Conficker/Downadup - WARNING!

Release Date: March 30, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today the release of a DHS-developed detection tool that can be used by the federal government, commercial vendors, state and local governments, and critical infrastructure owners and operators to scan their networks for the Conficker/Downadup computer worm.

The department's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) developed the tool that assists mission-critical partners in detecting if their networks are infected. The tool has been made available to federal and state partners via the Government Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (GFIRST) Portal, and to private sector partners through the IT and Communications sector Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). Additional outreach to partners will continue in the coming days.

Department cyber experts briefed federal Chief Information Officers and Chief Information Security Officers today, as well as their equivalents in the private sector and state/local government via the ISACs and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan framework.

"While tools have existed for individual users, this is the only free tool – and the most comprehensive one – available for enterprises like federal and state government and private sector networks to determine the extent to which their systems are infected by this worm," said US-CERT Director Mischel Kwon. "Our experts at US-CERT are working around the clock to increase our capabilities to address the cyber risk to our nation's critical networks and systems, both from this threat and all others."

In addition to the development of this tool, DHS is working closely with private sector and government partners to minimize any impact from the Conficker/Downadup computer worm. This worm can infect Microsoft Windows systems from thumb drives, network share drives, or directly across a corporate network if network servers are not protected by Microsoft’s MS08-067 patch.

US-CERT recommends that Windows Operating Systems users apply Microsoft security patch MS08-067 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx) as quickly as possible to help protect themselves from the worm. This security patch, released in October 2008, is designed to protect against a vulnerability that, if exploited, could enable an attacker to remotely take control of an infected system and install additional malicious software.

Home users can apply a simple test for the presence of a Conficker/Downadup infection on their home computers. The presence of an infection may be detected if users are unable to connect to their security solution Web site or if they are unable to download free detection/removal tools.

If an infection is suspected, the system or computer should be removed from the network. In the case of home users, the computer should be unplugged from the Internet.

Instructions, support and more information on how to manually remove a Conficker/Downadup infection from a system have been published by major security vendors. Each of these vendors offers free tools that can verify the presence of a Conficker/Downadup infection and remove the worm:

Symantec:
http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-011316-0247-99

Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx

Home users may also call Microsoft PC Safety hotline at 1-866-PCSAFETY, for assistance.

McAfee:
http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/default.asp

US-CERT encourages users to prevent a Conficker/Downadup infection by ensuring all systems have the MS08-067 patch, disabling AutoRun functionality (see http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-020A.html), and maintaining up-to-date anti-virus software.

In addition, US-CERT recommends that computer users and administrators implement the following preparedness measures to protect themselves against this vulnerability, and also from future vulnerabilities:

• Keep up-to-date on security patches and fixes for your operating system. The easiest way to do this is to set your system to receive automatic updates, which will ensure you automatically receive security updates issued by Microsoft. If your system does not allow automatic updates, we recommend that you manually install the Microsoft security patch today through Microsoft Update at http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keep them up-to-date
• Enable a firewall which will help block attacks before they can get into your computer

To access the alerts for this vulnerability and for additional information on cyber security tips and practices, please visit www.us-cert.gov.

Small Margin Big Change

As mentioned earlier, the voting to decide on the Sunday Service time was held today. The result is pretty much an expected one with everyone expected a change is inevitable.

However, what surprises me was the smaller margin of victory than expected. Out of 72 votes, only 45 voted (only 62%) for a change. Though it's over then 50% needed (37), it's still a very low margin than what we expected. The margin of at least 80-85% was more likely.

Since, our Rev. has decided that 50% is enough for a decision to be made, we have nothing else to say. If it was 2/3, I guess it wouldn't be so easily decided.

The victory margin was small but the changes it'll bring will be big. A lot of activities would have their time totally rearranged. For good or for bad, time will tell.

In the meantime, let's try to work together to ensure the smooth transition.

A Tribute To A Veteran (LSY)

Yesterday, 28/03/2009 marks another day where a veteran leader of our church has left us again, this time for interstate to Brisbane.

She first joined us back in 2002 and is one of the very few that has served in the church under 3 different pastors (Rev Chew, Rev Loi and Rev Ting). In Chinese, it's known as the 三朝元老. Certainly an amazing feat and great dedication she has showed for the church considering the high turnover of our church as our members are mainly international students.

Some of the ministries she has held over the past includes but not limited to:
1. Zone leader for 2 years
2. Local Conference Secretary
3. LCEC Secretary
4. Sunday School Superintendent
5. Small Group Leader
6. Choir member
7. Prayer meetings

Her "constant" laughing tone will certainly be missed most by us! However, the heart of a faithful servant will be forever remembered. We may also miss her cooking (remember the porcupine meatballs? :D)

We could only pray for her as she starts her new chapter of life and hopes that she will get used to the new environment soon. Let her heart continue to grow in Christ and be a role-model where ever she may be.

Oh, for those who don't know. Her name is Liew Sin Yee! :)

Democracy

One of the most common form of Governance today: Democracy

It's almost exercise in every part of the worlds. Where there're people, there'll be a form of democracy being practised.

Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía (info)), "popular government",^[1] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos), "people" and κράτος (krátos), "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC.^{[2] More}

OK...I'm not going to get into the technical side of it. Let's have it in an everyday terms where everyone can easily understand. Basically, democracy is a system where the people decides. Sounds fair and good? After all, majority decides, minority submits.

Gotta admit democracy seems to be the best possible option after all the other options are trialed. Having said that, is democracy a system for everyone? Well, to be honest, that shouldn't be a question that we are supposed to ask. We should be asking "when and how democracy can be applied".

In democracy, if you're popular, it's more likely for you to win it even though your ability might be less compared to others. This raised the issue of "irrational voters". How do we define what is an irrational voter? Basically, a voter who is not well informed, bias, badly interpreted the information they get or not well educated on their rights as a voter.

Fast or even sudden change is possible in the democratic systems because the results are determined by the people. People can easily change their mind overnight. Hence, it'd not be considered stable and should not be applied to a something that's on transition, developing or growing periods. Normally, in those times, long term goals are unavoidable. Sudden change will caused everything to start from the beginning again.

Illusions of democracy is not something new as well. Because of the lack of knowledge on Democracy, voters do not know their rights hence the "leaders" can easily abuse the system without the worry of getting into trouble. In many countries, we have witnessed non-democratic practise in a democratic systems.

So, in my view, if we're in the process of growing or developing, democracy must be used with extra care to avoid the deadly pit fall. However, autocracy has a major threat as well. What if the leader is corrupt or incompetent?

Democratic system works well with mature people but a disaster among immature people. If we do not expose them to the system earlier, they'll forever be immature or slow in understanding the concept. How then can we progress ahead?

Perhaps we can learn from countries like China or Singapore.

Fire Drill in Singapore

They claimed this is a true story....What do you think?

A fire alarm, in a large office building, rang at 4 p.m. when almost all
of the company's 500 employees were at work.
As usual in such circumtances the entire office was evacuated within 3
mins & every employee gathered outside.

Nothing happened for ten minutes or so and there was no evidence of a
fire. Then the firms Security Officer made an announcement ...

"Dear employees, with melting heart I am making this announcement that for
many of you will be your last fire evacuation drill. Due to the recession
the company are laying off almost fifty percent of staff. When you move
back into the building some of you will discover that your swipe passcard
will no longer give you access to the office. If you are among those laid
off, go home and all your belongings will be couriered to you tomorrow.
The management took this approach to save on overloading the email system
with layoff notifications and goodbye messages and also to avoid any
violent outbursts inside the office... Hope you have a nice career ahead
... please move forward and try your swipe card."

CLMC - New Prayer Meeting

Gone are the old ways, make way for the new way!

A more pro-active type of prayer meeting has been introduced today where everyone are encouraged but not forced to participate in sharing on how God has work in their lives.

No more 20 minutes sermon, no more singing for 20 minutes, etc.

Prayer time has increased to about 30 minutes, personal sharing time has increased to nearly 20 minutes.

Certainly a good start for a makeover. Let's hope more and more people will join.

Thank God for all the great things He has done and will be doing in the prayer meeting!

Time is 7pm every Wednesdays on level 1, 717 Flinders Street. We start on time and finish on time :)

CLMC Building

Here're some photos I took for those who haven't seen our church building yet or for those old timers who wish to know where City church is doing their service.

MiCasa8 - Building Launch

On 24th March 2009, MiCasa8 was officially launched by the Hon. Justin Madden, who is the current Victorian Minister for Planning.


The event started early in the morning at 7.30am on the MiCasa8 location (131 Pelham Street). It was filled with more than 70 guests from various top companies like HayBall, Choice Capital, BMT & Assocs, etc etc.

Here're some of the photos I took on the day. (I keep my low profile as the property manager and showed up as a photographer instead!)

MiCasa8, the new benchmark for Student Accomodation ;)

Do Malaysians shower before going to bed?

Source: The Star

Less than half of Malaysians hit the showers before they turn in for the day.

According to a recent survey conducted by CloveTWO.com and Kosmo! newspaper, only 44% shower right before going to bed.

Still, while showering before bedtime is important, it's absolutely crucial that antibacterial soap/shower gel – such as Lifebuoy's antibacterial soap - is used.

When showering, extra attention should be given to areas of the body where most people neglect, such as the back, behind ones ears and ankles, and between the toes – all bacteria-prone spots.

And why is it important to shower just right before bedtime? Well, simply because everyone, whatever their age, are constantly exposed to bacteria; at school, in the garden, at the office etc.

Then of course there's the little forgotten fact that the bed itself makes for the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of microorganisms. Dead skin cells, perspiration, the body's natural oils etc all contribute to making your bed the ideal harborage for bacteria, dust mites, and bed bugs. All these could lead to a wide range of health problems.

Showering in the morning, before the activities of the day, is also recommended. It freshens up the body, removing the build-up of bacteria during the night, and of course, perks you up to start the day.

For those with sensitive skin who are prone to skin irritation that leads to scratching, showering twice a day - in the morning and night - is absolutely vital.

To help us and other Malaysians know more about Malaysians' hygiene practices and how it affects our health, please do continue to support our Hygiene Awareness Poll and vote for Question 3 on CloveTWO.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems this wouldn't work well with our Target155 for Melbournians! However, hygiene is also important. Hmmm...

Afternoon Service

One of the much talked about issue at the moment: Should we vote for a change of service time to afternoon, instead of the current evening time?

Let's go back into history a bit and let's evaluate on the pros and cons.

History
When City Ministry, CM (now known as CLMC) started, the service was in the evening at 5pm. This is because CM was under Camberwell Methodist Church and they have services at 9am, 11am, and 1.30pm. They couldn't really fit in another slot in the morning due to lack of pastor resources.

As CM was like a nomad church, once we moved from different venues to different venues, our service times are started to be affected by the change. We slowly move to 6pm and then the current 7pm after English service took the 5pm slot when it was available.

So up to today, CLMC has 5pm English Service and 7pm Mandarin service, with an exception of 2007 where 1.30pm Mandarin service was introduced briefly.

Pros for afternoon service

• People can finish earlier (around 3pm)
• Public transport would still be plenty
• People won't be hungry during service as they would have eaten before coming
• More free time during evening/night

Cons for afternoon service

• Your whole day are basically "stuck". The service time is in the middle of the day, which made activities with longer hours not possible.
• People normally feel sleepy after having lunch and afternoon is normally nap time
  
• Morning sports session may need to be cancelled as other activities would be pushed to start earlier (eg, choir, Sunday school, etc).
  
• Less free time during the day

Summary
Now that we roughly seen the history, pros and cons. Let's think for a while and see which would be a more appropriate choice?

Some of the things we must consider before making such a big decision are:
1. Who is our target group? Inner city people or suburban? Family oriented or Student oriented?
2. What are we trying to achieve with afternoon or evening service?
3. What differences will the change create?
4. Where do we see our growth from now onwards? Are we outgrowing our capacity where a 2nd service might be needed?
5. How will the change be in line with our church vision & goals?
6. What are some other alternatives or compromise we could implement?
7. What do you really want to achieve from the change?
8. What are your motives in the change? For individual or church benefits?
9. Finally, how would it affect you as an individual with the change or not?

Anyway, since most of us wouldn't think so much. I'm hoping this would encourage most of us to start thinking deeply and ponder on the consequences of on a decision.

Third Time Lucky

I used to think "Third Time Lucky" is just a phrase people always used but never really a proven phrase. Today, I just witnessed the phrase became a reality.

Twice previously he was close to getting what he wanted however, today finally he did it.

How good will it be for everyone? I'm not too sure about it. Could there be a hidden story behind it? Let's wait and see.

Democracy seems to be the best option so far after all the other options tried. However, in such time, will Democracy bring more good than harm? The majority are often pressured by the minority group to be politically correct but not today, we witnessed the majority did something just to shift the responsibilities away.

Laughing哥

One of the most popular character on the Internet right now: Laughing哥

Someone created a facebook group page for Laughing, and it has over 111,567 members as of time of publish!

Certainly, his acting skills have clearly outshine the 2 stars (Pak Kiu & Lap Man).

One of the reasons I continue to watch the series is also because of Laughing. Hopefully he can win some award for his characther this time. Now that he has died, will the last 10 episodes of the series continue its' momentum to get higher ratings?


Some of his info:

姓名 : 梁笑棠 (謝天華飾)
性別 : 男
年齡 : 35
職業 : 黑社會揸fit人性格
表面上囂張沙塵，野心勃勃，好大喜功，要面要威，愛挑戰警力，經常口舌招尤

，得罪人多，稱呼人少。做事從來沒有底線，不把任何人放在眼內。其實心思細密，懂得揣摩龍頭大佬的心意，深得龍頭大佬的信任與喜愛。
背景
笑棠跟隨龍頭大佬已有七年光景，由於笑棠有勇有謀，又深懂亦天的心意，因此甚得亦天信任，早已躍升為揸fit人行列，做亦天的左右手，管理放數與Disco業務，並在Disco場中售賣丸仔，牟取暴利。

Limbang - Sin City

Quite interestingly the topic of Limbang and Brunei has been much talked about these few days. The headline being Brunei no longer wanting to "claim" Limbang as part of their sultanate.

Today, the NST wrote a little bit about history of Limbang, how accurate or exaggerated I have no idea.

THE sleepy hamlet of Limbang, tucked between the northernmost part of Sara-wak and Brunei, was once Borneo's "Sin City".
During the timber boom from the 1970s to 1990s, Limbang was notorious for drugs, gambling, prostitution and alcohol.

Now, timber has given way to oil palm plantations.

Income from small- and me-dium-scale enterprises form a major source of income for Limbang residents.

For decades, Brunei citizens endured a two-hour drive to Limbang and nearby Lawas for cheap shopping and entertainment during weekends. In the outskirts of Limbang and the division of the same name, cash crops such as rice are the major source of income for rural folk.

Many Iban residents live in the town, while Bisaya and Lun Bawang tribes live on the outskirts. There are also nomad-ic Penans who live in the forest.

The peculiar geography of Limbang town was created in 1890 when the White Rajahs of Sarawak forced the sultan of Brunei to cede Limbang district.

Limbang, a 3,978 sq km area between Brunei and Sarawak, was annexed in 1890 under the rule of Rajah Charles Brooke. More

Now, I've been in Limbang for nearly 2/3 of my life. Never have I thought Limbang is sich a "sinful" place. In fact, I think most "gangsters" in Limbang aren't gangsters. They are just following footsteps of their counterparts in Miri, Sibu, etc.

Sure there're alcohols, smuggling, prostitution, drugs, etc but come on, tell me a place in the world with a population over 50,0000 that doesn't have that? All these have been encouraged by corruptions and greed from the authorities.

With its' strategic location on the border, it helps with smuggling especially Brunei Dollar is more than double the value of Ringgit Malaysia.

Sometimes we often see people just carrying boxes of alcohols around the border checkpoint in open daylight! Nobody seems to care or mind. It's just a part and parcel of border life as far as they're concerned.

What I see is not a sin city in Limbang, rather a wasted opportunity for a great town in Limbang. Geographically, the town runs along the cleanest river in Malaysia (Limbang River), watch over by a mighty hill (Bukit Mas - haven't heard of land slides before!) and best of all, surrounded by a different country.
The rather lack of vision or incompetent leaders of BN has wasted a good opportunity Limbang has. Up to today, Limbang is just another small town, seriously underdeveloped and under poor planning.

If I am rich, I would have invested lots of money in it to make it Paradise. Sin City? I don't think so.

My 2 cents :)

I Wish

Another good news! Free movie sessions available in multiple locations!
《奇妙的旅程》I Wish於2007年11月30日在台灣公映，是台灣首部福音電影。故事講述在10年前，李斌的歌星夢粉碎了，因為外遇，同時失去了愛他的人，他知道所有 的原因都來自心中的虛榮、貪婪、忌妒，因此讓他一夕間失去了所有。10年了，他長期在台北城市的一間Pub裡駐唱娛樂觀眾，而滿身的債務和酒精綑綁著他， 讓他失去了快樂的權利。

直 到他醉醒的一個早上，郵差送來了一個小孩名叫齊妙，齊妙拿出相片和信件來證明自己是李斌的兒子，李斌才想起10年前老婆離開他時已經懷孕，只是他忘了而 已。當他們見面後，發生了一連串奇妙的經歷，最後李斌為了躲債帶著齊妙跑到山上的小學去教音樂，結識了一群和他格格不入的鄉下小孩，李斌藉由音符的傳遞以 及班上癌症病童小女孩的願望，找到了生命中的希望，可是再過不久齊妙就要離開他了，李斌是否能夠把握上帝給他的最後一個機會…。

For more information, goto http://www.media.org.hk/iwish/

The Stranger

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Victorian town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger - he was our storyteller.. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the Melbourne Olympic Games. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home. Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures

His name? . . . .













We just call him 'TV'.

(Note: This should be required reading for every household in Australia !)

He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'

Incomplete Business

As the days gone by, MiCasa8 has slowly developed itself into a "great wander" of the Student Accommodation world. Initially, when I first went there, I thought...sigh...this doesn't look good at all.

Small strange entry on the side instead of Swanston Street, wierd designs, etc. Sorry, I'm not an Art person if you haven't already realised that.

These days, the building is in a better condition with theatre room nearly completion as well. Although we're not there yet, it's definitely looking on the right path to be a great piece of work.
This also reminds me on what the Bible has said about God laid the foundation for us. We, as Christians need to work hard to finish the works. Without it, I'm not saying God's works will never be complete or hindered, I'm saying we'll not be able to witness the greatness of God's works in our lives.

Likewise, for MiCasa8, the process seems a long one. With completion due before Christmas, before mid January, and now middle of March and we are not there yet! One day, it'll be done and that day, it'll amaze us of what a big difference it'll be.

We all need to learn to be obedient and patient in following Jesus. The journey is long and seems never ending, generations and generations have passed by, dusts to dusts, however, whoever holds on to their faith in Christ will prevail as victor.

Let God's spirit work in us, for us to be like Christ.

Or do you want to be a pile of unfinished masterpiece?

Name Our Bridge

As we all know how we are incovenient for the past few years in terms of car parking facility due to the constructions of the new pedestrian bridge in Docklands linking the
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to the Etihad Stadium and Docklands waterfront precinct.

It's time to get something named after us eh? :P

Name me now!

FAQ of the Bridge (if you're interested)

When did the bridge open to the public?
The bridge has been available for public access since January 2009.

Where is the bridge located?
The bridge is located at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre along the banks of the Yarra River in central Melbourne. The new footbridge is built across the Yarra River linking the north bank to the new Convention Centre precinct.

What type of bridge is this?
The bridge is for the use of pedestrians and cyclists connecting the north and south banks of the Yarra River. It is not be open to automobile traffic.

What are the key aspects of design?
The City of Melbourne’s vision for the design of the bridge was that it be a striking and contemporary design that reflects the sophisticated aesthetic of the new Melbourne and Convention Centre precinct.

A key aspect of the design includes an attractive lighting display whereby the deck lights change colour in accordance with the river tide. For example white lights at high tide and blue lights at low tide.

The design of the bridge also includes clear glass balustrades to compliment the lighting design and allow people crossing the bridge to have an unobstructed view of the river and surrounds.

What is the length?
The bridge spans approximately 125m across the river bank-to-bank, and is 9.6m wide to accommodate people crossing on foot and on pushbikes.

Who owns the bridge?
The new bridge is a significant and vital piece of public infrastructure constructed as part of the $1.4 billion South Wharf precinct with the new Convention Centre as its centrepiece.

The City of Melbourne has contributed $43 million towards this development for improving the public realm which includes $15 million for the construction of the bridge. Through an agreement with the Victorian Government, the City of Melbourne will take on management and maintenance responsibilities for the bridge.

Why is there a public naming process?
The Melbourne City Council believes it is important that the public is given the right to have a say in the future of the city. Naming this significant piece of infrastructure is a fantastic opportunity for community participation.

Who can nominate a name for the bridge?
The opportunity to name the bridge is open to all members of the public. This unique public submission process gives you the opportunity to be a part of history by suggesting a name for the city's newest bridge.

When do nominations open and close?
Nominations open at 5pm on Tuesday, 3 March 2009 and close at 5pm on Monday, 30 March 2009. Any nominations received after this date cannot be considered.

Can I nominate more than one name?
Yes.

Can I nominate my own name?
Any name may be nominated, however, the selected shortlist of names must comply with the 17 principles contained within the Guidelines for Geographic Names Victoria .

Can I nominate a name for the bridge that is not the name of a person?
Any name may be nominated, however, the selected shortlist of names must comply with the 17 principles contained within the Guidelines for Geographic Names Victoria .

If the name I nominate gets chosen to be the name of bridge do I win a prize or get acknowledged in any way?
The selection process does not allow for people to be acknowledged or awarded a prize.

Who makes the final decision on what name is chosen?
The shortlist of potential names for the bridge will be considered by the Melbourne City Council and the preferred bridge name will be decided and endorsed later in 2009.

Free BBQ

Good news!

We have free BBQ this coming Saturday, 14/3/09 at Flagstaff Garden (near cnr of William St & La Trobe St). Time is 10am.

Everyone is welcome to join and best of all, it's FREE*

There'll be plenty of stuffs to eat, so don't pai seh (be shy), just come!

Good opportunity to know more friends as well. There'll be some games to make sure you at least know a few new friends before leaving.

* = Church members may not be eligible for free BBQ


By the way, a good opportunity for me to play my SLR camera as well! He He~

My New Ride - Mazda 6

Last Saturday, I went to have a look at some cars because I wanted to upgrade my car as you all know my car is kinda old now, small and not comfortable. Not going shopping blindly, I did some research prior to that.

Was supposed to go the Mazda dealer in Mulgrave around 11am. However, I went to our house in Hoppers Crossing around 9.30am. Finished what I needed to do around 10am, was checking the mail and saw a Mazda dealer nearby.

So I went to the Mazda dealer in Hoppers Crossing (they're known as Werribee Mazda). Saw a nice coloured Mazda6 with an OK price. I swear I wasn't planning to buy it on the spot.

After I had a test drive of the car, I just LOVED it! Gotta have it. Now is a matter of getting my old Lancer some dignity back into it. They were offering me like $4k for my car, I was like "hello? I could get $7K on private sale easily?"

Then we negotiated and as usual, I don't really like to back down too much but sometimes I have a soft spot. I got nearly $6K out of them. Not the best result I would hope for but good enough for "small blue (小蓝)" considering there're small bits and pieces, which has gone bad to it :P It'll probably costs them around $500-1000 to get it all touched up anyway :P

Anyway, glad I got the new Mazda6. Been driving it only for 3 days and all I can say is, EXCELLENT.

The drive feels good & quiet, control is good, cornering stability is good, interior looks nice. Just no cons whatsoever! And not wanting one in the future too :P

I managed to test on the ABS brakes as well last night. A moron (pedestrian) did a dash on the lights and I think I would have hit him if it wasn't for the brakes! I saw his face, no signs of sorriness. Bloody idiot! He's those kinda rubbish who wander around the City at nights causing nuisance to everyone, whom our new Mayor is trying to clean the City streets of.

Anyway, of all the different cars I've driven so far (Mitsubishi Lancer, Mitsubish Magna, Ford Fairlane, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, etc.), this Mazda6 still top my list!

Rating: 9.5/10 (I'm sure there're better ones out there, just couldn't afford them yet! :P)

This will hopefully be my car for a very long time.....:)

Here're some photos for you guys to have a look at.