Fondly remembering...

One of Michael Jackson's earlier works and an all-time favourite

Surviving the outbreak

Unless you've been in hibernation, by now you're probably fully aware of the swine flu currently grappling a number of countries, particularly Mexico and the United States. Although the US has declared the outbreak as a 'public health emergency', the world awaits with abated breath as to the level of severity (of this outbreak) from the WHO. In the meantime, before we all start to panic - which our authorities have assured us not to, yet - here's what we all can do to reduce the effect of transmission:

1. Sanitize -- i.e. Wash Your Hands Frequently. It may sound obvious, but hand-washing with soap and water for around 20 seconds is the single best thing you can do (if you're going to go out into the world and interact with other human beings). The CDC estimates that 80 percent of all infections are spread by hands. If you can't wash your hands regularly, try hand-sanitizers with 60 percent alcohol content.
2. Avoid -- i.e. Engage in "Social Distancing." That's the fancy term for reducing unnecessary social contact, staying away from crowds, and avoiding people if you're sick or if you're concerned that they may be infected. It may not be especially practical when you have to go to, say, work, but experts believe it's worth repeating: Isolation and avoidance reduce your chances of getting infected or infecting others.
(Researchers in the UK - mentioned above and sponsored by a cold remedy company - found that 99 percent of commuters suffer at least one cold per winter. By contrast, 58 percent of people who work from home and 88 per cent of those who walk to work caught a cold last winter).
If you need to go someplace crowded, the CDC says, try to spend as little time as possible and try to stay six feet away from potentially infected people. Wearing a surgical or dental facemask - cleared by the FDA as a medical device - "can help prevent some exposures," the CDC says, but they're not foolproof.
3. Be Alert -- i.e. Recognize the Symptoms and Get Help. Swine flu symptoms are similar to regular flu: Fever, body aches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. If you don't feel well, seek medical attention. So far, it's important to note, this swine flu is treatable (and absolutely survivable). It's resistant to two of four antiviral drugs approved for combating the flu: Symmetrel and Flumadine. But two newer antivirals - Tamiflu and Relenza - appear to work.

Excerpt taken from Ben Sherwood @ Huffington Post

R.I.P Jade Goody

Photo by Chris Joseph / Landmark / JPI

Another week has gone by, and now another week to get through. Yes, everyone is still talking about the economic downturn alongside the sudden turn-of-luck (perhaps?) between Manchester United and Liverpool, sudden passing of Natasha Richardson and the not-so-sudden passing of Jade Goody. Who would've thought she'd be mentioned in the same breath as Prez Obama, Meredith Kercher and Steven Gerrard, let alone be described as "a kind of Princess Di from the wrong side of tracks"! Shocking isn't it?

I mean what was she famous for in the first place? Sure I'd heard of her way back when I was still slogging my way through bar school but even then she was relegated to the tabloids and weekly gossip magazines. And just when I thought I'd hear the last of her, out came the whole hoo-ha on Celebrity Big Brother for her racist remarks towards her then housemate and fellow E-list celebrity Shilpa Shetty. And when all that passed by, her celebrity radar hit the jackpot upon discovering that she was battling cervical cancer, and that the cancer had spread, thus paving the way for the never-ending coverage of her day-to-day life as the cancer spreads and her death imminent.

So again I ask what is the legacy of Jade Goody's life, battle with cancer and sad passing (no, I am not that cold-hearted) on popular culture?

"Perhaps this is because Jade Goody filled the role of reality TV star to the extreme: she was "famous for nothing," she once said, a woman who went from obscurity to a national sensation due to the public's desire to create heroines and villains out of their neighbors, their peers, people who look and act quite like they do. Her short life was defined by public opinion; she was loved, then fiercely hated, and then pitied, but all of these things came through a lens, a distanced view; she was simply another character for the public to follow, and she knew and seemingly accepted this, giving her blessing to the tabloids to follow her until the very end. As Jeffries notes, "Like a working-class Princess Diana, Goody became the object of strangers' intense feelings, and she became a sacrifice, a woman whose suffering and death made it possible for people to ritually cry for someone they scarcely knew."

Goody hoped that her public struggle would raise awareness about cervical cancer and inspire young women to be more proactive about their health. But Goody's legacy may be her ability to use the reality tv/tabloid media to her advantage, even in dark times: for example, she recently held an elaborate wedding to her prisoner boyfriend, Jack Tweed, in order to sell the media rights and leave her sons with a substantial amount of money, knowing she'd be leaving them soon. Jade Goody was able to make a living out of living; as long as there was a camera present, and a photographer ready to chase her every move, she was able to capture the minds of millions, for better or worse. She forced the public, however unwittingly, to discuss racism, the challenges of cancer, and ultimately, the boundaries of fame."

Do you agree?

p/s: That comparison between Jade and Princess Di was observed by Stephen Fry, who knew!

Justice done?

The face of evil?

After days of deliberation in court, Josef Fritzl has been sentenced to life in a psychiatric ward for imprisoning his daughter (yes, his very own flesh and blood) for 24 years, fathering her seven children and letting one his sons die whilst in captive. Has justice finally prevailed, particularly for those involved?

Determination

SKorean granny fails driving test 771 times

Now this brings the phrase "If at first you don't succeed, try again" to another level

Human After All

It's not often hearing someone admitting to making a boo-boo. And it usually involves someone with courage, sincerity, true grit, balls and, most importantly (to me, anyway) conscience. So when President Obama said he screwed up and owns up to it, you know this person has guts.

Such a rarity in today's world indeed. Just goes to show that he is human after all, just like you and me.

Karma

AS the saying goes "what goes around, comes around". So with news of O.J Simpson being sentenced to 15 years in prison for a botched hold-up in Las Vegas a year ago, it got me thinking whether this is payback for his past..

Crunch time

First and foremost, my sincerest apologies for the lack in blog activity. With Raya (I lost count over the number of open houses I'd visited this year!!), work commitments as well as a recent family loss all happening within the space of my last post, I must admit that blogging was the least of my priority although some of you might argue "if I can go on Facebook on a daily basis, then what's so different about blogging?" But let's not debate much on that for I am back peeps!

And what better way to get back into the swing of things by imparting my thoughts on the US presidential election. Yes, in less than 48 hours' time, the new leader of the world will be revealed. For now we will hold our breaths while the Americans put down their votes. Will history beckon for Obama as the first black American President? Or will there be an upset? Has McCain done enough to convince the population that he is nothing like the soon-to-be former prez?

The odds are stacked in favour of Obama. That is if we are to believe what the press have been feeding us. And let's not forget the high octane celebrity endorsements that have been shoved down our faces from day one (Oprah..Scarlett...JT..Madonna..Gwyneth..just to name a few) Heck, even the rest of the world are hoping for Obama to hit the jackpot! That, my friends, is saying a lot about what the rest of the world thinks of the Yanks.

I, for one however, can't seem to understand nor find any solace in Mr O's appeal. Is he really all that? Or just some? Perhaps I'm still reeling from my disappointment over Hilary Clinton's loss *sigh*

Whatever the outcome may be, at least I can be comforted in the fact that the reign of ho**or aka Dubya will be gone...gone baby gone!

About time!

She's coming!!

KylieX2008 is coming to this part of the world! And I can't wait!!

Wooohooooooo

Girl Power?

Ever since the world was introduced to one Sarah Palin, there isn't a single website/newspaper/magazine/news channel/tv programme that hasn't mentioned her name. As Obamania appears to be fading away, Palinmania has hit the States as per The Telegraph, - she 's even got her own action figures now!

Hillary who?

Overheard

"I hope the nation and the people will forgive my mistakes"
The now former President Pervez Musharraf in a televised address largely devoted to defending his record following his announcement of resignation as president.

Olympics Galore

The fastest man...in the water!!

If I have bored anyone with my recent Olympics' posts, be prepared *muahahahahahahahahahhaaha* Come on now, with Michael Phelps setting new records and winning all eight gold medals as per his target...Federer getting his ass kicked (again)... Jamaica sweeping the medals in both the men's and women's 100m races, officially killing all hopes of the Americans in their bid to maintain their dominance over the track and at the same time, catching up with Chinese in the medals standing...Federer finally winning gold tho in an unfamiliar territory aka men's double tennis...a 41-year old proving that age isn't a barrier...surely any one of these would've gotten you sitting at the edge of your seat/s, shouting and screaming as if these people can even hear you?? Watching Michael Phelps earlier yesterday morning in his bid to win his 8th gold medal was simply riveting and nerve wrecking. Those last 30 seconds or so when Jason Lezak had 50 metres to go with Eamonn Sullivan from Australia matching him arm to arm..the thought of Phelps possibly losing that 8th and final gold by a hundreth of a second or two...'til Lezak finally touched the wall ahead of Australia, and everything was right in Michael Phelps' world. It would've been cool to be there at the Water Cube, to witness sporting history in the making as well as to check out the lovely bods of the swimmers *yummm*, but that's a different story altogether...

..But in the meantime, let's join in the celebration of these talented people who have provided us with plenty of entertainment over the past 10 days or so, with more hopefully to come..

The fastest man...on land!

OUCH!?!

I find it both fascinating and amusing how grown men and women spend most of their time lifting these things everyone calls "weights", just for what? To be called the strongest man/woman in the world. I've been watching the Olympics since it started and to watch these men and women dressed in these ridiculously tight and funny outfits, competing against each other to see who can lift the most weights...how funny! And let's not forget the background support in the form of their coaches/mentors "giving" their utmost support...where sometimes it works..and sometimes it backfires. But there was always one thing that bore in my mind, reminding me how dangerous it can be if something should go wrong.

And this confirmed my belief. *WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION.*



"This is the moment Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai's first Olympics ended in agony when he dislocated his right elbow in the ugliest moment yet of the Olympic weightlifting competition.

Baranyai was trying to snatch 148kg in his third lift in the men's 77kg division, when his elbow popped out of its socket.

No longer able to support the weight of the barbell, his right forearm bent backward. The 24-year-old Hungarian fell to the floor in shock, shaking and crying out in pain.

Hungary's coaching staff and competition officials rushed to Baranyai's aid as he lay trembling on the floor, his arm limp and twisted out of position."

This is no laughing matter folks, even seeing the photos give me goosebumps!

Story courtesy of the Daily Mail

Lesson learned

Whatever had gone on behind the scenes prior to yesterday, there's no denying last night's "boo boo" probably became the talking point of everyone's conversation. Perhaps this could be a lesson learnt for all of us - respect the rules and regulations (as was highlighted by one of the President of the IOC)

Let's not speculate nor play the blame-game...let's just enjoy the Games for the next 15 days or so.

One World One Dream

Image courtesy of EPA

It was billed as THE event of the year and man, did the host (China) go all out! The fireworks! The performances! The colourful costumes! The amazing Bird's Nest Stadium! My favourite being Li Ning walking round the top of the stadium, whilst attached on wires, to light the main torch...how cool was that!!

Image by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Image courtesy of Adam Pretty/Getty Images

If the opening was this good, there's no doubt the Chinese will also spare no expenses in churning out a spectacular closing ceremony. After all they spent seven - yes, you heard me right there..S-E-V-E-N - years preparing for all this. Yikesss! Looks like the Brits will have a hard time trying to top this.

On a more serious note, did anyone catch what the commentators said about our country being absent from the list of participants? The only words I caught were "late" and "admission"...anyone?

Stuck?

"Stuck in Wrong Career"

A published survey in Singapore reports that more than half of the workers in Singapore have regrets about what they chose to study during their stints in school, polytechnics or universities, with one in three respondents also (being) uncertain about their ultimate career choices and about 10 per cent saying they definitely selected the wrong career.

Without dissecting the credibility of this survey (and plenty others similar to this too), I can't help but agree with the above headline.

Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted to be what-I'm-currently-doing (though it's pretty hazy as to when that ambition came to fruition). It's just that lately I've been questioning my enthusiasm and motivation, often wondering whether I'm in the wrong career, whether I'll get out of this rut and whether I'm brave enough to venture out into other fields (bearing in mind the responsibilities that I have taken up since I started work almost 8 years ago).

As much as I'd like to be able to look into my future via a crystal ball, at the end of the day it all boils down to me and whether I'm willing to take the risk or continue being miserable or demotivated for the next couple of years..

Six Degrees of T.I.C

Is the world such a small place that we are all linked by chains of acquaintance meaning that you are just six introductions away from any other person on the planet? Apparently Microsoft has proof that the theory of six degrees of separation rings true - well, almost.

"(But) yesterday researchers announced the theory was right - nearly. By studying billions of electronic messages, they worked out that any two strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation. In other words, putting fractions to one side, you are linked by a string of seven or fewer acquaintances to Madonna, the Dalai Lama and the Queen. The news will come as no surprise to film buffs who for years have been playing the parlour game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, in which they link other actors to Bacon in six films or fewer.

Researchers at Microsoft studied records of 30 billion electronic conversations among 180 million people in various countries, according to the Washington Post. This was 'the first time a planetary-scale social network has been available,' they observed. The database covered all the Microsoft Messenger instant-messaging network in June 2006, equivalent to roughly half the world's instant-messaging traffic at that time.

Eric Horvitz and fellow researcher Jure Leskovec considered two people to be acquaintances if they had sent one another a message. They looked at the minimum chain lengths it would take to connect 180 billion different pairs of users in the database. They found that the average length was 6.6 hops, and that 78 per cent of the pairs could be connected in seven steps or fewer. But some were separated by as many as 29 steps.

The researchers wrote: 'Via the lens provided on the world by Messenger, we find that there are about "seven degrees of separation" among people.'"

Call it what they want, I still say it's a small world out there..

Mr Big?

Meet Chunk (formerly known as Powder after an animal shelter mistakenly believed he was a "she"), the current media darling because of ... well I don't need to explain any further, do I?

Game Over

It's official. Adios Scrabulous.

"Scrabulous, the popular Scrabble-based game on Facebook, has been taken down from the US version of the social networking site.

The makers of Scrabulous said today that they had agreed to a request from Hasbro, the toymaker which owns the rights to the board game in the US, to remove their application from Facebook.

The decision ends a long-running dispute about Scrabulous, which Hasbro claims infringes on its own trademark, and will mean that any US-based Facebook user will no longer have access to the game. About 450,000 people use the application every day worldwide."

For more.

Taken from The Times online

Bare naked

Suddenly the world has discovered and be in awe with au naturel...and Posh of all people?!?

We don't care