OH MY this is my 1,000th post!!
well anyway i've finished my alucard! taka cosplay was a smasssshhh... except for the policemen who just wants to ruin our weapons by pasting silly stickers on them... pointless stuff.
here's the finished hat! i changed the strips so it looks more like the picture now:



well are you DYING to see how i look as alucard? i'm not gonna post many... only selected those that i look nice in... don't view in the night! HAHA.
and zhifu did a great job as father anderson! YAY. some people mistook me as edward elric (ok, i'm short) and jiro (black blood brothers) but it could have been worse without anderson! oh, and spray paint DO work on hair! zhifu has just proven that it is easy to wash off since it will turn to bits. WOW.




with akito (peggy) from air gear she did a pairing with kyoist... oh my god she looked damn hot too bad i didn't see kyoist that day!


hollow ichigo from bleach, heard there's a very good zangetsu, but didn't manage to take with him!


with ouran and nana (i think?) shinigami

well if you wanna see more, tell me heh heh i'm too lazy to put all of them.

it's almost done! used one of my sister's old red tshirt and cut the correct size this time for the underside flap. did all these using white glue! haha! i'm just too lazy t sew.



added the white strips and managed to sew a few buttons around the brim of the hat. it still lacks strippy patterns though...


here's how the original hat is supposed to be like:


hope i have time to touch up today... it's the freaking production day of lao jiu man... sighsss

ok i can't believe it but i'm overspending again! i really should not go shopping. this was from shopping at orchard with my sis the other day...

from spotlight sale! can't help loving art!
$3.95 on a huge bottle of white glue
$12 on a set of basic acrylic student paint (well, it was on sale k!!)
$2 on 1m of lace

$32 on a top from ebase... so much for the 40% off it's still above $30 man...

.................................... total: $50 for the moment

$28 for driving this week
$40 on contact lenses (twice more from what was expected)
$1 on a piece of potato

.................................... subtotal on miscellaneous: $69

..................................... so for this week: $119

ARGH i can't believe i overwrote my alucard post with my contacts post. well, anyway for my hat update... AGAIN (for me, ok?).
materials: denzyl's food collection drive red tshirt, corrugated board, president's challenge cap (with the front flap snipped off, it was too zhor teng) - can see all of these from the underside!



used white glue to paste the cloth (not pasted very well, will fix again), and sewed the board, cloth and hat together in the holey area around the rim. kept having to enlarge the hole cos my head was too big. haha. wasted my other half of the red tshirt by cutting the underside cloth too small! damn, i need another shirt now. this tells me i should always draw before i cut!

oh yes! second time i succeeded putting my contacts. this is taken with flash from my phone by the way... while i'm at work! i took half an hour in the morning to do it. so proud of myself. the side areas are a bit blurred for now. maybe too much contact with my fingers... gonna take them off at noon since my opto says 4hours 1st day, 6hours 2nd day, 8hours 3rd day and so on. so consider this my first day!
oh ya, i used blogger to upload this picture. sweet!

i skipped stage-it to go practise putting on my lenses... and i didn't regret it! yay! after 2 hours i successfully touched my eyeball and moved the lens around. i think my eye may have grown bigger after all that stretching. here's how the color looks:


looks more brown than red, but i think it would have that added effect, eh? the sense of achievement when i finally put the lens in... wow it was like the whole shop was cheering for me (-_-`)
oh and i think i got my retribution... woke up at 4am having a bad diarrhoea. oh well, at least i'm purged of all evils now. bluarghz. the sacrifices i make for alucard. brrrrr.

ok i can't believe i did these at work! i think my colleagues must be thinking i'm some kind of witchcraft practitioner now. bluarghz... the things you sacrifice...!! haha. well, spot the difference! (there's a lot by the way, aside from the angle taken heh)

right hand:



left hand:



eee my phone is taking blur pictures now. pffftttt....

i just received my emblem yesterday, it was burnt, but better than expected! i could skip the bubbles. maybe it would even the spray if the whole thing is burnt, since black is a good base. thank you so much zhifu!! you're the best crafter in the world! yay! i'm so glad i found a cosplay partner, and a skilled one at that. ok, handsome (ughh).

oh ya the other time denzyl came to have lunch with me and he bought a green tea red bean ice cream from opposite my work place the 7-eleven. i thought the shape was pretty funny. it has a weird tast. i think it's expired ice-cream. hoho.


and i finally cut my hair! yay! it feels like i have lesser hair now though. i wanted it to look like this from the front:



but turns out it wasn't short enough, really. when i tie my hair the strands didn't fall down as expected. i hope it's better with a little styling. i still have my back long hair, and my trademark extra long hair at the side. haha, no worries.

oh i decided to do alucard for the coming cosfest. in case anyone's interested, it's on 7th (ngee ann city), 14th & 15th (downtown east) for july! here's how he looks like:


i'm doing the one without the glasses and the hat though... unless i'm able to make the hat or find the glasses. or else i'm going with red contact lenses... which i'm still having trouble finding since i don't have any experience wearing contact lenses..


here are his props:


i've actually already almost finished the costume except for the pentagram on the gloves, which i tried drawing last friday but realised the placement was incorrect, so i had to bleach the gloves to restart. might try drawing again later since i've brought it. i'm also gonna be holding one gun... well 2 is too much for me to make, besides i don't have black spray paint!
i used leftover corrugated board (from cutting the vp helm) with newspaper in between to give the thickness, then masking taped it all over the place for the uneveness and whatever wa poking out from the gun.


after spray painting it for 1 layer, i thought it wasn't really thick enough.

so i sprayed like 2 more layers after it dried. i won't mention the passerbys that gave mstified looks at the 'gun' i laid outside my house, as well as the strange indian music.

and it's done! well, it looks pretty good in photos but in reality it still looks like a paper gun. i had a terrible time finding the words i should put on the silver gun, since most only showed what was on the black gun or that the wordings were too small. magnify didn't work since it was still pixelated! oh well. at least i think what i wrote should be correct on 1 side... and 90% correct on the other... hope no one has a sharp eye... i'm not gonna take out the gun unless necessary anyway. bluarghz.
oh and about the big red coat. i got 2m of red cloth for $3.99/m, spotlight again. managed to make the coat AND the tie. not very fantastic. the collar is a bit weird but it's still wearable. and my toy sewing machine aka fashion centre didn't work very well cos the stitchings came loose easily, so i had to resort to alternate stitchings heh heh (cheaterbug way, but who knows?). and i did a vest from my sister's fitness first black tshirt. wahahah i may even wear it out, but my sewing is HORRENDOUS. i know it, don't tell me.
oh ya, i hope zhifu can do anderson with me!

wonder how's it going...

i managed to cut out the twirly patterns on the side of the helm and stuck it to the sides! it looks pretty good!




then i realised my linings and stuff kept peeling off, and plus i used like 3 layers for everything so the top layer kept uncovering to reveal the unpainted layers underneath, so i had to keep glueing and glueing it, and glue gun SO TOTALLY DIDN'T work. don't buy the mini boston trigger thingy.
then i experimented with the plastic cover thing which i bought a roll at popular for $2.50 (spotlight having clearance at $2, so i've 2 rolls now which i doubt i'd use). it wasn't very sticky because it didn't stick properly (duh).



eventually i removed it because although it looks pretty normal on camera, it's weird to have a waterproof plastic helm. and the removal process was pretty easy - it's like removing post-it notes, just that this post-it was a little stronger. i'm glad it didn't take away any paint or tear anything! i bought this huge chunk of crafty white glue from spotlight at $3.95. hmm hope it sticks well. no drastic effect but i'd go home and check if it's still peeling. it looks better without the plastic i think.

Coconut

Coconut Water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help:
Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature
Orally re-hydrate your body, it is an all natural isotonic beverage
Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells
Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising
Raise your metabolism
Promote weight loss
Boost your immune system
Detoxify and fight viruses
Cleanse your digestive tract
Control diabetes
Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS
Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer
Treat kidney and urethral stones
Boost poor circulation Coconut Water Information complied by John Kohler The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portugese word coco, which means 'monkey face.' Spanish and Portugese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or 'eyes' found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchace of goods until the early part of the twentieth century. Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning 'nut-bearing.' The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India , the Pacific Islands , Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living,' since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some m anner or another. The coconut itself has many food uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fibre called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics. Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year, so fruit is constantly forming yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut's name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known. If you've ever opened a fresh coconut, you will have seen the thin, opaque almost clear coconut juice or water which has a slight almond flavor. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the coconut milk. However, the water is consumed as a drink fresh from the coconut by many, and it can also be used in recipes. Here is some information about Coconut Water:'It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak.' In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.
Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol!
Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories
Coconut Water is Better than processed baby milk- It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk
Coconut water is naturally sterile -- Water permeates though the filtering husk!
Coconut water is a universal donor-- Its identical to human blood plasma
Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood.
Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV. Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue... and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!', according to Mortin Satin, Chielf of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization. Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks. Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg! Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars. Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg. Data is based on a 100ml drink.

so far on my cosplay:
$22 on spray paint (gold, silver, blue, gloss)
$8 on red cloth
$7 on glue gun
$5 on 1kg of white clay
$5 on corrugated board
$4 on plastic sticky wrap
$4 on tiger wire
$3 on stockings
.............................................. so far: $58
maybe $20 on daily disposable contacts
planning $80 on wig
.............................................. expected: $158

and this is actually for 3 characters i'm gonna be cosplaying. hey, not so bad!

and while shopping for my cosplay stuff, i happen to buy:
$47 on a mango skirt
$23 on an a&f top
$15 on lace clogs
$5 on leggings

and of cos i need to maintain some essentials right?
$45 for bus pass
some $90+ on food. average of $3 each day? (after all the restaurant treats, going out for lunch, snacks, etc) WOW. i thought i packed bread?
perhaps about $40+ for presents
............................................... unexpectedly: $265
............................................... i guess it's $423

it's actually not so bad... calculatively. but then again... in reality, where's all my money??

oh man! the meiji milk is only 40cents here! haha. and 2 litres for $2.50 (expires in a week though) i just finished a bottle (the small one of cos), feel so satisfied. and there's some singtel deals going on too! for the more expensive plan, i can get LG Shine at $88, normal classic at $268... but without plan it's $598, what a big difference... the point here is i sometimes feel so delighted as a HP employee! (",)

by the way, i just realised that my phone's resolution is not so bad! you can actually see the cracks! the photos were bigger though but it's pretty hard to scroll through big photos and i didn't want it to be too small either.

the first day of PVC (Project Valkyrie Cosplay) i cut the helm shape in flat dimensions and used newspaper to make the 3D parts so that i can easily clay over them.




and afterwards i went to put wire at the front connecting to the back in a cross path. this was to give the shape when you wear the helm, and also so that you COULD actually wear the helm. (did you think i would put sticky tape on my head?) turns out a bit messy but i thought it should be better after claying anyway.




ok! let's see, i went to get some more materials on saturday, coincidentally, at holland v. well, i didn't expect to get anything there but after meeting up for a glue gun (it's pretty useless, don't buy the small ones), i went up to the shopping centre above cold storage while waiting for the rest of BLEWKY (KY only though) to come. and right in front of me was the all-in-one DIY kinda store where, as frank says, you can't really look for anything but which only the store owner knows where everything is. and i managed to get my gloss coat and golden spray paint for $5.50 each. i subsequently managed to walk around with yun after lunch and got a coil of tiger wire for $3.50. eh well, i'll have some use for it later i guess.
on sunday, i woke up around 830-9am and started claying my helm all the way till 3pm, and it was so terrible because the linings all dropped off once i bent it a little, and the clay hardens so fast that i wasn't able to mould it properly.




i discarded the whole thing after trying a little golden spray paint on the side.


it just looks so terrible with all the cracks!
and then i started all over again using the same corrugated base and trimmed the borders so that it appeared smaller. the helm was a bit big anyway. i used the best material i could manipulate - paper, and i found that i have LOTS of hard paper at home. heh. i did them in parts so i can spray them separately and connect them back together.






i did my renewed project fromm 4-10pm. and also the linings at the side which i thought i would spray the next day and lined them on.
so, yesterday after shopping for swords and katanas (which i end up empty-handed, *relieved*), i went home to spray my linings gold. my neighbour was around and i could hear them 'who's spraying and spraying' in their irritating indian accent with bollywood music as the background, and a dark head peaking from behind their sofa to realise i was squatting at the front of my house polluting the air. ah well, at least i got it done. i tried glue-gunning the linings, but it was so irritating because the glue just comes out as and when it likes and not when i trigger it, and it dries sooo quickly that it doesn't really stick properly. so i ended up using double sided tape (it wasn't very sticky, but it's much cleaner and easier to use!).

ok... so i slogged my weekend on my failed helm and eventually redid it in the evening... using paper! will upload the pictures soon. i'm so bad with clay. and this white clay sucks so much that my few hours of hard work went to cracks and eventually got trashed. oh well. at least i took a picture as a sort of remembrance. it looks really bad. considered repairing it by putting another layer, but really, it's in a 'no medicine can cure' state already. so that's my sunday.

Which 'Angel Sanctuary' Character Are You?

You're" Kira. You're the patient type and, though you care deeply for your friends, everyone sees you as cold hearted and tries to keep their distance. If someone wrongs you, however, you like to bid your time and, when they least expect it, strike back. You can be pretty ruthless, but only if you're pissed off. You're also the reborn soul of Lucifer as well as the Messiah's best friend. Pretty conflicting positions you have there, but you're a good friend to Setsuna and you help him out of a lot of scrapes, often putting yourself in danger to get him out of danger. Those that become your friend never regret it and everyone mourned you when you left.
Take this quiz!

(Personality) What anime psyche conveys YOUR personality? (With Awesome Anime Pix)

Depressed Type: Your anime personality is the Depressed Type. You come off as stone cold or careless, and people have trouble getting to know you. You don't let your guard down very often, and hardly ever let your real emotions show through. That would be a weakness. You're quiet and reserved, but are easily angered. People learn not to get on your bad side, and yet you aren't really as cruel as you let on. You hide and inner sadness. Element: DarknessWeapon: AxePet Peeve: People who are TOO perky
Take this quiz!

i just found a superb japanese cosplayer! apparently this person is a 'she', but mostly cosplays as a 'he', and does a flawless job at it! awww makes me want to cut my hair short too. the link is at the side under a cool cosplayer. even her websites are amazing, every link brings you to a different design. totally out of the world. and it's not those typical click on the side of the content page to navigate, so it might be hard to find what you want. idol!

yay! i figured since i have so much time, i should do a log of my 2 years cosplay project! and the figure i'm embarking on... lenneth valkyrie! (yes, my most adored female character and all time favourite game~)



so yesterday, thanks to a free ride on frank's car, i headed to art's friend and quickly found the materials i want - corrugated board: up to my shoulder tall and about 3 times my width for around $5; blue and silver spray paint $5+ each; white clay (some japanese brand): around $5 per kg.

i'm still thinking about whether i should carve the bird logo on both sides of valkyrie's helm and on her arms using melted candle wax, on a wooden block then chop onto the wax OR sculpting on the clay. i'd probably get the most accurate effect on the wax, but i seriously have 0 experience on wood carving!



looked for a few pictures to explore the possibility and maybe decide how and where i should start from. the helm looks to be the most complicated part with all sorts of dents and designs on it.



oh yes, and thanks to zhifu who helped me check the prices at spotlight (didn't get anything from there eventually!). and you are right! there are 4 feathers on each side. but they all look about the same size anyway. i'll probably still get the feathers from chaptehs instead of the death note pens (that's gonna be $2 x 8 = $16, O_o`) . i'm counting on you for the bird logo you know?

i was surfing this website and someone called gingeranne takes in donations to proceed with her cosplay props making... and yes it is VERY expensive to do good props, so i wouldn't mind any donations either! haha! except i'm probably not worth investing in since i'm just an amateur. that's why it's gonna take me that long to finish... and probably even longer. (-_-`) maybe i should calculate this project's IRR... or NPV. wait i don't need to - both will be negative financial-wise! sheesh...

no thanks.
i'm hungry but it's ok.
i've got no lunch packed but i'll fill somehow.
hottoite kudasai.

Nothing is Perfect

A man walks into a bar with a paper bag. He sits down and places the bag on the counter.

The bartender walks up and asks what's in the bag. The man reaches into the bag and pulls out a little man, about one foot high, and sets him on the counter. He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a small piano, setting it on the counter as well. He reaches into the bag once again and pulls out a tiny piano bench, which he places in front of the piano. The little man sits down at the piano and starts playing a beautiful piece by Mozart!

Where on earth did you get that?" says the bartender. The man responds by reaching into the paper bag. This time he pulls out a lamp. He hands it to the bartender and says..."Here. Rub it."

So the bartender rubs the lamp, and suddenly there's a gust of smoke and a beautiful genie is standing before him. "I will grant you one wish. Just one wish...each person is allowed only one!" The bartender gets really excited. Without hesitating he says, "I want a million bucks!"

A few moments later, a duck walks into the bar. It is soon followed by another duck, then another. Pretty soon, the entire bar is filled with ducks and they keep coming! The bartender turns to the man and says, "Y'know, I think your genie's a little deaf...I asked for a million bucks, not a million ducks."

"Tell me about it!!" says the man... "Do you really think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?"

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second
richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very
interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha ,
that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has
everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies.
He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals
for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.
He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any
of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time
after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only
5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with
Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But
when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates
became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself
and

Remember:

A. Money doesn't create man; it is the man who created money.

B. Live your life as simple as you are.

C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.

D. Don't go for brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.

E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on those who really are in need.

F. After all it's your life so why give chance to others to rule your life."

FF versus 13 Trailer

Commentary by Mark Gilbert

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- A famous series of jokes attempts to define political systems. In communism, for example, you have two cows, your commune seizes them and charges you for milk. In a democracy, you have two cows, the cows outvote you 2-1 to ban all meat and dairy products, and you go bankrupt and starve to death.

Similar thinking can be applied to financial markets. Here, then, is the world of money recast in bovine terms.



Leveraged Buyouts

You have two cows. You come home from the fields one day to find Henry Kravis chatting to your spouse at the dining-room table. Two days later, you have no spouse, no farm, and no table. Two guys the size of sumo wrestlers have saddled up the cows and are riding them around the farmyard.



Currency Market

You have two cows. China has 1 trillion cows. Guess who sets the price of milk?



Bond Market

You have two cows. One is Brazilian, one is Australian. They yield 25 quarts of milk per day. That's half as much as three years ago, when you traded your less-lactiferous German and U.S. cows for them. You are thinking of swapping for a pair of Namibian cows. They only have three legs but, hey, they produce 26 quarts per day.



Derivatives

You have two cows. You repackage five of them into a Collateralized Lactating Obligation, pay for a AAA credit rating, slice the CLO into 10 pieces and sell it to investors, skimming the cream from the milk for yourself. Three of the cows fall ill, and the credit rating plummets. You get to keep the cream.



Hedge Funds

You have two cows. A guy in an open-necked shirt drives up in his Bentley and offers to take care of them for you in return for a year's supply of steak and 50 percent of their milk. They won't be allowed to leave his compound for two years.

Six months later, you have half a cow, producing sour milk. ``You have to be willing to lose rump today to get rib-eye tomorrow,'' the hedge-fund guy mumbles through a mouthful of sirloin and champagne.



Economics

Assume two cows.



Carbon-Emissions Trading

You have two cows. They produce 1.2 tons of methane gas per day. After a hefty donation to the re-election campaign of your local representative, the government gives you enough emission permits for six cows. You sell three permits, buy another cow, and apply for a European Commission grant to build a methane-gas power station.



Microsoft Corp.

You have one old, tired cow. A recent heart transplant may have come too late to save the beast.



Google Inc.

You have no cows. You slap advertisements on everyone else's cows. The milk floods in. You use the proceeds to reinvent the cow.



Apple Inc.

Nobody wants your cows. You design the cutest little milk bottle. Now, everybody wants your cows.



Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

You have 26,467 cows. They are strapped into the milking machines 24/7. Some of them have more hay than they could ever hope to eat. Others aspire to one day having more hay than they could ever hope to eat. The cows with the most hay end up with big government jobs.



Pension-Fund Management

You have two cows. How boring is that? You pay a month's supply of milk to a consultant, who advises you to sell one cow and buy two aardvarks instead. The aardvarks die. The consultant charges you four months of your (now reduced) milk supply and advises you to sell half of your remaining cow and buy a wombat. The wombat dies. The consultant charges eight months of milk for a copy of his new report, ``Two-Cow Strategies for Alleviating the Impending Pensions Crisis.''



Russian Energy

You have two cows. Comrade, those cows are an environmental hazard. We suggest you hand one of them over to us.



Credit-Default Swaps

You have two cows. You buy insurance against them dying, and tuck the contracts into the middle of that tottering pile of documentation on your desk. One dark night, Henry Kravis sneaks off with your cows. By the time you track down the paperwork, your now worthless contracts have expired.



Interest-Rate Swaps

You have two cows. You pledge one of them to me as collateral in a swap for some of my pigs. I pledge the cow to my neighbor as collateral in a swap for some of his sheep. He pledges the cow to his cousin as collateral in a swap for some of his cousin's goats. Better pray the livestock market doesn't crash and we have to try and round up that cow.



Commodities

You have lots of stocks and bonds, but no cows. Are you crazy? Cows are the hot new market. Here, buy this exchange- traded cow futures contract. It can't lose. It gained 40 percent in the past six months.



Gold

You have two cows. You wear a cap you made out of tin foil so that the tiny black helicopters can't read your thoughts. You spend your days blogging about how the government's decision to abandon the cattle standard in 1933 was part of a global conspiracy by the world's central banks to destroy the value of your herd.



(Mark Gilbert is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)



--Editor: Henry (jmg).

Are you drinking the right tea?

1. People who use their "brain" to work or students who study hard day
and night --- should drink more chrysanthemum Tea.

2. People who need a lot of body energy to work or those people that do
a lot of exercise everyday --- should drink Wu Loong Tea.

3. People who travel on a bike or work in dirty and polluted places ---
should drink Green Tea.

4. For people who likes to sit down all day long and not doing anything
even exercising --- must drink Green Tea and Flower Tea.

5. People who smoke and drink a lot of alcoholic drinks --- should drink
more Green Tea.

6. Carnivore (those people who must eat meat) at least once a day, or
feel sick or not feeling well --- try to drink some Wu Loong Tea.

7. People who go to the washroom too often or too less --- should drink
more Honey Tea

8. People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure --- Wu Loong
Tea,Green Tea.

9. Those who work with computers everyday --- need to drink a Lot of Tea
(any tea will do).

Whenever you are working with the computer, you should make some tea;
drink it when you are free.

Drinking Tea is healthy --- it can protect and prevent the harmful
Ultraviolet light from harming us (when using computer).

Furthermore, it can also cure us when we are tired and help making our
body feel fresh again.


Soya Bean
~~~~~~~~~

All of us know that Soya bean drink provides good protein to our body,
but many of us doesn't know that there are certain days we should avoid
on the drink.

Soya bean drinks are best consumed on hot sunny days where the sun is
burning and glaring. The Soya milk will gives lots of nutrients to the
body, as the body is able to absorb the protein well.

However, avoid the drink when the weather is cloudy or anng. Taking the
drink in these weathers, the body will not be able to take in the
protein thus will result in a disease called "GOUT" or "high acidic
urine" due to the high protein residue in the body, after a long run.

This disease will cause pain to your knee joints and it will only be in
control when you control your food intake of proteins and medications.
The pain is unbearable and usually you will have no idea what you have
taken to cause the pain. Food like Soya beans, ikan bilis, broccoli, spinach,
peanuts, animal organs (i.e. pork liver) etc will have to be avoided to
prevent the pain from attacking.

Bananas, Anyone?

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again .

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.

It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.


Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest
ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and ma gnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, 'eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"


PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit.

5 Important Lessons In Life‎

LESSON 1
A junior manager, a senior manager and their boss are on their way to a meeting. On their way through a park, they come across a wonder lamp. They rub the lamp and a ghost appears.
The ghost says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are
three, I will allow one wish each"
So the eager senior manager shouted, "I want the first wish. I want to be in the Bahamas , on a fast boat and have no worries." Pfufffff. and he was gone.
Now the junior manager could not keep quiet and shouted "I want to be In Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food and cocktails." Pfufffff. and he was also gone.
The boss calmly said, "I want these two idiots back in the office after
lunch at 12.35pm."
MORAL OF THE STORY IS: "ALWAYS ALLOW THE BOSS TO SPEAK FIRST"


LESSON 2
Standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand,
"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"
"Certainly," said the young executive.
He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.
"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the shredder machine. "I just need one copy."
LESSON II: "NEVER, NEVER ASSUME THAT YOUR BOSS KNOWS EVERYTHING"


LESSON 3
An American and a Japanese were sitting on the plane on the way to LA When the American turned to the Japanese and asked, "What kind of -ese are you?"
The Japanese confused, replied, "Sorry but I don't understand what you mean."
The American repeated, "What kind of -ese are you?"
Again, the Japanese was confused over he question.
The American, now irritated, then yelled, "What kind of -ese are you
... Are you a Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese!, etc......??? "
The Japanese then replied, "Oh, I am a Japanese."
A while later the Japanese turned to the American and asked What kind Of 'key' was he.
The American, frustrated, yelled, "What do you mean what kind of -kee'am I?!"
The Japanese said, "Are you a Yankee, donkee, or monkee?"
LESSON III: "NEVER INSULT ANYONE"


LESSON 4
There were these 4 guys, a Russian, a German, an American and a French, who found this small genie bottle. When they rubbed the bottle, a genie appeared. Thankful that the 4 guys had released him out of the bottle, He said, "Next to you all are 4 swimming pools, I will give each of you A wish. When you run towards the pool and jump, you shout what you want the pool of water to become, then your wish will come true."
The French wanted to start. He ran towards the pool, jumped and shouted, "WINE".
The pool immediately changed into a pool of wine. The Frenchman was so happy swimming and drinking from the pool.
Next is the Russian's turn, he did the same and shouted, "VODKA" and immersed himself into a pool of vodka.
The German was next and he jumped and shouted, "BEER". He was so contented with his beer pool.
The last is the American. He was running towards the pool when suddenly He steps on a banana peel. He slipped towards the pool and shouted, "SHIT!!!!!!! ......... "
LESSON IV: "THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING, BECAUSE SOMETIMES ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN"


LESSON 5
The organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was In charge. Each organ took a turn to speak up:
Brain....... .. I should be in charge because I run all body functions.
Blood....... . I should be in charge because I circulate oxygen for the
brain.
Stomach... I should be in charge because I process food to the brain.
Legs........ . I should be in charge because I take the brain where it Wants to go.
Eyes........ . I should be in charge because I let the brain see where it's
going.
Asshole..... I should be in charge because I get rid of your waste.
All the other parts laughed so hard and this made the asshole very mad.
To prove his point, the asshole immediately slammed tightly closed and Stayed that way for 6 days, refusing to rid the body of any waste whatsoever.
Day 1 - Brain got a terrible headache and cried out for relief Day 2 -
Stomach got bloated and began to ache terribly Day 3 - Legs got cramps and became unstable Day 4 - Eyes became watery and vision became blurred Day 5 - Blood became toxic and poisoned the body Day 6 -The other organs agreed to let the asshole be in charge.
MORAL OF THE STORY: "NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, OR HOW IMPORTANT YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU WILL FIND THAT IT IS ALWAYS THE ASSHOLE THAT IS IN CHARGE".........

Colorgenics Analysis
Presently, you are trying to break away from a situation that is causing you considerable worry and concern. Things are getting on top of you and you are feeling depressed almost to breaking point. Obviously there must be a way out - but at this time the solution seems to be escaping you. You want to 'get away from it all' and as a consequence you appear to be sullen and introverted and refuse to get involved in any discussion or arguments which could aggravate the situation. Accept the fact that 'as you feel - so your body will respond' and 'pretend' to the world about you that everything is going beautifully as, if you act as if 'all is going well' everything will, whether you believe it or not, work out as you would like it to.

You are in need of rest, some peace and quiet. You feel the need to be close to that someone special, that someone who can give you that special consideration and unquestioning affection that you seek. If you don't find that 'special someone' and resolve your problems very soon, you are liable to become extremely introverted and cut yourself off from society.

You are confined and trapped in a distressing or uncomfortable situation and seeking some way out. Whatever you seem to do to resolve the problem hasn't worked out. Fortunately you are able to gain some aspect of relief from someone close to you.

You are experiencing considerable stress which is essentially the result of on going rejection and hostility. You are in the unpleasant position where offers of trust, affection and understanding are being withheld and you are being treaded with a degrading lack of consideration. You feel that you are being denied the appreciation that you deserve, which is essential to your well-being and self-esteem, but you have to face up to the situation because as matters stand at this time there is little that you can do about it - you feel that you are getting nowhere and the continuous struggle is a lonely one: all difficulties and no encouragement. Whatever you try to say or do is met with continuous hostility and no matter how much you protest you are consistently misunderstood. You need to escape from the situation but you are so perplexed that you cannot find the strength of mind to make the necessary decision.

In the past your trusting attitude has often been misunderstood and so you have needed to protect yourself against your tendency to be abused and taken advantage of. As a consequence you possibly adopt an aloof and critical attitude and you are only willing to let your guard down once sincerity and trustworthiness can be assured.

Museum-hop till you drop

Life! suggests a whole day museum hopping itinerary that ends with a mug of beer at Ice Cold B’s at SMU.

i still do read SMU daily alerts and i happen to see this. those who went work and travel with me will immediately burst out laughing. IF i sign up for this. HAHA.

for those who have no idea...
we basically spent 1 day walking in washington, hopping from museums to museums, and i totally HATED it. we had to walk LOOOOONG distances, the weather was scorching and there was no edible stuff anywhere. ughh... terrible experience. and i swore i'll never go washington again.

ok!! my last try at hosting the image using imageshack worked! photobucket is so lousy... so yeah here's the new layout! it appears quite messy but who cares... haha~

it's strange but i spent like 3hours working on my new skin and it still turned out to be a flout. oh well. no new updates for now i guess.

Peanuts

Man and Ostrich

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.


The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order "That will be $9.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke."
The ostrich says, "I'll have the same."

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

"No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad," says the man.

"Same," says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62."

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes.
My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"
"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.
The waitress asks, "What's with the ostrich?"










The man sighs, pauses and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with a big ass and long legs who agrees with everything I say."

ok... what's N'US doing on MSN

ooh... ever since my 13 sub splits of a single strand of hair, i thought nothing could be worse than that. a pity it was too miniscule to be fully captured by my camera before i lost it (yes, i tried to keep it inside my morey's piers keychain box, but i forgot i had kept my hair there and when i opened it back in singapore, it flew away). i just found another one, 5 splits, no less and here's how it looks like:



notice the arrow part - that's a backsplit. just like when you try to break a branch but only half of it (lengthwise) breaks, and that's the result you get. i thought i might as well draw my record 13-splits. most of it was branched out like the bottom part, with a few rare sub-sub-branches. maybe it was only 11 splits. i can't remember. oh well. if only i still had it with me, i might go into the guiness book of world records for the most no. of splits on a single strand of hair. haha.

ok, i don't think this is the worst yet.
i'm still doing small projects, and the big one is tentatively undecided.
that means i should expect my job to get a lot more worse.

that's really not an encouragement considering i'm only taking a breather now. just a very short one, i promise i'll get back to work the next second.

the only good thing i guess is that i don't have to do homework. oh yeah? i brought home an assignment on my very first weekend. like cheryl (my team leader) said, 'well, it's what working's all about, time to face reality'.

sidetrack. this is scary. my media player just played a line from the nana soundtrack, then returned back to ff11 soundtrack. i didn't put any nana sounds in my ff11 playlist now, did i...?

ok what am i doing reaching so early in the office when i was told to be able to come anytime i want? (-_-`)
now look at my dark eye rings... *sighs*

i don't think anyone has a better internship than mine... being able to do real things and enjoy at the same time! yay. ok time to go back to work.

6th May
Your ability to concentrate will be enhanced today, Christy-Bell. If you have studying or detail work to tend to, this will be an opportune time to get to it. Hobbies that require a lot of focus may also strike your fancy such as sewing, jewelry making or petite point. Even if a herd of stampeding elephants run through your space today, you're not likely to lose your concentration. So pull out your most intensive tasks and have a great day.

i just saw this today and it's so totally accurate! i spent my whole day working on this pair of $5 shoe that me and xm bought at far east the day before. i think the stampeding elephants probably referred to my mom's vacuum cleaner, which tried to plough my spread of materials. but it didn't matter, i manage to complete my shoe anyway! i took a few pictures of it. will upload it when i have the time heh. alrighty get to work!