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Good days start with good friends

Source: http://apps.facebook.com/especiallyfo_ajlxly/?refsrc=bookmark&ref=appd_my_recent&fa=1

When I wake up in the morning,
You are all I see.
When I think about You and how happy You make me,
You are everything I needed.
You are everything I wanted.
I look at You and know.
From Taiwanese Serial, "Hi! My sweetheart!"



PHOTO: Good days start with good friends
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/419_large.gif?t=1294532097



PHOTO: May happiness fill your heart each day
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/322_large.gif?t=1284428794



PHOTO: May Your Day Be BeautiFul
Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it. by ☻♥ RelaXing VieW for YoU ♥☻
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs800.ash1/169065_1650816363369_1625816492_1550522_7939306_n.jpg



PHOTO: You are a true friend
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/213_large.gif?t=1278370064



PHOTO: I am here for You
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/216_large.gif?t=1278507075



PHOTO: Thank you for your friendship
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/174_large.gif?t=1277990084



PHOTO: Window to your heart
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/79_large.gif?t=1277990084



PHOTO: May your dreams come true!
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/133_large.gif?t=1277990084



PHOTO: Thank you for your friendship
http://images.freeapphosting.com/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/images/appdata/ly/especiallyfo_ajlxly/gifts/58_large.gif?t=1277990084


When the night follows the day,
Our friendship will always stay.
No matter how far you may be,
You will always be in my memory.
May God bless You!
From a Primary school's classmate, Ah Huat


Reference
Posted by sony at 23.12 0 comments
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I wish I were home for Christmas

TODAY FRIDAY DECEMBER 24, 2010, VOICES, PAGE 6
From http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20101224/2412VOC010.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101224-0000110/I-wish-I-were-home-for-Christmas
By Tabitha Wang, Budget Tai -Tai, 05:55 AM Dec 24, 2010



PHOTO: I am missing the kind of Christmas I'm used to in Singapore.
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?450&336&f=2255&img=2255_325280.jpg&h=450&w=336


Christmas has taken me by surprise this year.

We've only just put up the lights. The tree is still in a box somewhere, along with the dusty decorations, and we just can't be bothered to fish them out.

A few days ago, my husband and I realised we hadn't bought each other presents. Then he asked me: "Is there anything you really want?" and it struck me that I wasn't interested in spending money just for the sake of spending money. So we're not bothering with presents either.

Sure, I knew Christmas was coming. How can anyone ignore the tinny carols being played in the MTR stations or the huge light shows festooned over the buildings that make up Hong Kong's famous skyline?

But when there's only the two of you - with no small kids wanting to know when Santa will be coming - it's a bit difficult to work up too much enthusiasm for the season.



PHOTO: Santa’s Tree Farm and Village, 78 Pilarcitos Creek Road, Half Moon Bay, CA, 650-726-2246
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
http://cbssanfran.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/christmas-tree-farm.jpg
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/top-lists/guide-to-bay-areas-christmas-tree-farms-and-lots/.


I am missing the kind of Christmas I'm used to in Singapore.

It's strange, because Hong Kong's weather is more Christmassy than Singapore's. The temperatures have plunged, warm woollens have come out and we even had a frost warning about a week ago - just the right kind of weather for all those traditional festive activities like cuddling by a fire and drinking mulled wine.

But here I am instead, wishing I were back in sweltering (with the occasional monsoon rains) Singapore.

I want to walk down Orchard Road and enjoy the decorations, kitschy though they may be. Nothing says Christmas to me more than popping round to Ngee Ann City to enjoy the soaring tree it always has in its atrium and Robinsons for its prize-winning decor.

Then it will be off to a few malls to window-shop and grab a few cheap presents for the office's Secret Santa operations.



PHOTO: WRAP the lights around each branch. Doing this gives DEPTH to your tree. Get a long strand of MOTION CHRISTMAS LIGHTS (“run” like the lights on a marquee)
http://hohohogifts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/christmas_tree_lights.jpg
http://hohohogifts.com/christmas-tree-lights/


And of course, I miss my family and friends.

I have a lot of sympathy for those people who are stuck in airports in Europe - especially the students because, when you're penniless, hungry and far away from your loved ones, that's when being home for Christmas really means something.

This year, it's especially difficult for me to not go home as my sister-in-law is expecting the first grandchild in the family. It has been a nerve-wracking pregnancy so far and she could have done with some support from the aunt-to-be.

My mum made it worse this week by messaging: "We've put up the tree and it's full of presents. Your other brother is home from Australia so we'll be having a family lunch on Christmas Day. Pity you're not here to roast the turkey."

She's definitely missing my cooking as, though she is a chef par excellence in nyonya and Chinese food, I make the Western stuff in the family.





So I am needed back home... but not in Hong Kong where hardly anyone knows I exist. We have made some friends here, especially since moving to a small town of no more than 5,000 people a few months ago.



But it's not the same.

We are not close enough to anyone to be invited for their Christmas party. Besides, many of the expats have started on their snow-delayed flights back home, so the crowd is thin on the ground.

Plus, our regular restaurants have jacked up the prices to ridiculous levels to take advantage of the season.

One, a Japanese restaurant selling HK$50 ($8.40) set lunches has put up its Christmas menu at HK$400 per person.

So I guess it will be a quiet Christmas for us - again. I'll make my usual pumpkin and chestnut soup, a nice roast, Yorkshire pudding and possibly a trifle, and we'll watch our traditional Christmas movie, Love Actually.

I admit I have been feeling a bit Grinch-like and blue about the whole not-being-home-for-Christmas thing.

Then yesterday, I saw something that made me feel a teensy bit warmer. A man threw some money into a beggar's bowl then, instead of simply walking away, stooped down and squeezed his shoulder.

The beggar smiled, the man smiled. And I went away thinking there may still be some love left on Christmas after all.
By Tabitha Wang, Budget Tai -Tai, 05:55 AM Dec 24, 2010

Tabitha Wang wishes all her readers a Christmas full of love, joy and lots of roast turkey.



PHOTO: Handpicked Christmas Greetings for Christmas 2010
Christmas, is time for festivity, celebrations, gifts-giving, games and Christmas greetings. Traditionally, we sent each other the Christmas greeting cards, which are still very popular now. But as the high prevalence of cell phone, more and more young people are likely to send SMS Christmas greetings instead of presenting Christmas cards. It is one of trendy Christmas ideas to send Christmas wishes via mobile phone.

Here are several examples for Christmas greetings.
  • May the joy and warmth of Christmas fill your home with happiness.
  • May peace and love be your gift at Christmas and always!
  • Wishing you the peace, joy and happiness of Christmas!
  • Merry Christmas!
  • Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
  • Best wishes on this holiday season.
  • Wishing you and yours a merry Christmas this holiday season.
  • We wish you a merry Christmas.
  • Wishing you a beautiful holiday season.
  • Happy holidays!
  • Wish you health and happiness in the year to come.
  • Season’s greetings.
  • Wishing you a white Christmas.
  • Noel!
  • May peace, happiness and good fortune be with you always.
  • Have you been naughty or nice this year?
  • Don’t forget to hang up the sock!
  • We’ve had a rather uneventful year!
  • May the holidays fill your heart with happiness.

Christmas greetings to parents:
  • Mom and Dad: Thank you for everything this holiday season!
  • I’ll be home to enjoy this Christmas with you.
  • A present from me is on the way. Hope you’ll like it.
  • I wish I were home for the holidays.
  • Thinking of you at Christmas time.


♥ The song of the angels,
 The joy of that night,
May it shine round your hearthside,
And make your paths bright. Merry Christmas!

♥Give deeply,
Give freely,
Think kindly,
act gently,
and be at peace with the world…

This is the spirit of Christmas.
At the same with the Christmas gifts, Christmas greeting is also a traditional Christmas celebration in the season. So no matter you send your Christmas wishes by exquisite Christmas cards or you deliver your greetings by mobile phone, the recipients will be pleased and cheered by the thoughts and care you want to convey.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5043761252_91a686fa2f.jpg
http://www.ideas4christmas.com/tag/christmas-wishes/



Reference
Posted by sony at 07.49 0 comments
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I am obese but ...

Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101112-0000117/I-am-obese-but-,,,
Letter from Yeo Shuan Chee, 05:55 AM Nov 12, 2010



PHOTO: We are simply not perfect! I may find myself remaining single for the rest of my life but that does not mean I will not be able to contribute towards the progress of the nation.
http://www.doverpost.com/archive/x1549044762/g12c0000000000000008164648715ab08b6d313207166eced2729e1c9d5.jpg


I REFER to the letter "Penalise the fat of the land" by Liew Kai Khiun (Nov 11).

I have been obese since the time I understood what the word meant and am still so. But that did not deter me from completing my National Service cycle and being gainfully employed at the moment.

It is not that one is resigned to accepting or celebrating obesity as a normal aspect of life but some people are just born the way they are - we are simply not perfect! Even when I was hospitalised due to a wound and was on drips for a week, my weight still did not fall below 80kg.

The last time I took medical leave was about four years ago. In contrast, my lanky colleague sees a doctor almost every month or two. So what is the writer trying to prove?

I go for my half-yearly medical check-ups at the polyclinic and, for the past few years, my blood and heart results have been good, according to my doctor. My mobility is not hampered in any way and my only issue with my size is when it comes to buying clothes - though that has helped me save lots of money.

It has been proven that tobacco and excessive alcohol are not good for health. I agree that such things should be taxed heavily to prevent abuse - but food consumption?

I also find it preposterous that the writer can even suggest discrimination of citizens and their rights and privileges based on weight and size.

So, what am I missing here? Perhaps, in the superficial world, I may find myself remaining single for the rest of my life but that does not mean I will not be able to contribute towards the progress of the nation.
Letter from Yeo Shuan Chee, 05:55 AM Nov 12, 2010



PHOTO: Love your body, through thick and thin. Whether you are thin, fat, white, black, or green, if you build your self-esteem and accept yourself just as you are, you will naturally make healthier life and food choices. So, love your body, treat it well, and work on yourself before you work on your abs. For when you love yourself, we know you will lead a happier, healthier and fuller life.
From: Why Being Fat Is–and Isn’t–all That Why is overt discrimination and prejudice towards fat and obese people still accepted in our country?
http://www.curiousartist.com/wp-images/richard-wilkinson.jpg
http://www.adiosbarbie.com/why-being-fat-is-and-isnt-all-that/


Quote:
Source Website: http://www.adiosbarbie.com/why-being-fat-is-and-isnt-all-that/

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
--Kahlil Gibran

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
--Confucious

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.
--Sir Francis Bacon

Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't matter.
--Unknown

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense.
--Henry Miller

Change the self-consciousness of a spotlight on the body for the self-confidence of a light radiating from the body.
--Gloria Steinem

Women need to celebrate their God-given beauty instead of always trying to be something else.
--Iman

No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
--Oscar Wilde

Beauty comes in all sizes, not just size 5.
--Roseanne

Joy is the best makeup.
--Anne Lamott

We do not see the world as it is; we see the world as we are.
--Anais Nin

There were times when I hated my nose...But you grow up and you start to recognize that maybe it wasn't a bad thing that you weren't born Barbie.
--Anjelica Huston

just want to open a dialogue...where we can define our own beauty and approve of ourselves. We have to approve of ourselves before anyone else will.
--Iman

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
--Rumi

Bras, panties, bathing suits, and other stereotypical gear are visual reminders of a commercial, idealized feminine image that our real and diverse female bodies can't possibly fit.
--Gloria Steinem



Reference
Posted by sony at 03.41 0 comments
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Penalise the fat of the land

Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101111-0000059/Penalise-the-fat-of-the-land
Letter from Liew Kai Khiun, 05:55 AM Nov 11, 2010



PHOTO: Big future ... Health Promotion Board's (HPB) estimates 1 in 10 obese in Singapore
http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2010/04/16/1330471/fat_woman_420-420x0.jpg


THE alarming revelation by the Health Promotion Board's (HPB) estimates of obesity in one in 10 Singaporeans should serve as a wake-up call over the beginnings of a serious problem that has plagued many First World nations.

In the United States, obesity has cost the country billions in medical bills annually, with an obese person incurring US$1,500 ($1,930) - 41 per cent more than the average non-obese person - a year.

This problem permeates all aspects of life. According to a Washington Post commentary written by two former chairs of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff this April, the US military has to reject 70 per cent of its applicants due to poor fitness levels associated with obesity. "Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military," they wrote.

In recent years, I have observed Singaporeans becoming increasingly health conscious, with greater rates of participations in sports and wellness programmes and a move towards a diet with more vegetables, less oil.

Even our national leaders are weighing in, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month advising Singaporeans to resist from drinking the tasty but fattening gravy in laksa and satay.

With well-lit, safe park connectors and affordable sports facilities in community centres and sports complexes, it is also more conducive for residents to exercise at any hour of the day.

However, more needs to be done to arrest the problem.

Although the HPB has made commendable efforts to raise public awareness of the benefits of healthy living, I feel the educational programmes should be complemented with a system of cold disincentives on food consumption, similar to the heavy taxes levied on tobacco and alcohol.

This could come in the form of a "health tax" to discourage the consumption of unhealthy foods. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in March, researchers estimated that an 18-per-cent increase in the price of junk foods such as soft drinks and pizzas will lead to a corresponding cut of about 56 calories per day, 2kg per year. The revenue earned can in turn be used to subsidise nutritious food like vegetables.

Other possible deterrents include reducing educational subsidies to parents of obese students; curtailing bonuses of obese workers in the civil service; and lowering medical financial assistance afforded to obese patients.

Currently, similar practices are in place in the Singapore Armed Forces, with obese National Servicemen required to undertake additional training. It has also recently linked the continued employment of regular servicemen with their weight and fitness levels.

To complement the system of shame and disincentives, the Government should implement incentives to reward Singaporeans for making the effort to lose weight, such as tax reductions and CPF top-ups.

Regardless of the specifics, it is essential Singapore comes up with a concerted national campaign against fat. We should not be resigned into accepting - or even celebrating - obesity as a normal aspect of life.
Letter from Liew Kai Khiun, 05:55 AM Nov 11, 2010



PHOTO: Should Fat People Pay More for Health Insurance?
Should they pay higher taxes?
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/07/23/fat-overweight-512_370x278.jpg
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20011462-10391704.html



Reference
Posted by sony at 03.13 0 comments
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Everyone’s special in his own way

MY PAPER TUESDAY AUGUST 24, 2010, PAGE A16, VIEWPOINTS
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya240810cnd_opf_files/mya240810cnd.js&ver=Gen
By GEOFF TAN, myp@sph.com.sg



PHOTO: http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u522/free%20from%20depression.jpg
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prescriptions-life/200910/is-depression-contagious-how-i-caught-it-and-cured-it



PHOTO: GEOFF TAN
The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.
MY PAPER TUESDAY AUGUST 24, 2010, PAGE A16, VIEWPOINTS


I recently heard of a few cases of people suffering depression because they felt lousy about themselves, some to the extent of contemplating drastic measures, like suicide.

This has impelled me to share my thoughts on the topic of self-esteem.

In a country as affluent as Singapore, where the rich are fast getting richer while the poor find it a struggle to keep pace, the aspect of self-worth or self-esteem features as an important element that needs to be addressed across any individual’s scope of reference.



PHOTO: http://www.chopra.com/files/images/hands.jpg


Someone once wrote that self-esteem is about how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It’s about how you look at yourself and how you feel about the things you have accomplished.

Many people get the wrong impression that self-esteem is all about how great you feel about yourself and visibly demonstrating your confidence and ability, sometimes to the extent of coming across as being boastful.

To me, self-esteem is akin to quietly knowing that you are worth a lot, regardless of race, wealth, intelligence or station in life. It’s all about recognising that you are blessed, talented and “priceless”!



PHOTO: http://www.alissaferullophotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Bailey5.jpg
http://www.alissaferullophotography.com/blog/


This brings to mind Master-Card’s “Priceless” advertising proposition.

Dr Jim Farrell, a professor ofhistory and director of American Studies at Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, has commented that “MasterCard’s ‘Priceless’ ads are obviously designed to respond to the American public’s worry that everything is being commodified, and that we’re becoming too materialistic”.

“So the ads emphasise the things money can’t buy, the intangibles that make the good life really good.”

You need neither money nor a high position to know that you are worthy of being loved and accepted.

Stop for a moment and you will realise that nobody in the entire world is perfect, and that having a positive self-esteem does not stem from material things but from a perception that is within yourself.



PHOTO: http://www.bonnieeverett-hawkes.com/images/iamsp.jpg


I stumbled upon a story recently about a well-known speaker who started his seminar by holding up a $500 note. In the room of 200 people, he asked: “Who would like this $500 note?” Hands started going up.

He said: “I am going to give this note to one of you but first let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked: “Who still wants it?” Still, the hands went up in the air.

“Well, what if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked up the dirty and crumpled note and asked: “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands shot up.

The valuable lesson this speaker was trying to inculcate in his audience had to do with “value”. No matter what he did to the money, the people still wanted the note because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $500.



PHOTO: http://www.airsprungbeds.co.uk/images/bed-of-roses.jpg
http://www.airsprungbeds.co.uk/


Friends, I’m sure you realise that life never promises to be a bed of roses. All of us go through ups and downs, with more downs than ups sometimes.

Yes, there are occasions we are made to feel like the $500 note – dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt, to the extent that we feel as though we are worthless.

We live through situations that come by us and we make decisions to the best of our ability. But things don’t always end up the way we want them to be.


PHOTO: http://eternalexpressions.net/images/Special%20Fruit%20Basket.jpg


But, regardless of what transpires or what will transpire in the future, you need to remember that you – just like the note – will never lose your value. All of us are special in our own right.

Someone once said: “Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams.”



PHOTO: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/kbaumle/Garden%202008/garden_7_18_08_f.jpg
http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/2009/01/island-girl-and-her-plants.html


So lift your head high and recognise that “value has a value only if its value is valued”!
By GEOFF TAN, myp@sph.com.sg

The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.



PHOTO: http://www.wan-press.org/advertising2009/images/upload/Geoff_Tan.jpg



HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn
Self-esteem: 自尊心 - zì zūn xīn
Boastful: 自夸的 - zì kuā de
Crumple: 农皱 - nòng zhòu
A bed of roses: 养尊处优 - yǎng zūn chǔ yōu



Reference
Posted by sony at 11.13 0 comments
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