Singapore Cakes!

Delicious and beautifully decorated cheese cakes and chocolate cakes from singaporecakes.com.

Web Design in Singapore

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Bahrain National Museum

The Lonely Planet describes Bahrain as "an excellent introduction to the Persian Gulf" because of its authentic Arab heritage and reputation as relatively liberal and modern. The Kingdom combines authentic Arab culture, contemporary Gulf glitz and the archaeological legacy of five thousand years of civilization. The ancient civilization of Dilmun, which dominated trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization, was centred in Bahrain. The inhabitants of Dilmun left behind settlements and temples and tens of thousands of burial mounds which dot the landscape.

Dilmun prospered because it had fresh water, and it is this resource which has meant that Bahrain has long fought over by regional powers in a predominantly arid region. As a result, the island is home to many castles including the impressive Qalat Al Bahrain which was recently listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Bahrain National Museum has a wide-varied collection of artifacts from the Kingdom's history dating back to the island's first human inhabitation 9000 years ago.

I want to visit Bahrain!

Yemen, Middle Eastern Dreaming

Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen is a Middle Eastern country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. With a population of about 20 million people, Yemen is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east. Yemen's territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 kilometres (260 miles) to the south of Yemen, off the coast of Somalia.

Yemen health and safety

Correction in stocks provides selected buying opportunities: analysts

SINGAPORE : Amid the market volatility, analysts say they expect the jitters to remain for the next few weeks but they do not see the recent sell-off as the end of the bull cycle for stocks.

According to some market-watchers, the correction is presenting buying opportunities in certain sectors.

Investors in the region remained nervous on Tuesday after the sharp sell-off of the previous session on growing concerns over the US housing credit crisis.

There was also caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates.

Analysts say they do not expect the markets to calm down any time soon.

They expect the markets to remain nervous and volatile at least for the next few weeks but most are optimistic that this is not yet the end of the bull cycle.

Some analysts say investors should not give up on equities just yet, but exercise caution.

Christoffer Moltke-Leth, Saxo Capital Markets' senior manager and head of sales trading, said: "I think the Singapore market is quite resilient. The index starts to look very well supported around the 3,150 area.

"If you see a further 6 maybe 8 per cent correction, it will be an excellent buying opportunity. I don't expect that much, actually, because if you look at the banks, they have some collateralised debt obligations (CDO) exposure but they are not nearly as exposed as other companies in the region."

According to market watchers, strong fundamentals in the economy and strong profit announcements here and around the globe would also help prop the market.

Loh Hoon Sun, Managing Director, Phillip Securities, said: "In Singapore, the banking sector is always a good sector, although the banks here are also in some ways involved in this sub-prime loan through their CDOs. But I think their exposure are quite small.

"I think (the) banking sector will continue grow, especially with the recent selldown in the banking stocks. Oil and gas, for example, marine sector, will continue to be good, with the high oil price."

The STI is now up more than 10 percent so far this year.

Some analysts are forecasting a further upside of about 5 per cent by the end of the year. - CNA/ch

MACD

Should have learnt and follow this long ago, and saved a lot of money from mistakes made on the stock market:

"Developed by Gerald Appel, Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) is one of the simplest and most reliable indicators available. MACD uses moving averages, which are lagging indicators, to include some trend-following characteristics. These lagging indicators are turned into a momentum oscillator by subtracting the longer moving average from the shorter moving average. The resulting plot forms a line that oscillates above and below zero, without any upper or lower limits. MACD is a centered oscillator and the guidelines for using centered oscillators apply."



Just follow the blue line, when it starts to diverge from the red. This is really accurate indicator for buy and sell signals.

End of the Road

When I reached the end of the road, the mountains really stop me in track. I think it's time to turn around... head back, or lay camp and wait for the mountains to roll away...

Then I see the people on the mountains... and I begin to hope that I can climb the mountains too. The view on top must be better I think. I'm starting to believe mountains I meant to be scaled and only the losers stay at on the easy path.

Another Day

Another day of looking for writers, emailing travel resorts, replying emails, improving design and sic stuff needed to kick start the travel site. Tired and weary... hope something encouraging shows up soon.

Sunday service was great as usual, despite the stormy weather all the way to church.

Watched the Simpsons movie with xiang and melvin. Mus say it was very witty and funny.

Still waiting... still waiting... Find rest my soul in Christ alone.

Gone Shopping - Wee Li Lin & Dining at Dome

Went to watch this Singapore film without much expectations... but was pleasantly suprised by the quality of acting from both lead and supporting actresses, and the imaginery and drama that could be injected into the theme of shopping in Singapore. Kudos to Kym, who really underwent a transformation to fit into this role, looking bloated, slower, saddened and in her forties (a tai_tai!)... she wasn't looking her usual hyper-active-skinny-talkative-auntie character in the usual food variety shows. And as for Director/Writer for this film - Wee Li Lin... she produced what Asian (and Singapore) directors could only achieve, a story telling marked with documentary realistic style (not overly melancholic) and with such well-timed pacing that lets the mood and color of the scene set in.

As for the dinner at Dome... the lamb rack was great. Salad was fresh (unlike the dead ones in fish&co). But the bbq pork ribs were quite terrible... more like charsiew chinese style pork ribs! So much for "creativity" in a non-Chinese diner.
As for the mash potato... tasted quite like fast-food powdery mash potato... can be improved!!! The mango smoothie was also too milky and tasted wierd. The cheese cake (no-name), has a different quality from the past two times I tried (1st time 5 star, 2nd time 0 star, this time 3 star). I suspect it's because of the number of days that they keep the cheese cake, or the temperature they maintain over their cakes.

That's about it for film and food review for today!

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Gone Shopping Marks Female Director Wee Li Lin's Feature Debut

Singapore, 28th June 2007 – Kismet Films, together with movie distributor Golden Village Pictures Pte Ltd (GVP) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is proud to announce local movie, GONE SHOPPING, scheduled to hit local cinema screens on 26th July 2007.

Starring MediaCorp Artiste Kym Ng, GONE SHOPPING is a satirical drama that sheds new light and purpose to one of Singapore’s oldest cultures – the art of shopping. Centred around three leading characters who seek to satisfy the emptiness of their souls, Gone Shopping will take audiences on a journey of love, loss and liberation in the heart of Singapore’s shopping centres, a place where their dreams can be bought and broken.

At the helm of the film is writer, director and co-producer Wee Li Lin, reputed to be Singapore’s most prolific female short filmmaker, with more than 10 short films that have garnered prestigious local and international awards. In this maiden feature effort, Wee Li Lin partnered with producer Fazila “Fuzzy” Zainol Abideen of Kismet Films.

With Gone Shopping, Li Lin wanted to reflect the rich Singapore culture that she was raised in and its people. “As a writer, I’m mostly interested in character studies. Shopping in itself is a benign activity which doesn’t make for dramatic storytelling, but the psychology behind shopping, the space of the shopping centre and its archetypes that dwell there, are intriguing,” says Li Lin.

Taking on the lead role of Clara, is Kym Ng, whose beauty and acting skills for the big screen will stun and move audiences. Gone Shopping will not only be Kym’s debut in a leading role for a feature film, it will also feature her first on-screen kiss with her love interest in the movie, Valentine, played by veteran actor Adrian Pang (MediaCorp artiste).

Produced over a period of three painstaking years, Gone Shopping was finally realised after a 31 day shoot - almost completely filmed in the shopping centres of Singapore on High Definition.

The end result is a story that goes beyond the essence of Singapore’s society and its subcultures. It exposes the heartbeat of every busy metropolitan city around the world affected by the very magnetic culture of shopping and its spaces.

Interviews

The interviews are coming... and the time for me to give up my website project/hobby may be coming close. It has been good to read up on so much more about web business, afilitate marketing, and even liasing with the right PR channels has been a good experience. I hope all these pays off in some way, but I still think more needs to be done. There is still so much to learn in the travel/fashion industry and high-end niche market in eCommerce.

IP Blacklisted for Spam

I just found out recently my hosting provider has allocated for my website an IP blacklisted for spam. Damn.

The all importance of getting a good whois and run down of the domain once the host is chosen - http://www.whois.sc/ (Limited tries for unregistered users)

I hope my hosting provider will resolve this soon... worse comes to worse, I may have to change hosting provider.

What they should do - Remove the spammer user who is using their server and report to the spam authorities to remove the blacklisting. Or - change my bloody IP!!! The spammers can share the same IP for all I care.

Icons

New Mattress

The new mattress came in today.. from the SeaHorse brand... I must say it is harder than I thought. Work-wise, the flowers directory is almost complete, I have websites for florist from all over the world... hope I can finish the hundreds of flower pages today and start on a wedding directory! Something closer the "love" theme :)

Hopefully, these directories will be really quality and good sites to search from in time.

It's been almost half year into married life... Pray for stable income, a permanent home and kids in time...

Motivation at the Workplace

This is a really good article which could really help a lot of SMEs, and give "life" to not just company productivity, but to the hardworking people who are drained at work.

http://www.microsoft.com/singapore/sme/english/themes/build-your-business/motivate-your-employees-to-help-you-succeed.mspx?xid=CNA_15Jun07_5_motivateemployees

I guess it all goes to down to appreciating people and enabling them to grow. But employers don't always see the point to helping people... the mentality is often, how can I get value for money... squeeeeeze the most out of my workers whom I'm paying too much for!!!

My utopian dream... everyone can be a boss in their own right, earning enough to support themselves and help others.

Web Building

Have been really busy building online directories... the number of cities in each country really made me cough out blood. As I finished the US section... then came Canada... Another big country to cover. So far I've done like more than a hundred pages... it's really monotonous and can't say I enjoy the process very much... feels like jogging for the long mile.

I hope my online website will grow and make money one day.

Pray for a Job

It's now 2nd week into looking for a job... although I've been busy with minding my own business, I still feel the pressure. Maybe my trust in Him is weak.

Off to the post office to mail a letter and jog / train for my IPPT.

In Dire Times We Seek

Psalms 27 is my favourite Psalm... or shall I say song. Whenever I read it, I think of the song sung by Darlene and Hillsong Church. It's true, men seek God in times of desperate need, even the atheist (person who claim to believe that God cannot exists) cry out for divine intervention when distressed. People from rich and wealthy nations seem to have more difficulty worshipping the creator or believing in a god existance, they wonder, how can there be a god when there is so much suffering and pain and death in the world? What is God doing, does he care? Does it matter that entire nations are dying of Aids and/or starvation.

In contrast, many poverty stricken people are praising God, they are filled with the Holy Spirit, they worship despite pain, they sing out with all their hearts, despite hunger, they choose to workship the creator, despite a war-torn landscape. They sing in the God tongue despite knowing their entire families can be jailed and tortured if found. More Christians are persecuted today then ever before... 160,000 killed yearly for believing and declaring Christ is Lord.

I guess this psalm will speak different volumes to people in different situations. This song didn't make much sense or speak to me before I was serving Christ. But when ministry starts, and when there is a battle to change hearts, yes, this songs makes a lot of sense and brings a lot of comfort. The song focuses so much on the "Lord", not the problem, distressing situation or painful circumstance.



The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation
A Psalm of David.

1
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

2
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell.

3
Though a host should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me,
in this will I be confident.

4
One thing have I desired of the LORD,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.

5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock.

6
And now shall mine head be lifted up
above mine enemies round about me:
therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

7
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face;
my heart said unto thee,
Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

9
Hide not thy face far from me;
put not thy servant away in anger:
thou hast been my help;
leave me not, neither forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

10
When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the LORD will take me up.

11
Teach me thy way, O LORD,
and lead me in a plain path,
because of mine enemies.

12
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies:
for false witnesses are risen up against me,
and such as breathe out cruelty.

13
I had fainted, unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14
Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.

Grace Assembly of God

Today at church was great, rushing off to the service ten minutes before start time (cabs in Singapore is cheap...) I managed to reach just about the second-last praise song. Good thing there is more songs sung here, not a 4 song(only) medley we have in many other rush hour churches.

Met Chong as she returned with groceries from her 10km marathon. Carried the stuff for her, helped her with a massage and watched loads (to me only) of korean drama serials. Chong has a penchant for getting me hooked (momentarily) unto such things. All that not before very nice Singapore carrot cake that chong bought for me, and cheap sausages and ham from Cold Storage Jelita... Yummy!

Talking about food, off to dinner now!