I've been expecting Ding Jun Hui to be one of the top snooker players in the world. He certainly proved himself earlier than I've expected. Must be a great experience beating Steve Davis in the final to clinch the title.
Hope he'll achieve more in coming years and surpass James Wattana as the best Asian snooker player.
It must have been a great pain to give up something so special...
A disappointed lover in the US has left a $15,000 (£8,500) diamond engagement ring in a stranger's unlocked car, accompanied by a heartfelt message.
"Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is gone now," read the note.
The car's owner, from Westborough, 48km (30 miles) west of Boston, told police about his find after having it valued.
"This appears to be random, but we don't really know," police Lt Paul Donnelly told local media.
The three diamond white gold ring enclosed in a box with a white bow was placed in the car which was parked at the train station in Westborough, Massachusetts.
The anonymous message read: "Merry Christmas. Thank you for leaving your car door unlocked. Instead of stealing your car I gave you a present.
"Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is gone now. Merry Christmas to you."
Until today I am still wondering why is there a need for ear-squats in order to eject objects hidden in body's orifices during a strip search?
To me it seems more like abuse of power. There are already enough talks about our police force being corrupted when it comes to ringgit and sen. Recent incidents seems to indicate that the force is equally as corrupted when it comes to power.
Some have argued that there is a need of substantial pay increase to the force in order to curb the problems of corruption. To certain extent this measure might help to reduce corruption. However, I still believe that the lack of transparency is the root of these problems, and it does not only apply to the police force, but to the way many things are done in our beloved country. The lack of transparency has yielded certain parties too much power and without transparency, check and balance could not exist.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. "
- Lord Acton
Motorists will be able to travel on expressways without having to stop to pay toll, when the gantry toll collection system is implemented.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said that under the system, used in countries like France and Australia, the start and end of the journey would be electronically recorded when a motorist passed under a gantry.
“Payment would automatically be deducted through a prepaid card kept in the vehicle,” he added.
The system will be introduced in the Klang Valley first and motorists can look forward to uninterrupted travel by 2008. In other parts of the country, it would be introduced in stages.
Unfortunately I'm only peeping on a family of cats.
My tenant, Alex, spotted this group of felines lazying at the backlane of my house while preparing food in the kitchen.
Cute eh? Sometimes taking photos like these can really brighten up one's day, at least it applies to me.
What a sad week it is... For the first time in many years Manchester United won't be featuring in Europe (not even UEFA Cup) post Christmas. I could imagine the football withdrawal syndrom some of us are going to suffer for many months after this.
Enough about the miserable news. At least there's World Cup 2006 to look forward to.
The World Cup draw on Friday was really strange. Many teams which were in the same group in the past World Cup are meeting one another again. The strangest one being England and Sweden (Eriksson is in dilemma again!)
Things are looking good for England. Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Spain will be having a great time in their respective groups, while Argentina's fans should better pray that their team will get through from the group touted as the 'group of death'.
I think Brazil will win the Cup again if Ronaldinho is not injured or anything. England will probably progress to the quarters or probably semis. Just don't see the consistency in the current England team. It will be interesting to look at the odds from the bookmakers as the World Cup draws nearer.
P/S: Just realised I have missed the news on Arsenal's second league loss in a row. Something to cheer me up at least. I'm also a voyeur like Arsene Wenger. Hee hee... But when will it be Chelsea's turn? I don't want to see Fergie leaving United at the end of the season.
Nicol David, the Duracell Bunny in the squash world, is finally World No. 1!
Many congratulations for your achievements Nicol! This is really a great year for you. Hope that you could be World No. 1 for a long long time.
This is the real Malaysia Boleh example. I hope the sports ministry will recognise Nicol's great feat.
But what about Karamjit Singh?
[ picture from http://www.sitesquash.com/ ]
After 3 photography outings last week, I itched to go for another one today. In the end I ended up in the KL Bird Park.
The weather wasn't that good though. What a shame, after paying RM24 for both myself and my wife. One thing I found out from this photography lesson - it's very difficult to capture birds as they tend to be very active. A lot of shots came out blurred.
Anyway here are few of the better shots.
On a lazy Saturday morning, I had one assignment to do - deliver my parents' passports to them by hand from KL to hometown. They have forgotten that they need to go to Singapore, after applying for US visas on Tuesday.
I board the bus at 10am. The weather deteriorated all the way from KL to north. Somewhere in between Tapah and Ipoh, we managed to avoid a speed trap. However, moments after exiting the Jelapang toll, we were stopped by police. I'm not sure whether it was a speed trap or what, all buses were stopped at that point. That was the hilly terrain between Jelapang and Kuala Kangsar.
5 minutes later we were on our way again. 2 or 3 minutes later, the next thing I saw was our bus driver stepping on the breaks, at full force. The back of a big trailer started to fill up the windscreen. Due to the rain and the slope we were at, our bus just kept slipping towards the trailer. For a while it was scary. But I realised we were merely slipping so it wont' result in a big crash. Seconds later, the bus hit the trailer. Just a small touch, resulting in cracks on the left windscreen.
I looked further to find out why the trailer had suddenly stopped. Right in front of the trailer, there were two vehicles - one red proton iswara aeroback and the other one a 4-wheel drive facing the opposite direction - an accident. A mak cik came out from one of the vehicles and fell down immediately. She must have injured he leg or ankle. The bus driver and the trailer driver decided that each should be responsible for their own loss. Seeing that no one is seriously injured, we moved on. The bus driver stopped twice on the emergency lane to inspect the windscreen to ensure it's safe for us to travel.
Immediately after Kuala Kangsar, there was a traffic standstill in front. The sky was pouring at that time. I knew it must be another accident. True enough. This time involving 3 cars. One of them is quite badly dented but luckily no one seem to be seriously injured.
From then onwards our bus sped all the way back to destination. It was quite a scary experience especially in heavy rain. However, we managed to arrived unscathed.
I witnessed two accidents today and one the night before.
Malaysians have one of the highest road accident rates in the world, despite our good infrastructure. It just goes to show how bad our drivers are. It's not about the skills, more about the attitude - selfishness, carelessness and lack of courtesy. As long as these negative attitudes are not checked, we will continue to live in a country with first class infrastructure complemented by law of the jungle.
While I was engaging in photography at KLCC last night, I saw people being evacuated at around 12am. At first I didn't know what was going on until nearly half an hour later, yes, nearly half an hour later when fire engines started to arrive.
I managed to learn from the crowd that a fire had started from screen 8 of Tanjung Golden Village Cinema at 11.45pm. I even overheard one guy saying that the fire department personnel didn't believe him when he called in to report the fire. Probably that's why it took the firemen more than 45 minutes to arrive. I could even smell smoke from outside of KLCC.
By the time I left there was still no indication on the damage and casualty. Hopefully nothing serious.
Yesterday was my first time having a serious photography outing since the arrival of my new Canon S2. Johanna and I requested for the help of her friend Adrian to guide us.
We woke up at 7 and arrived at orchid garden at 8am. After breakfast near Jalan Petaling, we went back to orchid garden and started shooting. Johanna used my old camera, Canon S30.
I was very excited to see the Egyptian lotus in the pond, even though felt a bit cheated by the size. I thought it is big based on the photos posted in LensaMalaysia.
Anyway I won't go on narrating what I shot in orchid garden. Let the photos do the talking.
After orchid garden, I went to Dataran Merdeka to shoot Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad before going home.
Overall I was quite happy with the shots in orchid garden. As for buildings, I think there's still a lot of room for improvement.
I love some of Johanna's compositions. She has photography genes in her. Just need to build up on technical knowledge and she could be a good photographer.
Many thanks to Adrian for offering advice and accompany us through the morning.
Some shots to share...
Seems like everyone is profitting from Mawi's triumph in Akademi Fantasia 3. In the latest development, a couple have named the Raya cookies they are selling - Gelora Mawi. Wonder if they have obtained the permission from Mawi to use his image.
Guess what is this... got addicted to the guessing game in lensamalaysia.com. Great website for Malaysian photography lovers.
My condolence to Ong Ka Ting and Ong Ka Chuan who lost their mum yesterday.
The Ong family has requested wellwishers not to send wreaths or condolence advertisements.
Will probably pay a visit to Ka Ting's residence today or tomorrow.
It's a week of loss for the presidents of the two leading parties in Barisan Nasional.
Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, died at 7:55 am today.
My deepest condolence to our PM. May he get the strength to go through the tough times.
Try this...
Lately I have been on site in Kurnia Insurans for inspection. Today, out of the blue I saw Wei Cheong while on the way up to Kurnia building. I managed to track him down at 22nd floor. He has been employed as the General Manager of Actuarial Department to start up actuarial operations in Kurnia Insurans. Today is only his 2nd day. He has just got back from UK last week, after working with Watson Wyatt and Prudential for a number of years upon qualifying as Fellow of Institute of Actuaries.
Wei Cheong is a senior of mine at City University. He was pursuing his MSc. in Actuarial Management when I was in the first year of my degree. We played badminton together occassionally with other Malaysians and also had a chance to travel to Brussels and Amsterdam together in May 2000. I still remember the great photos he had taken during the trip.
Anyway, happy that Malaysian has gained back another qualified actuary, especially one with a lot of experience and knowledge from UK.
Just like Christmas, Ramadan has been heavily commercialised in recent years.
In a month where Muslims are obliged to stay away from undesirable and excessive habits, show examplary behaviour and conduct, keep a positive mental and spiritual attitude and generally abstain from worldly desires, businessese seem to take this opportunity to beef up sales of products and services. It is quite common to see buka puasa buffet promotions where up to 100 types of food are available on the menu. The prices are exorbidant. Some hotels even charge up to RM90 per person for buffet. Rather than abstaining from excessive habits, many ended up eating excessively.
I have decided to come up with a website for Johanna and myself leading up to our wedding in February 2006. The URL is at johanna.jihying.com. Will start putting in contents a.s.a.p.
I blogged about 3 cameras which I was deciding on few weeks ago. Johanna finally bought me a Canon Powershot S2 IS.
Ever since I have been trigger happy, shooting 4 weddings, Cherating Beach, etc.
Overall I'm very happy with the performance of the camera. Hopefully I will learn more new tricks as time goes by.
Below are some of the photos I've taken... 
Saw this bizzare article from the BBC News website. A 13-foot python tried to swallow a 6-foot alligator in the Florida swamp and ended up exploding.
I've been busy ever since last week.
Last week I attended a 4-day seminar in Sheraton Imperial, organised by Actuarial Society of Malaysia. The seminar title was 'Insurance Market Behaviour and Medical and Health Insurance'. Other than the interesting course, I also get to enjoy myself throughout the 4 days as the seminar was quite relaxing. Furthermore we get to go home at 4pm!
Johanna and I attended another wedding dinner on Friday night, together with her friend Vivian. The wedding dinner was hosted by Janet and Duane. Janet is Johanna's ex-housemate during colleage days. We also attended the church wedding the following day in a catholic church in Kajang.
Johanna and I set off for Parit Buntar on Sunday morning. This time we are attending Shaw Jiun and David's wedding in Batu Feringgi, Penang. So many weddings these few weeks! This is the 5th and final one in a series of weddings we were invited to. Financially I'm in ruin as not only I have to give 'ang pow', but also to travel to Malacca, Kuantan and Penang. Anyway, I do feel happy that many of our friends are getting married.
Johanna and I also managed to complete our wedding photo session on Monday. It was really tiring but worth every single moment as the results were really great. We will be heading up north again soon to pick the ones to be included in the album.
Anyway, just found a crazy article on BBC website... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4309012.stm
Daniel Lee was crowned Malaysian Idol II at Genting Highlands last night.
Before the finale on Friday night, this result might have been a near certainty. However, Nita put up a strong challenge in the finale that turned the tables.
But that belief proved to be unfounded when Daniel easily beat Nita by garnering 68% of the votes.
Both have very different styles; both have their own weaknesses. At the end of the day talent might not be the only factor in deciding the winner. Daniel has very strong fan base and has never been in the bottom three before, despite his poor diction in earlier rounds; the inconsistent Nita has had a few disastrous outings that has nearly caused her to be eliminated in the earlier rounds, not to mention the possible conspiracy between Faizull and Nita in Spectacular 7.
Both Johanna and myself are happy because both of our 'candidates' appeared in the final. I voted for Daniel in Spectacular 6 while she voted for Nita.
I was quite surprised that my mum who usually do not watch TV also throw her support for Daniel. She missed the whole season but managed to catch the final. She said Daniel has more flexible voice compared to Nita. Even my 13-year old brother had his favourite prior to the finale. I saw him expressing his disappointment in Farah's exit in his MSN status. My sister-in- law on the other hand was disgusted that Daniel won because she thinks that Daniel can't sing.
The Malaysian Idol competition is akin to the general election, but probably a more enjoyable experience as we get entertained by the contestants. Emotions can run high sometimes. But well, at the end of the day the organisers who are laughing to the bank has the last laugh.
Last weekend had been the busiest wedding weekend I've ever had - 3 weddings, one which had 3 sessions.
I missed MI2 the for whole weekend due to 3 weddings (5 sessions) from Friday night until Sunday night. I'm having a wedding overdose now.
Anyway, Farah is finally out of MI2, which leaves Daniel and Nita to slug it out in Genting this weekend.
According to NST, Farah was voted out despite a sterling rendition of Celine Dion’s All By Myself and a jazzy version of Fauziah Ahmad Daud’s Wajah Rahsia Hati.
The DG reported in the RM5m retirement bash has been identified as Tan Sri Abdul Halil Mutalib from the Custom and Excise Department.
The Star reported on Saturday that Tan Sri Abdul Hilil Mutalib is a victim of jealousy. He pointed fingers at his jealous colleagues and victims of his tough enforcement actions.
The Star further reported yesterday that a teary-eyed Tan Sri Abdul Halil Mutalib, made it clear that he will not attend any goodbye party even after the matter is sorted out.
Abdul Halil said he explained to Najib his side of the story, claiming that certain quarters were out to frame him.
The Star further reported today: In a dramatic turn of events, the beleaguered Customs and Excise Department chief now wants to lodge a police report against certain individuals and organisations that he alleged had created the RM5mil farewell parties controversy to ruin his image.
On the other hand, NST, which brought this controversy into attention on Thursday, had presented some 'evidence' on this RM5m bash, including itenary of events and budget requests.
A further report reveal that the Audit Department will audit expenses incurred by the Customs Department in holding functions to coincide with the retirement of the outgoing DG.
It is not for us to investigate the department. We will carry out normal
auditing on the spending incurred and whether procedures are followed. If
there are misappropriations, it will be referred to the relevant agencies
like the police or the Anti-Corruption Agency," a director of the department
said today.
This is really ridiculous!
It was reported in a daily today that retirement parties for a Director General of a government department are going to cost RM5 million cumulatively. How more wasteful can the tax payers' money be spent?
Sigh. Not again. Manchester United's boy wonder Wayne Rooney added another red card to his name in last night's Champions League game.
Rooney was dismissed by referee Kim Milton Nielsen in the 63rd minute for ironically applauding the official after being shown a yellow card - what an idiot! He just couldn't keep his head on! After so many hot tempered experiences that landed him with red cards, this lad hasn't learnt his lesson. He might have also caused United a valuable victory.
Other than Rooney's sent off, Heinze was stretchered out with a knee injury and is expected to be out for few weeks.
Things are really not going well for the devils. Now both Neville and Heinze are on the croc's list. We haven't been scoring enough either. The key person who made a difference this season is van der Sar. But we need to score more to make it count. Let's hope things will change soon.
There were allegations that Faizull was a victim of conspiracy in last week's Malaysian Idol, due to this article - Peserta Malaysian Idol minum arak which caused 8TV to introduce the irregular elimination format.
The article did not pinpoint who is the participant, but part of the article read '...berkampung di pusat hiburan'. No prizes for guessing who to be associated with the word kampung.
Furthermore, one would wonder what does Roslan Aziz mean when he said "Faizull, saya rasa awak dah boleh meninggalkan pertandingan ini kerana orang Melayu cakap macam awak dah melanggar tembok."
According to some, Nita had the least votes on Sunday night. 8TV then decided to announce the lowest two (Faizull and Nita) in order to create a last minute vote surge for Nita to ensure that Faizull is eliminated. A little bird informed that Nita's votes surged rapidly within that few minutes, while based on some forum entries elsewhere, many Faizull's fans complained that they could not vote for Faizull (failed to get through the line) throughout that duration.
So, is there a conspiracy? If it is true then Malaysian Idol is really a farce.
Having said that, let me clarify that I'm no big fan of MI. Personally I do not care who will win. I'm only interested in observing the voting trends as a way of understanding human behaviour - how the trends are influenced by factors such as talent, appearance, personality, popularity, race, religion and social background.
Finally Faizull is out...
I wonder why the bottom 2 was announced before the voting closed. Two thoughts came to my mind: -
I was elated when I first saw Middlesbrough 2-1 Arsenal on the BBC website. But my joy was short lived when I found out that MU only managed to draw in the Manchester derby and Chelsea notched 3 points from Sunderland.
Van der Sar finally let in one goal, it could have been two if not for his brilliant save in the dying minutes to deny former devil Andy Cole, who thought he had nailed it.
2 points lost. Hope Chelsea will slip up soon. Otherwise it's going to be difficult to catch up. Sigh.
Finally, after 9 months of delay, MiTV will be live from tomorrow onwards. The paid TV service will initially be broadcasted in the Klang Valley, with a full rollout across Malaysia in the next few quarters.
A statement issued at MiTV's launch yesterday said the decoder, which is called an Interactive Multimedia Terminal Setop Box (STB), is priced at RM1,188. This does not include the cost of installing an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna if the subscriber does not have one. I wonder how MiTV justifies itself with this huge price tag on its decoder when ASTRO subscribers could get an ASTRO decoder for a mere RM199. The high entry cost will probably deter many from signing up, especially those from the lower income group.
The monthly subscription for the service, which will be on a prepaid basis, is RM68. MiTV is waiving four months’ subscription for those who sign up before Dec 31. Hmm... Why not MiTV charge RM999 for the decoder and give one or two month less of subscription? This seems to be a more marketable offer to me. High initial start up cost could put off many potential subscribers.
I've managed to take a brief look at the MiTV website.
To my shock, I was welcomed by this message upon accessing http://www.mitv.com.my.
Announcement: The MiTV website is experiencing high congestion due to the very high numbers of visitors accessing the site. As a result the page loads may be slow. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience. Please try the alternative mirror pages below to access the site.
I won't be blogging as frequently for the next two weeks. Twice in a year (April and September) I will escape work for one or two weeks. You would probably think 'Wow, that's great!'. The truth is, I am preparing for my exams.
Anyway, just to release a bit of stress, I would like to sum up some of my thoughts for this weekend.
Hurricane Katrina
Because of Katrina, the first place I zoomed in at using Google Earth was New Orleans. I was curious about the unique geographical feature of this city - lying in a basin below sea level between Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River.
It has been a sad week for the Americans. The whole city was totally wiped out by the hurricane. 80% of the city is still submerged in flood water due to the unique geographical feature.
The catastrophe reminds us that the force of Nature is so powerful that even the most advanced nation on Earth is equally as vulnerable.
What has happened since Katrina left is disturbing - rapes, looting, murders, suicides. Despite being one of the most civilised nation, Katrina had managed to bring out the ugly side of human race.
Rotting bodies are lying at the place where they fell, the stench filling the air. Babies are delivered in filthy conditions. Human faeces are everywhere. There is neither clean water supply nor electricity. Traumatised citizens are accidentally killed by troops due to misunderstanding. Such is the scene in the aftermath of Katrina.
Some say the chaos in Katrina's aftermath has exposed deep divisions in both the city and US society.
Images from the stricken city of New Orleans show that many of those suffering in its streets and shelters are mainly black and poor.
The plight of those stranded amid the filth and the dead has highlighted a side of the city most tourists did not see - one in which two-thirds of its residents are black and more than a quarter live in poverty.
Anger is mounting among African-American leaders that this section was left behind when others fled.
Black members of Congress have also criticised the pace of relief efforts.
Some say the response was slow because those most affected are poor.
"George Bush doesn't care about black people," rapper Kanye West told viewers of an NBC benefit concert for hurricane victims.
I guess Katrina has shown us that Americans are no better than the citizens in the poor Asian countries hit by the tsunami not long ago. It's a sad but true fact.
Poor Kimi
Even though I'm a Ferrari supporter, I was disappointed that Kimi Raikkonen did not manage to win in Monza today. He had been outstanding during the race, and could have won it if not for the tyre problem which forced him to make an additional pit stop. This unfortunate event also mean that Fernando Alonso has strengthened his lead in the drivers' Championship, and it will take a miracle for him not to land the title.Malaysian Idol: Goodbye Ash!
For the first time I voted - for Daniel. My wife voted for Nita. She did really well in Big Spender, but not in the other song. As for Daniel, he really connects well with the audience. He has also proven that he is a versatile singer. The only minus side is that he is probably too boyish looking to be a Malaysian Idol. Both my wife and I did what most Malaysians did as Daniel and Nita managed to garner the most votes this week.
I was quite worried for Farah tonight, since she has been in the bottom 3 for the last few weeks despite performing better than some others.
Faizull? Too one dimensional. Good voice for rock songs but too kampung in every other areas. But the kampung people kept on voting for him!
But in the end, it was Ash who got the boot. Goodbye Ash. Your improvement might have come a bit too late.
As Malaysia attain the age 48 today, it's time again to reflect on our progress and set our focus on the Malaysian Dream - Wawasan 2020.
Some of my thoughts...
Developed nation?
Many seems to equate development to solely economic development. While a lot has been focused on economic development, we are still lagging behind in political and social development. Political structure has not shifted much since independence. Some of the issues debated in the parliament and the behaviour of MPs have shown that we have not attained the maturity level required. There is also still lack of civic consciousness on the roads, lack of regard for the environment and public amenities and unfriendly counter service.
Bangsa Malaysia
Despite numerous effort to promote the Bangsa Malaysia ideology, today most of us are still Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, etc. We even have to indicate this information in most application and entry forms. There is a need for political reform to remove the race-based structure of Barisan Nasional in order to achieve this. We should step out from the shadow of the divide and rule strategy adopted by the British. Bumiputra privelages should also be gradually removed in the 9th Malaysian Plan in order to create a sense of fairness to all, especially to the new generations of Chinese, Indians, etc. who are born on Malaysian soil. The new aim should closing the gaps between the wealthy and the poor, regardless of race and religion. We need to establish a mature, liberal, tolerant and democratic society which permits the fullest participation of the people. Even though we are still a long way from Bangsa Malaysia but let's not lose our optism.
Proton
It was reported today that Proton reported a group pre-tax loss of RM4.3m in the first quarter ending 30 June. After 20 years of struggle, Proton has not been able to mount a challenge in the world auto market as opposed to the younger Hyundai and Kia which have been very successful in United States and many other countries.
Malaysia Boleh!
We seem to concentrate too much on building the tallest flag poles and other similar feats, the latest being Malaysia's First Astronaut Programme. Perhaps we should first concentrate on improving our aeronautical technology and use our own technology rather than the Russians' to send our astronauts into space. There is nothing much to be proud of if we are merely space tourists travelling in foreign space shuttles. All we need is money. The Government should also increase its effort to ensure the success of bio technology initiatives and Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). Research and Development should be highly encouraged to produce more new technologies locally. Thus far we have been buying a lot of foreign technologies. In order to achieve this, the Government has to work harder to attract many talented Malaysians who are more willing to work overseas due to lack of transparency, equality and opportunities locally.
Waving flags, singing negaraku may be signs of patriotism, but Malaysians need to look beyond these actions to acheive Vision 2020.
Selamat Hari Merdeka!
Oil and gas markets came under intense pressure yesterday as Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf of Mexico, forcing the closure of oil production platforms, refineries and the Henry Hub the biggest US trading centre.
Oil prices hit a new record of $70.80 a barrel, although they fell back to $67.20.
Reacting to the trend of the ever increasing oil price Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak said that no government in the world can maintain fuel prices at the current level if the price of crude oil continues to spiral.
“It’s beyond us to control price of crude. So the consumers should not put the blame on the Government if there is a need to raise price of petrol or petroleum products.”
To the average Malaysians, it is time to realise that in this era of globalisation, we need to play our part in managing this sort of situation. Consume wisely and be ready to face the increase in fuel prices. The Government can no longer afford to maintain the fuel price through subsidies. Furthermore, subsidies will reduce our inefficiency and competitiveness in the global market.
Hurrican Katrina
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Hurricane Katrina left at least 56 people dead in the US yesterday, and the toll is expected to climb following one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the northern Gulf Coast in a half century. Tens of thousands will be homeless for months.
According to Bloomberg, US insurers were spared the worst of Hurricane Katrina, but still face an estimated $16 billion of claims from what may prove the second most-expensive storm in US history.
This blog is dedicated to my pal Jason, who is the number 1 Manchester United fan.
Manchester United cruised into the group stage of Champions League by routing Hungarian champions Debrecen 3-0 (aggregate 6-0) last night.
However, United paid a heavy price as Gary Neville was stretchered off 10 minutes into the game. He is expected to be out for 5 weeks. This is worrying as United is trying to launch a good start into the Premiership.
The injury overshadowed a clinical display from the Red Devils, who continued their encouraging start to the campaign thanks to major contributions from an unlikely source - Gabriel Heinze.
Not only was he impressive in the defence, he managed to score 2 of the 3 United goals through two headers in either half of the match.
Substitute Kieren Richardson fired in United's 3rd goal 4 minutes after Heinze's second goal.
United's clinical display was further tempered when Richardson limped off with 20 minutes left, and United, who had used up all their substitutes finished with 10 men.
One more thing to note is that van der Sar has managed to keep 4 clean sheets in a row. That is a remarkable effort compared to how other United stoppers have fared in the previous seasons. I hope he'll continue his good performance to create a repeat of the '98 glory.
