FYI: "Best" Animal Dads

Source: National Geographic on FATHER'S DAY PICTURES: 'Best' Animal Dads.
June 18, 2009--Father's Day, which falls this year on Sunday, June 21, annually honors committed human dads. But seahorse fathers (above, a newborn hitches a ride on dad's tail) might just blow those proud papas out of the water.

Seahorses are a type of fish in which the males actually get "pregnant." The female seahorse deposits her eggs in the male's specialized pouch, and the male carries up to 2,000 babies during its 10- to 25-day pregnancy.

"They're fascinating males have more or less become females, [almost] transgendered," said Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading in the U.K. "They're devoted fathers."

In general throughout the animal kingdom, males leave parenting to the females, because males have more chances to reproduce and so can create many more offspring, Pagel said.

Pagel calls this a "cruel bind [that] often favors men"--as soon as the female gets pregnant, the male just runs off.

U.S. comedian Chris Rock has said that "a man is only as faithful as his options," he noted, and "that's exactly what happens with animals."

But there are exceptions, and "what's wonderful," he said, "is that the range goes all the way from males that simply provide sperm that are never seen or heard from again through to seahorses, where females just provide eggs and are never seen or heard from again."

--Christine Dell'Amore
—Photograph by Paul Zahl, NGS Image Collection

FYI: Polar Bear Cub Finds Comfort

Source: National Geographic on Animals.

FYI: Swine Flu - Does This Child Hold The Key?

Source: TODAY Online, 29-Apr-2009 (morning edition)

Music: Imeem - Can't Embed Playlist Anymore

I used to embed my Imeem playlist in this blog... but as of today I realize that all the songs can only play 30 seconds... After further checking, I found out that Imeem has imposed new restriction so the full song can only be played within Imeem website, no more allowed in embedded form... well, it probably due to copyright issue... so sad... but as long as it can be played fully in Imeem website, no problem...

Hmm... now I only have Grooveshark playlist that still can be embedded in my blog... so, no choice, I need to create similar Heavy Slow Rock playlist and embed it here...

Korean Drama: Han Ji Min

Last night, I just finished one of the latest Korean Drama, Cain and Abel, a 2009 production.

Well, it is not much different to typical Korean Drama, never far from story about love triangle, old time scandal, hate, evil mind, and fight among family for inheritance, control of family business, etc. The interesting part only the beginning part, roughly a quarter of the story, quite full of action with most of the story took place in China. I won't write about the story here because there are already many websites you can go and read about it, e.g. koreandrama.org

I would prefer write about the main actor & actress of this drama. Honestly among them, I think So Ji-Seob is the main attractiveness of this drama, name that can be sold to wider audience since he is one of the popular Korean actor. But, I won't write about him, I will write about the main actress, Han Ji Min, instead.

Since her appearance as supporting actress in Jewel In The Palace (a.k.a Dae Jang Geum), I know Han Ji Min has future and will have good career in Korean Drama industry... she is pretty, cute, and adorable. Since then, she has acted in several dramas, among them, the ones those I have watched are Resurrection and several first episodes of Capital Scandal. But, those didn't impressed me much... it's only in Cain and Abel, she acted quite well and gel into the character. She seriously learned North Korean accent and also Mandarin language for this drama and finally, yes, she looks prettier and cuter... he he he...

Here are some of her pictures that I found after googling her name and then edit them a bit. Very cute...

FYI: Red-tailed Hawk Chicks

Source: BBC News - Day In Pictures

Life: Facebook, Y!Messenger, and Life Goes On

I didn't write that much in this Blog this year... blame it to Facebook & Y!Messenger... ha ha ha... my daily life full with this addictive social networking activities, thanks to robust and affordable Singapore internet infrastructure.

It was a busy social networking life since last quarter of last year. Since my involvement in Facebook, almost everyday full of surprises met, chatted, shared stories & photos with old friends... my university friends, highschool friends... then even my junior high school and elementary school friends... What a power of social networking!

It is also become my productive period of my poetry writing ever! I'm very happy and delighted with my friends' comments and responses... which in turn make me want to write poetry even more... thanks to those experiences and memories of my 40 years of life...

Since Facebook messenger is not powerful enough, can't even do conference, then Y!Messenger became the needed additional communication tool. In Indonesia, Y!Messenger is more popular than MSN Messenger, so I use it to communicate with my high school friends.

Facebook nowadays has become a must have tool to open the door to old days life. Indonesia has become a major source of growth of Facebook in Asia, it grows so fast... friends to friends... colleagues to colleagues... family members to family members... even BlackBerry become so popular handphone in Indonesia, its sales grows suprisingly 400% last year... which I believe this social networking addiction is one of the affecting factor.

After the busy 6 months of facebooking... it seems that things get cooling... the activities and communications were not as often before... probably some get boring, found it less and less fun, no more story to tell, back to daily life activities, and might also realize how costly their internet cost has become!

I feel that way too... especially since Facebook update its interface and remove the live feed feature which, in my view, one of the most exciting feature of Facebook... it becomes less fun... I really miss monitoring my friends activities where I be able to instantly react and response almost instantly to any interesting development... all now become so static and boring.

Well... here I am... back to my daily life, my pre-facebook activities... yeah... life goes on with or without social networking.

FYI: Touch Book - A New Interesting Gadget

Can't find new, innovative, and interesting gadget @ IT Show, I open my Firefox browser and googled 'tablet netbook'... hmm... I found an interesting new gadget called Touch Book from a company called Always Innovating. More or less this gadget is like something that I dream of, something that I can always bring along (means small and light), can use it while standing in packed MRT, works like normal PC - enough to be used for internet browsing and social networking (Facebook & Messenger), and long lasting battery life.



The interesting about this Touch Book is that it works as both a netbook and a standalone tablet thanks to a detachable keyboard and a 3D touchscreen user interface. The Touch Book uses an innovative ARM processor from Texas Instruments that delivers the power of a traditional desktop computer but uses a fraction of the energy, resulted in 10-15 hours of battery life. Like a cellphone, it is always-on, so there is no need to reboot each time. And without noisy fans and disk drives, it's completely silent, so it won't intrude on your inner space.

Touch Book specifications:
* 9.4" x 7" x 1.4" for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
* ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
* 1024x600 8.9'' screen
* Storage: 8GB micro SD card
* Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
* 3-dimensional accelerometer
* Speakers, micro and headphone
* 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
* 10h to 15 hours of battery life

What Operating System will it used? Well, the company claims that since everything’s Open Source, the following OS can be installed: Google Android, Ubuntu, Angstrom and Windows CE (not recommend)... sorry, no Windows XP/Vista for this device.

This new gadget to be launched in Q3 of 2009. How much will it cost? The tablet version will cost US$299 and the netbook version will cost US$399... quite affordable.
Hmm... couldn't wait... will it be featured in next IT Show? Hopefully...

Read in detail about this interesting gadget here or in its website.

Or, see its demo video below:

Life: A Visit to IT Show @ Suntec

What would be an IT Show in the middle of World's so-called 'Financial Crisis'? It was still crowded and people still willing to queue to buy products!! Well... it still looks promising... but need to see the real transaction figure before making judgement on consumer spending.


I went to the IT Show @ Suntec this afternoon... as usual... traffic jam (but don't care because I took bus to go there) and very crowded with spectators and bargain hunters... I thought it will be very packed exhibition hall and very difficult to move... but actually once I was inside, there was still space to move around quite smoothly.

What was new and innovative gadget? Nothing! There was no new gadget that attract my attention... everywhere were netbooks and notebooks... less and less desktop PC... then LCD TV price is getting cheaper and cheaper... imagine, a 47" Palladine LCD TV Full HD went for SGD 1,299!! very attractive price considering I bought my Sony 32" LCD TV for SGD 2,499 3-and-half years ago... wish all well-known brand LCD TV to fall to that level of price within this year... ha ha ha... dream on it!!

I was there, roaming on Level 4 and then Level 6, until 7pm... roughly 2 hours before I decided to go home, quite boring and tired...

FYI: African Lion Cubs Bare Their Teeth

Source: National Geographic on Week In Photos.

Sports: Nadal Needs One More Grandslam Title To Make It Perfect

Last Sunday, it was another glory for Rafael Nadal and a tearful night for Roger Federer... after another tight 5 sets game between the two nemesis, 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 in Australian Open final. It was a hard fight by Nadal to win 1st & 3rd set while it seems so easy for Federer to claim 2nd & 4th set, but the last set was really went to Nadal way.

Came to this Final after his 5 sets game, in 5 hours and 14 minutes, against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco, many predicted Nadal will face tiredness while 2-days break for Federer gave him a better chance to win his 14th Grandslam Title... but in the end, it was not the case.

Probably because of he felt quite confidence enough to win the title after his much more better performance than his last year, Roger Federer got so upset and emotional that he downed with tears. It seems this is the first time the world saw him cried like that so it became big news the next day rather than Nadal's glory.

But Nadal, as my wife said, probably should be thankful to Verdasco, regardless that 5 sets tiring semifinal, because he defeated Andy Murray (who defeated Nadal in their latest match) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who defeated Nadal in Australian Open last year), Nadal's potential threat, on his way to semifinal.

With 3 different Grandslam titles in his pocket, Nadal need one more title, US Open, to make his tennis career perfect since not many players be able to bag those 4 different Grandslam tittle, not even Roger Federer who eventhough have 13 Grandslam titles in his pocket - one more short of Pete Sampras record, a great achievement as a tennis player - still not perfect without French Open, where he still failed in Nadal's hand.

Go... go... go Rafael Nadal... chase that US Open title...

Japanese Drama: Innocent Love

I just finished watching this nice J-Drama titled "Innocent Love". Great story... and later I found out, after searched for information of this drama, that it has the same writer as "Last Friends", a J-Drama I have watched before and wrote about it in this blog. In my view, while "Last Friends" emphasizes heavily of each person's psychological state, "Innocent Love" more emphasizes on the greatness of love. At least there is something that I can learn from this drama.

The guy, Nagasaki Junya (performed by Kitagawa Yujin), shows his great love to his bride-to-be, who tried committed suicide but failed and become paralyzed, by keeping at her side for so many years with so much patience (eventhough at his lowest state of emotion, he blame God for what happening...). But, alas... even a great love doesn't guarantee that he can find happiness with her since she was actually in love with his other close friend who actually a gay and in love with him... what a mess and complicated...

The girl, Akiyama Kanon (performed by Horikita Maki), experiences the toughness of life after she lost her parents in an arson and her big brother was convicted of murdering the parents... She has to move from town to town to find job for a living but the dark shadow follows her wherever she go... and worse, she was a victim of sexual abuse by her own father!... what a difficult, traumatic, and psychological-exhausted of life... until she met the guy and learn how great his love is (to his paralyzed bride-to-be) and, in the end, she falls in love with him... But, she shows another kind of greatness of love... be able to let her love one go if that meant for his happiness... A great love sometimes need a sacrifying, not merely possessive.

It has nice and touching ending though... so quite entertaining...

The lead actress, Horikita Maki, has very teenager look.... she has cute smile (at least in my eyes)... but sorry... still much less pretty than Masami Nagasawa, my favorite... ha ha ha.

One of Horikita Maki picture:


The theme song is also very nice, "Eternally" by Utada Hikaru.

Herewith Innocent Love MV:

FYI: Carnivorous Sea Squirt

Source: National Geographic on Photos Galleries.

FYI: A Day Old White African Lion

Source: National Geographic on Week In Photos.

FYI: New Year Wish-Tree in Shanghai

Source: BBC News - Day In Pictures

Life: What Year 2008 Meant To Me? (A Flashback & Introspect)

It just simply another year passed by with some memories go along with it...

It started as a nice year to step in... where I finally settled a HDB flat that I call home at the right time as property 'boom' has arrived and sense of rush occupied home-seekers... and economy was riding high with skyrocket hope and wide opportunity to do any kind of job or business... but in the end, still in the same year, it's all suddenly gone in the wind... bear has come to chase the bull away!

It's a year of seeing coworkers come and go (I always jokingly call them 'graduate'...), cause they were seeking or even offered better opportunity... and what I can do was just be a good observer! And, gain a 'privilege' of being a 'senior' by natural...

It's a year to witness once again the basic characteristic of human: GREEDY. Obviously shown in property bubbled & crash, stock market bubbled & burst, commodity prices speculated & crash, big & then-prominent names went bankrupt or gone-in-24-hours cause they were acquired or merged just because they were chasing after inflated paper money which suddenly become worthless and turn to junk.

It's a year where I watch CNBC much more than any other channel on my cable tv network.

It's a year where my dream to be able to surf internet unlimited everywhere came true with my free Starhub MaxMobile subscription (bundled with my Starhub MaxOnline Plus package) and it's a year where I start bring two PDAPhone with me, one for making calls and the other one dedicated for surfing internet & read online news. Looks greedy but that's the way it should be, because of separate SIM card... silly huh!

It's a year when I think I stepped into, what people said, 'mid-life crisis' (one of my friend had ever sent me an article about it, especially for IT guys, it will come earlier) - a period of life where we stand on the crossroad, accept what and who we are today, and starts thinking what step to be made understanding no-way-back and no-start-all-over opportunity anymore. Still thinking how to pass this period successfully...

It's a year where Facebook finally hooked me to the sticky web of social networking... Because of it, I start feel missing my high school friends, university friends, and previous companies' coworkers... one-by-one I met them online (it such an exciting & challenging activities to search and locate old friends), sharing old & new pictures, sharing old & nostalgic stories, getting & posting funny comments, call each other with our old nickname with no hard feeling... it's so much fun! Ah... think this is what will happen when one getting older... ha ha ha.

It's a year where I laughed by myself like a crazy guy in Terminal 3 Changi Airport, waiting for my wife's flight, while chatting online with old high school friends sharing nostalgic & funny stories... all because of Facebook... sharks!

It's a year where I am still serving my long term and short term loans... well, this is the way of living in expensive Singapore!

It's a year where I quite actively write my blog like never before.

It's a year where I watched so many Korean and Japanese drama and movie online, much much more than I watched in previous years... thanks to broadband internet and those people who diligently upload and maintain it online.

It's a year which I want to thank for all kind of memories that make my life even more colorful and memorable...

Goodbye 2008...

Life: X'mas 2008 & Me

For a 7 years in a row, I celebrated X'mas in Singapore... it's still a Dreamin' of A White X'mas to celebrate it outside this tiny island... hopefully in the years to come if the financial crisis isn't getting worse!

As usual, year by year, X'mas in Singapore is indeed X'mas along the Orchard Road: Giant X'mas trees in Paragon and Takashimaya (Ngee Ann City), still centre of attraction, and full of colorful lightings and X'mas ornaments on the buildings and road's trees. This year seems the celebration still as cheerful as last year eventhough the financial crisis starts showing its claws, probably because it is still early and the impact is not felt that much yet... so as usual, Orchard Road still full with the tourists from neighbor countries.



For 2 days of X'mas (25 & 26 Dec), I just roamed along the Orchard Road area with my wife to take some pictures of us to put them in our 2008 X'mas album and upload some to my Facebook. The rest of the days just stay @ home to rest and recharge to be ready for a more challenging year of 2009.

Life: Japanese Cuisine, Koh-San = Sumo

Refer to my previous posted blog where I mentioned that I went to Lot 1 Choa Chu Kang (CCK) and found out my fave food stall, a japanese cuisine, no more there... well I finally found it again last Sunday but under different name: Koh-San Japanese Cuisine (in CCK it called Sumo Japanese Cuisine).



It's a quite interesting how I found it... backed to couple weeks ago when I was windows shopping @ Compasspoint Mall, someone pat my shoulder and when I saw him I forgot who he was... but later he reminded me that he used to work @ CCK's Sumo Japanese Cuisine... what a coincidence because since I found out Sumo has closed down, I'm still wondering whether it has opened in another place or not. He then told me that one of the chef now working @ Koh-San at Koufu Toa Payoh HDB Hub... so there I went last Sunday to taste back the original sashimi which stimulate my taste bud on raw fish, specifically raw salmon!

Below is fave meal, Sashimi Set Meal (picture), which I order regularly everytime I eat there... the set comes with tuna but I always ask to change it with more salmon. But quite sad now, the slices getting smaller and thinner... sigh! Singapore increasing rental cost eating my salmon! Well, but at least, it still fresher and the taste just nice for me.


This is the complete set meal menu:


And, this is the familiar Sumo ornament...


Well... interested to try (especially if you are boring with long queue or taste of Sakae Sushi)? Just take MRT to Toa Payoh then go to HDB Hub 2nd floor, Koufu Food Court, stall 1.

FYI: EPL Managers Funny Picture

Source: Thesun.co.uk article
From left to right: ... Rafa Benitez (Liverpool's Manager) as Cinderella with Alex Ferguson (Manchester United's Manager) and Phil Scolari (Chelsea's Manager) as the Ugly Sisters.

Quoted from The Sun: "Liverpool are top of the tree going into the panto season. But the Ugly Sisters of Chelsea and Manchester United are right behind you, Rafa. "

Very funny and creative... Ha3x lol...

Life: Me & Facebook

Social Networking is the 'in' word nowadays... but it has been existed, up to certain level, since email gains its popularity. Mailing list or group connecting and allowing groups of email addresses interact each other... then comes the Messenger (Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) which allows peoples communicate online in real time using it's chat facility.

The more complete social networking tools gain popularity, in Asia particularly, through Friendster, and then Facebook.

Well, for myself, I started it with mailing groups... be a member of my ex-university and ex-workplace mailing lists... but then its cooling down because less and less member posted message there.

I never been that active using Messenger eventhough I have both Yahoo! and MSN Messenger account, just use it as and when, mostly to communicate with family members or talk free online instead of using expensive overseas phone call.

Then for social networking, despite its popularity, I never join Friendster just because I don't feel 'fit' into it.... well, this is what called 'positioning' and 'target market' term in Marketing. In my own perception, the name Friendster fit into young age target market (yeah... this is a confession that I am 'old' already... ha3x), that's why most of Friendster members are children, teenagers and young adults. Since I don't have Friendster account, I can't write that much about it... but, to share, I didn't like its look and interface that much... well, probably because I am quite particular on this issue.

Then here comes Facebook. It was started as social networking portal for Harvard University students before it is open up to the world. It is the gains popularity in faster pace than Friendster and more and more Friendster member migrating to Facebook.
As I feel 'fit' into its target market (well, again... this is just my own perception...), I then started my journey in social networking in Facebook... and found it's really fun, and its complete, neat, and well structured features hooked me... so I decided to start building my friends network there... my old high school friends, my previous workplaces friends, and my current workplace friends.

It's quite challenging finding old friends, especially my high school classmates, because it has been 23 years ago and lost contact with them for quite long. But, I managed to get them one by one... it just a matter of time to have most of them since not all of them use computer and know how to use computer. Sharing old memories, old & new photos, and life journey of the last 23 years really exciting and fun, some even make me laugh-out-loud!

Hopefully Facebook will last long enough so I can still link up and maintain this friends networking till I much older and getting lonelier... I am quite optimistic because internet is the future and the computer getting cheaper, smaller, lighter, and easy-to-use... Don't surprise if one day most of the people on the street actively carrying small gadget to do social networking everywhere... Well, this is my vision! ha3x...

Sports: 2008 is Great Year for Spanish Sportsmen

Surely 2008 is a great year for Spanish sportsmen. A stream of success in several sports events mark the overall success.

It started with Rafael Nadal who became the new world number one tennis player, ending Roger Federer run of 237 weeks top of ATP ranking, after he won 8 titles this season, includes Wimbledon trophy (after an epic battle with Federer) and the first Spanish to win Olympic tennis gold medal.

Then cyclist Carlos Sastre won the prestigious Tour de France.

Followed by the success of Spain Soccer Team who won Euro 2008 after beating Germany 1-0 with David Villa (didn't play in final) as top scorer of the tournament.

And this week, the Spain Tennis Team won the prestigious Davis Cup trophy after beating Argentina in final eventhough Rafael Nadal was not part of the team due to knee injury.

Bravo Matadors!

FYI: Alien-like Squid Seen at Deep Drilling Site

Source: National Geographic Photos

Life: News Channel & My Favorite Newscaster

News channel will always be my favorite because this is one way to keep myself up with the latest world news and gain the important knowledge.

During my time in Indonesia, TVRI's "Dunia Dalam Berita" (read: World in News) and SCTV's "Liputan 6" (read: News Coverage @ 6pm) were my favorite news program.
After moving to Singapore, Channel NewsAsia was the news channel that I almost everyday watched before I then stay tune to CNBC channel.

The on-time and quality of the news is the major factor when selecting which news channel to be watched, and the other factor is the newscaster.

Among the Asian news channels, the born of Channel NewsAsia (CNA) gave a fresh competition since it seems trying to compete with the established CNN.
One of CNA's landmark was the coverage of the "tumble" of the twin tower on 911 terrorist attack in USA soil. I watched it live on CNA during that night of tragedy.

CNA's newscaster, Glenda Chong (left), is my favorite. She spells each English word clearly so I can follow and understanding the news... considering my earlier years in Singapore with not-so-English-familiar-ears.
Read her profile in CNA, she graduated summa cum laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism... wow!
She is an award-winning presenter. In 2001, she received an award for Best News Anchor at the Asian Television Awards.
She is now CNA's Shanghai Correspondent.

My other favorite newscaster is CNBC's Erin Burnett (right). She is pretty and indeed a good newscaster. She is one of the alumni of Citigroup Vice President "academy" - in my view, some kind of guarantee quality source of employee, as it also happens to Indonesia's Citibank VPs.
Well, I believe it is one of CNBC's marketing strategy to recruit pretty-cum-capable female newscaster to boost its rating among the news channels.

In the end, it is the viewer who get the utmost benefit... listen to fresh news and watch it with fresh eyes...

FYI: 3G on the MRT - In Operation Now

For the past week, I had great experience surfing the net using my Samsung Omnia with my unlimited StarHub MaxMobile (which comes with my MaxOnline Plus subscription) along the NEL MRT track.

Yes! 3G on NEL MRT track (at least from Dhoby Ghaut to Sengkang - my daily journey) is on full operation already! So, riding on the packed MRT during peak hours won't feel that long anymore since I fully concentrated on my surfing... ha ha ha.

And, the other great thing is Skype can be used seamlessly in Omnia to make Skype-to-Skype free phone calls - have tested that last night. So, this means: unlimited-internet-mobile-subscription + Skype = (virtually) free internet phone calls anywhere!

Japanese Drama: Masami Nagasawa - A Bit More About Her

I've mentioned about this Japanese Actress in my previous posting after I saw her two award-winning drama: Proposal Daisakusen (Operation Love) and Last Friends. Afterward, I watched two more: Yasashii Jikan (Affectionate Time - as one of supporting actress) and Nada Sou Sou (Stream of Tears - as lead actress).

Masami Nagasawa enter the entertainment business in year 2000 after winning the 5th Toho "Cinderella" Contest at the age of 12, the youngest winner ever. Over the years she has gained popularity through involvement in some good and award winning movies and dramas.

She was ranked 9th in 2007 Most Influential People In Japan according to magazine Flash. She is the only female on the top 10 ranking. This shows how popular she is.

She is pretty, cute, and adorable. Herewith I posted some more of her pictures I found after 'google' it.

Her cute teenager look:


Her matured & elegant look:


Her sexy look:


Her melancholic look:


Look so different here:


Ahh.. that smile...:

Life: Tintin & Snowy - My All Time Favorite Comic

Herge's Adventures of Tintin will always be my all time favorite comic. I never get boring reading them over and over again... because the story so adventurous, interesting and funny. Its wide range of story in many countries - tap into each country's culture and described it in a creative and funny way - made me feels like traveling around the world and get to know more about them. As a young children when I first time read the comic, it was like learning to know how the world is... a valuable additional knowledge.

Among all the characters in the comic, I like the cute Snowy, Tintin's loyal and smart dog. Its comments, action, and expression are fresh and funny.

The following pictures were taken from Tintin's The Black Island comic:

Look at its funny face riding on the car's rear bumper when it follows Tintin who was being kidnapped.

The second picture was its contradict fear expression of just a tiny ants after being able to scared even a much bigger and fierce gorilla...

And, the third picture was its behavior when got drunk after accidentally tap on whiskey drops on the train - it later on became addicted to whiskey! - and then got scolded by Tintin due to its drinking habit...

FYI: Persian Leopard Cub

Source: National Geographic on Animal Photos Weekly.

Life: I Share One of My Important Day with Hungarians

If I were lived in Hungaria, I will always celebrate my birthday on holiday every year because this date is a national holiday there, a Hungarian Revolution day. Hungarian Revolution was happened 10 years before I were delivered to this world, and ever since I knew about it I never forget about it because it always pop up in my mind on my birthday.

Herewith description of Hungarian Revolution of 1956 as I copied from Wikipedia:

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (Hungarian: 1956-os forradalom) was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the Stalinist government of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. It began as a student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building. A student delegation entering the radio building in an attempt to broadcast its demands was detained. When the delegation's release was demanded by the demonstrators outside, they were fired upon by the State Security Police (ÁVH) from within the building. The news spread quickly and disorder and violence erupted throughout the capital.

The revolt spread quickly across Hungary, and the government fell. Thousands organized into militias, battling the State Security Police (ÁVH) and Soviet troops. Pro-Soviet communists and ÁVH members were often executed or imprisoned, as former prisoners were released and armed. Impromptu councils wrested municipal control from the Communist Party, and demanded political changes. The new government formally disbanded the ÁVH, declared its intention to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and pledged to re-establish free elections. By the end of October, fighting had almost stopped and a sense of normality began to return.

After announcing a willingness to negotiate a withdrawal of Soviet forces, the Politburo changed its mind and moved to crush the revolution. On 4 November, a large Soviet force invaded Budapest and other regions of the country. Hungarian resistance continued until 10 November. An estimated 2,500 Hungarians died, and 200,000 more fled as refugees. Mass arrests and denunciations continued for months thereafter. By January 1957, the new Soviet-installed government had suppressed all public opposition. These Soviet actions alienated many Western Marxists, yet strengthened Soviet control over Central Europe, cultivating the perception that communism was both irreversible and monolithic.

Public discussion about this revolution was suppressed in Hungary for over 30 years, but since the thaw of the 1980s it has been a subject of intense study and debate. At the inauguration of the Third Hungarian Republic in 1989, 23 October was declared a national holiday.

FYI: 3G on the MRT

Just read an article in Computerworld Singapore October 2008 edition, that SBS Transit is upgrading its existing communications infrastructure to support a 3G wireless network along the North-East Line (NEL). The upgrading has been started and was expected to be up and running by end of this year.

Great! I took NEL everyday to go office and back home... no wonder when MRT pass the Little India Station - and only this station so far - my mobile internet connection change to '3G' indicator, instead of 'G' (for GPRS) or 'E' (for EDGE).

Japanese Drama: Proposal Daisakusen and Last Friends, with Same Actress - Masami Nagasawa

I watched two Japanese Drama which won the Television Drama Academy Award: Proposal Daisakusen (July 2007) and Last Friends (August 2008). Both have interesting storyline eventhough the second one's more interesting because the storyline quite unique and shows dark-sides of the characters and creates complicated relationship from one person to another.

Proposal Daisakusen storyline quite simple and fun. It is a story about two persons who knows each other since childhood and deep inside they love each other but too naive and don't have courage to express it to the other party. The girl ended up marrying another man and during the wedding ceremony, the fairy of the church offers the guy to travel back in time to try rectify his mistakes and try his best to win the girl's heart...
The story, episode by episode, link to certain stage of their relationship as displayed on the slides shown during the ceremony. In the end all those efforts did made some changes in their relationship but the wedding still on... And, only the guy's wedding speech in the end that moves the girl's heart... but thanks to the groom's 'big heart' to let the girl go by testing her true feeling by let her choose which of his hand holds the shirt's button... while, actually, both hands hold the button... so whichever the girl choose she was given freedom to leave...

Last Friends is a story about 3 main characters with dark childhood psychological experience:
First character: A girl who experiencing the rejection by her own mother who always express her regret giving birth to the girl - given scar in the girl's heart. She fell in love with a guy with more painful childhood because his mother left him that make bigger scar in his heart that make him so possessive, very unreasonable jealous, and turn uncontrollable violent. The girl, who decided to live together with him, experience DV (Domestic Violence).
Second character: A girl who hates being a girl! She is a tomboy and always feels like a man traps inside woman's body.... she hates her body and she hates guys! She kept the secret so tight and suffering... she indeed fall in love to the first girl and stands for her against the violent boyfriend.
Third character: A guy who experienced childhood trauma of being harassed by his half sister. So traumatic that he is falsely marked as a gay since he always been avoiding girls. But, he indeed fall in love with the second girl! He has charm and, actually, attracted girls with his matured thinking, understanding, and advices, even the first girl likes him in the end...
So, there it goes the love triangle....

The interesting part is that for both drama, same actress play the main character: Masami Nagasawa. Pretty and feminine. Well... acting wise, she is so-so, not that fantastic... But judging from in span of one year she is part of two award-winning drama, it might tell something about her... Anyway, herewith I posted two of her pretty pictures that I found by 'google' it... pretty and cute, right?