Thursday 31 May 2012

Happy Diamond Jubilee QE2!



For your information, it has been 60 years our queen has been on the throne, the second longest serving monarch. I do know there are many republicans out there. However, I love parties and I am definitely NOT out of this one :-P 

Have d best Bank Holiday weekend of d year & happy partying! Yee...haaa...! Happy ruling Your Highness! 

Tuesday 29 May 2012

The loudest and most violent WILL be heard!


Lady Gaga cancels biggest Asia gig after threats


By Julia | 110% pop – 19 hours ago

Lady Gaga has been forced to cancel her biggest Asia gig due to threats by Islamic extremists.
Lady GagaLady Gaga has called off her Jakarta gig due to threats. Copyright [Rex]
The kooky singer has called off the Jakarta date of her 'Born This Way' tour after religious extremists threatened to cause chaos if she entered the country.
The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) call Lady Gaga a "devil's messenger" and say her provocative dance moves and sexy clothes will corrupt the youth of the country.
Despite efforts to go through with the gig, the American songstress' management released a statement today confirming the June 3 concert had been cancelled.
Minola Sebayang, lawyer for promoter Big Daddy Promotion said: "Lady Gaga's management has considered the situation minute to minute, and with threats if the concert goes ahead, Lady Gaga's side is calling off the concert.
"This is not only about Lady Gaga's security, but extends to those who will be watching her."
Lady GagaExtremists threatened to cause chaos if the gig went ahead. Copyright [Rex]
Gaga herself tweeted this afternoon to apologise to fans, posting: "We had to cancel the concert in Indonesia. I'm so very sorry to the fans & just as devastated as you if not more. You are everything to me"
She hinted at the outcome yesterday by tweeting: "There is nothing Holy about hatred."
The show had sold 50,000 tickets, making it the biggest single date on her Asia tour.
Lady GagaLady Gaga says she's devastated. Copyright [Rex]
Big Daddy spokesman Michael Rusli added: "For the past few days we have communicated with the government and Lady Gaga's side. The government has given support, but this is not about the permit. The cancellation is really due to concerns over security."
The Jakarta chairman of the FPI said: "FPI is grateful that she has decided not to come.
"Indonesians will be protected from sin brought about by this Mother Monster, the destroyer of morals. Lady Gaga fans, stop complaining. Repent and stop worshipping the devil.
"Do you want your lives taken away by God as infidels?"


Regardless of conscience, the ones who talk the loudest and most violent will be heard. How unfortunate for the decline of the human race... :-(


Bibliography

Reference Cited

LADY GAGA CANCELS BIGGEST ASIA GIG AFTER THREATS (2012) [Online] Yahoo! Available from: 
[Accessed: 28 MAY 2012]



Monday 28 May 2012

Verify EVERYTHING!



Fake Primark store opens in Dubai


Usually when someone decides to knock off a brand, they choose something the average man or woman can’t afford. A Primark store shopfront in Nottingham, UK.

In Dubai however, counterfeiters decided to target monster budget retail chain Primark.

A fake version of the biggest discount store in Europe opened in Bur Dubai on Bank Street this week, offering goods under the Primark label and parading itself as the big budget brand from Britain.

The store boasts two floors for shopping and is packed with clothes that resemble Primark's trademark inexpensive T-shirts, underwear and socks.

                                [Related featureEnormous fake designer clothing haul seized]

Primark have denied opening a store in the UAE and sent Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National a statement that they were seeking legal action against the company running the bogus store

"We are aware that there is a store in Dubai that purports to be part of our group," the UK retailer said.

"Primark does not operate any stores there and this is not, therefore, a legitimate Primark store. The company is considering its legal options as a matter of urgency."

The owners of the fake store couldn’t be reached for comment, according to The National. However, staff at the store confirmed the clothing they were selling and the look of the brand were based on the high street discount shop from the UK.

Twitter was abuzz with the news of a Primark opening in the UAE on Monday. Some excitable Tweets read:
"Omg Primark is opening in Dubai? MUST GO THERE EVERY WEEKEND," said one user.
 "The best thing about dubai has to be the shopping , were even gaining a primark #shopaholic," said another.

"Primark in Dubai! #lifeiscomplete," wrote another user.

Currently, Primark is the biggest retailer in Europe and has 235 stores across the UK, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Belgium.


Well, the moral of this news: Verify EVERYTHING because crime and rip-offs happen when you least expected, I mean it!


Bibliography

Reference Cited

FAKE PRIMARK STORE OPENS IN DUBAI (2012) [Online] Yahoo! Available from: http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/fake-primark-store-opens-in-dubai-.html  
[Accessed: 26 APR 2012]



Friday 25 May 2012

Alfa Romeo MiTo (by BBruago) - The Cicada on Wheels!

My good mate has been feeling down since the demise of her close friend ToT I was with her throughout but lay helpless to save her mate. Till this day, I still carry the burden of guilt. 


As I was browsing a local toy store, I came across this die-cast model of Alfa MiTo by BBurago. I immediately thought of her. She mentioned that she liked this car that overtook her in a flash on the motorway last year. Though she had a vague memory of this, I remember her telling me clearly in a burst of laughter. This may be due to the car looking like a cicada and my cars interest as well. To see her smile upon receiving my gift certainly made my day. Definitely giving is better than receiving ;-)

Car in a box, and...

..out of the box!

All angles profile

 A very highly detailed interior. Even the gauges comes with needles!


 The engine bay is definitely above average in details but not to my expectations

Apart from the base holder holes and the embossed names, I wonder if the bottom of the real car looks like this?

The name and brand

To the best of my knowledge and observation, BBurago is the last of quality die-cast car model makers. With high details and almost real car-like finishing, it is the closest to the real thing in a tissue box. I personally recommend 1/24 scale. It is one of these hobby standards which are not bulky. It is small without sacrificing model details.


Now, let us look at the REAL thing below:

Compare it with the photo of a cicada above. See any similarities?

 A bullet-like sleek side profile

My, what a nice looking butt you have!

 Nothing fancy about the cockpit. The position of the central air conditioning vents and stereo looks like bugs face...heh... 


 These seats look hard

Alfa's unique toy-like DNA switch. Looks fake, ain't it? 

As for the real car, what more could you be asking? At turbocharged 155bhp, top speed of 215km/h and 0-100km/h in 8 seconds, all in a small 1.4L package? You have to be kidding me? :-P Looking more like a cicada, you can ‘bug’ most cars below 2.0L without resistance. As a bonus, you get a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating and Alfa’s unique DNA (Dynamic, Normal, and All-weather) driving mode selection system. As for other aspects, you have to research your own. Now, you will be ‘bugged’!


Bibliography

Reference Cited

GALLERY (2012) [Online] Sime Darby Auto Italia. Available from: http://www.autoitalia.com.my/mito_gallery.asp
[Accessed: 19 MAY 2012]

MiTo IMAGE GALLERY (2012) [Online] Alfa Romeo. Available from: http://www.alfaromeo.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=21608

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Dark Shadows – Dark but bright...boo... >:-O


Due to my busy schedule, I have to choose between ‘Avengers’ and ‘Dark Shadows’. After watching too many superheroes movies, I was tempted by these beautiful lady characters of ‘Dark Shadows’. After watching, I realised that this was featured in Glamour UK’s JUN 2012 issue. Now, I am still confident that I have a destiny with fashion ;-)



Though I was sceptical, EVA GREEN is superb in portraying this character. Fashion and glamour definitely brings Angelique Bouchard’s evil to life! Her red glitter ball dress for Colinsport will be embedded in my memory for eternity...


Who can forget the resident shrink, Dr. Julia Hoffman? I cannot help noticing that HELENA BONHAM CARTER looks very pear shape here as compared to Harry Porter’s Bellatrix Lestrange. Watch her and be the judge. Thanks to her fabulous costume designs with high waist, darker shade to slim her bottom and long sleeve cropped jacket-like dress (all evident above) she manages to pull them off. With her radical character, hippie-like dresses and a serious drinking problem, she herself is a nut-case! You have to check out her hair, ladies! Lol

For my fashionistas who want a modest and simple appearance, idolise Victoria Winters.

From these diverse female characters, there will be one to suit you. With lots of darkness, comedy and fashionable costumes, this is a must watch for all fashionistas!


Bibliography

Reference Cited

DOWNLOADS (2012) [Online] Warner Bros. Entertainment. Available from: http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html#/downloads?section=wallpapers
[Accessed: 19 MAY 2012]

Saturday 5 May 2012

Lessons Learned


Japan to switch off final nuclear reactor
By AFP | AFP – 1 hour 18 minutes ago


This aerial view, taken in 2010 shows the the Tomari nuclear plant in northernmost Hokkaido, northern Japan. Japan is set to go without nuclear energy for the first time since 1970 from May 5, when the Tomari reactor shuts down for maintenance, heightening fears of a looming power crunch this summer
View Photo
A graphic showing Japan's nuclear power plants. Japan is set to go without nuclear energy for the first time since 1970 from Saturday, when the last operating reactor shuts down for maintenance, heightening fears of a looming power crunch this summer
The last working reactor in Japan is to be switched off Saturday, leaving the country without nuclear power just over a year after the world's worst atomic accident in a quarter of a century.
As technicians ready to close down the No. 3 unit at Tomari in Hokkaido, the debate over whether Japan needs nuclear power has been reignited, amid increasingly shrill warnings of summer power blackouts.
Hokkaido Electric Power, which runs the plant, said they would at 5pm (0800 GMT) begin inserting control rods that would halt the chain reaction and bring the reactor to "cold shutdown" some time on Monday.
The shuttering will mark the first time since the 1970s that resource-poor and energy-hungry Japan has been without nuclear power, a technology that had provided a third of its electricity until meltdowns at Fukushima.
The tsunami-sparked disaster forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in an area around the plant -- some of whom may never be allowed to return.
It did not directly claim any lives, but has devastated the local economy, leaving swathes of land unfarmable as radiation spewed from the ruins.
With the four reactors at Fukushima crippled by the natural disaster public suspicion of nuclear power grew, so much so that no reactor shut for routine safety checks has since been allowed to restart.
When the fission reaction stops in the middle of Saturday night, Japan's entire stable of 50 reactors will be offline, despite increasingly urgent calls from the power industry and bodies like the OECD, who fear dire consequences for the world's third largest economy.
Last month, Kansai Electric Power, which supplies mid-western Japan, including the commercial hubs of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, said a hot summer could see supply fall nearly 20 percent short of demand.
Kyushu Electric Power, covering an area further west, as well as Hokkaido Electric Power also said they will struggle as air conditioning gets cranked up in Japan's sweltering summer.
Kansai Electric last month booked a $3 billion annual loss, turning around a $1.5 billion profit the year earlier on the increased cost of using previously mothballed thermal fuel plants.
A week earlier, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government gave the green light to restarting reactors at the Oi nuclear plant, run by Kansai Electric, but regulators still have to convince those living near the plant.
In order to be fired up again, reactors must now pass International Atomic Energy Agency-approved stress tests and get the consent of their host communities -- it is this last hurdle that is proving hardest to overcome.
Critics of nuclear power say Japan has managed thus far with its ever dwindling pool of reactors and need not look back.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said Friday the country should concentrate on ramping up renewables and boosting energy efficiency.
"Despite the closure of all reactors, security of electricity supply is not threatened in Japan," said Hisayo Takada, Greenpeace Japan Climate and Energy Campaigner.
"The 2012 summer peak in electricity demand can be managed with energy efficiency, proper load balancing, and energy conservation."
Takada said recent warnings that another big earthquake could strike seismically volatile Japan at any time meant the technology was not to be trusted.
"Should another meltdown occur, it is likely that it will break the back of Japan's economy, and many more people will suffer. It is simply not worth the risk when the clean and safe alternative of renewable energy is at our fingertips."


A human achievement for the term 'lessons learned'. If all were like this, there will be peace and prosperity on Earth!


Bibliography


Reference Cited

JAPAN TO SWITCH OFF FINAL NUCLEAR REACTOR (2012) [Online] Yahoo! Available from:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-nuclear-free-first-time-since-1970-093954734.html
[Accessed: 5 MAY 2012]