再也沒有

聖誕過得平靜。

「之後，再沒有時間、再沒有心情、再沒有機會、再沒有了，於是只好不了了之。」 

Have a great 2009!

2008 has been okie for me. I had a relatively good year.

2009 is not going to be an easy year... we are not sure how soon the economy is picking back up, until then, there will continue to be struggles.

Be good, do the right things and have a great 2009!

Shiba Inu Puppy Cam - catch all the cute pups here

Free TV : UstreamStream videos at Ustream

http://www.ustream.tv/SFShiba/videos/newest_first/1

Champions of the world

Easy like a Sunday morning, Manchester United were crowned champions of the world in Yokohama yesterday

This has been Rooney’s tournament and that much was confirmed when he was given the Golden Ball award for best player, for which he was presented with a car, although not one he would be seen dead driving. Not that Rooney is in need of modern transportation anyway, his best work, as ever, being done on Shanks’s pony and running more smoothly than any limousine. It was not just that he scored again, his third goal in the tournament despite featuring for only 108 minutes, or the sublime manner in which he did so. No, the most impressive element of Rooney’s display was the work he put in to ensure that United went global with their domination of the sport in the year 2008.

Rooney is a big-game player and while Ronaldo mugged for the cameras with his Silver Ball, awarded to the second-best player in the competition, he knows that on this occasion he was outshone. “After I’d had a shower, I looked at my phone and there was a text from a friend saying, ‘Congratulations, you’re a world champion’ and it hit me,” Rooney said. “We came to win it, and we did it.” He made it seem so simple; probably because it was."

Nice quote

“Only a life lived for others is worth living”

Year in Pictures 2008 [Times]

The border fence between the United States and Mexico stretches across the Arizona desert, part of a US project to slow illegal immigration.

In pursuit of his seventh gold medal, US Swimmer Michael Phelps (left) races Serbian Milorad Cavic in the 100M Butterfly. Phelps would push past his opponent in the final meter of the race, miraculously beating him by .01 second.

Hillary Clinton departs a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Pope Benedict's Mass at Yankee Stadium is broadcast on a television in a bar in the Bronx.

British artist Damien Hirst is elevated above his workspace in Stroud, England. In September, an auction devoted exclusively to his work earned $198 million.

Emergency workers carry a wounded man out of a collapsed building in Mianyang, China, after it was destroyed by an earthquake in May.

A house is engulfed in flames as floodwaters and crashing waves inundate beach homes on Galveston Island as Hurricane Ike approaches the Texas Gulf Coast.

A tire burns atop a truck used as a makeshift roadblock in Kisumu, Kenya, after the town had been cleared of ethnic Kikuyus by armed mobs in January.

Congolese government forces stand guard along a road in the eastern Congo during renewed fighting in November.

A video of departing President George W. Bush plays at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Barack Obama is joined by his wife Michelle and aide Valerie Jarrett, among others, as he makes his way to a victory speech St. Paul, Minnesota. The speech would be his first after clinching his party's nomination in June.

Athletes competing in the men's road cycling event race past Tiananmen Square on the first day of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Tibetan Buddhist monks are detained by Nepali police during a protest outside the Chinese consulate in Kathmandu, Nepal. Pro-Tibetain protests gathered intensity in the spring as the Beijing Summer Olympics grew near.

Women and children walk past a Shi'ite shrine in Baghdad's Karrada District. In 2008, life in many parts of Iraq regained a semblance of normality.

Technicians gather around the re-entry module holding three Chinese astronauts after its return from space. During their mission, the astronauts carried out China's first-ever spacewalk.

Parents hold portraits of their children, killed by the collapse of a primary school in the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, China.

愛情 - 婚姻 - 外遇 - 生活

柏拉圖有一天問老師蘇格拉底什麼是愛情？

蘇格拉底叫他到麥田走一次，要不回頭地走，在途中要摘一棵最大最好的麥穗，但只可以摘一次。柏拉圖覺得很容易，充滿信心地出去，誰知過了半天他仍沒有回去。
最後，他垂頭喪氣出現在老師面前訴說空手而回的原因：「很難得看見一株看似不錯的，卻不知是不是最好，不得已，因為只可以摘一次，只好放棄，再看看有沒有更好的，到發現已經走到盡頭時，才發覺手上一棵麥穗也沒有。」
這時，蘇格拉底告訴他：「那就是愛情。」


柏拉圖有一天又問老師蘇格拉底什麼是婚姻？

蘇格拉底叫他到彬樹林走一次，要不回頭地走，在途中要取一棵最好、最適合用來當聖誕樹用的樹材，但只可以取一次。
柏拉圖有了上回的教訓，充滿信心地出去，半天之後，他一身疲憊地拖了一棵看起來直挺、翠綠，卻有點稀疏的杉樹。
蘇格拉底問他：「這就是最好的樹材嗎？」
柏拉圖回答老師：「因為只可以取一棵，好不容易看見一棵看似不錯的，但又發現時間、體力已經快不夠用了，也不管是不是最好的，所以就拿回來了。」
這時，蘇格拉底告訴他：「那就是婚姻。」


柏拉圖又有一天又問老師蘇格拉底什麼是外遇？

蘇格拉底還是叫他到樹林走一次，可以來回走，在途中要取一支最好看的花。
柏拉圖又充滿信心地出去，兩個小時之後，他精神抖擻地帶回了一支顏色豔麗但稍稍焉掉的花。
蘇格拉底問他：「這就是最好的花嗎？」
柏拉圖回答老師：「我找了兩小時，發覺這是最盛開最美麗的花，但我採下帶回來的路上，它就逐漸枯萎下來。」
這時，蘇格拉底告訴他：「那就是外遇。」


又有一天又問老師蘇格拉底什麼是生活？

蘇格拉底還是叫他到樹林走一次，可以來回走，在途中要取一支最好看的花。
柏拉圖有了以前的教訓，又充滿信心地出去，過了三天三夜，他也沒有回來。蘇格拉底只好走進樹林裡去找他，最後發現柏拉圖已在樹林裡露營紮寨。
蘇格拉底問他：「你找著最好看的花麼？」
柏拉圖指著邊上的一朵花說：「這就是最好看的花嗎。」
蘇格拉底問：「為什麼不把它帶出去呢？」
柏拉圖回答老師：「我如果把它摘下來，它馬上就枯萎。即使我不摘它，它也遲早會枯。所以我趁它還盛開的時候，住在它邊上。等它凋謝的時候，再找下一朵。這已經是我找著的第二朵最好看的花。」
這時，蘇格拉底告訴他：「你已經懂得生活的真諦了。」

Mitsubishi i-EV - I hope it is available soon!

Until recently, we've regarded electric cars as something of an aside, as environmental conscience-salving oddities for those wanting to shout the loudest about their green credentials. In most cases that's meant severe compromises. But Mitsubishi will soon be launching a proper, battery powered four-seater in the UK. We've driven it, and it's not just a good electric car, but a great small car in its own right.

In the Metal

If you think you've seen the Mitsubishi i-EV before then you'd be right. The i-EV looks exactly the same as the i car upon which it's based. Okay, not exactly; the stickered up examples we tested aren't representative of the single colour un-liveried version you'll be able to buy next year, but it's the same car under the plug and cable decals. So it's a space-efficient wheel in each corner shape that's designed to fit within Japan's K-car dimension limitations. That makes for a tall but wide shape, which will seat four adults in surprising comfort.

The only visual difference between the i-EV you'll be able to buy in the showroom over its three-cylinder petrol relative are the absence of an exhaust pipe, and two filler caps - one on each side for either quick or trickle charging. Inside, it's all pretty conventional too. Look a bit closer at the automatic transmission though and there are 'Eco' and 'B' settings and the instruments contain a power usage dial in place of a conventional rev-counter.

What you get for your Money

Mitsubishi has created a city car that's fully crash tested and can seat four in comfort. There's some luggage room too; indeed Mitsubishi's packaging of the i-EV is very clever. The batteries sit under the floor and the inverter, motor and other electrical gubbins are positioned around the back axle. It is a hugely space efficient bit of packaging that demonstrates both the cleverness of the standard i car's layout and how far ahead of the competition Mitsubishi is with its electric car.

The money bit remains something of a sticking point though. It might only cost 45 pence to charge the i-EV's battery overnight but it is prohibitively expensive to buy for all but the wealthiest environmentally aware drivers. Like all new technology the i-EV will become cheaper as numbers produced increase, but the first 200 or so that are coming to the UK will be out of reach for most. Mitsubishi hasn't put a sticker price on it yet and leasing is currently the likeliest option to ownership. Individuals - or more likely companies - would pay around £750 a month for the privilege of being an early adopter of Mitsubishi's green machine.

Driving it

Mitsubishi specifically points out that the i-EV is meant to be a town car. That explains its paltry sounding 80-100 mile range on a single charge. However, most commutes are well under that and it's possible to plug it into a domestic outlet for a top-up while you're at work should you need to. What is essential for electric cars to really succeed is that they have to drive much like the conventional cars we're all used to. And that's exactly what the i-EV does. Get in, touch an immobiliser key and turn the 'ignition'. Nothing much happens except the dash lighting up. Pop it into drive and pull away - with the faint whirring of the electric motor as accompaniment.

Unlike some electric rivals, Mitsubishi has managed to limit the torque delivery from take off to aid smoothness. So there's no lightning, traction-breaking take-off, and being rear-wheel drive the steering is uncorrupted by what torque is being transferred to the road. It's brisk, the i-EV's 0-62mph time of 13 seconds actually faster than its petrol relative, so it is more than quick enough to cope with the cut and thrust of city traffic while its dimensions allow you to exploit the smallest of gaps with ease.

There's nothing unusual in the way it drives. Pop it in drive - or if you're crawling in slow traffic into Eco where it reduces the power from 47kW to 18kW to increase battery life - and drive it like you would any city car. If it's hilly then the B mode increases the regenerative effect from coasting, allowing more free energy to be scavenged on the move. It rides well, steers sharply and has nicely weighted steering. Out of town it'll reach 87mph if you could do so legally, so the i-EV does not feel out of its depth on the open road despite its city focus. Drive it on fast roads and you'll get through the battery pretty quickly though.

Worth Noting

Charging that battery takes around 6-7 hours via a regular three-pin outlet in the UK. So plug it in while you're at work, or overnight at home. A full charge should cost around 45 pence. Quick, 20-minute, 80% charges are possible via a vending machine-sized charging station, but they won't be too handy for UK consumers as they're all currently based in Japan. The maximum range is 80-100 miles, but in reality it's around half that if, like on our drive, it's cold and the heater, lights and everything else is on. That's still enough to cope with the average daily commute.

Summary

A proper production electric offering from an established, recognised car maker has been a long time coming. But that's exactly what Mitsubishi will be offering from next year. There remain some issues - purchase costs primarily - but as production numbers increase and the technology is cheaper to build then prices will inevitably fall. Range will also grow as battery technology improves, as will the speed of charging. Unlike the numerous electric cars turning up at motor shows the i-EV has been properly crash tested and has a network of existing dealers that will be able to service it. A bold step in the right direction, the i-EV underlines that the dawn of the electric car really is here. And it'll be in Mitsubishi showrooms next year.

Kyle Fortune - 18 Dec 2008

*Source: http://www.carenthusiast.com/reviews.html?mode=article&id=3180

Some wise words

Everyone 

IS A Potential Winner

Some People

Are Disguised

As Losers,

Don't Let 

Their Appearances 

Fool You.

*

*from the book of "The one minute manager"

invincibility

"Sometimes it's strange in the game," conceded Arsène Wenger. "We went 49 games unbeaten but, when we lost the first one, we couldn't win for the next five. A kind of charisma goes when you have a long record then you lose it. It is as if you've taken the players up Everest, then brought them down, then told them they have to climb up again. Sometimes they don't want to do it."

Rooney hits 100th goal against City!!!

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates his first half strike - the only goal of the Manchester derby and the 100th goal of his club career.

50 highs 'n lows for Fergie

ALEX FERGUSON was quite literally bitten by the football bug 50 years ago tomorrow.

As a 16-year-old he began his remarkable journey in the game by making his debut for Queen’s Park against Stranraer.

 Fergie makes Queens Park debut v Stranraer, Nov 15, 1958.

 Joins Rangers in 1967.

 Sold by Rangers to Falkirk after being blamed for a goal conceded in 1969 Scottish Cup final.

 Wins Scottish Division One title as St Mirren boss in 1977.

 Takes 1980 Scottish Premier Division crown with Aberdeen.

 Dons finish second in ’81.

 Aberdeen are runners-up again in ’82 but win Scottish Cup.

 They retain Scottish Cup in ’83 and have stunning victory over Real Madrid in Cup Winners’ Cup final.

 League and cup double in ’84.

 Retains Scottish League in ’85 and wins Cup double the next year.

 Part of Scotland coaching staff when boss Jock Stein has heart attack on touchline and later dies.

 Takes charge of Scotland for ’86 World Cup but KO’d in first round.

 Appointed Man Utd manager in Nov ’86 after Ron Atkinson axed.

 Admits appointment is greatest thing to happen to him in football.

 Runner-up in the ’87-88 Div One table behind Liverpool.

 United finish a miserable 11th in the league in ’88-89.

 Mark Robins saves Fergie’s job with FA Cup third-round winner at Forest in Jan ’90.

 United go on to lift FA Cup with replay win over Crystal Palace.

 Fergie’s men beat Barcelona in ’91 Cup Winners’ Cup final.

 Title slips through his fingers in ’91-92 as defeats to West Ham and Liverpool let Leeds finish top.

 Signs Eric Cantona from Leeds in Nov ’92, the catalyst for glory.

 Fergie wins his first league championship at United in opening Premiership season of ’92-93.

 Inspired by meeting with Nelson Mandela on South Africa tour in summer ’93.

 United claim their first Double under Ferguson in ’94.

 Cantona lands nine-month ban for kung-fu kick on fan Adam Simmons at Palace in Jan ’95.

 Fergie rides on back of motorbike through Paris to try to find Cantona after star’s suspension.

 Loses title to Blackburn on final day of ’94-95 season.

 United also lose ’95 FA Cup final to Joe Royle’s Everton.

 Fergie receives CBE in ’95 from Prince of Wales.

 He reduces Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan to ‘I’d love it’ wreck as United start to reel in runaway Geordies in ’95-96 season.

 United snatch title from Toon.

 Fergie wins title again in ’97.

 Devastated by Champions League semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund in April ’97.

 Blows a big lead to hand Arsene Wenger his first Arsenal title in ’98.

 Hits back with magnificent Treble of Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League in ’99.

 Miracle of the Nou Camp as late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Solskjaer sink Bayern Munich in Champions League final.

 Knighted by the Queen, June ’99.

 Tries to throw SunSport’s Neil Custis out of Press room for a story Shaun Custis has written.

 Complains of too many people called Custis.

 Announces at start of 2001-02 season he will retire at the end of the campaign.

 Reverses his decision in Feb ’02, but United lose the league.

 Hits David Beckham in the face as he kicks boot in a rage after ’03 FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Arsenal.

 Sells Becks to Real Madrid.

 Falls out with captain Roy Keane, who quits United in Nov ’05.

 Drops Ruud van Nistelrooy for ’06 League Cup final and later offloads striker to Real Madrid.

 Goes three seasons from ’02-03 to ’06-07 without a title as fans start to question his position with Chelsea beginning to dominate.

 Defies everyone as rebuilt United team win back-to-back Prem crowns in ’07 and ’08.

 Wins last season’s Champions League on 50th anniversary of Munich air disaster, defeating Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.

 Wins battle to keep Cristiano Ronaldo this summer after Real Madrid try to unsettle the winger.

 Fifty years after Fergie’s debut for Queens Park, faces Queens Park Rangers in Carling Cup this week.

Interesting fact about spammers...

Spammers are turning a profit despite only getting one response for every 12.5m e-mails they send, finds a study.

By hijacking a working spam network, US researchers have uncovered some of the economics of being a junk mailer.

The numbers are interesting:

“After 26 days, and almost 350 million e-mail messages, only 28 sales resulted,” wrote the researchers.

The response rate for this campaign was less than 0.00001%. This is far below the average of 2.15% reported by legitimate direct mail organisations.

“Taken together, these conversions would have resulted in revenues of $2,731.88—a bit over $100 a day for the measurement period,” said the researchers.

source>

Lovely 'green' site...

This site is so well designed that it feels comfortable just by looking at it... :)

http://www.carbonica.org/

Hot Ads of PETA

PETA’s too hot for TV ads include “Sexy Sausage,” and “ Milk Gone Wild.”

Green Sex: By the Numbers

• 60 to 100 million: Number of condoms that are improperly disposed of each year in the U.K.
  
  
• 7/8: Ratio of sex toys tested which contained phthalates (in concentrations ranging from 24 to 51 percent), to all toys tested, in a study conducted for Greenpeace Netherlands.
  
  
• Almost 50 percent: Number of pregnancies in the U.S. which are unplanned each year; the U.S. has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies of all industrialized nations.
  
  
• 20 percent: Percentage of adults worldwide who has used a vibrator.
  
  
• 22 percent: the percentage of people worldwide who have had sex in the garden.

Sources: Environment Agency of Britain,Greenpeace, Christian Science Monitor, 2005 Durex Global Sex Survey

It's the small touches that won me over.

Got this from 37Signals blog... good read

It’s the small touches that won me over. Well designed, a bit of attitude, and useful.

—App store reviewer Jragon on Sketches. Should good software have ‘a bit of attitude’?

Good investment?

http://www.chgs.com.my/index.asp

Thinking to invest some $ here... been asking around, and mostly are positive replies/facts.

You have heard of Country Heights Grower Scheme (CHGS) before?
Share with me if you have some info.

Berbatov - Why United pay so much for him!

How much do they earn?

Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar

At 37, still a very good goalkeeper. Though weak at kicking, his natural authority and confidence make the Dutchman a safe pair of hands in this context.

£80,000 (Wages per week)
£3m (Transfer value)

Wes Brown

A great way to finish the busiest season of his United career to date. Often derided, but, as Gary Neville's deputy, the defender has made very few mistakes.

£55,000 (Wages per week)
£6m (Transfer value)

Rio Ferdinand

In the form of his life, this elegant defender has added grit and consistency to his game to become the complete package. Loves responsibility as captain.

£120,000 (Wages per week)
£40m (Transfer value)

Nemanja Vidic

The perfect partner for Ferdinand. Combative and aggressive, he will not shy away from a battle with Drogba. Always a danger from corners as well.

£70,000 (Wages per week)
£18m (Transfer value)

Patrice Evra

As an attacking left-back, few come close to the Frenchman. Will not hesitate to bomb forward, partly with the intention of pushing back Joe Cole.

£30,000 (Wages per week)
£12m (Transfer value)

Owen Hargreaves

Bought for European jaunts, yet hasn't been used as much as expected. Gets the nod here for his dogged resolve to counter the threat of Lampard and Ballack.

£80,000 (Wages per week)
£18m (Transfer value)

Michael Carrick

Increasingly influential, this understated Geordie can make United tick. Might push further forward here to make the most of his wonderful passing range.

£80,000 (Wages per week)
£18m (Transfer value)

Paul Scholes

Must pick his moments more carefully but remains a threat to Chelsea's rearguard. Missed the 1999 final, so Moscow amounts to his biggest club game.

£90,000 (Wages per week)
£6m (Transfer value)

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cometh the hour. His prodigious talent deserves such a stage. And if he starts quickly, Ashley Cole and Co will be asked all sorts of questions.

£125,000 (Wages per week)
£75m (Transfer value)

Ji-Sung Park

A willing workhorse lacking the subtlety of many team-mates but a player on whom Sir Alex Ferguson can depend.

£40,000 (Wages per week)
£6m (Transfer value)

Wayne Rooney

Even more pivotal than Ronaldo to United's game-plan, his vision and energy shape the team's fortunes. Must guard against frustration if progress is slow.

£115,000 (Wages per week)
£40m (Transfer value)

Tomasz Kuszczak
Has shown that he might not be the answer when Van der Sar steps down.
£25,000 (Wages per week)
£2.5m (Transfer value)

Ryan Giggs
Seeking Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record, the veteran winger has the intelligence to alter games.
£85,000 (Wages per week)
£4m (Transfer value)

Darren Fletcher
Has improved beyond measure; now a reliable squad member.
£40,000 (Wages per week)
£6m (Transfer value)

John O'Shea
Great versatility and a fair bit of experience make the Irishman handy in reserve.
£45,000 (Wages per week)
£6m (Transfer value)

Anderson
Incredibly strong, the little Brazilian has enjoyed a great debut season.
£55,000 (Wages per week)
£18m (Transfer value)

Carlos Tevez
Unlucky to miss out, but what a weapon to have if the shape needs to change.
£95,000 (Wages per week)
£30m (Transfer value)

Mikael Silvestre
Returns from injury, just in time, perhaps, to play a key part.
£50,000 (Wages per week)
£5m (Transfer value)

The best opening ceremony!

Here we go again!

United started the 2008-09 season with a community shield victory over Pompeys. Unfashionable penalty shootout win.

Clearly United needs to buy a striker... and we do miss Rooney and Ronaldo.

Oh, not forgetting to mention that spectacular Olympic opening ceremony. It was the best I have seen, superb show!

Torres' in Shanghai?... :)

Ok, ok, it was not him, Torres was busy scoring that goal against the Germans!