Ambigram

First encounter this unique art 3 years back when reading "Angel & Demon".
The resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The word "ILLUMINATI" was written in ambigram.
The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

An ambigram, also sometimes known as an inversion, is a typographical design or artform that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction or orientation. The words readable in the other viewpoint, direction or orientation may be the same or different from the original words.

Below is a sample of "ILLUMINATI" and "EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER"written in ambigram...

Remarks: designs from http://www.johnlangdon.net/angelsanddemons.php

Top 10 Ways to Steal a Car (and how to defend against them).

By Caroline Pardilla
(published in http://www.edmunds.com/)

Lists come out every year detailing the most stolen cars and, with that, what steps one can take to deter car thieves. Yet, a car is stolen in the United States every 24 seconds according to the Insurance Information Institute. Auto theft continues to thrive despite those lists and regardless of new anti-theft technology that emerges with every new model year.

What else can you do besides not drive the most stolen car in America and equip your car with anti-theft protection?

We're going to give you the unique opportunity to look inside the mind of the car thief and learn how he steals cars. With the help of police auto theft experts and auto theft professionals, we've compiled this list of some of the ways thieves steal cars followed by suggestions of how to stop them from doing it to you.

We have no intention of providing new information to the wrong people and simply want to educate the good guys. We haven't disclosed anything that car thieves don't already know and we have left out specific details to avoid making this a "how-to." Knowing the insider tricks of auto thieves will motivate you to take the necessary precautions to defend your vehicle.

1. Bump against the car to check for a car alarm. Since it seems like everything from a loud Harley to a rumbling garbage truck can set off a car alarm, people have been conditioned to tune them out. Instead of a motion-sensitive car alarm, use one that has a pager that will notify you as soon as your alarm is activated.

2. Break the window or jimmy the lock to gain entry into a locked car. Don't tempt car thieves. Keep valuables out of plain sight. Take them with you or store them in the trunk. Also, if you have a stereo with a removable face plate, take it with you instead of tucking it away in the glovebox.

3. Cut the steering wheel itself if there's a steering wheel lock. Instead of locking just your steering wheel, "lock" your car's ability to go by using a starter disable switch and putting it in a place where only you can get to it.

4. Look for exposed wiring that can be cut or for the central unit of the car alarm to deactivate it. Instead of going to a big retail chain store, have your car alarm installed by a professional car alarm installer, preferably a reasonably shady one. Unlike retail chain employees, these experts know what it takes to make your car elusive to crooks.

5. Look for car alarm decals to figure out which method to use to eliminate the alarm. Never display stickers that advertise what sort of car alarm you have, or audio system for that matter. Consider using a hood lock cable so the thief can't get to your battery or car alarm mechanism.

6 . Jump into an unattended running car while the owner is at the ATM, dropping off videos, etc. Never leave your keys in the ignition even for a quick errand. Car theft is a crime of opportunity, so don't make it easy for them to grab yours.

7. Look for the car's title, registration or anything with a home address on it. Keep your registration and insurance information with you and never leave personal information in your car.

8. Stake out sporting events, movie theaters and shopping center parking lots for the car of your choice since they offer the largest variety of cars in one area. Whenever possible, park in lots and garages that have security and/or parking lot attendants. If not, don't park in the farthest corner of the lot but rather near the entrance of these facilities to insure the most foot traffic (and the most potential witnesses). Also, opt for paying the extra couple of dollars for the monitored parking lot instead of using the free parking on the less-trafficked side streets.

9. Find the second set of keys the owner "hid" in the car. Don't leave spare keys in your car or in a magnetic box attached to the underside of your car. Thieves know where all the "hiding places" are.

10. Copy specific vehicle information and take it to the manufacturer to get a replacement key made. Instead of VIN etching the major parts of your vehicle, which doesn't turn most thieves off, drop your business card into the doors through the window slots to identify your car as yours.

Even though auto theft is a crime of opportunity, if a crook really wants your car, he'll do whatever it takes to get it regardless of steering wheel locks or car alarms. But with the above knowledge, you can slow him down, make your car inconvenient to him and, hopefully, discourage him from attempting to steal your vehicle.
Layering your car with anti-theft protection, especially if it's at the top of the most stolen vehicles list, is a good start. But, as with anything that is of value to you, the most important protection you can give your car is to take a proactive approach to security when you leave it unattended.

How not to lose money at the petrol stations especially when petrol prices are sky rocketing!

Subject: Tips for Filling Up Gasoline
Extract"
I've been in the petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth.

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up.
Most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty).
Because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm.(Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)

4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings:
slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money.

The power of Illusions.

Saw this interesting 3D effect of illusion in Science Centre today...
the simple arrangement of the dinosaur face creating an interesting changes while you walking in front of him and looking at it...its like he is watching you...

Takumi in Singapore...

Spotted Takumi ride in Singapore the other day...a beautiful car, the tyre used was Bridgestone RE001 which was the high performance tyre from Bridgestone.

If L saw this, he must be drooling....

Marina Barrage

Been busy with works & life...

I have been busy with new working environment since the beginning of this year, not much spare time left to post here...and recently just got my self an 2nd hand Toyota Altis, spend quit a $$ on it in servicing and changing some wear and tear components for better safety...

Will post some pics of it and others interesting things that I saw recently....bye...

Flea markets in Singapore

Hunting for a place where you can find something you like amongst a wide array of different items offered at amazingly low prices? Or hunting for an opportunity to display your talents and sell your self-made stuff? The flea market is just the place for you! Its not a dirty market full of fleas (an image which the name might conjure) but instead, its the perfect place for you to purchase attractively super low-priced items! Also, the flea market often attracts young entrepreneurs to set up stalls peddling their own creations, perfect for individuals with preferences for quirky, one-of-a-kind items. So, what are you budding entrepreneurs waiting for? Below is a list of several flea markets present in Singapore. Just remember to bring along sufficient cash before you hit the road to head for a flea market because all purchases have to be made in cash!

Locations of Flea Markets :
Zouk Flea and Easy Marketheld at Zouk,
17 Jiak Kim Street
Once every 3 months, on a Sunday from 2-7pm
attracts Fashionistas, young designers.
sells everything fashionable.

Lime Flea Market
held at *scape (youth hub behind Cathay Orchard Cineleisure)
2nd and 4th Saturday of every month (Bi-monthly)
sells handmade jewellery and vintage clothes and bags

Maad Flea Market
held at Red-dot design Museum,
28 Maxwell RoadEvery Sunday,
11am-7pmsells one-of-a-kind accessories, clothes, shoes and plush dolls.

Tanglin Mall Flea Market
held at Tanglin Mall,
163 Tanglin Road1st and 3rd Saturday of every month,
5-11pmOnly 2nd-hand fashion and accessories are allowed to be sold here.

Timbre Flea Market
held at Timbre Bistro,
45 Armenian Street (The Substation Garden) held monthly
sells second-hand clothes, bags and jewellery, vintage finds and collectibles.

Clarke Quay Flea Market
held at 3 River Valley Road
Every Sunday, 9am-5pm120 stalls peddling used and new wares, from phonecards, antiques, record players to handmade candles and henna paintings.

China Square Central
situated at 18 Cross Street,
Level 1Every Saturday and Sunday, 9am-7pm
sells new & old clothing, toys, antiques, banknotes, stamps, coins, records, books, collectibles.

Far East Square
situated at 76 Telok Ayer Street
Every Saturday and Sunday, 12pm-10pm
sells bric-a brac and other rare local knick-knacks, such as old records.

Stadium Cove
situated at 2 Stadium Walk
( Stadium Waterfront, next to Singapore Indoor Stadium)
Every Saturday and Sunday, 4pm-11pm
sells artistic and exotic things.

Thieves’ Market
situated at Sungei Road, Pitt Street
Every Monday-Friday, 1pm-7pm
Every Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm
sells everything.

Kampong Glam Flea Market
Situated near Bugis MRT station
Every 3rd Sunday of the month, 10am-6pm

Timberlux Centre Flea Carnival
Situated at 326 Havelock Rd, Timberlux Centre
Tel:9769 8387

Ethnic Flea Market
situated at Central Singapore, Amphiteatre,
Blk 116 Toa Payoh Lorong 1
Tel: 6259 4116

Red Wing...after 3 wears.

So here are the pictures of the shoes condition after 3 torturing wear.

The sole is is soft and wear out easily.

The size view, front is already lifted....indeed the real thing.
The Wings

Close-up view to the strong stitching and workmanship.

Zig-zag and double stitching...

The Moc...

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And finally the result...

Breaking-in the Red Wing.

My first day wearing it, first impressions is the sole is quick hard, and the shoes is quite heavy.
But at the end of the day, felt that the sole is not that hard already. And the front sole seem to be ip-lifted a bit, some of the forummer said that as you wear it, the front part will be lifted further,
thats the signature of Red Wing, it becoming more and more chio as its seasons.

The break-in process is not that hard as compare to my previous Dr.Martens.

Pictures taken with Levis 501, they seem were made to be together. This shoes is perfect match for jeans and Khaki.

So must wear again tomorrow....keep it up, my poor feets.

DW-5600E

Had always wanted a basic square G-shock, the best G to fit the bill is of course the 5600 model.
The thin design and small design suited my 6" wrist perfectly.

This is a no nonsense G, just a great watch with toughness, chioness, syiokness & 100% usefulness.
Enjoy...

Some history of Red Wing

1905年查而斯贝克与14位成员一起创立了Red Wing公司,当时的创立点是在美国明尼苏达洲的Red Wing镇是由印第安苏族部落酋长合名的,而查而斯便以Red Wing作为公司品牌名称确保了Red Wing靴子的品质,在机能性,款式实际很独到,经过103年的时间考验证明Red Wing 的靴子是绝对足以名列经典的好鞋。作为Hunting Boots的王者诞生以来,就受到了各界名人的追捧,贵到美国总统,吉他之神Eric Clapton,日剧天王木村拓哉,Puffy组合都是Red Wing的爱用者,Red Wing在日本的成功是爆发性的,这可能也跟日本牛仔裤文化有着极大的关系,Red Wing配复古牛仔裤那是绝配.Red Wing的穿着性也是极佳的.他让穿上他的人享受无与伦比的舒适性和美观性,它独创的goodyear制法的胶底,磨损后可以无数次的加以更换,因此有人是为了一生受用而买下它的。

Red Wing Shoe Company一个将近100年历史的美国耐用鞋制造商，所出产品一直以高质量与耐用性著称。追溯......
明尼苏达州坐落于美国中西部蜿蜒流动的密西西比河旁，亦系RED WING公司总部所在。明尼苏达州，原为印第安族天下，由一名为WAKUTA RED WING的苏族大酋长所统治。在白种人来此开发后，印地安文化逐渐消失。后来的人们为了保持他们独有的文化而在当地设了一个名为RED WING的街道。1905年，RED WING公司的始创者harles Beckman率领着14个成员在这条叫RED WING的街道创建了第一家鞋工厂，并以街道来命名：Red Wing Shoe Company！创业当时仅系一个日产鞋量150对的小规模厂家。1919年到1925年间，RED WING所陆续推出的几款长统靴以及可佩带小刀的小短靴，都十分受到消费大众的喜爱。从此RED WING在美国成为了家喻户晓的知名品牌。经典......
1952年，知名的Irish Setter猎装鞋诞生了！由于这对鞋是以工作鞋样式底所改良而成的，因此结合了原有鞋款的优越活动性能优势及猎装靴独特的造型推出之后，马上成为了RED WING最有人气的鞋款，再加上兼具休闲味的外型设计，使其强大的人气优势至今都居高不下。一直到现在，这款猎装靴仍保有它独特的魅力，不仅为一般消费大众所喜爱，连美国历任总统也都是它的最佳拥护者！升华......
1980年美国RED WING开始和日本合作，发展亚洲生活化系列，而日本与美国合作后，开始在日本引起注意甚至大红，并且红遍全国，更引来无数明星以至教父级人马追捧，更将其推至潮流巅峰，成为家喻户晓的超人气商品。

Red Wing 875...finally.

Been sometimes didn;t update anything here was due to nothing worth keeping record of. But today I got something worth just that much to keep a post.

Was loitering around and walked from Bugis Bencoolen St to Orchard, bought a classic G-Shock DW-5600E at Bencoolen since the Rastafarian 5600 with 3 color bands was unavailable anymore...

And while walking to Somerset MRT, a gravitationally 12% discount sign for Red Wing was magically attracted to my eyes when I walked pass Famous Footwear store, so by the moment I walk into the store "the devil" that long surpress break out from hell. And finally...I got myself a Red Wing (the so called the King of Boots) after so many years its stay in my wishlists.

With 12% discount of the regular retail price of $388, so its now becoming so tempted at $341.44 even cheaper than the boutique which give only 10% discount provided only pay by Nets....cheh...and have to wait till further 7 further notice till their new stock arrive....

The uncle and the sales assistant there were friendly enough to make you so comfortably trying boots and chatting to them, they told me that this 12% off thingy is something never happened before and I probably won't see it again in future...Well...we'll see....

So here are some of pic for sharing...enjoy.

Tried both 9D and 9E, found that 9E was more comfortable with more feet room for movement.

Was the 02/08 denotes produced in Feb 2008???

9E is one size smaller than my usuall Size10 in sports shoe.
Nevertheless, its still have plenty of room in front my toes.

Waxes highly recommended by the uncle at the store. Was told that this kind of special wax only avalable here the whole Singapore, and it is the best shoe oil available, even better than the "big tree" brand and the wing brand. But I find that it smell like coconut oil.

First day report to work at RMO

Red Wing ads...

Not sure what they try to convey...