A little help from my friends

I did a search on Google. And was exposed to a rather sexist fact of life.

There aren't many guides for women in picking guys up. In fact, the search generated more hits on picking girls up.

This means something. Alot. Means alot about somethings.
Firstly, that girls don't need a guide to pick guys up, there just need to do the following:

• Show skin
• Look pretty
• Be alone
• Show more skin

Girls have it easy, a guide is redundant.

Secondly, girls are selfish and don't wish to share tips. Unlike guys who brag and boast of their hitlist and super secret sure-fire tip, girls prefer to just keep the good stuff to themselves. Maybe it's just the social stigma that sticks to girls who pick guys up. Guys who are successful in picking up gals: stud. Gals who are successful in picking guys up: slut.

Thirdly, there is

But seriously, times have changed. There is a need for a Guide to Picking Up Guys. There is so much skin being bared these days, so it's no longer as effective. Men are no longer the simple tools users like Cro-Magnons or worse, the simplistic Neanderthals. With the rise of the ubersexuals taking the place of the Renaissance Man, Hippy Guru, Marlboro Man and more recently, the pre-millennium Sensitive New Age Guy and the early 21st Century Metrosexuals, guys are no longer the basic sex-hungry, porn-crazy and skirt-chasing simple joes.



Introducing the "lost" copy of the guide to picking up guys!

Was at Velvet last night when I was approached by this girl. But in the end, I didn't want to exchange numbers because, she obviously need a book like the above. Or maybe I'm just the wrong guy. I don't really know what to do when approached....

So I smsed V about it. Telling her I was just picked up by a banker. So she said that was fantastic cause cause a banker is richer than her. Ok, I must admit I did tell V I wanted a sugar mommy. V probably can't afford to keep me as her toy boy. Yet.

Then after a number of really funny SMSs, she said I've become a popular lonely guy for women to pick up at clubs. And that Italian guys like Asian gals. "No doubt".

I don't think I will put fill the rest of the details in as yet. Until sometime later...

City Of Glass

I finally watched City Of Glass last night. Starring Leon Lai and Shu Qi. New performer then, Daniel Wu (V must have watch this before) and Nicola Cheung supported.
It was shown on TCS 8 after 1998's A True Mob Story with Andy Lau, Gigi Leung and Suki Kwan.
Both were fantastic shows at that time. But I only managed to catch them now. I remember watching A True Mob Story at the ending. Because I didn't expect it then. So it was the only memorable scene for me. But that's not cause the movie wasn't any good. It's just not memorable.
But I have never caught City Of Glass. Those who have, well, you will know the story. Boy meets girl, falls in love. Boy goes overseas, drifted apart, met up again 20 years on, both married with a kid, rekindle love flame, secret affair, accident in London, respective kids claim bodies, piece back the love story of that their parents shared along the way fall in love as well. Ah sweet. Oh, there is the added bonus of including the major political events of the time in Hong Kong eg. Diaoyutai claims by Japan, 1997 handover of Hong Kong.

The movie featured Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Which is a song that I always wanted to figure out.

A Whiter Shade Of Pale
We skipped the light fandango.
And turned cartwheels across the floor
I was feeling kind of sea sick,
but the crowd called out for more.
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away.
When we called out for another drink,
the waiter brought a tray.
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale.
That her face at first just ghostly
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, "There is no reason,
and the truth is pain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be.
One of sixteen vestal vergins
who were leaving for the coast.
And although my eyes were open,
They might just have well been closed.
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale.
That her face at first just ghostly
turned a whiter shade of pale.
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale.
That her face at first just ghostly
turned a whiter shade of pale.

3M - Innovation, to the eye of the beholder.

3M is a revolutionary company. The company, started in 1902 in Minnesota, USA was then known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. It's such an innovative company as evidenced by the many unique products that have made our lives so much easier to live. Post-It, Scotch-Tape, Scotch-Brite and Thinsulate, all by them.

Command Adhesive is this temporary hook that utilises a strong sticky take that will stick to your wall and the largest hook in this range can hold up to 3.4 kilos. It is such a popular product that it has its own website on how to use and new products are constantly introduced. They've recently released a new line of Command Adhesive hooks. They are called Sweetie Hooks.

They look real cool. Like the cat series.




So sweet. Baby blue and baby pink.

For those with ailurophobia or just not feline friendly, there's the happy bear and grouchy frog.


What's that you say? The Sweetie Hooks require an NC16 rating?

Why? The yellow teddy seems proud of what he is using to hang your towels, keys and other knick-knacks. In fact, with his out-stretched arms, he seems to welcome anyone to hang anything.

Hmmmm...green frog on the other hand, grouchy, perhaps no princess was willing to kiss his hook so that he can turn into a handsome prince. Or perhaps he cannot really take the weight of things hanging on his hook.

The danger of Mission Command - another boring entry

It's report in Reuters that an Army Colonel will be charged in the Abu Ghraib scandal. It's the scandal involving Private First Class Lynndie England, who has since been found guilty. If you've not seen the various pictures associated with the scandal, well, you're probably not interested in this entry.

It's well-known, amongst the interested, that no high-ranking officers were implicated in the scandal. Lots of noise here and there, demanding that the punishment should be meted to those higher up in the hierarchy. well, now a Lt. Col is being charged.

There is this military term called "Mission Command" which forms the backbone of both the US and British Armed Forces. What "Mission Command" entails, which is captured in both armed forces' doctrine include (drawn from here) :

A philosophy of command that has three enduring tenets:

1. timely decision making
2. the importance of understanding a superior commander’s intention, and
3. a clear responsibility to fulfil that intention

In order to achieve these aims, decentralised command, freedom and speed of action, and initiative is very much favoured. Enabling the achievement of these aims, a Commander give his orders in a manner that ensures his subordinates understand his intentions, their own missions and the context of those missions. Subordinates are told what effect they are to achieve and the reason why it needs to be achieved. Subordinates are allocated the appropriate resources to carry out their missions. A Commander uses a minimum of control measures so as not to limit unnecessarily the freedom of action of his subordinates. Subordinates then decide within their delegated freedom of action how best to achieve their missions.

The doctrine of "Mission Command" requires delegation of authority and the freedom to carry out actions consistent with the intent of the Commander. As a philosophy, "Mission Command attempts to maximise human creativity, initiative and diligence.

Well, is Abu Ghraib an extreme example of "Mission Command" and the application of the doctrine with the overarching philosophy of understanding and fulfilling intentions of Commanders in a speedy, efficient and responsible manner? Or is the maltreatment of detainees (not prisoners of war) an expected outcome that is tacitly accepted? Is "Mission Command", as espoused by Lord Nelson, only practicable when soldiers and sailors (no airmen then) were right honourable gentlemen (arguable).

Local Politics

I mean "local" as in within the locale, erm, as in within a constituency. Not "local" as in within Singapore.

And that is the state of politics in Singapore. The General Elections that happen every few years since I can remember always provided a stage for issues like "supporting the effort in reconstruction of Iraq", "extending compulsory education to Secondary education", "privatising retirement funds" or "managing rising medical costs".

But it almost always ends up as a political fight promising things like upgrading of estates so that they don't lose out and look like a relic from the 1950s, covered walkways, universal access for the handicapped/disabled, ramps, lifts stopping on every floor, fresh coat of paint, gardens, brightly lit walkways, the list goes on.

However much the local (Singapore) political scene tries to lift itself up, there is always a dearth of one important factor: quality opposition.

There is so much talk about First World this and Third World that. Well, I believe that MM Lee is definitely right that the government is First World. I am judging from the way the adminstration runs, how the public hospitals are managed, how the public transport works, how the education system is effective in making citizens literate, I stop myself from using the word "educated". To have a high literacy rate isn't much to short about. Vietnam is about the same as Singapore. We are world-renowned for having super maths and science standards. We have no Nobel prize winners but a higher percentage of us know the answer to 7 x 8 than the rest of the world. So the government and how the country is run, that's pretty much First World. But why use such lousy terms to describe the government and opposition?

Opposition, Third World? I suppose it's unfair to say that. You can really say they are Second World because First World and Third World, when they were first coined was to describe developed and undeveloped countries respectively. First World - capitalist, industrial developed, western. Third World - poverty, developing (varying degrees of success), dependence.

Second World is the industrial-communist bloc. Then USSR, China...The term is a little archaic now. So, no, can't describe the Opposition as Second World.

The local government, well, certainly runs like a well-oiled machine. Much credit to the ruling party behind it. The opposition, well, needs to tighten a number of nuts, replace worn-out chains and ball-bearings and run the machine consistently, not a start-stop wind-up toy.

If we take Third World to mean a lower standard instead of a different standard and if the state of Opposition is Third World, well, the competition is fought on Third World issues constantly then.

But that's what electioneering is about. Issues fought on are limited to those that matters immediately when the competition is sparse and we are comfortable. We don't have to move to issues like whether or not we should continue to wage a war in someone else's land, we don't throw chairs in parliament while screaming hokkien profanities about whether or not to maintain status quo with neighbours across the straits.

It's credit to the ruling party as well, in a sense, that the competition remains sparse and issues about covered walkways and a fresh coat of paint thrives.

'What does that tells us? All politics are in the end local isn't it? You got to deal with local issues,'