Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed – Fast & Furious 4. Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian OConner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of whats possible behind the wheel.

Recommendation: 3.75/5 MUST WATCH if you are a cars lover!

If you moaned and groaned about the last 3 movies or you had not watch any one of the last 3 movies, then don't even bother reading my review. BEST would be, don't even go and watch the movie. BUT, if you liked the other 3 (like me), you are going to love this movie. It was so worth waiting for the casts to be reunited. The story line is actually decent and had a nice flow to it. I went to see the guys and obviously, the cars while guys were the cars and obviously, the hot babes. If you are a fan of the Fast and Furious series, go and see it in theaters. You will totally hate yourself if you wait for the DVD.

1973 Chevrolet F-Bomb Camaro

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

What the WRX STi lacks in the looks department but it makes up for in speed and handling. The STi is the street legal version of Subaru's series of World Rally champion cars, and like the Mitsubishi Evos, was made more popular by the Gran Turismo game series.

1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport

2001 BMW M5

German cars never get any loves in all the Fast & Furious series. They are normally shown show up in races cos they are to be wrecked in race cars and as obstacles. For sure, a shame, as the M5 is a great car.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

At the rate of how Dom wrecks his cars, it is such a surprise that he is still driving this Chevelle. I remembered seeing it at the end of the 1st movie, and even has a change of colour? Whatever colour it is, it still looks like it's going to be fast enough to melt my makeup off my face. -_-"

1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R (GT-BNR34)

CHIO! My favourite car! I so envy Brian O'Connor. I bet that is one of the perks of being a cop whereby you get to use the impound lots as your personal parts store. O.o

1970 Dodge Charger R/T

Resurrected version of the Charger that Dom wrecks at the end of the first Fast & Furious. I think there are some minor changes to the trim, and in reality it's probably an entirely new car.

1987 Buick GNX

Dom and Letty use this car in the opening scenes of Fast & Furious, as they've gone back to hijacking trucks on the move. The Buick GNX was claimed as the fastest production car ever built at the time. The all-black-appearance of the car also earned it the nickname "the Darth Vader car." 

WHO SAYS GIRLS DON'T LOVE CARS?

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog is a New York Times bestselling autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005.

Told in first-person narrative, the book portrays Grogan and his family's life during the thirteen years that they lived with their dog Marley, and the relationships and lessons from this period. Marley, a yellow Labrador Retriever, is described as a highly strung, boisterous, and somewhat uncontrolled dog. He is strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to be active, and often destructive of their property (but completely without malice). Marley routinely fails to "get the idea" of what humans expect of him; at one point, mental illness is suggested as a plausible explanation for his behavior. His acts and behaviors are forgiven, however, since it is clear that he has a heart of gold and is merely living within his nature.

During his escapades he makes a two-minute credited appearance in the movie The Last Home Run (filmed in 1996 and released in 1998).

The strong contrast between the problems and tensions caused by his neuroses and behavior, and the undying devotion, love and trust shown towards the human family as they themselves have children and grow up to accept him for what he is, and their grief when he finally dies in old age, form the backdrop for the biographical material of the story.

Recommendation: 4.5/5 Very good! The 1st book that makes me SOB like mad! I wish I have a dog. 

Marley & Me by John Grogan is an engaging book that uses the story of a crazy dog as a framework to talk about life, love and struggles of beginning a marriage, starting a family and making the most of every moment. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever loved a pet. Marley & Me, however, is for more than pet people. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good story.

Credit to wikipedia. 

Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in KNOWING, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future and sets out to prevent them from coming true.

Johns efforts to alert the authorities about the impending catastrophes fall on deaf ears and his fears intensify with the realization that Caleb is somehow connected to the mystery. Enlisting the help of Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne) and Abby Wayland (Lara Robinson), the daughter and granddaughter of the prophetic messages author, he embarks on a heart-pounding race against time to prevent the ultimate disaster.

Recommendation: 4.5/5

I really like this movie. It has tons of action scenes of disasters. It has heart, compassion and mystery. Rarely does a movie have all these qualities. It can be considered Sci-Fi with a feel of Armaggedon thrown in. For those lacking any biblical knowledge (like me), this film may fall flat not comprehending the ending. The film stretches the imagination. Each human will come to grips that the world may not last forever and this presents the realization of things to come. This is an ADULT movie, not for kids due to disaster scenario. As usual, Nicholas Cage is good!

Extracted from Yahoo.

SINGAPORE, April 8 – AXA <AXAF.PA>, Europe's second largest insurance company, said on Wednesday it had no plans to buy other firms in the near term as it was too costly given the sharp drop in its share price.

"We don't consider acquisitions at this stage because to raise capital to make an acquisition would not be accretive for our shareholders," AXA Management Board member and Executive Vice President Claude Brunet said at a media briefing in Singapore.

"We are not in an acquisition mode," said Brunet, who was in Singapore with Chief Executive Henri de Castries for the opening of the French insurer's university campus for staff in the Asia-Pacific region.

AXA has maintained in the recent past that it does not favour acquisitions, but the firm continues to be linked to M&A. According to sources, AXA had expressed an interest earlier this year in buying American Life Insurance, an Asia unit of troubled U.S. insurer American International Group <AIG.N>.

Brunet said AXA hoped to grow its Asia-Pacific businesses so that the region would contribute about 20 percent of group revenue in the next five to 10 years, up from 10 percent currently.

He also said many of the French insurer's Asian units were still too small, or "sub-scale" and needed to grow.

For instance, AXA had a "top 5" market position in only three of the 13 Asia-Pacific markets it operated in, according to estimates provided by the firm.

Insurers around the world have been hit by the market downturn brought on by the global credit crunch, leading them to book writedowns on equities and fixed-income assets.

AXA's share price has lost nearly two-thirds of their value OVER the past year, and Fitch last month downgraded the insurer's financial strength rating to AA-minus from AA.

Fitch, the European ratings agency, said it had a negative outlook on AXA because of the firm's weakened capital adequacy and reduced profitability.

In February, AXA posted a smaller-than-expected net loss of 1.24 billion euros for the second half of 2008, and said 2009 would be a tough year although it was confident about the future due to its solid balance sheet.

Extracted from Yahoo.

SINGAPORE: Preliminary lab results show two of the Geylang Serai food poisoning cases have tested positive for the bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

According to a joint statement from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency, the bacteria is a common cause of food poisoning associated with consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus — which comes from the same family as the bacteria which causes cholera — causes watery diarrhoea and abdominal cramps in nearly all cases, usually with nausea, vomiting, fever and headache.

Typically, it is a disease of moderate severity lasting one to seven days. Systemic infection and death rarely occur. The incubation period is usually between 12 to 24 hours, but can range from four to 96 hours.

But with investigations still ongoing, the ministry added it has yet to establish if the pathogen is the cause of this outbreak.

The ministry said it has been notified of 137 cases so far. Thirty—seven were hospitalised, while 100 received outpatient treatment at various hospital emergency departments and clinics.

These cases started to fall sick between April 2 and 4 with food poisoning symptoms such as severe abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

The ministry has adviced the public to discard any unconsumed food purchased from the ’Rojak Geylang Serai’ stall.

It said food poisoning is generally not contagious but faecal—oral transmission can occur with poor personal hygiene.

Those with queries can contact MOH at 1800—225—4122.

More information on Vibrio parahaemolyticus is available at the United States’ Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/vibriop_gi.html.

my love,晚安就别再为难
别管我会受伤
想开体谅我已经习惯
不然又能怎样?

这个城市太会说谎爱情只是昂贵的橱窗
沿路华丽灿烂陈列甜美幻象
谁当真谁就上当

竟然以为你会不一样但凭什么你要不一样
因为寂寞太冷虚构出的温暖
没理由能撑到天亮

前进转弯我跌跌撞撞
在这迷宫打转
死心失望会比较简单
却又心有不甘

这个城市太会伪装爱情就像霓虹灯一样
谁离开之后却把灯忘了关让梦作得太辉煌

以为能够留你在身旁但是谁肯留在谁身旁
一首情歌都比一个亲吻更长
这就叫做好聚好散

别说你对我感到愧疚别说你会永远想念我
我很知道孤单这条路怎么走
请你不要安慰我

my love,晚安别放在心上
我只受了点伤
只是受了点伤

Extracted from Yahoo.

SINGAPORE : As the family of the first victim of the Geylang mass food poisoning incident prepare for a funeral, another is keeping a close watch as Noraini Kasim fights for her life at Alexandra Hospital.

The 59—year—old, who had eaten Indian rojak from the same hawker stall, is now in a coma.

On Monday morning, 57—year—old Madam Aminah Samijo, who had been in a coma, died without regaining consciousness after being rushed to the intensive care unit of Changi General Hospital.

The hospital had diagnosed the canteen assistant who arrived unconscious, unresponsive and with breathing difficulties, as suffering from gastroenteritis and septic shock.

Hospital officials said they have yet to determine the bacteria that caused the lethal bout of food poisoning and are continuing with tests.

At the Singapore General Hospital, the body of Madam Aminah was handed over to her family at about 12.15pm on Tuesday. Seven family members were present to claim the body, which had undergone an autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death.

The dead woman’s son, 23—year—old Salleh Omar told 938Live that Indian rojak was his mother’s favourite dish and she had patronised weekly the popular stall known as Rojak Geylang Serai.

Mr Salleh said it was too early to say what action the family will take against the stall owner as the family is concentrating on the funeral.

Speaking at the family flat in Eunos Crescent, Madam Aminah’s daughter, Siti, said her mum — who will be greatly missed — was well—liked and a great cook.

Apart from Mdm Aminah, her husband also came down with food poisoning and had to be hospitalised. Also affected was her younger brother Ahmad Samijo, who ate from the stall last Wednesday. He, however, managed to recover from the bout through outpatient treatment.

In all, the Health Ministry had received 111 reports of food poisoning linked to the Rojak Geylang Serai stall at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

The victims include a 38—year—old housewife, Rosiah Samat, who received a special treat of Indian rojak from her husband on Friday. The mother—to—be, who ended up with food poisoning, also suffered a miscarriage.

So far, 27 people had to be hospitalised, while the rest received outpatient treatment at various emergency departments for symptoms that include severe abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Preliminary investigations show the cases are associated with the food from the stall, which had been ordered to close after being inspected by the Health Ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA).

The stallholder and his assistant have been told to undergo screening for food borne pathogens at the Communicable Disease Centre, while other stalls in the area have undergone a hygiene inspection.

The precautionary measure by the NEA has found that the other food stalls are satisfactory and stallholders have been reminded to keep a high standard of food and personal hygiene.

Members of the public who have queries can call MOH at 1800—225—4122.

I wonder what is the virus?

曾經唱紅偶像劇片尾曲「葉子」的歌手阿桑，因為歌聲低沉，被喻為療傷歌手，但在去年10月發現罹患乳癌末期，6日一早病逝新店慈濟醫院，得年34歲。

「葉子」(歌曲)：「只是心又飄到了哪裡，就連自己看也看不清。」

低沉嗓音、憂鬱歌聲，歌手阿桑把這首「葉子」，唱進很多歌迷心裡面，就連哈林庾澄慶，前一陣子也曾翻唱這首歌，但被喻為療傷歌手的阿桑，卻在6日早上因為乳癌病逝，得年34歲。

曾經幫阿桑發過2張專輯的音樂製作人說，阿桑雖然歌聲憂鬱，但性格卻相當開朗，是同事口中的開心果；去年還進軍大陸歌壇，不畏當地低溫，性感上陣在台上勁歌熱舞，但卻在10月發現自己罹患乳癌末期。

音樂製作人施人誠：「我去年的冬天還有在西門町路上，巧遇到她，當然還看不出來有生病的樣子，沒跟我講，朋友們也都不知道她有生病。」

回到台灣，面對同事，依舊開朗如昔，而姊姊也一路陪她做化療，只是前幾天病情突然惡化，最後還是敵不過病魔，短暫34年生命，就此結束，留下讓人永遠難忘的療傷嗓音。「葉子」(歌曲)：「我想我不僅僅是失去你。」

RIP, you will always be remembered.

Extracted from Yahoo.

MELBOURNE – Caught Twittering or on Facebook at work? It'll make you a better employee, according to an Australian study that shows surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity.

The University of Melbourne study showed that people who use the Internet for personal reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive that those who do not.

Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said "workplace Internet leisure browsing," or WILB, helped to sharpened workers' concentration.

"People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration," Coker said on the university's website

"Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days' work, and as a result, increased productivity," he said.

According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB.

Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites, playing online games and watching videos on YouTube.

"Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online under the pretence that it costs millions in lost productivity," said Coker. "That's not always the case."

However, Coker said the study looked at people who browsed in moderation, or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office.

"Those who behave with Internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without," he said.

YOU SEE, YOU SEE!