Yummy Chrispytine...Still

Most Outrageous Prison Demands

2012-01-28T21:28:00.001+08:00

As a student living in Australia, Archie Comics was too expensive to afford. So when ZOO goes on sale at AUD 2, i'm as high as cloud nine. Bless my girlfriend who visited Australia recently and bought me their latest issue complete with a 2012 calender! I soaked up every word within that magazine and i thought i'd spend some effort to copy and paste one of their articles for you.

In Asia's prisons, residents do not get to sleep on beds. Instead they sleep on straw mats (Singapore) or even the floors. I suppose taking away creature comforts are meant to make them repent. However, in Western countries, there is an inmate union where they ask for their rights and appeal for "improvements" within prison.

Julian Knight (Australia) 1987 Hoddle Street shooting spree in Melbourne left 7 dead and 19 injured. As punishment he was sentenced to 27 years in Victoria's Port Philip prison. But Knight reckons prison sucks balls, so he and other members of a prison union, which includes murderer Neil Chalmers and rapist Muhammed Kerbatieh, have banded together to demand a few luxuries. Top of their list are jelly crystals, a better selection of potato chips, and designer sunnies.

They're also demanding 1.25 litre bottles of Coke and more cash for phone calls.

They were successful in getting Gummi Bears in the canteen.

Jonathan Pinney (USA)Violent offender, Jonathan filed a lawsuit against a long list of government agencies because he reckoned his "rights were violated" and he was "falsely imprisoned". As part of his 18-page lawsuit he demanded his own country, "big enough for 5000 people, with good quality soil". He suggested they just give him the state of Alaska. He also wants $50bn and diplomatic immunity so he can do whatever the fark he wants and not get charged. Pinney also, quite rightly wants "access to all scientific advancements made in American institutions, including top-secret ones at facilities including Area 51" and "a treaty of non-aggression between my nation and that of the US and the United Nations.
Last seen on his MySpace page, Pinney wrote, "that he "hopes to get into a committed relationship with a woman, but wouldn't mind if it meant 'leaving this world and marrying an alien with similar autonomy and genetics."

Luzira Women's Prison, Uganda

The female inmates only have got one thing on their mind and it's not escape. The prison ban conjugal visits, something which the inmates are protesting against. They want their knickers off! Prison boss Johnson Byabasaija rejected their request.

Rose West (UK) Rose and her hubby killed ten girls and a young woman, including their 16-year old daughter. A murderer, rapist and sexual sadist, Rose was sentenced to 10 life sentences in 1995. But in 2007, she demanded an autopsy on her pet guinea pig, Marley. She reckoned her prison enemies were behind the hit and wanted justice. Her request was denied.

Harry Franklin (USA)
Murderer Franklin demanded 3 mil from a Portland TV station for 'mental frustration' after they incorrectly called a 14 wheel tractor trailer an 18 wheeler. He also demanded $8.9 mil from then US President Ronald Reagan for being forced to wear a seatbelt in a car but not on a horse.

Ivan Milat (NSW) 67 year old serial killer was the monster behind the infamous "Backpacker Murders" throughout the 90s where he tortured, raped and murdered young tourists. But in May this year, he started to realise how boring serving seven consecutive life sentences actually was, so he went on a hunger strike in a bid to get a PS3. Milat didn't eat for 9 days, going from a healthy 85kg to 60kg. No, he didn't get his wish.

Nicholas Cocaign (France)

Murderer and cannibal Nic can hold a grudge. In 2007, his cellmate ,Thierry Baudry was washing his hands when he glanced over at Nic. Nic didn't like the glare he got and told Baudry to hand over his lungs as a gesture of apology for offending him. Not surprisingly, he refused. Nic then stabbed Baudry with a scissors and suffocated him with a plastic bag. He then got his wish, cutting out his cellmate's lungs and heart, and eating them.

Dennis Nilsen (UK)

Serial killer, rapist and necrophiliac, Dennis is doing time for killing and torturing at least 15 men and boys betweek 1978 and 1983. He is using human rights laws to demand porn magazines in his cell. He reckons refusing him hardcore gay porn is "inhuman and degrading."

Meanwhile, here're also some not-so-frivolous lawsuits filed by prisoners:

Prison Guards routinely sexually assault female prisoners. One officer sexually fondles a prisoner who is receiving medical care in the infirmary, forces her to perform oral sex, then rapes her. Another officer forces a prisoner to perform oral sex while she empties trash as part of a work detail. Women Prisoners v. District of Columbia, D.C. (1994) (post trial order).
Prisoners restrained in handcuffs and shackles have their heads bashed into walls and floors by prison guards, their bodies repeatedly kicked and hit with batons, their teeth knocked out, their jaws fractured, their limbs broken, and their bodies burned with scalding water. Madrid v. Gomez, Cal. (1995) (post trial order).
Confined youth are routinely beaten by facility staff, staff trafficking in illegal drugs is rampant, and sexual relations between staff and confined youth is commonplace. D.B. v. Commonwealth, Penn. (1993) (consent decree).
Dozens of women. some as young as 16, are forced to have sex with prison guards, maintenance workers, and a prison chaplain. Many become pregnant and are coerced by prison staff to have abortions. Cason v. Seckinger, Ga. (1994) (consent decree).
A 17 year-old boy, in jail for failing to pay $73 in traffic fines, is tortured for 14 hours and finally murdered in his cell by other prisoners. Another teenage had been beaten unconscious by the same prisoners several days earlier. Yellen v. Ada County, Idaho (1985) (consent decree).
Prison officials ignore warnings by the Commissioner of Health and fail to implement basic tuberculosis detection and control procedures. Over 400 prisoners are infected in a single prison. Austin v. Dept. of Corrections, Penn. (1992) (post hearing order).
Prison staff engage in sexual relations with female prisoners and allow male inmates to enter the prisons to engage in forcible intercourse with the women prisoners. Hamilton v. Morial, La. (1995) (consent decree pending court approval).
A prisoner gives birth on the floor of the jail without medical assistance three hours after informing prison staff that she was in active labor. Other prisoners have deformed or stillborn babies as a result of receiving almost no pregnancy-related medical care. Yeager v. Smith and Harris v. McCarthy, Cal. (1989) (consent decree).
Single person cells house four or five prisoners with mattresses on the floor soaked by overflowing toilets, the drinking water is contaminated with sewage, and prisoners' cells are infested with rats. Carty v. Farrelly, U.S.V.Is. (1994) (consent decree).

The secret to skin like Koreans.

2012-01-26T23:10:00.001+08:00

Hankook Cosmetics has been established 48 years ago with its R&D center winning technical cooperation of L'oreal and Lancome in France.

Ang Moh brands like L'oreal and Lancome may not be as suitable for Asian skin, especially with humidity in our region.

Enters Ossion, a brand under Hankook Cosmetics and is rumored to be Korean celebrities' secret to that V-shaped face.

If you are looking to purchase BB creams and other skincare, use ID: chrispytine, PW: iwant to log in at http://www.hankookcosmetics.com/ for an additional 30% EXTRA discount on all products on top of any other discounts being offered on the website. Now till 16 Feb, there is already a 20% discount offered on site.

I personally have used the Opening Enhancer (make-up primer) as well as the Bubble Mask. To be honest, i haven't tried them long enough to swear by it but i must say the Bubble Mask did make my skin softer after usage.

Nonetheless, if you happen to look into investing in skincare, perhaps you should start with Ossion especially with the attractive discounts by using ID: chrispytine, PW: iwant to log in at http://www.hankookcosmetics.com/

They mail your purchase locally or internationally.

Crocs: Feel Good Revolution

2012-01-26T22:56:00.000+08:00

Crocs has come far. Admittedly, when it was first launched, i thought it was a fashion disaster. I never thought i would see myself in one.

Until Crocs offered me a pair and it was undeniably comfortable to walk and walk and walk in them. It is also super light to pack into the suitcase for travel.

This is my first pair of Crocs retailing at SGD 169.

Crocs started off as the shoe that everyone made fun of. So they introduced cute little pins that you can purchase to customize and perhaps make it look a little better.

That didn't quite work for me but now, they have more visually appealing designs which came as a pleasant surprise!

This is not found in Singapore but so cute!

The men are not left out too. Loafer is the trend these days.

Who says you need to sacrifice comfort for vanity? With Crocs feel good revolution and prettier designs, you can have your cake and eat it too.

For store locations, click here.

Taiwanese Street Food

2012-01-24T23:16:00.003+08:00

Taiwan has so much food that i had nightmares about the 鸡扒. It became 鸡怕 after the second day in Taiwan. There's so much food that it deserves a dedicated post and the best tip i received from a friend before departure was "STRATEGIZE YOUR EATING PLAN."

The trick to eating all and wasting not is to list down the things you would want to try and start with the lightest food. While i am going to name the street food according to where to find them, i will put a number next to it that suggests what order you should consume them.

Shilin Night Market (士林夜市)

The famous 毫大鸡扒 located at the start of Shilin near Jian tan MRT is not an item to start off first. It should be the last, or second last.

A fried chicken cutlet (6) that is bigger than my face, do not take this lightly.

It is the only store at the Shilin area that commands a long queue. It costs SGD 2, super value-for-money. They hand out plastic bags while you are in the queue, and it is a no-nonsense business. When it's your turn, they drop the cutlet (no, they do not cut into smaller pieces for you) and you hand them coins.

Chicken cutlets are the next most popular to bubble tea in Taipei. You can find one at every corner. Then there are some stalls who try to differentiate their chicken cutlet by naming them oddly, like the Peeing Cutlet 撒尿鸡扒.

Shilin is the best night market to go. You can find all the famous street food you've heard about and all shopping needs can be met there. You can't cover every nook and cranny of Shilin within a night.

There is also oyster omelette (3) which is done very differently from Singapore. Though the oyster is alot fresher and vegetables are included, i prefer Singapore's for its irresistible chilli and flour that accompanies the egg.

The famous Ah Zhong Mee Sua (2) is also found at Shilin. I can't give you addresses of all these street food because it's chaos at this night market. Open your eyes wide though as the glittery accessories, shoes and clothing can easily distract you from your food quest.

There is hardly any oyster in it, but the mee sua is soft and gooey. While i prefer the Singapore's Shilin chicken cutlet, i must say the mee sua beat Singapore's hands down!

It is the only street food that has a sitting area although it's pretty amusing to see how the sitting area is like a bus station where everyone (whether you come solo or with friends) eat watching a TV and then scoot.

My favourite street snack is the fried milk (1)! Similar to fried ricotta, cubes of milk are fried. I feel compelled to do my vlog all in Mandarin because i'm in Taiwan where everyone speaks in this overly sweet voice and they echo the last said word.

Prince Potato (7) is the most calorie ridden of all. A fried potato drizzled with generous overflowing helping of cheese sauce and sour cream with fillings of your choice. The corn and scallop combo was yummy!

Getting to Shilin:
Take the MRT(捷運) to Jiantan station(劍潭站) which is on Danshui Line (淡水 the Red Line).
Once you alight from Jiantan station, let the bright lights lead you.
Note: There is a station called Shilin along this line. This station is Not near the Shilin Night Market.

Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市)

Raohe Night Market is near Wufenpu, the area where you can find clothes at wholesale prices. While Wufenpu is all shopping, you will find a push cart or two hawking food. If you come across this cart that sells cuttlefish, try it! For SGD 5, you get a huge serving of cuttle fish (4) in some sauce that resembles rojak without peanuts. The cuttle fish is very fresh, juicy, soft and springy. Mint leaves are thrown in for an extra unique taste.

Getting to Wu fen Pu: Alight at Houshanpi(後山埤) MRT station. Use Exit 1 to Wufenpu Commercial Zone and walk north along Zhongpo N. Road(中坡北路) to the intersection of Zhongpo N. Road and Yongji Road(永吉路).

From Wufenpu to Raohe Night Market, walk towards the Songshan railway station(松山火車站) and you’ll see the night market after crossing Ba-de Road Section 4(八德路四段).

The Raohe pepper meat bun (5) 饒河街胡椒餅 is famous. As Singaporeans, if we see a queue, we queue. It's a bun filled with peppered pork and chives. I didn't think it was incredibly delicious, but everyone is crowding around to catch a glimpse of how the bun is baked. It sticks to the wall of a charcoal fueled well.

Then also at this night market, there is a Rice Cookie Explosion. A healthier choice of snack, i

bought home one.

The beverages in Taiwan are plentiful. Bubble tea that we Singaporeans queue 45 minutes for is in every corner of Taiwan, along with many other drinks like Bitter gourd and Ai Yu jelly.

Originating from Taiwan, i thought all bubble tea would be good. However, after trying thrice, i concluded there can be hits and misses.

What is amusing though is they call their bubble tea Bo Ba, which means big breast tea.

Go for their bitter-gourd with honey juice though. Good for the skin and the body. Whilst the street food is cheap, each drink go for SGD 3. Their fruits are even more hefty but guaranteed sweet and juicy!

Ai Yu is pretty bland and tasteless though.

For the Singaporean who wants value-for-money, Taiwan's street food serves that exactly. Their portions are big, even their sausages are double the length of my hand.

Another street food i was highly amused with is this assortment of stewed innards and bean-curd. One of them looks oddly similar to a penis. I asked the seller what this is, and she said something in Mandarin. I did not know what the official term for penis is in Mandarin (ok, i just googled it's called 阴茎 Yin Jing) so whatever she said, i wanted to believe it was a penis. Then she had to spoil my lurid imagination by saying it's made out of flour. But the Mandarin name mentioned for this does not mean flour! Adamantly, i want to believe it's a penis.

Amongst this assortment, you can find blocks of solidified pig's blood, chicken backside AND rooster's COMB!

Chicken Backside are the sticks in the middle.
The rooster's comb is the one on top.

I did not know a rooster's comb can be eaten! My stomach churns.

It's a pity i didn't try. I should have.

Jiu Fen 九份

Jiu Fen is a pain to get to, but so worth the ride! Jiu Fen being on the outskirts of Taipei City, it took me 90 minutes to get there.

Getting to Jiu Fen: I discard the directions how to get there from the internet but instead went to Taipei Main Bus Station to get a bus ticket that goes to Ji Long (Bus 1814). According to the locals, this is a much faster way than the train. It sounded complicated anyway.

Arriving in Ji Long (ask the bus driver) , alight and board bus 1062 (bus company called Keelung Bus) and alight when everyone else alights. Jiu Fen is extremely tourist-y.

A quaint mountain town, famous 2001 Japanese animation film Spirited Away actually modeled after the streets of Jiu Fen. Plenty to see, eat and buy, this was one of my favourite spots.

Another of my favourite street snack is this ice cream paired with freshly grated peanut then wrapped in a wheat flour paper thin crepe. Coriander is one of the ingredients too. Coriander with ice-cream (4)? That's unique.

Yong He at XimenDing 永和西门丁

I was surprised to know Singapore's Yong He (5) at Geylang is actually the same as the one in Taipei! I thought the one in Singapore was founded by a Singaporean. Comparing the two, Singapore's pale in comparison, big time.

Getting to Ximending: Alight at Ximen MRT, Exit 6. Walk to the end of the main stretch of Ximen, turn left and you'll find Yong He. Away from the rows of shops, it is across the road of No. 41. Sec 2. Hankou St. I know that because it was a hostel that i wanted to stay in. Mornings are really crowded as it is the best choice for breakfast!

Count your blessings as you live to eat!

Women and their Fairytales

2012-01-23T23:56:00.001+08:00

The Eiffel Tower is one of the popular sites in Europe for suicides. For 120 years since the monument’s construction about 400 people killed themselves there, of which two survived the 171 feet drop from the first floor, one was blown onto a rafter by the wind and one young woman landed on the roof of a car. After recovering from her injuries this woman married the owner of the car.

Fairy tales do exist!

Not all women dream of a fairy tale proposal, grand wedding then a happily ever after ending but most do. Men usually don't, unless you're Kurt from Glee.

Most men don't because they believe in despondent, depressing life after a fairy tale. Fear puts them off fulfilling that fairy-tale their lady expects.

Amazing photo series by Dina Goldstein.

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
Albert Einstein

The recent widely covered wedding of the era was of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Why? Because they were the epitome of a modern fairy-tale. She was a commoner while he was a Prince and after 8 long years, Kate who has been called waity-kaity mockingly met her fairy-tale end .

In Singapore, the pressure to marry has been great. We marry for HDB, we marry to get out of our parent's house. In fact, too often friends and families tell girls of marriageable age that if the guy doesn't propose after 2-3 years, he probably will never do so.

The royal couple did go on a break at some point (perhaps reassessing their relationship as he hasn't popped the questions), but instead of rushing for a suitable rebound to cut her losses (like most girls are known to do), she enjoyed being single- partying, dressing sexy and getting away on holidays.

If there is one thing to learn from fairy-tales, the female characters are usually characters of patience, perseverance and even confidence. Balancing modern and traditional, these fairy-tales that were created decades ago seemed to know what society 2.0 will be!

In today's world of instant gratification, self-indulgence and temptation galore, we won't wait out.

Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale of all.
Hans Christian Andersen

Being attached doesn't define us. Having an other half doesn't validate us. We remind ourselves of our fabulousness with heels and lingerie without letting our self doubt or criticism of others drag us down.

But still,

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.
C.S. Lewis

There's a difference between a great love and the right love. There is no yard stick as to when to marry, or how long one should wait. Just know you deserve a fairy-tale, we all do. A prince in a fairy tale is a gallant man, the one who'll dare to put a ring on it.

Being True with Fitness.

2012-01-20T00:12:00.000+08:00

A couple who works out together stays together.

A boyfriend who lifts you can carry you with a sprained ankle.

But what if you're #foreveralone?

Wii is NOT exercise, no matter how good it looks.

There's no shortcut to looking your hottest when you bump into your Ex, your old school mates or blunt relatives whom you'll meet next Chinese New Year.

I just visited True Fitness's newest centre in Tampines and i am HOOKED to this new form of class exercise that combines step and dance.

There're even people who use an EXERCISE CLASS as stage performance.

Didn't dance performances look more like this?

Quite a mismatch of girls though.

Totally hooked through and through in the class that True Fitness offers. Jazz, pop and music to groove to with a mean workout to boot!

What's special at this new outlet is also other than offering 40 different types of Yoga, Hot Yoga, Spinning and Group Exercise, there is a Muay Thai Ring where Kick Boxing is held. Innovative equipment like Power Plate, 1-Vest Training, TRX Suspension, to keep the exercise regime interesting can also be found.

Also, if you are single, the gym is a place to check out cuties like celebrity Paul Foster.

Who works out at the Great World outlet fyi.

Looking forward to a body beautiful 2012 with a year's sponsorship from True Fitness.

Get your body beautiful too.

For outlet details
www.truefitness.com.sg

Experiencing Taipei.

2012-01-16T00:59:00.002+08:00

The last trip of the year, i went to Taipei.

For visitors below 30, you can apply for free the youth privilege pass upon exiting the customs or at any tourist information counter in the city. Honestly, i didn't get to as much use the pass other than as a keychain outwardly telling everyone i am a tourist. This is a list of restaurants, hostels and tourist sights where you can enjoy some discounts and freebies (like if you dine at Ting Dai Feng, you get a free mini dumpling keychain) but i didn't pass by any of the restaurants in the guidebook. Not much privileges are offered in Taipei City but perhaps more so if you plan to travel up north or down south.

Getting into Taipei city is fuss free with the airport shuttle that costs less than Sgd 20 for a 2 way ticket. Head down to the basement of the arrival terminal.

I was extremely tickled that their telco network is named Taiwan Big Brother.

Election campaign.

Wu Fen Pu is the wholesale area like how BangKok has Platinum Mall. Looking like our Bugis Street, it is a maze with bargains to be found. However, it is not as straight forward as in Bangkok where sellers tell you upfront the price for one, and then the price for three.

Also, the Taiwanese are generally very friendly but expressionless people. You may feel intimidated.

Rao He night market is just further up Yongji Road where stalls clutter one street.

At this night market, i had an authentic Taiwanese massage for Sgd 20. The strokes are nothing like what i've felt before. Unfortunately, i did not notice the name of the shop. I thought all massage parlours in Taipei would have the same quality, unfortunately not as many others used masseurs from China.

It was here where i encountered this eccentric old man who is an expert in the toy catcher. He asked me repeatedly if i knew him while striking poses for my camera. I said "no", and then he passed me one of his wins. It was like i gave him the correct answer.

How to get to Wu Fen Pu:

Take the Bannan MRT line to Hou Shan Pi Station. Exit at No.4 and walk towards Yongji Rd.

Jiu Fen was the most touristy place of the lot. A pain to get to, it's almost 90 minutes from Taipei Main Station.

How to get to Jiu Fen:

There is a direct bus from Taipei Main BUS station. Bus 1814 (SGD 2 or less) goes to Ji Long. When you arrive in Ji Long, you've to alight and board another bus that goes to Jiu Fen and up the hill.

Though a pain to get to, the place is worth it.

An old street up in the mountainous area, it is best to go early in the day for it looks perceptually packed with tourists.

Due to it's nature of being an acclaimed tourist spot, you will find many special local eats unlike those at the night markets or in Taipei City.

There are many knick knacks as well as countless tea shops and snacks to make your tourist purchase from. Keep a tight reign on your purse or you will go out of control and regret on some purchases like i did. The 2 handbags that i bought were definitely priced a lot more than what i could find at the night markets. Price for food, tea and other knick knacks aren't cut throat though.

A friend says that Asia is a lot more sexed up than any part of the continent.

I like Taipei City for being a city yet remaining the simple fun that you don't see in Singapore anymore. It's walking with iPads and iPhones here, even 5 year olds own one.

Old school game stalls aplenty in Taipei.

Almost paid $40 to learn a trick!

The Taiwanese are lookers. Not only are they lookers but the way they speak is music to your ears.

The men are quite effeminate yet still attractive enough.

Making good souvenirs, Ximen Ding has candy stores that sell candy and chocolate in cute packaging.

They cost Sgd 4 each.

Shilin night market is not to be conquered in one night. You need two or even three. It is a Disneyland in its own right in food and retail.

Taipei Backpackers Hostel is a recommended stay.

At Sgd $30 a night, there are private rooms, twin sharing or bunkers with common bath room. The rooms are clean and serves the purpose of merely showering and sleeping.

Taipei Main Station is the most convenient location to stay in because it is akin to our Dhoby Gaut where most MRT lines intersect and also the airport shuttles stops here. Which means on your return trip to the airport, it would be most convenient too but taxis for short distances won't hurt the pocket.

New Moon Hostel at Ximen Ding however, was a disaster, almost. It wasn't a hostel where all rooms are located at one place, but more like rented apartments all over the area. I had trouble searching the reception (it didn't have one thus the failed mission) and i had a rather amusing encounter with a local who used all means and ways to help me locate the hostel only to have him INSIST i got cheated by Hostels.com

Later on, i found the reception to be a massage parlour whom the owner of the hostel owns too.

And i was brought to their local residences which reminds me of a horror film setting.

Seeing the theme parks on Taiwanese game and variety shows, i searched out a theme park in Taipei which was a disappointment.

It was also another pain to get to, taking 120 minutes.

How to get to Leo Foo Village:

Take the MRT Bannan line to Zhong Xiao Dun Hua Station, take the exit 7, go to the middle road and board the Leo Foo bus. Bus ticket + admission is Sgd 40.

It had looked promising with its large land area and Disney-like backdrop. It also had different lands but there were only really 4 major rides. It is NO KICK for an adrenaline junkie like me, i was sorely disappointed.

One of the major ride was the tower drop in the Land Before Time.

Then there was the log ride where patrons get wet.

Then there was the Ali Baba land where i wasted 60 minutes of my life in a below average entertainment show.

It was amusing to see a mix-match of Caucasians who stuck out like a sore thumb because of their height amongst the Asian performers. It seriously looked like a high school performance.

Sponge Bob seems to be its resident "attraction" though. Even without a dedicated ride, it has Bob's house and classroom for cam whoring.

Floating ass.

Squeezing in more than just food and shopping in Taipei City is to get a soak in the hot springs.

Conveniently located at the Bei Tou MRT, upon getting out of the station, you can walk straight up a mini hill and it will be an entire street of various "public baths" you can choose from.

Here at Bei Tou, it is unlike the Onsens in Japan. Mostly luxurious hotels, you get a private room with a bath tub where you can soak in spring water that comes from the area. Prices are steep, starting at Sgd 80 for common soaks where you wear a bathing costume in a mixed gender spring pool.

Then there is the Sgd 5 one where it is as big as a public toilet cubicle and has a really dirty looking marble slabbed rectangular tank for you to sit in.

The only open-air spring pool is popular with tourists who just want to experience without spending much. At only Sgd 1, you get a 15 minute soak without privacy and with a bus load of tourists.

After walking up and down the hill umpteenth times, trying to find a spring pool where

1) I didn't have to share it with men, clothed or unclothed

2) Affordable

3) Has more of an ambience than a hotel room

Turns out, it was the one right at the foot of the hill! And i thought the higher i climbed, the cheaper it will be. This was a hidden gem! For Sgd 20, you get to use their premises that has a sauna, a steam bath, 3 spring pools and tea served.

Alas, Bei Tou does not have any outdoor spring pool. That would have been shiok in winter. If you ever go to Tokyo, you must try their onsen in Odaiba which has indoor and outdoor pools in elaborated decorated settings.

Pictures are not allowed in public baths but because this was a hidden gem, i was the only patron inside that i could SWIM LAPS in the 43 degree celsius pool.

My first time in a public bath was in Tokyo and it was an eye opening experience. First, you sit on a stool and scrub yourself clean. Basic amenities are provided here but in Tokyo, amenities like combs, ear buds, hair scrunch are also supplied. Very precise to the details, the Japanese.

Like a kid at a public pool, i ran naked from pool to pool. In Japan, they have descriptions in Japanese no less (but you could guess with some Chinese characters), that tells you the benefits and characteristics of each spring pool. They also have a very strong sulphur smell. In Taiwan, they do not and it is odourless. You just have to go with the trust that this is indeed spring water.

You sweat it out in the 43 degree celsius pool, then lower the temperature to the 41, then up it again to 43 and finally finishing it off in ice cold 18 degree celsius.

Some Taiwanese housewives and women later joined me and i noticed that despite the women being slim, they have a lot of cellulite on their bodies. This is an observation from visiting the Japanese onsen and peeving on the Japanese women. This must have something to do with their different diets, more on Taiwan food in the next post.

Hot springs supposedly help improve blood circulation, skin complexion and weight loss.

This woman surely needs a bath and i feel sorry for her leg is literally rotting. Her hair must have been unwashed and uncut for more than 20 years. I got sight of hair pins stuck inside.

Finally, 2011 ends with a big bang that i let up myself (bought fireworks), releasing wishes into the sky and almost spending my countdown in a mobile toilet near Taipei 101.

Have you read the unique things to do in Taipei yet?

6 Unique Things to do in Taipei

2012-01-13T00:57:00.001+08:00

When in Taipei, you should

1) Deep Throat a Penis Waffle

Located at XiMen 西门丁's main stretch, you will come across a huge sign board on one of the lamp posts advertising this small shop that is almost like a push cart making penis waffles.

To locate the shop, you first need to locate Star Bucks. Star Bucks is a huge building on its own and A Piece of Gayke (I think they meant Gay Cake) is in the alley on the right.

They not only make penis waffles on the spot but they also bake huge pineapple tarts for you to take home as naughty souvenirs. The pineapple tart didn't taste as nice as the waffle.

The waffle, however, though a novelty (and novelty usually tastes bad) was actually yummy! In it was sausage and cheese. And all sausages in Taiwan is unlike the sausages you find frozen in the supermarkets here. They are all rubbery and springy, like the Taiwan sausage you find in pasar malams here.

2) French Kiss a Duck

Also along the main stretch of Ximen, there is a popular store of seasoned tidbits like innards, bean-curd and duck tongue. It tastes like chicken feet, am not a fan. It's a great prop to practice your french kissing though!

3) Get Knifed

Located at Shilin night market, I chanced upon a commotion where demonstrators were using knives to massage your back. They were charging sgd 17 for a 15 minute massage.

The small massage parlor is called the Museum of Alien Studies. I suppose it's named that because it's absurd to use knives to chop your back. I asked if the knives can be used for slicing and dicing carrots, they said no.

4) Wish into the Sky

It looks like a giant condom, but it's not. It's a paper lantern that hawkers sell along the banks of the lake in Dan Shui.

February is the best month to head to Taiwan if you want to see this beautiful and romantic sight where thousands of lanterns will be released together.

Did anyone notice at 0:13, the lantern burned and floated back down into the screaming crowd set ablaze?

5) Eat out of a Toilet Bowl

The modern toilet eatery is made famous over the internet. Oddly though, not many locals know where it is located. Being Singaporean, i went around asking for 厕所餐厅 (toilet restaurant) and i got a puzzled look. Then i tried 大便餐厅 (shit restaurant) and people started looking at me weird. Finally, someone was able to direct me but i was worried i may end up in front of a public toilet. Later did i know the right term to use is 便所主題餐廳. It is also located near the Star Bucks building, go down the alley beside it and you will hit a car park on the left and the restaurant is on the right.

Most people put the toilet seat cover down, but i lifted it up. It's odd sitting on a hole clothed.

Ironically, i sat right outside the toilet in the toilet restaurant. That was the sink. Again it was a surprise that a novelty restaurant's food was actually abit above average. Very reasonable priced too! A set lunch costs about Sgd 15 with a steak at Sgd 20.

Each set comes with a main, rice, tea and ice-cream.

I ordered curry for after-effect. Hah!

A hang-over.

Mum never taught me not to play with food.

The only complain was the ice-cream was bland and not satisfying.

With affordable pricing, the restaurant is usually full so do make reservations!

P.S Tokyo Shibuya has a ER themed restaurant too.

6) Museum of the Strange
I skipped the National Palace museum, the heritage museum and all other official museums. Instead, i hunted down the Museum of Strange in DanShui old street (that's the street name). The street is like another night market with small stalls thronging left and right. Toward the end of the street, you will find this mini museum.

I throughly enjoyed Ripley's Believe or Not museum in Pattaya first, then Genting Malaysia also opened one. There were some replicas from the Ripley's museum but most were fresh exhibits i haven't seen before. It opens till late, depending on the crowd and it costs Sgd 3 only to enter. It isn't a very big museum, but there is plenty to see. I spent 90 minutes in there, 60 minutes used to cam whore.

Housing many exotic animals, i felt sorry for those poor creatures.

A star shaped tortoise, they name it Ninja Turtle.

This was a pig found in Brazil (i think) that had an elephant's nose and a monkey's face. The pregnant pig must have been exposed to radiation.

Like the parasite museum in Tokyo or the forensics museum in Bangkok, this was also a museum where explanations are in the native language. Everything is in traditional Mandarin. My Mandarin may be rusty, but for once i can understand everything, well almost.

Caught in mid sneeze. I'm allergic to this giant bunny.

Everything's giant there. See giant dick.

This is a real sized elephant's.

They say rub it for good luck! So i did.

When i wrote about eating whale sperm (mistaken identity), i was wondering how can whale's sperm be harvested. I googled whale penis for ages but could only come up with one picture (click the link) which i wasn't even sure if it's real because its too long for a killer whale. Then i saw the picture below in the museum. I guess it's for real!

A frog that eats mice.

The museum is thoughtful to cam whores. They have many mini corners for photo opportunities.

I've seen this in Ripley's Believe or Not museum, but this is a shrunken head. Apparently these beheading and then head-shrinking is real in tribes. Click on wikipedia's link above and see more pictures.

When it comes to strange things, many are associated with sex (predictable).
Here's an animal's condom. Used when vets need to masturbate horses or any large animals to collect sperm samples.

This is a woman's condom, known as the femidom. The below sample is from England and it looks UNWASHED. It would probably sell for alot in Japan.

This is a wooden groin guard that tribal hunters wear for protection (against wood peckers?)

This is the olden day's form of protection. To prevent pregnancy, they would put this on. People stopped using because it was too heavy. It's absurd thinking how people can use this, don't you think? What pleasure does the man get? Does he even feel anything? Maybe the prevention of pregnancy was an excuse. Maybe the women needed a bigger d***.

I thought human's appendage didn't have bones and so does every animal. I was wrong! This is a racoon's penis bone.

This is China's first milk bottle.

A fish with two mouths.

Dried crocodile's penis which is supposedly potent, gives you virility and very expensive. If a friend asks you to pop 4 vigras, you can reply "How hard can it get?"

A crocodile's nail.

Another deformed pig with two snouts.

For the boys who are into old school kungfu, the Tian Shan Xue Lian often mentioned as an elixir in kungfu dramas IS REAL! It is difficult to reach as it can only be found in snow mountains, 4500 meters above sea levels. It can heal wounds and internal damage like the kungfu dramas say!

Largest note in the world, and probably useless.

They also aired captivating documentaries like "Cutting up Aliens".

These are the unique things to do in Taipei. You got to do it too!

A Pink Parlour Affair.

2012-01-12T22:33:00.000+08:00

Advertorial

On my friend's Bachelor Night, his friends combined forces and shaved off their public hair to make a beard wig for him to wear. He didn't know the source of the hair till the next night.

Girls are a little more tame. We just want our nails to be manicured, our body hair to be waxed, engage in girlie gossip, all prepared for the big night!

Pink Parlour's newest outlet is at Santa Grand Hotel along 171 East Coast Road. With a Spray Tanning Room, 4 Waxing Rooms, 5 Manicure and Pedicure Seats. I had a waxing session at their opening and i must say it's the first waxing room i've been in that has a mirror. So i watched myself getting waxed! Weird but kinky.

So plan your girls’ night out, your very own slumber or hen party for that big day with the Pink Parlour Slumber Party Package!

Party of Four/ Six @ S$580/ S$880 (w/o 7% GST) - With food and treatment and a 1 night Family Room’s stay at Santa Grand.

*For additional person, add in just S$88!

Additional charges may apply for extra beds and occupancy as well surcharges
during peak seasons.

Slumber Party @ Pink Parlour Santa Grand

A choice of One treatment from:

Spa Princess Manicure
Spa Princess Pedicure
Brazilian Waxing
Spray Tanning
Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub

Snacks and Finger Food Available:

Salmon Canapés
Nachos with Salsa Dip
Selection of Deli Meat Slices
Chocolate Cream Puffs
Brie Cheese with Crackers
Chicken Mayo on Baguette

And then a night's stay in hotel rooms like this!

Meanwhile, Pink Parlour now stocks an easy to use A-Brow-Cadabra! The Precision Touch wand that can magically groom your brows wherever you are.

Convenient and simple to use, the Brow Wax Wand is suitable for both face and brows. With its unique formulation, the Brow Wax Wand also uses the Precision Tip Applicator that provides just the right amount of wax, with comfort and control when removing unwanted hair.

With no downtime, the Brow Wax Wand is ideal for people on the go who want to achieve salon quality results in a matter of minutes!

Retailing at: S$35
Available at all PINK PARLOUR outlets.

1. Marina Square, #01-229, Tel: 6100 5489
2. Far East Plaza, #05-83, Tel: 6100 9297
3. Orchard Central, #03-20, Tel: 6100 8266
4. NEX Shopping Mall, #01-47, Tel: 6100 8266
5. Tampines 1, #05-09/10, Tel: 6100 8266
6. East Coast, 171 East Coast Road, #01-04 Santa Grand Hotel Tel: 6100 9297

Operating hours: Mondays to Saturdays: 11:30am - 9:00pm
Sundays: 10:30am - 7:00pm

Say A-Brow-Cadabra!

Movie Review: Contraband

2012-01-12T21:48:00.000+08:00

Are you curious to know how trafficking is done?

"Contraband," a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he'll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling -- full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs -- where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away.

To be honest, the movie started off slow in the beginning but the middle got pretty intense.

http://www.contrabandmovie.net/

Meanwhile, these are the movies i will be looking out for!

And this 2012, there's Avatar 2!! The below is a spoof trailer though.

2012 movie watching is promising.

Freedom to Love.

2012-01-10T12:33:00.002+08:00

Advertorial

Odd International Sex Laws

WHILST these wildly amusing laws are found around the world....

In Lebanon, men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death. (Are your eyebrows rising?)

In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror. (I say doctors in Bahrain must be experts in writing inverse love notes. Romantic.)

There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time.

Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry
In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act. (Mummy must feel proud and wipe a tear to know her girl's grown up.)

In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time. (This was a big enough problem that they had to pass this law?)
Singapore Laws
ONE of Singapore's law under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act: "Any person who is found guilty of any riotous, disorderly or indecent behaviour in any public road or in any public place or place of public amusement or resort, or in the immediate vicinity of, or in, any court, public office, police station or place of worship, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months."
So yes, it's loud and clear that you can't be having public sex display in Singapore.

Even though in Bozeman, Montana, has a law that bans all sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown-- if they're nude. Notice how specific the law is, which means you can find ways around it. Like, having sex with the same sex in the front yard of a home is ok. Having sex with opposite sex in the front yard of a home before sundown. Or having sex in the front yard of a home after sundown but not completely naked. Wear socks.

Despite Singapore having a reputation of being tame and safe, expats and tourists are surprised to find out from me (the Singapore Promotion Girl nonetheless) that Geylang, legit whore fun exists along side hor fun.

Thus i am tickled by Okamoto's latest Freedom campaign that describes Singaporeans to a T.

In Singapore, the only difference between a wolf and a sheep is what time they finish work. Walk into the sleazy pubs or KTVs in Tanjong Pagar and see men all shapes, size, colour and age fondling and giving toothy grins. There used to be the preconception that Caucasians are more promiscious, but i always thought it's the Asians who are better at concealing.

Car Sex

It's safe to make love while parked in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Police officers aren't allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn three times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to investigate.

Lovers in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, should avoid satisfying their lustful urges in a parked car. If the horn accidentally sounds while they are frolicking behind the wheel, the couple can face a jail term.

While the two countries have laws about car sex, it is an ambiguity in Singapore. Whilst we cannot be having sex in public, if it is in the privacy of a car and away from the public eye, it is permissible?

In fact, in 1991, for example, when the government began offering cash bonuses to couples with more than two children, the newspaper printed tips for having sex in the back seat of a car including directions to some of the "darkest, most secluded and most romantic spots" for parking.

It suggested using newspapers to cover the windows for privacy.

Using newspapers is distasteful and cheapskate.

So the Okamoto Freedom Project created the Urban Camouflage. It's a set of temporary decals for your car's windows, from front to side to back, which makes your car look empty, even when it's not. Perfect for the car parks in East Coast.

Price: SGD 69

After all, if you do it in public outdoors, you may encounter the Hantu Tek Tek.

"I was making out with my boyfriend at East Coast Park on the bridge of rocks. With our legs dangling over, the sea breeze and stars made it a romantic night. He started to fondle me and his fingers reached below my moist regions. As we kissed, i suddenly felt something staring at us. I opened my eyes, while my boyfriend was still smooching and i saw a pair of red slit eyes staring over my boyfriend's shoulder.

A chill went over me and i freezed. My boyfriend oblivious that my tongue stopped wagging continued groping me. I then start to see more than just red slit eyes. She had long thin hair that badly needs conditioning, clothed in white robes, she looked hunched and floating. She let out a silent shrill that seemed over audible to me. She reached out for my boyfriend's neck and closed around him.

My boyfriend finally responded! He frozed and his eyes turned glassy. I then noticed it wasn't a hunch on her back, there were two humps and it dawned upon me what type she is! Remembering Hantu Tek Tek who apparantly died from child birth, a significant characteristic are her breasts that are placed on her back. The only way to ward her off is to flash her of my own!

I freed myself from my boyfriend's embrace and pulled open my blouse like Super Girl. It wasn't too difficult as my blouse was already unbuttoned. Hantu Tek Tek screamed and disappeared.

It all happened within a few seconds but it felt like ages. When my boyfriend came round to, we both realised i've wet my pants."

For location ideas, read here.
For car positions, read here.

I've walked in on You Before.

To date, i have walked in on people twice before. They weren't expecting anyone to come in but i did. The other time, i caught the mirror reflection in the toilet.

I remember writing about how cheaters will often get found out via the forces of nature, but it is better to let down your partner gently instead of letting him/her walk in on you.

So Okamoto Freedom Project created an iPhone app called TipOff, which turns your phone into an early warning device. Just set it up to face your front door, link it to your partner’s phone, and it’ll keep an eye out while you’ve got your hands full.
Afterall, cheating partners are on the rise here in Singapore at the same time as Singaporeans are getting savvy stalking. People are just better playing Hide and Seek these days.

Price: USD 0.99

Put a Cap On
Official surveys have shown that Singaporean men detest rubbers. Often described as "Which feels better, digging your nose with a finger or digging your nose with a glove?"

I did a quick survey among my female friends and ALL of them do not use protection. It was shocking. With the increasing incidence of cheating (both men and women), what if one brought a disease back? Other than the obvious fact of pregnancy. Some told me their partners detest it and they are afraid to insist on it. They didn't want to dampen the moods.

Nightcap priced $6.90 is a condom, hidden in a coaster and is available at Loof and OverEasy. For those nights when things just seem to fall into your lap.

Singaporeans need to be more sexually aware. That includes regular STD checks, Pap smears and using condoms that give you freedom.

Input your email on the top right corner to win a set of Freedom products (Urban Camouflage, Night Cap and Tip Off).
Winner will be picked on 28 Jan 2012.

Freedom from fear, freedom of anxiety, freedom to love.

http://www.okamotofreedom.com/

Nurse Reveals Top 5 Regrets.

2012-01-10T00:04:00.000+08:00

I remember when i had the Leukemia scare in 2009, i asked myself was i afraid of dying?

Inside me, i was calm and i felt peace. Partly because of my faith, partly because i felt at least i have lived.

As we are into the second week of 2012, are there any thoughts how you'll live it?

Found this inspiring article by a nurse who revealed the Top 5 Regrets of her dying patients.

By Bronnie Ware

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

Me: Society expected me to behave a certain way. I needed to be demure, I shouldn't talk provocatively as a lady. I was judged, robbed of opportunities at work because i refused to behave the Asian society expects me to. I refused to bow down. I stayed true to who i am, honey i am a Scorpio, baby i am born this way. Eventually there will be true friends who'll accept me, there'll be a soul mate who'll love me for who i am. There'll be a career who makes best use of the vivacious carefree nature i have.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

Me: I find many men saying, "when i have earned enough, then i will....." What if that day doesn't come? What if your time ends before you reached your income mark? I believe we have a life purpose, and it's all about relationships.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly,min the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

Me: I had no qualms about going after the men i desire, though i've learnt that men should do the courting. But what i am learning and still learning is to not quell my unhappiness.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip.But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks,love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have sillyness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again,long before you are dying.

Darlie, a racist toothpaste?

2012-01-09T00:18:00.002+08:00

As children, even as adults, admittedly we make the occasional joke about not being able to see our fellow Indian countrymen in a dark room unless they smile.

Such a comment is not a malicious racist comment, but rather i feel is a secret envy or awe of those white pearlies. Call it a neg, a negative remark wrapped in a back-handed compliment.

I only recently found out after a trip to the MINT museum in Seah Street that the very famous toothpaste Darlie was formerly named Darkie.

Quaint museum houses antique toys and has a nice restaurant and roof top bar.

Manufactured by the Hong Kong-based company Hawley & Hazel since the 1930s, the toothpaste was originally called Darkie–inspired by blackface performer Al Jolson. The package featured an image of a wide eyed, smiling dark skinned black male wearing a top hat, suit and bow-tie, reminds me of the Golliwogg often mentioned in Enid Blyton's storybooks.

US corporation Colgate then bought a stake in the company in 1985 and for obvious reasons changed the name to Darlie.

Though the English name was changed, its Chinese name, 黑人牙膏 (Black People Toothpaste) remains to this day. The above Chinese language advertising campaign in the 80s reassured customers that "Black People toothpaste is still Black Man Toothpaste". In marketing speak, its like reassuring customers that the ingredients never changed, you'll still achieve teeth as white as the "blacks".

Coincidentally, i stayed in a hostel that shares a common toilet recently in Taipei and saw this two side by side in the toilet.

Whilst Darlie retains its racist sounding Chinese name, it changed the package image to a somewhat more ambiguous one, removing the smiling dark skinned black male. Meanwhile competing toothpaste Chinese companies came up with also racist sounding toothpastes like White Men Toothpaste (the one on the left in the picture) and Chinky. If the Chinese really are racist, why would they pick on themselves?

Thus, I don't think the intent behind the Darkie name ever meant to be racist but rather the ignorance of the Chinese. Before the swift pace of globalization, China was pretty much a homogenous country where skin as dark as the Africans don't live amongst them. Thus as how some Caucasians can have the yellow fever, perhaps the Chinese were intrigued and drawn to the exoticness of dark skinned people. The perception of dark skinned people having whiter teeth and the Chinese wanting to achieve the same.

The truth is it really is the colour perception and tones of skin or gums that brings out the white of teeth. Otherwise all of us regardless of race, we all have the same make of teeth.

But if you really want to have the illusion of whiter teeth than normal, try getting a fake tan or using bright red lipstick!

If everyone had a sense of humour, perhaps there would be less riots, wars and petty fights.

The Right Choice

2012-01-02T12:53:00.000+08:00

Advertorial

Last night, I met the people at Popcap at a function. I blurted out, “Bookworm!” That was my favourite game by Popcap. The gentleman and lady were pleasantly pleased to know I fall into the intellectual category of target consumers. Another popular game Popcap, a game developer is famous for is Plant Zombies.

Nonethless, as much as I like Super Mario in my childhood games, my favourite games to play are actually the ones that has a story. A story line with many mini challenges inside, it was better time spent training the mind than mindlessly shooting and collecting power-ups.

I remember in Polytechnic days, there was this game i loved playing during computer class time. We would sneakily log into one of those free online game sites (now, there's Facebook) and there was this game where you're a man and you live days going to the gym (boost strength) to attract girls. You then meet girls anyway from the streets to the malls and you can interact with her. You use points to buy her a gift or flowers but they don't often work the charm. My classmates and I will compete in seeing who can get a girl in the shortest days (game time) possible.

Now, i like playing Rack Stare on my iPhone.

At the arcade to kill time before a movie, without a doubt, i head for the Spot the Difference machine.
The Life Does Not Rewind campaign with an Anti-drug Online Gaming Challenge lets me play all my favourite genre of games AND have a shot at winning 1 32GB iPad 2 or 1 of the 16 pairs of iFly tickets!

from Xin.msn

In some countries, people are selling their organs or sleeping with men for iPads ok (please do not do that!). Here, you just need to play an online game only. And you can play unlimited times to submit the best score!

The Right Choice is created by 2 students from Singapore Polytechnic, a novel-based game, the player takes on the role of Jeremy who has to help his brother Xavier who is abusing drugs. Jeremy will encounter choices along the way and be tasked to find clues or talk to people to help his brother. The choices he makes will lead him to different tasks and ultimately different outcomes of the games. The player has to make good choices in the shortest time possible to score.

It does not have an ‘undo’ function, so you cannot go back to the previous step and can only advance. Just like there’s no rewinding in life, you will need to make wise choices in game and life! Do you have any regrets in life? I'd say there are some regrets with my life.

You will take on the role of Jeremy, who suspects that his brother Xavier is abusing drugs.

You will encounter scenarios where you have to make choices to progress in the game. Each choice will cause the story to progress differently, ultimately leading to different outcomes. A better choice will gain the player more points, while a worse choice will gain the player less points. The points accumulated will play a part in determining the outcome of the story.

You will have to complete tasks throughout the story. For example, you need to find scraps of paper in the Xavier’s room in the screenshot below. All tasks are timed and the result will be converted into points and play a part in determining the outcome of the story as well.

The player then has to piece the scraps together for clues that Xavier is abusing drugs.
You got a head start there! Tell me you can do faster than my score now that you've got a clue.

A memory game task where you have to ‘open’ the cards to match the names and photos of the drugs.

Clue: Know what do drugs look like first.

You will acquire drug knowledge when he/she ‘talk’ to other characters in the story in the course of helping Xavier. You can choose to ‘talk’ to Xavier’s parents, friends or call a helpline. By ‘talking’ to these people, the player gains points.

Another crossroad where you will face after ‘talking’ to the different characters.

A spot-the-difference game for you to spot drug items in Xavier’s room for clues that he is abusing drugs. The two images show how different Xavier’s room look before and after he started drug abuse.

Now, you've ANOTHER head start.

The story climaxes when the Jeremy confronts Xavier at a nightclub and tries convincing him to stop his habits.

The game ends after Xavier admits his mistake and resolves to change. All points will be converted into a time score which the player will see at the end of the game.

Sounds like my kinda game! You already have the heads up here how the game pans out, so I hope you can crack it in record time! Do it between 2 Jan- 29 Jan 2012 at www.facebook.com/lifedoesnotrewind and the iPad or iFly could be yours!!

Believe in a Better World.

2011-12-31T11:56:00.002+08:00

I look forward to 2012, so should you!

Apple of My Eye

2011-12-28T00:53:00.001+08:00

Everyone was raving about this Taiwanese movie when it screened. I hesitated watching it (thinking it was lousy) but glad i caught it at the eleventh hour before it stopped playing. I would buy the DVD and watch it again and again.

Written and directed by famous internet writer Giddens Ko, more widely known by his Chinese name Nine Knives 九把刀, the movie is based on his life's story and is one of his best selling novels.

He wrote in Mandarin,

"Adolescence is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again. Everyone has those impetuous times, the time when every boy likes the same girl in class, rushing days with mischief and pranks. Then, youth departed without a sound."

The story played around the school belle whom every boy lust, likes, wants.

It brings back memories of my school time. This is the school belle (on the right, i am on the left). Though Dewi wasn't fair, she was thought to be the prettiest. She had a vivacious nature, playful, sporting, cheerful, friendly and she's a dancer. She can't get any more perfect. She had a heaving bosom, which boys loved to sit at the benches and watch her jump around playing netball.

Like in the movie, the prettiest girl in school always has a less pretty sidekick who doesn't get attention, if any at all. I was that sidekick.

The school belle would get the cutest boys liking her while i get the weirdos.

I would plan study camps and hound the principal for approval so i could sneakily "live" with my school crush (the one sucking the bottle, it was a game). I remember this picture causing much "orgasms". I didn't know about masturbation until after graduation.

Later on, i became a little more popular and i got my own less pretty sidekick.

In the movie, it highlighted the relationship between youth and masturbation. The tagline below in the trailer even said, "So long as you are still masturbating, your youth has not left you."

Syed was the one who brought a blue tape to share in school. We all heard about the boys plans to go to someone's house after school to watch it together. I guess it wasn't weird for boys at that age to masturbate side by side, brotherhood bonding.

Arjuna was nicknamed the Pak Chiu Cheng King. Girls never understood what that meant. Later on, i learnt from my elder brother it meant 打手枪 (shoot water gun) which also meant masturbation. Arjuna had skinny legs like a stork and i remember i read from a book called Talking Cock by Richard Herring that showed an old photo of a malnourished man who overdosed on masturbation. He had skinny legs too.

Then the passing of notes. Girls do that more than guys. We write notes and plan for after-school. To get the boys involved, sometimes i write a line and get them to continue the story. The boys never did play along.

The antics demonstrated in the movie reminded me of the days where boys bully girls and people getting punished.

Boys pull bra straps and make it snap from the back, Syed took my watch and slipped it into his pants.

Ivena fell asleep in class and i whispered in her ear "Fire! Fire!"
She woke up screaming.

We both got detention.

Then there were the different courtship methods that boys deployed.

During courtship, i had Andy writing me a love letter every single day for 6 months. There was Sul who carved me a wind chime during Design & Technology class over a semester. He also did my art homework, made me pop-up cards and picked out red gummy bears from a mixed bag. Then there was Jeremy who used felt pen to colour a A3 art piece, every morning he would colour a bit over 2 months. Ailmer gave me a Swarvoski rose brooch which at that time, i didn't know was expensive.

Courtship was so innocent and sincere, remembering them makes me smile sweetly. No one was thinking about getting into your pants with that bouquet of flowers. There was no motive in the courtship, it didn't matter if the love was unreturned. Courtship would go on months and even years till graduation. Now, men drop you like a hot potato and move on to another potential if you don't reciprocate in 2 weeks.

There's a creepy classmate photo bombing us.

Like in the movie where the boys climax just seeing the apple of their eye tying her hair back in a pony tail, there was one boy who got wet just seeing me tie two.

We sit according to index numbers and teachers rearrange mischievous students to the front. It irritates the hell out of me when the boy sitting behind me loves kicking my chair to ask something he has missed. It was sweet revenge when he was asked to change seats and he got in front of me.

The movie had a hilarious scene where the boys masturbated to their teacher. When there is a hot relief teacher in town (usually the young girl who works interim while waiting for university), the boys plot to remove the mirror from round shaped sharpeners and put it on the floor. Near the edge of their table leg, they cross their fingers for the hot teacher to walk pass. The Internet wasn't a big thing then, but without it and the influence of the Japanese No Panties cafes, the boys then were still creative and imaginative.

Mrs Chia was however one of the better looking permanent teacher in school. She also had a heaving bosom, a pair we called papayas and she walked like a duck.

There were all sorts of punishments. Standing in the corridor, standing on the chair, standing on the table, those were the days. Now, teachers are not allowed to punish students nor scold. Teachers are graded by students instead. My teachers would throw dusters a metre away and uniforms will be dusted with chalk. There were also teachers who wouldn't allow us to go to the toilet and pass boys rubber bands to tie their cock (no one did it).

Under 18, we weren't allowed in the clubs yet. So on Racial Harmony Day, Teachers or Children's Day, it is usually a cause for celebration and we would party in a classroom. Just loud music and no alcohol.

And yes, romance blossoms between the weak students and their tutors.

Like the movie enacted out, Jing Ting hated Kenneth's guts and they were often at loggerheads. Two opposite poles, she was the student who cries when she misses 5 to 100 and he was the prankster who didn't care two hoots about studies.

The teacher appointed her to tutor him and the many afternoons spent together after school brought forth a relationship. They were the first official couple in my class.

The movie was about youth, about friendship, about dreams and hopes. There were different types of students back in school. The ones who studies the hardest don't necessary turn out champions in life. The ugly ducklings became swans. Most importantly, it talks about the first love that never fades.

It reminds me of KC who held a torch for me since 14. He was the suitor who nicknamed me Chrispy. He irritated me alot with his endless questions. Boys were really immature at that age. He courted the school belle first, and when she spurned his affections, he gave me the Swatch watch which i believed was intended for her.

Though he courted the school belle first, i believed his affections for me were stronger. He always flitted in and out of my life, and i often hear him asking about me even 10 years after graduation.

If you've watched the movie, here's the MTV to reminisce moments of the awesome movie. My favourite scene was the last part where the school belle finally got married to none of the boys who courted her back in school. Her first love (thought nothing official really happened between them in their youth) felt it was a pity and asked to kiss the bride. Her new husband jokingly said he would have to kiss him first in the manner they want to kiss the bride. The first love rushed forward and gave her husband a hot wet tongue twisting kiss.

Below is the movie trailer and i attempt at a very lousy translation of the snippets.

Boy: " Shen Jia Yi, i like you. I like you very much. One day i will get you."
Boy: "In every boy's heart, there is a girl like Shen Jia Yi. I am Ke Jing Deng, i was16 that year.
Although Shen Jia Yi has been in the same class as me for 3 years, the disparity between a good and a bad student, our distance is always there."

Teacher: " Who did not bring the textbook, stand up!"

Bad boy student sacrificed himself and saved the perfect girl student from humiliation where she forgot to bring her textbook for once.

Girl: "why do you not study? I do not like boys who are stupid."

Boy:" I always thought i am very confident but i realised that in front of the girl i like, i am a coward."
I want to become super. So that with me in the world, it can be different."

Girl: "why are you so stupid to fight in a competition! Now you are injured, you are so immature!"

Boy: " Yes, i am stupid! That's why i will court you for so long. I don't know anything!"

Not like an exam, not every difficult question has an answer. This is life's mystery, there are sometimes no answers.

May our youth be continued.

Apple of My Eye, the novel made a sensational sucess with its debut screening because it's a story of youth, hope, love and dreams. The battles and the triumps in life, how you will never guess what the future holds.

Based on a personal account, here is Gidden Ko and the school belle whom everyboy wanted.

and the other movie characters VS real life.

As for my story?

Syed became a roti prata stall owner.
Arjuna went on to win university beauty pageants.
Kenneth became an Airforce pilot.
JingTing became a professional dancer but they didn't end up together.

as for Dewi the school belle? She grew fat.

A sheet from my Notebook.

2011-12-24T00:02:00.000+08:00

Like a prisoner who marks the days that has passed by making notches on the bed post to an alpha male who keeps memorabilia of every girl he has slept with, I keep a book of boys whom I’ve rejected. This post is going to sound extremely egoistic, but hey everyone has one of those low self-esteem moments and this diary entry will probably serve its purpose in a pick-me-up.

Mind you, the name only makes the list only if the boy explicitly asked me “to go stead” with him. The recording stopped in year 2003 when “be my stead” became passé.

Nobody uses that phrase now and thus the ambiguity and hearts broken unconsciously. Whilst in those days where "want to be my stead" can be asked unabashed, it also means the reply don't need to be minced. "No, i don't want to be your horse."

Today, with the wishy washy start of the subject matter

"I hmmm...like spending time with you. I hmmm....really like your personality. I hmmm....would like to see you more. I hmmm...hope you will want to..."

If you don't feel the same way, you need to think quickly on the spot how to let him down gently and tactfully. I twist, turn and wriggle my way out with words but i've never said "No, i don't want to be your girlfriend". Why? Because that would be totally presumptuous on my part, for he never did ask "want to be my stead?"

And men accuse women of leading them on.

Women Should not Court

Female magazines like Cosmopolitan or Cleo teach women to take charge and be a man eater, making us believe that men actually like aggressive women, women who make the first move for a change. Despite how convincingly their articles are, i think it's innate and will never change, that men are the hunters.

Born with a star sign that oozes with sexuality and passions, I often am not afraid to make the first move on any moving thing. I have no qualms courting a man and i've done it to the men whom i call boyfriends.

Experiences have proven me that men do not appreciate and treasure as much as if they were the one who hunted for you. Men has an innate desire to chase.

2011 has seen a couple of suitors that bemused me with their antics yet showed so clear how society has breed a generation of focused (not in a good way) men. A generation of girly men who cower in fear, not wanting to chase is another topic for another day.

2011 has seen suitors of professions that every mum would want her son to be, and a profession that every mum would want her daughter to marry. Alas, my mum is taken by my dad.

Mothers are biased. Because of a certain profession, they think well of a person. This man who would be held in high regard by mothers tried to cuddle me in the cinema on a first date! I put his hand back in place, crossed my arms and warned him to behave. He obeyed.

He continued asking me out a total of 3 more times in consecutive weeks before his interest started to wane and disappeared.

Honestly, he had the entire package for a typical Singaporean girl. Looks, cash, condo, car. It shouldn't be too difficult for him to get hitched if he wanted an instant wife.

Last I heard he has since then gone around the social circuit asking any available girl out without any quality control.

Then there was that younger boy, who tried to impress me with his domineering ways. Hollering for taxis, insisting on a show i wasn't interested in and then insisting that because i didn't want to be with him, i must be not into settling down, marrying and having babies.

Last i heard, he hasn't graduated from university.

But then there was this man who had his head screwed on right and his ethics in check. After going out a couple of times, i was pressured to decide. In his exact words, "i want to be investing in someone whom i see a potential in and a high chance of bearing fruit."

He was blatantly honest and so i could brutally reply that i won't be a pawn in his chest game. He cannot check-mate me.

Then there was the sweet man who took me out for a birthday lunch but made a wrong move of making it a picnic. In all honesty, it was a refreshing change, kudos for being different and i appreciate his sincerity. However, it was a romantic idea executed too soon that raised goosebumps.

Whatever happened to friendship first, whatever happened to brewing a good brew? Is this lost in a rat-raced society?

Then again, perhaps each of these men knew exactly what they want thus they cut to the chase.

Then again, perhaps i was never really into them thus i never really chased.

Building Homes, an experience being a foreign construction worker.

2011-12-19T23:54:00.000+08:00

While you were probably nursing a hangover on Saturday, i was up at 5.30am to ride on Asean Raider to Batam. Batam often frequented by Singaporeans for the food, sex and shopping neglect to realise there are poverty stricken suburbs. With extremely poor hygiene conditions, you can find any kind of thrash imaginable littered in every nook and cranny, some which isn't even ashamed to be in the middle of the street.

Habitat for Humanity builds, rehabilitates and repairs homes like these. I heard that if the Indonesian family earns less than 3 million rupiah (that's SGD 400) a month, they get help from Habitat.

We arrived at the work site where we see a sparse quarter with the skeletal frame done by previous volunteers.

Local professionals equipped us with the tools, gave instructions and soon we start cracking!

Everyone was enthusiastic about laying bricks. Perhaps that was the most obvious when you think about building a house. Little did we know we first must shove and even the ground. That first step takes the most sweat as well as breath.

Then, metal wires are bent this way and that to form metal squares which has then gets tired around the pillar structures.

It looks simple but it's still exhausting nonetheless. A lot of bending over, a lot of wrist strength and arm power. Once the ground has been even, my friends enthusiastically started laying the bricks. I think its the most "fun" because they get to play out as The 3rd Pig who builds a brick house that can't be huffed and puffed away.

After 1 hour of twisting metals, shoving ground, mixing cement, we all realised one thing... we did take the foreign workers for granted. The ones who toil under the hot sun, the ones who eat nothing but curry sauce and rice.

After 2 hours, we were FAMISHED from the labour. It wasn't even close to lunch time.

Lunch came and i really don't want to complain, but this meal made me count my blessings further. Imagine if we had this much variety yet it still doesn't taste edible, then imagine the villagers who may not even have enough..

The man on the extreme left was the to-be home owner. He gave a speech of thanks when it was time for us to leave.

This was the shack next door.

This is the toilet.

Looking at the children and the way they live struck upon me that poverty is not a choice.

Chicken and her brood went around pecking non stop.

The girls are playing masak masak. The older girl was chopping grass and playing cook with the other children. I know my friend's 5 year old daughter wished for an iPad this Christmas and daddy's going to get her one because her Pre School is using it and all her fellow 5 year old friends have one.

Just like the African kids you see on documentaries, it's real that these kids do not swat flies away even though they land on their face.

Posing with the bad boy look.

I went into another depilated house when it rained to take shelter, and i came across a broken LV mattress. I don't know why but i instinctively looked for strewn condoms, but i found none. Then i thought in impoverished countries like these, they probably do not use birth control or protection and thus the society problems sometimes.

I look like some kind of killer here, with that heavy weapon and gloves. Do you see the perspiration rolling down my forehead and collarbone?

I spotted a tricycle stored away beyond reach of children. Perhaps it's a treat for when they are well-behaved.

After 6 hours of work, we managed to put up partitions for the bedrooms. Right on track!

When i was younger, my mum always compares us to other children. When we were young, XX is a better child, XX has better grades. Now, it is with a different agenda. XX married so well, XX got such a high rank etc. Truthfully, i do know i ain't the perfect child and i think it's a cause-and-effect theory. I am born into a blessed fortunate complete family, i am sheltered from the "tough life". That makes me not any more hardworking than the boy from a low income earning father because i felt there's no need to be a high flier because my Daddy provides for me.

The kids born in an impoverished situation, they are surprisingly very mature at a very young age!

This boy is probably 3. We sat on his porch and ate our lunch. He probably got upset that we messed up his porch so after we got back to work, he started cleaning.

It dawned upon me that doing good benefits the doer, perhaps more than the receiver. Are we really doing good work without motive? Or was there a subconscious need to selfishly feel good? It is innate in humans to think of one's self first.

Like the mayor who plants a tree, a gesture rather than real work, is volunteer work a facade? What we did probably helped with a day's work, but we are definitely far from completion. While we made a mental note to return and complete, honestly i don't know when that'll happen. It was an unanimous sigh of relief when transport came to take us back. When we reach a proper toilet at the ferry terminal, our faces beamed at the sight of it. Oh, our creatures comfort, so badly missed (mere 5 hours).

But i do know that my purpose in life is to touch lives, and it matters to see them smile.

And when they do, it's an out-of-the-world feeling.

For interesting reads on the life of migrant workers, check out here

"Migrant worker is the synonym of low-quality in the society. I admit that we are the people living in the lowest level of the society. Even if we were paid attention to, we were seen as the weakest group.
But now I do not feel worthless anymore, in fact we the migrant workers are also human beings, we are proud, all of the high-rise buildings are built up with our blood and sweat; we also are educated, I can write posts; we also know how to live......

We live in the shack at night, chatting and masturbation is our only activity....."

and here

"I asked him if he always eat out at night. “No, I cannot afford to eat out everyday! Today I delivered more, rarely come out to eat, normally I eat at home.” I asked him how much he spends each month. He told me, mainly is rent and food, almost no other spending. He kept a tab on everyday spending, about 800 yuan a month. He mails the rest of money home. “My daughter was accepted into a university, she is the first college student of our family!” Then he smiled, a sweet smile..."

Bangkok, Heaven for Shopaholics.

2011-12-18T00:22:00.000+08:00

Aware of the flood situation in Bangkok, i went prepared with Crocs that will probably float and water-resistant material bag. Speaking of Crocs, you wouldn't believe (so did i) that they now have a lot nicer designs. It's like the ugly duckling who transformed into a swan.

Because of its prettier designs now, i felt convinced to give Crocs a chance. It turns out to be a perfect pair of wedges, especially for travel!

It is light.

As compared to my other pair that is 1kg! No wonder we always remove our shoes when stepping onto the scale for vanity's sake.

Before i get into the highlights of my trip, let me say i will not be buying anymore group travel deals! I felt so cheated by www.atcrazy.com

The latest group buying deal website to come into the picture, it is by Asia Travels. Which i thought is credible and trust-worthy for travel deals but i was wrong.

Catching the deal sometime in Sept, i read the fine print and thought i was making the right decision. It was $228 + $180 tax = $408 per person in total. I thought that was swell seeing that we take a proper carrier and 5 star accommodation. Also, i looked up the budget airlines and flights to Bangkok over the weekends can be exceptionally expensive, as much as $300.

Making sure that the fine print includes departure dates encompassing the weekends and favourable timings, i made the purchase. As soon as the deal was open for reservations, i called in to Asia Travel. THEY TOLD ME FLIGHTS WERE FULLY BOOKED.

I said, "how can that be! I must be one of the firsts to make a reservation and it's not as if you sold 3000 deals but just 156."

Steven then told me, "weeeell, if you want to take the first flight out/ last flight back/ weekend flight, you have to pay extra."

I was extremely displeased. Then the flood happened and prices dropped etc. Long story short, travel group buy turned out to be unwise.

I could have complained to CASE but just didn't want to go through the hassle, so i didn't let that dampen my holiday mood.

Took my mum as her birthday treat.

Bangkok to most Singaporeans is food, shopping and massage. I dragged my mum to a forensics museum.

Described by an ex colleague who was a former policeman, the route to location was a fairly complicated one where you have to hop onto a bus that won't stop, jump off a moving bum boat etc.

All i did was hail a taxi from my hotel in Silom, got the bellboy to give instructions (taxi drivers are not too good with English), set the meter running and soon i arrive all under sgd 4.

Address : 2nd floor, Adulaydejvigrom Building, Siriraj Hospital, 2 Phrannok Road

Getting there : Take cab (about 30 mins from Silom Road)

Opening Hours : Mon – Sat, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Entrance Fee : 40 baht (foreigners)

The building is amidst many buildings, the entire area is a hospital cum medical school i believe. Look out for a green sign indicating 'Museum' on the building as the taxi driver is unlikely to know exactly which building it is. This is not the usual tourist spot.

It's a pity that the text on everything was only in Thai. We could only observe and make up stories in our minds. The first hall was the most gruesome of all. Featuring deformed preserved real babies. Photos were not allowed and guards patrol the museums but i snuck in a couple. Although the thought of baby haunting did flash across my mind, i took the risk for the sake of story telling.

Having watched too much horror movies, i did not dare press my nose against the glass to examine the subjects closely. I was half expecting their eyes to flash open at me.

Then in the next hall, was like an exhibition of Faces of Death.

I did not manage to sneak pictures as the guard probably had suspicions of me and stuck close by. There were many death pictures, literally. Mostly pictures of murder victims or accident victims, here you can see photos of children crushed by machines, suicide bombers body blown to pieces, a dead body with tire marks (steamroller probably rolled over him), a victim with a severed head (train accident) and the likes.

There were rows and rows of physical skulls, one showing how a victim's fractured skull looked like when hammered with an object, another showing a clean bullet shot in from the left but where it exits through the right, it was a hair-line crack.

It was all pretty interesting, and alot more real than graphic effects in a movie. Alas, all description was in Thai. Then, there were also jars and jars of livers, kidneys, stomachs and body parts. My mum says they look like TUR KWA (pig's liver) and makes her want to eat 猪肚 (pig's stomach).

Well, both my mum and me happen to be Scorpios. We've dark minds.

I managed to sneak another photo and this was a preserved corpse of a rape murderer sentenced to death. Next to it was another preserved corpse who died naturally. If you look closely, there is yellow pus coming out from the rape murderer but none from the good guy. I suspect the rape murderer was sentenced to death via the electric chair thus the body reaction, explaining the pus.

You can buy postcards as souvenirs, and i can see there are many other ~~sick~~ people with such interests like me. They are EVEN SOLD OUT!

While you are there, take time to explore other mini museums around. They all have NO English translations, can be rather boring but still....

They have prehistoric exhibits (basically displays lots and lots of prehistoric rocks), parasite exhibits;this was closed. I visited Tokyo's one before but there was also no English translation! :( I gave up visiting the rest when my mum complained she was bored.

Then we got "cheated" at Sam Bun Dee Seafood Restaurant, a place a taxi driver recommended. 1 curry crab (sgd 50), chill prawns (sgd 66), tom yum soup (sgd 12) and kang kong (sgd 12) with rice and 2 coconuts came up to about $200 for 2!! Way too expensive for Thailand.

We didn't think it was anything amiss because my brother who frequents Bangkok did recommend to us about Sam Bun Dee that was supposedly cheap and good. When we returned to check with him, he mentioned we went to the tourist trap with the same name!

I only had 2 full days to spend in Bangkok, despite sleeping 3 nights there (grrrrrrrr Travel Group Deal), so it was shop shop and shop.

I must say with that loot and 10 hours of walking on both days, my Crocs have served me well! My feet didn't ache one bit! Crocs may not have the best designs, but it has the best interests for our feet definitely.

I'm not quite sure why i'm uploading photos of my buys but i bet you would like to pry!

Spent both days at Platinum Mall, Thailand's largest wholesale center. The more pieces you buy from the same shop, you get the wholesale rate which could range from sgd 2-4 cheaper per piece. I bought accessories at $6-$8, most expensive at $20, watches at $14.

Shoes were $14-$16, with better designs and quality at $100.

If only i can fly like Superman.

The Truth about Advertising.

2011-12-16T23:45:00.000+08:00

Advertising takes place everywhere. The history of advertising begins out-of-home with Egyptians using thick paper as wall posters. Rock or wall painting was also common. Then it starts invading our homes with television commercials, magazines and direct mailers. We can't escape advertising anymore, even rubbish bins will be used. Needless to say, Facebook cashes in on their social networking site, touted as the third largest nation if it was a country.

Anybody can buy an ad space on Facebook and you only pay per click or impression. You can target ads according to demographics and interests, which makes it really effective and reasonable for small business and singles.

Spotted last month, an innovative singles ad caught my eye. It was actually on my friend's account and she is 22. I guess she falls into Bill's target audience as he manually sets ad parameters.

Honestly, it raised some chuckles but i must applaud Bill for his bravery and creativity. Somewhere on his page, he mentioned that this was a prank done by his friends but now his friends are jealous that he is gaining lady attention. $0.30 for each like he got, his bill is now only $16.50, cheaper than a date!

One of the first type of ads seen in Facebook, i am sure there'll be more to come. Facebook can now use Bill as a case study if he succeeds. Unfortunately, last i checked since the screen grabs taken a month earlier, his likes still stays at 55.

Speaking of advertising, i went to Orgasm Inc. One of the last few shows screening at Sinema before it closes.

Located behind The Cathay, you climb some 142 steps before arriving at Mt Sophia. By the time you reach the top, you are wheezing like an orgasm.

Quaint and shabby. Its a hidden gem location near town! Second floor is the theatre (like a elaborate home theatre), the first time i was there, i thought Sinema reminds me of Yang Tze, the Chinatown cinema that screens soft porn.

So, Orgasm Inc is a documentary about filmmaker Liz Canner who exposes medical companies who take advantage of the insecurity of women (and potentially endanger their health) in pursuit of billion dollar profits. To be honest, i haven't seen a really exciting documentary other than Animal Planet, but surely all documentaries especially those of humanity brings forth thought.

However, the highlight of the evening for me was the pre-screening FREE SEX workshop by Dr Martha Lee. It was amusing to observe the attendees, to experience how a sex workshop was conducted and to meet a sexologist in person. That career choice certainly piques interests!

The hall was pretty empty except for 11 couples, 2 of whom are Caucasians and 3 inter race (ang mohs and their spgs). There were 6 pairs of girls (including myself and friend), 3 women (Wah, so brave) and 2 men who came alone. I counted because i thought the statistics made a statement. Girls are hungry for information and not abashed to seek knowledge.

Dr Lee stepped up on stage barefooted and apologized for the lack of shoes as she was afraid of falling. I looked at my friend and raised my eyebrow. A bespectacled woman, dressed in a frumpy floral dress in a dull colour, she sat on a high stool with her shoulders hunched and she looked at the floor as she spoke. My other eyebrow raised, bewildered. I did not expect a meek woman who choose sex as a profession to portray such an image. I would expect ego larger than a watermelon and alluring confidence like a Hollywood sex pot.

I caught rather unflattering images of Dr Lee but with due respect, i don't think i should upload them. It was unanimous that we were appalled at the unveiling of a real sexologist yet was refreshing that our preconceived image was challenged.

I whispered to my girlfriend and asked if she would take a hot sexologist more seriously or a plain Jane more seriously. Without second thought, she replied "hot!" I later discoursed with my male friend and he thought that it's usually the plain Jane who is better in bed because she would be more eager to please. Although he said he'll take a hot one more seriously. But i saw a glint of cheekiness in his eye, i knew what he was thinking.

As minutes passed, Dr Lee got over her stage fright and started awkward discussions like "what's an orgasm". I suppose her forte is in intimate private consultations and thus she fails at public speaking. I expected a session packed with information and useful tips but Dr Lee took the approach of a discussion. Which i felt was inappropriate for conservative shy Singaporeans. Dr Lee then took the lead by sharing her own orgasm and experiencing her first. She felt the tingling sensation when she was 3. Her sister discovered it by accident and she set out on a race to beat her sister. Later in school, she let on that she was the ugliest girl and thus masturbated alot. My amusement just could not get any better.

The handful participants warmed up only towards the end of the session.

Dr Lee was trying to drive home a point that you are not abnormal if you do not experience a female orgasm via intercourse. This was what the medical companies were trying to hypnotize women to feel and thus deluding them that they are dysfunctional and therefore needs to be treated with pills. And the money making machine starts.

She explains that most women experience orgasm with clitoral stimulation easier and better. A men's ejaculation may not mean an orgasm. The science behind an orgasm is really dumb-founding.

She then ended the session by getting us up on our feet and doing keggel exercises. This tightens a woman's vagina and delays a man's ejaculation. She then hands out a 15% discount coupon to an adult store.

Later, it was a full house at the screening of Orgasm Inc. I suspect it's because of the Groupon offering where deal hunting Singaporeans bought the tickets without really know why they did it.

Radio DJs Shan and Roz interviewed Dr Martha Lee before, if you want to know more about her profession.

Otherwise, let me visit the little girl's room to experience my own orgasm!

Who are you calling Chicken? Take a stand. Vote!

2011-12-16T23:39:00.000+08:00

Over at Chickenland, the nation is engaged in an election campaign to hunt for Singapore's favourite Peri-Peri flavour. The contenders are Lemon & Herb, Mild, Hot and Exta Hot. A huge voting contest running from 1 Dec to 31 Jan 2012 will decide which Peri Peri flavour ranks highest among Singapore diners.

Cast your vote at any of the five Nando's outlets when you dine in.

Another designer drink.
Crimson Cola infused with sweet and punchy pomegranate that enhance Coca-Cola's caramel notes
and garnished with pop-in-mouth pomegranate pips. $4.90.

A filling dish and good to share, if you must have rice on the table as an Asian!
Cataplana, chicken strips basted in Peri Peri, peppers, ripe tomatoes on a bed of Spice Rice and trapped in a traditional copper dish waiting to be opened. Recommended! $19.90.

The above rice dish comes in the space ship looking like thing in the background.
But otherwise, Peri Peri flames my fire!

Highly recommended 1/4 chicken with 2 sidelines @ $14.90.
I can eat this again and again.

If you noticed that my pictures, the colour red is singled out by my Canon Powershot. This demonstrates the goodness of Peri Peri. My face lights up and i break out into a healthy sweat as i eat. Belonging to the chilli family, the unique blend at Nando's is a combinaion of the African Bird's Eye Chilli with special herbs, spices, lemon and a touch of garlic.

Containing a high level of Vitamin C, A and effective anti-oxidants and decongestant. It is also rumoured to be a great aphrodisiac! It's a first date location, ok third. Sets your lips on fire & then maybe melt together ;p

Take a stand, be a man. Vote online and win instant prizes that include 1,000 full chickens amongst other prizes.

At the end of the voting period, 100 lucky voters (who can each bring 2 friends) of the winning flavour will be invited to participate in a specially themed Nando's party that is guaranteed to raise the Peri-o-meter temperature even further!

Watch out for the hot chicks on the street activation too! Say Peri Peri, i vote EXTRA HOT.

Cheap Date Ideas in Singapore

2011-12-11T12:46:00.004+08:00

In Asia, it’s unusual for the man not to pay. That can be tough for students or NS men or serial daters.
Here I share my list of cheap date ideas, from $0 to $150. And why not, for a change, girls take men out on a date!

And because there is a pill for everything except conversation starters, these ideas are great for first dates to avoid awkward silence. Thease ideas, by the way are not restricted to heterosexual couples or a duo for that matter.

1) Social Painting

has been in trend lately. Despite its name, social painting is actually rather anti-social. It’s a fantastic date idea when words are few! If you aren’t too creative, do a bit of a research before the big date. You can pre-empt your date what you’ll be doing so she/he can prepare. Alternatively, prepare an image you two can paint together! That counters the fact that it is anti-social. A slight bump here and there, it’s very intimate painting in such close proximity without turning her off on a first date by intruding personal space!

You can paint him a picture and he can paint you a picture, otherwise paint individually and there’ll be plenty to discuss after over a cuppa!

I go to Arteatisque at Mandarin Gallery. Monday nights are Romantic Nights, so 2 for 1. $60 for a 3-hour session (at 3 fixed timings), with free yummy drinks each. Call to enquire: 6235 8705

2) Jurong Water Slide Public Pool

is still around, I hope. A knock-off defunct Fantasy Island and pricey Wild Wild Wet, this is a public pool with good enough water slides, a wave pool and even a lazy river in Jurong East (near Chinese Garden MRT). Just 80 cents for entry and $3 for the float, this is value-for-fun. Besides, you get to see each other's hot bods?

3) Ice Skating

is a group activity i often do in disguise of getting up close with my crush during school days. When i was young and shy, where boys should woo girls, i didn't let my crush know of my feelings. Ice-skating was a fantastic way to break the ice, pardon the pun.

My crush at 14 happened to be a better skater than i am, so he took my hand and spun me round and round. Thankfully, gloves were a must, otherwise he would have detected my sweaty palms with that pounding heart! Last year, prices have increased to $17 for 2 hours including skate rental. Bring socks and gloves on your own.

4) Cooking Steamboat

is a dining suggestion. Often, a date includes some chow. In Singapore, it's almost inevitably a movie and dinner. That's 2 hours of silence and 1 hour of conversation. If you think your date is likely to be a good conversationalist, lengthen the chow time! Even if there won't be interesting conversations, your hands will be kept busy with peeling prawns and watching food cook, there'll be no awkward silence.

Home-made steamboat.

My favourite steamboat place is The Magic of ChongQing Hot Pot ($40 per person). Much more affordable by J Pot with a wider choice of variety. It is after all a first date, so take your date to a fancier one than the ones along the street of Bugis.

Cooking steamboat together is a good gauge of seeing her domestic or submissive side (wife material). It is also a chance to see him care for the lady, making sure she is well-fed.

5) Lawrys
is also another pricer dining suggestion but it's well worth the price for its ambience and food. It is also the only experiential restaurant that i know of in Singapore. My favourite place to celebrate birthdays, you get 50% off the 2nd main, and 1 free if you dine in 3. You also get a strawberry shortcake with candle as well as 1 instant print Polaroid. Main courses start at $69.

Located in Mandarin Gallery, the ambience is cosy and a hot spot to reserve is by the windows where you look down at the street lights of Orchard.

Only 1 Polaroid is free. Pay $5 to get more.

It is an experiential restaurant because the ladies are dressed in 1950s English maid uniforms (mild role play?haha.), your meats come in a solid steel carving cart by your table and your salad comes in a spinning bowl with a mini dance. Take the beef (not steaks), that's what Lawry's famous for. A California cut is more than enough for an Asian stomach. Order the cream spinach too!

6) Farm Hopping
is a low cost date idea out of the norm but you'll need a car. Located in Lim Chu Kang, there are a host of farms to hop about. Milk goats at the goat farm, get tickled by fish at a fraction of what Kenko Fish spa charges at the fish farms and buy some organic vegetables for mum!

None that i know of charges an admission free, you just need to get a car and locate the farms yourself! Kranji Countryside Association may be of help. No car? Try car rentals!

7) Museums & Science Center
are often neglected as a date idea. This would also be an opportunity to see if there are similar interests, or at least an open mind to explore one parties' interest.With 2 new museums in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World, that's new date ideas! With Singapore promoting education, museums admission prices are relatively cheap.

8) Suntec Fairs

is never thought as a date idea. There're IT fairs, travel fairs, food fairs, health fairs and the likes often held in Suntec or Expo. A favourite past time of the older crowd because admission is mostly free, with free sampling and freebies. This is the cheapest of the cheap date ideas. Choose the fairs wisely though, IT and travel fairs are the most crowded and i doubt there'll be free sampling and freebies. Nestle's Health & You was one where the crowds got to consume free coffee, cornflakes, milo. There were also plenty of activity booths for memorable photos!

9) 3 Monkeys

an affordable show if you can't afford the Esplanade. Found in Holland Village, Kumar, my favourite local comedian do stand-up comedies every Friday and Saturday. For $25, you get a drink and a 90 minute show. A date should always have laughter. Be warned though, Kumar's humour is crass, crude and explicit. Do not bring prudes! Good to make reservations at 6469 1338.

Always plan dates (make reservations) but don’t let the other party know you planned (it sounds too eager)! I know it sounds contradictory; unfortunately that’s how the game goes! Besides, it’s nice when your date is truly sincere and shows thought without you knowing beforehand they planned.

From Zero to Hero, who says money is everything?

ChickenLand, the latest Joint.

2011-12-07T23:18:00.001+08:00

The chicken has finally landed.

I first sank my teeth into the succulent leg, breast and thigh in Australia. It was love at first bite, and I'm not from Twilight.

Before returning to Singapore for good in 2008, i made sure to buy bottles and bottles of Peri Peri, stocking up for hungry times.

In 2010, the Chicken landed in Singapore and these precious sauce is available for sale at their outlets at a whooping $5.90 only! You can use it to marinate wings for bbq, and pretty much dipping sauce for ANYTHING else (like how Singaporeans never go overseas without chilli sauce).

I used to frequently walk past this South African restaurant in Little India and i thought to myself, "it's a cuisine unheard and uncommon in Singapore. This, i got to try." Knowing my acquired taste for trying new foods and curiosity of a cat that took me to swallowing sperm, chewing on snakes, munching on witchery grubs (big fat maggots), finding no enjoyment in whale burgers (stop eating, stop whaling!) and stomaching new born baby eels.

Alas, i never did try that restaurant in Little India. It was too cold and unpopulated for my liking. I was worried that my money would go to waste. Never did i know that Nandos is also from South Africa! You can never go wrong with Nandos.

Nandos was originally Chickenland, a small Portuguese restaurant in downtown Johannesburg. Chickenland is re-created in their latest new outlet in Tampines Mall.

Curious new chicks or repeat chicks gather, hungry to taste the juicy feed. It's worth the wait, chicken feet!

Inside, warm colours and natural woods, a signature of all Nando's outlets. I must say the in-restaurant experience is so different from Australia's! In Australia, it is more of a grab-and-go outlet. Here, it's a complete dining experience.

Humans and chicken dine in harmony!

At Chickenland, humans serve chickens.

A family and large group friendly place, Nando's offers Peri generous sharing meals for a flaming good time. After all, it's more fun laughing at each other's red face when faced with the Peri Challenge! Nothing more satisfying than seeing the reaction of a Nando's virgin having his or her first Nando's experi-perience.

Hot Chicks is all about Four Play. A celebration for 4 @ $68.80.
At larger servings, celebration for 6 ($98.80) as well as 2 ($38.80) is also available.

For the health conscious, you'll be pleased to know that Nando's marinade and basting sauces are made from 100% natural ingredients. No perservatives, no added MSG and no added flavourants or colourants. Thus the Peri Peri sauce in a bottle is also suitable for vegetarians!

The chickens are also never deep-friend, never frozen with excess fat trimmed! You can also request for chicken skin to be removed. You just need to eat heartily,chicken feet! Tampines Mall's outlet sport an open kitchen, so you can spot check them to see that they are grilling yours to perfection.

Say "No" to fried chicken!

Also different from the outlets in Australia, the Singapore ones provide much more variety. Not only does the sharing meals come with chicken, salads (my favourite is the 3 bean salad), grilled corn, buttered Mediterranean rice and other dishes, they also have...

The Espetada $24.90. Tender peices of marinated chicken thighs and fresh peppers,
flame-grilled and served on a skewer, with your choice of 2 sidelines.

In case it gets too Peri hot, here're designer drinks to help.

From left to right, Citrus Bliss, a divinely refreshing beverage combining mint syrup, grapefruit juice and Sprite, coupled with fresh mint leaves.

Madeira Red, a sweet fizzy pomegranate lemondae made with Sprite and finished with a deliciously sugary rim.

And Refresh Mint, a perfect blend of mint syrup, Sprite, and fresh lime juice. All $4.90 each.

To be honest, they were too sweet for me so i am glad to know they serve tap water! All the more reason to Peri on!

Soon in a few weeks time, Katong chicks can look forward to a new outlet offering exclusive Breakfast menu and opening hours extended till 1am from Sundays to Thursdays, and till 3am on Friday and Staurday. For all the late night fowls! Special snack and beverage menu will be served during the extended hours, this i got to try.

I'm Peri addicted. Nando's, you blow my mind.

For full menu and locations, www.nandos.com.sg

Life does not Rewind

2011-12-05T22:21:00.002+08:00

Advertorial

A friend’s cousin, young, straight As, never had a boyfriend, took her life by jumping off a building. After her death, her mum kept dreaming of her returning to tell her family that she regretted the decision the moment she pushed off the ledge.

There was a sickening feeling in my gut when I heard that story. Can you imagine the thoughts racing in one’s head as you face death? Life does not Rewind.

In life, you’ve done much and accomplished many. I am a positive person and I have no regrets but deep down inside there are some nagging feelings where I wished I could turn back time, especially with relationships. Even if I am not a time traveler, at least that is no big deal if life doesn’t rewind. However, if you are addicted to drugs, it is often hard to climb out of the dark pit and it can sometimes lead to death or effects irreversible.

Picture of Meth from www.listverse.files.wordpress.com

“We first smoked meth on New Year’s Eve because we heard it was great for sex. I had to work the next day and so saved some to smoke before work in the morning. When I got home another g was waiting for me and I smoked every day but one until I finally quit three months later. For three weeks we smoked meth with little consequence, then my skin became fragile and in addition to breaking out, started to swell. I was really worried because I was constantly thirsty and drinking water, but I rarely urinated. Then my kidneys started hurting. I had lost twenty pounds in two months and my husband had lost thirty, and we’d read somewhere that rapid weight loss can cause kidney failure. I slept every three or four days for an hour or so and woke feeling rested. I was an hour late for work everyday. My husband wrecked the truck three times. One day I forgot to feed my son. Everything was either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows, no in between existed anymore. We were banned from the sauna at our apartment complex because no one else could use it. Our sweat smelled so strongly of ammonia it burned the eyes, it was caustic, and it burned our skin too. My husband and I haven’t done any drugs at all for four weeks, and things are slowly going back to normal. But I still want it. I can’t sleep tonight because I want it. I wrote this in all honesty mostly to help myself, to remind myself why I don’t want it.”

- Anonymous Testimonial from Listverse

Methamphetamine also known as “ice”, “Crystal” or “Speed” is odourless and colourless. Friends who persuade you to try drugs may tell you the feel good sensation you may experience. But they didn’t tell you it also increases heart rate and body temperature, cause fits, stroke and damage to heart, nerves, liver and kidney. There is also abnormal behavior with mood swings, confusion, delusion and hallucination. Did they also mention all drugs are addictive?

The National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) are organising an Anti-drug Online Gaming Challenge on the ‘Life Does Not Rewind’ Facebook fanpage from 05 Dec 2011 to 26 Feb 2012.

Are you able to maneuver around the obstacles in the game as you will avoid drugs in life? Play the game and I hope you will win in life. Remember, life does not rewind. For now, you can win WEEKLY prizes like iPad 2 (32 GB, 1 winner) and $150 Resorts World Vouchers (16 to be won! Can be used for Universal Studio passes!)

The game this month is Jump Jump Rescue. Submit your best score and win WEEKLY prizes like iPad 2 (32 GB, 1 winner) and $150 Resorts World Vouchers (16 to be won! Can be used for Universal Studio passes!)

Created by 3 students from ITE College West, Jump Jump Rescue shows you how Life Can’t be Rewound.

Your avatar has to advance up the sky by jumping on balloons but avoid the drugs that will disorientate or slow you down like in reality!

“About 10 years ago, I bought my third trip from a guy in my home town Norwich (UK). It was a “strawberry” and I was told it had been double dipped. The guy had a reputation for selling good acid so I happily gave him my cash. I took the single LSD tab in the late morning in a positive state of mind with no worries or anxieties. I began to come up on the acid towards lunch time. Outside it was a glorious sunny day. The LSD rush started blazing up my spin and racing through my guts, I felt a little uneasy with it but had enough mind to allow myself to just go with it and wait until the rush plateaued. I was having a wonderful time, watching floral Escher type patterns breathing over my skin. I vaguely recall deciding to go downstairs for some reason then the next thing I recall was waking up on the floor of the dining room. The first thing I noticed was that there were blowflies buzzing around a bowl of cat food on the kitchen floor. I remember feeling perplexed as to why both flies had two bright neon rings in red and blue. Somehow I navigated myself through Norwich during the busy lunchtime shoppers and began to head in the direction of the city’s central park. If you could imagine for a moment being surrounded by people in a busy place where their heads had been removed and replaced by Squids and Octopus you might begin to accurately picture the scene confronting me in the park. Everyone had tentacles smothering their faces and dangling down their necks like fleshy snake beards, even the women and children were not exempt from this disfiguration. In retrospect, it was the worse day of my entire life. It was the closest I can imagine to having full blow psychosis.”

-Anonymous Testimonial from Listverse

Picture of LSD from Tagohio.com

Don’t be fooled or naïve if someone passes you these cute blotting papers. Imprinted on cartoons or colourful designs, the tabs can either be taken orally (like eating the mint film sweet) or placed on skin areas that readily absorb the drug into the bloodstream.

I hope this post has made you aware of drug abuse. Play the games, win the prizes and live life healthily!

Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-05T21:58:00.000+08:00

The winner of AKG 350 Limited Edition purple headphones worth $159.90 picked unbiasedly using Random Generator is...MYSTERIALITE!

AKG Q350 @ $159.90

The winner for the Olay Regenerist Range. Worth about $180 in total, with Olay White Radiance Purifying Foaming Cleanser, Micro-Sculpting Cream, Micro-Sculpting Serum and Superstructure Cream is.... SHURINSHUSHU!

* I am not endorsing the Olay products i am giving away because i have not tried it before! Perhaps you may like to do some research to know if it suits you. I have heard that it is rather rich, so good for dry skin/mature ladies but don't take my word for it!

I will be dropping you an email shortly, will arrange a meet-up and pick-up in Orchard this weekend.

Movie Review: Twilight, Breaking Dawn

2011-12-05T01:32:00.004+08:00

As I watched the latest installment of Twilight, it dawned upon me that Bella, the female lead, demonstrates necrophilia and bestiality.

This is an old poster but demonstrates better.

As the latest installment Breaking Dawn speaks about how impossible made possible when Edward the vampire impregnated Bella. It got me Googling on a Sunday night if that is humanely possible, that is...if you can get pregnant with a corpse's sperm or if sperm can survive out of a host.

No, you cannot get pregnant if a man ejaculates into the bathtub and you happen to step in after him. Otherwise it will be big trouble when it's customary for Japanese families to share Ofuros, where the youngest in the family will use the hot tub after the eldest have bathed. Imagine, great grand father impregnating grand daughter?!?

You also cannot get pregnant if you swallow his sperm.

BUT there's a grieving mum who harvested her son's sperm in 2009 for a grandchild after he died in a tragic bar fight. Here's a video that summarizes succinctly.

In July 2011, the mum rejoiced to have found a surrogate mother from Mexico after paying USD 29,000. Texas law which rules over her and her son grants the next-of-kin the right to dispose of the body, which includes harvesting organs and semen is merely another tissue. While i am somewhat relieved for the grieving mother (for you can never understand her pain), ethically, it's gonna get messy.

It's already messed up enough to have a child born out of the wedlock or a child caught in a divorce, but imagine the trauma the child will get when he/she learns more about his/her origins as a replacement child. Should the child even call Marissa Evans his/her mother or grandmother?

What about teaching the young child about the birds and the bees?

Child: How did i come about?
Marissa: Well, your real mummy is from Mexico and your daddy is in Heaven. He didn't conceive you when he's alive, and your parents never had sex.

The shy school teachers are already having a hard time explaining sex, this is going to make it even harder.

Movies may be fantasies, but writers' inspirations stem from some truth. So, it's true that sperm from a corpse can be potent. Thus, the plot of Breaking Dawn.

I dived a little further, to search for the truth of a sperm's life span out of its host.

Came up Boris Becker. A famous German tennis player who allegedly accused a Russian woman of stealing his sperm after a blow job in a restaurant's linen closet.

Famous tennis player Boris Becker.

7 months down the road when Angela Ermakowa politely and sensitively faxed him a letter in code saying, " Dear Mr Becker, you will recall a promotional project we discussed in Nobu, London, on June 30, 1999. The project is quite advanced and is scheduled for launch at the end of next month. It would be really good to hear your comments and thoughts for possible participation. Perhaps you could call."

The allegations then start against Angela saying that it was merely a blowjob that night and she must have kept the sperm in her mouth before inseminating with her fingers into her vagina to impregnate herself, a possible ploy by the Russian mafia.

While the allegations are wild, sperm in fact can be inseminated using fingers or syringes from anywhere outside the vagina. Dr Steve Brody, of the Advanced Fertility Institute of San Diego says that, "when sperm is ejaculated, it's a gel-like viscous substance. Within 5-15 minutes it liquifies. This gel phase is probably a mechanism to protect the sperm cells in the initial phase of ejaculation. No one knows for sure why it comes out like this. It's only after it liquifies that it becomes mobile."

Which means that sperm can take 30 minutes to get going and that sperm in a test tube is still moving between 8 and 24 hours after a sample has been given. It has been proven to work as a paternity trap whereby a British telecom executive finds himself 67,000 pounds (child support) & 20,000 pounds (legal fees) poorer after a one night stand where the woman admits retrieving a discarded condom while he was in the shower.

Then there was Emile Frisard, who went to the courts of Louisiana, seeking for justice only to have the case ruled not in his favour. A nurse at the hospital where Emile's mother was admitted offered to give him oral sex, provided he wore a condom. Usually it's a downer to wear a rubber , especially for oral sex since pregnancy is out of the question. You'd think Emile will reject since there won't be much of a "feeling" right? Wrong. As men predictably think with their head down-south, he took up the offer.

The nurse later attempted to inseminate herself in the hospital's bathroom.

Then, there was the case in Alabama where a man was forced to pay support even though he was passed out drunk at the time of sexual intercourse. The man collapsed on a bed at a woman's house and awoke the following morning with his pants off and a woman standing in the bedroom doorway "toweling off". A witness who had been at the party testified that two months, the woman boasted that she had sex with the man while he was passed out and that it had "saved her a trip to the sperm bank".

A doctor testified that a man can achieve an erection and ejaculate even when inebriated to the point of unconsciousness.

While it seems like it is contestable with regards to who owns a man's sperm and debatable on gender equality, while the men are suing these women for the "conversion of property", the women retort back with claiming the men "surrenders any right of possession to his semen when he transferred it during voluntary sexual intercourse."

As for Boris and Angela's story, after paternity tests proving the child to be the German's, Boris gave way to a 2 million pounds settlement. With the settlement, he wants to put to rest the speculation the method of conceiving.

Russian fling Angela with Boris's love child who strikes an undeniable resemblance.

Once you shoot, it's no longer your load. When in doubt about the intentions of a girlfriend or a girl at a bar, stay celibate otherwise you may want to stick with a dozen roses. As egoistic men may say their semen is a gift, this may become a gift that keeps on taking.

That's my movie review, i hope you enjoyed reading it.

The above post is re-written after reading many sources, one of whom is written by Sam Jemielity of Playboy.com

Call me an SPG!

2011-11-30T23:49:00.002+08:00

My South African friend leaves tonight on a plane.

I remember when I wrote a post in 2009, "To Spg or not to Spg" with my musings, an anonymous reader left a comment on my tag board calling me an SPG. That supposedly derogatory term never did sting me even though I am aware of the image I portrayed, but that day it stung. To see it in print on my blog.

My brothers came to my defense on my tag board, which fueled the anonymous reader, and the comments ping pong-ed. To be honest, I don't think the comment was malicious; the reader was merely stating what he/she thought even though factually incorrect. Perhaps it's my fluent language, perhaps the party girl image I portrayed, or maybe it's the happy pictures I have with Ang Mohs!

Discounting the fact that for each happy picture with an Ang Moh, i have 100 other happy pictures with Asians.

My South African friend who is boarding the plane right this moment told me 2 nights ago,

"Christine, of my 2 years here, you were 80% responsible of my happy moments here."

Now before you associate happy moments as happy endings of a dodgy massage, our happy endings were those of savoring the best tiramisu @Shots before going separate ways.

My South African friend who is boarding the plane right this moment wrote to me yesterday,

"I always felt like you were one of the only people in Singapore who cared if I was okay."

It then dawned upon me. Damn right you are,

I AM an SPG. A Singapore Promotion Girl.

When I failed thrice at being a Singapore Airline Girl, i didn't give up my aspirations of traveling. With time management and financial planning, I could travel almost every 2 months on my own accord. My father thought it was a better idea than cleaning toilets for free travel anyway.

I am so proud to be a Singaporean, so proud of my Asian roots. I so badly wanted to represent Singapore, be an ambassador that I joined beauty pageant of sorts but i didn't win. And when my job application to the Singapore Tourism Board got rejected, I found myself projecting my aspirations on…the expatriates.

Singapore, a melting pot of culture, has seen an influx of expats on our sunny shores. Just arriving in a foreign land, 99% of them spend their weekends wasted in Attica.

It is almost inevitable for the expat to get wasted on the weekend because that seems to be the only place to meet people, the only thing to do than face the four walls at home. After all, they know no one else. I remember feeling pity for this 40+ Ang Moh buying a single movie ticket for Avatar at Cineleisure. I was this close to ask if i could join him since i was watching it any way. My friend pulled me back.

Maybe it's because I've lived in a foreign land before and I had regrets not immersing in the Australian culture truly. Or maybe it's my way of seeing Singapore through an expatriate's eyes so I'll never get bored of the little red dot. I can't deny the sly motives in my evil mind.

I believe in the Heavens in making paths cross. I befriended these expatriates either through work, friends or social events. When i do meet them and we get along (none of the sleazy douche bags) the Mother Theresa in me surfaces. I feel I have to save them from clutches of ~~Sluttica~~ Attica and show them a Singaporean good time.

First i introduce them to friends, showing them real friends are made not out of loud music but audible conversations.

To satisfy the need to party, i take them to party...in HDBs, to see how the Singaporeans live.

Next we go on a food trail of char kway tiao, xiao long bao, durians, frog porridge and the works. They all love roti prata but appalled at my favourite BLACK carrot cake. They asked where's the carrot cake and insisted I must have got the order wrong.

I showed them my school (Ben gate crashed my lecture in Ngee Ann Poly)

I even invited them to Chinese New Year family reunions. Teaching them the values of unity, showing them the Asian hospitality and perhaps cover them with a little warmth away from home.

I also showed them the local girls by making them play poker with a deck of FHM Singapore playing cards.

I am such an SPG that when the friend of my Australia girlfriend was coming to intern in Singapore, she asked if i could care for him because he cared for her when she was abroad.

It's like Paying it Forward! A good deed for a good deed.

I obliging did but enjoyed myself in the next 6 months where i rediscovered MY little red dot all over again!

He shared with me the wonderful encounters from Attica and his budget student life living in a dodgy hostel with foreign workers in the overhead bunker jerking off. He had a vibrating bed for 6 months. No need for Osim chair!

I took him to his first fashion show at Mandarin Gallery's opening and he was stoked.

Without my expatriate friends, i wouldn't have found like-minded local friends to do outrageous stuff like this

Or discover on Haji Lane that there's a little shop where you can play wii all afternoon ($5/hr)

Without them, i wouldn't have spend afternoons releasing my creative side, learning art from them who visit Louvre and sit for hours admiring Mona Lisa.

Neither would i have discovered the nook and crannies of Singapore and find where the best alcoholic coffee (Wild Honey, Mandarin Gallery) lives.

Without them who take life less serious, i wouldn't have people to play dress up with and win best dressed (whom Brent graciously rejected splitting the prize, allowing me to have all $1000 and hotel stay).

Without my expatriate friends, i wouldn't have appreciated Singapore better, i wouldn't have exchanged life stories, i wouldn't have enriched my life's experiences.

Without my expatriate friends, I definitely wouldn't have swallowed sperm.

Or ate the gigantic tuna eyeball or newly born eel.

The odd thing was i initiated all these weird stuff and merely found partners-in-crime. In all honesty, many Singaporean women hesitate befriending expatriates. They feel that they are here for fun, they fear that they're a ~~hit~~ bang-and-run. Fidelity encompasses all race and culture and my best expatriate friends have been more respectful and gentlemanly to me than any of the local ones can be.

My dear Ang Moh friends,

i admire your ability to live out of water, i thank you for making me grow through our conversations, i thank you for making me realise who i am. I love your candid approach to life, i love your take on living life to the fullest but most importantly i love you for loving me.

Eventually, they all leave. They all leave my little red dot, they all leave me. Eventually, their lust for adventures and ambitions continue. Their innate nomad nature, a new exotic destination beckons.

It's a lonely life of an International Spy. As much as i exchanged information about Singapore with you, i garnered information about France, Germany, America, England, South Africa, Japan, Italy and more.

My little red dot welcomes you back any time, so long as it doesn't get submerged or invaded. And if you don't mind drinking toilet water in time to come.

Just so you know, i'll never say......

I Stepped into the Black Circuit with JOHNNIE WALKER®

2011-11-28T23:56:00.057+08:00

JOHNNIE WALKER_®, the award-winning world’s number one Scotch whisky and global partner of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ team since 2005 adds a Brazilian twist to the Black Circuit Lounge.

I was invited to experience the ultimate VIP race party experience last weekend and it was a party to remember.

Invitees either get a Johnnie Walker keychain or dog tag chain with their smart card invite.

My routine when in KL is always to hit Mdm Kwan for the beef rendang, then foot massage along Bukit Bintang in food coma state, finishing off with haggling to death at Petaling Street (imitations galore).

This time to KL was different with Johnnie Walker. To give us an inside look into the stylish and sophisticated world of motor racing, they checked us into downtown Kuala Lumpur, Crown Regency Serviced Apartment that was a stone’s throw from event place, KL Live and right smack in the hottest street in town.

Then, they took us to Salam (you can race 24/7 I hear, open to public) for the need for speed.

Looking all cool and suave, it is actually quite tak glam underneath that helmet.

Shower caps for hygiene reasons!

Toy Camera mode on my Canon Powershot.

Formula 1 race cars run at 300km/hr, these babies go at 65km/hr, they were already enough to give me an adrenaline rush! Feeling the vibration of the car around your frame, the rattling of the seat beneath you, the wind pressing hard against your visor, it’s no wonder I tweeted immediately after:

Then there was a lot of feasting, local food, and all the better.

I love Malay food so imagine my delight when my M’sian friend took me to a hawker where I can dish all I can/like onto my plate. Only SGD5!

Jalan Alor, another popular spot for feasting. We recommend Meng Kee & its chicken fish! No,they didn’t mate a chicken and a fish. Just that the fried fish does taste a teeny bit like chicken. We spot a creative Uncle who decorated his bean curd & grass jelly stall with Pandas!

Our friend once got cheated that from afar, she walked excitedly towards the stall thinking they sell her favourite cuddly bears.

Then it was the big night, the very exclusive and highly anticipated event that saw many Ferraris arriving from Singapore..

and also Malaysians arriving in style.

Glamourous gold and stylish black, this duo came in coordinating outfits!

Unfortunately I only caught their asses.

We were to register beforehand so as to participate fully in this state-of-art brand interactive party.

Armed with our smart cards, we paint the town red!

With the roving pretty hot ambassadors, they set out to mingle with guests and offer assistance.

The first pit spot was the Journey of Taste where an ambassador taught us how to discover the powerful layered flavours of JOHNNIE WALKER_®.

Like at a perfume counter, we were taught to smell, taste and savour the woody/ spicy/ fruity notes of the drink.

The party was attended by the whos-who of M’sia and there were plenty of beautiful people. Infused with the pulsating energy and glamour of Brazil, the JOHNNIE WALKER_®Striding Man to Step Inside the Black Circuit has become a must-attend party for the stylish and sophisticated.

A global phenomena, JOHNNIE WALKER_® Black Circuit Lounge VIP race parties always delivers exclusive insider-access into the extraordinary world of motorsport and the high-flying lives of progressive Formula 1™ drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Such is proven when we were invited to try the application where one can transport one’s self into the body of an F1 racing driver.

You can also experience it yourself here! https://apps.facebook.com/stepinsidedrive/

JOHNNIE WALKER really makes everyone happy, even the bartenders!

A stellar international cast was lined-up to entertain us at the luxury event, featuring multi-platinum producer and DJ-to-the-stars Clinton Sparks from the USA, stunning Latin American DJ Von Kiss, DJ Mr. Gin from Taiwan and DJ Nikki from Malaysia. I was excited to see much acclaimed Clinton Sparks, who has produced for Lady Gaga, Akon, Pitbull, Ludacris and the Notorious B.I.G., making his debut in my books.

The crowd just went WILD.

That's an artistic wild photo. You see her arms flailing?

Like a typical Singaporean, i was stoked with the freebies.

Polaroid for keepsake!

Cutting edge technology, take a picture at the photo booth and

have it uploaded onto your Facebook wall.

Cocktails imbued with a Brazilian flavor, a Carnival atmosphere with high-octane performances and vibrant costumes, the night couldn’t get any better.

A party is not a party without memorable pictures like those from the Hangover movie.

Beam me a JOHNNIE WALKER please!

Iron man spotted!

As committed advocates of responsible drinking, JOHNNIE WALKER_® will also provide guests with complimentary mineral water when they leave the party and have ample taxis on standby to ferry guests home safely.

An undisputed unrivalled party of a kind, JOHNNIE WALKER promises to raise the bar for the next installation. I can’t wait to see how they will out-do themselves, it’ll be a challenge but I’m sure the party team will continue showing fans how to keep on walking!

After all, JOHNNIE WALKER popped my whisky cherry.

Event pictures from www.facebook.com/johnniewalkermalaysia

Join www.facebook.com/JohnnieWalkerSingapore and www.twitter.com/JohnnieWalkerSG

for party invites and event news.

Winners NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.