ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

Fender Made-in-Mexico 2011 Road-Worn 60's Stratocaster $100.00 name-engraved hand-made specially-beveled pick  A Fender Custom Shop Relic easily costs $3000.00 now. I bought this used made-in-mexico Fender Road-Worn 60's Stratocaster for $600. The tone is terrific. The big-sky sound of a good Strat. I think its because of the nitro-cellulose thin finish. This really makes a big difference. Glossy finishes strangle the guitar's sound. Second picture shows my name-engraved BlueChip pick from Knoxville Tennessee. Including delivery charges to Singapore this pick cost me $100.00 But its worth it. The specially beveled edges gives attack and yet is noiseless. 

# Thanks to Victor Venema of the University of Bonn for the image depicting an evolutionary search algorithm Current-day so-called Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) are more about Mendelian selective breeding than about Darwinian evolution. Nature has no preconceived objectives. Evolution is open-ended, and is more about adaptation to the ever-evolving environment than about survival of the fittest. Although the “fittest” can be defined as those that have adapted in the best to the changing environment. Using Evolutionary Algorithms such as Genetic Algorithms to find optimal solutions to decision-making is just directing the algorithm to a static goal.  We cannot model the richness, complexity and dynamism of Nature’s meandering adaptive walks. The road of evolution knows not its final destination. It twists and winds its way; the direction of the next step is the net sum of the interaction (actions and reactions) between all participants at that point in time plu...

Hand-made customized guitar picks. V-Pick, Jim Dunlop, Gravity. and the black super-thick Princeton specially beveled with ribbed center grip. These picks cost from S$6.00 to S$20.00. Just ordered one BlueChip pick with my name engraved on it. From Blue Chip Machining Company in Tennesse, USA. Cost US$75.00. Oh well, I can't afford a Porsche but I can afford guitar picks. And its little indulgences like this that adds zest to my life. But seriously, the transparent and Blue Gravity picks make a big difference to the speed, ease and tone of your playing. On account of the unique composite materials used in making the picks and their beveled edges. These picks cost a lot because the edges are specially beveled by hand and not machine. Only a fellow guitar player and craftsman can make the perfect pick.

Fried Gourami (Ikan Sepat) found in padi (rice) fields Curried Cow's Pancreas Deep-fried Pipefish Some of dishes found in a nasi padang meal The unique and very healthy salad that goes with the nasi padang A rare dessert: Malay Rainbow cookies Singapore being a multi-racial society and a global city, I have access to all kinds of food from every corner of the world. I can have Indian cuisine for breakfast, Malay cuisine for lunch, Western steak and wine for dinner; and Chinese porridge for supper. But my favorite kind of food is the Malay Nasi Padang (rice eaten with a variety of meat, fish and vegetable). The variety of dishes concocted by nasi padang cooks is limitless, and here I showcase just a few. "Nasi" means rice, and "Padang"is a town on the island of Sumatra, where this kind of cuisine is said to have originated.  There are many variations of nasi padang according to their geographical locations in I...

Guitar picks greatly affect how you play your guitar, and the tone you produce. The thickness of the pick, its size, the material that it is made of, whether the tip is pointed or rounded etc all contribute to the speed, dynamics and tone of your playing. A lot of thought and research on shape, size and material goes into the making of a good guitar pick.  Vinni Smith of V-Picks.com makes about 125 types of picks to suit every type of player and every genre of music from jazz to rock, country, metal or folk. He is a selection of picks with a brief description of each: 1. The Bulls-Eye: The bulls-eye in the center is meant to let the player have a solid feel of the pick and its position in his picking hand, even as he plays.   2. The Duet's double point means that every note is played twice, the second note a split second behind the first note; thus making it sound like you are playing a 12-string guitar. 3. The Ghost Rim: Guitar picks sometimes make...

I had 15 minutes to kill waiting for a taxi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; so I copied down the name of the King of Malaysia and his titles written beneath his photo hanging in the hotel lobby. No time to spell in capitals or put in the full stops and commas. I think it will take a TV  newscaster 2 minutes to read this out if there is news about the King. Note: The King of Malaysia is chosen by rotation from among the Sultans of each of the States in Peninsula Malaysia that has a Sultan (Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Penang have no Sultan): Johor, Pahang, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Perak, Terengganu,- for a period of 5 years.  The present King's name is:   Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong XIV Almu'Tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah D.k. dkh dkm dmn duk dmk dk kelantan dk pahang dk selangor dk perlis dk negeri sembilan dk perak dk johor dk terengganu dk perak dk brunei dp sarawak dunmm smdk shms sgmk sp...

We all know why Inflation is bad but why is Deflation bad? All growing economies have a healthy mild inflationary bias (prices slowly creep up). However the Eurozone just announced that in December 2014, prices turned negative. Japan has been in a deflationary state for decades despite several government efforts to inflate the economy. For most of this decade, governments and Central Banks (especially in Asia) have been focusing on how to contain Inflation and curb asset bubbles (stock markets, property). It looks like this year, they will be more concerned with the threat of Deflation. We all know why Inflation is bad: $1.00 worth less than $1.00 can buy less things. Your savings worth less and less in terms of real purchasing power. Your salary fails to keep up with cost of living. But why is deflation bad? Isn’t it good that petrol, food, clothes, transportation etc is cheaper? Here are some of the reasons why Deflation is bad: 1.       Consumers...