Currently Reading The Other Side of the Story: A Novel By Marian Keyes see related

Christmas Wish

It seems that nowadays a lot of young adults in sg are indulging in brand name stuff, such as branded bags, clothes, etc. Now that Christmas is around the corner, it doesn't seem to occur to them that there are others who are in need of the basic necessities in life more than they need another LV bag. Sometimes just a mere $5 can buy a kid in a third-world country clothes to keep him warm and food to fill his stomach. I guess if someone can spend a thousand dollars on a bag, it shouldn't be a problem for the same person to just fork out $5 to help a disadvantaged child.

And these young adults are not thinking of something more practical even if their parents or friends can afford it, like money for textbooks, education funds, etc. Is education less valuable than an LV bag?

I've been thinking if I can have a Christmas wish, what would I wish for? Yes, world peace. Cheesy as it may sound but that's what I'd wish for. No more fighting or war, no one should die in their prime.

I'd also wish for disadvantaged children to be at least warmly clothed and have a chance to eat to their fill, not just on Christmas, but everyday of their lives. ANd that they be educated for at least 10 years.

Also, I'd wish for suppressed women in third-world countries to be educated so that they do not have to get married in order to survive. If they do not wish to be the 11th wife of an ugly man, they shouldn't have to. They should be able to set up a small business and clothe and feed themselves.

I'd urge whoever is reading this to consider donating at least $5 to an organization that is able to help others who are in need of the basic necessities in life.

After saying all these, the only practical gift I'm thinking of this year is the Roomba. But it doesn't matter if I don't get it. I'm satisfied with what I've already had.

Betrayal Versus Friendship

If you tell a friend a secret and tell her not to tell someone else, you expect her to keep it a secret, right? What if she blurts out that secret to someone else, and the "news" spread like wildfire? Will she be considered a friend then?

Does the gravity of the secret count towards whether she should tell someone else? But a secret is a secret, right?

What if she meant to tell someone close, like her bf or her sister, but they started to tell other people?

I guess a secret is a secret is a secret. Tell no one.

So if someone I consider a good friend tells just one other person of my secret and it gets spread around, should I still consider that person as my friend still? What if it's damaging to my career or reputation? I guess I can't consider that person as a friend anymore.

So how will I be able to save my reputation then? Just treat whatever that has been said as a rumour, I suppose.

Currently Reading Murder Between the Covers (Dead-End Job Mysteries, Book 2) By Elaine Viets see related

Just received an email saying tt the document I edited had too many passive sentences, and grammar mistakes; also the direct translation from another language made it grammatically unsound; and tt it lacked style.

Firstly I do not care if it had been translated from another language. My main concerns were spelling and grammar mistakes, which I not only corrected but also ran spell and grammar check. The spell and grammar check also picks up passive sentences but it didn't for this document.

As for style, this is a formal report. What kind of fancy schmancy style is he talking about? This is not Harry Potter or Shakespeare.

So does that mean tt the angmoh who criticized my work had problems with his vision or he just wants to maintain tt he is superior in English? Does he know what a passive sentence is? He didn't even highlight the so-called mistakes tt he had spotted. Yes, angmohs speak English and sound good doing it. But a lot of them write terrible English too. Not all but enough.

I'm just against this particular angmoh here, not all angmohs.

All I want to say here is stupid angmoh stupid angmoh stupid angmoh ... AAAARGHHHHH!!!

Currently Reading Flavor of the Month By Olivia Goldsmith see related

Should you date a person who's NOT the one?

Should you date a person who is NOT the one?

Let me see. It depends on what you define as "the one."

Outer appearance

Not good-looking enough? Too tall or too short? To me, the outer appearance doesn't play a very crucial role on whether I should go out with that person (though I hope the person is not skinnier than I am).

Religion

This is somewhat important to me. I've been asked on a date by someone of another religion and I turned it down.

Lifestyle

Some people like to smoke, drink and party till the wee hours in the morning. Some like to exercise, jog, go to the gym. Some like going to the movies, exploring new restaurants, museums, etc. Some just like to laze around at home. If you're not a person who enjoys partying and drinking, I guess it'd be hard to keep up with that person's lifestyle. If a guy enjoys eating and don't mind a girl who isn't, I guess tt's OK. But if the guy enjoys eating and the girl is always on a diet, the gu would eventually get frustrated. If the girl is healthnut and wants the same in a partner, it'd be hard for the guy to keep up with her, especially if the guy is weak and couldn't climb a flight of stairs without panting. Once, a girl friend told me that another girl's bf is boring cos he just likes to laze around at home, watching TV during weekends. To me, he's a good guy cos he doesn't cheat on the gf. I guess you'd have to find out by dating that person. Upon knowing the person's lifestyle, you can then decide whether to go on or to terminate it. It'd be better to create a distance as soon as you realize that person is not the person you have in mind. No point compromising your own healthy lifestyle if the other person is a smoker. And no point compromising your partying lifestyle if the other person is a bore (aka likes staying home).

Personality

Is the person bossy, wimpy, introvert, extrovert, etc? There's this girl had gone after several guys and they didn't go into a relationship with her. Somehow, one guy ended up being her bf. During their dating days, she kept telling him what or what not to do. "Don't sit there, cut the vegetables this way, don't do that, don't lie down, put it here, etc." The guy was a wimp and just kept quiet. At one point, the guy did ask her "why can't I" and she paused and just said "no, just don't do it." He went on being quiet. An older lady heard the whole conversation and told me that the girl is manipulative. And the reason the girl went after him was tt he was "a good catch" (her exact words). I wonder if she only liked him cos his parents were fairly well-to-do. They eventually got married.

Also, is the person always trying to attract the attention of other guys/girls? Or self-absorbed? Or does he/she listen when you talk? Does he/she expect you to pay for every date? Does he/she care for you (not by telling you what or what not to do)?

I think dating lets you know if he/she is the one for you. If the person's lifestyle and personality are not what you like, I'd suggest you distance yourself from that person before he/she sees you as a bf/gf and want a relationship with you. The longer you take to distance yourself, the greater the hurt you'd inflict on the other party. Also, if you take time to ponder, you might just get sucked into the relationship (which you might not want) and thereby marrying the person, like the example on the bossy gf and wimpy bf.

Currently Reading Dumping Billy By Olivia Goldsmith see related

Frustration

I'm just trying not to get angry. After working on this project for several days given by this woman, she told me that it was already done by someone else, and then apologize for her mistake. I wonder if she was sincere since it was all through emails. But what all tt effort that I've put in? And I won't be paid for this project. Shdn't she have checked b4 assigning the projects?

I was disappointed when I saw tt email. All my energy was wasted for nothing. At first I wanted to let it rest cos I was so tired. But somehow I got angry and replied. I thanked her and told her I'd start on the next project. I wonder if I sounded sarcastic. If I go against her, I might just lose my job, right? Right now I'm not really into looking for something else.

I'm so frustrated and so tired that I don't have enough energy to be really frustrated. Does that make sense?

I thought she was bipolar or schizophrenic or something. The reason being that at first she sounded really nice over emails. But now tt she's the person in-charge, she's all different. I've never had to privilege of knowing her personally but I did asked someone else about her. The reply was tt she used to suck up to the previous person in-charge.