F1 - The Race

McLaren went into the Malaysian Grand Prix in confident frame of mind, but even Fernando Alonso said it was a surprise as he and Lewis Hamilton turned on a crushing demonstration in which they left Ferrari for dead in the opening stages and swept to the team’s first one-two result since Brazil 2005.

At the start Alonso sprinted alongside polesitter Felipe Massa and was able to take the lead, but in another brilliant display Hamilton dived inside Raikkonen to snatch third place before going round the outside of Massa in Turn Two to move up to second.The Englishman then contained the Ferrari challenge, earning his spurs with a faultless drive, as his team leader went for the win. Ferrari suddenly faced an afternoon of trying to salvage something from what was beginning to look like a disaster, for Massa failed on both occasions when he tried to oust Hamilton. Each time he was repassed easily by the British driver, and on the second occasion the Brazilian slid into the gravel on the exit to Turn Four and lost a crucial place to Nick Heidfeld’s BMW Sauber.As Alonso pulled out a 15.6s lead before stopping for fuel on lap 18, Hamilton built an advantage over Raikkonen, who stopped the same lap as Alonso. Hamilton thus led a Grand Prix for the second time in succession, until refuelling on lap 20.The story was the same in the second stint, both McLaren and Ferrari still running Bridgestone’s soft tyres. But this time Hamilton had the gap down to less than eight seconds before the stops, as he set the race’s fastest lap. He refuelled first, on lap 38, followed by Alonso on 40 and Raikkonen on 41. Now, however, all three were on the harder tyre, and while that seemed to suit Alonso and really suited Raikkonen, Hamilton was struggling for grip. Alonso’s 21+s lead was never going to be threatened, but lap by lap the Finn was carving chunks out of the Englishman’s second place advantage. Going into the closing laps the race was really coming alive again, but Hamilton kept his head and yet again never put a wheel wrong. Alonso took the flag 17.5s ahead, to score a crucial first victory for McLaren, and Hamilton hung on ahead of Raikkonen by just 0.7s.Heidfeld’s great day earned BMW Sauber an excellent fourth place in front of an appreciative audience of Petronas representatives, as he held off former team mate Massa all the way to the flag. Nico Rosberg was headed for an excellent sixth for Williams when his FW29 stopped on the 43rd lap with a suspected Toyota engine failure, promoting a grateful Giancarlo Fisichella who thus salvaged three points for Renault. The final points went to Jarno Trulli after a strong run for Toyota, and Renault rookie Heikki Kovalainen. Alex Wurz was ninth for Williams after an up and down run from 19th on the grid, fending off Mark Webber who challenged him hard on soft tyres in his final stint in the Red Bull RB3.

They were the final unlapped runners.Rubens Barrichello, who started from the pit lane, headed Honda team mate Jenson Button home in 11th and 12th places, chased by Takuma Sato and Scott Speed who battled all the way through, once Sato had survived an early tangle with Speed’s Toro Rosso team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi - who described the Japanese driver’s move as ‘crazy’. It was an eventful afternoon for Liuzzi, who also ran into the rear of Speed at one point, prompting an early stop for a fresh nosecone.Ralf Schumacher was 16th after a slow puncture stymied his progress, while 17th placed Anthony Davidson had the delayed Liuzzi thirsting after him all through the second half but held off the Toro Rosso to the flag. Robert Kubica was the final finisher, having run in the top six until his BMW Sauber developed a suspected transmission problem and needed to make a pit stop for attention. It was a miserable afternoon all round for the Pole, who, after briefly making contact with team mate Heidfeld at the start, also suffered a puncture, braking stability problems and a failed radio.Besides Rosberg, the other non-finishers were the Spykers and David Coulthard in the Red Bull. Adrian Sutil went off on the outside of Turn 4 on the opening lap after a suspected rear suspension failure, making contact with Button’s Honda in the process, and then Christijan Albers’s car lost its engine shortly afterwards after gearbox problems sent its temperature rocketing.

The Dutchman made it back to the pits and hopped from the car, just in time for his mechanics to dowse the rear with fire extinguishers. Coulthard’s demise was bizarrely down to his brake pedal rubbing against the steering column.Bridgestone's new tyre marking system proved a great success, with the white grooves making it easy to spot who was on what compound.

Almost everyone ran soft-soft-hard through their three stints, the only exceptions being Trulli, Webber, Coulthard and Button.

A great race thus puts Fernando Alonso into the lead of the world championship, with Kimi Raikkonen second from Lewis Hamilton. Roll on Bahrain.

F1 Talk

Gentlemen.. Start your engine..

Will Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari require an engine change prior to the race, thus consigning the world championship leader to a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday afternoon?

That is one of the key questions doing the rounds in the paddock following a small water leak which afflicted his F2007 in the closing stages of its winning debut in Australia in March. Last night the Finn’s manager, David Robertson, conceded that it was “More than likely,” but a final decision has yet to be taken.

Since the Malaysian Grand Prix is always such a hot race, however, it might be a major risk to retain an engine which is slightly suspect, and Ferrari may feel that caution is the better option, even if it does put Raikkonen into the dangerous midfield ground on the rush to the notoriously tight first and second corners.

It was anything but for the men in the sauna-like cockpits, of course, but the first practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix got off to an otherwise leisurely start in Sepang this morning.

With a track temperature that varied between 41 and 48 degrees Celsius, and an ambient of 33, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa set the immediate pace with a lap of 1m 34.972s from McLaren’s Fernando Alonso (1m 35.767s), followed by respective team mates Kimi Raikkonen (1m 35.779s) and Lewis Hamilton (1m 36.548s). They did their times, then they went back to the garages.

Raikkonen, incidentally, will almost certainly get an engine change tomorrow morning, following the water leak his V8 developed in Melbourne. But of all the tracks on the calendar, this is one on which a 10-place grid penalty may be less serious.There were few incidents in the session; Alonso had two offs, however, the first in Turn 9, the second in Turn 4. No damage was sustained in either.With five minutes to go, the main runners apart from Massa were all out again.

Nobody beat the Brazilian’s time, but Alonso and Hamilton each improved, to 1m 25.220s and 1m 35.712s, leaving them now second and third respectively ahead of Raikkonen, who didn’t go quicker.Nico Rosberg vaulted up to fifth for Williams on 1m 36.308s, ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber on 1m 36.522s, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli on 1m 36.597s, and the continuingly impressive Kazuki Nakajima, who lapped his Williams in 1m 36.88s despite one off in Turn 15.

That edged out Ralf Schumacher’s 1m 37.052s for Toyota and Robert Kubica’s 1m 37.121s for BMW Sauber, while David Coulthard (whose Red Bull received an unpenalised engine change after the Melbourne race) improved right at the end from last place to 11th with 1m 37.484s. Sebastian Vettel took his BMW Sauber round in 1m 37.837s, narrowly beating Tonio Liuzzi’s 1m 37.882s for Toro Rosso.Neither Renault driver showed their hand; Heikki Kovalainen did 1m 38.143s, Giancarlo Fisichella 1m 38.300s for 14th and 15th respectively

While the two Ferraris dominated the times in this afternoon’s second practice session at Sepang, the Toyota-powered Williams FW29s continued to show impressive pace and stability ahead of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Grove team’s cars looked very solid around the Kuala Lumpur circuit, as Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz sat in third and fourth places for a long time, and they were only displaced by late runs from the Renault duo.

The track temperature was again blistering, spiking at times as high as 54 degrees Celsius, which was up six from the hottest point this morning. That slowed the times, and caused several teams to struggle for grip as they continued testing Bridgestone’s hard and soft compound options.With 13 minutes to go the session was red flagged when Christijan Albers’ right rear Bridgestone threw its tread down the main straight on the approach to Turn One, for reasons as yet unknown.

The Dutchman pulled his Spyker off to the side of the track, and the session was interrupted as the debris was cleaned up. His best lap to that stage, 1m 39.807s, thus remained last in the 22-car line-up.

Felipe Massa’s best lap of 1m 35.780s held up for the session’s quickest for Ferrari, but right at the end Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen made the most of similar soft rubber to jump ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s F2007, their respective laps of 1m 35.910s and 1m 36.106s giving them second and third ahead off the Finn’s 1m 36.160s.

Rosberg’s 1m 36.523s held up for fifth, as did Wurz’s 1m 36.621s for sixth, then came Robert Kubica (1m 36.717s) for BMW Sauber, Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher (1m 36.760s), McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (1m 36.797s), Nick Heidfeld (1m 36.862s) - the German back in the BMW Sauber after surrendering his F1.07 to tester Sebastian Vettel this morning - and Red Bull’s Mark Webber (1m 36.906s).

The majority of quick times came on the softer tyres.Webber had an adventurous afternoon, running wide on to the dirt in Turn 8 early on, then stopping with a mechanical problem on his RB3 in the closing stages.

World champion Fernando Alonso was only 12th in the McLaren on 1m 37.041s, ahead of Red Bull’s David Coulthard (1m 37.203s), Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato (1m 37.282s), Honda’s Jenson Button (1m 37.578s), Toyota’s Jarno Trulli (1m 37.712s) and Toro Rosso’s Tonio Liuzzi (1m 37.855s).

This is what the drivers had to say at the end of today : Felipe Massa, Ferrari (1st, 1m 34.972s):"All things considered, we can say this has been a good day. We tried both types of tyre available to us and also tried various set-up changes on the F2007, starting off from the basis of what we learnt in the test last week at this track. Obviously, there is still a lot to do with qualifying and the race in mind, but the weekend has got off to a positive start. I hope we can continue in that way!" Fernando Alonso, McLaren (2nd, 1m 35.220s):"The team tested here last week when most of the set-up was done so we had a good basis for today’s practice. There is now some more data added to the file which we will look at overnight, but everything went as expected. I spent some time just getting used to Sepang again as I wasn’t testing last week, but there were no surprises, and I really enjoy this track.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (9th, 1m 36.597s):“Since the beginning of the day I’ve been struggling so we will have to look into that tonight. The track was short of grip early on and I found myself sliding with all four wheels. The car has been inconsistent and it has not responded to the set-up changes we’ve made. And while the track improved I actually got worse with the same set-up. So something strange is happening and now we need to investigate why. Still, I like this track and I have always performed pretty well here. The weather is changeable and our forecasts say we may yet see some thunderstorms during the weekend.”

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota (12th, 1m 36.760s):“That was a reasonable day and good preparation for the rest of the weekend. It’s obviously hot here and the conditions push the drivers to the limit. But I like the heat and last week’s testing was a good preparation for the weekend. Despite so many cars running here, the circuit was still very low on grip today. Still, we made it through our programme of work with no problems. We are comfortable with the track and the tyres were also working well. It’s difficult to judge true performance after the first race but our goal is to get two cars into the top ten again and hopefully to take more points.”

Takuma Sato, Super Aguri (16th, 1m 37.282s):“I think it was a difficult day. Having completed a good test last week, we came back here with a positive attitude, but this morning we really struggled. Looking at the others, I thought that the track conditions weren't too bad, but we just could not get a good grip. In the afternoon we tried a slightly different approach and the car seemed to work better than in the morning, which I was happy with, but still I think we have to work a lot for tomorrow's session.” Jenson Button, Honda (17th, 1m 37.578s):"Well, a tough day really trying to find a balance. Initially the circuit was very dusty but as the track improved through the day we were able to work on the car more. The fact remains however that we are still a long way from where we want to be."

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (3rd, 1m 35.712s):"This is my first Malaysian Grand Prix, but I got to know the circuit well during last week’s test. The heat and humidity are as I expected and have trained for. The practice today was pretty straight forward, and we made further steps. The circuit conditions are constantly changing which makes it challenging to find the right balance. I’m looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (13th, 1m 36.862s):"I am not happy with my car yet. Especially at the beginning of the session the balance was not good at all, and the car was difficult to drive. Although later we made a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to do."

After the practice session was when the real party begins..

It's party time!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember Me . .

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Why I Don't Date Lawyers

I, [print your name here] (hereby referred to as “The Lady”), being of sound mind, have entered into a relationship with [print guy’s name here] (hereby referred to as “The Man”).

By signing below, I hereby agree to abide by all the rules as set out within this contract in perpetuity.

Clause 1: Dates

A. The Lady will eat more than a side salad.

B. The Man will not be expected to plan every date. He will be chivalrous, but he will not be the cruise director of the relationship.

C. If The Lady would like to attend an event that she knows The Man will despise, she is advised to do so with other people (See Clause 5: Extra-Curricular Activities). However, should she deem a night at the ballet, opera, or foreign movie house to be a necessity within the scope of the relationship, she should make plans (transportation, tickets, etc.) for this evening herself.

1. By accepting this Lady-partisan date, The Man will be guaranteed one (1) date on which both parties participate in an activity of his choice—including, but not limited to: Attending an athletic event, watching a martial-arts movie, or going out for a large BBQ dinner.

Clause 2: Dialogue

A. The Lady will never discuss an ex-boyfriend.

1. Rule 2-a above may be broken if The Lady mentions a deep and abiding flaw in the ex-boyfriend, while also discussing ways in which The Man betters said ex.

B. If The Lady wants something or wants to know something, she will ask. There will be no hints or guessing games.

C. Any cute nicknames that The Lady has devised for The Man will never be spoken in public. See Clause 6, Section a, Subsection 3 for explanation.

1. Furthermore, The Lady may not devise any nickname that includes a diminutive or that is spoken in baby-voice (e.g., “Little John” or “Snuggle Bear”).

Clause 3: The Bedroom

A. During moments of physicality, The Lady will voice her wishes so that The Man knows how best to make her enjoy the experience. This is expected not only for her sake, but for his. The Man is a prideful being. He wants to know he can do everything right.

B. The Man reserves the right to his favorite side of the bed at all times, no exceptions. He may permit The Lady to rest on his chosen side if he wishes, but should he find himself tossing and turning at 3 a.m., it his right to reclaim said side with no ill will from The Lady.

Clause 4: Family

A. The Lady will not ask The Man to meet her family until at least one month of dating has been completed.

B. Upon meeting The Man’s mother, The Lady will try to learn as many of Mother Man’s recipes as possible. And yes, The Man likes his chicken that dry.

Clause 5: Extracurricular Activities

A. The Man will be guaranteed at least one Guys’ Night per week, chosen at his discretion. He will also retain at least two extra “floating” Guys’ Nights per month in case of an important sporting event or should an impromptu post-work visit to the bar arise.

B. The Lady can never be angry with a man for attending Guy’s Night.

C. The Lady will not call The Man more than once per Guys’ Night.

D. The Lady is encouraged to go out with her own friends as a means for keeping her independence and sense of self. However, there are ground rules for these engagements:

1. She will not ask The Man to attend any event on the day of a televised athletic match, any event that involves the phrase “pot luck,” or any event that celebrates the birth of a child, impending or otherwise.

2. She will not expect The Man to attend a gathering solely because the boyfriend/husband of The Lady’s Friend will also be in attendance. Misery does not make good company.

3. No. Ex-Boyfriends. Ever.

Clause 6: Love

A. Should the two parties remain together long enough to reach Relationship Level: Serious, The Man understands that he will, at some point, be called upon to vocally express his appreciation of The Lady in the strongest method possible. When the time comes, the following rules shall govern the use of Those Three Words Which Shall Not Yet Be Spoken.

1. The Lady will be the first party to speak the phrase. She will do so clearly and while making eye contact so that The Man knows it is he who is being spoken to. The Lady will allow the man at least five (5) minutes to respond in kind. This reprieve does not mean he doesn’t feel the same way, only that he is apt to be flustered, frightened, and suddenly stricken with cotton-mouth.

2. After the first time the Man arranges the words “I,” “you,” and “love” into a sentence, he will not be required to do so in response every time The Lady speaks the phrase. The Lady will also accept “Me, too,” “Ditto,” or a high-five in return.

3. The Lady will never speak the three-worded phrase when The Man is in the presence of either friends or coworkers. This is done out of respect for the mockery that is sure to result should he be forced to reciprocate while with said company. By signing below, you agree to all rules as laid out in this contract, effectively guaranteeing that you will make The Man a truly happy person for the rest of his life, or until you realize that he is a loser who requires his girlfriends to sign legally binding documents

______________________________

Name :

______________________________

Signature :

______________________________

Date :

Weekend Blues

Diet. Exercise. Work. Diet. Exercise. Work.

Climbed 4 flights of escalators a day (in heels).

Yet, I lost only 1.5kg during the last 2 weeks.

Sigh.

I feel so tired nowadays.

What Women Want

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The Pill

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Insurance & Us

Insurance

The Financial Plans we recommend and construct for our clients comprise three major components : savings, investments and insurance. It's probably not hard to guess which one generates the least enthusiasm among most clients. And we understand that. Because Insurance is that rare product that we all purchase with the hope that we'll never actually have to use it.

But none of that deters us from the belief that the risk-management role insurance plays in your financial plan is essential. Because carefully considered plan must always contain certain provisions for the unexpected : a careless driver who runs a red light and broadsides your car, a thunderstorm that pummels the roof of your home, flooding water that destroy your furniture and belongings, back surgery that prevents you from working for several months, a critical illness, or even the unexpected death of a member of the family.

No, buying insurance isn't thrilling. But being properly insured is both a smart business decision and a responsible personal act that provides you and those who depend on you with a genuine sense of security. That's why we offer and a recommend a full suite of high quality insurance products.

Life Insurance What does a financial plan consist of? Most people are quick to respond with a list of investment products : stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRAs, and college savings plans. But from the outset, financial planning has been based on the idea that a complete financial plan consists of savings, investments, and yes, life insurance. Because any truly effective plan must address not only the unexpected and hoped-for outcome, but also the possibility of an unexpected and disruptive outcome. Simply put, there must always be a "Plan B". And life insurance is the very definition of that : a contingency plan that ensures a family's objectives can still be attained even with a loss of a key member. Cant we talk about anything else? There are two unwavering truths about life insurance : - nobody likes talking about it. - nobody like paying for it. Why? Because purchasing life insurance is an admission of your own mortality - or that of those close to you. And paying for insurance can be unfulfilling because there is no benefit unless you or someone you care about dies. But the fact of the matter is that talking about the possibility of death doesn't make it any more likely and not talking about it may leave you unprepared.

The Many Roles of Life Insurance Maybe the best way to overcome this reluctance to discuss life insurance is to focus on its practical benefits. The proceeds of a life insurance policy can be used for :

- : paying for final expenses

The estimated final (funeral) expenses for an individual from either one of the three main racial groups in Singapore are as below :

Malays - $3000 to $5000

Indians - $5000 to $8000

Chinese - $10,000 to $50,000

- : settling unpaid medical bills

The medical and hospitalisation bills for an average Singaporean age 50 who has heart disease and kidney failure, cost about $150,000 a year.

- : paying off other debt, like cars or credit cards

A Singaporean with a car and at least one credit card, has an average of at least $60,000 worth of outstanding credit card and car loans.

- : providing income for survivors

A sole-breadwinner of a family and has two young kids and has a gross income of $4,000/- a month would need $500,000 in savings in order for his family to maintain the present lifestyle in the event of his unexpected death.

- : providing money to pay for children's educations

A 3-year Programme in National University of Singapore would cost $27,966 today, but in 15 years, it would cost $58,139 whereas in Monash University, Australia, a 3-year programme would cost $104,532 today, but in 15 years, it would cost $217,312.

- : paying off a mortgage

- : settling estate taxes

- : retirement

Of course, not everyone has all of these needs. But your Financial Consultant/Advisor have been extensively trained to assess your situation and listen to your needs. After doing so, he or she will take the time to explain how much and what types of insurance, permanent or temporary, make sense for you and then incorporate that information into a comprehensive emergency plan.

Keeping the future alive

The somber and sometimes complex nature of life insurance too often detracts from the responsible and unselfish instincts that ultimately motivate people to purchase it. Think of it this way : You seek out a financial plan because you have dreams for your family's future : You include life insurance in that plan to provide an extra measure of assurance for your family and security for the future.

Long-Term Care Insurance

The first question most people ask about long-term care insurance is .... what exactly is it? So let's start there. By definition, long-term care is any situation in which a person requires assistance with medical, personal or social services to meet basic daily living needs over an extended period of time.

The need for long-term care might be due to a terminal condition, disability, illness, injury or the infirmity of old age. Experts estimate that more than half of all people will need extended help during their lifetime. That need may last for only a few weeks - or for years.

So what does long term care insurance cover?

Long term care insurance can help pay for services that provide assistance with Activities of Daily living (ADLs) that a person cannot perform by herself or himself, such as bathing, dressing and eating. These services may be provided in a nursing home, in an assisted living facility or at home. Types and amounts of coverage vary by policy, and your Advisor can help you explore options to determine what coverage may be right for you.

Why consider long-term care insurance?

Most people fail to plan for long-term care. They offer a variety of excuses to justify that decision, most of which boil down to : I'm willing to take the risk that I won't need a long-term care insurance. It seems ironic given that nearly everyone is required to insure their home against fire, an event approximately 100 times less likely to occur than the need for long-term care. Or insure for an auto-accident when the risk of needing long-term care is more than 7 times higher - potentially 20 times more expensive.

Are we questioning the wisdom of auto and homeowners insurance? Certainly not. We recommend both to our clients, as prudent risk management. We're simply attempting to lend some perspective to people's denial of the risks associated with long term care and their refusal to address. Does that mean we believe everyone should buy long-term care insurance? No. There are legitimate reasons why the product may not be right for some people. Your advisor can visit with you about your particular situation and anticipated needs and help you determine the best way to deal with the possibility that you'll need long-term care.

Disability Income Insurance

Disability income insurance is designed to replace a portion of your income if you become disabled due to sickness or accident. Your employer may provide this type of insurance. If not - or if you are self- employed - you may want to consider adding this benefit to your plan.

Be prepared

Insurance that protects the income of a family's primary wage earner is an essential component of any emergency plan. Whether disability income is offered through your employer or not, your advisor can help you understand policies and coverages to determine whether your coverage is sufficient to meet your needs.

I want..

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Stuff We Love

Guess what I found...

Lovely isnt it?

Shoes galore!!!

Yummy!!!!

Oooh La La..

Sexy!!!

Ultra Sexy!!!!

Gorgeous!!!

Awwww.... This is sooo much better than sex...

Okay okay... Enough..

Let's look at the sexy little things we love...

Guys.. Strictly no drooling.

Don't we girls just love to feel sexy?

Sweet...

I just loooove the bra colour..

This one is nice..

I just love Victoria's Secrets. Don't you?

Basically... I have nothing much to blog about..

I missed going shopping!!!!

:p