Obama,McCain spar on financial crisis,Iraq,Pakistan...

John McCain and Barack Obama clashed heatedly over the financial crisis, Iraq and Pakistan Tuesday, but strove to empathise with voters' economic fears in their second presidential debate. Republican McCain was under intense pressure to throw his sliding campaign a lifeline, as he trails Democrat Obama by widening margins in national polls and in battleground states with time running out before the November 4 election. After days of intensely nasty campaign trail rhetoric, the two senators strolled onto the stage in Nashville, Tennesse, smiling broadly, and shook hands, both patting the other on the arm before their "town-hall" style debate.

But the tension was boiling just below the surface, as both senators laced their answers with attacks on each other's proposals and records. McCain, who was widely criticised for rarely looking at Obama during their first debate two weeks ago, may have let his dislike of his opponent emerge again in a point likely to be discussed exhaustively after their showdown. The Arizona senator said he voted against an energy bill laden down with tax breaks for big oil firms.

"You know who voted for it? That one" he said, in a sharp comment directed at Obama.

In another swipe, McCain hit Obama on taxes. Obama repeatedly made a show of "correcting" McCain's interpretation of his record and proposals, and hit his top talking point of tying the Republican to the unpopular economic legacy of President George W. Bush. The temperatures rose again when the debate veered into national security, as Obama rebuked McCain for saying he wanted to attack Pakistan, over his vow to hit Al-Qaeda targets, in the country if Islamabad would not. McCain cited the maxim that the United States should "talk softly, but carry a big stick," and slammed his rival who he said "likes to talk aloud."

"He has announced that he will attack Pakistan," McCain said.

Obama hit straight back, citing a YouTube video from last year taken on the campaign trail which showed a McCain joke misfiring when he sang "bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of an old Beach Boys hit. Obama also tried to turn McCain's claims that he lacks experience back against the Arizona senator. McCain laid out a plan to buy up bad mortgages in the United States and renegotiate loans at diminished values to ensure people caught in the foreclosure crunch could keep their homes. Both candidates made clear efforts to speak to their audience directly, crossing the red-carpeted stage at Belmont University to stand a few feet away from the questioner, holding hand-held microphones. Gallup's daily tracking poll Tuesday reflected the high stakes for McCain, giving Obama a nine point lead nationally, while the Democratic nominee is also widening his edge in key battleground states.

The McCain campaign, sensing the fast-running electoral clock, made a strategic turn in the run-up to the debate, sharply attacking Obama's character and suggesting he did not share basic American values. New polls showed Obama with a clear lead over his rival, with the Gallup survey pushing him to a lead of 51 per cent to 42 and a CNN poll putting the Illinois senator on a 53 per cent lead over 45 per cent for McCain. But a CBS poll suggested that the race has tightened from a nine-point Obama lead to a four-point gap since last week's vice presidential debate between Palin and Senator Joseph Biden. [End of report]

I watched the entire debate yesterday and I have to say that it was a rather interesting one. There was nothing big that happened during the debate but I enjoyed watching this debate than the previous one. I dont know about you but I kind of like the idea of having a "town-hall" style of debate as compared to the previous one because the candidates are a lot closer to the people and there are not podiums that stand between their way. In their first debate, I actually thought that John McCain did a slightly better job than Obama, but in the second debate, I think that Obama won it, and Im not saying this because I am an Obama supporter. Before the debate started, I thought McCain would do a better job because he had attended a lot of "town-hall" sessions before prior to the debate and that he really wanted to have a "town-hall" style of debate with Obama right from the start, but Obama managed to stand on his ground and he did pretty well as far as I am concerned. A lot of issues were being discussed, with the economy being the main talking point. Both of them managed to say what they have been constantly saying throughout the campaign trail so far, but I think that McCain sometimes like to twist Obama's words around, saying things that wasnt true.

For example, I still can remember during the time they were asked the question on whether they should respect Pakistan's sovereignty or go ahead and attack the Taliban there without consulting Pakistan first. Obama said that he will try to work with the Pakistani authorities first and that if they refuse to take action, then he will probably go and attack the Taliban himself. John McCain then said that what Obama meant was that he would attack Pakistan straightaway which is obviously not true. Then came my favourite moment of the debate when Obama argued that McCain was the guy who sang, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran! That was pretty funny. As you can read from the report, Obama had to spend a lot of time correcting on McCain's accusations which is not easy because there was a time frame for the debate and if Obama had to continue to correct the accusations, then he wouldnt have any time to talk about his policies and views on things. There was one controversial moment in the debate when McCain jabbed a finger in Obama's direction and said "that one" voted for a pork-barrel energy bill. Now some people see this as offensive, there was a lot of debate by the news pundit on that. Barack Obama's wife, Michelle today in an interview on 'Larry King Live' said that she didnt find that as offensive. Instead, she said Americans don't care about the back and forth between the candidates but rather they want to hear the real answers about how the candidates are going to fix the economy and get the health care benefits on track, echoing what Obama said during the debate.

At the end of the day, I guess that is true afterall. Americans right now are not interested to hear who is wrong or who is right, but rather they want to hear what solutions the candidates have in mind to fix the economy and other important issues. All the back and forth between the candidates should have been done a long time ago, I dont think now is the time but McCain doesnt seem to agree though. During a rally yesterday after the debate, McCain was asking to the crowd who the real Sen. Obama is and tried to paint Obama as a candidate of empty promises. I also just read today that Cindy McCain, McCain's wife, lashed out at Obama on Tuesday, telling a Tennessee newspaper that he has waged the "dirtiest campaign in American history." I really dont know what they are talking about but Im sure Obama wont just listen to all the nonsense and do nothing. Im sure that he will respond to it in the way that he should. John McCain could talk all he wants but at the end of the day, Americans will see the truth and they will know that having Barack Obama as the President is the only way forward.

*The report was taken from AFP.

Statement from the Blogging God...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 8, 2008

Recently, the Blogging God have been hearing about rumours regarding his relationship with a girl whom he met during his secondary school years. Some of the rumours are true while some are false, so to avoid anymore misunderstanding, he has decided to tell everyone what the real truth is. He thinks that it is very important that he tell the truth to everyone because he doesnt like rumours of him to be circulated around because his image and reputation will be affected if the wrong things are said about him.

It all started at the beginning of this year. The Blogging God already had feelings for the girl ever since she was still schooling at the same secondary school. The reason why he decided not to let his feelings known then was because first, the situation wasn't right for him to do so and secondly, she was still attached. Whatever things that happened between her and her boyfriend then, he do not know nor does he intends to find out. Therefore, when he heard she was single again, he went to try his luck. He went on to express his true feelings for the girl at the beginning of this year. She was completely surprised and hadn't expected it at all. He told her the reasons why, but he doubt that she actually believed it. So it was no surprise then that she had rejected his proposal and told him that they would be better of just as friends. At this point of time, he thought that she was giving him the chance to prove himself that he is good enough for her, but whether that is what she actually meant is a different story.

The Blogging God didnt rule the possibility that it might just be a one-sided affair but he still continue to try to get her attention throughout the next few months or so, in the hope that she might finally say yes. However, that hasn't happen. The Blogging God is obviously disappointed with the outcome but at the same time, he is also not going to blame the girl for everything that has transpired because he was the one who started all these, hence he will take full responsibility. He would also like to announce that he will not continue in his pursuit to win the girl's heart anymore because he believes that it is an impossible task if the other party is unwilling to change her stand on things. Moving forward, he will not be finding a new person to target anytime soon as he is unable to commit himself on either a short or long-term relationship for at least 2 years due to National Service. Once he has completed, or should I say, if he manage to complete his National Service, and that is a big IF, (you should know what he mean if you watch the news), he will resume his search but for now, it is over between him and the girl.

He is a strong believer that God had plan for everything that has happened, so maybe God have plans for something better for the both of them in the future, or at least that is what he is hoping for. He actually thinks that maybe being single is much better than having a girlfriend right now because he is able to live the way he wants freely and he doesn't have to waste unneccesary amount of money to please his girlfriend should he have one, not especially now when the future of the global economy is looking bleak. When he see everybody else so happy with their partners, taking so many pictures together and post it on their blogs, he admits, that he will feel bad about himself for not having one, who doesnt right? God created man and woman to be together so its only natural that he will feel bad. But then again, there is nothing else that will make him more happy when he see couples breaking off and start to post hatred tags on each other's chatbox, so maybe getting rejected was a good thing afterall.

Now, if you have been reading the entire post, he did not refer to the girl by her name because he wish to protect her privacy although some of you might know who the girl is. He would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to her if he has cause any discomfort due to his actions. He bear no grudges against her for not saying yes, instead he is hoping that she would get someone that she like and who can take care of her like how she deserve to get taken care of whenever that may be. If any of you find this statement to be emo-like, he would like to say sorry too. It is not his intention to be or sound like emo, in fact he hates emo people, but he cannot find any other way to write the statement. But then again, he is the Blogging God so what you people think, doesnt matter much to him.

The Blogging God welcomes you back to his blog...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 7, 2008

Greetings to one and all. How have you been for the past 1 week or so? I hope everyone is doing fine and for my Muslim friends and fans, continue to enjoy your Hari Raya. As you all know, I was absent for the past one week or so because I was busy celebrating Hari Raya but Im back now and it is good to be back. Hari Raya for me so far have been fun, but I think its about time that I forget about it and get back to something more serious.

I have been away for only a week and so much things has happened. Although I have been enjoying myself this Hari Raya, it doesnt mean that I have stop taking notice of what is happening around the world. I guess that is the great thing about news. You will have something new to talk about everyday which makes your life much more interesting. A lot of things has happened over the past week, but there is currently only one thing that I have been following more closely than any other news and that is the current financial crisis in America and around the world as well. I had hope to tell you something good when Im back, but that is not the case unfortunately. Just last week, the U.S. Congress has finally approved the $700 billion bail-out plan on the second time asking. I think getting the deal approved was an easier task than getting it to work. You would expect things would change for the better after that decision, but unfortunately, things have only took a turn for the worst.

The rescue plan, aimed at rebuilding economic confidence, instead on Monday, triggered a fearful international sell-off. The Dow industrials meanwhile plunged below the 10,000 level for the first time in four years, and at one point were down as much as 800 points before recovering to close with a loss of 370. Now that is a worrying statistics. Some people say the U.S. are in a recession already, while others are saying we are heading to another worldwide recession. There are others though who still have an optimistic view. I just read today that former IMF chief Michel Camdessus is saying that a global recession can be avoided with a coordinated plan to restore market confidence. As much as I would love to believe him, it is very difficult given the current circumstances. But having said all that, it has only been a few days that the rescue plan has been put into effect. The early signs are not good at all, but I think we should give it a longer time to see whether it had any impact, if any on the U.S. economy and if it can turn things around.

On a personal note, I just want to tell you that I find it weird that a lot of people are being very generous when giving out green packet this year. I dont know about you, but that is my experience. I dont know if they have any idea what is happening in the global economy or whether they are just being generous, but whatever it is, I am happy that I am getting more money than I had expected this year. Anyway back to my blog, I am back now so I will resume normal blogging from tomorrow onwards hopefully where I will continue to bring you all the news that you might be interested in and I will of course continue to share my views irregardless of whether you read it or not. Till then, thanks for waiting and take care.

The Blogging God Hari Raya wish...

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 29, 2008

Greetings everyone. As you all know, the Muslims will be celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri, tomorrow, Wednesday the 1st of October 2008. Therefore, the Blogging God would like to take this opportunity to wish all his Muslim friends and fans out there, Selamat Hari Raya. He really hope that he can meet all of you people again because he miss you as much as you are missing him. He look forward to meeting anyone who wants to meet him. He might be a Blogging God, but he is afterall, a human being, just like you and he cannot escape for making mistake. So if he has hurt you in any way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly, he would like you to forgive him just like he have forgiven you for your past sins and mistakes towards him.

He hope that everyone will be happy alongside their family and friends on the joyous occasion and he also hope that you will remain in good health. He would like to remind all not to forget and throw away all the gains that have been achieved thoroughout the Ramadan period and to continue doing good. He would also like to remind that only invited people are allowed to come to his home during Hari Raya. If you want to come but you're not invited, then get yourself invited. Till then, Selamat Hari Raya once again.

*As he would be very busy during the first week of Hari Raya, normal blogging will resume in one week's time. He will also not be responding to any invitation request being done here.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 5...

Im back with my special 'Counting down to Syawal' series in which I have been talking about issues that are related to Hari Raya. This will be my final part to the series and today, I want to talk about your baju raya or raya clothings. I know I have discussed this topic before in my first part. Now if you remember, in my first part of the series, I asked about whether you think there is a need to buy a new baju raya every year but for today, I want to ask your opinion about having your entire family wearing the baju raya with the same colour.

I believe it has become a very common trend for people nowadays to wear the baju kurung of the same colour with their families. I have done it before in the past. I dont know about you, but for me, I think wearing the baju raya of the same colour represent unity and togetherness in the family. It is also good when you are visiting your relatives with your family because it would be easier for other people to know which is the family that you belong to if you are wearing the same colour. However, nowadays, I dont really follow that trend anymore because I think everyone has their own choice of baju raya and their preferred colour, so it would be unfair for the children in particular to listen to what their parents are saying and doing what they want when they are not happy at all. That is why I have decided to go my own way and wear what I like rather than wearing what my parents would like me to wear in terms of the colours. Since I have a little bit more of time to talk, Im going to ask another question and it is going to be about having an open house. As you know, Hari Raya is a time for everybody to get together, from your friends to your relatives. Some of you might have many people to invite to your house and sometimes you are very busy during the weekdays. Therefore, the weekend is probably the only days that you are able to visit or invite guests to your house and since that is the case, you think it would be much easier if you invite everyone at once, so you organise an open house.

My parents had organised an open house before, and I have to say it was a really fun thing. I mean you have so many people coming to your house, eating the delicious food, it was like a buffet. During that time though, I was about 15 or 16 years old so it was easier for me to get green packet then as compared to now. I got a lot and I was really happy, but the same couldnt be said for my parents though. An open house means anyone can come to your house, people that you know of course, and usually the will bring the entire family with their small kids, so my parents had no other choice but to give away more and more green packets. But overall, I enjoy the experience. The situation is different though if I went to an open house because usually, there will be many people and I dont really like crowded places. The good thing about going to an open house is probably you have a lot of food to choose from. Im not saying all of them are nice, if you are fortunate, they will cater the food but if you are not, they will cook it. If it is catered, of course the food will taste better but if it is not, then you have to judge it for yourself.

Alright, Im done with my special series. I hope you have enjoy reading all of it. Feel free to share with me your views on the topics here or any other topic in the series for that matter. Ive got nothing more to add now. Till next time, see you.

Alonso wins drama-filled F1 Singapore GP...

Formula One world championship leader Lewis Hamilton extended his title advantage after an extraordinary pit lane incident scuppered the hopes of his main rival Felipe Massa in the inugural Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton finished third behind Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg to open up a seven-point lead over Massa with just three rounds remaining. Ferrari's Massa had been comfortably leading the first-ever night Grand Prix when the safety car was deployed following a crash which saw Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. hit a trackside wall.

Massa and the other leading contenders took the opportunity to refuel but the Brazilian attempted to pull away while the gasoline rig and hose was still attached to his Ferrari. A pit crew member took a nasty tumble in the ensuing chaos and Massa was forced to come to a halt further up the pit lane. His support team desperately fought to pull off the trailing hose but by the time they had succeeded he was in 18th spot and dead last. The Brazilian was given a drive-through penalty for unsafe release because he almost collided with another car while leaving the pit with the hose. The mechanic who was brought down by the snaking hose was carried away on a stretcher for a check-up at the on-track medical center. Hamilton, who also slipped back in the confused situation, picked his way through to a distant third behind Alonso and Williams driver Rosberg before the race was given yet more added drama when Adrian Sutil crashed his Force India car to set up another safety car situation. Alonso, who had the good fortune to come in for an early pit stop before the accident involving his Renault team-mate Piquet, drove peerlessly away after the second safety car delay, with Hamilton content to settle for third place.

It was the 20th win of former world champion Alonso's Formula One career. Toyota driver Timo Glock was fourth with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel following up his win in Italy this month with fifth. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld took sixth. Hamilton had gone into the Singapore round with a slender one-point lead over Massa having failed to overturn his demotion from first to third in the Belgian Grand Prix. He was making little impression behind the pace of the polesitter until the incidents that changed the course of the race and possibly the world championship race. The six points claimed by Hamilton also took McLaren into first place in the constructors' championship with Massa's Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen carelessly colliding with the wall while in fifth place. [End of report]

Well, if you didn't watch the race yesterday, then I think you have missed a lot of things. What a great race it was and Im not saying this because Im a Singaporean myself, but as a Formula 1 fan and Im sure other fans watching the race throughout the world did enjoy it too unless of course you're a Ferrari supporter. As you all know already, it was the first ever night race in the history of the sport and I have to agree with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 supremo when he said that it was a success and he even went on to describe that it is the new jewel in the sport's crown. I wont go that far as to say it is the new jewel in the sport's crown yet, but it definitely has the potential to do that. Let's focus now on the race. Who would expect, at least at the start of the race itself that Fernando Alonso would have win it. I certainly didn't. If you know me well enough, you should know that Alonso is my favourite driver and Renault is my favourite team. It was because of Alonso that I started supporting Renault, well before he decided to join McLaren last season. During that time however, things were going very well for Renault. Alonso became the world champion and Renault won the constructor's championship, but after he left, everything started to go down. I was sad to see him leaving the team but I still supported him but as a driver only, so when he decided to come back to Renault this season, I was really happy.

This season though hasn't been what I had expected. The car hasn't been competitive enough and as the driver, you can only do what the car is capable of. I think everyone knows Alonso is probably one of the best drivers in the sport, and he still is despite the poor results this season. I dont wish to talk about his teammate Piquet though. Before the start of the race on Sunday, even before during the qualifying and practise session, I didnt expect much from Renault or Alonso, but he did well during practise and qualifying as well until the car failed him once again. He started in 15th position, and being a street circuit, there is limited chance of overtaking. So I thought that there was no chance he would get anything from the race, much less a first place finish! How wrong I was! Not only did he finish the race, but he also won it although I have to say luck was on his side. And ironically, if it wasnt for Piquet's incident, he probably wouldnt be where he was yesterday after the race. If you look at the entire duration of the qualifying and practise sessions, it was Alonso who had dominated, so I think he deserve the win, adding to the fact that he had try his best with the car throughout the entire season so far, he deserve to get something out of it so it was a sweet thing for me to see him winning. Its been a long time coming, I cant remember when was the last time he last stood on the podium as the winner.

There has been a lot of talks on whether he will stay with Renault for next season. The situation is still unclear, even after the win. He has been linked with a possible move to BMW Sauber. There was talks that he might move to Ferrari or even go back to McLaren but both the drivers from the two teams have confirmed that they will remain at their team for next season. For me personally, I really hope to see him staying at Renault but given the state the team is currently in, I will understand if he decides to leave. Renault needs to have a big improvement if they want to have any chance of keeping Alonso for next season. Well, that is about it. It was a great race with great results as far as I am concerned. Right now, Im not particularly concern about who will win the driver's championship because Im not a big fan of neither Ferrari nor McLaren, so I dont really care who will win it. I just hope that Renault can finish the season in fourth position. That would be a nice way to end the season after all that we have gone through. The night race has been very successful and Im glad that Singapore is the first ever country in the world to host it. That doesnt mean that there wasn't any problems though. The track for example is very bumpy, so maybe the organisers can do something to improve the situation for next year's race.

Im sure after our success, other countries in the world, particularly in this region, will want to have a night race as well. This would ensure the race was televised during the all-important Sunday night prime time in Europe. The organisers of the Malaysian Grand Prix had plan to hold a night race as well for next year, but they have decided to push back the starting time of the race to 5pm instead for the same reason that the night race was held, as they say it would cost them too much for the lighting and stuff. However, there might still be other night race in other parts of Asia. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has already hinted he would like the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka next year to be held under lights. I have also just heard today that the organisers of the Abu Dhabi race, which is to make its debut as the season finale next year, had taken note of the impact made by this event and would also run their race at night. I just hope that there will not be too many night races in the future because it might lose its novelty. One thing that will continue to remain the same is the fact that the first ever F1 night-race was held in our beautiful country of Singapore. Till then, drive safely.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 4...

Hi guys. Im back again with my special series leading up to Hari Raya next week and today's topic will be about which place do you prefer most to celebrate your first few days of Hari Raya at. No, Im not talking about your grandparent's house or something like that, but Im talking about whether you prefer to celebrate it at your kampung (if you have one) or right here in Singapore. Now, I know some of you have your own kampung back in Malaysia, I myself have one in Malacca, so if you are in the same position as me, Im sure that sometimes, your family would prefer to celebrate it at your kampung just to experience something different.

First of all, most of my family members in particular my uncles and aunties were an immigrant, including my mum. Now, I dont know what exactly happen which made them move to Singapore but I am certainly glad they did because if they had'nt made the decision to come here, I would probably be raised as a kampung boy. Nevertheless, my family here in Singapore still have some sort of connection with the people at my kampung, though Im not sure what it is nor am I interested to know. Therefore, this pose a problem for me because we can either celebrate our Hari Raya in Malacca or stay here in Singapore. If given a choice, I prefer to celebrate it here because most of my friends are here and it is much easier for me to visit one another. If I celebrate in Malacca, there is not much people that I know of, so it will be kind of boring to spend my Hari Raya with people who I know little about. Another reason that I prefer to celebrate in Singapore is because of the money as in the green packets. In the past, I used to get a lot but Im all grown-up now, so things have changed a little bit since. I still get the green packets, but not much. If I celebrate in Malacca, which I have done before, interestingly I dont get much. I dont know the reason why, but even if I get a lot of it, the bad thing about it is that if I convert the Malaysian ringgit into Singapore dollars, I only get about half of it.

The good thing about celebrating Hari Raya at the kampung I guess is that the celebration is much more livelier as compared to Singapore. Everyone would just be very excited and on the eve of Hari Raya, everyone will get together and help one another preparing for Hari Raya. And unlike Singapore, you are able to play the 'mercun', a type of firework that will launch up into the air when you start to light it up. It might sound dangerous but it is not at all. Ive tried it before and it was a great fun. Then there are the traditional food such as the ketupat and lemang. Of course you can find those food here as well, but most of it are ready made. Actually you can make the ketupat yourself if you want to, but Im not sure if I have seen anyone preparing the lemang here. The situation is different though in the kampungs, because it is very common to see the people preparing the lemang themselves, a process which is usually done out in the open. As you know, most of us live in HDB flats here in Singapore, so it is very difficult for us to do such a thing here. So there are things that you can find or do at the kampung that you cant do it here but the same can be said otherwise as well.

Having said all that, I think you should probably know that I very much prefer to celebrate it here because I was born here and most of the people I know live here. I would feel like I am missing something if I celebrate it at my kampung. Im just glad that my family are planning to celebrate this year's Raya here but Im not sure about you. Tell me your views people. Even if you dont have any kampung, just share me your thoughts. Till then, enjoy your weekend.