There is such a thing as an annual Bad Sex award, given out by Britain's Literary Review for "bad sex in writing" and this year's prize went to Paris-based Canadian writer Nancy Huston (JK Rowlings was in the running, it seems, but she lost out). Here's the Guardian's story which includes a link to an extract from Huston's "prize-winning" work:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/dec/04/bad-sex-award-nancy-huston
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sympathy vs empathy; introspection vs outrospection.
The recent drama over the Chinese-nationality bus drivers who staged an illegal strike -- and the response of Singaporeans towards their action -- made me think about people's ability to be sympathetic or empathetic.
But what is sympathy and what is empathy?
This site explains, in simple language, the difference. It includes a helpful video:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Empathy_vs_Sympathy
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Having understood what empathy really is, we should find this RSA video that discusses a newly coined term. "outrospection" (as opposed to "introspection") an interesting discourse:
http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-the-six-habits-of-highly-empathic-people
But what is sympathy and what is empathy?
This site explains, in simple language, the difference. It includes a helpful video:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Empathy_vs_Sympathy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having understood what empathy really is, we should find this RSA video that discusses a newly coined term. "outrospection" (as opposed to "introspection") an interesting discourse:
http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-the-six-habits-of-highly-empathic-people
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Pics from across the Causeway...
Our Malaysian neighbours, I always say, have a better sense of humour than us. Here are some pictures -- seen from a Malaysian funnybone perspective:
Angry Birds pau!
Belting up, even in the netherworld of deities.
Aiyoh, cop with kopi licence? Book him!
Okay, this house has a lot of women... but do they go about braless?
This is what laid-back really means!
Malaysia boleh! (Just try this in Singapore, and see what will happen!)
Same motor-bike? Or fuel-saving technology, Malaysian-style?
Call of the wild! That's all, folks.
Angry Birds pau!
Belting up, even in the netherworld of deities.
Aiyoh, cop with kopi licence? Book him!
Okay, this house has a lot of women... but do they go about braless?
This is what laid-back really means!
Malaysia boleh! (Just try this in Singapore, and see what will happen!)
Same motor-bike? Or fuel-saving technology, Malaysian-style?
Call of the wild! That's all, folks.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Grandmas just wanna have fun!
This video is just a warm-up. The title of the clip is "Anti-boredom Campaign -- Funny Grandma Driving" (Caveat: Grandmas out there, please don't try this!)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHeHiCtdH9M
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And now for the main event; a very funny joke:
Grandma Still Drives
Grandma is eighty-eight years old and still drives her own car, an open-top convertible. This is a letter she recently penned to a loved one:
Dear Grand-daughter,
The other day I went up to our local Christian book store and saw a "Honk if
you love Jesus" bumper sticker.
I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a
thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting.
So, I purchased the sticker and put it on my car's rear bumper.
Boy, am I glad I did; it was such an uplifting experience thereafter.
You see, I stopped at the red light at a busy intersection, and was just lost in thought
about the Lord and how good he is.
Then, someone honked. The driver behind me must have seen my car's bumper sticker! In fact, I was about to find out that lots of people love Jesus!
The guy behind then started honking like crazy, and he even leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of God!"
"Go! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, GO!"
What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!
Then, everyone started honking!
I just leaned out and started waving and smiling at all those loving people.
I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!
There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him
yelling something about a sunny beach.
I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up
in the air.
I asked my young teenage grandson (your cousin), who was in the back seat, what that meant.
He grinned and said it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.
Well, I have never met anyone from Hawaii , so I leaned out and gave him the good luck sign right back.
My grandson burst out laughing.
Why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!!
A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they
got out of their cars and started walking towards me.
I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I
noticed the lights had already changed to green.
So, I waved at all my brothers and sisters, and drove on through the intersection.
I noticed too that I was the only car that got through the intersection before
the lights changed to red again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after
all the love we had shared.
So I slowed the car down, leaned out and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!!
Will write again soon,
Love, Grandma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHeHiCtdH9M
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And now for the main event; a very funny joke:
Grandma Still Drives
Grandma is eighty-eight years old and still drives her own car, an open-top convertible. This is a letter she recently penned to a loved one:
Dear Grand-daughter,
The other day I went up to our local Christian book store and saw a "Honk if
you love Jesus" bumper sticker.
I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a
thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting.
So, I purchased the sticker and put it on my car's rear bumper.
Boy, am I glad I did; it was such an uplifting experience thereafter.
You see, I stopped at the red light at a busy intersection, and was just lost in thought
about the Lord and how good he is.
Then, someone honked. The driver behind me must have seen my car's bumper sticker! In fact, I was about to find out that lots of people love Jesus!
The guy behind then started honking like crazy, and he even leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of God!"
"Go! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, GO!"
What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!
Then, everyone started honking!
I just leaned out and started waving and smiling at all those loving people.
I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!
There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him
yelling something about a sunny beach.
I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up
in the air.
I asked my young teenage grandson (your cousin), who was in the back seat, what that meant.
He grinned and said it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.
Well, I have never met anyone from Hawaii , so I leaned out and gave him the good luck sign right back.
My grandson burst out laughing.
Why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!!
A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they
got out of their cars and started walking towards me.
I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I
noticed the lights had already changed to green.
So, I waved at all my brothers and sisters, and drove on through the intersection.
I noticed too that I was the only car that got through the intersection before
the lights changed to red again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after
all the love we had shared.
So I slowed the car down, leaned out and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!!
Will write again soon,
Love, Grandma
Monday, December 3, 2012
Keeping the in-laws from becoming the out-laws!
I have noted time and again here that there are studies for everything and anything. This one below, reported in the Wall Street Journal, is intriguing:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323713104578137222992767676.html
The Power of the Son-in-Law
Gangnam Style fever has hit Perth, Australia. But it was short-lived...
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/plug-pulled-on-perths-gangnam-style-christmas-lights/story-fndo486p-1226528962512
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323713104578137222992767676.html
The Power of the Son-in-Law
Research Shows That Charming Your Wife's Parents Helps Make a Marriage Last
Here's the report's concluding paragraphs:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Want to improve in-law relations in your family? Here are some tips...
If you are a parent of a daughter, be open to bonding with your son-in-law. You are probably from different generations and backgrounds, but you can still find common ground. It will make your daughter happy to see this man is a cherished member of her family. Be practical, though. A father- and son-in-law will rarely be as tightknit as a father and son.
Parents of a son, tread carefully. Your daughter-in-law is probably more sensitive to meddling than a son-in-law would be. She may perceive interference when none was intended. Or maybe you were intruding a bit.
If you are a wife, be aware of the need to maintain boundaries with your in-laws—especially when sharing details about your marriage, parenting decisions or personal issues. Reassure your in-laws that you want a close and loving relationship, but learn to say no. If conflict arises, ask your husband for help settling it.
If you are a husband, treat your in-laws as special and important. Remember that when you care for them, your wife feels you are caring for her.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Gangnam Style fever has hit Perth, Australia. But it was short-lived...
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/plug-pulled-on-perths-gangnam-style-christmas-lights/story-fndo486p-1226528962512
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Creative, not so creative, and a PSY-kick moment...
With the Christmas festive season all but here already, the Traffic Police have been pretty creative with some of their latest "if you drink, don't drive" ads. I like this one:
I wonder if the copy writer drew his or her inspiration from this well-known Biblical verse said by Jesus:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, New International Version, 1984).
One version substitutes "happy" for "blessed":
"Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called sons of God." (Young's Literal Translation).
--------------------------------------------------------------
But I wonder if whoever gave the name "The Topiary" to a new Executive Condominium (EC) project had done his or her homework:
Topiary is actually the horticultural practice of shaping trees and shrubs into certain shapes that resemble, say, animals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary
So, while the model in the Topiary ad has her hair shaped into a beehive, what's the context for giving an EC such a queer name? Was it chosen just because the word has "top" in it? I am reminded of the condominium named Rafflesia, in Bishan. Again, I suspect the developer chose that name because of two nearby prestigious schools: Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. Both are named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.
But there is a plant called the Rafflesia. And this is how one website describes it:
The flower with the world's largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the Rafflesia emits a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/flower.html
So, again, was a fact-check done before the naming go-ahead was given?
-----------------------------------------------
I'll wrap up with this creative Sunday Times headline for Psy's highly successful concert in Singapore, as well as xin.msn's video segment from the event:
http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/psy-gangnam-style/tn8lygvx?from=hp
I wonder if the copy writer drew his or her inspiration from this well-known Biblical verse said by Jesus:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, New International Version, 1984).
One version substitutes "happy" for "blessed":
"Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called sons of God." (Young's Literal Translation).
--------------------------------------------------------------
But I wonder if whoever gave the name "The Topiary" to a new Executive Condominium (EC) project had done his or her homework:
Topiary is actually the horticultural practice of shaping trees and shrubs into certain shapes that resemble, say, animals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary
So, while the model in the Topiary ad has her hair shaped into a beehive, what's the context for giving an EC such a queer name? Was it chosen just because the word has "top" in it? I am reminded of the condominium named Rafflesia, in Bishan. Again, I suspect the developer chose that name because of two nearby prestigious schools: Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. Both are named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.
But there is a plant called the Rafflesia. And this is how one website describes it:
The flower with the world's largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the Rafflesia emits a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/flower.html
So, again, was a fact-check done before the naming go-ahead was given?
-----------------------------------------------
I'll wrap up with this creative Sunday Times headline for Psy's highly successful concert in Singapore, as well as xin.msn's video segment from the event:
http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/psy-gangnam-style/tn8lygvx?from=hp
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Singlish set to conquer the world... starting with the USA!
Singlish rocks... even in America! Just watch this cool video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiYXiixlV0A&sns=em
--------------------------------------------
It's just 24 days to Christmas... "Joy to the world, the Lord is come". And the night-time festive lights are a-glowing and a-flickering along Orchard Road:
Meanwhile, spotted on the Internet is this box of ???? lights. Blame it on the font type, but one word on the box seems rather "strange"...
---------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you had a good laugh. Actually, you should laugh until you feel the pain (it's good for you), says this New York Times article, reproduced in TODAY (Dec 1):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiYXiixlV0A&sns=em
--------------------------------------------
It's just 24 days to Christmas... "Joy to the world, the Lord is come". And the night-time festive lights are a-glowing and a-flickering along Orchard Road:
Meanwhile, spotted on the Internet is this box of ???? lights. Blame it on the font type, but one word on the box seems rather "strange"...
---------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you had a good laugh. Actually, you should laugh until you feel the pain (it's good for you), says this New York Times article, reproduced in TODAY (Dec 1):
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