My Cinderella story
Having had a fervent passion for romance novels since she was a teenager, Sally Lim, 31, a Human Resource manager, always yearned for her own happy ending. By Kristie Chiew for hype.
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Expecting to be showered with chocolates and roses, she waited for him at the usual subway station that morning. It had been the ritual since the first date they shared 9 months before. After a 20-minute wait, all she got was a SMS from her boyfriend, saying, “It’s over.”
The first thought that came to my mind when my friend shared this piece of news on Valentine’s Day afternoon was, “He must hate her so much…”
Original Photo: Deviantart
February 14 is the time when some sulk that Valentine’s Day is just a commercialised boondoggle, while others say it’s the most romantic day of the year, as people allow overpriced chocolate, roses and other fine gifts to speak the volume of their love.
The day’s value has even driven, according to Channel NewsAsia, 227 Singaporean couples to take their vows this year on Valentine’s Day. This is more than twice of last year’s 103.
The inauspicious expiry of my friend’s relationship prompted me to wonder how many of these were hasty vows taken to satisfy one’s desire of feeling loved and cared for. None, I hope.
A quick search on the Internet showed results of the growing number of unlucky individuals who end Valentine’s Day with tears and broken hearts. One example is this Yahoo! survey, which shows that lovers are twice as likely to consider breaking up at this time of the year.
Some married couples share the same woe, as a research by financial services institution Bankwest shows that there has been an increase even in married couples who break up around Valentine’s Day.
To reiterate this point, China Daily reported that a married lady exclaimed that the best Valentine’s Day gift she ever received from her soon-to-be-ex-husband is a divorce, and The Straits Times announced that the marriage between radio DJ Glenn Ong and television host Jamie Yeo is over.
This rising trend has even got an American radio station host a contest, Marriage Bailout ‘09, in which the winning couple would receive free divorce, a concept that started last year.
A reason for such break ups, according to Bestsyndication, is that “people are more likely to reevaluate their relationship during this time and they generally do not want to spend Valentine’s day with just anyone”.
Thus, before going on that date, they ask themselves whether they would rather skip the date than spend it with someone they aren’t committed to.
Though most of their intention seems well, isn’t it harsh to choose Valentine’s Day to split up?
William Shakespeare said, “Love is the most beautiful of dreams and the worst of nightmares.” I feel Valentine’s Day shares the same attribute, maybe due to its overrated characteristic and high hopes on that day.
Singapore’s Central District saw people from all walks of life on Feb 8 as the 15th National Vertical Marathon (NVM) brought action to the otherwise lifeless Sunday.
(Read more)
Hollywood has an abundance of superhero figures: Superman, Spider-Man, Batman… But, Japanese pop culture had no superhero icon until one finally emerges with the movie K-20: Legend of the Mask.
(Read more)
Rewind 1: A ’screwed’ beverage dispenser
China Daily reported that 3 Kentucky Fried Chicken customers were shocked to
find 10 screws in their drink in an outlet in Beijing.
The dissatisfied trio confronted the outlet manager for a written apology fearing they had swallowed some of the screws. However, the manager refused to produce the written statement and instead offered refunds.
The manager added that the screws came from the machine, which was repaired earlier.
That’s 1 screwed up drink dispenser.
Rewind 2: Like son, like father
A 54-year-old Japanese man posed as his
20-year-old son to take his exam for a licence to handle over-the-counter
drugs, wrote The Straits Times.
The father, who runs a medication distribution company, did this as he wanted his son to work with him.
In an attempt to look younger, he permed his hair. However, the difference between their ages was just too obvious to the examiner.
When people say “Like father, like son”, they don’t mean you’d ever confuse the both of them.
Rewind 3: A fire at the firemen’s?
German firemen unofficially claimed the reputation as the worst firemen in the world as those in Syke saw their own fire station consumed by fire.
According to The Austrian Times, investigators said that the fire might have been triggered either by the firefighters themselves during a training exercise or by faulty wires.
This blaze is a second one – the previous one being in 1994.
A local was quoted saying, “A fire service that can’t even keep its own fire station and engines safe doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”
The inferno devoured 6 fire engines and ended when 250 firemen from nearby towns brought the fire under control.
Now solve this: how many German firemen are needed to extinguish a lighted cigarette?
Rewind 4: Licence to watch porn in school
United Daily News carried the news that the Mass Communication Department of
Providence University in Taiwan has launched a course which will teach
students to appreciate and analyse pornographic films.
A requirement to pass the course is a 15-minute presentation on the audience’s psychological reaction from watching porn, presented from an academic perspective.
The optional course allows students to leave the classroom if the scenes are too explicit.
One student said, “I am really worried my parents will see the score report when it is mailed home. I won’t know what to say if I get a high score.”
This might finally be the subject that students will enjoy flunking if only to get remedial classes and more chances to review their course “materials”.
Rewind 5: Find his lover; get the money
China Daily reported that a 68-year-old man is looking for his girlfriend
and is willing to pay 500 yuan (S$109) as a reward for clues of the whereabouts of his runaway lover in Haikou, capital of Hainan province.
He fell in love with the masseuse when they met at her massage parlour last August.
The 43-year-old masseuse took off with the man’s life savings worth more than 70,000 yuan (S$15,223).
He added that apart from recovering his money, he wants to warn people of the swindler.
Guess being scammed didn’t make him any wiser, wouldn’t she be able to part with more than 500 yuan from his 70,000 yuan, so as not to get discovered?
“I’m still having thoughts… more like feelings of him,” confessed my friend while holding on to the heart-shaped pendant engraved with both hers and her ex-boyfriend’s names.
Recently, she has been mulling over the shards left of her first relationship which, unfortunately, did not end on a pleasant note.
Paper is all that artists Kelvin Atmadibrata (Indonesia) and Rin Ioka (Japan) want for Christmas this year, as the duo collaborates on an origami exhibition titled Mobile Garden at Pagoda St.’s Forth Gallery from Dec 23 to 30. (Read more)
Koreamania gripped audiences at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as 9 Korean artistes stormed the stage with a medley of saucy and cutesy performances during the Korean Pop Night concert.
“Hollywood movies don’t give even half a second to breathe,” said Wayne Wang, the famous 59-year-old Asian-American director, about mainstream action and effects laden movies.
“Empty spaces give you time to think about life.”
Such spaces are exactly what he gives to the audience in his second independent film, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985).
