Tea with AK71: Naked chef to encourage men to cook.

Personally, I do not think this would work. I think guys would more likely watch the program to ogle the lady in the transparent apron! Who are they kidding? Guys would go to adult channels because they are looking for a specific something and not learn how to cook! Anyway, have a read:

Host Flora Cheung will start each 30-minute show shopping for fresh ingredients in the city's famous wet markets, undressing once she is back in the privacy of her studio kitchen, the South China Morning Post reported.

Cheung, who admits she has never worked in a restaurant kitchen, said she hopes the risque show will draw more men into the kitchen. The first episode is set to air later this month.

Oh, in case you guys are wondering, this is happening in Hong Kong. No such luck in Singapore. ;)

Read full article here.

CapitaMalls Asia: Partial divestment at resistance.

Just last evening, I said "Connecting the highs of 3 and 17 January gives us a trendline resistance. We could see $2.00 tested next if the bouyant price action follows through. It also remains to be seen if $1.93 is resistance turned support. I am monitoring this counter as I get ready to divest some." My sell queue for CMA was filled today at $2.00 as price went on to touch a high of $2.02 before closing at $2.00, right smack on resistance. Volume also expanded nicely.

The fact that price closed at $2.00 after touching a high of $2.02 hints at some selling pressure above $2.00. Next resistance levels are at $2.04, as provided by the 100dMA, and $2.08, as provided by the 200dMA. Could we see these levels tested in the next couple of sessions?

The 20dMA continues to rise and seems on track to forming a golden cross with the 50dMA. The MACD has risen into positive territory, heralding the return of positive momentum in the meantime. OBV keeps rising, suggesting more accumulation. RSI is rising after testing 50% as support several times, suggesting that there is support for the positive price action.

However, look at the MFI and this hints of something slightly ominous. It has been forming lower highs and even broke the trendline support. It is telling us to be cautious. This forms a negative divergence with the recent rising price. So, it is likely that this current strength we are seeing could peter out.

Let's zoom out and look at a longer term daily chart. If we connect the highs of 11 Dec 09 and 6 Oct 10, it is easy to see that the longer term downtrend is still intact. Where is this trendline resistance now? $2.14. This does not mean that price would hit $2.14 anytime soon, does it? As price would climb a wall of worries usually, $2.04 and $2.08 could be rather strong resistance levels. Over time, the longer term trendline resistance would not be at $2.14 anymore and would be lower. So, what would I do? Selling at resistance in a downtrend is what I would do.

I was asked why I am not holding for the long term if I think the fundamentals are strong. Well, fundamentals are different from sentiments. Let us look at the weekly chart which is sufficiently long term for me. It becomes clear why price hit $2.02 and retreated today. $2.02 is where we find the declining 20wMA. If this resistance were cleared, we could see price touching a high of $2.10 which is where we find the declining 50wMA. We have 3 more sessions in the week to see if this would happen.

In the longer term, the MFI and RSI have both risen out of their oversold regions and are forming higher highs. The MACD is making a bullish crossover with the signal line although in negative territory which suggests that given a longer time frame, this could just be another rebound in a downtrend. Watch those resistance levels identified.

What about buying? Would I buy more? $1.83 is a twice tested support and should be strong if retested. This counter might see some volatility yet but it could have possibly found a floor, if not the bottom.

Related post:
CapitaMalls Asia: Improving technicals.

Tea with AK71: A simple meal.

Friends are constantly amazed by how little money I could spend on food. Well, if we cook our own meals, we could save quite a bit of money and we could have a healthy meal for even less money. I think the idea that many people in affluent countries like Singapore eating too much rich food is quite true.

Let me share with you one of my favourite low cost and healthy meals: barley and winter melon. This is really a meal that kills two birds with one stone. Very rare.

You know how much money those packet drinks cost? Lemon Barley drink from Yeo's cost $2.40 for six 250ml packets, if I remember correctly. I feel that the drink is not even nice. Tastes like syrup.

Here is what I do. I buy a small packet of barley for 90c and a packet of sugared winter melon strips for only $4.50 (1kg pack). I get these from a Chinese medicine hall near my home. The barley and winter melon strips are enough for making at least 24 litres (usually more) of barley winter melon drink and eight meals! Really? Really!

Put about a tea cup worth of barley in a pot and wash clean. Fill the pot with water and set on a gas stove to boil. Once it has come to a boil, switch off the gas and add sugared winter melon strips for sweetness. Leave it for an hour to cool and pour the barley water into a 1.5 litre container meant for hot water. Then, fill up the pot with water and set to boil again. So, we would have another 1.5 litre of barley water.

Now, we have our drink which I usually take two days to consume. What about the meal I was talking about? After pouring out the second pot of barley water, let the barley and winter melon in the pot cool further. Then, transfer into a bowl for a nutritious meal which is rich in Germanium! Barley is a healthier choice compared to white rice too.

No prizes for guessing what did I have for lunch today. ;)

Tea with AK71: Cheating our fellow human beings 101.

A few years ago, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. A motorcyclist crashed into the side of my car but claimed that I crashed into him. It was also "fortunate" for him that he had an instant witness in a car behind my car. The witness also happened to be someone familiar with the ways of insurance claims. I was helpless.

I made a police report after the incident and called my insurance company. I was called to the Traffic Police headquarters days later to make another statement. Strangely, the police officer seemed to know that "witness" as he asked me if the person was of a certain height, built, looks and if he wore glasses. A regular visitor?

Well, in the end, I received a letter from the Traffic Police for a fine of $200 and was given 9 demerit points. I was devastated. My perfect driving record was ruined. But what could I do? Friends asked me to appeal but I just decided to let it go. Just hope that I would not have such bad luck again.

I also found out later from my car insurance company that they had to compensate the motorcyclist some $15K for a broken toe! I am sure the toe eventually healed.  It was an expensive experience as my car insurance premium shot up the following year plus the fact that I paid to repair the damage to the side of my car where the collision took place.

I was told by the car workshop mechanic that such "accidents" were on the rise then. He told me that the claims would usually involve the same few people and after a while, the Traffic Police would investigate and make arrests. Apparently, such scams were not new and happened many years before as well. Just "suay" (bad luck) for me.

Why the sudden melancholic flashback? Well, I was getting my daily dose of news and these were a couple of articles that made me wonder why are there such people in the world:

Liyana, 24, said she "cheated" hundreds of men by "selling" her seductive pictures on social networking sites like Tagged and Facebook. "Through my online profile, I openly offer massage services. However, those offers are actually fake. In a day, I can cheat five to six men. Before even meeting me, they are willing to bank in 100 ringgit (US$33) to 150 ringgit into my account," she said, adding she disappears or give excuses to the men after receiving the money.

Read article here.

The public should also be wary of “fake accidents” where a pedestrian would would claim to have been knocked over by a car and would then demand compensation from the driver.

Read article here.

As the Chinese saying goes: 防人之心不可无. We must always be wary of others.