Nature's Best Photos

These are super shots from the Great International Photography Competition. Enjoy!

Marginally More Spending

The Straits times today reported that the latest MasterCard Worldwide survey on the purchasing priorities of 401 consumers in Singapore has found that 41 per cent would cut back on discretionary spending in the next six months.

This was in contrast to the previous survey conducted in September last year — when the world financial system began its plunge — which found 64 per cent were going to spend less over a one-year period.

This is indicative that Singaporeans are getting more optimistic about the future, with fewer planning to cut back on their spending this tiem around.

Priorities have shifted a little too.

Top priority spending continues to be on dining and entertainment
In second place is fashion and accessories (a positive effect of retailer discounting), replacing fitness and wellness.

Personal travel remained in third place.

With more comfortable economic data coming in recently from the Department of Statistics, Singaporeans have started spending more on smaller-ticket items such as food and clothes.

Retail sales, when excluding motor vehicle sales which make up about a third of spending, showed a 3.3 per cent and 1.1 per cent month-on-month increase in March and April, respectively.

MasterCard's economic adviser, Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, believes most of the contraction in the economy has impacted foreign workers and foreign professionals.

“The government also moved fast on income support in the beginning of the year, so that helped in consumer confidence,” he added.

Other economists have their own theories.

Alvin Liew of Standard Chartered said it could be due to Singaporeans' “very significant” savings tiding them over, while Action Economics' David Cohen noted that the labour market was not as badly hit as compared to the contraction in gross domestic product (GDP).

“People are not quite as fearful compared to September. We've probably seen the worst already,” said Cohen.

Hedrick-Wong believes that smaller-ticket spending will continue to rise well into next year, while Liew says positive GDP growth will be seen by year's end.

But while consumer confidence is likely to inch upwards, it remains to be seen just when the economy and consumer spending will be buoyant again, say analysts.

So,hopefully, we will continue to see more optimism as Christmas arrives at our door-steps in the last week of 2009.

Arnold Schwarzenegger under Siege

Imagine strongman Arnie under siege. Bulging muscles are no match for fiscal innovativeness as California buckles under the threat of going to the poor house.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has just declared a fiscal emergency on July 1st. This will literary force lawmakers into having to tackle a budget gap or else face the prospects of drastic cut-back measures to keep the state working.

Lawmakers debated late into the night but disagreed on a plan to balance California's budget — a yawning deficit of US$26.3 billion (RM92 billion) — in time for the new fiscal year, which began yesterday.

State officials has now no choice but to suspend payments to vendors and local agencies,substituting it with debt papers-"IOU" notes promising payment.

The most populous US state — the eighth-largest economy in the world in 2006—with coffers stretching to breaking point,now risks further cuts to its credit ratings, which would increase its borrowing costs.


Schwarzenegger,in his usual Terminator stance promised the people that he will run with the problem until it is solved. Is Salvation in sight?

As a norm, California lawmakers struggle with budget deadlines nearly every year. This time it is more pricky;as the state experienced its worst drop in revenues from personal income taxes since the Great Depression. The state is in recession and joblessness is on the rise.

Democrats, who control the legislature, and Republicans agree on the need for spending cuts but are split over whether to raise taxes to help fill the gap.

Republican lawmakers and Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, have ruled out tax increases. They want deep spending cuts to balance the budget. Democrats say that would slash the state's safety net for the needy to the bone.

The White House said it was keeping a close eye on California's woes even though federal coffers are already overstretched with massive bailouts of the US financial sector and automakers. It did not hold out an offer of help.

California risks being unable to pay all of its bills this month. State Controller Chiang plans to issue IOUs by today to state vendors, some local agencies and to the elderly, disabled and college students who receive state aid.

Bank of America said it would accept IOUs from customers through July 10, becoming one of the first major commercial banks to jump on board the programme.

Chiang plans to send US$3.36 billion in IOUs this month to help the state make US$10.9 billion in other payments, including money owed to investors holding California's debt.

"California has never defaulted on its debt obligation and we don't plan to do so," he told Reuters.

California needs to reassure Wall Street it can pay its debts because state officials need to sell US$7 billion to US$9 billion of short-term debt once there is a budget agreement.

So,that's high finance for you.

Only in America

No one could have guessed it. On 20th January, Barack Hussein Obama became the first Afro-American President of the good old USA.

There may have been resentment in certain quarters but the majority will reigns.

Here are some photos of Obama in his first 180 days of office.

Transformers 2

I really cannot remember the likes of the first Transformers film though I was introduced to such characters like Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and Megatron. It was fascinating then to see them taking on the shapes of the vehicles that passed them by.

Yes there was sufficient fire-power then, also back-grounded on a desert possibly during the war in Iraq. The special effects then was great.

This time around-the Revenge of The Fallen tells us that Transformers were on earth since early human civilization and that they were accidentally entombed somewhere in the Petra hinterland. With the revival of The Fallen-one of the great ancient Decepticon, revenge is being unleashed on the Autobots and the world at large. The only way to destroy The Fallen was to have a living Prime. Sadly even Optimus Prime is dead.


So the story unfolds to relate the origins of the Autobots and the Decepticons and that they were once friends. Here, a few new Decepticon characters actually changed sides to be with the Autobots in the war to annihilate The Fallen.

The plot is muted by the huge barrage of noise in the cinema and super fast action that you are more enthralled with computer animation and effects that the story-line which is just so-so, at best.

I know there are downright hard-core Transformers fans out there,who will spend and spend just to watch this movie and Megan Fox. There is a bonus here too-female Decepticon Isabel Lucas.

Have fun!

Lotus - More than a Flower

It was taunted as a strategic buy.

However, it appears more like an image buy-a status symbol of kind to own a world class automobile design outfit.

Have we benefited from this purchase nationally?

So far, the only thing we see of Lotus engineering is putting studs on the Proton Satria-hardly to be called global engineering breakthrough.

Proton's vision is now to sell at least 50 to 60 units of Lotus cars annually in the local market.

To further increase the Lotus fleet portfolio, the Lotus Evora will be introduced by the third quarter of 2009.

To date, Proton has introduced the Lotus Elise, the Exige and Europa to the market.

The Evora was recently launched in Europe.

Is Lotus a good buy, paying million of hard earned rakyat money?

Anyone out there wants to hazard a guess?

Cool,Cool Blue!

One of the movies I missed in 2006.


It's like any other movie about sunken treasure and drugs. Remember The Deep?


As The Deep showcases the physical form of Jacqueline Bisset, Into the Blue shows the curves of the current hot favourite, Jessica Alba.

Filmed in the Bahamas, it has it's thrills and plots and subplots. It's a classic swim with the stingrays and die with the sharks.

Good movie.

Angels and Demons in Conflict

Ron Howard and his team produced and directed Dan Brown's second bestseller to grace the silver screen.

Watching this movie, one can't help but compare it with the Da Vinci Code, a more compelling book as it involves the Christ. The plot here is more lightweight and as such less engaging.

Sequential production hardly match the first and so it is with Angels and Demons. Story-line plods in most parts and one has to really understand the customs of the Vatican to fully appreciate the procedural going-ons of electing a new Pope.

Except for Tom Hanks and Ewan Macgregor, most of the other actors are not top billing.

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Professor Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals.

The movie started off quite well with the death of a scientist and the stealing of a vial of anti-matter which is apparently a new energy source.

In Rome, the Vatican mourns the passing of the Pope. The Vatican staff prepares for the Conclave of the College of Cardinals, which will select the next Pope. Until the Conclave selects a new Pope, the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor) assumes day-to-day control of the Vatican. Reporters, nuns, priests and other faithful all crowd into St. Peter's Square, waiting for the white smoke from the Conclave.

But the Illuminati, a 400-year old, underground secret society, kidnaps the four most likely candidates (preferratti) before the Conclave goes into seclusion. The Illuminati threatens to kill them at 8, 9, 10 and 11 PM, and then destroy the Vatican in a burst of light at midnight.

Prof Robert Langdon and Dr. Vittoria Vetra attempts to locate the four missing cardinals and solve the Illuminati's threat. They have to brave a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival, going through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth.

There was some confusion at the end with some unanswered questions posed. Why did the Camerlengo go to all the trouble to poison the Pope and kill the four cardinals and yet save the Vatican from the bomb. Ron Howard has one loose end to tie here.

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY! READ AND REFLECT!

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!'

More pretty lasses from TAGGED

I post some more pretty lassies from the TAGGED portal. Enjoy!