak and on days when yields would be low.

- Changi Airport enjoyed a 2.7% rise in passenger numbers last year to a
record 37.7m.

Ford loses $5.9B in 4Q, says still won’t seek aid

29 Jan 2009

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it lost $5.9 billion in the fourth quarter and burned through $5.5 billion in cash as sales slumped, but the company still says it does not plan to seek federal loans.

The second-largest U.S. automaker said it lost $2.46 per share, compared with a loss of $2.8 billion, or $1.13 per share, for the year-ago period.

Revenue in the three months ended Dec. 31 fell to $29.2 billion, down 36 percent from $45.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007.

The results missed Wall Street’s expectations. Excluding special items, the company reported a $1.37 per share loss for the quarter. On that basis, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a fourth-quarter loss of $1.30 per share on revenue of $27.1 billion.

Ford shares were unchanged at $2.03 in premarket trading.

Dearborn-based Ford also announced that its credit arm would cut 20 percent of its work force, or 1,200 jobs, and it has reached agreement with the United Auto Workers union to end the “jobs bank” in which laid-off workers get most of their pay, although the effective date is still being negotiated.

The company said special items accounted for $1.4 billion of its net loss, largely due to personnel reductions and investment losses on money set aside for a union-administered trust that will take over retiree health care costs in 2010. Ford has about $2 billion in investments in that account, which can be used to fund operations, if needed.

The Treasury Department made loans to Ford’s U.S-based competitors last month, allocating $13.4 billion to General Motors Corp. and $4 billion for Chrysler LLC.

Company spokesman Mark Truby said Ford’s position on seeking federal loans is unchanged. It asked for a $9 billion line of credit from the government but has said it has enough cash to make it through 2009 and doesn’t intend to use government loans unless economic conditions worsen.

“We don’t plan to or foresee using it,” Truby said Thursday.

Ford said it had $13.4 billion cash on hand as of Dec. 31 and plans to exercise a $10.1 billion secured credit line Tuesday. Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said the company is tapping the credit line only to make sure it’s available and not to fund its operations.

Ford’s cash burn rate slowed for the fourth quarter from $7.7 billion in the third quarter.

“We are confident that our burn rate will be substantially slower in 2009,” Booth told reporters Thursday morning.

For the full-year, Ford reported a full-year net loss of $14.6 billion, compared with a loss of $2.7 billion in 2007.

Booth said Ford still is on track to break even in 2011, but the company anticipates worldwide sales to fall more than 10 percent in 2009. Ford sees improvement later this year, however, as government stimulus packages take effect.

“Things are so volatile,” Booth said. “This is unprecedented.”

Vehicle sales in the U.S. are at their lowest levels in 26 years as consumers face tight credit markets and economic uncertainty. Ford’s U.S. sales plunged 20.5 percent in 2008, and its market share fell slightly to 15 percent from 15.4 percent in 2007.

That uncertainty has spread to Europe as well, where sales have dropped. Markets such as South America, typically a bright spot for Ford, are also slowing.

Losses in North America weighed down the company’s results, with Ford reporting a pretax loss of $1.9 billion. In Europe, Ford posted a fourth-quarter loss of $330 million, compared with a profit of $223 million in 2007. In South America, Ford’s pretax profit fell 75 percent to $105 million.

The company’s Asia-Pacific and Africa unit lost $208 million in the quarter, due mainly lower sales and unfavorable exchange rates.

Ford is still considering a sale of its Volvo unit, which lost $736 million in the quarter.

The company posted a quarterly pretax profit of $79 million from its investment in Mazda Motor Co. In November, Ford sold a large portion of its 33.4 percent stake in the Japanese automaker.

Ford’s financing arm, Ford Motor Credit Co., reported a pretax loss of $372 million, compared with a profit of $263 million in the year-ago quarter.

decluttering

is supposed to improve the flow of Qi and enhance peach blossom luck

well, my room has seen some major decluttering in terms of the formation of furniture and clearing out unwanted stuff

i’m pretty sure it can do wif even more frequent decluttering but mi is juz too lazi

Pfizer set to acquire rival Wyeth

26 Jan 2009

In what is likely to become the largest pharmaceutical deal in nearly a decade, US drug manufacturer Pfizer Inc. is expected to acquire rival Wyeth for 68 billion dollars, US media reported.

Citing people involved in the negotiations, The New York Times said that if finalized the deal would mark the first big merger backed by Wall Street in months.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Pfizer was racing to secure financing for the acquisition and close the deal before the US markets opened Monday.

The company wants banks to provide a package of about 25 billion dollars in bank loans for the transaction, the reports said.

Pfizer also plans to use stock and its cash reserves to fund the rest of the deal.

The pharmaceutical giant is expected to offer Wyeth shareholders 50.19 dollars per share, paying 33 dollars a share in cash and 0.985 a share in Pfizer stock, The Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The deal would be the largest takeover in the pharmaceutical sector since Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert Co. for 93.4 billion dollars in 2000.

Wyeth Chief Executive Bernard Pousso and his management team are not expected to remain with the company after the takeover, The Journal said.

Steelmaker Corus to cut thousands of jobs

26 Jan 2009

Steelmaker Corus is poised to cut over 3,500 jobs around the world, the majority in Britain, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The Anglo-Dutch firm, which was bought by India’s Tata Steel in 2007, employs 42,000 people worldwide. An announcement on jobs could come as early as Monday, the BBC said.

The company, Europe’s second-largest steelmaker, has declined to comment on the report, which said that over 2,000 jobs would go in Britain.

Steel prices have fallen sharply in recent months and output globally fell by nearly a quarter in December as the global economic crisis hits demand for the metal.

Much demand for steel is driven by the construction, auto, shipbuilding and heavy engineering sectors which have seen demand for their products plunge.

Head of troubled Dutch bank group ING resigns

26 Jan 09

The chief executive of troubled Dutch bank and insurance group ING, Michel Tilmant, has resigned, the company said Monday as it announced it would shed 7,000 jobs worldwide this year.

“ING announced today that in light of the extraordinary developments over the past few months and given his personal condition, Michel Tilmant will step down from the Executive Board as of today,” it said.

Tilmant, who will continue to be an advisor to the company until he steps down on August 1, is to be replaced by Jan Hommen, currently chairman of the supervisory board.

The Dutch government injected 10 billion euros (13.3 billion dollars) into ING in October to help it weather the economic crisis.

ING is one of the world’s top 20 banks by market capitalisation, with 85 million clients and 130,000 employees.

失而复得

one of the side benefits of spring cleaning

over the course of sat & sun, i actualli found 3 of my fav-est earrings tat haf been misplaced over the past yr(s). yrs coz one particular dark red pair was bought when i was in jc and i onli rem wearing it a couple of times. recently one of the earring re-surfaced but it wasn’t till sat tat i found the other earring in my little chest of drawers. it’s been years since they last saw the light of day so i m wearing them tis CNY

juz tat i haven’t been having much luck wif missing books. sigh, tink i haf to keep searching in my room

British bank Barclays sees 2008 profit above forecasts

26 Jan 09

British bank Barclays said Monday it expected a 2008 pretax profit of more than the 5.3 billion pounds (5.6 billion euros, 7.1 billion dollars), anticipated by the market despite billions in writedowns due to the financial crisis.

Barclays chairman Marcus Agius and chief executive John Varley said they would bring forward the announcement of the 2008 results by one week to February 9 because of market pressures in recent days which saw the bank’s share price more than halved.

Agius and Varley said Barclays would report a pretax profit “clearly above” the 5.3 billion pounds anticipated by analysts, with the results including all costs and writedowns.

The results would include total writedowns of eight billion pounds after losses on the money markets, with full details to be given on February 9.

The figures show that despite being badly affected by the credit crisis, the bank was still able to generate record revenues in 2008, allowing it to offset the damage and report solid results, Agius and Varley said in the statement.

Barclays continued to have adequate capital levels, at some 17 billion pounds above the minimum required, and accordingly it would not be seeking to raise fresh funds, neither from the market nor the government.

Last week, the government announced a second massive bailout programme costing billions and which has seen it take large holdings in several banks, including Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, formed from the merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS.

Barclays however said it was talking to the government about what conditions might apply if it were to seek state help to cover subsequent losses due to the credit crunch.

It said at the same time that 2009 had got off to a good start, with high levels of business reported, especially at its Barclays Capital unit, which last year took over the North American operations of failed US investment banking giant Lehman Brothers.

Why You Shouldn’t Take the Next Step with Your Best Friend

i beg to differ since i nw believe tat lovers should b each other’s best frens too. coz best frens r for keeps

from http://www.realsexedfacts.com/why-you-shouldnt-take-the-next-step-with-your-best-friend.html

We have all had one time or another where we have had a crush on a friend or even a best friend. If you are caught up in the crush and are enjoying the flirting and your friend doesn’t seem to mind, then that is fine. If it is the feel of the chase you love then you might need to mature a bit more in the relationship and love department before you attempt to make a move on your closest friend. This type of situation may lead to massive disappointment for both of you and injure what you have. If you are thinking of disclosing your hearts desire to your best friend and they have never shown you any love signs then you might want to think again. If you are lucky and you know that your best friend feels the same way then this might be an option for you to try, but if there is no reciprocation, flirtation or feelings, then your heart might be in for a let down. Love is such a precious feeling and has to be treasured and respected. It is good to truly sit down and think about why you want to take things further. Ask yourself these questions. Would they be a suitable match for me? Is there a future for us? Am I attracted to my best friend sexually? What are my real reasons? Am I afraid to be alone?

Sometimes it is better to keep a best friend a friend and stay that way. When you cross the line with your best friend, your friendship will be changed forever. Even if you can put what happened or what was said behind you, one of you may end up broken hearted because these feelings brought up were not acknowledged in the end. This can lead to resentment and jealousy in the future and destroy a friendship. Because two friends hang out so much together, the one that is in love or has an attraction begins to see themselves as a couple. This can end up becoming a distorted view and can result in so many painful feelings when the feelings are not returned. Unrequited love is a hard situation to go through and can take a long time to heal from. This is why in some friendships it is best to reconsider before taking the friendship to a new level.

Many people think how wonderful it will be to begin a new love relationship with their best friend. They are around all the time, they trust you, you trust them, their cute enough, they are a good friend..there is no reason not to! But there is something missing though and that is the level of love and passion that happens and sparks between two people when they fall in love. Make sure you really think this one over before making any sudden moves because your choice can result in three different ways. You either are best friends for life, broken hearted, or for the lucky ones; you have your soul mate. This is quite the gamble to take, so think it through before you jump the gun.

How Not To Fall In Love With Your Best Friend

from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Not-To-Fall-In-Love-With-Your-Best-Friend&id=1082680

Is it possible to have a best friend of the opposite sex and not be romantically involved with them? The answer is yes. Stereotypically, we may think if a guy and a girl spend time together more than they do with their other friends, then something more than just the usual friendship is going on between them. But in a world of so much open-mindedness and equitableness, that is our world, this no longer needs a powwow.

Here are some tips that I find useful since my best friend is also a guy. He gives me all the reasons to fall in love with him, since he is so the ideal type, but I try my best to always have my counter strikes. I choose not to; I want not to.

1. START YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH THE END IN MIND. It is important that you, on the very onset of your friendship, set your mind that your best friend will always be your best friend, nothing more, nothing less. The ‘mind over matter’ rule could still apply. Make a personal rule that it is forbidden to entertain any thoughts regarding your best friend being your ideal partner, or else, you will always hold on to that mental note and eventually, label him as an ideal partner not as a best friend. Whenever your mind accidentally crosses that line, shake it off as soon as you can.

2. CHOOSE NOT BE ATTRACTED. It is normal and sometimes inevitable to be attracted to your best friend. But of course, you have become the best of friends because you have seen qualities in each other that you find fascinating or plainly, attractive. So, don’t feel so bad or sheepish whenever you feel attracted but learn to go back to reality. Whenever you see his best side, humorously divert your attention to his worst side. It helps. From being the good looking, almost perfect best friend to his eccentricity of burping like a frog, or farting like a pro, if there is such.

3. VERBALIZE HOW YOU SEE HIM AS YOUR BROTHER (OR A SISTER IF YOU’RE A GUY!). This is again for your own sake. It is to season your mind that there is a red line between liking him and loving him like your sibling. Call him brother all the time. Associate him with your real brother, if you have one. Having a male best friend is so special and gratifying, because you could always ask him a male’s point of view regarding anything, for free. It is expedient to run to him for an advice regarding your personal issues, whether this is regarding your relationship with other people, or sometimes, economic issues, to draw the line that he is, indeed, your brother who could help you, even in the most non-romantic ways.

4. BE EMBARRASSED WITH THE POSSIBILITY. I suggest that you keep the cattiness, at least, just to not fall for your best friend. Just imagine how he could totally turn away from you, 360 degrees, if he finds out you are engrossing yourself with imaginations of things friends are not supposed to do. Well, technically, I would not know how on earth will he find out that he is involved in your phantasm, but just imagine how awkward would that make him feel that at some point, you have envisioned him being idealistically linked to you, in not so wholesome manner. Imagine how that would make you feel, too!

5. FINALLY, CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM AS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Personally, I could give my life for my best friend. I could give anything for him. There were moments when I would actually ponder if I was attracted to him in some other ways or if it was more of being overwhelmed that I actually have a man in my life who cares and loves me like his own blood sister, even if I am not his family. That is just way too much of a deluge sometimes. A man who is so good to you and so believes in you like no other men do. Minus all the sexual thoughts and intentions. That is, let me say it again, overwhelming, nowadays.

I was inspired to write this because honestly, I have been bothered by my having a guy best friend. Not really bothered by the relationship itself but how people around us see it. He would tell me how his brother asked him if he ever courted me, or how his father would sometimes throw wisecracks at him regarding me as his just friend, or how my sisters would tease me every time I mention his name. I chose to be his best friend and that’s what forever I will be. Again, it is a decision, not merely an emotion. The fact is, he is everything that I would like my eternal companion to be- brainy, expressive, outspoken, artistic, hilarious and pompous, in a good way…but he is my best friend. For once in my life, I was able to find a very solid friendship founded on trust, confidence and love and I do not want to, even if this is just speaking theoretically, to ruin this one precious, oh-so-good-thing that I have with him, just because of my dopey and mindless self-professed feelings. Never. I know in my heart that both our intentions towards each other are always, chaste and objective. I will never ever fall in love with my best friend.

What we don’t know about Obama

We know a lot more about Barack Obama than we did on Election Day. He wastes little time making big decisions. He was serious about surrounding himself with seasoned people, even if they are outsized personalities likely to jostle one another and unlikely to salute on command. He intends to move quickly to put his personal stamp on government and national life.

Yet much about how the 44th president will govern remains a mystery—perhaps even to Obama himself.

The stirring rhetoric witnessed on the campaign trail and in Tuesday’s inaugural address is laced with spacious language — flexible enough to support conflicting conclusions about what he really believes.
Only decisions, not words, can clarify what Obama stands for. Those are coming soon enough.

Until then, here are the questions still left hanging as the Obama administration begins:

DOES HE REALLY THINK AFGHANISTAN IS WINNABLE?

The new president has strongly signaled that he thinks the answer is yes. But neither his rhetoric nor his policy proposals so far have fully reckoned with the implications.

If he intends to win in Afghanistan, he is not going to be a Peacemaker President. To the contrary, he is committing himself to being just as much of a War President as George W. Bush, certainly for the first term and very possibly for a potential second.

Most military experts think a decisive win in Afghanistan — as opposed to a muddle-through strategy leading to a gradual withdrawal —will involve a major surge in troops and a willingness to tolerate high costs and high casualties.

In any event, the country and its unruly neighbor, Pakistan, will quite likely dominate Obama’s attention much more than Iraq.

Obama advisers say one of the biggest surprises of recent secret briefings on trouble spots around the globe was how unstable, exposed and dangerous Pakistan is. A nuclear neighbor that harbors terrorists injects all the more danger and uncertainty to the war on the other side of its border.

Joe Biden’s first trip abroad as vice President-elect included a stop in Afghanistan. When he returned home, he told Obama: “The truth is that things are going to get tougher in Afghanistan before they’re going to get better.”

If that’s true, Obama may in the end find muddle-through more attractive than victory.

DO DEFICITS MATTER?

In the short-run, Obama and his advisers believe, just like Bush and his advisers, that pumping up the economy is the top priority —budget deficits be damned.

But when does the short-run become the long-run?

Obama has said long-term, trillion-dollar deficits are “unsustainable.” His inaugural address warned about the need to cut programs that don’t work and make “hard choices.”

Does he really mean it? If so, the second half of Obama’s first term likely will be marked by austerity just as much as the first half is going to be marked by massive spending in the name of economic stimulus.

Embracing balanced budgets would also mean embracing steep cuts in weapons systems and entitlement programs, as well as curbing his ambitions for new initiatives in health care and energy. Tax hikes would also be part of the remedy.

With unpleasant medicine like this, Obama may instead find common cause with Democratic liberals and with Dick Cheney, who, according to former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, once dismissed GOP deficit hawks by saying that Ronald Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter.

HOW FAST IS TOO FAST IN IRAQ?

The president says he still wants U.S. troops out of Iraq in 16 months. Tellingly, he always adds caveats that conditions and advice from commanders will dictate the pace. Defense Secretary Gates recently made this clear: “He also said he wanted to have a responsible drawdown. And he also said he was prepared to listen to his commanders. So, I think that that’s exactly the position the president-elect should be in.”

What if conditions change for the worse? Violence is way down and many of the most troubled areas are showing signs of stability. But this remains an extremely volatile region that could erupt in new bloodshed. Will Obama still cling to a speedy pull-out if it means the country could implode?

Obama met with his military commanders on Wednesday. But it’s anyone’s guess whose advice he’ll be listening to most closely, and which members of his heavyweight foreign policy team – within which there are significant disagreements over the Iraq war – will really have his ear.

WHAT’S IN THE FILES?

Any time someone criticized their policies on use of force, covert surveillance, or detention or interrogation of terrorism suspects, Bush and Cheney had an answer that was impossible for any outside critic to fully contend with: You don’t know what we know.

What they said they knew was top-secret intelligence showing how many people with murderous designs on the United States are roaming the planet, how imminent the threats are, or how effective controversial anti-terrorist programs had been in averting another attack. Since no one else could see the files, no one else could be on equal footing in deciding whether the administration was right or wrong.

Since Tuesday, Obama has all the same files, and all the same access to the nation’s top secrets, that Bush and Cheney ever did.

How will Obama react when he gets a constant morning diet of dire warnings? The president seems intent on shutting down the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and ending torture – and has surrounded himself with critics of both who are unlikely to tolerate backsliding. But it is not unfathomable that Obama has a “Few Good Men” moment and has to tell liberals and civil libertarians they can’t handle the truth – and that drastic steps sometimes need to be taken to avert disastrous consequences. What’s more, it is hardly a given that any president—no matter his philosophy—would wish to give up the expanded executive power that Bush claimed in the name of national security.

DO UNIONS WEAR WHITE HATS?

Obama, for the entire campaign, said all the right things when it comes to keeping peace with Big Labor. He praised the power and fairness of unions. He expressed skepticism about free trade agreements like NAFTA. Most of all, he proudly sponsored legislation to make it much easier for workers to unionize.
Lately, he sounds like a man rethinking his enthusiasm.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, he suggested he would not aggressively push for legislation to free workers to easily unionize (the bill is known as the Employee Free Choice Act. “If we are losing half a million jobs a month, then there are no jobs to unionize.” Even Nancy Pelosi seems inclined to cut him some slack for a while on this one – but at some point the pressure will intensify and we will learn if this is truly a pro-union White House.

CAN U.S. POWER SAVE DARFUR?

Darfur will be the first test case – but almost certainly not the last one – in which we will learn just how strongly Obama believes his stated view that the United States should act aggressively when it can use its military power to stop genocide or other humanitarian catastrophes.

There is powerful momentum inside the Democratic Party to come to the aid of the suffering people of Darfur. Among the biggest advocates are two of Obama’s top advisers: Biden and U.N Ambassador-designate Susan Rice.

But with the military stretched thin, and with many others in his administration more skeptical about the use of force on problems that don’t directly threaten national security, nothing is likely to happen unless Obama puts his own influence and reputation strongly behind an intervention.

During the campaign, he signaled a willingness to intervene, but also cautioned: “There’s a lot of cruelty around the world. We’re not going to be able to be everywhere all the time.”

HOW MUCH DOES HE HAVE TO PLACATE THE LEFT?

In his inaugural speech, Obama spoke of tired ideologies and a time to think anew about policy and politics. That is easy to do if he simply means rejecting Bush’s idea. But he has suggested this rethinking will hit the left, too – that’s trickier.

Some times, Obama has been wiling to tick off the left. He picked Rick Warren, a Christian conservative, to deliver Tuesday’s opening prayer and filled his cabinet and staff mainly with centrists. Other times, he seems to bend to liberal frustration.

Obama nixed John Brennan’s appointment to be CIA director after anti-torture advocates expressed outrage over Brennan’s involvement in Bush-era interrogations. Brennan’s going to be working in the White House anyway, but not in any position that requires Senate confirmation. Obama also quickly moved to give a prime role to Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, an openly gay religious leader from New Hampshire, when liberals protested the choice of Warren to deliver the inaugural prayer.

Politically savvy liberal activists are an important reason Obama beat Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic nominating contest, and a big reason he blew through all fund-raising records. It will be hard for Obama to govern without their enthusiasm, onthe other hand, it will be tough to reinvent politics if Obama is forced to routinely throw bouquets to the various factions of the Democratic Party.

Beanie Babies maker sells Sasha, Malia dolls

22 Jan 2009

The company that made Beanie Babies a top toy craze is hoping for another winner with dolls named “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia.”

Now where have we heard those names before?

Ty Inc. has released the 12-inch plush dolls as part of the company’s “TyGirlz Collection,” introduced in 2007. The Sasha doll has pigtails and wears a white and pink dress with hearts. The Malia doll has a side ponytail and a long-sleeve shirt with capri pants.

The Oak Brook-based company chose the dolls’ names because “they are beautiful names,” not because of any resemblance to President Obama’s daughters, said spokeswoman Tania Lundeen.

“There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls,” Lundeen said. “It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not.”

Public figures have a legal right to control their how their images are used, but Lundeen would not comment on legal issues or if the company’s lawyers have become involved with the dolls.

“I’m not an attorney. I can’t answer that,” she said.

The dolls have “real doll hair” and the suggested retail price is $9.99, Lundeen said. The dolls were introduced in early January and a limited supply has been shipped to retailers.

In the real world, 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia have been the focus of intense interest. A throng of reporters followed their first day at school. News reports detailed what they wore on Inauguration Day.

That fascination will make the Ty dolls a success, said Denise Gary Robinson, president of DollsLikeMe.com, an online specialty doll boutique that specializes in ethnic dolls, toys and gifts.

“Girls all over the world, of all colors, will be looking for these dolls. They want to identify with these two girls,” Robinson said.

Microsoft to slash 5,000 jobs, misses on 2Q profit

22 Jan 2009

Microsoft says it will slash 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months as it reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit.

The software giant said Thursday the moves were driven by deteriorating global economic conditions and lower client revenue, resulting from weakness in the PC market and a shift to lower-priced notebook models.

The Redmond, Wash.-based company says profit slipped to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago earnings of $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share.

It says total revenue edged up 2 percent to $16.63 billion, as server, tools and entertainment sales helped offset an 8 percent drop in client revenue.

The results missed Wall Street’s forecast for earnings of 49 cents per share on sales of $17.08 billion.

Microsoft Corp. says the job cuts will reduce operating costs by $1.5 billion as it prepares for lower revenue and earnings in the second half of the year.

The company says it is unable to offer profit and revenue guidance for the rest of the year, due to market volatility.

Condoleezza Rice signs with William Morris Agency

22 Jan 2009

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made a key step in her post-Bush administration career: The William Morris Agency announced Wednesday that it has signed her as a client.

The former professor and Stanford University provost has been in the Bush administration since its beginning, first as national security adviser and then as secretary of state. Her appointment ended Tuesday afternoon, after Barack Obama was sworn in as president.

Although most other members of the Bush administration, save Karl Rove, might have trouble finding such a wide-ranging deal, Rice found a strong market among talent agencies.

“It was certainly a competitive situation,” said Jim Wiatt, chairman and CEO of the William Morris Agency. “She was very thorough about the process and who she would feel most comfortable with and who would be speaking on her behalf.”

It’s unlikely that Rice will turn up as a talking head on television, however. The deal includes William Morris representation for books, lecture appearances and philanthropic initiatives, as well as business initiatives in media, sports and communications.

WMA co-chief operating officer Wayne Kabak said that the agency was struck not only by Rice’s well-rounded resume. In addition to her political career, Rice is an accomplished concert pianist as well as a big-time National Football League fan.

“It’s more than just books, it’s much more than just lectures,” Kaback said. “We’re here to help her create and enhance an agenda that is very important to her in her post-government career.”

That agenda will include philanthropic efforts involving classical music and college educations for disadvantaged students, as well as initiatives to help U.S. children become global citizens.

In support of those efforts, Rice might appear on camera, but she won’t be traveling the well-worn path as a news or policy analyst.

“She’s not interested in being a shadow secretary of state,” Kabeck said. “It’s not her goal to go on morning talk shows the day after something happens. That’s not what she wants to do.”

Laughter is the best medicine

1. Meaning of WIFE

Husband asks, ‘Do you know the meaning of WIFE? It means ‘Without Information Fighting Everyday’!’

Wife replies, ‘No, it means ‘With Idiot For Ever’!!!’

2. Brother wanted

A small boy wrote to Santa Claus, ’send me a brother’….

Santa wrote back, ‘SEND ME YOUR MOTHER’….. .

3. Losing all your friends

Man comes home, finds his wife with his friend in bed.

He shoots his friend and kills him.

Wife says ‘If you continue to behave like this, you’re going to lose ALL your friends.’

4. Importance of a period

Teacher: ‘Do you know the importance of a period?’

Kid: ‘Yeah, once my sister said she has missed one, my mum fainted, dad got a heart attack & our driver ran away.’

5. Confident vs. confidential

A young boy asks his Dad, ‘What is the difference between confident and confidential? ‘

Dad says, ‘You are my son, I’m confident about that. Your friend over there, is also my son, that’s confidential! ‘

6. Anger management?

Husband: ‘When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?’

Wife: ‘I clean the toilet.’

Husband: ‘How does that help?’

Wife: ‘I use your toothbrush

full moon

tonite…spectacular

i muz bear in mind tat i m not the onli star in the nite sky

mayb i’m not even a star nor in the same league

i’m juz a mortal

BHP takes $1.6 billion charge, to cut 6,000 jobs

21 Jan 09

BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc (BLT.L) (BHP.AX) will cut 6,000 jobs and close its giant Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Australia, writing off $1.6 billion, as the global resources giant battles a collapse in commodity prices.

Until now BHP, the world’s largest miner, had set itself apart by maintaining production and just last month said sales volumes were holding up despite a global downturn.

But as it became increasingly apparent there would be no quick fix to the slump in commodity prices, BHP was forced to do what it long resisted — close mines and cut jobs.

“Clearly their balance sheet is in a respectable position. But they are not immune from the commodity price environment that we’re seeing, and earnings are going to suffer,” said Neil Boyd-Clark, managing partner at Fortis Investment Partners.

BHP Chief Financial Officer Alex Vanselow warned on Wednesday more mines could be closed given the uncertainty in commodity markets, with the Australian metallurgical coal mines already slated to reduce output by 10-15 percent.

“The world changed a lot since October. It’s been a very steep and dramatic change … ” Vanselow said.

BHP said it was cutting some 6,000 jobs in total, with around 70 percent of those coming from independent contractors that work its mines.

“These are very serious types of decisions and we don’t take them lightly, but at the end they are necessary and they are the correct decisions,” Vanselow told a news conference.

Rival Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) (RIO.L) is already eliminating 14,000 workers, while Brazil’s Vale (VALE5.SA) (RIO.N) has cut 1,300 jobs and put 5,500 workers on paid leave and other miners have also warned jobs were at risk.

Fund managers said brokers were likely to cut their earnings forecasts for BHP, which had been expected to report a net profit around $14 billion for the year to end-June.

“Clearly the pressure on forecasts is on the downside as the market comes to grips with commodity prices that are lower than were expected as recently as a couple of months ago,” said Boyd-Clark.

BHP’s London shares slid 2.6 percent to 1,123 pence by 1008 GMT while Rio Tinto lost 3.1 percent, compared to a 2.65 percent decline in the UK mining index (.FTNMX1770), after metals prices suffered more losses.

NOT ENOUGH TO BOOST NICKEL PRICES

Vanselow conceded BHP “got it wrong on Ravensthorpe”, a sprawling complex set among outback sheep farms in far west Australia, but analysts said the company was correct to shut it down in face of weak nickel prices.

“Ravensthorpe was always going to be relatively high-cost, and it has been a difficult operation from day one,” said Tim Schroeders, a portfolio manager at Pengana Capital.

BHP also said it was reducing activity at its nearby Mount Keith nickel mine.

Besides some 2,100 jobs cut in Australian nickel mining, another 4,000 jobs will go from BHP’s 101,000-strong global workforce, Vanselow said.

About 550 jobs will be eliminated at its Pinto Valley copper mines in the United States, 2,000 at base metals mines across South America, 1,100 at Australian collieries and 200 positions at the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in Australia, he said.

With industrial activity worldwide slowing, analysts doubted the cuts to nickel output would be enough to turn prices around.

“The decision to suspend Ravensthorpe really reflects the weakness in the nickel market, which is probably one of the weakest in all commodities,” said Gerard Burg, commodities analyst at National Australia Bank.

“I don’t think the cuts will be enough to bring a rebound in nickel prices.”

The price of nickel, a key ingredient in stainless steel, has slumped about 80 percent to $11,200 a tonne from $51,650 in May 2007.

Rio Tinto last week reported an 18 percent decline in iron ore production for its fourth quarter and said earnings from its aluminum division would be hurt by falling prices.

Rio has since said it will cut another 6 percent of aluminum output.

For now, BHP had no intention to reduce iron ore production in Australia, Vanselow said.

Ravensthorpe, which started production in 2007 about nine months behind schedule, cost $2.2 billion to build and is one of the largest nickel-making facilities in the world.

Output was to be around 7,000 tonnes in January-June against 2,000 tonnes in the six months to end-December, BHP said in late October, predicting it would be at least two years before the mine hit full capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year.

Boy, 8, spent 10 days with dead mom

21 Jan 09

An 8-year-old boy lived for more than a week with the body of his dead mother before telling a concerned shopkeeper his mom was “in a better place,” police said. Gaynell Tipado, 41, apparently died Jan. 9 in their apartment in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, and the boy survived in part by eating dried rice, butter and flour, authorities said.

The family moved to Michigan from Louisiana after surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Foul play was not suspected in Tipado’s death, and an autopsy was pending.

Lee Saco told The Associated Press that the boy and his mother came into Romulus Liquor regularly for about a year and a half. But four times during the past week the boy uncharacteristically walked about a block to the store by himself — sometimes through Arctic cold and other times wearing pajama bottoms.

“I questioned him, ‘Where is your mom?’” Saco said when the boy first came into the store by himself to buy milk, chips, candy and bread with cash. During the next two visits, he said the boy bought a number of items, including bread.

Saco, who co-owns the store with his brother Sam, said he was curious from the beginning but his concern heightened on Monday when the boy tried to buy $34.80 worth of grocery items — including nacho cheese dip, a package each of processed ham and turkey, hamburger buns, milk, doughnuts and candy — with his mother’s credit card.

Saco then asked the boy if he could speak to his mother. “Is she alive?” Saco asked the boy.

“She’s in a better place,” the boy replied, who later told Saco he’d tried to revive his mother by pushing on her chest in an apparent attempt at CPR.

“I sat him down, gave him chocolate milk. Then I called Romulus PD,” Saco said.

Police arrived and took the boy home. They called Saco about 10 minutes later to tell him the boy’s mother was dead.

The boy was home-schooled, has no siblings and his father died several years ago, authorities said. The child is in foster care while police try to locate his other relatives, Romulus police Lt. John Leacher said.

“It’s sad. It’s very hard. It’s very unfortunate for him,” said Lee Saco, 36, a father of three young children. “I just feel bad. What he had to see for 11 days.

“He came from a good home,” Saco said.

Church jokes

The last one is my fav

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her
mother, ‘Why is the bride dressed in white?”
The mother replied, ‘Because white is the color of happiness, and today
is
the happiest day of her life.’
The child thought about this for a moment then said, ‘So why is the
groom
wearing black?’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she
could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed,
‘Dear
Lord, please don’t let me be late! Dear Lord,
please don’t let me be late!’
While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell,
getting
her clot hes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself
off,
and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray,
‘Dear
Lord, please don’t let me be late…But please don’t shove me either!’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The
first
boy says, ‘My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it
a
poem, they give him $50.’
The second boy says, ‘That’s nothing. My Dad s cribbles a few words on
piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.’
The third boy says, ‘I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words
on a
piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to
collect
all the money!’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no
male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial
service,
she wrote, ‘They wouldn’t take me out while I was alive, I don’t want
them
to take me out when I’m dead.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A police recruit was asked during the exam, ‘What would you do if you
had
to arrest your own mother?’ He answered, ‘Call for backup.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus
with
them to Jerusalem . A small child replied, ‘They couldn’t get a
baby-sitter.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her
five
and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to ‘Honor thy father
and thy mother,’ she asked, ‘Is there a commandment that teaches us how
to
treat our brothers and sisters?’
Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, ‘Thou shall not kill.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything,
including
human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him
how
Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.
Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were
ill,
and she said, ‘Johnny, what is the matter?’ Little Johnny responded, ‘I
have pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong
preaching on the devil. One said to the other, ‘What do you think about
all
this Satan stuff?’
The other boy replied, ‘Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It’s
probably just your Dad.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you
stop
laughing! Take heed and pass these along to people who need a laugh.

passing cloud

zq told mi r/ship tis yr for horses will b like passing cloud

过眼云烟 comes to mind

it’s all very fuzzy and surreal…and my moon is hidden behind clouds but clouds are dispersing very quickly

爱我的人

请不要为我担心!

真的!

i noe i sound abit worrying sometimes. but tat’s juz the gemini side of mi shining thru and being horribly fickle.

it’s all a phase so ignore much of wat i babble nw okie

no cause for worry

and thanks for showering mi wif so much love, kind thots, attention. now i got rose quartz and flowers liao, wow! double the power

i did it!

i have been wanting to do tis for a while!

i haf finally created my auntielivia site to house all the practical advice tat i know

mi is proud of myself : )

working days in 2009

i counted the number of working days in 2009 and realised tat jan is the shortest mth in the entire yr, dethroning feb from previous yrs

Jan – 19

Feb – 20

Mar – 22

Apr – 21

May – 20

Jun – 22

Jul – 23

Aug – 21

Sep – 22

Oct – 22

Nov – 20

Dec – 22

pride

gets in the way and i noe marie will scold mi for wasting time on false pride when i mind, a lot

it’s juz tat the more i care, the more detached i portray myself

i m onli cold to those who matters coz onli those can affect mi

主动

men should take the initiative of coz though i was caught off guard by the question

tat’s y i like MCP. no i dun wana b treated like a peer, woo mi

dun gif men too much credit. inaction is very simply explained. they juz dun like the girl enuff

雙 子 座

OMG！ i don’t believe it, it’s predestined mi is related to moon

http://www.ira.org.tw/adventure/birthday/index.htm

雙 子 座
出生日期︰
５月２９日〔月亮‧女教宗〕
代表人物：
約翰‧甘迺迪
特點︰
優雅、迷人、機智、思考敏銳；喜歡為真理和傳統辯護，口才極佳，善於演說和辯論；知識豐富，具有很好的真覺能力。優點是有很好的溝通和說服能力，致力於提升自我和幫助別人。 缺點是自視太高，不願求助別人，而且喜歡和人爭論

m i so quarrelsome? i prob is

burnt up

i diligently applied my 24 hrs txt gel for 7 days. shall gif it a break next wk and resume from CNY 1st day

i still tink the burning sensation was excruciating but i m willing to pay the price for beauty and so tat i dun haf to restrict my diet

weight

on an impulse, i took out the scales and weighed the kiddos

QQ’s weight is 13 kg in my memory from 1.5 yrs back and YY is 20kg

well, turns out QQ is 19 kg nw and YY is 21.5 kg

no wonder i felt like my back was breaking when i piggy-backed QQ recently

glad we did the viet trip when i could piggy-back her….it will b a difficult feat for mi to repeat nw

cycling

i haf decided to teach QQ cycling coz she’s tall enuff for YY’s bike

and YY will get a bigger bike once QQ is able to cycle

i m looking forward to the day the 3 of us can cycle tog

一眼瞬间

张惠妹 萧敬腾-一眼瞬间

(女)白茫茫的星光
洒在长长路上
想念的冰凉
你知道吗
你浅浅的微笑
深似海的眼光
都能掀起我
滔天的巨浪

(男)你相信吗
这是命吗
这次我们放弃抵抗
哪怕拥抱
在身上
画下深深的伤

(合)只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点

(女)白茫茫的星光
洒在长长路上
想念的冰凉
你知道吗
你浅浅的微笑
深似海的眼光
都能掀起我
滔天的巨浪

(男)你相信吗
这是命吗
这次我们放弃抵抗
哪怕拥抱
在身上
画下深深的伤

(合)只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点

(女)如果相爱是错
(男)错过又算什么
(合)这一次我们
宁死不放手
往彼此的心里跳
跳过天荒地老
wo oh …
只要看你一眼一瞬间
哪怕是最后画面
我的世界
因为爱过而完美
谁都不该离太远
只要看你一眼一瞬间
足够我熬过千年
我不后悔
爱若让末日提前
我们要一起
好好迎接那句点

亦舒

经典

他们一出生，我们已立于必败之地。

有路走的时候不想走, 想走的时候已无路可走.

养儿方知母辛苦

 

lessons from tales from a hen wkend

 

if u can’t go back from lovers to best friends, stg is wrong coz lovers should b best friends too

别来打扰我的心

u haf no idea

my wall needs to b higher and thicker for insulation against u

白茫茫的星光
洒在长长路上
想念的冰凉
你知道吗
你浅浅的微笑
深似海的眼光
都能掀起我
滔天的巨浪

liv’s fotos

hehe…after LJ retn mi the thumbdrive, i didn’t realised tat she gave mi some fotos coz i told all was lost when her harddisk crashed

to my pleasant surprise when i used the thumbdrive and saw all the recent fotos of the last few outings

yesh, memories and picts of memories r priceless !

NTSB: Pilot landed in Hudson to avoid catastrophe

18 Jan 09

The pilot of a crippled US Airways jetliner made a split-second decision to put down in the Hudson River because trying to return to the airport after birds knocked out both engines could have led to a “catastrophic” crash in a populated neighborhood, he told investigators Saturday.

Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger said that in the few minutes he had to decide where to set down the powerless plane Thursday afternoon, he felt it was “too low, too slow” and near too many buildings to go anywhere else, according to the National Transportation Safety Board account of his testimony.

The pilot and his first officer provided their first account to NTSB investigators Saturday of what unfolded inside the cockpit of the Airbus A320, which late Saturday was hoisted from the water and onto a waiting barge.

Co-pilot Jeff Skiles, who was flying US Airways Flight 1549, saw the birds coming in perfect formation, and made note of it. Sullenberger looked up, and in an instant his windscreen was filled with big, dark-brown birds.

“His instinct was to duck,” said NTSB board member Kitty Higgins, recounting their interview. Then there was a thump, the smell of burning birds, and silence as both aircraft engines cut out.

The account illustrated how quickly things deteriorated after the bump at 3,000 feet, and the pilots’ swift realization that returning to LaGuardia or getting to another airport was impossible.

With both engines out, Higgins said, flight attendants described complete silence in the cabin, “like being in a library.” A smoky haze and the odor of burning metal or electronics filled the plane.

The blow had come out of nowhere. The NTSB said radar data confirmed that the aircraft intersected a group of “primary targets,” almost certainly birds, as the jet climbed over the Bronx. Those targets had not been on the radar screen of the air traffic controller who approved the departure, Higgins said.

After the bird impact, Sullenberger told investigators he immediately took over flying from his co-pilot and made a series of command decisions.

Returning to LaGuardia, he quickly realized, was out. So was nearby Teterboro Airport, where he had never flown before, and which would require him to take the jet over densely populated northern New Jersey.

“We can’t do it,” he told air traffic controllers. “We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”

The co-pilot kept trying to restart the engines, while checking off emergency landing procedures on a three-page list that the crew normally begins at 35,000 feet.

Sullenberger guided the gliding jet over the George Washington Bridge and looked for a place to land.

Pilots are trained to set down near a ship if they have to ditch, so they can be rescued before sinking, and Sullenberger picked a stretch of water near Manhattan’s commuter ferry terminals. Rescuers were able to arrive within minutes.

It all happened so fast, the crew never threw the aircraft’s “ditch switch,” which seals off vents and holes in the fuselage to make it more seaworthy.

After the hard landing, the crew’s third flight attendant — the only one in the rear of the aircraft — made the decision not to open the back exits, she told NTSB investigators Saturday, the day she was released from the hospital.

Before she could get the rearmost passengers headed for the front of the plane, one woman managed to open one of the doors a crack, letting water into the cabin. Only once they were by the front exit did the flight attendant feel woozy and realize she had a deep laceration in her leg.

As the details of the river landing emerged Saturday, investigators in the late evening hoisted the airliner from the river onto a barge, exposing its shredded and torn underside. Parts of the battle-scarred plane appeared sheared off.

Much of the top half of the aircraft appeared as though it might be ready for takeoff — a stark contrast with the charred-looking right wing, and the destroyed right engine, which appeared as though the outside had been peeled off.

After a day struggling with the icy waters and the immense weight of the craft, the mood on the shoreline turned festive with the successful operation. Following the long work to secure the plane, people shook hands and investigators took snapshots, while police helicopters hovered overhead.

The NTSB said sonar teams may have located the sunken left engine of the plane. Preliminary radar reports identified an object directly below the crash site.

Crews need to remove the cockpit voice and flight-data recorders and find that engine. Divers originally thought both engines were lost, but realized Saturday that one was still attached. The water had been so dark and murky that they couldn’t see it.

The conditions were treacherous, with the temperature dipping to 6 degrees and giant chunks of ice forming around the plane by midday. Divers who went into the river were sprayed down with hot water during breaks on shore.

The investigation played out as authorities released the first video showing the spectacular crash landing. Security cameras on a Manhattan pier captured the plane as it descended in a controlled glide, then threw up a spray as it slid across the river on its belly.

The video also illustrated the swift current that pulled the plane down the river as passengers walked out onto the wings and ferry boats moved in for the rescue.

Authorities also released a frantic 911 call that captured the drama of the flight. A man from the Bronx called at 3:29 p.m. Thursday, three minutes after the plane took off.

“Oh my God! It was a big plane. I heard a big boom just now. We looked up, and the plane came straight over us, and it was turning. Oh my God!” the caller told 911.

At almost the same moment, the pilot told air-traffic controllers that he would probably “end up in the Hudson.”

Sullenberger was seen entering a conference room of a lower Manhattan hotel, surrounded by federal investigators, before his interview Saturday. The silver-haired pilot was wearing a white shirt and slacks and seemed composed.

When a reporter approached him for comment, one of the officials responded: “No chance.”

NBC said “Today” show host Matt Lauer would interview Sullenberger from Washington on Monday, a day before President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated.

His wife, Lorrie Sullenberger said “the enormity of the situation” had only begun to sink in Friday night as she watched the news.

“It was actually the first time that I cried since the whole incident started,” she said on “The Early Show” on CBS. She also said the family was making plans to attend the inauguration.

She suggested the happy ending was good for the country.

“I think everybody needed some good news, frankly,” she said.

Experts say the threat that birds have long posed to aircraft has been exacerbated by two new factors over the past 20 years: Airline engines have been designed to run quieter, meaning that birds can’t hear them coming, and many birds living near airports have given up migrating because they find the area hospitable year-round.

Canada geese, one of the most dangerous birds for aircraft, historically migrate not because of cold but a lack of food. Winter weather kills the grass they eat and sources of fresh water freeze over.

But in developed areas, there is often both food and grass year round, found in parks and golf courses.

And there isn’t much that be done in the engineering of jet engines to armor them against a strike without hurting their ability to generate thrust.

The most vulnerable part of the engine is the fan, which can be bent or smashed by an ingested bird. Pieces of busted blade then rip through the rest of the engine like shrapnel.

Engines have been fortified so that they can stay intact in the event of such a strike, but they usually cannot be restarted once they are damaged, said Archie Dickey, an associate professor of aviation environmental science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s campus in Prescott, Ariz.

He said hits hard enough to cause a total failure are rare, only happening two or three times a year worldwide.

“That’s extremely rare,” Dickey said. “The chance of it hitting both engines, I’d guess it is less than 1 percent.”

Most bird strikes happen within five miles of an airport, lower than 1,000 feet, as planes are taking off or landing. Aircraft hit thousands of birds every year, but they usually bounce off harmlessly.

The US Airways flight hit the birds at 3,000 feet, the NTSB says. That caused a total engine failure, and the plane hit the river 3 1/2 minutes later.

“Brace! Brace! Head down!” the flight attendants shouted to the passengers.

Then, they were in the water. Two flight attendants likened it to a hard landing — nothing more. There was one impact, no bounce, then a gradual deceleration.

“Neither one of them realized that they were in the water,” Higgins said.

The plane came to a stop. The captain gave a one-word command, “Evacuate.”

misled

tat’s mi

i cannot help but b reminded of where the moon is shining

yet, how can i resist basking in the moonlight

who can resist the moon shining juz for u?

my plate

is at least 75% full nw

i haf been getting new dishes

but i’m sure as i get familiar wif the dishes, i will haf time to cook up more new dishes

and my stove takes a while to heat up properly

4 days

in a row nw tat i m applying the 24 hrs txt gel

yesh, i still burn up

but i shall persist tis time

i wana see results or at least finish more of products tat r left in the bathroom

i m baffled

by y someone who drives an impreza is unable to contribute a single cent to his kids

and i thank all the gods and the stars for gifing mi means so we dun starve

i tink it’s totally disgraceful to tok abt and i m reminded of the article in mypaper abt female stars who r earning more den their beaus and spending on them

it’s not abt how much u earn. tat’s y i go for MCP nw coz i m totally grossed out by men who cannot take care of their families

insurance

is for rainy days

is legacy for the living

i hope to live to a ripe old age and fulfill my dreams of being a grandma of course.
but i m not leaving my kiddos’ standard of living and opportunities to chance

New online visa travel rules to US take effect

New rules went into effect Monday requiring people traveling to the U.S. under the visa waiver program to register online in advance, instead of filling out paper forms in flight or at the airport.

The new program, designed to improve U.S. security, has been voluntary since August, but became mandatory Monday. Travelers are being asked to fill out the forms at least 72 hours in advance of travel.

There were no signs of confusion Monday as the new system was implemented at London Heathrow’s sprawling Terminal 5 — departure point for many U.S.-bound flights.

“I knew about it because my travel agent told me, so I had already taken care of it online,” said Jo English as she checked in for a business trip to Miami.

The rules cover the citizens of 35 countries — from nations in Europe and Asia, to Australia and New Zealand — who don’t require a visa to enter the U.S.

Derwood Staeben, U.S. consul general in London, said nearly all applications would be approved in less than 10 seconds. He said travelers would not be required to give any more information than is already requested on the paper immigration forms, which are being replaced.

“The important change is that we’re automating the existing process and requiring it to be done in advance,” he said. “The response time is generally about four seconds.”

Travelers filling out the online form will be told whether their request is authorized, denied or pending, he said. Those who are marked “pending” must check back in 72 hours to see if they have been approved, he said.

People whose application is denied must apply to the U.S. Consulate for a visa, he said.

He said the U.S. Congress mandated the change.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department said in a statement that it will take a reasonable approach to travelers who have not obtained an approved travel authorization, but warned that travelers without authorization do risk being delayed or denied entry to the U.S.

There is no fee for the service, he said, and the travel authorization is valid for two years. He warned that operators of some unscrupulous Web sites are charging fees for this service, which is designed to be free of charge.

People can apply for travel authorization at any time, and Staeben said about 14,000 applications per day are being received.

Nortel files for bankruptcy protection, shares plunge

14 Jan 09

Nortel Networks Corp, North America’s biggest maker of telephone equipment, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, as the global economic downturn further erodes its once high-flying business.

The filing came a day before the Toronto-based company was due to make an interest payment of about $107 million.

Nortel and a number of its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, according to a court filing.

Its shares plunged more than 76 percent to 7.5 cents in electronic pre-market trading.

“Based on this filing, the board of directors must believe that not only is the fourth quarter bad, but that the first quarter is going to be just as bad or worse,” said Duncan Stewart, an analyst at DSAM Consulting in Toronto.

“Although they have cash in the short term, even the medium-term outlook is not enough to make the company viable as a going concern.”

According to the court filing in U.S. bankruptcy court for the district of Delaware, Nortel’s major creditors include Bank of New York Mellon, with claims valued at nearly $4 billion.

Nortel’s shares have tumbled along with the company’s fortunes, sinking into penny-stock territory in recent months. In mid-2000, at the zenith of the company’s success, they were worth more than C$1,100 each, adjusted for a stock consolidation that took place in late 2006.

“It’s obviously a remarkable transformation from where it was as the largest company in Canada worth about 35 percent of the TSX in 2000,” said Gavin Graham, director of investments at BMO Asset Management.

“But this is a reflection of the way that the telecommunications industry has changed.”

Nortel has faced intense competition from North American and European rivals such as Alcatel-Lucent, as well as low-cost Asian vendors such as Huawei Technologies.

The company has also suffered as telecom companies scale back spending on the equipment that Nortel makes.

The global economic slowdown has exacerbated Nortel’s problems, leading it to warn last month that because of current conditions, its business was coming under increased pressure and its cash position and liquidity were deteriorating.

In November, it reported a $3.4 billion third-quarter loss, cut its 2008 outlook and announced 1,300 layoffs, or about 5 percent of its workforce. It also said it would freeze salary increases, cut back on consultants and review its real estate portfolio.

pureen kids yoghurt head to toe wash

is my fav kiddos’ 2 in 1 hair and body shampoo of all time coz i luv the sweet floral vanilla scent

and the yoghurt based bath doesn’t dry the skin nor cause tears

shampoo

 

i luv the feather shampoo i got last wk

i discovered my oily scalp can’t take the super rich shampoo for damaged hair from sunsilk as i was inclined to tink tat my hair is badly damaged and like grass after my perm, ironing and colouring

i switched to light and frequent wash from sunsilk tat was good coz it was mild

but tis feather shampoo is even better coz my hair is softer wifout conditioner

it has rice milk and wheat sprout and is dirt cheap compared to most other brands

i luv the scent too

more quotes from tales from a hen weekend

tis is the part i luv best

 

“It’s not an affair, ‘ he said.  ‘I’m not having an affair. ‘ 

‘I haven’t done anything wrong…’

bff looks at him coldly, furiously.

‘You haven’t got a clue at all, have you? You’re telling me you’re in love with two women, but you don’t understand the first thing about women – how we think, how we feel.

She could have forgiven you a one-night stand.

Maybe even an affair. Sex doesn’t mean anything – it’s just bodies, at the end of the day.

But she’ll NEVER forgive you for loving someone else. Not even if you never touch this other woman as long as you love.

Don’t ever, ever tell her about the other woman. If you do, she will never forgive you.’

 

20 mins

is how long it takes for the unbearable burning of my 24 hrs txt gel to pass to a more bearable stage

and i applied it 2 days in a row! a first for mi！

i decided to time how long the suffering lasted on sun so i can use tat to console myself and brace myself wif the pain as the minutes pass. tis is a reli good strategy coz it’s more bearable when u noe how long more u haf got to endure

my 2009 resolution is to use more of the gels and creams i haf collected and used halfway….coz my bathroom is full of them liao

short hair

suits mi best

i cut the front short as well tis time

and my back is so short tat it dries in no time, very convenient when i bath late at nite. i usually avoid washing hair coz i m very scared i will get wind

and i can crunch my hair again…yippee!

mind reading

at least he bothered

to ZC’s point, sometimes u dun need to b a mind reader

i wish we could have loved each other at the same times

 

something abt tis message touched mi…wat a pity

 

quotes from tales from a hen wkend

 

why can’t men love us the way our girlfriends love us?

all relationships are built on a load of pretence

Nature doesn’t work by our rules. Just because we understand how to control it, don’t assume you can take back that control whenever you like.  At the end of the day – you’re not in charge.

tales from a hen weekend

 

tis is a really good read, rite up my alley. i tink they should make tis into a movie

at least the females in the stories r believable and strong 

unlike the horrible trashy story where i felt like slapping the arrogant male lead and the weak as jelly female

as always, when i read, i come across lines tat i tink r reli classic yet if i wait till i finish the book, i nbr seem to b able to find the memorable bits again

it’s juz typical of life yah?  once u miss the opportunity, it’s gone forever

so here i m flipping thru the pages trying to find juz one of those bits tat i agree wif totally and had mi nodding as i read it

cycling

 

 

has become much easier after our regular weekly practice.  i tink bum muscles can b trained : P

nw, to find time to continue to cycle regularly, esp during CNY period over the next 1 mth.  mustn’t slacken

and i m still contemplating if i should get my own bike

so tempting but muz make sure it’s not a 3 mins fad i haf

i do enjoy cycling very very much

food intake

 

mi was extremely full and sleepy after lunch tdy

ate a heavy dinner again post cycling

and had 2 bowls of hearty chicken soup for supper

very sinful but i feel very good

i’d rather b happy fat den sad/stressed out thin

moon

 

is not mine to begin with and will nbr b mine

is for all to admire and belongs to everyone

the best thing to do is remain as one of the stars surrounding the moon, i guess

nw i’m pretty sure i got it all wrong.  as ZY pointed out, i m reli beli beli bad at reading body language

as luck would haf it, the moon appears as i edit tis entry

Citi, Morgan Stanley in brokerage talks; Rubin quits

 

09 Jan 09

Citigroup Inc is in advanced talks to sell its Smith Barney brokerage unit to Morgan Stanley, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a move that would further dismantle the financial supermarket that has been bailed out by the U.S. government.

Under the deal being discussed, the two banks would set up a joint venture. Morgan Stanley would control it with a 51 percent stake and expect to buy Citi’s 49 percent share over three to five years, the person said. Talks are “serious” and “advanced” but may still fall through. Both banks declined to comment.

Separately, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin resigned immediately as a senior counselor to New York-based Citigroup, following months of criticism of his performance, as the bank’s sinking share price led to a government rescue. The 70-year-old Rubin will remain a director until the bank’s annual meeting later this year. He joined Citigroup in 1999.

A combined brokerage would have more than 23,000 financial advisers before attrition, ranking as the world’s largest retail brokerage, surpassing rivals Bank of America Corp and Wells Fargo & Co.

Citigroup ended September with 14,735 brokers, and Morgan Stanley ended November with 8,426. Last week, Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch & Co, and Wells Fargo bought Wachovia.

Citigroup could boost its capital levels by doing the deal, and Morgan Stanley could diversify its sources of revenue. The U.S. Federal Reserve is pressing the two banks to do a deal because of the potential benefits to both, CNBC reported on Friday.

Combining the two businesses could also help Morgan Stanley and Citigroup cut costs. Brokerages are expected to suffer this year as broad weakness in stock and bond markets globally weigh on trading volume.

NEW MORGAN STANLEY TIES FOR PANDIT

A joint venture would reestablish ties between Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit and Morgan Stanley, which he left in 2005 after being passed over for a promotion in favor of fixed-income chief Zoe Cruz. She had faulted Pandit for being unwilling to take enough risk.

Shedding Smith Barney would be the latest, and perhaps the boldest step in dismantling Sanford “Sandy” Weill’s original conception for Citigroup when his Travelers Group Inc bought Citicorp to create the world’s largest financial services conglomerate.

Pandit is trying to shed hundreds of billions of dollars of assets and reduce risk after Citigroup suffered $20.3 billion of losses in the year ended Sept 30. The bank has taken $45 billion from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, $20 billion of which came from a federal bailout in November that will also limit potential losses on some assets.

Placing the business in a joint venture would likely allow Citigroup to record an immediate accounting gain, boosting its capital. And the bank would still be able to receive revenue from the business.

A brokerage venture could allow Morgan Stanley to diversify its revenue streams, fewer than four months after Chief Executive John Mack turned it into a bank holding company. Many traditionally strong businesses for Morgan Stanley, such as hedge fund prime brokerage and commodities trading, are expected to be less profitable in coming years than they were a few years ago.

But the deal may not be entirely positive for Morgan Stanley. As it takes over Citigroup’s brokerage business, it might have to offer incentives for brokers to stay, potentially boosting costs.

Morgan Stanley plans to reduce risk and become more aggressive in gathering deposits. It got $10 billion of TARP money.

The combined business would likely have Morgan Stanley Co-President James Gorman as chairman, and Citigroup Global Wealth Management President Charles Johnston as its chief executive. A majority of directors would come from Morgan Stanley.

Citigroup’s wealth management business, which includes Smith Barney, generated a $1.59 billion profit in the year ended Sept 30, 2008 and $13.22 billion of revenue.

Citigroup overall lost $20.3 billion, largely because of exposure to mortgages and other toxic debt.

In its fiscal year ended Nov 30, Morgan Stanley’s wealth management unit generated $1.15 billion of pre-tax income on net revenue of $6.3 billion, excluding gains from selling of a Spanish unit. Overall revenue totaled about $24.7 billion.

Citigroup shares closed Friday down 41 cents, or 5.7 percent, at $6.75 on the New York Stock Exchange. Morgan Stanley shares rose 24 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $19.06.

RUBIN

In a letter to Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, Rubin praised Citigroup management for making the “tough decisions” to restore the bank to health, but admitted to not having foreseen the credit crisis and market deterioration.

Citigroup’s share price has fallen roughly 88 percent in the last two years. Rubin himself declined a bonus.

“My great regret is that I and so many of us who have been involved in this industry for so long did not recognize the serious possibility of the extreme circumstances that the financial system faces,” Rubin wrote in a letter to Pandit.

Rubin was one of Pandit’s biggest supporters on Citigroup’s board, and his departure could remove a base of support, a person familiar with the matter said.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Walter Todd, a portfolio manager at Greenwood Capital Associates in Greenwood, South Carolina, referring to the departure. “The near-collapse of the firm was under his watch.”

Rubin said he plans to focus more on outside activities and organizations, and “intensify” his work in public policy.

A November 23 front-page story in The New York Times called Rubin “an architect of the bank’s strategy” to chase profit by expanding in collateralized debt obligations and other risky products.

The strategy backfired as credit markets tightened and housing prices fell. Citigroup has previously disputed the Times’ characterization of Rubin’s role.

Rubin joined Citigroup just after the Clinton administration and Congress agreed to abandon a Great Depression-era rule, known as the Glass-Steagall Act, that kept banks, securities firms and insurance companies separate.

He initially joined an Office of the Chairman that included Weill, who had lobbied to end such rules. Rubin became senior counselor last August.

Globally, Rubin may be best known as U.S. Treasury Secretary between 1995 and 1999. Before heading to Washington, Rubin had spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs & Co.

Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter

 

oh no!  not again!  and i luv peanut butter wif grape jam.  the onli brand i take is goober

09 Jan 09

 

Minnesota health officials issued a product alert for peanut butter on Friday after finding a jar that was contaminated with a strain of salmonella linked to an outbreak across the United States.

While the bacteria in the peanut butter match the outbreak strain genetically, the health officials said it was not clear yet that the peanut butter could be linked to any cases.

The outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has sickened at least 399 people and put 70 or more into hospital since September.

Officials from Minnesota’s departments of agriculture and health said they were issuing a product advisory for King Nut brand creamy peanut butter after finding the Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in a big institutional-size jar.

“The Minnesota cases have the same genetic fingerprint as the cases in a national outbreak that has sickened almost 400 people in 42 states,” the health department said in a statement.

It said the product was distributed in Minnesota to places such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, restaurants, cafeterias and bakeries.

“At this time, the product is not known to be distributed for retail sale in grocery stores,” it said. “State officials are urging establishments who may have the product on hand to avoid serving it, pending further instructions as the investigation progresses.”

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the numbers of cases in each of the 42 affected states. California was hardest hit with 55 cases, while Ohio had 53 and Minnesota had 30.

An outbreak of salmonella was linked to Peter Pan brand peanut butter in 2007. ConAgra Foods Inc closed a Georgia plant after more than 300 people became ill in that outbreak.

The CDC is trying to trace the source of the outbreak, which began in September. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, state health officials and the Food and Drug Administration are also involved.

Tracking the source of such an outbreak can be tricky. The CDC said poultry, cheese and eggs are the most common source of Salmonella typhimurium strains.

Every year, about 40,000 people are reported ill with salmonella in the United States, the CDC says, but many more cases are never reported.

There have been several high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States, including a strain of salmonella carried by peppers from Mexico that sickened 1,400 people from April to August 2007 and an E. coli epidemic in 2006, traced to California spinach, that killed three people.

5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share

 

11 Jan 09

 

Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, a pirate and port town resident said Saturday.

Pirate Daud Nure says the boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after dozens of pirates left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden that ended Friday.

He said five people died and three people reached shore after swimming for several hours. Daud Nure was not part of the pirate operation but knew those involved.

Jamal Abdulle, a resident of the Somali coastal town of Haradhere, close to where the ship had been anchored, also confirmed that the boat sank and that the eight’s portion of the ransom money that had been shared among dozens of pirates was lost.

Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Naimi said Saturday that the crew of the Sirius Star was safe and that the tanker had left Somali territorial waters and was on its way home.

A Saudi Oil Ministry official said the ship was headed for Dammam, on Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast, but gave no estimated time of arrival. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The Liberian-flagged ship is owned by Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi oil company Aramco. A spokesman for the Dubai-based Vela, Mihir Sapru, would not provide details of the ship’s destination or plans once in port.

“We are very relieved to know that all the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits,” said a statement by Saleh K’aki, president and CEO of Vela. “This has been a very trying time for them and certainly for their families. We are very happy to report to their families that they will be on their way home soon.”

K’aki added that the “throughout this ordeal, our sole objective was the safe and timely release of the crew. That has been achieved today.”

U.S. Navy photos released Friday showed a parachute, carrying what was described as “an apparent payment,” floating toward the tanker. The Sirius Star and its 25-member crew had been held since Nov. 15. Its cargo of crude oil was valued at US$100 million at the time.

The capture was seen as a dramatic demonstration of the pirates’ ability to strike high value targets hundreds of miles offshore.

On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Iran’s state television reported Saturday. It said the ship Delight was carrying 36 tons of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25 crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said.

The pirate-infested Gulf of Aden is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

The U.S. Navy announced this week it will head a new anti-piracy task force after more than 100 ships were attacked last year. NATO and the European Union already have warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and have intervened to prevent several ships from being captured.

More than a dozen ships with about 300 crew members are still being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, including the weapons-laden Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was seized in September.

The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the few ways to earn a living in the impoverished, war-ravaged country. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and nearly half of its population depends on aid.

moon walk, no…moon talk

 

sometimes it’s enuff to haf the moon to look at

once u eat the mooncake, it’s gone and i m so avoiding such short-term satisfaction

so i prefer to admire the moon

tia

 

 

mi is surprised to hear tat my voice over the fone sounds ‘tia’ coz i always thot my voice is low and the way i speak is quite rough

matter of fact, i can’t sing songs tat r too ‘high’  so since when do i sound ‘tia’?

and coming from a fren’s mum too, gosh !

PINK

my all time fav scent

 

 

Victoria Secret
Pink Eau De Parfum Spray 75ml/2.5oz
A floral fragrance for contemporary women
Reveals bright character being confident, playful, effervescent, sophisticated
Blends of Artemesia, Neroli Flower, Peony, Freesia, Bergamot, Mandarin
Mixed with Violet Leaves, Juniper Berry & Muguet
Perfect for evening & special occasions

shacked out

age muz b catching up else it’s due to my new morning routine but i’ve felt so tired and sleepy all wk

i attributed it to the mon nite wedding dinner

but den again, waking up at 6.30 every morn to get my 2 little pigs of our bed and ready for skool is not very hard, yet muz haf taken its toll on mi, coz mi is still sleeping past midnite though not as late as b4

i’m looking forward to catching up on my zzz soon but i haf morn commitments on both days. still i dun need to b up at 6.30 so i can still get abit of lie-in

Shares skyrocket as Porsche takes over Volkswagen

07 Jan 09

German luxury sportscar maker Porsche has taken over Volkswagen, the biggest European car manufacturer, after purchasing more than 50 percent of VW shares, Porsche said.

Porsche said in a brief statement late Monday that by buying new VW shares, it “will thus increase its participation to 50.76 percent” of the group’s capital, compared with 42 percent before.

The news sent Volkswagen shares rocketing up 13.48 percent in early afternoon trading on the Frankfurt stock market on Tuesday.

The takeover by a family-run company run by billionaire shareholders has been a culture shock for Volkswagen, a sprawling national institution seen as a model for cooperation between shareholders and unions.

Porsche launched its takeover bid in 2005, saying it would turn Volkswagen into a “normal” enterprise and incurring fierce opposition from the unions.

Porsche had initially planned to acquire more than 50 percent of VW’s stock last year but was forced to delay the operation after the value of the shares soared amid frantic stock market speculation.

At one point, they traded for more than 1,000 euros (1,350 dollars) per share, making VW briefly the biggest company in the world by stock market valuation.

On Monday, VW shares closed at 254.74 euros, close to the range Porsche had set for itself of between 200-250 euros.

VW said in August that it had overtaken Ford to become the world’s third biggest automaker behind General Motors and Toyota.

Porsche is now obliged by Swedish law to make an offer for outstanding shares in truckmaker Scania, in which VW is the dominant shareholder.

But Porsche will offer a minimum price for Scania shares and has no “strategic interest” in the company, the statement said.

Porsche, which makes the 911 sports car and Cayenne sport utility vehicle, plans to raise its stake in VW to more than 75 percent this year, with which it expects to gain total control over the group.

Having more than 75 percent would allow it to seal a so-called domination contract giving it full financial control.

In Germany, a minority investor that owns 25 percent of a company’s shares can block strategic decisions, but in the case of VW that level is currently set by law at 20 percent, the amount owned by the state of Lower Saxony, where VW is based.

Porsche has challenged the so-called VW law and has received support from the European Commission, which has threatened to haul Berlin into European court again after a revised version of the law retained the 20 percent minority blocking threshold.

Porsche built up its stake in the much bigger VW through the use of stock options that allowed it to catch markets by surprise last year with the size of its holding.

VW’s works committee is wary of the takeover however and of Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking, who has crossed swords with trade unions, which are extremely powerful at VW.

VW posted sales of 109 billion euros in 2007, while Porsche, which employs 11,600 workers, reported sales of seven billion euros in its 2006-2007 fiscal year.

The IG Metall trade union fears a Porsche takeover would lead to job cuts at German VW plants, despite assurances from Porsche that it is a long-term investor in the auto giant.

Marks & Spencer to axe 1,230 jobs and close 27 stores

8 Jan 09

British retailer Marks & Spencer, an icon and key barometer of consumer sentiment on the nation’s high streets, is to cut up to 1,230 jobs and shut 27 stores, it said Wednesday.

The news, in a Christmas trading update by the clothes-to-food chain, added fresh gloom to the retail sector as a sharp economic downturn starts to bite and comes one day after the shutdown of general retailer Woolworths.

Like-for-like sales — stripping out the effect of new floor space — dived 7.1 percent in 13 weeks to December 27, 2008, compared with the same period of the previous financial year, M&S said.

The group said that 25 of the 27 store closures would involve the company’s “Simply Food” outlets specialising exclusively in food products, notably those that are small and under-performing. The move would mean the loss of 780 jobs.

In addition, Marks & Spencer said it planned to eliminate as many as 450 posts in administrative services and would reduce retirement benefits.

The measures are expected to save 175-200 million pounds (193-220 million euros, 261-298 million dollars) in the company’s next fiscal year, which begins April 1.

“We are aware that the proposed changes … will be difficult for those members of staff impacted but given that we expect challenging economic conditions to continue for at least the next 12 months we believe we are taking the right action to maintain the strength of our business,” chairman Stuart Rose said.

The British retail sector, buckling under the weight of a looming recession, has already witnessed the collapse of several chains including Woolworths, furniture group MFI and entertainment store Zavvi.

In the run-up to Christmas, M&S held two one-day sales when it slashed prices by 20 percent in an attempt to attract more festive shoppers.

M&S had revealed in November that first-half net profit sank 43 percent as cash-strapped consumers tightened their belts.

Rose said Wednesday that the company was forced to slim down with a lean start to the year in prospect.

“I think January, February, March is going to be a testing time for us all and that is why we have regretfully today taken the action we have taken to prepare ourselves for what we do believe will be a difficult year,” he told the BBC.

“I’m confident we will come out of it in one piece, I am confident we will be able to look forward but I think it will be tough.”

“The third quarter like-for-like sales are bad … but not quite so bad as we expected, thanks to a late spending surge pre-Christmas,” said Nick Bubb, retail analyst at Pali International.

Howard Wheeldon, of BGC Partners, said the results were “pretty dire.”

“It seems that M&S may at last have accepted that the Simply Food chain has reached its limits in the UK or that given the difficult times we are all now living in, the whole business model needs to be rethought.”

M&S’s competitor in the clothing sector, chain store Debenhams, saw its shares jump more than 20 percent on Tuesday after announcing a much better-than-expected 3.3-percent drop in like-for-like sales in the final 12 weeks of 2008.

The demise of Woolworths, which had 807 stores dotted across Britain, left 27,000 people out of work.

Marks & Spencer shares ended the day up 2.2 percent at 244 pence after Wednesday’s news, bucking the trend of London’s FTSE 100 index which ended down 2.83 percent at 4,507.51 points.

Existing EZ Link cards can be exchanged for new ones from Friday

09 Jan 09

Shopping for new clothes or paying ERP charges will soon be made easier with the new EZ Link card, which can be used for retail and other payments.

Nicholas Lee, executive director, EZ Link, said: “Imagine the possibilities where you can develop schemes for cross—usage between public transport, ERP and parking. There can be incentives, discounts and rebates where you can cross between modes to give consumers some preference to use our product.”

Examples of non—transit applications include using the card to pay at convenience stores and libraries.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it would carry out the EZ Link card replacement exercise in stages.

Adult EZ Link cards can be exchanged for new ones from Friday at all 62 SingPost branches, 42 TransitLink ticket offices and selected bus interchanges.

However, EZ Link cards with credit card top—up facility can only be exchanged from February 27, while GIRO—linked cards can be replaced from July 27 onwards.

Child, student and tertiary concession cards can be exchanged from February 16, while senior citizens can replace their concession cards from April.

Concession cards for non—MOE school students and National Servicemen can be traded in from July.

Commuters, who are allowed to exchange up to three cards at one time, have until September 30 to do so. They will get a refund of the remaining value in their old cards.

According to LTA, there are about 8 million EZ Link cards in circulation. And unlike the old card, the new EZ Link card will not have a travel deposit, giving commuters full use of the stored value of the card.

little nonya

after all the info i gathered over lunch, from the web and from QQ, i decided NOT to watch the last episodes

i tink the ending quite boh liao and i oredi noe :

- from QQ : robert asked the servants to reveal chen xi’s whereabouts and tracks him and yue niang dwn
- from SP : scream here, scream there, 3 ppl (chen xi, yuzhu and yueniang) trapped in a hut tat was set on fire (by robert)
- from lunch kakis : chen xi and yuzhu escaped from fire and didn’t noe yueniang also escaped
- from lunch kakis : libby noes yueniang survived
- from lunch kakis : chen xi marries libby and haf half a dozen kids….thank god yueniang didn’t haf stamps over her eyes and marry tis useless bum
- from QQ : ang moh makes cake for yueniang and yueniang marries him
- from little nonya website : yuzhu has a son named zu ye who is anqi’s father
- from lunch kakis : yueniang’s job is done after telling her story and dies from stomach cancer

i noe the storyline, no need to watch liao

tis fickleness is signature of gemini. last time i was trying to d/l a 3GB file. tdy, i won’t b catching it

gaza

06 Jan 08

Israeli forces edged closer to Gaza’s major population centers on Tuesday and attacked new sites, including a U.N. school, taking more civilian lives after ignoring mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire. A Palestinian rocket attack wounded an Israeli infant.

The United Nations said three civilians were killed in the airstrike on its school, where hundreds of people from a Gaza City refugee camp had gone to seek shelter from Israel’s blistering 11-day offensive against the Hamas militant group.

The missile landed in a courtyard late Monday, causing minor damage to the building.

“There’s nowhere safe in Gaza. Everyone here is terrorized and traumatized,” said John Ging, the top U.N. official in Gaza.

“I am appealing to political leaders here and in the region and the world to get their act together and stop this,” he said, speaking at Gaza’s largest hospital. “They are responsible for these deaths.”

U.N. officials say they provided their location coordinates to Israel’s army to ensure that their buildings in Gaza are not targeted. The Israeli army had no comment on the latest strikes, but in the past has accused militants of using schools, mosques and residential neighborhoods to store weapons or launch attacks.

Israel launched its offensive on Dec. 27 to halt repeated Palestinian rocket attacks on its southern towns. After a weeklong air campaign, Israeli ground forces invaded Gaza over the weekend. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 100 civilians, according to United Nations figures. Nine Israelis have died since the operation began.

In other fighting early Tuesday, at least 18 Palestinians were killed in shelling from tanks and naval craft, local hospital officials said. Only two of the dead were confirmed as militants.

Tanks rumbled closer to the towns of Khan Younis and Dir el Balah in south and central Gaza but were still several kilometers (miles) outside, witnesses said, adding that the sounds of fighting could be heard from around the new Israeli positions. Israel already has encircled Gaza City, the area’s biggest city.

The rising civilian death toll has drawn international condemnations and raised concerns of a looming humanitarian disaster. Many Gazans are without electricity or running water, thousands have been displaced from their homes and residents say that without distribution disrupted, food supplies are running thin.

“This is not a crisis, it’s a disaster,” said water utility official Munzir Shiblak. “We are not even able to respond to the cry of the people.” He said about 800,000 residents in Gaza City and northern parts of the territory had no access to running water from Tuesday.

Israel says it won’t stop the assault until its southern towns are freed of the threat of Palestinian rocket fire and it receives international guarantees that Hamas, a militant group backed by Iran and Syria, will not restock its weapons stockpile. It blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, saying the group intentionally seeks cover in crowded residential areas.

“The battle is bitter but unavoidable. We set out on this operation in order to deal Hamas a heavy blow and to alter living conditions in the south of the country and to block smuggling into the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The army says it has dealt a harsh blow to Hamas, killing 130 militants in the past two days and greatly reducing the rocket fire. At least 15 rockets were fired Tuesday and one landed in the town of Gadera, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Gaza border, lightly wounding a 3-month-old infant, police said. At the outset of the fighting, militants launched dozens of rockets each day.

Hamas is believed to have 20,000 fighters.

Israeli forces have cut the main Gaza highway in several places, cutting the strip into northern, southern and central sectors and preventing movement between them. Israel also has taken over high-rise buildings in Gaza City and destroyed dozens of smuggling tunnels — Hamas’ main lifeline — along the Egyptian border.

Late Monday, a paratroop officer and three Israeli infantrymen were killed in two separate friendly fire incidents, the military said. Heavy Israeli casualties could threaten to undermine what so far has been wide public support for the operation.

A high-level European Union delegation met with President Shimon Peres on Tuesday in a futile bid to put an end to the violence. Commissioner Benita Ferraro-Waldner acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defense, but said its response was disproportionate.

“We have come to Israel in order to advance the initiative for a humanitarian cease-fire and I will tell you, Mr. President, that you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel’s image is being destroyed,” she said, according to a statement from Peres’ office.

In Geneva, the international Red Cross said Gaza was in a “full-blown” humanitarian crisis. Its head of operations, Pierre Kraehenbuehl, said the few remaining power supplies could collapse at any moment.

Israeli leaders say there is no humanitarian crisis and that they have allowed the delivery of vital supplies.

The EU delegation was one of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to forge a cease-fire. French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Israel after a day of meetings with leaders.

Europe “wants a cease-fire as quickly as possible,” Sarkozy said Monday, urging Israel to halt the offensive, while blaming Hamas for acting “irresponsibly and unpardonably.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stressed to Sarkozy that any agreement “must contain at its foundation the total cessation of all arms transfers to Hamas,” said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev.

Regev noted that Hamas used a previous six-month truce to double the range of its rockets. About one-eighth of Israel’s 7 million citizens now live in rocket range.

In New York, Arab delegates met with the U.N. Security Council, urging members to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate end to the attacks and a permanent cease-fire.

In Washington, the State Department said the U.S. was pressing for a cease-fire that would include a halt to rocket attacks and an arrangement for reopening crossings on the border with Israel, said spokesman Sean McCormack.

The crossings, used to deliver vital food shipments into Gaza, have been largely closed since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007. A third element of a U.S.-backed cease-fire would address the smuggling tunnels used by Hamas.

President George W. Bush emphasized “Israel’s desire to protect itself.”

“The situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas,” he said.

A top exiled Hamas official in Syria, Moussa Abu Marzouk, rejected the U.S. proposal, telling the AP the U.S. plan seeks to impose “a de facto situation” and encourages Israel to continue its attacks on Gaza.

In Tuesday’s fighting, six civilians were killed when an Israeli ship fired a shell at their house on the Gaza shore, hospital officials said. Residents said the gunboat apparently fired at a group of militants next to the house who were preparing to ambush advancing Israeli troops. Two militants died.

Palestinians said Israeli attacks intensified before dawn and at least 10 more civilians were killed when shells hit houses on the edge of Gaza City and in the Jebaliya refugee camp, to the north.

U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said the overall Palestinian toll since the opening of the Gaza campaign on Dec. 27 stood at about 500, with about 125 of them civilians.

Israeli forces detained 80 Palestinians — some of them suspected Hamas members — and transferred several to Israel for interrogation, said military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to release the information.

Israel’s operation has angered many across the Arab world and has drawn criticism from countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, which have ties with Israel and have been intimately involved in Mideast peacemaking.

the perfect man

needs to b a mind reader, must b caring and strong at the same time. N b a gd listener. Small expectation?

as interpreted by a guy after toking to us gers and complaining gers haf very high expectations

if not emo support, wat else can guys offer?

as marie and mi always laments, y do men not evolve as much as gers?

Death certificate: Travolta son killed by seizure

05 Jan 08

Jett Travolta’s body shows no sign of head trauma and his death certificate says he was killed by a seizure, an undertaker said Monday, after doctors performed an autopsy on the 16-year-old son of the U.S actor.

The remains of John Travolta’s son were being cremated and his parents planned to return to the United States with the ashes on Tuesday, said Keith McSweeney, director of the funeral home handling the body.

Jett Travolta had a history of seizures and was found unconscious in a bathroom Friday at a family vacation home on Grand Bahama Island.

Glen Campbell, assistant director of the funeral home, told The Associated Press that the body is in “great condition,” despite police officials who had said the teen hit his head on a bathtub.

Authorities didn’t release the results of an autopsy performed Monday, but Campbell saw the body and the death certificate, which was based on its findings.

“The only cause of death that was listed was ’seizure’,” he said.

Late Monday, a black hearse traveled from the funeral home to the airport after the family indicated they were bringing Jett’s remains to Ocala, Florida, where they own a home. Two white jets waited as police in dress uniforms blocked access to the tarmac.

But the hearse was dispatched as a ruse, McSweeney told a news conference later Monday. He said he could not explain the reason for the decoy.

In a public statement released Sunday, John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston said they were “heartbroken that our time with him was so brief.”

Travolta, 54, and Preston, 46, have said Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels. Preston has blamed household cleaners and fertilizers and said a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine.

Police said in a statement that Jett had not been seen since Thursday when a caretaker, Jeff Kathrain, found him unconscious late Friday morning. But McDermott said that wrongly left the impression that Jett was unsupervised. He said two nannies were with Jett throughout the evening, and he does not believe the teen was in the bathroom for very long.

About a dozen security guards and Bahamian police officers patrolled around the luxury Old Bahama Bay resort community Sunday where the Travoltas have their home. The white-sand beach in front of the suites was closed.

The couple also has an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sent condolences to the Travolta family and said the autopsy is a formality the country requires in cases of sudden death to rule out foul play.

wat happens when u attend wedding dinner the nite the last 2 episodes of little nonya is showing?

cat trys to upload the file but the speed for sync-ing is horribly slow

SP sends mi irritating msgs while he watches and i demand the story

Why Do Guys Get Sleepy After Sex?

For many women, the correlation between sex and snoring is one of those annoying facts of life: no matter when passionate encounters occur, men always seem to fall asleep immediately afterwards. Dave Zinczenko, the author of “Men, Love and Sex: The Complete User Guide For Women,” explained the phenomenon to Huffington Post writer Arianna Huffington this way: “Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza.”

I doubt I am ever going to become a pizza, and I’ll never have the foresight to order one beforehand. So in lieu of a cure, a better explanation will have to do. Although women sometimes feel sleepy after sex, the phenomenon does seem more pronounced in men. What is it, then, that spirals them into the land of nod?

First, the obvious reasons for sex’s somnolent sway: the act frequently takes place at night, in a bed, and is, after all, physically exhausting (often more so for the man than the woman, although this certainly varies). So when sex is over, it’s natural for a guy to feel sleepy.

Secondly, research using positron emission tomography (PET) scans has shown that in order for a person to reach orgasm, a primary requirement is to let go of “all fear and anxiety.” Doing so also tends to be relaxing and might explain the tendency to snooze.

Then there is the biochemistry of the orgasm itself. Research shows that during ejaculation, men release a cocktail of brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide (NO), and the hormone prolactin. The release of prolactin is linked to the feeling of sexual satisfaction, and it also mediates the “recovery time” that men are well aware of—the time a guy must wait before “giving it another go.” Studies have also shown that men deficient in prolactin have faster recovery times.

Prolactin levels are naturally higher during sleep, and animals injected with the chemical become tired immediately. This suggests a strong link between prolactin and sleep, so it’s likely that the hormone’s release during orgasm causes men to feel sleepy.

(Side note: prolactin also explains why men are sleepier after intercourse than after masturbation. For unknown reasons, intercourse orgasms release four times more prolactin than masturbatory orgasms, according to a recent study.)

Oxytocin and vasopressin, two other chemicals released during orgasm, are also associated with sleep. Their release frequently accompanies that of melatonin, the primary hormone that regulates our body clocks. Oxytocin is also thought to reduce stress levels, which again could lead to relaxation and sleepiness.

What about the evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness? This is trickier to explain. Evolutionarily speaking, a man’s primary goal is to produce as many offspring as possible, and sleeping doesn’t exactly help in his quest. But perhaps since he cannot immediately run off with another woman anyway—damn that recovery time!—re-energizing himself via sleep may be the best use of his time.

And although there is conflicting information as to whether women feel sleepy after sex, a woman often falls asleep with the man anyway (or uses it for some key cuddling time), which is good news for him: it means she is not off finding another mate. When the man wakes up and she’s still there, he just might be ready to go again.

It’s also possible that sleepiness is just a “side effect” associated with a more evolutionarily important reason for the release of oxytocin and vasopressin. In addition to being associated with sleep, both chemicals are also intimately involved in what is called “pair bonding,” the social attachment human mates commonly share. The release of these brain chemicals during orgasm heightens feelings of bonding and trust between sexual partners, which may partially explain the link between sex and emotional attachment. This bond is favorable should the couple have a baby, as cooperative child rearing maximizes the young one’s chances for survival.

The bottom line is this: There are many potential biochemical and evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness, some direct and some indirect—but no one has yet pinpointed the exact causes. One thing, however, is certain: we females better get used to it, because it doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.

I will leave frustrated American women with one final thought: if you are upset at the ubiquity of the post-sex snoring phenomenon, remember that things could be a lot worse. A recent survey of 10,000 English men revealed that 48 percent actually fall asleep during sex.

Talk about coitus interruptus!

Best Sex is Short and Sweet

A survey of experts yields good news for anyone who thought their sexual efforts didn’t last long enough. Good sex typically lasts 13 minutes or less, not counting foreplay.

Penn State Erie researchers Eric Corty and Jenay Guardiani surveyed members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, which includes psychologists, physicians, social workers, marriage/family therapists and nurses who have collectively treated thousands of patients over several decades.

The results debunk the myth of hours-long sex as a reasonable goal that lingers in the minds of many supposed under-achievers.

A total of 34 experts responded to the survey and were asked what they thought was the optimal time for intercourse, from penetration to ejaculation.

On average, the respondents in this relatively small survey ranked a duration of 3 to 7 minutes as adequate and 7 to 13 minutes as desirable. Anything less was considered, on average, to be to short and anything more, too long.

“A man’s or woman’s interpretation of his or her sexual functioning as well as the partner’s relies on personal beliefs developed in part from society’s messages, formal and informal,” the researchers said. “Unfortunately, today’s popular culture has reinforced stereotypes about sexual activity. Many men and women seem to believe the fantasy model of large penises, rock-hard erections and all-night-long intercourse. ”

Past research has found that a large percentage of men and women say they want sex to last 30 minutes or longer, the researchers say.

“This seems a situation ripe for disappointment and dissatisfaction,” said lead author Eric Corty, associate professor of psychology. “With this survey, we hope to dispel such fantasies and encourage men and women with realistic data about acceptable sexual intercourse, thus preventing sexual disappointments and dysfunctions.”

Steve Jobs has hormone imbalance, will remain CEO

05 Jan 08

Apple Inc. founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, said Monday that a hormonal imbalance is to blame for the weight loss that has prompted worries about his health.

Jobs, 53, said he will undergo a “relatively simple” treatment and will remain in charge of Apple.

“A hormone imbalance … has been `robbing’ me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy,” Jobs said in a public letter, adding, “Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.”

Speculation about his health percolated in 2008 as Jobs appeared gaunt at public appearances. Those worries intensified after Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said in December that Jobs would not be making his annual keynote address Tuesday in San Francisco at the Macworld conference.

Officially Apple said Jobs would not appear because this year will mark the company’s last appearance at the show, which is run by a separate company, the IDG technology media group. Rather than have its CEO speak even as it prepared to wind down its participation in Macworld, Apple said Phil Schiller, an Apple marketing executive, would give the company’s presentation.

But while some analysts expected this week’s Macworld to help Apple show it could execute its long-term strategy without Jobs as its public face, others have questioned the company’s viability without Jobs, who has emphasized the design principles that made standouts out of Apple’s Mac computers, iPods and iPhones.

Investors appeared happy to have some clarity on his health. Apple’s shares rose $3.42, 3.8 percent, to $94.17 in morning trading.

In his statement, Jobs said, “The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment.”

He added, “Just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this spring to regain it.”

The company’s board released a statement separately, saying, “Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.”

Jobs announced in 2004 that he had undergone successful surgery to treat a form of pancreatic cancer — an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The cancer is extremely rare and easily cured if diagnosed early. Jobs did not have a deadlier and more common form of pancreatic cancer, called adenocarcinoma.

Crystal, china maker Waterford Wedgwood collapses

05 Jan 09

Waterford Wedgwood PLC, the maker of classic china and crystal, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday after attempts to restructure the struggling business or find a buyer failed.

Four administrators from business advisory firm Deloitte were appointed to run the company’s businesses in Britain and Northern Ireland, while a Deloitte partner in the Irish Republic was appointed as receiver of Waterford Wedgwood PLC, the ultimate parent of the U.K. companies, and other Irish subsidiaries.

The U.K. joint administrators said they intended to continue to run the business as they seek a buyer. Trading in the company’s shares was suspended on the Irish Stock Exchange where they languished at just one-tenth of a euro cent.

“Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton are quintessentially classic brands that represent a high quality product which is steeped in history,” the administrators said in a statement. “The administration team will be working closely with management, customers and suppliers during this time to ensure operations continue whilst a sale of the business is sought.”

Waterford Wedgwood, which employs around 7,700 worldwide, is the latest in a burgeoning list of iconic British companies to succumb to the global economic slowdown and credit squeeze. Department store veteran Woolworths, the queen’s tailor Hardy Amies, tea and coffee merchant Whittard of Chelsea and fellow ceramics stalwart Royal Worcester and Spode have all filed for bankruptcy protection in recent months.

Wedgwood has been an iconic name in British pottery for 250 years, after its founder Josiah Wedgwood opened the first factory in Stoke-on-Trent, central England, in 1759. It began making bone china in the 19th century.

Waterford Crystal traces its lineage to a factory opened in Waterford, southeast Ireland in 1783, although that business failed in the 1850s. The brand was revived by Czech immigrant Miroslav Havel in 1947.

Waterford acquired Wedgwood in 1986 to form the present company, listing on the stock exchange and expanding overseas in the 1990s before buying fellow Stoke-on-Trent ceramics maker Royal Doulton in 2005.

Much of the business has now shifted offshore, where it employs 5,800 people, including 1,500 people at a plant in Jakarta, Indonesia, which produces most of the company’s ceramics. The majority of its crystal production has been handed to Eastern European subcontractors.

The company employs a work force just a third of that size at 1,900 in Britain, including around 600 in Stoke-on-Trent and 800 in Waterford.

Waterford Mayor Jack Walsh said the closure of the crystal factory would deal a cultural and psychological blow to all of Ireland, noting that the crystal plant was one of the country’s top tourist attractions and the product “one of only a handful of iconic Irish brands.’

“Given this, it is of major strategic importance that this company not be allowed to slip into oblivion,” Walsh said.

The Deloitte administrators said the company has “benefited from significant shareholder support” in recent years as the management team tried to restructure the business.

“However, as trading conditions deteriorated, it became apparent that a restructuring of the businesses could not be achieved in an acceptable timescale,” they said in a statement.

A subsequent alternative strategy to find a buyer also failed, they added.

Waterford Wedgwood chief executive officer David Sculley said he was “disappointed” about the bankruptcy filing, but remained confident a buyer could be found.

Under the administration process, administrators are appointed to salvage as much of the company as possible for the benefit of its creditors. While they may do so by selling the company as a going concern, they can revert to a break-up to recoup as much money as possible from assets if a buyer for the whole business cannot be found.

The receivership process in Ireland follows a similar path.

Waterford Wedgwood announced last month that it had been forced to ask its chief creditors for “forbearance” because the company could no longer pay its loans on time or in full. It also revealed falling sales and increasing first-half losses, and said its survival depended on securing new investment.

John Travolta’s 16 yr old son dies

04 Jan 09

Actor John Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of his 16-year-old son Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were “heartbroken” by their sudden loss.

Jett, who had a history of seizures, was found unconscious in a bathroom at his family’s home at the Old Bahama Bay resort on Grand Bahama Island on Friday morning.

He was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and an autopsy to determine the cause of death is due to be performed in the Bahamas on Monday.

“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered,” Travolta said in a statement posted on his website www.travolta.com.

“We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time that we had with him for the rest of our lives.”

The statement did not refer to Jett’s medical history or possible cause of death. But Travolta’s lawyers, Michael Ossi and Michael McDermott, were quoted on Sunday as saying Jett apparently suffered from grand mal, a type of epilepsy marked by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

He was on an anti-seizure medication called Depakote for several years, Ossi and McDermott told the celebrity website TMZ.

They said the drug was suspended after it lost its effectiveness amid concern about side effects, however, and Jett had been suffering about one extremely serious seizure a week.

Travolta and his wife have said previously that Jett became very sick when he was a toddler and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children.

lusting after the moon

ok, i asked for it after posting abt my moon and changing my status msg but it would b entirely NOT me to juz bottle it up and remain silent abt it FOREVER

not tat i ever intend to tell anyone else abt tis except ah bao who has been sworn into secrecy

i’ve had questions from close frens abt my moon and there is onli one ans “i do not want to tell” and tat is the truth

reason being the moon is unattainable though karen has shared several ingenuious ideas for mi to get my moon including using a basin of water

thanks for respecting my privacy and supporting mi in my NON pursuit of the moon

yesh, i do wonder wat if the moon nbr rises again and i nbr get to set eyes on the moon again but i m no chang’e and haf no courage to steal the elixir

tdy’s conversation abt tian peng and wu gang and rabbit was interesting. and the horoscope which says the rabbit gets its essence from the moon wraps up tdy’s moony discussion very nicely

bet the moon and MTB, i don’t know which is the lesser evil

Travolta, Preston Begged Son to Wake Up

EMT: Travolta, Preston Begged Son to Wake Up
Sunday, January 04, 2009

John Travolta and Kelly Preston pled repeatedly with their son Jett to regain consciousness in the ambulance as it raced from their house to the hospital, Bahamanian EMT Chief Marcus Garvey says in an exclusive interview.

Garvey responded to the Travoltas’ Bahamas vacation residence on the morning of January 2, after Jett, 16, was found unconscious in a bathroom where he had apparently fallen and hit his head.

“They were actually in the hallway [of the residence].

They already moved him out, [to] get him more set for the duration of the CPR,” Garvey tells Radaronline.com.

The EMTs wanted the Travolta family to follow the ambulance, says Garvey, but the parents insisted on riding with their son.

Click here to see the exclusive interview from Radaronline.com.

“He [John] was holding his hand, saying”Come on baby, come on Jett,” Garvey said. “They were more distraught, you know, getting him there, ‘how far is the hospital? How far?, how long is it now?’ And I said “We’ll be there in about 5 to 7 minutes.’”

John Travolta’s 16-Year Old Son Dies

Garvey was unaware for some time that it was John Travolta he was speaking with, as the actor has his hair dyed and cut short.

“I still didn’t know who I was talking to,” Garvey said. “It was a shock to me.”

Garvey said Jett has suffered an apparent hematoma, adding that there was not a lot of blood involved, though some was coming from his nose and mouth.

During the harrowing ride, Garvey said Travolta tapped him on the shoulder and said “Good job, good job.”

Jett was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

“We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” read a statement posted Sunday on Travolta’s Web site. “Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered.”

The statement continued, “We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. It has meant so much to us. It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future.”

body language

is so hard to read lor

i m totally mis-guided

mi is no mind reader so continues to fret

skinned elbows

i felt a sharp pain first on my left elbow and subsequently on my rite elbow as i drank and chatted at ecp last nite

the lighting was quite dark but i was quite sure my elbows were skinned

true enuff, both my elbows lost some skin…omg, wat happened? i dun rem myself rubbing my elbows on the table top though i was resting both my elbows on the table

等到了

ok, i didn’t haf to wait as long as u asked for

i haf started waiting again

afraid

i m afraid of myself sometimes.

ah bao, we need to tok, i tink mi is hopeless

lusting after the moon is reli hopeless lor

2008

is finally over!

it’s been an eventful yr full of unfortunate happenings. 2009 will b a better yr, for sure!

jan – looking back at my old entries. i realised tat i actualli wrote 此地不宜久留 in jan! gosh…how come i didn’t realise tat subconsciously mi wants to leave liao!

feb – my first time driving such a long distance in a foreign land from coolum to gold coast via brisbane. and wif no backup drivers and juz driving instructions i got from google and a map from the resort. i finally believe tat i can if i want to

mar – fell in luv wif shg. i can live there! i luv visiting china and i tink china is fantastic to haf such 好山好水。 i enjoyed the interaction wif the ppl there too. reli enjoyed tis trip in terms of sights and sounds. and shopping was great! also learnt tat i m not as easy going as i thot. muz reli consider travel mates carefully in future

apr - watched WWRY wif my buddies! nice! thanx SY for recommending we watch tis. wat r we watching for 2009?

watched The Rebel during SIFF. tis show is great! as long as i catch at least one fantastic show during SIFF, mi is happy liao. somemore i watched so few shows tis yr

may – on may 12, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake happened, killing tens of thousands of ppl in sichuan. many kids were killed as their sch crumpled due to inferior structure and families destroyed overnite/

i revisited the beautiful beaches and mountains of vietnam and spent my bday catching lalas wif mum, lj and kiddos on a beach.

jun – i worked very hard, fell sick and made the most impt decision in my working life

jul – i drew lotsa flowers on my calendar as i awaited eagerly for news. karen launched project peach blossom

aug - on aug 6, 2008 Summer Olympic Games was hosted by china and concluded as a great success. i m proud to b chinese!

i left my job of 11 and a half yrs for greener pastures

sep - i moved to my current job after our short break to disney in hk

on sep 15, lehman bros folded which set off a domino effect GLOBALLY. suddenly, the world seems headed for the Greater Depression and countries start to go into recession. the us subprime crisis which started a yr back suddenly created a huge huge ripple effect tat almost bankrupt ALL the banks

central banks ard the world start to take drastic measures to save banks

i get busier at work wif containment actions kicking into motion too

oct – i attended my first townhall in new company wif mixed feelings. i m excited to b back in risk at such an exciting time and glad i made the rite choice in company too

救市方案 is passed in US or is it 救世方案 as it sounds to mi

i watched mamma mia the movie twice! and it’s juz as nice the 2nd time

nov - i had to go solo and survived 2 wks wifout SP. phew!

terrorist attack in mumbai. 2 hotels went under seige and a 26 yr old lawyer became the first singaporean to b killed in a terrorist attack

bbk airport is closed by protestors and tourists r stranded for days

the global financial crisis continues

dec – on the last day of the yr, a fire broke out at a club in bkk and killed another singaporean

New Year inferno at Bangkok nightclub kills at least 58

mum said tis when she saw the news. 2008 is really a bad yr, till the very last day!

1 Jan 2009

Police forensic investigators sifted through the charred remains of an upscale Bangkok nightclub Thursday, seeking clues to a blaze that killed 58 revellers ringing in the New Year and injured 243.

Relatives and friends gathered at Bangkok hospitals and outside the popular nightspot desperate for news of loved ones lost or injured in the inferno that gutted the two-storey building.

Police said a Singaporean national was killed and scores of other foreigners — some from Australia, France, Japan and Britain — were hospitalised.

The blaze apparently broke out after a firework display at the Santika club in the Thai capital’s Ekkamai district, a thronging entertainment hub which is frequented by locals and tourists.

“Police are investigating the incident. It should not take more than two weeks from now to get the result and find the cause of the blaze,” said Police General Jongrak Jutanont, deputy national police commissioner.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Prawit Kantwol earlier told AFP that the likely cause was a pyrotechnics show that accompanied the band.

“Most of the victims died from suffocation, but some were also killed in a stampede when people were trying to get out,” he added.

About 100 people gathered outside the cordoned-off nightclub, an AFP correspondent said, while inside abandoned shoes and broken bottles littered the floor, testament to the panic inside hours earlier.

“I heard that the electricity went out, so they couldn’t find the exit signs to get out,” said Ash Sutton from Australia, who was awaiting news of a friend.

“It’s horrible, horrible… I couldn’t understand why so many people were killed. They must have been trapped upstairs.”

The Nation newspaper’s website quoted a survivor as saying that the fireworks set the ceiling alight.

“At first, I thought it was an effect, which looked like (the) real thing. Then, someone shouted ‘fire, fire’ and panic broke out and people ran for their life,” said the woman named as Fah.

Jongrak told AFP the nightclub was certified by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, but said they were still looking into the safety standards.

Police officials said at least 58 people were so far confirmed dead.

A Bangkok emergency services official said 243 people including 29 foreigners had been injured and had been rushed to 19 hospitals across the capital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said four Japanese nationals were injured, one seriously.

A spokeswoman from Britain’s Foreign Office said that at least four Britons were hurt in the blaze, while the French foreign ministry said two of its nationals were wounded.

The emergency services official said citizens of Australia, Switzerland and Finland were also injured.

Almost all the dead were on the ground floor, where the stage was located. Thai television showed fireman counting bodies swaddled in white cloth, as rescuers helped bloodied and bandaged revellers.

The club, popular with Bangkok’s elite, has a capacity of 1,000 people but it was not clear how many were in there at the time of the blaze.

Fire brigade officials said the death toll was high because there were few exits and the windows on the upper floors had iron bars across them. Some victims were trapped in the basement of the club.

“There was only one main way to get out from the front. People who worked there were able to escape from the back because they knew the exits, but the others had no chance,” senior fireman Wacharatpong Sri-Saard said.

Police said the fire broke out between midnight and 1:00am, shortly after revellers had celebrated the coming of the New Year.

The fire was the latest in a series of deadly blazes at nightclubs around the world in recent years.

In 2003 a pyrotechnics display during a concert at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island in the United States set off a blaze that killed 100 people.

3 blasts in India’s northeast leave 2 dead

Scary!

1 Jan 2009

Police say three bombs have exploded in India’s restive northeast, killing at least two people and wounding 16 others.

The blasts went off Thursday in crowded areas of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, which saw a deadly series of explosions kill 77 people and wound hundreds in four towns in October.

Senior police official P. Saloi says authorities suspect the militant separatist group the United Liberation Front of Asom of being behind the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility.

India’s northeast is beset by dozens of conflicts and an array of rebel groups. More than 10,000 people have died in separatist violence over the past decade.

NASA describes final moments of Columbia tragedy

1 Jan 2009

The crew of the doomed shuttle Columbia was violently spun around in the cabin as the spacecraft disintegrated on reentry, according to NASA’s final report on the 2003 tragedy that includes safety recommendations.

The 400-page report took four years to complete and its conclusions will be used in configuring the future Orion spacecraft that will eventually replace the US space agency’s current fleet of three shuttles due to be retired in 2010.

In a highly detailed description of Columbia’s final moments, the report said the seven astronauts were unaware their reentry was compromised. The pilot tried to take control of the shuttle ignoring that his efforts would be in vain, as Columbia exploded over Texas on February 1, 2003.

Things happened so fast that none of the crew, including an Israeli astronaut, were able to close the visor of their helmets — one astronaut was not even wearing one, the report said.

“Pilot in seat 2 takes action in apparent attempt to restart auxiliary power unit (APU) 2 and 3. With the loss of hydraulic pressure … These actions took place … after GMT 14:00:05 … and prior to loss of consciousness,” it added.

“There were a number of alarms going off simultaneously. The crew was trying very hard to regain control. We’re talking about a brief time in a crisis situation,” NASA deputy associate administrator Wayne Hale said on a media conference call.

Columbia blew apart some 20,000 meters (65,500 feet) above the Earth as it was returning from a 16-day space mission to land in Florida.

A chunk of insulation that broke off from the shuttle’s external fuel tank during takeoff gouged Columbia’s left wing heat shield, allowing superheated gases to melt the shuttle’s internal structure, leading to its explosion.

In the report, investigators admitted they could not clearly determine whether the astronauts were dead or unconscious due to the sudden decompression of the cabin just before the shuttle lost control upon reentry.

The report said “the seat inertial reel mechanisms on the crews’ shoulder harnesses did not lock…. As a result, the unconscious or deceased crew was exposed to cyclical rotational motion while restrained only at the lower body.

“Crew helmets do not conform to the head. Consequently, lethal trauma occurred to the unconscious or deceased crew due to the lack of upper body support and restraint.”

“Crew survival suits should be evaluated as an integrated system to determine the various weak points — thermal, pressure, windblast, chemical exposure,” the report recommended.

“Alternatives should be explored to strengthen the weak areas.”

Hale said the new suits that will be used in Orion spacecraft “would not have that problem, so the crew can be completely encapsulated at all the critical times.”

It was not a problem with the Columbia crew, he said, adding: “it is a basic problem of suit design … and that we intend to fix in the future.”

The Orion is a component of Constellation, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration program that includes new launch vehicles for future missions to the moon and Mars. It is scheduled to replace the shuttle fleet in 2014.

Hale said the integrated system recommended in the report would not have saved the Columbia crew from its fate, since the entire shuttle desintegrated.

The report also recommended that the parachutes shuttle crews wear during takeoff and descent should deploy automatically. Currently the parachutes deploy manually.

NASA’s fleet of three remaining shuttles was grounded for two years after the Columbia disaster. The shuttle’s safety features were improved and rigorous inspection procedures of the thermal shield when the shuttle is airborne were adopted.

The Columbia tragedy was the second shuttle accident since the program was launched in 1981. On January 28, 1986 the Challenger shuttle blew up 73 seconds after liftoff, killing seven astronauts on board.

The remaining shuttles — Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour — are due to make eight more flights to the orbiting International Space Station to finish construction and carry out the last maintenance mission on the Hubble Space Telescope.

The fleet is due to be decommissioned in 2010, after 30 years of service.