Happy 50th Birthday, SpideY

On August 10, 1962, Spider-Man made his debut to the world to become the iconic superhero he is today. Since then, movies about the Marvel character have brought in billions of dollars worldwide and his comics remain coveted collectors items. This is according to Samantha Murphy who wrote the article 'The Many Looks of Spiderman Over the Past 50 Years.'

Pornography: Children at Risks

Pornography threatening 'downfall' of church
by Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post - Sunday, May 27, 2012

Apologist and author Josh McDowell launched Just1ClickAway.org, a new website to raise awareness about online pornography which he says is a problem big enough to cause the downfall of the church.

"The downfall of the church will not come from a lack of apologetic teaching; it will come from disintegration of the families in the church," says a video posted on the website, launched in time for summer vacation when students' media consumption significantly increases.

"The greatest threat to the cause of Christ is pervasive sexuality and pornography," said McDowell.

"Today we have, by and large, lost control of the controls because an intrusive immorality is just one click away from our children. With just one keystroke on a smartphone, iPad, or laptop, a child can open up some of the worst pornography and sexually graphic content you can imagine. There's never been such access in history."

McDowell, who has written or co-authored 120 books since 1960, backs his claims with stunning statistics about the destructive impact of pornography on the Christian family.

More than 1 billion pornographic websites are one click away, and the average age of first-time viewers of pornography is 9 years old. About 80 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds have been exposed to hardcore porn, and the adult pornography industry reports that 20-30 percent of their traffic comes from children. More shockingly, half of all Christian families report that pornography is a problem, and 30 per cent of pastors have viewed pornography in the last 30 days.

The newly produced video on the website shows that pornography aggressively preys on and attacks its victims.

It features a boy, who looks below 10 years old and is seated on his bed with a tablet computer in the privacy of his bedroom. "Doing your homework?" asks a young woman, portrayed as a tempter. The boy, seeing her in his imagination, nods to say, "Yes." "Can I ask you something?" the girl says. "What's your favourite part about me? Do you wanna see more? I can show you whatever you want." Just then the mother comes into the room and tells him, "Honey, dinner is almost ready." Seeing her child's surprised reaction, she asks, "What's wrong?" "Nothing," he replies, pressing his laptop against his chest. "Finish up what you're doing and come on downstairs," his mother says.

The video goes on to feature a husband as well as a teenage girl as consumers of pornography and whose family members are also unaware of the dangerous viewing.

The video, which has a warning label for its mature content, later portrays each consumer being tortured by their addiction to pornography.

Offering hope and help, McDowell has made available resources to both spread awareness about the pervasiveness of pornography viewing and offer solutions. The Bare Facts, McDowell's "biblically based, medically sound and culturally relevant campaign" provides youth and those who influence them with an understanding of love, sexuality and relationships.

As part of a 45-city speaking tour in 15 countries throughout 2012, McDowell is touring Latin America with his Bare Facts campaign. With over 50 years in ministry, he has addressed more than 10 million young people, giving over 24,000 talks in 118 countries.

An Overcrowded Nation

Here's something for us to think about too as a nation ...

 

Half of Australians want end to immigration: poll

by AFP 2 days ago

SYDNEY — Some 50 percent of Australians want an end to the nation's immigration programme because they believe the country has too many people, a poll showed on Tuesday.

The survey of 2,000 people, conducted for the tabloid Sydney Daily Telegraph newspaper, found 51 percent thought "our population is too high (and) we should stop immigration".

Australia has some 23 million people, compared to 19.6 million a decade ago.

Canberra set its immigration programme for the year to June at 185,000 places, with another 13,750 slots available to refugees on humanitarian grounds.

But in the poll only 32 percent of respondents felt Australia should welcome more immigrants and almost two thirds, some 65 percent, said "migrants should adopt the Australian way of life".

The responses revealed a marked swing away from the more tolerant attitudes of previous surveys conducted in 2005, 2001 and 1995, the newspaper said.

Immigration expert Bob Birrell said fears over job security in the shaky global economy and local pressures on infrastructure were behind the shift in opinion.

The poll came as two asylum-seeker boats carrying some 82 passengers were intercepted off northern Australia on Monday -- taking the number of boats to arrive to four in as many days.

A total of 42 boats carrying 3,261 asylum seekers have arrived so far this year, causing Australia's refugee detention budget to spiral to more than Aus$1 billion (US$1 billion).

Though they come in relatively small numbers by global standards, the issue of asylum-seekers is a political flashpoint in Australia, dominating national elections in 2010, when a record 6,555 boatpeople arrived from Asia.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the rush this year was "unsurprising" given the failure of a planned refugee swap deal with Malaysia in 2011 intended to deter people smuggling, after the High Court of Australia struck it down.

The government was forced to abandon offshore processing of asylum-seekers and release many detainees to live in the community after the conservative opposition blocked attempts to get around the ruling.

Bowen said it was essential to find more effective deterrents to stop people making the perilous maritime journey, usually from Indonesia.

"You are going to continue to see people arriving by boat which means you're going to continue to see deaths at sea," he said.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved

Fame and Reputation

When someone says our reputation precedes us, we know that person has heard about us and what we have done or achieved prior to meeting us.

In a sense, it means we have earned ourselves a certain amount of fame—good or bad. If we are known for being charitable, we are doing fine, unless all our works are done in pretense, just for hype. If we, on the other hand, have a reputation for doing the exact opposite of what is right, then we are in a sad state, often accompanied by dishonor. Beyond these two opposites is a third outcome of fame which is seemingly undesirable, yet absolutely necessary. This is the earned reputation for doing the right thing and suffering for doing it.>

Are we reputed for doing the right things or wrong? Are our good works publicity stunts to gain popularity and praise from men or are we genuinely interested in helping the needy? Is fame and face more important to us than doing the right thing? Where do we stand if we know we are to suffer disrepute or be disadvantaged doing what is right?

Mildly Amusing © Aaron Joseph

Controversial Magazine Cover

'Time' breast-feeding cover uncovers a parenting taboo?
By Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY - Thu, May 10, 2012

A Time magazine cover story that shows a mother breast-feeding her 3-year-old son is drawing criticism for breaking social taboos.

Jamie Lynne Grumet, the 26-year-old Los Angeles mother pictured breast-feeding on the cover of Time magazine, spoke on NBC's Today program this morning.

"We knew exactly what we were going to get into," Grumet says. "I do understand why Time chose this picture because … it did create such a media craze to get the dialogue talking." Grumet says breast-feeding advocates are upset about the cover because the image does not "show the nurturing side to attachment parenting."

"This isn't the way we breast-feed at home," she said. "It's more of a nurturing, cradling situation."

Grumet says she plans to breast-feed until Aram self-weans, but she hopes the fourth year will be the final year. Grumet was breast-fed by her own mother until she was six.

"It's a big commitment and its not right for everybody," she says. "You need to do what is best for your baby and for your own family."

Original post:

The story has drawn many critics on social media, and from noted celebrities such as actress Alyssa Milano. The controversy stems from the graphic nature of the photo, and from concern from some that the child in the picture is too old to be breast-feeding.

Milano tweeted that she feels the cover "is exploitive and extreme."

"You missed the mark," the actress wrote. "You're supposed to be making it easier for breastfeeding moms."

The picture on the Time cover shows a 3-year-old boy standing on a chair to nurse on his mother's exposed breast.

Parenting expert Joani Geltman says she isn't surprised that people are upset about the cover.

"People have an issue with nursing in public anyway, even with an infant. Here they add a 3-year-old child when most children are weaned between 6 months and a year," Geltman says. "People are up in arms simply because it depicts such an intimate act between a mother and child."

The cover story is about "attachment parenting" a trend that, Time reports, has been on the rise over the past two decades.

Attachment parenting includes extended breast-feeding, co-sleeping and "baby wearing," in which infants are physically attached to their parents by slings.

"To me, the whole point of a magazine cover is to get your attention," Time's managing editor, Rick Stengel, said in an interview with Forbes. "From the moment that we started talking about this story as a cover possibility, it was like I couldn't get out of the meetings. There was so much opinion and passion about it and discussion. What that told me is, boy, this is a story that people care a lot about."

Stengel said he hopes stores don't cover the magazine or refuse to carry it altogether. "I would hope they wouldn't cover it up in any way," Stengel says. "It's certainly a possibility."

Unusual News: Super Cool Bra

Japan iced bra aims to keep everywhere cool
AFP - Thu, May 10, 2012
 

TOKYO — A bra with built-in ice packs, a wind chime and a sprig of mint that was unveiled in Japan on Wednesday is promising to keep women cool this summer.

In a nearly-naked publicity stunt, underwear firm Triumph Japan had models parading around showing off its "Super Cool Bra", featuring what appears to be a pair of small fish tanks encompassing the breasts.
These cups are filled with a gel that remains soft and supple even when frozen, giving the wearer "a cool sensation against her skin", the company said in a statement.

A traditional Japanese wind chime -- and a mint leaf -- dangle between the cups giving an impression of cooling "by way of its refreshing fragrance and sound".

The company, which has a long tradition of novelty launches that are never made available for public sale, said it conceived of the bra in response to a need to save energy during the hot summer.
With no working nuclear reactors amid heightened public mistrust over atomic power in post-Fukushima Japan, the country has once again begun its "Cool Biz" campaign, urging people to dress down for work and avoid the need to crank up the aircon.

Watch Spider-Man Animated Series

One of the TV series I like best of Spider-Man is the animated version of 1994.

Although not in HD, if you like, you can now watch this series free online at www.marvel.com.

Fossilized Dinosaur Eggs Found

Dinosaur eggs said found in Russia's Chechnya
Reuters – Tue, Apr 17, 2012

GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) - Geologists in Russia's volatile Chechnya region have discovered what they believe to be fossilized dinosaur eggs laid by one of the huge extinct reptiles that roamed the Earth more than 60 million years ago.


"We've found about 40 eggs so far, the exact number has not been established," said Said-Emin Dzhabrailov, a geologist at the Chechen State University.

"There could be many more laying under the ground."

The find was uncovered when a construction crew was blasting through a hillside to build a road near the region's border with former Soviet Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains.

A team of geologists stumbled across the smooth, oval rock-like forms, which range from 25 cm to one meter coincidentally on a recent trip to the area, said Dzhabrailov.

He said paleontologists were needed to determine which species of dinosaur had laid them.

Dzhabrailov said that the regional Chechen government, which is eager to shed the region's reputation for violence, is considering turning the area into a nature preserve and seeking to attract tourists.

Federal forces fought two separatists wars between 1994-2001 in Chechnya, and an Islamist insurgency persists in the mostly Muslim region and surrounding provinces of Russia's North Caucasus.

However, violence has declined under the strong-arm rule of Ramzan Kadyrov, whose multi-million dollar construction projects are aimed at raising the region's profile and boosting the tourism potential of the troubled area.

(Writing By Thomas Grove, editing by Paul Casciato)

Have a Blessed Easter

Wishing All of You ...

Movie: Total Recall

Release Date: August 3, 2012
Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Director: Len Wiseman
Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer, Mark Bomback
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho, Bill Nighy
Genre: Action, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website:TotalRecall-movie.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available

Plot Summary:"Total Recall" is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

Movie: The Avengers

From the Set: The Avengers Assemble in Albuquerque
Source: SuperHeroHype
April 2, 2012


By now you've probably already seen the teaser, the trailer, the Super Bowl spot and possibly even more footage and photos from Marvel's The Avengers, the culmination of five years of planning by Marvel Studios to create a Marvel Movie Universe based on the popular Marvel Comics characters, some of which are nearly 70 years old.

Back in June 2011, there were so many questions about how an Avengers movie might work. At that time, we hadn't even seen Captain America: The First Avenger yet and weren't even sure if Chris Evans would work as Cap. We were especially curious to know what the dynamics would be like between the various members of the group as played by actors with a wide range from experienced vets like Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. to newcomers like Chris Hemsworth, at the time who we'd only seen in Thor.

Might we see Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark giving a dressing down to Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye? Would Chris Hemsworth be able to maintain his presence as the boisterous and bombastic Thor when facing such powerhouse heavyweights like Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury?

With that in mind, it was a no-brainer when Marvel's new parent company Disney invited SuperHeroHype to visit the Albuquerque, New Mexico sets where the production had taken over ABQ Studios. We're happy to say that we were able to get many answers as we joined a group of select online journalists to talk to most of the principal cast including Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson and newbie Jeremy Renner--we even got to see them in action as Black Widow and Hawkeye--Mark Ruffalo, as well as the filmmakers, director Joss Whedon and producer Kevin Feige. While we didn't get to see or talk to Samuel L. Jackson or new girl Cobie Smulders, who plays Nick Fury's right-hand Maria Hill, we also got to spend a ton of time with Clark Gregg, whose Agent Coulson first introduced the concept of S.H.I.E.L.D. back in 2008's Iron Man.

The results were two crazy days of immersion into the movie world of the Avengers, but before we could go anywhere or anywhere, we had to face Barry, Marvel Studios' head of security, who made us sign a stack of paperwork promising to keep everything we saw a secret until a time deemed more appropriate, which lucky you... is right now!

You can read the full set report over on SuperHeroHype or check out individual interviews by clicking on the appropriate link below:

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans / Tony Stark and Captain America
Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner / Black Widow and Hawkeye
Mark Ruffalo / Bruce Banner aka The Hulk
Director Joss Whedon
Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige
Marvel's The Avengers is out in 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX on Friday, May 4.

Cool Photo Editing with Photoshop CS6

From The New York Times — Gadgetwise ...

March 22, 2012, 6:15 pm
Adobe’s Photoshop CS6 is Free, for Now

By ROY FURCHGOTT

As of today you can get about $700 worth of the latest Adobe Photoshop software free. But there is a catch.

Adobe is putting out Photoshop CS6 for beta testing. Anyone who signs on will get a full-featured version of the coming software to use (and help uncover glitches) as it is being refined for final release.

The catch is that when the final version comes out, the beta versions will not work anymore, and you will have to pay for the software that they hope you will find indispensible.

Why indispensible? By Adobe’s count, 62 percent of the features are new — that is, in addition to tweaks and enhancements of existing features.

Some of them are fiddly little things, and some are large, behind-the-scenes changes, like a new graphics engine that will make Photoshop run faster. A lot of the changes will matter most to professional users, but this is, after all, a professional’s program (the very capable Photoshop Elements, which has almost everything a hobbyist would need, can be found online for about $80).

There are a few new features that will make pro and amateur alike sit up and take notice.

Some of the more subtle additions are improved automatic adjustments. The system now compares your photo’s histogram to those of top shots from photography schools for more nuanced corrections.

There are also improvements to the astonishing Content Aware Fill, which lets you remove part of a photo – like a piece of trash on the lawn — and then automatically fills in the spot based on the background, in this case with more lawn. But sometimes the program searched too large an area for the fill, and it might fill in that patch of lawn with some sky instead. A new tool, called Content Aware Patch, lets you choose the part of the picture used for the fill-in, so the lawn stays lawn.

There is also a new tool called Content Aware Move, which — as its name implies — lets you grab part of a picture to move it, and automatically blends it in. So the two kids playing ball can be moved closer together with a few clicks of the mouse. The success rate is partly dependent on the background, though.

If you are fascinated by the new Lytro camera, which lets you shift the focus of a photo after you take it, there is Photoshop’s “Blur Gallery,” which lets you add blurring selectively to a photo. While there are tilt-shift filters and programs today that can add blurring, the Adobe version is much more adjustable. You can even have multiple focus points, meaning you can have people at different distances from the camera in focus.

On the more mundane but useful end, Photoshop will have automatic saving to keep you from losing work in a crash.

There are literally dozens more features worth looking at, and it won’t cost you anything to do so — at least for now.

Massive Solar Storm Headed Toward Earth

The sun erupted on Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth between 1am and 5am EST on Thursday March 8, 2012 (2pm and 6pm Singapore time), according to forecasters at the United States government's Space Weather Prediction Center.


More information available at:

CNET
The Straits Times

Divorce Numbers Up

From The Straits Times ... March 4, 2012.

Late divorces: Till an empty nest do us part
By Theresa Tan

Women have long put up with unhappy marriages for any number of reasons, but they are increasingly voting with their feet, dumping unloved husbands and putting matrimonial misery behind them.

A steadily growing number of unions that have lasted for decades have broken up in the past 20 years, as women become more emboldened to bail out after their children have grown up.

According to the latest 2010 statistics, 1,390 couples who were married for 20 or more years ended their marriages - four times more than the 346 pairs who did so in 1990.

These long-married pairs made up about 20 per cent of all divorcing couples in 2010 - almost double the 11 per cent in 1990.

Background story
'CHILDREN TOLD ME TO LEAVE HIM'

Martha (not her real name), a retired civil servant in her 60s, endured 38 years of marriage before leaving her frequently unemployed and 'verbally abusive' husband, now 70. Her two children, now in their 30s, encouraged her to leave their dad two years ago.

'I met my ex-husband at a house party and I was attracted to him as he was tall, good-looking and charming.

We had disagreements about his frequent job-hopping when we were dating, but thinking he could change after marriage was the biggest mistake I made.

He is a very proud man. He has only O levels but fantasises that he is very highly educated and deserves to be in top positions. He could not hold onto jobs and could not support our family.

We often argued about money. It was a very heavy burden as I had to support our two children, my parents, his mother and his siblings on my pay of $600 to $800 in the 1970s. It was difficult to make ends meet.

He was always blaming me for everything that went wrong in his life. He used to shout, scream and scold me when things didn't turn out the way he wanted.

He was very abusive verbally but he never laid hands on me. He was nice to me only when he needed financial help. I tried to avoid him as far as possible to keep the peace.

Each time I thought of ending my marriage, I remembered my marriage vows and I would change my mind. I knew children in broken marriages suffered a lot, and didn't want my two kids to go through this trauma.

My religion, Christianity, also taught me that trials would strengthen me and one day, God would vindicate me.

So I went through life waiting for my children to grow up and be old enough to accept my decision to leave him.

Partly, I also pitied him and worried how he was going to fend for himself. I thought he might be mentally ill and that I should not abandon him.

About a year before the divorce in 2009, he was diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, where sufferers have an inflated sense of self-importance, but he refused to go for follow-up treatment.

I realised then that I was fighting a losing battle. I had to try to get out or I would also suffer a breakdown. The verbal abuse was also getting intolerable.

My children also encouraged me to leave him. They said they would support and look after me now that they are able to do so. They too could not get along with him.

I'm happier now after the divorce because I don't have to live in fear. I also don't have to provide for him. There is so much peace now.

My hope is that one day, my children will forgive him and look after him in his old age.'

Theresa Tan


Background story
PORN ADDICTION KILLED MARRIAGE

TJ's (not his real name) addiction to pornography and womanising destroyed his 25-year marriage to a human resources professional. They have two children, now in their early 20s. TJ has since remarried a divorcee in her 40s with one son.

'I discovered pornography when I was 15 and it became a hunger that could not be satisfied. Porn drained the intimacy from my marriage. It's like I have the best chicken rice on my plate but I'm constantly thinking of sushi and I can't enjoy my chicken rice. When I'm with my wife, pornographic thoughts would come to mind and I could not enjoy her for who she was.

It led to a hunger for sex outside of marriage that I needed to feed. My wife travelled quite a bit for work and out of loneliness, I would seek satisfaction from porn. I thought I could carry on a secret life without affecting my family.

About 20 years into my marriage, I started hooking up with women I met online. In the beginning, it was just sex. But things did not work out so black and white and I had an emotional connection with my second lover. My wife discovered the affair and was devastated. But she forgave me.

I felt sorry that I had hurt my wife. But I also felt trapped because if I was not married, I would be free to pursue this other relationship. Then I had thought the other woman could fill my emptiness.

My wife and I went for marital counselling and she demanded that I stop my affair immediately. I broke it off and things seemed to be OK.

But I still maintained friendships with other women whom I had met online. This led to many fights with my wife which were very ugly and painful.

After three years of this, my wife felt it was unbearable to live with me. She suggested a divorce, which saddened me. We had lived together for so long that I couldn't imagine living without her.

But I did not try to make her stay. I was waiting for myself to feel emotionally ready before I wooed her back. But before I got to that point, we would quarrel.

If I had done the right thing - regain her trust, change my ways and rebuild the marriage - regardless of how I felt, I could have salvaged the marriage.

The news of our divorce affected our children terribly. They were in their teens then and it came as a complete shock to them.

After my divorce, I started dating again but felt I should not remarry because of my problem.

But I had a breakthrough in 2005 when I converted to Christianity and finally managed to break my addiction to porn.

Now I can think about what to do for my family. I see it as my duty to protect my relationships. I try to resolve any issues with my wife so that the relationship is not strained.'

Theresa Tan

Magazine Pulled Off Shelves

From The Straits Times ... March 3, 2012

FHM Singapore pulled off shelves over articles
Publisher withdraws magazine following protests from Christian reader

By Jennani Durai

All unsold copies of this month's issue of FHM Singapore magazine will be pulled off stands islandwide, after two articles in it sparked the ire of Christians here for being insensitive.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the magazine's senior editor, Mr David Fuhrmann-Lim, apologised on Friday for any offence caused.

He said the magazine will be pulled off shelves immediately and the process would be completed within two days. He also posted the apology on the magazine's Facebook page.

A spokesman for media regulator Media Development Authority (MDA) on Friday said it is investigating the men's lifestyle magazine 'for possible breach of content guidelines'.

Death of a Family

Today is a very sad day for me.

While on the way back from my walk at a wooded area this morning, I saw lying on the ground at a pedestrian pavement of Montreal Link a young monkey—dead with eyes opened and flies circling around.

Just an hour earlier, I saw from a distance an adult monkey climbing up and down a tree at the same spot. Several onlookers were watching from the opposite side of the road, and I stood along for a little while to watch as well, and then proceeded with my walk without paying much attention to what was going on. Now I know.

The dead monkey is one of the several monkeys in a family I used to see at the wooded area I regularly walked. The family is made up of two new born, several young, and two adults, apparently the parents. Although the young are rather active and mischievous at times, always swinging from place to place even on trees within residential landed properties, they appear harmless and do not usually come close in contact with people.

I am unsure the cause of the monkey's death. It may have been killed or died of unknown causes. These days, I hardly see the monkey family anymore, and I suspect their demise, probably gotten rid of by hired hands.

May our God have mercy on this family and the people who may have chosen or been tasked to remove them. I fail to see why the monkeys cannot be let alone or captured to be placed at a habitat of their own, such as the zoo or some other place.

Is there really a need for the extinction of monkeys in our land?

Quit Smoking

These are the last words of a non-smoker ...

I do not smoke
But I breathe in lots of smoke every day
I've suffered much with emphysema for many years
Now I am dying of lung cancer

If you are a smoker
Do you care for your loved ones
And the people around you?
If you don't
Come and join me in death

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing All My Friends ...

Your Neighborhood Friend
SpideY (",)

Happy Lunar New Year

My Friends & All of You Who are Chinese ...

Superman 2012 Trailer

Spider-Man 2012 Trailer

Christmas at the Malls

Ngee Ann City, Orchard
Causeway Point, Woodlands

Causeway Point, Woodlands

Causeway Point, Woodlands

My Umbrella

Through thick and thin my umbrella stands
More faithful and reliable than the one
Who hires me and claims to be family and a friend
Who decides my livelihood, when it begins and ends

Who stands with me
When I am going through tough times?
Not my boss, nor my supervisor
But the one who cannot talk

The one who braves the storm to shelter me
Through showers of cats and dogs
Who never complains or seeks reward
But shields and protects me when I’m in need

Thank God for umbrellas!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Wishing All a Blessed Thanksgiving! (",)

A New Beginning

A new chapter in my life is about to begin, with corporate shake-up setting me free from the agony I've been suffering over the last few months.

I’m thankful to God for every change in my life—good or bad—especially with Thanksgiving Day drawing near.

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)

Expensive Moon Cakes

Poney Jade Restaurant
Cart/Kiosk @ IMM Building
SGD29.95 for two pieces

The Original Ex-Crown Prince Flaky
Teochew ‘Oor Nee’ Mooncake
with Single Egg Yolk

Spider-Man Movie Update

This morning brings a slew of news from 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' including new images, intel on Peter Parker's web shooters, and some insight from Emma Stone and Mark Webb in video form.

Courtesy of Empire, check out a great interview package with Emma Stone, who dishes on Andrew Garfield's transformation into 17 year old Peter Parker, plus hear from producer Avi Arad and director Marc Webb:



Webb also spoke with the LA Times Hero Complex about the costume design and the decision to include Peter Parker's homemade web-shooters in the story. He explains that the web-shooters are device to 'dramatize Peter’s intellect,' adding:

“We paid attention to the question of ‘How would a kid make it?’ And obviously we took some license with it. We also wanted a design that would make the body longer and more lithe, more of an acrobat, someone incredibly agile, and the legs of the spider [symbol on the chest] were something we used to emphasize that. We made a bunch of different suits for different lighting conditions. I wanted something that worked in the night a little better. We paid attention to that and also made the webbing [on the costume] a little bit darker. With the costume and the web-shooters we wanted to emphasize that these are things that Peter Parker made and that he is special himself even if he feels like he’s an outsider.”

Read the full piece here.

Finally, Slashfilm debuted six high res images from the film, below. See a few great shots of the Spidey suit, plus Peter cozying up to Gwen, and some subway acrobatics:

When in a Hurry

Avoid walking behind three categories of people when you are in a hurry.

1) Those with prams (baby carriages) or kids.

2) Those on electronic gadgets such as iPhones, gaming devices and others.

3) Those of a particular culture known for being oblivion to surroundings and like to stand in the middle of nowhere, on pedestrian walk paths, in supermarts, near entrance or exit areas inside trains, near escalators, and remain immovable even after hearing you say 'excuse me' umpteen times.

Heeding this advice can help you reduce your blood pressure, and reach your destination faster.

Bad Toilet Manners

Yet again another encounter of bad toilet manners today. Here's a notice I've placed above the toilet bowl for the user.

Toilet Manners

This is a regular sight in the toilets of office building at level three of The Synergy, International Business Park (IBP) @ Jurong East.


Welcome to Singapore!

Here's where the civilized and the not so civilized stay together!

Could it be the user has forgotten to clear his stuff after doing business?

Unfortunately, this is not the worst of sights! There are days where the bowls are overflowing with waste spilling off.

Totally disgusting!

Pushy Bosses

Just when I thought switching from helpdesk support to corporate writing would eliminate the endless certification required in my career, my supervisor is now telling me to get certified for the same tests the helpdesk people are expected to take.

I have been in the information technology (IT) industry for more than 15 years with the first eight years in helpdesk technical support. As I grew sick of taking certification again and again, knowing there is no end to it, I decided to quit the line completely.

Now, although I am working in an IT corporation, I am merely a writer, and for the first five years, all was fine. With the recent transfer to write for HQ corporate marketing, however, my American supervisor based in Taiwan, with the backing of the fierce Taiwanese lady boss, is forcing me to get certified, constantly querying me on when I will sit for the test.

My supervisor made it clear that unless I get certified for several papers required by him, my year end assessment will be in jeopardy. My answer to his latest query is as follows …

Dear {supervisor}

In answer to your question, all I can say for now is [I'll take the test] when I am ready and prepared, if I get a chance to finish reading the wireless text, digest its content, commit it to memory, and put myself through some tests.

As of now, every time I get down to reading a chapter or two, I would be interrupted and tasked to do something else, so I can only get back to reading the text and jotting down some notes whenever time is available at hand.

Hope you can understand the difficulty.


Regards
{my name}

P.S. Writing takes time and requires extensive research, rethinking, redrafting and more.

Indonesian Fried Rice

Restaurant Baystreet 21
2 Jurong East Street 21
#02-30 IMM Building
Singapore 609601

Nasi Goreng Istimewa w/ Satay

Handling a Hot-Tempered Boss

If ... your boss [is the one throwing temper tantrum] and it happens often, you may want to look for a new job.

This is the advice given in an article on 'How to Deal with Adult's Temper Tantrum' by Ryn Gargulinsk at eHow.

Not too long ago, I wrote about facing my new lady boss who is hot-tempered, always breathing down the necks of her staff like fiery fire filled full with regular reprimands. If the tip and warning from the eHow article is the way to go, then it means I may have to look for a new job.

Thankfully, though, my boss has cooled down a little, especially after many staff resignations and with her now in the hospital for several weeks. That temporary cool-off temper of hers, however, is no guarantee.

Appended is the article at eHow in its entirety for your reading, just in case it gets archived at a later date.

How to Deal With an Adult's Temper Tantrum
by Ryn Gargulinski, eHow User

Adult's temper tantrums can be scary, worrisome ... or downright hilarious.

It's bad enough when a 3-year-old kicks and screams and turns red in the face when he doesn't get his way. It's even worse when this happens to an adult. An adult throwing a temper tantrum has to be one of the ugliest scenes you can witness, right behind roadkill. You can effectively deal with an adult's temper tantrum with a few steps-and a straight face.

Instructions (Difficulty: Moderate)

1. Refrain from laughing. No matter how idiotic, silly or downright hilarious a raging adult may appear, laughing will only make it worse.
2. Keep calm and keep your distance. Never interfere with a raging adult unless they are coming at you with a stick. Then block the stick.
3. Remove yourself from the situation. If you can physically walk away, go for it. If not, mentally envision yourself wafting high above their outburst and watching it unfold below.
4. Help pick up the pieces. This step only applies if the person is a coworker or friend of yours. Once the person has calmed down, soothe their nerves and, if you feel they are up to it, even joke about their garish display of emotion.

Tips and Warnings

• If this is a friend of yours and it happens often, you may want to suggest counseling.
• If this is your boss and it happens often, you may want to look for a new job.
• If this is a total stranger on the street and it happens often, you may want to walk down a different street.
• Don't get sucked into their anger pit or a yelling match.

A TV Ad I Dislike

An Irritating TV AD for Crying Out Loud ...


Dislike the song and the way the ad appears to insult the Chinese.

Wash Your Hands

An interesting sign at the washing
basin in a lavatory of KTP Hospital