looks delicious

I wish someday I can cook as mouthwathering as this.




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I hate conference calls

Sumo

The changing world of sumo

The playoff between the Mongolian-born grand champion Asashoryu and Bulgarian Kotooshu on the final day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament stirred great excitement Sunday. It was Asashoryu's sixth straight Emperor's Cup victory. The deciding bout symbolized a trend that has been brightening the lackluster mood in the sumo world for some time.

The first foreign-born sumo wrestler in postwar Japan was Takamiyama. The Hawaiian, known as Jesse, came to Japan in 1964 and quickly became hugely popular. He was followed by a trickle of sumo aspirants from overseas. However, those numbers surged in the 1990s. Fifty-nine non-Japanese professional sumo wrestlers are currently active. They include 12 in makuuchi, accounting for nearly one-third of all wrestlers in the senior division.
For years, the trail blazed by Takamiyama was followed mostly by Hawaiians. But in recent years, the home countries of foreign-born wrestlers have rapidly diversified. In addition to Japan, 12 nations are now represented. They include Mongolia, South Korea and China, along with countries in the South Pacific, Europe and South America.

Globalization is changing the face of sumo. The performances by massive Hawaiian wrestlers like Konishiki, Akebono and Musashimaru were anything but delicate. But the new crop of Mongolian wrestlers, as well as those who trained in Europe, are quite different. They use a wider variety of techniques and fight with greater speed.

Their presence is stimulating Japanese wrestlers as well. A new generation of young Japanese wrestlers with unique styles is emerging, such as the 19-year-old Kisenosato, who was in line for the championship until the last day of the autumn tournament, and Toyonoshima, a 170-centimeter juryo wrestler who won 13 matches in a row in the lower division.

The internationalization of sumo has been driven by satellite TV broadcasts of tournaments overseas and constant efforts to make this traditional Japanese sport known to people around the world. More than 80 countries have joined the International Sumo Federation, an organization for amateur sumo.

But the trend toward internationalization is bound to lose steam because of a quota system that was introduced in 2002 to limit the number of foreign wrestlers at each stable to one. Almost all of the 54 stables have reached the full quota and are not accepting newcomers from abroad. The quota should be expanded if the sumo community wants to maintain a certain number of outstanding foreign sumo wrestlers over the long term. That would contribute to improving the quality of performances and to strengthening the financial standing of the business.

Skeptics say dominance of the tournaments by foreign wrestlers doesn't increase revenues. Indeed, Kokugikan is seldom filled to capacity on weekdays during a grand tournament.

This year, the annual summer Hokkaido tour was canceled, and there will be no winter tour, either. This bleak situation demands new attempts to reverse the decline in the popularity of sumo.

This summer, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai (Japan sumo association) recruited marketing professionals for the first time in an effort to boost the sales of tickets and other revenues.

No special treatment is given to foreign wrestlers. They must learn Japanese from scratch and adopt unique customs and traditions in the sumo community, including a rigid hierarchy. When a foreign wrestler who has overcome all these hardships wins a championship, he deserves to be honored with the national anthem of his country along with the Japanese anthem.

Last year, a special sumo tournament was held in February in South Korea and in June in China. The event in Beijing, the first in 31 years, was welcomed enthusiastically by local residents Kotooshu's brilliant performance in the autumn tournament was aired nationwide in Bulgaria. Sumo is now a precious diplomatic resource of Japan.

- Channel NewsAsia, 27 Sep 2005.

shopping with Mastercard

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puzzle clock

Rude Awakening

What’s a non-morning person to do when the world stubbornly refuses to conform to his particular sleep rhythms? Luckily, that’s a question a growing number of alarm clock designers have seen fit to address. And our favorite new way of rousing the unrousable has to be the Puzzle Alarm Clock (left). Created by a few (presumably late-rising) Danish jokesters, the clock is so inspired/silly you’ll nearly laugh yourself awake (unless, that is, you’re crying at its evil genius): When it’s time to make the donuts, the clock buzzes and launches the pieces of its puzzle into the air. There are only two ways to shut the damn thing off—root around your bedroom to locate the pieces and place each in its proper position, or smash it with a hammer. Brilliant...

- MEN.STYLE.COM, 21 Sep 2005.

What a fascinating clock.

Let's get dangerous

I went to search for quotes from the Darkwing Dark series and found these.

Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am Darkwing Duck."
Moliarty: "Darkwing Duck? Sounds like something I should try with eggroll."



[surrounded by a cloud of red smoke]
Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am... obviously out of my trademark blue smoke."



Darkwing Duck: [while talking to a tree that's about to attack him] "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the termite that devours your floorboards."



Negaduck: "I am the most *fiendish* terror that flaps in the darkest night. I am the skunk that pollutes your air. I am Negaduck."
[diabolical laughter]



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the batteries that are not included."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the headache in the criminal mind."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the wrong number that wakes you at 3am...."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the Terror that flaps in the night, I am the raspberry seed you can't floss out."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the fingernail that scrapes the blackboard of your soul."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the onion that stings in your eye."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am a special news bulletin that interrupts your favorite show."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the scourge that pecks at your nightmares."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the hairball that clogs your drains."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the low ratings that cancel your program."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the auditor that wants to look at your books."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the slug that slimes your Begonias."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the bubble gum that sticks in your hair."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the itch you cannot reach."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the smoke that smokes Smoked Oysters."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the jailer who throws away the key."



Darkwing Duck: "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the ten dollar service charge on all returned checks."


Negaduck: "I feel awful... stooping to such petty crimes. But you can't imagine how expensive thermonuclear warheads are these days."


Darkwing Duck: "Suck gas, evildoer."


Darkwing Duck: "Let's get considerate."


Darkwing Duck: "The jig is up, you jaded, jug-headed, jack-in-the-box."



Darkwing Duck: "Sheesh. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed."



Darkwing Duck: "Clever of me to use my spine to break my fall like that."



Launchpad: [impersonating Darkwing Duck] "Err... I am the terror that sings in the night... I am the uhh... wrong song."


[repeated line]
Megavolt: "Don't call me "Sparky"!"

Lastly, this is my favourite.

Darkwing Duck: Let's get dangerous.

secret operation

celebrities in t-shirts

Telling the world what you think: the T-shirt as message

PARIS Celebrities and citizens alike have stopped wearing their hearts on their sleeves and decided to take a more direct route to communicate to the world. Call it the mini me version of Internet blogging, the "message" T-shirt is now the hippest way to make a statement, express an emotion, or share a political view with the masses.

The writing was on the wall, or rather the T-shirt, three years ago when Winona Ryder kick-started the trend by wearing an underground "Free Winona" tee on the cover of W magazine. She was poking fun at herself and the very real possibility that she might serve time in prison for shoplifting designer goods from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store. (In the end, she was placed on probation and fined.)

The overwhelming response to that T-shirt (which is now considered "vintage") has spawned similar ones, like "Free Martha" and "Free Katie." Even this message has been turned on its head with the arrival of the "Feed Lindsay" tee - a reference to the dramatic weight loss of the Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan. It even carries an accompanying Web site (www.feedlindsay.com) where a petition urging the star to stop losing weight can be signed.

"I think the whole T-shirt craze is a way of communicating in our society that no one ever expected," says David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group, a New York-based fashion trend consulting firm. "These T-shirts turn people into statements - be it a product, lifestyle, or celebrity."

To be sure, today's T-shirts are speaking volumes. They announce everything from religious affiliation ("Jesus is My Homeboy") to favorite kids cereals ("Monstrously Delicious") or even make a public announcement ("Vote or Die").

For Chris Bick, co-owner of the hip clothing Web site fredflare.com, the "message" tees are popular "because they're so funny and can really evoke your mood at any given time. They are also really popular with celebrities. And if Jessica Simpson wears anything, it's sure to be super popular!"

There is no denying that the celebrity culture has helped the message T-shirt gain popularity. And with its cost hovering around $30, it is easier for those who want to emulate their favorite star to buy the same "My Dog Can Beat Up Paris Hilton's Dog" T-shirt that they saw Tori Spelling wearing than it would be to buy her designer handbag.

But beware these new disposable fashion statements. In hindsight something that seemed benign one week can take on a whole new interpretation the next. Case in point: Eva Longoria, one of the stars of "Desperate Housewives," has reportedly sent a personal note to Jennifer Aniston apologizing for wearing an "I'll Have Your Baby Brad" T-shirt just days after the Hollywood golden couple announced their separation. And after the latest revelations made by Aniston in a Vanity Fair cover story, maybe the T-shirt Brad Pitt wore with the word "Trash" written across the front on the couple's much photographed last vacation together becomes a more significant message than it seemed at the time.

Fraser Ross, owner of Kitson (www. Shopkitson.com), the Hollywood clothing store favored by many celebrities, came up with his own way to let the public express their opinion on the breakup of the Aniston/Pitt marriage: he made a T-shirt out of it. "Right now the 'Team Aniston' and 'Team Jolie' baseball T-shirts are very popular. 'Team Aniston' is selling 25 to 5 against 'Team Jolie'," says Ross.

Kitson is also finding it hard to keep the "Scientology School Drop Out" tee in stock, which is a direct comment on the "TomKat" romance between Tom Cruise and his soon to be third wife Katie Holmes.

But the message T-shirt has also gone corporate, with movie companies creating tees linked to their latest releases. And who better to blur the lines of personal expression and corporate commerce than Britney Spears.

The pop princess proudly wore a "I have the golden ticket" T-shirt with an arrow pointing to her pregnant belly to the Hollywood premiere of the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie. A more subversive person perhaps thought up the "House of Wax" promotional T-shirt. Its limited edition "See Paris Die" T-shirt sold out almost immediately after it hit the market to promote Paris Hilton's first Hollywood film.

Even celebrity designers are getting into the act. Sean Combs's fledgling women's line includes a T-shirt that is used prominently in its advertising campaign. The "Daddy's Rich" T-shirt, with words written in a golden scroll across the chest of spokes model Penelope Cruz, has already sold out at the Kitson store.

For Wolfe the usurping of the message T-shirt by companies hoping to cash in on the craze doesn't mean the demise of the underground T-shirt movement. "Both can coexist. The key to success is that the T-shirt be funny," says Wolfe.

Ross agrees. "For us it is important that the T-shirt be positive and funny." It was with this in mind that Ross decided to carry the "Team Selena" tee but to pass on the "I'll Be Your Nanny" one, because he thought it was in bad taste.

There is nothing worse than a T-shirt that isn't funny, especially if the butt of the joke isn't laughing. Only last year the "Save Mary Kate" tee was pulled from the market by the designer Randy & Moss when the Olsen twins threatened to sue. An offer to donate 20 percent of the profits to the National Eating Disorder Association by the company didn't dissuade the twins.

But maybe the best offense is a good defense when it comes to a celebrity's public trauma. Naomi Campbell took her cue from Ryder and, after recent reports that she had gotten into a fight with another model, took to the streets wearing a T-shirt that read "Naomi hit me" on the front while on the back were the words "and I loved it."

- International Herald Tribune, 13 Sep 2005.

the intelligent investor

We go to Starbucks every day, so I buy Starbucks stock.

- Barbra Streisand.

com'on, give me a break!

Reuters Photog Captures Bush at U.N. With 'Bathroom Break' Note

NEW YORK In what seems destined to become one of the most joked about photos of the month, a well-known Reuters photographer on Wednesday captured President George W. Bush scribbling a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a session at the United Nations. On the note is a message revolving around the need to take a "bathroom break."

The photo, which appeared on Reuters' official photo site, was quickly published all over the Web, though dismissed by some as a likely photoshop special. Others suggested that surely someone must have hacked the Reuters site. But a Reuters spokesman on Thursday told E&P the photo was legit.

"The photographer and editors on this story were looking for other angles in their coverage of this event, something that went beyond the stock pictures of talking heads that these kind of forums usually offer," explained Reuters' Stephen Naru. "This picture certainly does that."

The photo by Denver-based Rick Wilking, taken over a man's shoulder, shows an official -- identified in the caption as President Bush -- scribbling in pencil on a small white piece of paper that already contains the words: "I think I MAY NEED A BATHroom break?" It is unclear if Bush is in the process of responding to that message or wrote it himself.

The caption at the Reuters site reads:

"U.S. President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14, 2005. World leaders are exploring ways to revitalize the United Nations at a summit on Wednesday but their blueprint falls short of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's vision of freedom from want, persecution and war."

The photo can be found here.

- Editor & Publisher, 14 Sep 2005.

'what is knn and ccb?'

My highlight of the day has got to be what my colleague, K accidentally wrote to my boss.

This morning, K wanted to complain to another colleague something about boss when he was not around. However, he accidentally clicked on boss' name in our messenger and send a message to him which goes somewhat like this.

K : 'knn...why he itchy hands go and tilt the tv. ccb'

Back came a reply from boss and told K that he could tilt the TV back to the original position. Lastly. he asked K, 'what is knn and ccb?'

tissue paper

What's worse than putting the pants with a piece of tissue left inside the pocket and put to wash in the washing machine?

Yup. That's right. What's worse is to have a whole packet of tissue left inside the pocket.

I believe that's what a lot of mothers have to go through.

Someone somehow someday in my family will forget to take out the tissue from their pockets and my Mum will see a lot of clothes having 'dandruff' on it after the wash.

Yesterday, we saw the load of clothes were having shreds of tissue on the freshly washed clothes so we took some scotch-tape and help get rid of their dandruffs.

I used to be the culprit long time ago but not anymore. *Gave meself a pat on the back*. Has to be my sis or my sis' boyfriend. My Dad is off the suspect list since he still uses hankerchief.

Some time ago, I remember someone sharing about an expatriate who was quite amazed when he saw packets of tissue paper left on the tables and chairs in food centres. He assumed that it was provided for the patrons and thinking to himself that the stall owners were so thoughtful! Before he could pick up those tissue paper for use after his meal, he realised that people left it there to indicate that the tables or seats are occupied. What a bizarre culture we have over here he must have thought.

Clinton speaks

Clinton: China Must Tolerate More Dissent

BEIJING (AP) -- China will have to tolerate more dissent as its economy grows and opens up to the rest of the world, former President Clinton said Sunday.

Clinton, who is on a four-day visit to China, also said he would have raised the case of a Chinese journalist imprisoned for allegedly providing state secrets to foreigners when he spoke at a conference on Saturday but he had not been aware of the issue at the time.

Clinton delivered the keynote address at a conference hosted by Internet powerhouse Yahoo Inc.'s new Chinese partner, Alibaba.com, at the eastern resort city of Hangzhou.

The French media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said Chinese authorities convicted the journalist Shi Tao, who had written an e-mail about media restrictions, using information provided by Yahoo. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the country's vague state security laws.

The group said court papers showed Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd., part of Yahoo's global network, helped Chinese investigators trace the personal e-mail Shi sent containing his notes on the issue.

Human rights activists had sent a letter to Clinton asking that he raise Shi's case with his Chinese hosts. But at the conference on Saturday, the former president did not respond to questions from reporters about the case.

He explained this Sunday by saying he was suffering from a bad cold and "didn't know about that issue until this morning."

"I would've raised it in the speech to the Internet people had I known about it," he said after speaking at a U.S. Embassy service commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

Clinton did, however, challenge the Chinese government's polices on dissent.

"The more China grows and diversifies economically and opens up to the rest of the world, the more there will have to be some room for dissent," he said at the embassy. "I don't think conflicting information and debate weakens a society. I think it strengthens it."

He added: "In the end there'll have to be more freedom of expression here."

Shi, a former journalist for the financial publication Contemporary Business News, was seized in November at his home in the northwestern province of Shanxi.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo has defended its move, saying it is obliged to comply with Chinese laws and regulations.

Two of its biggest rivals, Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, previously have come under attack for censoring online news sites and Web logs, or blogs, featuring content that China's communist government wants to suppress in its struggle to maintain control of information in the burgeoning Internet era.

Clinton also had praise for the Chinese government, saying it did the right thing by releasing more information about its outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, after public demands flooded the Internet.

"I think that's an example of how order and debate go hand in hand because I'm not sure that it would've been handled that well if all those people hadn't rushed to the Internet and write their protests," he said.

He also said that the United States and China should "work together in years ahead" to stop terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

At the embassy ceremony, Clinton bowed his head in prayer and later placed his right hand over his heart as the American flag was raised to half-mast.

"I think it should be a cautionary tale for Americans, for Chinese, for people all across the world to remember what really caused this horrible act is that these people became gripped with the madness of believing that they were so right and the rest of us were so wrong that they could kill totally innocent people in pursuit of their political objectives," Clinton said.

Also Sunday, Clinton participated in the World Celebrity Golf 2005 charity tournament.

Earlier, Clinton met Chinese doctors selected to step up China's fight against AIDS in rural hotspots.

The doctors will go to the United States for monthlong training on how to treat the disease. China says 840,000 people in the country are HIV-positive and 80,000 have developed AIDS. The United Nations has warned that 10 million people could be infected in China by 2010 without better prevention.

"These local leaders set a standard, that everyone deserves treatment, every life is precious, and we can save many of them," Clinton said.

- AsiaOne, 11 Sep 2005

powerful

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

- Abraham Lincoln

breaking news!

Extra Extra! Breaking news! eilonwy has discovered why men die younger! Read all about it! Extra Extra!

i can change the world

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Quite a cool ad and I like the song.

stuck on me

When I came back home after an interview at a company somewhere in Paya Lebar, I shared with my Dad how I felt about the whole thing. He was watching the TV in the living room so I took the chance and talked to him about it. Can't remember when was the last time I had a proper conversation with him. Seems like eons ago.

As I was telling him about my job interviews, he advised some stuff about big companies. He mentioned that big companies are very 'stuck-up'. I was shocked. He used the word stuck-up. Blow me down! I didn't expect him to use such a word. Wow. Incredible.

It was a lovely and brief conversation with my Dad and it really made my day good no matter how lousy I felt after the interview.

Donald's hair

If I happen to be outside, I'm probably on one of my golf courses, where I protect my hair from overexposure by wearing a golf hat. It's a way to avoid the paparazzi. Plus the hat always has a big TRUMP logo on it - it's an automatic promotion.

- Donald Trump, 'Trump: How to Get Rich'.

wedding dinner @ Orchard Hotel

Last night, I enjoyed myself to the max at D and S's wedding dinner. It's the best wedding dinner I EVAR attended!!! It was also a great time catching up with friends whom we hardly keep in contact after we graduated.

The whole dinner arrangement was done in great style. The dinner was held at Orchard Hotel. The atmosphere there was great and the food was better than I expected. Of course. The hotel was one of those hotels which are highly recommended by my boss and colleagues to hold wedding banquets.

At the start of the banquet, the couple was hand in hand, strolling along the red carpet while we throw rose petals along their paths and blow soap bubbles at them. They were singing 'So Much in Love' by All-4-one while doing their stroll. What a romantic opening. Com'on friends, do this with me and go 'Aaaaawwww'.

They didn't do the conventional photo-taking with every single table in the ballroom and they only did so with certain tables, mostly immmediate families. Some candid shots are taken of the couple being 'sabo-ed by' us or asking us if we enjoy the food etc.

In the middle of the dinner, they went straight to the dance floor and did a waltz along a very nice oldies by Nat King Cole, 'I Love You for the Sentimental Reasons'. Hey, it's your cue, people. Aaaaawwwwww (You might want to add a 'So sweeeeet' behind). I felt so tempted to join them but I'm afraid I'll look more like a monkey on the dance floor.

Talking about sweet, I use my barehands to peel the prawns for fenfen while the rest of the people were struggling to tear the prawns apart with their chopsticks. Think I should get a medal or something for being so courageous and sweet.

After the dinner, I was really impressived by the planning and the programmes of the night. Feeling very satisfied and happy that I was there at their dinner.

Small but tough!

Yayyyyy!!! I finally manage to put a video on my blog!!! It feels great. Great great great great great! All thanks to rx78ntx. Yeah.

Shall put this ad that I saw on her blog.




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ain't no mountain high enough for any job interviews

Peak performance in a job interview

CLIMBING a mountain to get a job is not necessarily a metaphor for enormous odds in Japan.

In order to test an applicant's enthusiasm, one Tokyo-based online shop operator held job interviews on top of Mt Fuji, the country's highest mountain.

Fifteen out of the 21 university students who initially applied for the interviews gathered at the 5th station located at 2400m mark of the 3776m mountain on Tuesday, where they were met by Daiji Kanda, 33, the president of Image Net Co Ltd.

Mr Kanda's entourage included another company executive and six female models.

The six applicants who failed to appear may have been put off by forecasts of an approaching typhoon and the inclement weather.

At 2:00pm, with the temperature at 15C, they all set out for the summit, wearing their own mountain clothes and carrying their bags.

They also had to carry a table, two chairs and camera equipment.

At the 7th station, located at 3100m, Mr Kanda held his first lecture concerning the company and its business. Despite the rain and strong wind, all of the applicants, except one of the girls, reached the summit at 6am the next day.

Two of the male students and one of the female students fell ill while climbing to the top and were not interviewed. The one female who pulled out at the seventh station had to make the descent by herself.

On reaching the summit, the applicants' first assignment was to videotape the models.

After the filming session, with the temperature hovering between 0C and 2C, the task at hand began and Mr Kanda started interviewing the seven males and four females from 7.10am. Each interview took about 10 minutes.

"It was unfortunate that we were not able to worship the day's first and divine sunrise (due to the typhoon lashing Mt Fuji).

"But I am very happy that you have demonstrated your strong will that you wanted to join us by all means," Mr Kanda told his huddled group. A spokesman for the company, Sumiko Iwasaki, explained the purpose of the exercise as: "Our president wanted to know if students had determined to complete the climbing, and how they would be able to help each other."

"Our company does not need easygoing, lazy staff," Ms Iwasaki said. Image Net sells mostly women's clothing on the Internet.

The company has 40 staff and the lucky three or four applicants will know next week whether they have a career with the company.

They can look forward to being part ot Mr Kanda's team in April.

Image Mekcy was expected to announce the results of job interviews some time next week.

They will pick up three or four students from the 21 applicants. Successful candidates are expected to join the company in April next year.

One student from Nihon University, who completed the climb, said he applied out of curiosity.

"It sounded interesting," he said.

"But now, it is hard to express my feeling of satisfaction in a few words.

"While climbing, we received a lot of encouragement from the president and his staff," he said.

- The Courier-Mail, 27 Aug 2005.

I think this mountain top interview is crazy! But totally novel and exciting. Maybe more exciting than 'The Apprentice' I'm catching. At least they get a final panoramic view before they get fired and I hope they don't jump down the cliff after hearing that.

pan-uh-SEE-uh

panacea \pan-uh-SEE-uh\ noun
: a remedy for all ills or difficulties : cure-all

Example sentence:
Education reform is sometimes viewed as a panacea for all of society's problems.

I need a panacea for my runny nose.

This morning, I was caught in a heavy rain after I came out from the gym. It was all nice, bright and sunny while I was swimming and sun tanning at the gym. After I was all freshen up after a good shower and about to make my way back home, outside was already pouring heavily. Saw some adults and children who were swimming in the pool were taking shelter nearby. What a sudden change of weather!

Just not too long ago, it was sunny-side-up and suddenly it's pouring like mad dogs and wild cats.

Thanks. I had a church wedding to attend later on. I used a file in my bag to shelter my head as I run the to the bus-stop.

During the church wedding, my nose was acting normally until the couple exchanged vows and rings and other stuff. People might have thought I was getting emotional. Well, maybe a little. Witnessing a wedding is a great honour and blessing to me. On the other side, I drag going for wedding dinner because I think it's a big waste of time and it's going to blow a hole in my wallet.

Sometimes I can't find anything interesting to write on the couple's autograph book. Why repeat what so many people before you has written?? Cannot understand.

Before the father of the bride and the bride walks along the church aisle, a song was played. It was the cue for the both of them to come in. What amaze me was that the song was sang by the bridgegroom! Live! Alive (duh, of course)! My back was facing him and I didn't notice he was singing the song to his bride. Initially, I thought it was a song played by the CD. Very impressive I must say.

Ahhh. My nose is back to normal again.

Then again, I might need a panacea for my mind to function like normal. hah.

e-mail which cost $10 million

Morgan Stanley faces $10m fine for failing to keep e-mail - WSJ

The Securities and Exchange Commission is threatening to fine Morgan Stanley over $10 million for allegedly violating record-keeping rules by failing to retain e-mail messages, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ says the regulator could fine Morgan Stanley more than $10 million for failing to keep e-mail that may have been relevant to a number of cases brought against the bank in recent years.


The fine would be one of the biggest penalties ever paid by a brokerage for failing to retain records. In March 2004, Bank of America's securities division agreed to pay a $10 million penalty for failing to produce an e-mail exchange relating to an investigation.


According to the report, the SEC has been building its case against Morgan Stanley for some time but a final decision on a fine could take months as the two sides continue to negotiate and haggle over issues.


The WSJ says the bank met with regulators from the SEC and other agencies to discuss the matter. In January the bank was rumoured to have been told it could face a $10m fine over the matter, but at the recent meeting the SEC told Morgan Stanley executives that it has continued to uncover problems and the fine could go higher.

- Finextra, 2 Sep 2005.

will my children have their own blogs too?

I was plesantly surprised when BlogShares put up this cartoon when its server seems to be down.



So entertaining. haha. Makes me wonder if my children will have a blog too, though it's way too early to think about that. Somehow I'm starting to believe that people having their own blogs is going to be as common as people with handphones. It's so easy to get a blog.