The End of the World ?

150 million kilometres away, 5,500° Celsius and the sun's heat can be felt on earth.

The sun give life but takes away life as well.

Two movies this year, Knowing and 2012 the "end of the world" kind, have put people in scare mode. Super solar flares, volcanic eruptions and massive earthquakes will make life on earth go the way of the dinosaurs - extinction.



It has only come to the attention of scientists in the last few decades that certain activities of the cosmos could actually end life on earth. If Nostradamus is spot on then people or all life for that matter have only 3 years to sleep and wake with the sun.



D. Wayne Dworsky, in his book 10 Ways Life on Earth Could End, wrote - Nostradamus, one of the great prophets of the middle ages, had prophesized destruction and chaos between the years 2009-2012. Even the Mayans’ calendar ends Dec 21, 2012.

The Humble Ass

Thanks to Andrew Zimmern, attention was drawn to donkey milk, not many people this part of the world appreciate or heard of the benefits.

Cosmetics have been created using donkey milk as the main ingredient.

Well, historians are sure that Cleopatra fill the bath tub with the milk for the radiant skin women would die for.

And yes, donkey milk has been described as liquid viagra in Santiago Chile.



Nutritionists describe donkey milk as having a lower content of fat than cow milk and as being the closest to human milk; therefore, it is richer in vitamins, proteins and many other nutritious minerals and compounds.

Maria Esther de Capovilla from Ecuador died at 116 years of age and appears to have owed much of her longevity to donkey milk. Donkey milk factories would love to use this as sales booster but according to Olivier Denys from Belgium's only donkey milk farm, "donkey milk is very good for your health, for the digestion and intestine, but we hadn't heard that it extended lifetimes." How's that for honesty.



The donkey is mentioned in the Bible 142 times and in the Quran four times. It is now well known that Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem with a donkey as transportation. And there is this ancient saying: Do not "covet" your neighbor's wife or donkey.

Foot Reflexology

Reflexology is based on an absurd theory and has not been demonstrated to influence the course of any illness. Whether that is worth $35 to $100 per session is a matter of individual choice.
Claims that reflexology is effective for diagnosing or treating disease should be ignored.

This is according to Dr Stephen Barrett, writing in Quackwatch.

But according to Barbara and Kevin Kunz, internationally recognized authorities in reflexology, writing in Reflexology Research Project, controlled studies have shown foot reflexology applied during an active onset of angina and observed with EKG showed disappearance of symptoms and a change to T-waves in V1.3 elevated from depressed T-waves and T-waves in V5 inverted upright from an inversion of T-waves.

Also researchers at Glostrop hospital, Copenhagen, demonstrated that reflexology can help relieve the acute pain suffered by patients with kidney stones. 30 patients participated in the study and were divided equally into three groups: one group received reflexology treatment, one group received placebo treatment and the remaining groups were used as controls.

The results showed that 9 out of the 10 patients in the reflexology group experienced complete pain relief after the treatment which lasted for over an hour and in 5 of the patients pain was relieved for 4 hours. Dr Niels Baekgaard and Dr Vibe Hansen, who conducted the study, concluded that "Reflexology treatment of acute ureterolithiasis has a pain relieving effect" and when compared to Baralgin (a commonly administered analgesic), the findings revealed that reflexology actually works faster at alleviating pain although the effects last for a shorter duration.

So should people believe in scientific proof, or the time tested massage of the sole ? One shouldn't take those cobblestone pathways for bare-foot therapy too seriously, say foot reflexologists.
They simply provide a form of massage, certainly not miracle remedies for ailments.

One thing is certain. Those with serious disease such as cancer or heart attack make their way to ER, while those suffering minor ache and pain settle for the reflexology centre.

A Rotating Building

Dubai never cease to amaze on what they can build. It was the one kilometre tower yesterday and a building that rotates at every floor, today.




The Dynamic Tower is due to start construction next year and the prices range from US$3.7m to US$36m. Its has 80 floors that rotate independently, ensuring that the tower will never look the same way twice. Each unit will have its own carpark by the apartment using car elevators which stop at every floor.




But such strange pioneering design must surely attracts sceptical questions: If there is more than one apartment per floor, who controls the rotation? And what about electricity? A greater problem was pipings and electrical wirings and ensuring they would function even as the house turned.

And the ultimate question will come from a chinese buyer: how on earth is feng shui going to work if my house direction keep changing all the time !

Economy Watch

Singapore's key exports fell for the 18th consecutive month in October as demand from crucial markets including the US and European Union continued to decline.

NODX 2009 - Year on Year
-20.8 percent in December 2008 - S$10.47 billion
-34.8 percent in January 2009 - S$10.04 billion
-23.8 percent in February 2009 - S$12.87 billion
-17.3 percent in March 2009 - S$11.88 billion
-19.2 per cent in April 2009 - S$11.32 billion
-12.1 per cent in May 2009 - S$10.94 billion
-11.0 per cent in June 2009 - S$11.38 billion
- 8.5 per cent in July 2009 - S$12.08 billion
- 7.1 per cent in August 2009 - S$12.1 billion
- 7.2 per cent in September 2009 - $12.81 billion
- 6.1 per cent in October 2009 - $12.50 billion

Achachairu. What's That?

Bolivia is the country on "the other side of the earth" and is not a common tourist destination.



The only culture in the world, outside England that wears the bowler hat are the Aymara women. They believe it enhances fertility.
The bowler hat – or bombin – has been worn by Quechua and Aymara women in Peru and Bolivia since the 1920s, when it was introduced to Bolivia by British railway workers.
One story told how a large shipment of bowlers arrived in Bolivia for the European workers but the hats were too small, and so they were dispersed to the locals and spread the fertility rumours, which stuck.




An interesting fruit called Achachairu or Bolivian mangosteen, pale orange as compared to the local purple, it was described as "super sweet".



Bolivia has its share of historical events and one which is high profile is about Che Guevara the revolutionery hero from Cuba who was killed in Bolivia in 1967.



The classic movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) was based on a real story. At the end of the 1800s after becoming America's most wanted criminals, the duo made their way to Bolivia.
However the law caught up with them in 1909 and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a shoot-out at San Vicente. But the police were not able to positively identify the two dead men. Well, DNA was an alien word at the time.

Dog Racing

Singapore now have horse racing, F1, casino, and if dog racing is included, it would nicely fit in the gambling landscape.



But a word of caution though. The Yat Yuen Canidrome in Macau has seen dwindling spectators. In its heyday crowds packed the Canidrome after it opened in 1931, but races were suspended six years later after Japan invaded China.
When it reopened in 1963, punters formed long queues to get through the doors, while ferries from Hong Kong arrived crammed with dog-racing fanatics.



The track's shrinking revenue causes some 300 to 400 of the racing dogs to be destroyed each year. And it is such scenarios that have animal rights group lobbying to have dog races banned.
Racing greyhounds endure lives of confinement, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. While racing, many dogs suffer and die from injuries including broken legs, paralysis and cardiac arrest. The rest are "retired," in a more likely scenario, shot and destroyed.

greyhound pups for sale
suggested price - $1,000 pp

In the USA only four states, California, Maine, Vermont, and Virginia, have banned greyhound racing. The greyhound racing industry breeds approximately 50,000 puppies each year. Of these only 15,000 actually become racing dogs.

Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd

Phua Chu Kang the contractor is now a familiar name on television but is not in any way associated with Singapore history.

In the early immigration period, Lim Chu Kang Village was founded by Neo Tiew, a Chinese immigrant who was the headman of the village. The village is on the banks of the Sungei Kranji and was controlled by the Lim clan.

Further inland there is another village known as Chua Chu Kang.
The name "Chua Chu Kang" is derived from the Teochew word "kang chu" the word "kang" means river and "chu" means owner. "Chua" is the clan name of the first headman.

Similiarly Yio Chu Kang were established by Chinese settlers in the 1840s with the headman surnamed Yeo.

Not many in Singapore have heard of Chan Chu Kang, a village at Seletar River.
The village was named after its owner, and was later renamed Nee Soon Village after Lim Nee Soon for his contribution to the rubber industry.

Upgrading MRT Station

As a measure to counter the economic depression, all MRT stations are undergoing makeovers.
A banyan tree was removed to make space for a new lift.

banyan tree removed

Lifts are being added to make the stations access friendly.

what's left of the tree

A new roof is also added, making umbrellas unnecessary on raining days.

Roof is construction on ground level...

And lifted to supporting columns...

The lifting has to be done after midnight to minimise inconvenience and safety for pedestrians.

The next morning, it is raining and commuters are pleasantly surprised...

Look Ma, no Degree

Feeling down and out after been rejected by NUS or NTU or SMU ?
Thinking how you are going to face the world without a degree ?
Fret not. Look to these Singapore heros who made a name for themselves without the sought after piece of paper.



Sim Wong Hoo. Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. Created Creative Technology in 1981, his Sound Blaster soundcards set the standard for sound in personal computer software and put made-in-Singapore technology on the world map. At age of 45, Sim Wong Hoo became the youngest billionaire in Singapore.


Lim Hock Chee son of pig farmer who stopped school at Secondary 3, is now the owner of 22 supermarket chain Sheng Siong. It all began at a provision store in Ang Mo Kio in 1985.
The company today had a turnover of some $700 million.



George Quek left for Taiwan after leaving his SAF carreer in his twenties. He founded Breadtalk after dabbling in the food court chain Food Junction in the 1990s. Breadtalk was created in 2000. Today the group local and international businesses boast of $200 million in annual sales.



Completing secondary school and without an O level certificate, Lim Bee Huat goes on to set up Kopitiam Group in 1988. He lead the pack with the then crazy bid of $2.1 million for the now famed coffee shop site in Bishan Street 11. The site in now worth a cool $6 million.
His stable presently operates over 100 coffee shops island wide with over $150 million turnover.



Pang Lim, founder of the Koufu Coffee shop chain started as a 13 year old stall helper and to a street hawker. In 1990 he open his first coffee shop. Today the company has 28 outlets with annual sales of $100 million.