Rewind

Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2003 | Sep 6 - Sep 12, 2003 | Sep 13 - Sep 19, 2003 | Sep 20 - Sep 26, 2003

Sep 20 - Sep 26, 2003

Cheryl Chia's Take [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Take 1

Would you live in a ‘paper home’ for 2 days just to bag a whopping $10,000? Well, 10 local couples obviously found the sum irresistible.

The Survivor-like challenge was an idea mooted by Double A, a Thai-owned paper company, to market themselves while riding on the allure of reality TV.

Each pair of contestants were to use only the 75 reams of Double A paper provided and an additional 13 boxes to build their “home” in which they would live for 2 days.

Held at Plaza Singapura, the demanding challenge was won by Teo Yen Kai and Chow E-Fung who lived and slept in their own 1.5m by 1.5m paper “home”, according to The Straits Times

So now they have the kind of paper they can really live on, not just live in… [top^]

Take 2

If you thought the phrase “Raining cats and dogs” is ridiculous, at least it has a more familiar ring than raining fish.

But that was what happened in Australia.

Some residents in the state of Woollahra awoke to find their backyards filled with fresh ocean fish that appeared to have dropped from the sky one Saturday morning.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, the fishes were likely to have been caught in what meteorologists call a ‘water spout’.

“Water spouts suck the surface ocean water in a spiral, lifting motion up into the clouds and take the fish with it,” explained Australian Bureau of Meteorology senior analyst Harry Nowak.

Now, wouldn’t it be nice if the spout moved over a bank and it started raining money? [top^]

Take 3

British students can now heave a sigh of relief at efforts made by the British education authorities to replace the ‘F’ grade for failure, to an ‘N’ grade, for nearly.

The laughable marking scheme was launched with a spokesperson for Britain’s Qualifications and Curriculum Authority saying, “if pupils don’t reach that target it does not mean they have failed; it means they have nearly reached the target”.

So now, instead of having answers marked as either correct or wrong, teachers will grade examination answers according to whether they are “creditworthy” or not.

It seems like it’s now harder to fail someone in Britain these days.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, this newest change in the marking system has got critics labelling the move as “twaddle”.

The British brains behind this were possibly shocked by this assessment. I guess they were hoping that, by their same reasoning, their idea wouldn’t be considered totally stupid, just nearly intelligent? [top^]

Take 4

You probably suspected it, but didn’t realise how exactly SMS could change your life.

In South Africa, a Member of Parliament got into trouble with his wife after he accidentally sent her a steamy text message meant for his mistress.

They’re heading for divorce after 30 years’ of marriage, reported The Straits Times.

Some men, though, might call that getting off easy. [top^]

Take 5

In Russia, at least one entrepreneur’s decided she knows what (single) women want.

That’s why you can rent a husband there.

But before you get any ideas, this service is more like a home repairs business. Ask Nina Rakhmanina; she has 10 husbands she rents to other Russian women and she’s very much single.

So what’s missing from the picture?

These ‘husbands’ are not available for romantic offers. Instead, they are your typical ‘fix-it’ men aged between 27 and 45, according to Reuters.

These can cost a minimum of 500 roubles (S$28) for the first 2 hours and 200 roubles for each subsequent hour. Costly, maybe, but better than having a channel-surfing layabout on the couch all your lives.

Note that they have also to be booked a day in advance, lending weight to the adage that a good man is hard to find. [top^]

Sep 13 - Sep 19, 2003

Michelle's Take [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Take 1

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are not getting married, at least not for the moment. According to BBC News, these two stars have postponed their wedding. They had made plans to wed this weekend but called it off at the last minute.

Both of them released a statement citing unwarranted media attention as the main reason. This high profile couple had tried to keep their wedding location a secret but there were leaks, resulting in a media frenzy.

Of course there was some speculation and it was thought that this postponement might just be a smokescreen to throw the media off their scent. However, their spokesman denied this, claiming that the more than 400 guests have been called up regarding the cancellation.

Regardless of the outcome, let's hope the beautiful duo don't end up like their recent movie disaster Gigli. [top^]

Take 2

Some people just can't accept defeat. And in this case, it is NTUC Income S-League team Woodlands Wellington's coach, M. Karathu. The Straits Times reported that his team lost to Sengkang Marine through penalties. Because of the way his side lost, he wants penalty shootouts to be abolished. He said it added pressure on the players.

Worse still, he's not the only one. Singapore Armed Forces FC's team manager, Kok Wai Leong, believed that penalty shootouts will lead to biased results. How biased, he didn't further elaborate. Yes, you guessed it, his team also lost on penalty shootouts.

Any other sour grapes wanna sign a petition? [top^]

Take 3

Those who have watched filmmaker and comedian Jack Neo's latest movie, Homerun might have noticed certain scenes that implied political references to Malaysia.

Well, our neighbour is not taking too kindly to that. The Malaysian censors have decided to ban the movie due to scenes hinting at issues between the governments of both countries, especially on the water issue. The censors also felt that the movie set a very bad example for Malaysians in terms of education.

Raintree Pictures are not accepting this justification and are planning to appeal on the ban. Homerun has been very successful locally and has earned more than $2 million.

Too bad it had to strikeout across the Causeway. [top^]

Take 4

Singaporeans got another chance to reveal their ugly side. It's no surprise that the reason is a sale, yet again. This time, the sale belongs to Creative Technology.

About 10,000 people went to the warehouse sale at Jurong and more than 60 of them started queuing up 1 day before. The first person to start the queue, Roland Chia, arrived 22 hours before the doors opened, according to Channel News Asia. This overt enthusiasm prompted the company to start the sale earlier.

Many of the products on sale were offered at up to 50% discount but they were mostly refurbished items, that is merchandise returned by US customers and brought back to Singapore to be sold.

You have to hand it to the Creative people for being able to hawk second-hand rejects and get people to queue overnight for them. [top^]

Take 5

Americans aren't the only ones battling with weight problems. Apparently their pets are facing them too, specifically obesity. According to a report by Independent News, an average of 1 out of 4 pets in America is obese.

This disturbing finding has revealed that the main culprit is fast food. No surprise here. Animals who exceed consumption will also suffer heart diseases and related illnesses, similar to humans.

It's uncanny how much animals are like us and even methods of preventions are similar. Remedies include smaller helpings, healthier food and not so tasty food. Sounds familiar?

One more thing, exercise will definitely help.

Will they sell gym memberships to pampered pooches next? [top^]

Aug 30-Sep 5, 2003

Cheryl’s Take [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Take 1
At the recent MTV Music Awards, most of the spotlight fell on the outrageous snogging between pop queen Madonna and princesses Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

During the performance of Madonna’s 80s hit “Like A Virgin”, the one who made conical bras an icon gave open-mouthed kisses to her fellow performers.

“She’s got a very soft lip – and she’s a very lovely kisser,” said the once stick-thin Aguilera. “I’ve kissed her numerous times – because at every rehearsal she wanted to do it.”

Despite getting a standing ovation from the roaring crowd, Salon.com writer Neal Pollack said, “it just reeks of desperation”.

He’s probably right in reading not just their lips, but between the lines as well. [top^]

Take 2
To those who lament that they look like criminals on their passport photos, take heart. If the world follows in Canada’s footsteps, soon everyone will look like a woebegone jailbird too.

According to CNEWS Canada, implemented there, state that in passport applications, Canadians must now send in 2 photos with "neutral expressions" - mouth closed, no teeth, no smile.

There have been mixed reactions to this Sep 1 announcement, which will be implemented on Nov 1.

They probably want to discourage smiling at the immigration officers too. [top^]

Take 3
On the colour wheel, blue takes the opposite position to orange. It seems that men now have to take one of these sides as well.

Viagra, the famous blue pill produced by Pfizer will have to hold its own against a new orange competitor, Levitra. Produced by Germany’s Bayer Healthcare and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline, this 3rd competitor after Cialis intends to snag its share of the market for impotency drugs via its competitive pricing.

According to The Straits Times, in Singapore alone, there are approximately 300,000 to 600,000 men over 40 in 2003, and an estimated 10% to 15% of them have problems getting or sustaining an erection.

Looks like there’s going to be stiffer competition (and other things). [top^]

Take 4
Think it’s a shame that you’ve a degree but no job with a respectable income? Think again.

In India, cash-strapped graduates in various fields joined the queue of more than 4,000 applicants for the job of rat killers.

Mr Vasu Pujari, secretary of Mumbai’s Municipal Labour Union was quoted by The Daily Telegraph as saying that “a lucky handful made it”.

Lucky may not be the word to describe the 42 applicants will now have to roam the streets of Mumbai at night to catch rats and mice by blinding them with a torch, pinning them on to the grounds with their clubs and then swinging these pests by the tail, eventually smashing them on the ground.

But who knows? Maybe they’ll best Einstein and come up with a Theory of Rat Activity? [top^]

Take 5
Here we are griping about how overpaid American workers are when they could well be earning their keep.

New studies conducted by the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO) cited in The Straits Times show that Europe and Japan have been surpassed by the US in terms of annual output per worker for the first significant period since World War II.

Americans have done this through working longer hours, taking lesser holidays, and via other factors such as motivation, skills and training opportunities.

US workers are also much more adept at IT skills than their European and Japanese counterparts.

Bill Gates would be proud. [top^]