Spicy Mother - News and Entertainment

Susan Boyle capped a fantastic 2009 by appearing on Japan's premier New Year's Eve TV show Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦). It is an honour to appear on Kohaku Uta Gassen which features mainly top notch artistes in Japan.

Susan Boyle's route to stardom has been somewhat of a fairytale. The 48 year old Scot impressed the audience with her rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" in Britain's Got Talent which became an overnight YouTube hit.

Susan's debut album, also named I Dreamed A Dream, has already sold 1.4million copies in the UK and hit number one in America, edging out Mary J Blige.

Last week alone, Americans snapped up 510,000 copies of her album. That put her on track to overtake Taylor Swift's platinum edition of Fearless, which sold 3.16 million copies to date.

The biggest winner of the SBS Drama Awards goes to mega-hit series Cruel Temptation which is currently airing on Channel U. It is a very popular Korean drama which has also caused a sensation in Taiwan.


Jang Seo-hee who acted as Goo Eun Jae took home the grand prize of the night for her excellent performance in Cruel Temptation. I really love her fashion sense - elegant and stylish.


Other awards garnered by Cruel Temptation in the 2009 SBS Drama Awards include:

Best Supporting Actor - Serial Drama (Choi Joon Yong)
Best Actor - Serial Drama (Byun Woo Min)
Best Actress - Serial Drama (Kim Suh Hyung)
Child Actor Award - Jung Yoon Suk
New Star Awards - Oh Young-shil
Teens’ Star Award - Jang Seo-hee

You can read more news of the SBS Drama Awards 2009 here.

For the first time in almost 20 years, a bright "blue moon" will grace New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide.

If the skies are clear, revelers looking up at midnight will get an eyeful of the second full moon of the month.

Source: National Geographic

That is one more reason for staying up late to celebrate and countdown to the new year - to catch the blue moon.

What is a blue moon? The name reflects the rarity of two full moons in a month and is linked to the proverb "once in a blue moon."

The next blue moon won't happen again until 2028, so this is something worth witnessing.

Christmas may be over but celebrations are still going on. In fact, Singaporeans are gearing up for more parties tomorrow - the countdown to 2010.

From an economic point of view, I am not optimistic about prospects in 2010. And it is also the year of the Tiger which some Chinese believe to be inauspicious.

But let's party now and worry later. Hopefully, the coming of a new year will bring new hopes and our resolutions can be fulfilled.

By the way, here are some great places for the countdown to new year in Singapore!

Marina Bay Countdown

The Marina area is turning into most happening place for Singapore's festive celebrations. Lots of cultural performances, parties and fireworks display waiting for you..

1. Marina Bay Singapore Countdown

It is held at Esplanade Waterfront & Marina Bay on 31 Dec 09. It is FREE so bring along your family members and friends. Check out the Marina Bay Countdown website for more info.

2. Celebrate 2010 – MediaCorp

Venue: The Float @ Marina Bay
Date: 31 December 2009 (8pm – 3am)
Tickets: $30 at SISTIC. See MediaCorp TV for details.

3. Celebrate December

Venue: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay (see here)
Date: 31 December 2009 (7pm - 1am)

4. Countdown Party @ Marina Barrage

Venue: Marina Barrage (see here)
Date: 31 December 2009 (6pm - 6am)

Siloso Beach Party

Venue: Sentosa – Siloso Beach
Date: 31 December 2009 (8pm – 6am)
Tickets: $39 at SISTIC which include Event Admission & 1 drink. Visit Siloso Beach Party website for details.

If you want to avoid the human squeeze, there are other great, free parties at Vivo City, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Clarke Quay.

Here is a video of some of Korea's famous girl groups (Girls Generation’s Tiffany, KARA’s Gu Ha-ra, Davichi’s Kang Min-kyung, Brown Eyed Girls‘ Ga-in, After School’s UEE, etc.) promoting the SBS 2009 Gayo Daejun Music Festival.



You can also catch Super Junior's very addictive Sorry, Sorry song at the festival too, plus more videos here.

Taiwanese news anchor-turned-television host Patty Hou reportedly got engaged to a multi-millionaire named Huang over the Christmas holidays.

The rumours circulated after the pair celebrated Christmas with their families at an exclusive restaurant in Taiwan which they booked for the event.

Both Huang, 34, and Hou, 31, were educated in the United States and have been dating for months prior to the engagement.

Source: CNA

Patty Hou is a very pretty, smart and articulate TV show host in Taiwan. She is an established news anchor and has hosted major TV events (Golden Bell Awards and Golden Horse Awards).

For all her talents, her love life was anything but smooth. She split with Jay Chou nearly three years ago. The relationship wasn't easy to maintain due to intense scrutiny and pressure from the media.

At one time, Jay Chou's fans were asking if 侯佩岑 will be the real Mrs Chou as he had other "girlfriends" in Hebe of S.H.E and Jolin Tsai.

Anyway, that is in the past. Let's wish Patty Hou well, if she has really gotten engaged. This pretty lass has long expressed her desire to marry and have children and her white knight has finally come calling.

Zhang Ziyi was recently involved in a black paint incident. A group of men barged into Park Hyatt Beijing where Zhang Ziyi owns an apartment and later splashed black paint on a giant window advertisement featuring the starlet.

Rumors immediately start flying that Zhang had "cheated people of their money" and seduced a married man. And you may not believe this, billionaire Rupert Murdoch is a prime suspect.

Well known Chinese publisher and blogger Hong Huang has dismissed speculation that Wendi Murdoch, wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is behind the 'black paint incident' targeted at Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang is co-producing the English language movie "Snow Flower and Secret Fan" with Wendi Murdoch and will also star in the production. This led to rumours that Murdoch is the business partner in question and was behind the incident.

Source: CNA

I don't think Wendi Murdoch will resort to such gangster tactics. If Robert Murdoch strays, he should be more troubled than Wendi. Just look at Tiger Woods' sex scandals.

By the way, 2009 is proving to be a very eventful year for Zhang Ziyi. She was caught sunbathing topless and frolicking with her fiance, Israeli multi-millionaire Vivi Nevo in January.

Their relationship cooled in February and Zhang Ziyi was spotted without her diamond engagement ring. The couple was also supposed to tie the knot in August but wedding plans were called off.

Vivi Nevo has since moved on to other targets while Zhang is said to be seeing someone new too. Her new boyfriend's identity and marital status remains shrouded in mystery.

Topless photos, rocky relationship, splashed paint, hmm... maybe 章子怡 should just step away from the limelight for a while.

President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii with the first family, rushed off the golf course today and caused media attention when an ambulance was called to the vacation home the Obama family is staying in.

Apparently all is well and the incident involved the child of one of President Obama's golf partners who was injured on a surfboard.

Source: Examiner

Obama friend's son was injured and needed stitches... just a scare for the First Family, nothing too serious.

By the way, Obama finally speaks out on the failed terrorist attack on Christmas day, nearly 3 days after it happened, from the Marine Corps Base in Kailua. He says US will not rest until violent extremists are defeated.

With almost 300 lives at stake in the plane, a tough statement was expected from Obama. But it begs the question of what the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have achieved?

Terrorists are still plotting to create fear and mayhem. Will America starting another war help matter? Will an eye for an eye really resolve all the hatred in this world?

Chinese archaeologists believe they have found a nearly 1,800-year-old tomb belonging to the legendary ruler Cao Cao 曹操, who was known as a cruel tyrant but also a cunning military strategist and poet.

The tomb is located in central Henan province, not far from the Yellow River and near the city of Anyang, where Cao Cao ruled the Kingdom of Wei from 208 to 220, when he died at age 65, the state China Daily reported Monday.

Source: AFP

This news is not only of great significance to archaeologists but also to readers of the Chinese classic, "Romance of Three Kingdoms."

Cao Cao, as the legendary warlord, 魏王, is one of the major characters in the novel. His cunning, military brilliance and ruthlessness saw him establish a strong foothold for the eventual unification of China after the downfall of the Han empire.

One of 曹操 famous statements was: "Better for me to wrong the world than for the world to wrong me."

If the tomb is indeed Cao Cao's, then he is no longer a fictional character. We can now understand more about the culture, weapons and lifestyle of people living in that era.

Sezairi Sezali is Singapore Idol 2009 Winner. Along with the title and bragging rights, Sezairi wins a recording contract with Universal Music. Congratulations to him!

I will like to console Sylvia Ratonel though. Losing is not a shame at all. In fact, in these kind of talent contests, coming in second may be a blessing.

Just look at the success of Adam Lambert (American Idol) and Susan Boyle (Britain's Got Talent).

[CNA]

The attack happened around noon Friday when a man tried to blow up Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam, carrying 290 people, as it approached Detroit Metro Airport.

U.S. authorities have charged Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, allegedly linked to the al-Qaida terror network, with attempting to destroy an aircraft and placing a destructive device on board the plane.

Source: Examiner

Fortunately, nothing serious happened from this botched terrorist attack, else it will be a Christmas Day tragedy.

The explosion went off as the plane was landing and the terrorist suffered second degree burns while a heroic passenger who stopped him received minor injuries.

A lot of innocent people can die in a terrorist attack. Is it worth to make a statement by causing so much suffering and grief? However, there is nothing much we can do except to stay vigilant and never take our security for granted.

By the way, security at airports are now tightened up. If you are travelling during this busy holiday season, you just have to endure the thorough checks. Just make sure you check in earlier.

Are you ready for tonight's Singapore Idol 2009 Finals which has been billed as the battle of sexes, erm sorry, talent?

It is hard to ignore the fact that Sylvia Ratonel is the first woman in the top 2 of the Singapore Idol. The past contests saw Taufik Batisah triumphed over Sylvester Sim while Hadi Mirza defeated Johnathan Leong.

However, both Sylvia Ratonel and Sezairi Sezali wants to be judged on their style and singing abilities. I agree, to win this "national" event because you are a woman or guy rather than talent is nothing to write home about.

It is going to be such a bash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, judging by the amount of people who turned up at the last roadshow in WestMall. Last I heard, tickets were going like hot cakes too!

The results of the Singapore Idol Grand Finale will be out at 10 pm on Channel 5. Stay tuned...

Gary Ng, Singapore's Edison Chen, created a name for himself when he posted more than 30 sex videos of himself to a blog on an obscene website early this year.

He titled the videos by the women whom he had sex with, for example, Ah Lian, beer auntie and friend's niece. Gary was subsequently condemned by netizens for his perverse and unethical actions.

RazorTV may have had a closeup interview with Gary Ng but I still cannot understand or justify the mentality of such a person. If you want to seek fame, don't do it by exploiting other women.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

I guess most of you will be out for the Christmas celebrations, either attending parties or enjoying the decorations, musical/dance performances and fireworks at Orchard Road, Marina Bay or Esplanade Waterfront.

Actually the festive mood and Christmas celebrations in Singapore is very good, comparable to other big cities, especially at Orchard Road. You gotta be there to feel the vibrant atmosphere.

Christmas is a good time for us to share our love and let our hair down. So enjoy, have fun but don't do anything silly.

By the way, here are some wonderful Christmas songs from yesteryear...

Every time of this year, my mobile phone will be filled with lovely Christmas greeting text messages from my friends.

I will share some of them here. Let me know if you have more Christmas greetings to share.

A New year
A New Start
A New Chapter
A New Beginning
Forget the bad
Cherish the GOOD
I sincerely wish you a very blessed new year ahead.

Faith makes all thingz possible,
Hope makes all thingz work,
Love makes all thingz beautiful,
May U have all the three for this Christmas.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

No Greeting Card To Give..
No Sweet Flowers To Send..
No Cute Graphics To Forward..
Just A LOVING HEART
Saying “HAPPY X’MAS”

I know everybody is in a party mood with Christmas just round the corner. But please avoid drink driving. Human lives and property are at stake.

Surely, you don't want to see your car in this condition right...

Taiwanese beauty Lin Chiling lost a Longines watch and other accessories worth a total of 200,000 Taiwan dollars (S$10,000) after her luggage was pried open while she was in Malaysia.

The actress flew in from China aboard a China Airlines flight and arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at around 10pm local time on Monday. She was in the Malaysian capital to promote her latest film "The Treasure Hunter" in which she stars with Taiwanese singer Jay Chou.

Source: CNA

This thief really gives Malaysia a bad reputation leh. Lin Chiling was not happy with the loss as she lamented that "there were no problems the day before in Beijing but how did (her items) vanish in Malaysia?"

Hmm, is Beijing's security much better than Malaysia? I don't think so. If you lose something valuable, your mood will definitely be sour.

There is room for improvement to Malaysia's security though. The other day, a military aircraft engine went missing and now a VIP celeb had her luggage pried open...

Anyway, when we travel aboard, we have to take care not to bring along too many valuables with us. Thefts can happen anywhere, even in Singapore.

Travel insurance may be able to cover your monetary losses but if the items are rich in sentimental value, then it is too late for regret.

This news is going to be heartbreaking for a lot of Super Junior fans. HanKyung 韩庚 has filed a disposition of exclusive contract terms with his company SM Entertainment.

SME has been very successful in grooming famous Korean celebs but given that HanKyung is not the first artiste who have issues with SME, the contract terms may be too demanding. There are also speculation that HanKyung intends to solo soon.

Whatever the case, SME may find it tough to penetrate the China market without 韩庚 who became Korea’s first Chinese entertainer after going through the stringent ‘H.O.T. China Auditions.’

Even though boy bands don't last forever, this split is still too fast for me. Super Junior has such a fantastic year in 2009 without even unleashing their charm on the Chinese audience across Asia. If they stay together, they could possibly break into the Western market too, like the Wonder Girls.

Hopefully this is just a misunderstanding and SME can clear up the mess, else this will be a really terrible Christmas present.

Ong Ai Leng has become a familiar face of late but it has nothing to do with MediaCorp dramas. It is down to the 31-year-old celebrity's endorsement of a bust enhancement treatment.

Compared to Jessica Liu who also hails from Malaysia, Ong Ai Leng has fewer opportunities to star as the leading actress. Her last drama was Romantic Delicacies while her newest drama The Best Things in Life will debut only in March next year.

However, the bust enhancement campaign upped the stakes for her. 王爱玲 bra size has increased from a B-cup after a few months' worth of treatment (which included massage and essential oils) to a D-cup.

Unbelievable? Well, check out the video below.



[Yahoo News]

A major earthquake, measuring 6.4 magnitude, struck Taiwan on Saturday night, causing injuries and damages in the capital of Taipei.

Incidentally, the 53rd Asian Pacific Film Festival was held in Taiwan and the tremors caused panic amongst the guests.

Buildings shook in the capital for several seconds after the quake struck. Falling debris injured at least four people while Taipei’s subways and high speed railroad was disrupted.

Fortunately, there was little property damage and injuries. I still remember the terrible scenes of Taiwan's 921 earthquake in 1999 which caused buildings to collapse, roads heaving, and more then 2000 causalities.

Taiwan has been ravaged by a lot of natural disasters in the last few years, from typhoons to earthquakes. Closer to home, Phillipines was also hit by 3 typhoons this year and the Mayon volcano is about to erupt soon.

Is that an indication of things to come - more natural disasters and extreme weather in the world we live in? What do you guys think?

India Times has compiled a list of Bollywood celebs who regularly flaunt their assets to gain prominence. Some of them have admitted to enhancing their breasts, so I guess it makes little sense to cover up after spending so much money.

1. Mallika Sherawat

2. Rakhi Sawant

3. Yana Gupta

4. Sherlyn Chopra

Congratulations to our neighbor, Malaysia, for a plucky 1-0 victory against Vietnam in the SEA Games final to end a 20 year wait for the gold medal.

Vietnam was definitely no pushover as they eliminated defending champion Thailand and then Singapore in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Malaysia was billed as the underdog for their poor track record in the SEA Games and unconvincing performances.

Besides perspiration, you can say luck plays an important part in Malaysia's gold medal.

Hmm, when will it be Singapore's turn to get lucky at the SEA Games football competition?

[Straits Times]

Nicole Kidman's sister (Antonia Kidman) is set to move to Singapore with her four children to start a new life with Craig Marran.

Antonia Kidman who works as a Foxtel presenter, has been in a relationship with Marran, a finance broker, for over a year. The couple has plans to marry in the next few weeks and Nicole Kidman is likely to be her matron of honour.

While her mother is against the marriage as the kids will be separated from their friends and relatives, Nicole Kidman has encouraged her sister to follow her heart.

Well, Antonia Kidman is just following in the footsteps of Nicole Kidman who has also quitted Sydney because of the paparazzi.

I think a strong pull factor for celebrities making their move to Singapore is because the media respects the privacy of individuals and do not embellish their reports with rumors. Let's hope this doesn't change in the future.

[Straits Times]

CNN recently featured 25 most influential people in Asia which includes celebs like Andy Lau and Noriko Sakai (the "fallen angel" after being convicted for taking drugs).

Jay Chou is the only Taiwan celeb in the list but boy, did he do Taiwan proud. CNN named Jay Chou as the "Entertainer Extraordinaire" for his achievements.

He topped Taiwan highest earning celebs by raking in more than TW$500 million. His movie career is hitting a high with the year end "Treasure Hunter" (starring Lin Chi-ling) and a Hollywood remake of "The Green Hornet" (starring Cameron Diaz) to be launched next year.

Singapore also got into the list, thanks to former Miss World Singapore Ris Low.

I can't say I am proud to know that Ris Low's poor English diction and criminal record for credit card fraud has caught the attention of CNN, but then, bad publicity is still better than no publicity.

At least, Singapore has an "influential" celeb for the year 2009...

The first flight of Boeing flagship 787 Dreamliner finally took place after more than two years of delays.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner is widely regarded as an avant-garde plane of the 21st century. Whether it lives up to its promise of better fuel efficiency and fewer emissions than smaller planes remains to be seen.

Singapore Airlines has placed orders for the Dreamliner planes but you will have to wait for a while as deliveries are scheduled between 2011 and 2013.



[Straits Times]

The 2009 Melon Music Awards was held today at Seoul Olympic Hall. The Top 10 Korean artistes were 2NE1, 2PM, 8eight, Davichi, Brown Eyed Girls, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Super Junior, KARA, K Will, GDragon.

Check out Brown Eyed Girls and Super Junior performing their hit songs below.

New HDB BTO flats costing about half a million dollars. Ya lah, prime location and better finishes but can average Singaporeans afford or not?

Experts advice that mortgage loans should take up less than 35% of our income, so we must do our own calculations and be prudent with our finances.

The original public housing aim is to let all Singaporeans own a home (we entrench our roots here and have a stake in Singapore's future). But at the rate HDB flat prices are rising, Singaporeans may not be able to afford one.

Not every household earn the ceiling of $8000 ok. If salaries move in tandem with rise in HDB flats, then the government will say Singaporeans not productive or competitive enough. Pay cut, pay freeze, CPF rate cut will follow.

It is also a myth that Singaporeans have become more affluent because their HDB flats are appreciating. If you sell your house, you got to buy another one at inflated prices too. And it will possibly be a smaller size and in suburban areas.

[CNA ]

MediaCorp will discontinue TV Mobile, the free—to—air mobile digital television broadcast service, next year.

A statement released Tuesday said MediaCorp has decided to terminate the service upon expiry of its current agreement with SBS Transit on January 1.

The company said the discontinuation comes from a careful evaluation of the viability of the service, as resources required to operate and maintain TV Mobile are substantial.

Source: Straits Times

Do you really watch TV programs on the bus?

Most of the time, we have to jostle with each other because the bus is packed like sardines and we just want to get to our destinations fast. Watching TV is the least thing on our minds.

TV programs are not needed for a world class transport system. If there is any feedback from me, it is to request for buses to arrive on time and with higher frequency during peak hours.

Since there is no more entertainment on the buses, can we request for lower bus fares?

The result... 4-1 in favor of Vietnam. Poor Singapore, humiliated badly. My husband says Singapore cannot defend, attack or pass properly. This is the sad story and future of Singapore soccer...

On the bright side, the Young Lions qualified for the semi-finals which is the target set before leaving for Laos.

What do you guys think is lacking for our Young Lions? The coaching, infrastructure, talent spotting, S-League??

[CNA]

EMBED-Boquet Catch Fail - Watch more free videos

Don't ever rush into a marriage unless you are mentally and financially prepared.

The no-rushing principle also applies when you are trying to catch the wedding bouquet from the bride. It could result in a very bad fall...

"The Princess and the Frog" has earned a big smuck from family audiences with a No. 1 weekend of $25 million.

The Disney animated musical, set in 1920s, tells the story of a young woman who try to help a frog become a prince again with a kiss, but in the process is herself transformed into a frog. Not to worry, as the movie has a happily-ever-after conclusion.

The Princess and the Frog is a classic bedroom story which all of us is familiar with. Knowing the plot, there is actually little motivation to catch the movie but I guess there is still a child in every one of us.

So whenever Disney creates an animation movie of its clasics, people just fall deeply in love with it.

Singapore's swimmer Quah Ting Wen scooped a gold in the women's 200m freestyle in the SEA Games in Laos on Sunday. She clocked 2 minutes 00.57 seconds, a new Games record.

She went on to join Tao Li, Shana Lim and Roanne Ho to clinch Singapore's second gold for swimming for the night in the women's 4x100m medley relay. The squad timed a new Games record of 4 minutes 10.38 seconds.

Source: CNA

I think Singapore is doing rather well for the 25th SEA Games. Swimming contributed another 2 gold medals, bringing our medal tally to 23 gold, 12 silver, 24 bronze, which put us in third spot.

Quah Ting Wen has again done Singapore proud. I am also happy for Tao Li who is another rising star but there is nothing like seeing our home grown talents groomed locally doing well on the international stage.

I really hope Quah Ting Wen goes on to win her target of 8 gold medals. Stay tuned for updates..

Gibraltar beauty Kaiane Aldorino lived up to expectations and won the Miss World 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Second runner-up is Tatum Keshwar (Miss South Africa) while first runner-up goes to Perla Beltran Acosta (Miss Mexico).

As for hot favorite Pooja Chopra, she failed to join the illustrious list of Indian Miss World winners, like Reita Faria, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden and Priyanka Chopra.



I am impressed by the poise and stage presence of the asian host for the Miss World 2009. If you are not familiar with her, well, she is none other than Angela Chow (周瑛琦).


Angela Chow is a Chinese TV presenter at Phoenix TV (凤凰卫视) and has won rave reviews since she hosted the Miss World competition in 2003. You can catch some of her current programs like 《凤凰早班车》and《周刊点点评》。


It looks like she will be back next year for the Miss World pageant, given her excellent performance.

See more info about Angela Chow here.

Six months after their auditions, it was Singapore Idol hopefuls Sylvia Ratonel and Sezairi Sezali who garnered the most votes, edging out Tabitha Nauser to go into the finals of the competition on December 27.

Sezairi, who will start his National Service in January next year, said the result was a little unexpected. "I honestly thought it was going to be an all-girl finale," said the 22-year-old. "But I'm thankful to all those who voted for me."

Ratonel, 21, said: "I'm very excited to have come this far, out of the 4,000 people who first auditioned. I was really floored. I'm trying not to get too wowed by it."

Source: CNA

You can witness the crowning of the next Singapore Idol on December 27th (Sunday) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium!

I am rooting for Sylvia Ratonel as she has powerful vocals and gave a credible account of herself when she sang songs by Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys.

However, based on the past records of Singapore Idol, Sezairi Sezali may have better odds of winning. No woman has won the contest yet.

Who do you think will be the next Singapore Idol? Cast your votes here!

By the way, there are some roadshows going on over the weekend: Saturday, 12th Dec (2:00pm @ Jurong Point) and Sunday 13th Dec (2:00pm @ iluma).

Can't wait for Universal Studios Singapore (South East Asia's only theme park) to open after seeing this sneak preview.

This internationally renowned theme park seems to be a really fun place for a family outing. The kids will definitely love the adrenaline-charged rides and water sports.

As for the price, Resorts World has previously announced its one-day, two-day and express pass ticket prices that range from S$32 to S$118 to access all attractions, including The Lost World, Hollywood Boulevard and Egypt, etc.

Actually, the price is rather steep as my family can spend less but get more entertainment/food with a trip across the Causeway. But with all the hype surrounding our integrated resorts, I guess we just have to support a bit lah!

It was double joy for Quah Ting Wen as she smashed two SEA Games marks, en route to claiming golds in the 100m freestyle and 4x200m free relay.

Her time of 56.03s in the 100m freestyle also erased a 10-year-old record of 56.05s, established by Joscelin Yeo at the Brunei SEA Games.

Thailand’s J. Natthanan took the silver in 56.33 while another Singaporean Lim Xiang Qi (56.60) settled for the bronze.

Ting Wen said: "I was rather nervous in the final. There were many other good swimmers. But I was confident of setting a new record if I win the gold."

I thought the retirement of Joscelyn Yeo will have resulted in barren years for our national swimming team. Fortunately, the arrival of Quah Ting Wen has given us hopes of dominating the pool again.

Will she win the eight gold medals as expected? Stay tuned for updates.

There are some monkey business going on in our Central Business District (CBD)... and I mean it literally.

This monkey was spotted climbing up the Equity Plaza using the cables of the gondola lift which was cleaning the building windows.

I am not sure if the the monkey has been rescued but the authorities need to consider why monkeys are running loose in the CBD.

Prostitution is legal and allowed in Denmark. It’s free if you’re a delegate to the upcoming Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen from December 7-18, AFP reports.

To counter attack the city government’s measure of campaigning to the delegates of the much anticipated world environmental summit that they do not resort to buying sex, the prostitutes of a Danish sex workers union has offered their services for free.

Source: Daily Contributor

I think this will be the only NOTEWORTHY news for the Copenhagen Climate Change summit.

All the officials are there just to blow hot air. They talk about reducing emissions, but when it comes to taking action, then a lot of excuses come out - developed countries must take the lead first, everybody must agree, not enough financing, alternative energy disadvantaged, blah blah blah.

I am not a scientist so I cannot say if human activities have caused climate change but it has definitely polluted and scarred Mother Earth badly, what with all the mining, toxic chemical discharge and non-biodegradable waste produced.

I think nothing useful will come out of Copenhagen summit. The delegates are there just to have a good time (meeting, have refreshments, take photographs, and possibly enjoy the free sex too).

Sorry for the rant, I really feel bad that we are still dragging our feet on environment issues. This is already the hottest decade on record, but who cares?

Jay Chou and Lin Chi-ling will be gracing our sunny shores on December 22 with their presence to promote their upcoming movie, The Treasure Hunter.

The two leading actors will be present with the movie director, Zhu Yen-ping. They will hold a press conference and a meet-and-greet session at Plaza Singapura to share about their various treasure hunting experiences with fans.

Source : Yahoo News

If you are a fan of Lin Chi-ling or Jay Chou, remember to make your way to Plaza Singapura on 22 December for their movie promotion.

This action-adventure film is directed by Kevin Chu who also collaborated with Jay Chou in last year’s “Kung-fu Dunk”.

In this film, Jay Chou stars as Ciao Fei, a brave man who struggles to protect a buried treasure by recovering a map from an international crime organization.

Ciao Fei was forced to give the map to the bad guys in exchange for the life of his mentor’s daughter Lan Ting (played by Lin Chi Ling).

After the rescue, they raced to get the map back (with the help of an archaeologist) and prevent the criminals from getting the treasure.

You can watch the movie trailer below.

Jessie Chiang or Jiang Yu Chen 江语晨, is now the talk of town after identical hotel room photos to Jay Chou's surfaced on her blog.

The photos of the hotel posted up by Jay's friends looks similar (sofa, lights, curtains, layout, room color) to Yu Chen's which were uploaded at almost the same time.

江语晨 has since removed the photos, but this has spurred her readers to speculate that the two are now in an intimate relationship and staying in the same hotel room.

Actually, rumors of the couple had been brewing since Jessie Chiang switched her career from a model turned to singer. Her first single is “Teru Teru Bozu”, who is written by Jay Chou (see video below).



Jiang Yu Chen is also a regular in Jay Chou's music endeavours. Jessie appeared in Jay Chou’s single "The Longest Movie," and recorded a song in Jay's movie, "Secret." She was also featured in one of Jay's MV from his new album soon after.

On the personal side, Jiang Yu Chen was also seen cruising around in a BMW (a gift from Jay?) and driving it into Jay's residential area.

Since Jay Chou is also pretty much of a playboy, like his close rival David Tao who has "11 girlfriends", I think the question is not whether they are in a relationship but how long it lasts...

Fiona Xie has announced that she will leave MediaCorp for Hong Kong to pursue a career in photography.

This revelation quashes rumours that she is leaving because she was pregnant or has become a kept woman.

Rumours started flying in July after Xie abruptly withdrew from Channel 8 drama serial "Together" citing "personal reasons" and then totally disappeared from our radar.

As for the "personal reasons" for rejecting the role, Xie said she could not find her character's voice though she admits that she gave it up partly because of her Australian-American boyfriend.

Source: CNA

Fiona Xie's quitting from the local entertainment scene as a full-time actress has been a loss to MediaCorp and her fans.

After months of silence, she finally come clean on her reasons to forgo her role in a major drama serial. Just because there were too many kissing scenes and her boyfriend didn't like it.

I think the guy must have meant a lot to her. Hopefully, he is Mr Right to Fiona Xie.

Singapore has won its first gold medal at the Laos SEA Games, which is also the first medal given out at the Games.

The Republic’s water polo team triumphed 8—5 against Thailand in their last match of the round—robin competition.

This is Singapore’s record 23rd successive gold medal in the sport at the SEA Games. Naturally jubilant with their perfect record, Singapore is now aiming higher.

Source: CNA

I feel so proud for our water polo team for keeping up with a tradition that has stretched for decades.

Considering that Singapore is such a small country with limited talents, it is very difficult for us to win any honors on the regional or international stage..

So if and when we do win a medal (especially with our own homegrown lads), I think all Singaporeans should cheer and give the boys a pat on the back.

Oooh, this kitten is so cute. Who can resist keeping a pet like that..

But make sure you keep the doors and windows locked, else you may just find them missing from your house.

Lin Chi-ling was recently crowned Queen of Beautiful Breasts in an online poll by Apple Daily Taiwan.


The Taiwanese model who has a 34C chest, tops the contest despite facing stiff competition from "heavyweight" celebs in the "The Top Ten Queens of Beautiful Breasts" contest.

Lin Chi-ling was grateful for the win, saying: "Thank you! I would like to say a shy 'thank you' to everyone." She also revealed her secret in maintaining beautiful breasts, "Swim, and exercise more."

Tian Xin, a popular Taiwanese actress and variety show host with a 34E chest came in second with 18 per cent of the votes.


Rising star Yao Yao, who is only 19, but "weighs in" at a hefty 32E, came in third.

The other stars who came in fourth to tenth in the Taiwanese newspaper's voting contest are, in order, Vivian Hsu, Jolin Tsai, Bianca Bai, Kelly Lin, Makiyo, Ada Pan and Pace Wu.

National University of Singapore has disclosed a loss of $677 million of dollars for its invested endowment fund in the year to March due to the financial crisis.

The hefty writedowns put Singapore's largest university $589 million into deficit for the year. That was despite $900 million in operating grants from the government, a 29 per cent increase from the previous year.

This loss is massive compared to Singapore Management University which reported a hit of $99 million in its endowment fund and another $58 million to its accumulated surpluses.

Nanyang Technological University has yet to report financial numbers but I don't think it will fare any better.

Why are we so obsessed with investing our money and trying to create more wealth? Investments are risky, even with experienced professionals and smartest brains running the show.

I rather they stay conservative in their approach, especially when these are public funds to be used for educating our next generation.

Singer Jay Chou has once again emerged as the top earning Taiwan celeb, pulling in about 554 million Taiwan dollars in 2009.

Chou took home a total of HK$27.5 million for his roles in the films "The Treasure Hunter" and "The Green Hornet". Other revenue sources included six corporate appearances, seven concerts, nine commercials and album royalties.

Popular girl group S.H.E takes second place with an estimated income of 360 million Taiwan dollars.

Pop princess Jolin Tsai (Jay's rumored girlfriend) , comes in third, with about 350 million Taiwan dollars.

Other top earners include singers Wang Li Hom, Wilbur Pan, Show Luo and rock band Mayday.

Singer Elva Hsiao squeezed into tenth spot and deserves the tag of "Comeback Queen" as she returned to music scene only in September.

She managed to rake in more than HK$25 million (S$4.4 million) within three months of her return.

What really happened during Tiger Woods car accident? Did Tiger Woods crashed his car because his wife was chasing after him with a golf club after discovering his adultery?

Apple Daily's motion news provides some insight but given that it is a tabloid, don't take it too seriously.

This terrible accident happened at Clementi. Fortunately the driver escaped unharmed. If more pipes have been thrown forward, the result will be disastrous.

David Tao, the father of Taiwan's R&B, has revealed that he may migrate to Singapore to avoid the paparazzi.

Tao, 40, who was in town recently for a charity concert and promotion of his upcoming concert, said that the media environment in Hong Kong and Taiwan "is in a dismal state" and "artistes have had to deal with a lot of rubbish".

With his colorful love life, it is not surprising that he finds the scrutiny too intense. The celebrated musician is a true ladies' man (with 11 girlfriends) including models, a television presenter and a beautician.

If you are a fan of David Tao, remember to catch his fourth concert tour, which will stopover at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Jan 8. It will be his swansong, and his most recent album, Opus 69, marks the end of a chapter for him.

He said at a press conference at Orchard Central mall: ‘This is really going to be the last tour, last album for a while.’