R.I.P. MJ

It's sad that people tend to remember or recognize a person for his good attributes only after he died - think how happy he would have been if he knew. I hope that we all remember him as the indisputable "King of Pop" and all the fantastic songs and performances he left behind in our heart.

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.

10 places I want to visit

With recession and yet another global virus casting a gloomy dark cloud upon us all, it's no wonder that magazines are dishing out articles on destressing tips.

While having my hair done, I came across this article from one of the magazines in the salon about what you can do to unwind yourself.

In this UK-edition of Marie Claire, a writer suggested that we could come up with a list of 10 destinations we would like to go.
Here's mine (not in order of preference):



1) Palais de I'Equilibre, Neuchatel, Switzerland 2) Northern Lights, Alaska 3) Mount Roy, N.Z. 4) Peruvians

1. Peru: For those archeology-lovers and explorers-at-heart, who could resist not wanting to get lost in the mysterious and rugged beauty of the Sacred Valley of the Inca (there is a village that is constantly occupied for over 500 years!); the vibrant cultures of the indigenous; and part of the majestic Andes mountain?
2. New Zealand: In the beginning of its tourism commercial: "...Welcome. To the youngest country on earth..." Metaphorically true. Natural beauty, mesmerizing glaciers, Mount Cook, Bay of Islands... Need I say more?
3. Japan: Getting your feet sunk in the snow-capped mountains and indulging in hot springs in Hokkaido + filling your desire for incredibly fresh seafood in the Shinkansen (bullet-train) + shrines-divine in Kyoto + youth culture and trendspotting from Harajuku to Shibuya in Tokyo = my kind of holiday :p
4. Alaska, U.S.: Other than the adventurous activities, the one I want to do most over there is to witness the phenomenal Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
5. Tibet: Despite its political conflict with China, one can never ignore Tibet's rich cultural heritage and the Tibetans' deep faith in their religion. Those are what I'm drawn to, plus the expansive rugged mountain terrains and the world's largest canyon. Not forgetting Mt. Everest too, though I'm definitely not up to the task of conquering it, unlike the commendable group of Singapore girls.
6. Rome, Italy: I would love to immerse in the historical architectural sites in which I was in awe with as a child when I read stories about the Roman empire.
   
7. France: Eat, learn (Lourve Museum), and experience (exploring Lyon or walking down the vineyards to the hidden cafe down the alley on the cobblestoned street sounds nice to me).
   
8. Scotland: Castles and highlands galore!
9. England: It's a place where I get creative with my dressing without getting stares on the street! Cities I'm dying to visit - London, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and York.
   
10. Australia: I want to go there again!

mood = stormy

Which is worse: Not knowing what you want in life and spend your days confused, or knowing exactly what you want in life and everything just does not fall in place no matter how hard you try?

Been feeling troubled by the same old problems for several years, to the extent they are like old 'friends' likened to wounds now. These are the hidden wounds that everyone has, at least one, depending on one's own definition of 'problem'.

Even the personal mantra of 'putting on your best mood, to face the worst situations', a literal translation of my favorite mandarin saying, have overstretched my limits of optimism.

It is pretty frustrating and depressing to find that no matter how hard one tries to make things even a least bit better continuously for such a long time, regardless of how optimistic one tries to be despite carrying a heavy heart; there is bound to be the final straw that marks the point of giving up.

tech versus me

The earphones are defective again. My third one this year. Since last year, I've changed a total of seven earphones. I've tried earphones from various labels, but all of them just gave up on me somehow at the end of the few months I had used them. Everyone seems to have the same old one with them that lasts as long as their iPod, all except me.

It's been almost two weeks since the 'demise' of my last pair of earphones, with its left side exposing two mini red wires and a sticker labeled 'HQ 1814'. I'm so fed-up that I'm temporarily boycotting earphones for now.

Which is why my iTouch is pretty lonely these days. I still carry it along in my bag out of habit, but I didn't touch it at all. I used it as a device to read the ibooks, play games, organize my schedule and listen to music. And even though I could still use it for most of its functions, I didn't bother to charge it. It just doesn't feel the same without the earphones.

That leads to the fact that I repel technology. While most people would have no difficulties sending files via email from their mobile phones, I need to find different positions for my mobile phone to gather the strongest signal in order to send. For all the attempts at it, I succeed only once. After close to two hours of sheer stubborn determination. And I realized only after sending that I could actually use its memory card to upload the files.

Just the other day, I nearly call my Internet Service Provider to tell them about what I think of their poor-quality modem. I had switched everything on as usual, and when I clicked my Mozilla Internet icon, this notification of disconnected server popped up.

Thinking that I might have missed some steps, I switched everything off and on again. Same thing happened. So I tried every single thing just to get connected. And you might have already guessed it, all to no avail. I called my boyfriend for help. Being a tech-geek himself, he patiently go through all the precise steps to check and repair it. I, on the other line, was going to erupt soon.

I was exhausted from working the whole day till 11 pm.; the suppliers and customers were not exactly nice to me; and the last thing I needed was a faulty Internet connection, especially one that still refused to work after you spent two long hours to repair it.

And nothing changed after going through these measures. That was the last straw. I started crying and venting it out on my unsuspecting boyfriend. When I tried to go online the next day, everything worked just fine, as if all the troubles I went through the night before didn't exist.

Know what I mean? I hate technology, I repel technology, and yet I can't live without technology. I used to think that unlike the Digital Natives that most of you probably are, I'm one of those rare few cavemen who can live free from technology without a hitch. Ha ha fat chance. I had already caused all hell to break loose on that night I could not use the Internet.

daily communication

This is an extract from the online newsletter from local news radio 938Live:

The poet Carl Sanburg once said, "I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it." For some, writing is an act of faith and a matter of spontaneous expression, the rules for which have been imbibed over years of reading good models of writing. For others, however, giving a piece of writing robust flesh requires mastery of grammar and control of vocabulary as the backbone for ideas.

Of the pitfalls in writing is the misuse of lexical items. Often the confusion arises because of mispronunciation. How often have we seen someone spell "deadline" as "dateline" for that reason? Alternatively, there are some who use words in the wrong context. For example, "spoilt" can be used for a watch but not for an escalator. We normally say that the escalator is "out of order" or that it has "malfunctioned". Similarly, you cannot "borrow" a phone; instead you can "use" someone's phone. Likewise, you take your child out for the weekend but not "bring" him out.

There are occasions when genuine errors arise because of translation from one language to another. I have often heard people use "outlook" when they wish to refer to someone's appearance. "Outlook" on the other hand is used to refer to prospect as in this sentence, "The outlook is gloomy." Some people who are doing a little clearing up say that they are packing their desks. Don't get me wrong. These people are not intending to move to another country. What they mean to say is they are tidying up. I suspect that "pack" is again a transliteration.

Haters of language may think of it as a system of pitfalls to trip them up but in the end, good grammar and vocabulary aid logical understanding.

~ by Asha Kumaran , Division of Communication & Media Management, TP

random photos taken during the past 2 weeks

Make a Smilebox slideshow

flu mask fashions

As global panic arises with measures undertaken by governments to contain or prevent H1N1, better known as the swine flu, from spreading into their country, many concerned citizens are spotted wearing masks.

Not only them, models were seen strutting down the catwalk wearing designed masks in the recent Fashion Festival in Sydney. Reuters captures the different masks worn by people in several countries in a slideshow.

For those wanting to know what this disease is about, The New York Times keeps track of the latest developments on it.

things I can do without

1. Things I bought yesterday going on sale today. Especially costly items.

2. Customers who have half of their family members on the store on standby two doors away comparing the prices on two products of different brands. It's irritating enough that you need to compare products from different labels right in front of me, so please don't add on to my nerves the cold shoulder you give me when I talk to you; and ask me to bring down so many items and just leave like that. Please think of the sincere sales person who's trying his/her best in providing the best service to you before you start to treat them that way. They're not mimes or your slaves.

3. Suppliers who deliver stocks that you didn't order and give you a frown and bad attitude when you had them returned. Enough said.

4. Laundry services that ruined my clothes. They're that precious to me to spend the money to have them cleaned by you, so if you or your staff don't know how to handle them well, let me know beforehand thankyouverymuch.

5. Results that are not released when they were supposed to months earlier. Three units overdue. Look, I've done my bloody best, so it'll be nice if you can at least let me know my results at the promised date?

6. Blisters from new shoes.

7. Boyfriend who's self-absorbed in his own little world that he opts for entertainment and not communicating with you despite not seeing each other for some time.

8. Commuters who talk so loudly on the phone that you can't hear yourself.

9. People who don't get back to you promptly when you called or smsed them.

10. Crazy unstable Internet connection.


Phew. There, I got it all off my chest.