Tactic used by publishers to get their workbooks into schools

At first glance you might thought this is an exercise book used by students in schools.

However, if you look closely, this is a Mathematics workbook. Yes, this is the latest gimmick used by local educational publishers to get their books into schools. Well, I don't think it's bad at all. In fact, this is a rather smart and creative idea. This trend which is started by a publisher has been followed by others, even big players in the market.

I supposed this trend started after the Ministry of Education announced workbook ban in the primary level particularly Year 1 to Year 3 and the limited use of one workbook per subject for Year 4 to 6.

The main objective of the workbook ban is to make lighter schoolbags for pupils. Well, these new form of 'exercise books' are way lighter than the previous thick workbooks. And how about the pricing? Would you pay RM3 or RM3.50 for it?

Reasons to cheat your spouse

Seriously I don't want to sound kaypoh (I already am)but discussing about whether your spouse is cheating on you is rather appropriate at this time.

One thing, I really do enjoy reading people's problems in Dear Thelma, Sunday Star. It's not that I am not compassionate and enjoy seeing people suffer in silence. I simply love it because it's predictable. There are too many similar problems.

For example, when a man or woman write in and started blaming their spouse for their unhappiness at the beginning of the letter, how they suffered in that marriage and how hard they try to save the marriage by the middle of the letter, they often ended with something like "recently I met a woman at the office, blah blah blah". If you are a regular reader, you'll probably agree with me.

Well, there's always a reason (or hundreds of reasons) for people to stray. And it usually, it all starts with the blaming game.

So, how to tell if your spouse is cheating on you? Go find it out yourself here. But I sincerely hope that all of us be loyal to our partner or spouse. Do include that in your new year resolution.

I've been tagged - Monthly flavours

Here's my first tagged post of the year 2008 from Sharlydia.

Rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them

2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months

3. Pick your month of birth & Highlight the traits that apply to you

4. Tag 6 of your friends

5. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

My birth month is

Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

THE MONTHLY FLAVORS, WHICH ARE YOU?

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Well, I am a true Februarian. So how about you? I rarely want to tag anyone but I think it's great to remind of yourself of your own personality at the beginning of the year in order to achieve more and be a better person this year. So I want to tag:

1. vhanded
2. flsam
3. che-cheh
4. tracy
5. keeyit
6. nearocks

Sex scandal is unforgivable?

Sex tape scandal? What a way to topple a man's political career especially in our country where moral values and family institution are our main priorities.

Shadowfox already speculated the man in the sex tape by New Year Eve. Talking about first hand news whereas all the mainstream media dare not even mention the name of the minister when I tried to catch the evening news.

Well, I don't care if this is a political war to end the minister's career. To me, Chua is a senior member in MCA and what more a Health Minister and therefore he has the responsibility to uphold the moral values in this country.

Personally, I believe he should resign from his current post. Our beloved PM should handle this scandal well and unlike Rafidah's case - keep quiet, act as if nothing happens.

Well, hopefully the police will be able to find the culprit behind this scandal soon because I seriously condemning the intrusion of someone's private life, what more someone's sex life.

UPDATED: And so Chua resigned from all his party and government posts with immediate effect. Now the focus can be totally on finding out the culprit behind the sex tape. And finally the sex tape has surfaced in the blogosphere.

One Million Star - Taiwan hottest pop culture phenomenon

Lately my sister has been so into this reality singing contest, One Million Star. It is the hottest Taiwan pop culture phenomenon in the year 2007. Currently AEC channel on Astro is showing the first season on Sunday night while the show is already in its season two.

This show is hosted by Matilda Tao with regular panel of judges which includes singers Phil Chang, Kay Huang, and Terry Lin, producers Yuen Wei Ren and Wang Wei Zhong, and image consultant Roger. The show also attracted many celebrity guest judges and performers, like Gary Chaw, S.H.E., Nicholas Teo, Kan Kan, Z-Chen Cheung, and David Huang.

The show started from a preliminary round of 100, and through months of singing challenges and elimination rounds, emerged with the top winner. Even before the show's conclusion, the final ten contestants, dubbed the Million Star Gang, had become huge stars throughout Taiwan, with a bestselling group album in the bag.

Last week, I managed to watch the show for the first time and I am lucky to be able to watch Jam Xiao perform. He is one of the guy who challenged the contestants and he is damn good. He is so good even A-Mei wants to duet with him in her new album. Check out this guy's singing because he really gives me goosebumps on this show last Sunday. And do check out his hairstyle which once upon a time looks like a lion hair (or rocker from the 80s).






Read the second part of my post here.

A New Year come full circle with donuts and other superstitious belief

Most probably the donuts will sell better today and tomorrow (particularly in the Netherland) as it is a belief that eating donuts on new year's eve will bring good fortune to those who practice it. They say the shape of the ring, which symbolizes the full circle, the year’s cycle. So head to J. Co, Big Apple or Dunkin' Donut and grab your donuts. Alternatively you can have onion rings or any ring-shaped food.

I'm not trying to be superstitious here but who doesn't want a better year ahead right? Probably you might want to practice these on New Year's Eve and New Year:

1. Eat fish for you'll swim better through the new year just like a fish.

2. At the struck of midnight, make sure you have some money in your pocket or wallet. If the New Year finds you with money in your pocket, you’ll not miss them in the year to come.

3. Just like the Chinese New Year, you might want to dress up in a new clothes.

4. Be aware at the first visitor on New Year’s Day! He or she would bring either good luck or bad luck. It is said that if the first person who visit is a tall, dark-haired man, he will bring good luck to the house or hosts (not choi san, ok).

5. Make a lot of noise by organizing fireworks and laughters. And not argument.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Welcome year 2008!