27-28 April 2010

There is 24 hours per day. Is that enough for everyone? Or too much for someone? For me,it is too short, it is really not enough for me to done my things that i have plan on everyday. Especially these two days. Examination had burn up my head. Working so hard to memorize all the theories. I think i am doing well on the papers, Customer Service and Reservation & Ticketing. Fortunately, there is no exam on the next day, is time to relax my mind. Nevertheless, i still have to work, as you all know if you have read my blog, but i don't think there could be even one people will read it. WHATEVER! Api Api Centre,i work at there. That is same everyday, bring the customers have a look at the houses or rooms, write the receipts, collect the monthly rentals, doing the maintenance works...OH MY GOD! that is GREAT! Except on Saturday, i am doing account with my aunt at Bandaran. Write the check for the rentals, failing the documents, check the water and electric bills, type the tenancy agreements...Many things i have to do everyday. Even Sunday I also have to work, sometimes even work until 9pm. Haikz...

Tokyo,Japan

Tokyo, officially Tokyo Metropolis, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture (Tokyo-fu) and the city of Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan government administers the twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, that cover the area that was the city of Tokyo as well as 39 municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and the two outlying island chains. Although technically not a city, Tokyo is considered the capital and largest city of Japan.

The population of the special wards is over 8 million people, with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 12 million. The prefecture is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 to 39 million people (depending on definition) and the world's largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$1.479 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2008.

Tokyo was described by Saskia Sassen as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York City and London. This city is considered an alpha+ world city, listed by the GaWC's 2008 inventory and ranked fourth among global cities by Foreign Policy's 2008 Global Cities Index. In 2009 Tokyo was named the world's most expensive city for expatriate employees, according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys and named the third Most Liveable City and the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by the magazine Monocle.

Tokyo is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Tokyo is one of the three world finance "command centers", along with New York and London. Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world. According to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Tokyo urban area (35.2 million people) had a total GDP of US$1.479 trillion in 2008 (at purchasing power parity), ranking again as the largest urban agglomeration GDP in the world. As of 2008, 47 of the companies listed on the Global 500 are based in Tokyo, almost twice that of the second-placed city (Paris).

Tokyo is a major international finance center, houses the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Osaka (the historical commercial capital) to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.

The Big Mac Index shows that workers in Tokyo earn the highest salary in the world.

Tokyo was rated by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most expensive (highest cost-of-living) city in the world for 14 years in a row ending in 2006. This analysis is for living a corporate executive lifestyle, with items like a detached house and several automobiles.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange is Japan's largest stock exchange, and second largest in the world by market capitalization and fourth largest by share turnover. In 1990 at the end of the Japanese asset price bubble, it accounted for more than 60% of the world stock market value.

Tokyo had 8,460 ha (20,900 acres) of agricultural land as of 2003, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, placing it last among the nation's prefectures. The farmland is concentrated in Western Tokyo. Perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers can be conveniently shipped to the markets in the eastern part of the prefecture. Japanese leaf spinach and spinach are the most important vegetables; as of 2000, Tokyo supplied 32.5% of the Japanese leaf spinach sold at its central produce market.

With 36% of its area covered by forest, Tokyo has extensive growths of cryptomeria and Japanese cypress, especially in the mountainous western communities of Akiruno, Ōme, Okutama, Hachiōji, Hinode, and Hinohara. Decreases in the price of lumber, increases in the cost of production, and advancing old age among the forestry population have resulted in a decline in Tokyo's output. In addition, pollen, especially from cryptomeria, is a major allergen for the nearby population centers.

Tokyo Bay was once a major source of fish. Presently, most of Tokyo's fish production comes from the outer islands, such as Izu Ōshima and Hachijōjima. Skipjack tuna, nori, and aji are among the ocean products.

Tourism in Tokyo is also a contributor to the economy.

APPLE I PAD

The iPad is a tablet computer designed and marketed by Apple, meant for internet browsing, media consumption, gaming, and light content creation. Unlike many older tablets, it does not use a stylus for input and instead uses fingertips. Released in April 2010, it introduced a class of devices between smartphones and laptops.

Like the older iPod Touch and iPhone devices, the larger iPad runs the iPhone OS and uses a multi-touch LCD for most user interactions. It runs iPad-specific applications as well as those written for the iPhone and iPod touch, including e-book readers.

The iPad uses WiFi or Wireless WAN to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software.

The touchscreen is a 25 cm (9.7 in) liquid crystal display (1024 × 768 pixels, 132 ppi, XGA) with fingerprint–resistant and scratch-resistant glass. Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers, not gloves and styli that prevent electrical conductivity (although there are gloves and styli designed for this use).

The display responds to two other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense iPad orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch, which work in three orientations, the iPad supports screen rotation in all four orientations, meaning that the device has no intrinisc "up" or "down"; only the position of the home button changes. Most, if not all, iPad applications support both portrait and landscape mode.

The iPad has a switch to lock out this screen rotation function (reportedly to prevent unintended rotation when the user is lying down).There are a total of four physical switches, including a "home" button below the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep and volume up/down, along with the screen rotation lock.

The iPad can use Wi-Fi network trilateration to provide location information to applications such as Google Maps. The 3G model contains A-GPS while both models have a digital compass.

The back of the Wi-Fi model iPad is made of contoured aluminum with black plastic buttons. The Wi-Fi + 3G model also has a black plastic accent on top of the device.

Dual speakers housed inside the iPad provide monaural sound via two small sealed channels in the interior speaker assembly that direct the sound outwards toward the three audio ports carved into the bottom-right corner of the unit.The microphone is within the device. A volume switch is on the right side of the unit, and a 3.5 mm TRS connector audio-out jack provides stereo sound for headphones on the top-left corner of the device. The iPad supports normal headphones and models with microphones, volume controls, or both. Microphones can be used for voice recording.

The built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR interface supports the HSP, A2DP, and HID profiles, which allow wireless headphones and keyboards to be used with the iPad. However, the iPhone OS does not currently support the OBEX file transfer protocol.

Composite video up to 576i can be taken from the dock connector via a VGA adaptor sold by Apple, but there is no HD output option.

The iPad uses an internal rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery. The iPad is designed to be charged with a high current (2 amperes) using the included USB 10 W power adapter. While it can be charged by a standard USB port from a computer, these typically provide lower current (500 milliamperes or 1 ampere). As a result, if the iPad is turned on while being charged with a normal USB computer port, it will charge much more slowly, if at all.

Apple claims that the iPad's battery can provide up to 10 hours of video, 140 hours of audio playback, or one month on standby. The battery loses capacity over time and is not designed to be user-replaceable. As in the battery-replacement program for iPod and the original iPhone, Apple will replace an iPad that does not hold an electrical charge with a refurbished iPad for a fee of US$99.

The iPad was released with three options for internal storage size: a 16, 32, or 64 GB flash drive. All data are stored on the flash drive and there is no option to expand storage. Apple sells a camera connection kit with an SD card reader, but it can only be used to transfer photos and videos.

The Wi-Fi + 3G model has a micro-SIM slot (not mini-SIM) located on the side of the device. Unlike the iPhone, which is usually sold locked to specific carriers, the 3G iPad is sold unlocked and can be used with any compatible GSM carrier.

Boracay Island

Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. In 1990, it was voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by British publication TV Quick as the world's number one tropical beach.

The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

The island was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956.Formerly undiscovered, it wasn't till the 1970s that tourism began to develop in Boracay, and the island became popular with backpackers in the 1980s.

Years ago, Boracay Island was a well-guarded secret, almost possessively so that only a few knew of its existence.

It was only in the 70s when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveler, 'Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world.

Whichever story is true, it was around this time that Boracay Island slowly ceased to be a private travelers hangout and eventually became one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Boracay Island is located off the northwest corner of Panay Island, and belongs to the Western Visayas island-group, or Region VI, of the Philippines. The island is approximately seven kilometers long, dog-bone shaped with the narrowest spot being less than one kilometer wide, and has a total land area of 10.32 square kilometers.

South-facing Cagban Beach is located across a small strait from the jetty port at Caticlan on Panay island, and the Cagban jetty port serves as Boracay's main entry and exit point during most of the year. When wind and sea conditions dictate, east-facing Tambisaan Beach serves as an alternative entry and exit point.

Boracay's two primary tourism beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located on opposite sides of the island's narrow central area. White Beach faces westward and Bulabog Beach faces eastward. The island also has several other beaches.

White Beach is the main tourism beach. It is about four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. In the central portion, for about two kilometers, there is a footpath known as the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it. North and south of the Beachfront Path, beachfront establishments do literally front along the beach itself. Several roads and paths connect the Beachfront Path with Boracay's Main Road, a vehicular road which runs the length of the island. At the extreme northern end of White Beach, a footpath runs around the headland there and connects White Beach with Diniwid Beach.

Bulabog Beach, across the island from White Beach, is a secondary tourism beach and Boracay's main windsurfing and kiteboarding area.

Boracay is divided, for land use and conservation purposes, into 400 hectares of preserved forestland and 628.96 hectares of agricultural Land.

Partly because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the reef-protected waters off that beach ideal for windsurfing and kiteboarding / kitesurfing.

Leisure activities available on Boracay include scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding and beach relaxation.

Boracay is the site of a world-class 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by Graham Marsh. In addition, Boracay now has in excess of 350 beach resorts with more than 2,000 rooms ranging in quality from five-star to budget accommodations, so tourists are sure to find whatever they are looking for.

In addition, Boracay offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs.

The first settlers of Boracay, A negrito people called Ati, spoke a Visayan language called Inati.Later settlers brought other languages to the island, including Aklanon (as Boracay is part of Aklan province) and other Visayan languages, Tagalog (and its variant, Filipino), and English.

Bohol Island

Bohol Island is the main island of Bohol Province in the Visayas. It lies southeast from Cebu Island across Cebu Strait (in some references called Bohol Strait) and southwest from Leyte Island, separated by the Camotes Sea and Canigao Channel. Bohol is also located north of Mindanao with Bohol Sea between them.

With a land area of 3269 km² and a coastline 261 km long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines. The main island is surrounded by about 70 smaller islands, the largest of which are Panglao Island facing Tagbilaran City in the southwest and Lapining Island in the northeast.

The Island of Bohol is oval-shaped mainland surrounded with 73 smaller islands, having a gently rolling terrain, ideal for commercial and industrial site development. Bohol's mountainous interior is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna. At certain points, hills drop steeply to the coast from a maximum elevation of 870 meters above sea level. The interior uplands are fit for agro-forestry and high value agricultural production. The central and northern lowlands have also fertile grounds and abundant water supply. Over a hundred caves have been identified, the biggest of which is found in the eastern part which makes Bohol ideal for spelunking adventures.

The Chocolate Hills are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines. They are hills made of limestone leftover from coral reefs during the ice age when the island was submerged. They turn brown during the summer, hence their name.

Most beaches are of white sand. The sand is often of such high quality that it is exported to other beaches in the world. The most well known of these beaches are in Panglao Island, and there, numerous islets have similar, yet untouched and pristine beaches.

There are four main rivers that run through Bohol with Loboc River being the most famous for its river cruises, running from the center of the island to the southeastern coast. The largest, Inabanga River, runs in the northwestern part of the province. The Abatan River in the southwest, and Ipil river in the north.

Numerous waterfalls and caves are scattered across the island, including the beautiful Mag-Aso falls in Antequera. Mag-Aso means smoke in the native tongue. The water is cool and often creates a mist in humid mornings which can hide the falls.

Bohol is an island province in the Visayas. It lies southeast from Cebu across Bohol Strait and southwest from Leyte, separated by the Camotes Sea and Canigao Channel. Bohol is also located north of Mindanao with Bohol Sea between them.

With a land area of 3269 km² and a coastline 261 km long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines. The main island is surrounded by about 70 smaller islands, the largest of which are Panglao Island facing Tagbilaran City in the southwest and Lapinig Island in the northeast.

The terrain of Bohol is basically rolling and hilly and about half the island is covered in limestone. Near the outer areas of the island are low mountain ranges. The interior is a large plateau with irregular landforms.

Near Carmen can be found the major tourist draw of the province, the Chocolate Hills. The more than 1,200 uniformly cone-shaped limestone hills were named that way because in the summer, the grass growing on the hills turn brown, making the landscape look like it had chocolate mounds all over. The Chocolate Hills is found on the provincial seal of Bohol.

Unlike Luzon and the northern part of Visayas, Bohol is mostly unaffected by the numerous typhoons that hit the country. The weather is mostly mild all year round. When typhoons do hit the island, they usually cross quickly and are no longer powerful, their energy dissipated by the mountains in Leyte and Samar.

From November to April, the northeast monsoon (amihan) prevails. Except for a rare shower, this is the mildest time of the year. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, cooling down at night to around 25°C. The summer season from May to July brings higher temperatures and very humid days. From August to October is the southwest monsoon (habagat). The weather during this season is not very predictable, with weeks of calm weather alternating with rainy days. It can rain any day of the year, but you wil have more chance for a heavy shower from November to January. If you want to see the Chocolate Hills in their "Chocolate" color, you will have to go there during the "Summer".

i am mandom,freedom,CONDOM

A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs—such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV). It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner. Because condoms are waterproof, elastic, and durable, they are also used in a variety of secondary applications. These include collection of semen for use in infertility treatment as well as non-sexual uses such as creating waterproof microphones and protecting rifle barrels from clogging.

In the modern age, condoms are most often made from latex, but some are made from other materials such as polyurethane, polyisoprene, or lamb intestine. A female condom is also available, most often made of polyurethane. As a method of birth control, male condoms have the advantage of being inexpensive, easy to use, having few side effects, and of offering protection against sexually transmitted diseases. With proper knowledge and application technique—and use at every act of intercourse—women whose partners use male condoms experience a 2% per-year pregnancy rate.

Condoms have been used for at least 400 years. Since the nineteenth century, they have been one of the most popular methods of contraception in the world. While widely accepted in modern times, condoms have generated some controversy, primarily over what role they should play in sex education classes.

Virgin America Airlines

Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards". San Francisco International Airport is Virgin America's principal base of operations. Virgin America's frequent flyer program is known as elevate and runs on a "dollars spent versus miles accrued" model.

Virgin America, though the brainchild of British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, is a U.S. airline. By law, no more than 25% of a US airline may be owned by foreign interests and must be under the "actual control" of U.S. citizens; VAI Partners LLC owns 75% of the capital stock and is responsible for appointing two-thirds of the voting members of the board of directors. The remaining 25% of the company is owned by Virgin Group, which also licenses the Virgin brand to the airline.

Virgin America, headquartered in Burlingame, California, is separate from Virgin Atlantic and as such is under no obligation to work with Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue, Virgin Nigeria, Virgin Galactic or any other companies that share the Virgin brand name. However, on June 3 2009 - it established an interline agreement with Virgin Blue international subsidiary airline V Australia which allows Virgin America customers access to V Australia's trans-Pacific long haul network between Australia and the United States, and allows V Australia guests access to Virgin America's network within the U.S.

Ways To Promote Caring Society Among Young Students

In this modern nowadays, the young students are increasing lack of awareness the problems facing by our earth. Their life styles only consist of computer games, hanging out with friends, bad habits and a lot. I think the young students should be transfused environmental awareness and the sense to save the earth. Otherwise, our earth will be fold up by the young generation.

There are three simple ways to promote a caring society among young students. Since nowadays the young students are full with energy, treasure heart and active, we can try to promote the caring society in their ways. First, organize a trip to somewhere else, to attract the young to join, but the main purpose is to clean-up the place. By the way, this is not a cheat to the young. During the trip, we can explain the history of the following place and the benefits of maintain the environmental cleanliness. By doing the outdoor education, the young students are more willing to learn something new in their life, and then it will start being as a part of their habits.

The second way to promote a caring society among young student is organize a talk or speech to them. For my knowledge, a simple talk only will get the bad return by the students. It is because they will feel that the talk will bore although the speaker using a lot of exaggerated expression and movement. A trusted way is having a speech and adds with teaching activities. The speaker will catch the students’ minds by talk in their way. During the talk, the students have the opportunities to participate in some games that related to caring society. The young students will learn the ways how to be a human that protect and caring our society and environment in our daily life.

The last but not least, for my opinion, parents and the teachers in the school are playing an important role. When the young students are still in the stage of young, the parents should grasp the chance to educated and indoctrinated their children in a positive way. Try to let them distinguish right from wrong in their daily life. Other than that, transfused them about the disadvantages of negative activities such as, smoking, drink alcohol, vandalism, premarital sex and a lot. Parents also should be awareness on their dating range, to avoid promiscuity. As a teacher in the school also very important. They are the one who educated and guardian for the young students. Teachers have to be always looking out their attitude. If there is any bad attitude of the student, he or she must immediately report to their parents, so that they can improve or correct their child in a proper way.

Trip To Sapi Island,200310

This interesting trip to Sapi Island is organized by our Moral lecturer, Miss Cristiana Jonut on 20rd March 2010. There are around 50 students of Asian Tourism International College participate on this trip. During the trip, I have learned a lot of things. Firstly, I have learned a good leadership wills benefits all the team members. Why I would say that? While we playing the banana boat, I have be named as ‘commander’. All of them listen my command carefully to escape from the wave so that not falling down from the banana boat. At last, we are successfully escaped from the wave. They are gladly to listen my commands.

The last but not least, which is also the purpose we came to Sapi Island, cleaning up along the beach of the said island. As what I know, our earth is facing a lot of problems such as pollution and global warming. Let’s give an example, the increase of earth’s temperature indirectly damaged our life, and I believe the end of the World is coming soon. Who is the problem maker? All of these are making by the people. We have to suffer by ourselves on the problems that we have made. But, there are still remain a little time to let us safe our earth. By doing a cleaning the rubbish in anywhere, do not waste of resources (recycle), and refused to drive but take buses will effectively benefits and healthier our earth.

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility can be defined as a moral or ideological theory. The main purpose is to discuss whether the government, corporation Ltd, organization and individuals are responsible to the society. It can be separate in to the positive and the negative ways. For the positive, which mean they are energetically and gladly responsible to the community. Conversely, the negative way means decline to participate in any activity that benefits the society.

For truth, everyone has the responsibility to benefits the society. Let’s give an example, government is playing a very important role in social responsibility. It is because the citizen will follow what the government does. For me, the government social responsibility are make sure the citizen are living well every day and having a harmony society with everyone. Nevertheless, there is not everyone living well in a harmony society. Thus, the government should solve all the problems that faced by the citizen by organize different organization according to the public demands. Example, Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysia Family Women’s Ministry of Social Development.

Others than government, individual also playing an important role in the social responsibility. As a citizen of the country, we have the obligation to protect our community. But there are also people that refused to participate in the activity that benefits our society. The social responsibility of individuals is various kinds, such as working hard in their career, doing the recycle concept, maintain the cleanliness of the environment and report the crimes. All of these directly affect to the safety and the image of the society if the public do not energetically doing on these. For an example, if anyone of us encounters any crimes occurring, we must report it to the police station immediately for an immediate action. As a result, the number of crime happening will be greatly reduced. At last, who will be the beneficiary? Of course is the society!

Working As A Scientist,But Doing The Nausea Task

Most Queasy Work:
Museum Curator Stool
From the year 1970,Jim Mead already start to collect different types faeces of wild animals that come from ice aged until now.Jim Mead and his Quarternary Paleontology team at Northern Arizona University “host the largest collection of excrement in the world,” which they collect from archaeological digs, zoos and the National Park Service to study DNA, plant matter in the dung, and climate information.When the other scientists do not know about any faeces,they will send it to Mead for experiment. Please don't look down on this career. Through the experiment, Jim can deduct that what the animals have ate, their health situation, sex and the environment situation on the particular time.

EUGENE ALLEN

Eugene Allen,White House Butler for 8 Presidents,dies at 90

Mr. Allen was born July 14, 1919, in Scottsville, Va. He worked as a waiter at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va., and later at a country club in Washington. In 1952, he heard of a job opening at the White House and was hired as a "pantry man," washing dishes, stocking cabinets and shining silverware for $2,400 a year.

He became maitre d', the most prestigious position among White House butlers, under Ronald Reagan. During Mr. Allen's 34 years at the White House, some of the decisions that presidents made within earshot of him came to have a direct bearing on his life -- and that of black America.

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Mr. Allen was invited to the funeral. He declined for the most generous of reasons: "Somebody had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral," he told The Post. When first lady Jackie Kennedy returned to the White House afterward, she gave him one of the president's ties. Mr. Allen had it framed.

Mr. Allen served entertainers including Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey and Elvis Presley. He flew aboard Air Force One. He sipped root beer at Camp David with Jimmy Carter and visited Eisenhower in Gettysburg after he left the White House. There were always Christmas and birthday cards from the families of the presidents he had served.

"He was such a professional in everything he did," said Wilson Jerman, 81, whom Mr. Allen hired to work at the White House in the early 1960s. "When my wife, Gladys, died in 1966, he told me not to worry about a thing. I didn't think I could get through that period, and he just took me by the hand. I'll never forget it."

Mr. Allen retired in 1986, after having been promoted to maitre d' five years earlier. He possessed a dazzling array of framed photographs with all of the presidents he had served, in addition to gifts and mementos from each of them.

The last item to be framed and placed on Eugene Allen's basement wall was a condolence letter from George W. and Laura Bush. It arrived from the White House just after the death of Helene.

11 march 2010, 1.07a.m

everyone is sleeping,no people watching tv,no one sit in the living room,there is only my room come out with some romantic Cantonese song,by nicholas tze.and i was sitting in front the computer.thinking hard for some ideas to write in the blog.erm,lets talk about what is in my mind now.okay?(think-ing)hmm,chin hsuan,how are you these days?we have been long time din contact each others,although you are in my contact,maybe you are not using that number anymore,or...i don't dare to make a call...i feel you,i feeling your pain,your weakness,but i cant touch it...i wont say sorry to you anymore.there are thousand and thousand of scars in ours heart,no reason to forgive myself.stay happy and healthy.a pure bless

vincent,at the aged 19

before i was 19,i study hard for my spm,attend the national service...it was a nice memorial during the time in ns.i learn how to take care myself,helping each others,...and a lots...i appreciate and enjoyed it.

at the aged of 19,my responsibility to the family became heavier.i think is time to help my brother take care in our home business.honestly,after six month i work with him,but i still cant really handle even half of it.its quite hard to memorize all the units location, the owner, the rental and many many things.but i swear,i am doing all my best everyday.beside working,i am studying also,at first,i was really feel bored and exhausted everyday,because everyday was doing the same thing,work, study, work, study....except schoolmates,i shared little and little time with my another friends,drink drank drunk,that's all.i knew that,this is the stage of becoming mature,and now,i am trying to climb over it,i am growing up.

Bodyguards And Assassins

Bodyguards and Assassins(Mandarin Title "Shi Yue Wei Cheng") is a great movie, living up to the dollars you paid and all the celebrities in it.However, the soul of this movie is marred by many awkward moments.

At the level of film-making, it's very authenticated with all the technique. Every character feels like weighted right and with the right tone. That's half because of very skillful make-ups while half because of performances. Also, if you try just a little to follow the director's cue, it wouldn't be hard to get all the details understood with a lot of good surprises. There are several parallel montage sequences paralleling the nobodies with somebodies, dreams with realities, successes with their prices that felt so heavy yet so moving. The illustration of historical brutalities and each person's emotional undertone is also very compelling to watch. All in all, this is indeed a worthwhile experience.

However, please also look beyond the many awkward moments to enjoy it. The awkwardness essentially come from the dogmatic lines directly copied from Chinese official history/politics textbooks. For instance, the part where the businessman Li's only son was selected to be Sun Wen's replacement, he argued that he should bear the results of drawing lots equally with others because "they are supposed to object to the feudal code of ethics". This rigid insertion of "main theme" comment made me very uncomfortable. For the record, there are several similar situations which made me reflect on all the "revolution epics" I've seen. Particularly, "Bodyguards and Assassins" is gonna give you the impression that Sun Wen the "father of Chinese revolution" deserves a good punch in the face because all he did in the movie was to be there as the "only hope" of Chinese future doing stuffs he could have remotely done, if this is the first time you know about Sun Wen's story. For Western audiences, it's important to know the reality with contemporary Chinese mindset. That's nationalism mixed with collectivism is non-arguably the absolute ethic standard, which would justify all the phony lines the actors awkwardly uttered along with all the tragic deaths of heroes. In this predominant context, Sun Wen's image had long been modified in public's mind to fit the "absolute revolutionary symbol" like this movie's demonstration, which is much weaker than its real historic model. Fortunately the storytelling is smoothed out with more than one motivation from Sun Wen' bodyguards. Most of them didn't even know what it means by "revolution", which helped creating the tear-jerking moments.

There are also many regretfully missing notes which would have greatly rewarded the audiences. Nicholas Tse's Ah Si is one of them. This is definitely a very touching, potentially inspiring character in the story. But at the end he was just another used bullet in the revolution. He along with his handicapped wife could have survived the event and live on to see what future brought. But, the movie's ending was fixed on the revolutionary mentor's grievous face, when he just have killed his bad student who murdered his good student in the struggle. Anyway, officially this movie should make you "taste today's sweetness compared to old days' bitterness"(In mandarin we say "Yi Ku Si Tian"). If you don't feel this way, you might just point out the movie's hollowness. At last, this movie deserves its commercial/critic success because of the superb film-making, but it doesn't cover the smell of a propaganda.

All About Basketball

Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith. Naismith introduced the game when we was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the request of his superior, Dr. Luther H. Gulick, he organized a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. The game involved elements of American football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets affixed to the walls. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both women and men; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. U.S. servicemen in World War II (1939-1945) popularized the sport in many other countries.

A number of U.S. colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895. In 1934 the first college games were staged in New York City's Madison Square Garden, and college basketball began to attract heightened interest. By the 1950s basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball.

The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years before disbanding; its demise spawned a number of loosely organized leagues throughout the northeastern United States. One of the first and greatest pro teams was the Original Celtics, organized about 1915 in New York City. They played as many as 150 games a season and dominated basketball until 1936. The Harlem Globetrotters, founded in 1927, a notable exhibition team, specializes in amusing court antics and expert ball handling.

In 1949 two subsequent professional leagues, the National Basketball League (formed in 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (1946) merged to create the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics, led by their center Bill Russell, dominated the NBA from the late 1950s through the 1960s. By the 1960s, pro teams from coast to coast played before crowds of many millions annually. Wilt Chamberlain, a center for the Los Angeles Lakers, was another leading player during the era, and his battles with Russell were eagerly anticipated. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also a center, came to prominence during the 1970s. Jabbar perfected his famed "sky hook" shot while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and dominated the opposition.

The NBA suffered a drop in popularity during the late 1970s, but was resuscitated, principally through the growing popularity of its most prominent players. Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers are credited with injecting excitement into the league in the 1980s through their superior skills and decade-long rivalry. During the late 1980s Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls rose to stardom and helped the Bulls dominate the NBA during the early 1990s. A new generation of basketball stars, including Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic and Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets, have sustained the NBA's growth in popularity.

In 1959 a Basketball Hall of Fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees, and people who have contributed significantly to the development of the game.

TIMELINE AND THE HISTORY OF ~ADIDAS~

1949

The foundation
18 August - adidas is registered as a company, named after its founder: 'Adi' from Adolf and 'Das' from Dassler.

50s

The 'Miracle of Bern'
1954 - The 'Miracle of Bern' Germany battle Hungary with a competitive advantage. They are wearing adidas soccer boots which for the first time feature removable studs.

60s

Higher
Driven by a desire to help all athletes committed to performance, adidas manufactures equipment for what some consider "fringe sports". Unconventional high jumper Dick Fosbury launches himself up and over in adidas footwear.

70s

The "adidas" team wins
Crowning moment: Franz Beckenbauer, the "Kaiser", raising the World Cup in victory salute. Germany had just beaten Holland 2-1 in the 1974 final.

80s

The transition
After Adi Dassler's death, Adi's wife Käthe, his son Horst, and his daughters carry on the business.

90s

With a new management
Under the CEO Robert Louis-Dreyfus, adidas is moving from being a manufacturing and sales based company to a marketing company.

1995

Adidas goes public
Flotation of the company on the Frankfurt and Paris Stock Exchange.

1996

A splendid year
The "three-stripes company" equips 6,000 Olympic athletes from 33 countries. adidas athletes win 220 medals, including 70 gold. Apparel sales increase 50%.

1997

Adidas-Salomon AG
Adidas AG acquires the Salomon Group with the brands Salomon, TaylorMade, Mavic and Bonfire in December 1997. The new company is named adidas-Salomon AG.

1999

The new brands
The integration of the new brands is gaining momentum. The new TaylorMade FireSole clubs boost sales. Salomon in-line skates take off with high double-digit growth during the first half of 1999.

2000

New management
Following personnel changes, the new management initiates an ambitious Growth and Efficiency Program. Major sports events such as the European Soccer Championship EURO 2000™ and the Olympic Summer Games, where swimmer Ian Thorpe takes three gold medals, contribute to the company’s success.

2005

Sale of Salomon
The Salomon Group (including Salomon, Mavic, Bonfire, Cliché and Arc’Teryx) is being sold to Amer Sports in October 2005. The new adidas Group is focusing even more on its core strength in the athletic footwear and apparel market as well as the growing golf category. The legal name of the company will change to “adidas AG” in May/June 2006.

2006

Adidas-Salomon AG acquires Reebok
The closing of the Reebok transaction on January 31, 2006 marks a new chapter in the history of the adidas Group. By combining two of the most respected and well-known brands in the worldwide sporting goods industry, the new Group will benefit from a more competitive worldwide platform, well-defined and complementary brand identities, a wider range of products, and a stronger presence across teams, athletes, events and leagues.

~NIKE~

Ever heard of Nike? Who hasn't?

You might be surprised to know that one of the world's dominant shoe, sports equipment and clothing brands was aptly named after the Greek goddess of victory -- and that the inspiration for the name struck during a dream.

It began in 1964 with a casual agreement and a handshake between University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner. The pair formed Blue Ribbon Sports and began importing Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger running shoes, known today as ASICs, for sale in the U.S.

In 1967, Knight and Bowerman made the handshake deal formal and incorporated as BRS Inc. Jeff Johnson signed on in 1965 as the company's first full-time salesperson and opened Blue Ribbon Sports' first retail outlet the following year. In 1971, Johnson made an incalculable contribution to the company: One night, he dreamed of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, and suggested the name to his bosses. The company used the moniker for its first footwear product to feature the "Swoosh" mark -- a soccer cleat called the Nike, whose name beat out Knight's suggestion that they call it the Dimension 6.

The Swoosh trademark was created by a graphic-design student from Portland State University named Carolyn Davidson. She got $35 for her creation.
Expanding the Nike Brand
Looking to expand the line, Bowerman began experimenting with the concept of athletic shoes with rubber spikes. By pouring a liquid rubber compound into his wife's waffle iron, Bowerman created an innovative running-shoe sole. The company unveiled Nike "Moon Shoes" featuring the Waffle sole for athletes competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., in 1972. A succession of shoes, many based on the waffle outsole, followed. Some of the most famous are the Waffle Racer, Air Force One and Air Max 97.

When tees featuring a lower-case "nike" script logo designed by Davidson hit stores that year, folks unfamiliar with the name asked, "Who's Mike?" when they spotted the shirts.
Elite Sponsors: Athletes in Nike Shoes
A growing number of elite athletes competed in Nike footwear. Runner Mark Covert was the first athlete to wear Nike shoes across a finish line. Nike shoes got their first endorsement by a professional athlete when Romanian tennis personality Ilie Nastase signed on to wear Nikes on the court.

In 1977, former aerospace engineer Frank Rudy teamed with Nike to create the first Air-Sole units -- durable bags filled with pressurized gas that compressed under impact, then sprang back. The result was Nike Air cushioning, which hit stores in 1979.

In 1980, Nike went public.

The year 1984 saw the signing of basketball megastar Michael Jordan to an endorsement contract, followed by the 1985 release of his signature shoe, the Air Jordan. Originally, the NBA banned this new shoe because it didn't match the league's dress code, but the ban simply served to give the design a higher profile and extensive publicity.

Nike revenues topped $1 billion for the first time in 1986. The rest, as they say, is history.
Superstar Follow-Up
Nike followed up on its footwear fame by dressing athletes from head to toe, introducing apparel collections for tennis and basketball, which were popularized respectively by superstars John McEnroe and Michael Jordan. In 1988, Nike's "Just Do It" slogan was introduced, and it remains one of the most recognizable and successful commercial taglines. In 1990, the first NikeTown store opened in Portland, Ore. The company signed golfing phenom Tiger Woods in 1996.

In 1999, Bill Bowerman, Nike's co-founder, died at age 88. The company bought bankrupt rival Converse for $305 million in 2003. In 2004, Phil Knight stepped down as CEO and president of Nike, but he continues as chairman. Headquartered in Beaverton, Ore., Nike remains one of the largest and most successful companies operating today.

Api-Api Bandarmaju Management Services

"Api-Api Banddarmaju Management Services",the following company is established by my dad,Mr Wong Kim Phen in several years ago. What i heard from him, he to began do business when he was in the aged 18. Now,he is already 63 years old. For me,he is a successfully businessman. At first, he did many types of business, like manage a restaurant, being a "tukang masak"which mean cooker or chef for his own restaurant, he even copartnership with my uncle manage those karaoke, disco, pub and lounge.Until now, he had retired,and pass the business to my brother. Luckily he did well for my dad's last business,which is Api-Api Bandarmaju Management Services,a place where renting houses and rooms, which located at Api-Api Centre,block 3,G 19.Everyday after my class,i will helping my brother to take charge of the office,until night time around 8pm.I am here to introduce the types of rooms and the units of apartment we are renting and their rates.Usually the prices for daily is around RM40 until RM200++. Others than daily, we also rented for monthly. Assuredly, the price will be cost more than daily. It is around RM500 until RM2000++,depends on the rooms' types and apartment.Of course, the payment of current and water are all include in the rental.Actually the reason why i post this article is to advertise my father's business in the others way,i hope he will appreciate it.