The Swamp

My fish tank aka The Swamp, is almost a direct replica of Pierce reservoir. Particularly the soiled sediments and dirt on the bed.

And now the filter has broken down. Not like it's gonna make a huge difference.

Mind you my tank is a 4ft living proof of an ecosystem that requires minimal maintenance. Water doesn't get changed, it gets added every 3-4 weeks or so, when it has evaporated below my Absolut gauge (you've got to see it to understand). And so far only the fittest living things have survived, most of which were caught in Pierce themselves.

And yes, there're still tons of living things inside, awaiting the keenest eyes to spot them.

There's an SAE (Siamese Algae Eater) which most people have no problems spotting, and another Algae Eater which is regularly hiding in one of the brick holes.

There're also three snakefishes, one zebra-striped and another two plain black ones, all of which are the hardest to spot especially in the day. They normally burrow into the sand or hide beneath the rocks. I once thought they had died, only to find them chilling out in the open late one night.

There's obviously a whole bunch of hydrillas, all spawning from a small little clump I had brought back from the reservoir a long time back. I've tried alot of plants previously but the hydrillas are the hardiest of them all. All they need is the sunlight from the balcony.

There's a mini Malayan snail infestation going on. They're the most common buggers you see in the reservoir. I brought a few back and before I knew it, they were spawning far faster than rabbits. Horny bastards.

Lastly is a trio of African Zebra snails who help clean up the hardiest algae and keeps the glass tank clean from any mega algae infestation.

See? Not hard to keep a neat little tank for viewing pleasure for 3 years and counting right? All you need are the right living things to do the right set of jobs.

Time for another trip to Pierce reservoir.

Another Draw

Another draw.

Another two-goal lead squandered.

Another bunch of individual errors.

Dunno how much more we're gonna take man. Our defense is horrendous. I think this Is going to be one very long season for me as a fan. Sigh. Luckily I've got other more important things to occupy my mind with, else I would be feeling really down.

On a positive note:

Nani is in spectacular form.

Berbatov is in spectacular form.

Hernandez has shown he's an able Rooney replacement.

Our strike force is scary.

Ferdinand is back.

Anderson is back.

Hopefully we sell Michael Owen in January and bring in a good midfielder to replace Scholesy.

NESV

So New England Sports Venture or NESV as they are better known, have finally concluded their purchase of Liverpool. And my interest is already starting to wane. Yawn.

I wonder which club Peter Lim is eyeing to buy next?

By the way, USD and AUD have hit parity. Can I say I told you so?

SGD will be next. I said it here first.

Peter Lim & Liverpool

So it has been revealed that Peter Lim is the Asian bidder who came in number 2 to NESV of buying out Liverpool FC. With estimated networth at $1B, a $300mio investment (albeit a bad one) shouldn't trouble him too much. I already can picture LFC jerseys with the Wilmar logo instead of the Stanchart one. Haha. Funny.

I dunno whether to be proud or disappointed.

On one hand its great to have a Singaporean presence showing our financial strength (no need to borrow to finance the deal somemore!), but then its LFC (pui!). If only it were Man U then I'd really be overjoyed. Oh well, may the Singaporean flag fly high.

And also, buying EPL clubs have much more often than not, proved to be loss-making ventures. The only good out of such a purchase is the branding and popularity it will bring. Not to mention that Peter Lim has never been known as a Liverpool fan. More of a pseudo Man U fan given the publicity he's had locally. So likely he just thinks that a successful bid  for the club is a good piece of investment work.

In any case, I will quietly be prouder than dismayed if the takeover does indeed succeed.

On another note, I strongly suspect that the rich guy who lost $100mio in our casino a couple of days back was him too. :P

Heat

Is it me, or is the weather getting warmer over the last couple of days?

Must be all that talk about currency wars. The new lingo for the next couple of weeks.

Beginning Of The Currency Wars

So it's pretty obvious that for all the US rhetoric pressing China to devalue the CNY, they themselves have succumbed to their own form of devaluation. By simply flushing the system wih even more USD while calling for a simultaneous rise in CNY does come across as hypocritical, but I choose to see it as the next best alternative since China doesn't want to budge. And rightly so too, since appreciation too quickly will almost surely halt China's growth. It will still be a gradual process if left to their own means.

So with the USD depreciating by the day, the EUR and JPY are suffering from too high a valuation. with the BOJ intervening in September and the free markets not taking heed (JPY was intervened at 83 and currently languishing below 82), it will surely spell another round of intervention shortly. Europe is also starting to talk about intervening, and it's more a question of when and not if now.

That surely leaves us wih a very strong SGD which we could yet suffer for if the MAS doesn't do anything about it. But you surely cannot discount the possibility of SGD and USD parity. You know how much richer Singaporeans will be if that really happens?

Strongest currency to bank on now is the AUD. Already almost at parity with the USD, this currency is closestly linked with Gold prices. And what better asset class to hold onto when the world's major currencies are crumbling?

That's right.

FML

I swear there's a generation gap between the younglings and myself these days. The kind of vocabulary used are completely different and incomprehensible.

http://www.fmylife.com/

Time for an upgrade.

Delhi Commonwealth Games

Ok, it looks better than all the reports in the past few weeks suggest.

Hopefully it'll be a smooth games.

At least the opening ceremony looks pretty good to begin with.

Does anyone even bother about the games anyway?

Bet most are staying up because of the Arsenal Chelsea game instead.

Goodbye Mdm Kwa

Mrs Lee Kuan Yew passed away yesterday. Bless her tender heart.

Can't believe Man U drew yet again.

Chicharito

Won it for us at the Mestella. Let's hope he continues his awesome form.

Wonder who Fergie will play up front tonight against Sunderland with so many in-form strikers to choose from. So exciting!

By the way, is anyone monitoring the Delhi Commonwealth Games? Indian wedding indeed!