Monday, May 31, 2004



this is the "High O mighty" Jake Gyllenhaal that Fadhil is infurtriated with. Well i know its the wrong spelling, pls pardon me. :D
I Don't Want To Know
by Mario Winans

Somebody said they saw you
The person you were kissing wasn't me
And I would never ask you
I just kept it to myself

[chorus]
I don't want to know
If you're playin' me
Keep it on the low
Cuz my heart cant take it anymore
And if you're crepin
Please don't let it show
Oooh baby, I don't want to know

I think about it when I hold you
And lookin' in your eyes I can't believe
I don't need to know the truth
Baby, keep it to yourself

[chorus]
I don't want to know
If you're playin' me
Keep it on the low
Cuz my heart cant take it anymore
And if you're crepin
Oooh baby, I don't want to know

Thought you're better then me
Watched you fall asleep
Say you walk away
Don't talk to me
Ooh don't tell me
Better off that way
All that I can say
Stay away from me

P.Diddy
I don't even know where your
Whereabouts are
how you movin
I know when you in the house
When you cruisin'
This is provin'
My love you abusin'
I cant understand how a man
Got you choosin
Undecided
I came and provided
My undivided
You came and denied it
Don't even try it
I know when you lyin'
Don't even do that
I know why you cryin'
Im not applyin' no pressure
Just want to let you know
That I don't wan to let you go
And I don't want to let you leave
Cant say I didn't let you breath
Gave you extra cheese
Put you in the SUV
You wanted ice
So I made you freeze
Made you hot
Like the western beats
Last time you invest in me
Cuz if not then its best you leave
holla

[chorus]
I don't want to know
If you're playin' me
Keep it on the low
Cuz my heart cant take it anymore
And if you're crepin
Please don't let it show
Oooh baby, I don't want to know
If you're playin' me
Keep it on the low
Cuz my heart cant take it anymore
And if you're crepin
Please don't let it show
Oooh baby, I don't want to know
If you're playin' me
Keep it on the low
Cuz my heart cant take it anymore
And if you're crepin
Please don't let it show
Oooh baby, I don't want to know

Sunday, May 30, 2004

This movie takes a big-budget, special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster, including multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, floods and the beginning of the next Ice Age. At the center of the story is a paleoclimatologist (a scientist who studies the ways weather patterns changed in the past), Professor Adrian Hall (Quaid), who tries to save the world from the effects of global warming while also trying to get to his son, Sam (Gyllenhaal), who was in New York City as part of a scholastic competition, when the city was overwhelmed by the chilling beginnings of the new Ice Age. In addition to all of the other challenges Dr. Hall faces, he's also going against the flow as humanity races south to warmer climes, and he's nearly the only one going north.

"Day after tomorrow, is a really nice show to watch.." i mean its so realistic to us, earthlings.. that one day it might be like that... i mean with the icebergs melting and everything .. who knows..i don't mind watching it again. its so real.. omg.. and besides. Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita is working together for the second time after "Come see the Paradise." its a bit weird to see Jake Gyllenhaal to act as a seventeen year old.. cos his way of being seveteen ain't convincing i supposed. went through his portfolio kinda surprised to know what he actually acted in Bubble boy. well.. The day after tomorrow is worth your 6.50 or 8.50. However there is some scenes that may look familar if you've watched Vertical Limit.. won't say so much.. but.. yeah... some scenes lah..
A scene where Jake Gyllenhaal sorta in Titanic

Friday, May 28, 2004

I totally agreed with what Jiayuan has commented. But i think they ought to be shot right in their heads.

Hearing-impaired man robbed of S$1 coin at Funan IT Mall


SINGAPORE : A hearing-impaired man was robbed when he visited a public toilet in Funan IT Mall on Wednesday.
The man, in his early 20s, was having dinner in a fast-food restaurant located on the ground floor of the mall at about 8.30pm.

When he made his way to the toilet, he noticed two men hanging around the entrance.

One man followed him into the toilet and whipped out a paper cutter.

From the gestures, the man guessed it was a robbery, so he took out all the money on him and gave it to the robber - a S$1 coin.

The robber then fled from the toilet with his accomplice waiting outside.

The robber is believed to be in his 30s, 1.7 metres tall and of medium built.

He has short black hair and a moustache.

The victim also noticed that he had tattoos on both his arms right up to his wrists. - CNA

Some pple are just so heartless....

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

OMG.. in Singapore i think this family wouuld be the centre of attention for yonks.. and pple will call her crazy and some pple will say since she like it.. some pple will scold her being unable to upkeep the children. i think its their choice. but this is still so scary.. eheheh

Arkansas woman has 15th child
Father says mother might want to have even more



Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, far right, speaks with Michelle Duggar as the Duggar family poses for a photograph after Michelle was named Arkansas Young Mother of the Year on April 7 in Little Rock.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Michelle Duggar is all smiles after delivering her 15th child, but she may be ready for more, her family says.

Mother and child were doing well, although Michelle, 37, was feeling some discomfort because the birth was her second by Caesarean section, said her mother-in-law, Mary Duggar.

“She’s a trouper. She’s just all smiles,” Mary Duggar said.

Jackson Levi Duggar was born at 10:52 a.m. Sunday, weighing 7 pounds 8 ounces and measuring 20 inches.

“She was wanting to do it naturally,” Mary Duggar said. But the delivery was by C-section because one of Jackson’s shoulders was presenting first.

“I call him Jumping Jack because he would go in a circle,” she said.

More on the way?
The baby’s father, former state legislator Jim Bob Duggar, sounded a bit tired but happy after returning home Monday. He said his wife and new son were doing fine. He said he leaves the decision up to Michelle on whether to have more children.

“I have always left it up to Michelle because she’s actually the one that carries them and does all the labor,” he said. “But we both love children. Even yesterday, she said she would like to have some more.”

Michelle probably will be in Washington Regional Medical Center for three or four days, said her mother-in-law, who is taking care of the 14 other children.

Michelle, who home schools her children and is helping to build the family’s new home in Tontitown from the ground up, started having her babies when she was 21, four years after she and Jim Bob married. Her 38-year-old husband is a real estate businessman.

Their children include two sets of twins, and the parents have stuck to the letter “J” for their names. There is Joshua, 16; Jana and John-David, 14; Jill, 13; Jessa, 11; Jinger, 10; Joseph, 9; Josiah, 7; Joy-Anna, 6; Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 5; Jason, 4; James, 2; and Justin, 1.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004




sad sad story..... nvm.. i think Vigilante force is better.. :D.. well my msn nick says it all.. :D

Monday, May 24, 2004

Okay i don't know whether i've put this in the bloggie before. but it would be nice to have a revival.

Office romance disasters
- Office romance may be a bit taboo, but let's face it, almost everybody does it – or at least thinks about it...

Don't mix business with pleasure…Don't get laid where you get paid…Never dip your pen in office ink…Never bring the bedroom into the boardroom…Friends, family and relationship gurus are always advising us to never to get involved with anyone we work with. But again and again, we do.

According to a survey by DatingDirect.com, nearly 60% of men and women believe office romances are best avoided. However, 53% said they would still consider having an office romance, 45% of women have had one and 8% of women had to leave their job because of it.
Let's face it, at some point or other we've probably all done it – either gotten involved, or tried and failed. The world is rife with tales of woe, like the man who had an email exchange with a girl he worked with, describing in intimate detail what he would do to her, and vice versa, in the bedroom… the kitchen, the lounge and the bathroom. But it turned into disaster when it transpired she had been having similar conversations with most of the men she worked with. Needless to say, all their egos took a bit of a bashing when they each found out they weren't the sole object of this girl's affection, and she probably wasn't so popular after that.

Jilted IT man
The company Hannah works for has a Bristol and Manchester office. 'I work in the Bristol office and I used to flirt like mad on the phone and over email with a very sexy sounding IT guy based in our Manchester office,' she says.

'After a few months, the whole company went to on an overnight conference and I met the IT guy for the first time. We were getting on really well and a handful of us decided to go to a club after the conference. After one too many drinks, however, I lost my IT man and ended up going back to my hotel room with one of the guys from the Bristol office. The flirting with the IT guy promptly stopped and now I have to deal with the unwanted attention of my Bristol colleague!' Hannah laments.

Phone freak-out
If you are going to pursue someone you work with, make sure you give out consistent signals, unlike Marcus who was flirting like mad one minute and then ignoring the poor girl the next.

He'd been locked out of his flat for over an hour in the rain so he frantically dialled what he thought was his housemate's number to get her to let him in. 'She had her music turned up really loud so she couldn't hear the phone; I was so annoyed,' said Marcus. 'When I eventually got in, I was telling her how many times I'd called her before she heard the phone. When I showed her the last dialed numbers on my mobile I realised I'd been repeatedly calling the number of the office administrator who I'd been chatting up over the last few weeks!'

Needless to say when his colleague saw the missed calls on her mobile she called Marcus back. Too embarrassed by the dozen or so calls he'd accidentally made, Marcus ignored her, only to be met on Monday morning with the cold shoulder and a pile of expense forms that had been declined

Caught – but happy
Of course, not all office romances end in disaster. Kate worked with Ben for just under a year before they started seeing each other. 'We spent months having to play hide and seek around the office for fear of being found out by work colleagues, only to actually get caught in a restaurant back home in Reading!'

They no longer have to sneak around however as they got married just over a year ago and are complete with a mortgage, joint bank account, pension fund and their two cats Rosie and Daisy.

So, ladies we clearly have two options:

1. Spend all of our working days not looking up from our computers in the hope of avoiding eye contact with any male colleague who could lead to a broken heart (and/or a possible loss of job), or

2. Approach any potential office romance with caution in the hope of finding Mr. Right as well as holding on to well sought after job with very handy expense account.

If, like myself, you'll do anything to pass the time of day quicker, I'm pretty sure you're thinking option 2 sounds best. So just in case, read our office romance do's and don'ts. Good luck!


1.Do find out what the office policy is
As bizarre as it sounds some companies actually state that employees should refrain from developing personal relationships with a colleague. Before you embark on your office romance, check out what your company thinks of inter-office dating


2.Don't embark on any type of personal relationship at work…
… unless you're prepared to give up everything for the sake of that relationship – including your job and your work friends. Petty as it may sound, some of your colleagues won't agree with your dating a guy from the office, so unless you're able to deal with the snide comments and dirty looks, keep your relationship purely platonic

3.Do remember you are reliant on your salary
The money you earn at this job keeps you in food and rent, so don't do anything during office hours that could jeopardise your ability to keep a roof over your head and food on your plate

4.Don't do anything if something you value is at stake
If you are already in a relationship, if you enjoy your job, or if you are on target for a promotion, just think what you could lose if the fling with the guy in accounts goes belly-up…ask yourself if it's really worth it?

5.Do be sure of what you are looking for
If you spend all day working with someone and then have to go home with them, it could get very tedious very quickly. If it ends badly, it would be horrible having to face each other every day, so make sure you both know what it is you're after from the beginning, be it a one night stand, a few casual dates or happily ever after

6.Do avoid senior management
Unless you're certain it's true love, steer clear of the top dogs. If things don't work out between you he's got a hold over you for the duration of your time with that company. Even worse, if you get found out, there could be accusations of favouritism or of sharing confidential management information. It could be both of your jobs on the line and he's likely to value his salary over your fling, so it could mean no job and no man in the end

8.Don't send saucy emails via the work system
It's oh so tempting to take those flirty email conversations just that little bit further, but remember these little babies stay on the system for quite some time and it won't take a computer buff to find them. If you do get the urge for some literal lovin', try texting each other instead (unless of course you're a world famous football player)

9.Do remember that you will be the source of office gossip
It's none of their business; they don't even know you that well, so why should they bother passing comment about who you date? Well, too bad. Office gossip is present in any company no matter how small. If you don't want your private life to become the source of office gossip, then don't date anyone you work with. However, if you and a colleague are going to go out on a few dates then you have to be prepared to answer questions…of course you are under no obligation to answer them truthfully

10.Don't get a taxi home with just you and him
It could be totally harmless, but it could also lead to rumours being spread like wild fire throughout the office – did they? Didn't they? He said they did; she's denying everything… Better to drag the boss into the cab with you than become the source of office gossip, whether it's true or not

11.Don't get too drunk at office parties
Always a big mistake - neither of you will be thinking clearly and one or both of you are likely to wake up the next morning wishing it hadn't happened, or worse, wondering if the other person regrets it. Have a drink and enjoy the flirting, but if things are going to go that stage further make sure you're sober when it does

12.Do be as open as possible with your boss
If it's serious, bite the bullet and tell the boss. Even if you keep it a secret from everyone else, it would be worthwhile informing your manager of the situation so that it won't have repercussions later on. It's likely to be embarrassing, but could be beneficial in the long term

12.Don't get caught doing non-work-related activities during work time
The last thing you want when in the midst of a passionate snog in the stationery cupboard is for the office manager to come looking for a new ink cartridge for the printer. Be sensible - if you can't keep your hands off each other until the end of the day, pop out at lunch time and go somewhere your colleagues are unlikely to see you

13.Do be careful what you say
If the romance does develop into something more, be careful what you say to colleagues about him and the relationship. Discussing intimate details with people you and he have to work with will only serve to make everyone uncomfortable

14.Do respect each other's feelings
Even more so than at the start of a normal relationship, when dating someone from work, you need to know how they feel about friends/colleagues knowing the two of you are seeing each other. If he acts like he's embarrassed of your romance, then forget it. If however he just wants to get to know you better without everyone butting in, then you should be respectful of that






Saturday, May 22, 2004

The 7 don'ts of dumping him


Answer this one honestly, ladies: When it comes to pulling the plug on a relationship, what's tougher: being the dumper or the dumpee?

Harder to answer that than you thought?

Getting dumped is heinous for obvious reasons — the pain of rejection, the impending loss of physical affection, the bummer of not having somebody to hang out with on Sunday night — but cutting the cord is ugly, too. Knowing you're going to hurt someone is awful. Planning out what you're going to say is awful. Going home to an empty apartment after squishing his heart is awful.

Believe it or not, between our baseball debates, we men talk about stuff like this. And believe it or not, we have preferences on how we we'd like to be let down. So print out this article and have it handy for the next time you have to do some cord-cutting. Be sure to avoid the seven "don'ts" of dumping:

1. Don't give us prior warning
You see, well ... it's just that ... I feel like we're ... you know ... just not doing ... I mean it's like ..." Twenty minutes later: "This is really ... I don't know how to ... I'll always ... um ..." I believe it was the great 20th Century philosopher Jerry Seinfeld who said, "Do it like a Band-Aid — rip it right off!"


2.Don't give us prior warning
Calling us up and saying, We need to talk is the biggest red flag imaginable. It's fair to say that when you tell someone We need to talk, it's generally not to inform them you got tickets to the circus.


3.Don't do it via email
A real letter written on real paper with a real pen is okay — if the note is well-written, that's even classy and respectable. But doing a cyberdump is a cop-out.


4.Don't do it after we've taken you out for an expensive dinner
Need I say more?


5.Don't do it in public
If your soon-to-be-ex is a dramatic kind of dude, keep it in-house, if only to avoid having to pay for some random restaurant's broken plate glass window.


6.Don't be passive/aggressive
It drives us nuts if you stop returning our phone calls, or stand us up, or ignore our instant and/or text messages. That'll create horrible karma, the kind of karma that'll assure the next time you're dumped, you'll get big-time passive/aggressive treatment yourself.
7.Don't tell us how swell we are
Prefacing the break-up with a litany of our alleged good qualities — "You're nice, and cute, and smart, and blah blah blah..." — doesn't make us feel any better. It just makes us think, "If I'm so nice, and cute, and smart, and blah blah blah, why am I being kicked to the curb?" Adding confusion to the dump mix is just ... well, confusing

The one "do" — Do unto others...
In the end, the most important thing is to be respectful and honest — to treat your now-former-boyfriend the way you'd like to be treated.
On the other hand, if you caught him messing around with your best friend or your sister, feel free to drop him a three-word "Dear John" email after he foots a $200.00 sushi bill.


Friday, May 21, 2004

Second-oldest woman to climb Mount Everest dies during descent

A 63-year-old Japanese woman has died on Mount Everest after becoming the second-oldest woman to conquer the world's highest peak, a Tokyo-based firm which organised her climb revealed.

Shoko Ota, 63, fell unconscious Thursday 350 metres (1,150 feet) from the top of the 8,850-metre peak after a fall broken by her safety rope, the Adventures Guide tour company said in a statement Friday.

Her team leader reported that Ota's heart had stopped beating and he later confirmed she had died.

Ota's family urged the remaining five climbers to leave her body which was still hanging by the rope and continue their descent, saying their safety was the top priority. Japan's Kyodo News Agency said an attempt would be made to recover the body on Friday.

Ota started climbing mountains when she was about 40 and conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, in 2001, according to Kyodo

felt so ashamed of myself after hearing this.. but its still sad.
Have you ever wondered where the child stars of certain movie became... of course you can't compare to Haley Joe Osment and such... but still i really wondered what happened to esp this girl
Grace Johnston, 1988 Beaches, Starring Bette Midler



She was last seen on the small screen in 1995, Notes for my daughter.


hmmmmm...
mystery

Taglines for Beaches
Friends come and go but there's always one you're stuck with for life....

aw.. how sweet can this be.. je ne sais pas who said this.but.. this is so damn true.. lemme see... i've known Peck Geok for 6 years... 6 years... ooh la la
The Friends or More-than-Friends Quiz
So, are you kinda wondering if your friend likes you as more than just a friend? Tell us the story, and we'll tell you what we think
. tsk tsk.. prolly i should try on Garry Lim.. HAHAHAHHAHA...



1.When your friend confides in you about what kind of person he or she hopes to date, does it sound kinda like you?
He/she doesn't really confide in me about that stuff.

Yeah, it does. To me, anyway.

No, not really.

2.Has he or she ever tried to set you up with someone else?


Well, he/she kinda got pushed into it. But yeah.

Yes, he/she got really excited about me getting together with this person.

No.

3. Has he or she ever said you're "like a sister/brother to me"?
No

Yeah

4.If the two of you had plans to see a movie, would your friend be likely to invite other people along?
Sure.

Yes, definitely. He/she seems to prefer hanging out with me in a group.

No, he/she seems to prefer it when just the two of us hang out.

5.Does your friend give you anything on Valentine's Day?
Yeah, but nothing sweet lovey-dovey.

Yeah, sweet lovey-dovey stuff.

No.

6.Do you guys have a song that's like "your song"?
Yeah, but the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with affection. They're about chocolate or something.

Yeah -- it was my idea.

Yeah -- it was his/her idea.

No.

7.If you absolutely had to say one way or the other or else you'd owe us $50, what does your gut say?
He/she has more-than-friends feelings for me.

He/she doesn't like me that way.

I'd pay you the $50. My gut is 50/50 on this.

8.Does your friend ever try to talk you out of other crushes you mention, like by saying that someone's not good enough for you or you deserve better?
Yeah.

No, not really.

No, in fact he/she is really supportive when I have crushes on people.

9.Does your bud seem to extra-like being physically close to you... like wants to sit next to you, hugs you a lot, or even punches you in the arm all the time like Radio Free Lily and Ray? Any back-rubs going on?
Yeah.

Not really.

No. But my friend's not touchy-feely like that with anyone.

10.Has your friend ever complimented you on something like your eyes, or your hair, or your scent, or something like that?
Yeah.

No, and I have heard him/her say that stuff to other people.

Yeah, but he/she says that kind of stuff to everyone.

Maybe a shirt or something like that.

No, but I've never heard him/her say that kind of thing to anyone.

11.What are the hugs like?
We don't really hug. We're not a hugging people.

They're sweet. We have good hugs.

They're a little intense... sometimes they seem a few seconds longer than a standard hug.

They're kinda shy -- you know, the one-armed hug?

11.Does your friend ever talk to you about other girls/boys he or she likes?
He/she talks about other girls/boys, but doesn't like, gush about them.

Yeah, my friend confides in me about crushes of all kinds.

No, he/she never mention any crushes to me.

12.Do you ever catch your friend kinda staring at you?
Yeah... I do.

No. People have told me that he/she stares at me though.

No, nothing like that.

Well, I mean, my friend looks at me... what do you mean by staring?


Avoiding Burnout

In some ways it was a typical breakfast meeting. The waitress was pleasant, the eggs were average, and the restaurant was full of busy people. We shared a cup of black, coffee-like substance, and the first few times my client took a sip he managed to spill quite a bit of it. His trembling hand was just one of the symptoms of his burnout. That’s why we were meeting. He wanted to know if I could help him.
I picked up a fork and explained that as long as I used it for eating, the fork would last indefinitely. However, if I began to use it to drive nails or dig trenches, it would soon break. The key was to use it for what it was designed to do.

The look in his eyes told me he got it, but I still went on to say that people are like the fork. When they do what they are not designed to do, they eventually break.

Sure enough, I had him take his MAPP Assessment and it showed that he was designed to work on projects where there was a definitely goal. He derived immense satisfaction from reaching goals. He also needed to work by himself about half the time. He was a scientist and enjoyed lab time, doing calculations, and interpreting test results
What his job required on a day-to-day basis was another story. His primary task was to supervise a dozen people and maintain operations. No goals. No projects. No time alone. Consequently, his job was sucking the life out of him.
Much credit for his recovery goes to his boss who was willing to change the job content to fit the design of a valuable employee.

So how do you know if you, a loved one, or someone who reports to you is suffering from burnout? Here are the early-warning signs.

1. chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down
2. anger at those making demands
3. self-criticism for putting up with the demands
4. cynicism, negativity, and irritability
5. a sense of being besieged
6. exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
7. frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
8. weight loss or gain
9. sleeplessness and depression
10. shortness of breath
11. suspiciousness
12. feelings of helplessness
13. increased degree of risk taking


Fight burnout. Do what you were designed to do. If you know someone who fits this description have him/her take a Career Assessment.


So I guess that we've gotta see those signs for ourselves to check whether we are burnt out.. i guess we should checked last sem... well last sem was TOO burnt out.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

TOP TEN posts on yahoo.com.sg

Top Ten Polls

1.What do you think of a casino in Singapore? (13060 votes)
2.If you could vote for the next Prime Minister, it would be... (11531 votes)
3.Do you think the NKF needs to be more transparent with its funds and reserves? (10318 votes)
4.Should the doctors have operated on the Iranian twins, Ladan and Laleh Bijani? (9768 votes)
5.Are you willing to pay 80 cents for a copy of The Straits Times? (9461 votes)
6.Do you think the criticisms levelled at the 2004 Miss Singapore Universe contestants were justified? (8919 votes)
7.Was the Home Affairs Ministry right in revoking SIA pilot Capt Ryan Goh's entry permit? (8902 votes)
8.Are you concerned about the bird flu? (8425 votes)
9.What do you think of the idea of merging SPH's MediaWorks with MediaCorp? (8145 votes)
10.What do you think of our athletes' performance at the 22nd SEA Games? (8131 votes)


How Can You Tell If Someone Is Lying?

Of all the stupid things people can do, lying is right up there with chain saw juggling, potato chip collecting, and nude riverdancing in public places.

Just watch the news any evening, and most of the people featured doing the perp walk to the county courthouse found themselves there because they lied about something. Still, people lie all the time.

A Cornell University professor recently finished a study that counted how frequently 30 of his students lied--about 26 percent of the time, the group learned.

Interestingly enough, the participants lied most often on the phone--37 percent of the time. They lied face to face 27 percent of the time, 21 percent of the time on instant messenger, and 14 percent of the time in e-mail messages.

The moral here: It's easiest to lie when someone isn't looking at us, and isn't going to have a potentially permanent piece of evidence proving our deception.

(The other moral: If you're the parent of a college student, talk with your kids over e-mail, or you might end up sending more "emergency book money" than necessary.)

I'm not in the camp of people who think all lies are bad. Sometimes, when someone asks us, "Do these pants make my butt look big?" it's better to say, "No, not to me," than it is to say the truth, which may well be, "Yes. Absolutely enormous. What were you thinking?"

Since we can't make anyone tell us the truth--and don't always really want to hear it anyway--the next best thing is to be able to determine when someone is lying (and when we should change into something more slimming).

Part II: Lying--The old-fashioned way to tell


Sometimes, a person's body language can be a giveaway that he or she is telling a stretcher. You've probably heard of some common "tells" that someone is lying:

they talk quickly or change the pitch of their voice.
they fidget.
they fail to make eye contact.
While all of these things can be clues that someone isn't telling the truth, they're not foolproof, body language experts say.

Paul Ekman's book Telling Lies: Clues to Detect Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage takes on the eye-contact belief. It's what people commonly list as proof that someone is lying, he writes, but the problem is that this is so commonly believed that a good liar will make sure he does make eye contact. Pathological liars do this all the time.

Ekman says shifty eyes are better interpreted as a sign that someone is feeling emotional--perhaps from a lie, but perhaps just from nerves


The better you know a person, the easier it is to figure out what those shifty eyes mean. I know my three-year-old daughter is lying, for example, when she gets a certain smile on her face. (It also helps that she says, "I'm not writing on the walls" and other confessions of bad behavior before I even ask what she's doing.)

If you don't know the person--let's say, you're a customer at his car lot--then you will have a harder time knowing if the pitch of his voice has changed, or if he always talks that high and fast.

One thing to keep in mind in a scenario like that is, it's easier to lie to people we don't know or care about. This is precisely how I ended up spending $200 more on my car than I'd been told it would cost; a second car salesman waved a convincing-looking sheet of paper in front of my face, causing me to doubt the first one I'd received. Argh!

Given all this, and given the fact that people apparently lie more easily on the phone, where you can't track their shifty eyes or fidgeting, your best bet is to pay attention to the details. Ekman's book says details make lies more believable. But they can also trip up the liar. If the details change or contradict each other, you should suspect you're being had. Also, if the speaker pauses a lot, Ekman says, it can be an indication he or she is lying. (The same thing holds true for lies in handwriting, graphologists say.)

Part III: Are machines any better?


We've all heard of polygraph machines, which are so named because they measure and record many of the body's responses at one time. The type of machine you see on TV, though, with the pen drawing squiggly lines, has been replaced by a computer model (except on TV and in the movies, where the squiggly-line machine apparently hired a better agent).

Unlike measuring things such as eye contact, which can be controlled, the polygraph measures things we generally can't control: heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and sweatiness (called electro-dermal activity). It's up to an examiner to interpret the test, but changes in these measures are believed by some to indicate deception.

Because the data are open to interpretation, not everyone loves the polygraph. Even fans of the polygraph admit that this so-called lie detector doesn't detect lies--just physiological responses that can come about when a person is behaving deceptively (which supposedly are separate from physiological responses that come when hooked up to a polygraph machine).

Interesting alternatives to the polygraph machine have arrived in recent years.

The "Silent Talker" is a machine that analyzes "microgestures" of the face, many of which we don't notice with our eyes. Developed at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, the "Silent Talker" is said to be accurate at detecting lies 80 percent of the time (compared to 70 percent of the time with other equipment).

Another difference: It can be operated remotely with a laptop and a camera, so no expert is needed--nor is it necessary to even be in the same room with the subject. This might come in handy for airport security and such things, although I have to wonder if someone fresh out of a Botox party might be able to sail on through with artificially paralyzed facial muscles.

Another technology called "Brain Fingerprinting" uses a particular type of brain wave to determine whether information is stored in a person's brain or not. So, if someone denies knowledge of a crime, but has a brain wave response (called a P300) that shows that details about the crime are in his head, his brain fingers point and call him a liar.

OMG.... YOU MEAN ALOT OF TEENAGERS WILL ACTUALLY SUFFER FROM THIS?

Sodas May Raise Cancer Risk
Carbonated Beverages May Increase Risk of Esophageal Cancer


May 18, 2004 -- You may want to think twice before reaching for a soda. A new study suggests that carbonated soft drinks may raise the risk of cancer of the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.


Cancer of the esophagus is one of the fastest growing cancers in the western world. It is often in an advanced stage when it is diagnosed. In advanced stages, esophageal cancer can be treated but rarely can be cured.


"Since many cancers are affected by what we eat and drink, we looked back at data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to see what [changes in the diet] could explain the [more than fivefold] increase in esophageal cancer rates over the past 50 years," says Mohandas K. Mallath, MD, professor and head of the department of digestive diseases and clinical nutrition at Tata Memorial Hospital.


Mallath presented the results of his study at a meeting of digestive disease specialists this week in New Orleans.


"What we found was a huge rise in intake of carbonated soft drinks," he tells WebMD. Per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks rose by more than 450% during the past half-century, from 11 gallons in 1946 to 50 gallons in 2000 -- the equivalent of two cans of soft drinks per person per day, he says.


Since exposure to cancer-causing agents usually precedes the disease by about two decades, "an association seemed possible," Mallath says.


Searching the medical literature for evidence to bolster the theory, his team found a study offering a strong biological basis to explain the link, he says.


The study showed that drinking carbonated beverages exposes the gastrointestinal tract to excess acid, the hallmark of acid reflux disease, or GERD, he says. And other studies show that GERD is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.


Also, countries in which people drink very few carbonated beverages, including Eastern Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and India, have had little increase in the incidence of esophageal cancer, Mallath notes.





Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Beatrix Kiddo (Black Mamba)




You're the Bride! Strong and determined, you can do anything once you set your mind to it. You long for vengeance and for a happy ending, and will do anything to achieve them.

Kill Bill: Which Deadly Viper Assassin Are You? (Vol. II spoilers... results with pics)

I'm sure many singles are like this:

10 myths women have about men

As perceptive as women can be, they have yet to figure out the male psyche — an interesting and sometimes frightening place from which men forge their own unique approach to life.

To gain a little perspective on man and his muse, we approached a variety of men with some of the more common female perceptions of them. Not surprisingly, we found out that a lot of those beliefs are, in fact, misperceptions, and the guys we spoke with were more than eager to clear them up.

Though a highly subjective survey, here are some of the more interesting truths revealed from the mouths of men:

1. Men are not interested in what women have to say
"Men are interested in what women have to say," countered Chris, 27, "as long as it involves one of the following: Our favorite sport, our favorite activity or your naked body. For example, many men would find it extremely interesting if a woman said, 'A couple of years ago, I got so drunk that I showed up nude to a football game.'"

2. Men want somebody who is just like their mother
"Men do want somebody who will love them like dear old Mom," admits Eric, 42. "But sometimes Mom also annoys us; we don't want you to be like that. So love, nurture and spoil like her — just don't be her."

3. Men only think about sex
"Well, yeah," says Paul, 34. "Thinking about sex takes up a good portion of our brain power, but we don't spend all of our free time pondering when we'll make our next move." Paul also adds, "There are actually plenty of women who are more interested in sex than we are."

4. He's spoiling me, so he must have plenty of money
"No, I don't," assures Brady, 49. "I'm going a little outside my comfort level to woo you, but plan to return gradually to my normal level as you fall, hopefully, madly in love with me."

5. If I sleep with him on the first date, he won't respect me
"Not necessarily," suggests Juan, 21. "My impression of you is based more on how you treat me and how we connect than whether or not we're intimate on the first date."

6. I can change him
"No, you can't," replies Jacques, 30. "Oh, you might get us to behave differently for a while. We might wear some newer shirts or clean up after ourselves for a few weeks, but I'm only doing it because I want to do — at least that is what I'm telling myself."

7. Men are interested in my dating history
"I couldn't care less about your sexual history," says Thomas, 19. "I don't care if you've had one or 20 partners; just don't tell me about any of them."

8. Men don't like women who make the first move.
"Sure we do," returns Romero, 39. "It's less work for us and shows us you have good taste."

9. Men prefer inexperienced women
"That's one of the great myths," admits Chuck, 52. "In reality, we'd rather be with someone who knows what they're doing."

10. Men are strong
"No," assures Michael, who just turned 40. "We're babies, especially when we've got a cold or you break our hearts.

Monday, May 17, 2004

Top Baby Names for 2003

Jacob and Emily were the most popular baby names in the United States for the third year in a row, according to the 2003 BabyCenter Baby Names List compiled by BabyCenter L.L.C., the leading online resource for new and expectant parents. However, there were major upheavals in the rankings below the number-one spots.

The use of classic feminine names like Emily, Abigail and Isabella increased significantly for girls, a move away from the TV-inspired names that have been popular since the mid-1990s, such as Alexis and Brianna. The boys' names list, which typically varies very little year to year, also saw unusual movement but in the opposite direction. Longtime classic boys' names such as Michael and Christopher are being edged out by newcomers such as Aidan, Ryan and Zachary.

Girls' names

Emily
Emma
Madison
Hannah
Hailey
Sarah
Kaitlyn
Isabella
Olivia
Abigail

Boys'names


Jacob
Aidan
Ethan
Matthew
Nicholas
Joshua
Ryan
Michael
Zachary
Tyler

BabyCenter compiled its annual baby names list from more than 300,000 members who had babies in 2003, the largest private list available. The BabyCenter list is unique because names with the same pronunciation but different spellings are combined to give a more accurate view of name popularity

Saturday, May 15, 2004

thought of something rock things up in the blog.. abit too not me.. but i like the pic only. heez




Wanna date in the city of Angels or HOT HOT miami? well.. here's a guide

America's Best (and Worst) Cities for Dating
Hooking that hottie is hard enough without the odds stacked against you, so the city study experts at Sperling's BestPlaces have identified for you "America's Best and Worst Cities for Dating."


The study is based on criteria that include percentage of singles ages 18-24, population density, and dating venues per capita such as concerts, coffee shops, bars, bowling alleys, etc., and includes 80 metro areas in America. AXE Deodorant Bodyspray, which specializes in the dating game, teamed with Sperling's BestPlaces to find out which city is revered as the D.C. (Dating Capital) of the U.S.


Land of the Longhorn
Yee haw! Austin, Texas, tops the list of best cities to play the dating game. Is the city you call home the place to find that special someone?

Best cities for dating
1.Austin, TX
2.Colorado Springs, CO
3.San Diego, CA
4.Raleigh/Durham, NC
5.Seattle, WA
6.Charleston, SC
7.Norfolk, VA
8.Ann Arbor, MI
9.Springfield, MA
10.Honolulu, HI

Worst cities for dating
1.Kansas City, MO
2.Wichita, KS
3.Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
4.Detroit, MI
5.Louisville, KY
6.Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
7.Atlanta, GA
8.Pittsburgh, PA
9.Houston, TX
10.Charlotte, NC

Interesting Facts from the Top Ten
"Large cities that everyone associates with socializing, like Los Angeles and Miami, did not rank particularly high, scoring lower in categories like coffee shops per capita and flowers bought as gifts," said Bert Sperling, president of Sperling's BestPlaces. "But cities like Austin (No. 1), Colorado Springs (No. 2) and Ann Arbor (No. 8) were not a complete surprise—they are heavy-populated college towns and it's easy for young singles to get together."


Austin, TX: Taking home the grand prize, Austin scores relatively high in everything, from frequency of dating partners to the number of establishments to meet people. Austin also has the highest percentage of 18-24-year-olds and knows how to have fun as they spent more money out socializing than any other area. Austin residents also had the highest expenditures on alcohol purchased away from home.
Colorado Springs, CO: Ranks in the 99th percentile for socializing at bars and also scores high in the dining out category.
San Diego, CA: Scores high in the diversity index, which rates the likelihood of randomly meeting someone of a different race or ethnicity, and, of course, San Diego is off the charts when it comes to outdoor recreational opportunities.
Raleigh/Durham, NC: Has a large 18-24-year-old population and a high number of online daters in the area.
Seattle, WA: No surprise here—Seattle has the largest number of coffee shops (great places for meeting people or gathering to rehash the previous night's activities). It also has the highest percentage of online daters.
Charleston, SC: Ranks second in the number of lingerie shops per capita (behind Columbia, SC).
Norfolk, VA: Came in near the top due to the exceptional amount of flowers that were brought as gifts for a special someone. Online dating was also high, in the 83rd percentile.
Ann Arbor, MI: Scores in the 98th percentile for percentage of singles and ranks high in the dining out category as well.
Springfield, MA: Springfield scores high in many categories, among them the percentage of singles, health clubs per capita and bars per capita in the area.
Honolulu, HI: Honolulu ranks first in the diversity index category, which rates the likelihood of randomly meeting someone of a different race or ethnicity, and scores the highest in the dining out category as well. Honolulu has the lowest number of lingerie shops per capita, probably because no one's wearing much clothing to begin with.
Better Luck Next Time...
Below are some of the reasons that large cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Houston bottomed out in the study.


18-24 population: Pittsburgh (overall No. 73 ranking) and Detroit (overall No. 77) are among cities with the lowest number of 18-24 year olds.
Percentage of singles: Charlotte, NC (overall No. 71), is among the cities with the lowest percentage of singles.
Latte, anyone?: Wichita (overall No. 79) and Greensboro (overall No. 75) are among those cities that are home to the least number of coffee shops per capita, leaving few good places for young people to converge and trade stories after a fun night out.
Remove earplugs: Louisville (overall No. 76) scores low in the concert category; apparently the tour buses are not making a habit of stopping and rocking in Louisville.
Necklaces and bracelets and rings, oh my: Two of the cities where jewelry is least often bought as a gift are Detroit (overall No. 77) and Minneapolis (overall No. 78).
Ooo la la!: Houston (overall No. 72) is among cities with the fewest lingerie shops per capita.
Behind bars: Atlanta (overall No. 74) is among the cities with the least number of hot new bars, leaving young singles looking for places to meet potential hookups.


"We've received feedback from some of the lowest ranking cities, and it appears our findings are on-track," noted Sperling. "In these cities, there are relatively few young singles and the towns are so spread out, it can be difficult for them to find each other. Some are using this study as a call to action to provide places where people can hang out and get together."


The Wichita Eagle comments about this study, "This survey might be tragically accurate. In the last year, this reporter has received dozens of complaints and pleas for help from singles ranging in age from early 20s to late 60s. Their gripes are all similar. They want to meet someone special but don't know how to do it or where to go. And they certainly don't want to prowl smoky bars waiting to be picked up and/or rejected."


Methodology
AXE Deodorant Bodyspray, known coast-to-coast for their dating game expertise, came up with the idea of finding "America's Best and Worst Cities for Dating," using 24 distinct criteria including, among others: population density, percentage of singles, frequency of hooking up, dating venues such as coffee shops, bars and intimate apparel stores, and flowers and jewelry bought as gifts.


The study is based on the most currently available figures from the Census Bureau (population characteristics and statistics), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (frequency of sexual partners), Match.com (online daters), and criteria from leading relationship experts who weighed categories in terms of dating importance.



Friday, May 14, 2004

New Study Shows Big Drop in Book Sales

NEW YORK - Not even Harry Potter (news - web sites) could prevent a big drop in book sales in 2003. With a struggling economy and competition for time from other media, 23 million fewer books were sold last year than in 2002, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Book Industry Study Group, a non-for-profit research organization.

Sales fell to 2.222 billion books, down from 2.245 billion in 2002. The decline was in both hardcovers and paperbacks, in children's books and general trade releases. Even sales of religious titles, often cited as a growing part of the publishing industry, were flat.
"We believe this is due to a variety of factors, the biggest being the used book market," said Albert N. Greco, an industry consultant and a professor of business at the graduate school of Fordham University.
"People are looking for bargains, especially in college textbooks, where we believe millions of used books are being bought. Also, books are competing with magazines, cable, radio, music and movies."
Thanks to higher prices, net revenues did rise to $27.8 billion in 2003, a 2.5 percent increase. They are projected to reach $33.5 billion in 2008.
But the 2003 figures show a continued trend of increasing production and declining demand. More than 100,000 books were published last year, yet fewer people were buying them. Sales dropped despite such high-profile releases as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the memoirs of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites), and Dan Brown's religious thriller, "The Da Vinci Code."
"One book cannot make you," Greco said. "You have to look at how many books are not selling well. There's a parallel to Hollywood, where a lot of movies flop."
The Book Industry Study Group's report, titled "Book Industry Trends 2004," includes several downbeat assessments from publishing officials. Bob Miller, president of Hyperion, declares that "the pie we're all looking to share is not growing," and "flat is the new up."
Barbara Marcus, publisher of Scholastic Children's Book Group, which releases the Potter books in the United States, said she was disappointed by the impact of J.K. Rowling (news - web sites)'s fantasy series on the overall market.

"People thought Harry might have changed kids' reading habits," she said. "It's happened to a small degree, but not to the level we've hoped

ed notes: potter get a life.. you have you’re a levels to care about… you’re too old.. geddit? DUN you geddit? YOU’RE TOO OLD. Is this some publicity stunt to get more girls to watch the show…. Ed snorts… ha…. Potter… get out.

p.p.p.s: who says pple dun buy books….. I do… just that when they have special deals… okay my hands are itching to take a bus down to get hold the few remaining Marian keys books…. But no dough.. so what to do?








Monday, May 10, 2004

Thieves still prefer cars over SUVs or pickups—especially the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and Honda Accord.
In two separate studies, at least seven of the ten most commonly stolen vehicles in the United States are cars, with the Camry, Civic and Accord prominent in the lists.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), which tallies all vehicles reported by law enforcement agencies as stolen each year, said the Camry was first in theft during its most recent study, which was for calendar 2002. The Accord was second. Both are among America's bestselling autos. In third spot in the NICB ranking is the Honda Civic.

The Arlington, Va.-based NICB does not list vehicles by separate model years; however, the most popular model year of Camry among thieves was 1989. According to the NICB, motor vehicle thefts in 2002 totaled 1.2 million, which was a slight increase over 2001. This is the third consecutive year of increase following a ten year decline.

Meantime, CCC Information Services Inc., a Chicago-based supplier of software and communications systems to auto insurers, said the 1989, 1991 and 1990 Camry models, respectively, topped its annual study of theft claims from insurers. The 2000 Honda Civic Si was fourth, followed by the 1994 Honda Accord EX and the 1994 Chevrolet C1500 4X2 pickup truck. Honda Accord models from 1994, 1995 and 1996 and a 1988 Camry completed the top ten.

Overall; however, CCC said car thefts—which it measures only as vehicles which are stolen and not recovered in usable form—were down 3 percent in 2002 from 2001.

According to CCC, thieves continue to target an increasing number of sport-utility vehicles and minivans, although the only truck or SUV in the CCC's top 10 for 2002 was the Chevy pickup. Overall thefts of minivans and SUVs rose 10 percent from 2000 to 2002, the organization said.

CCC does not include vehicles stolen for joyrides or otherwise recovered and returned to their owners, but only vehicles stolen and deemed a total loss, or never recovered. A vehicle is considered a total loss when the cost to repair it approaches or exceeds the value of the vehicle.

How the Two Studies Differ
The NICB figures come from FBI Uniform Crime Reports and include all reports of vehicle theft, including cars that have a few parts removed, are taken for joyrides and later recovered, as well as vehicles that disappear and are never returned to their owners.

In contrast, the CCC identifies the most-stolen vehicles by analyzing the total losses submitted to it by more than 350 property and casualty insurers in North American. On average, CCC valued more than 6,400 vehicles per day during 2002.

The NICB still urges car owners to take preventive measures. "Motorists driving theft-prone vehicles should consider taking additional prevention steps, such as installing a visible deterrent such as a steering wheel lock, an alarm, a starter or fuel disabler, and a tracking device," said Robert M. Bryant, president and chief executive officer for the NICB. "The more layers of protection on your vehicle, the more difficult it is to steal."

Thieves Follow Market Trends
The most commonly stolen truck, according to both organizations, is the Chevrolet full-size pickup. The Silverado is fourth on the NICB list for calendar 2002 and sixth on the 2002 CCC list.

Jeep's Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models are the most stolen SUVs, ranked together in the sixth spot in the NICB list.

According to Bryant, "Vehicle thieves follow market trends and target the most popular vehicles because they provide the best market for stolen vehicle parts and illegal export to other countries."

Here is the NICB top ten list—the number in parentheses is the model year most stolen:


1.Toyota Camry (1989)
2.Honda Accord (1994)
3.Honda Civic (2000)
4.Chevrolet Full-Size Pickup (1992)
5.Ford F-Series Pickup (1997)
6.Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee (1993)
7.Oldsmobile Cutlass (1986)
8.Dodge Caravan (1994)
9.Ford Taurus (1996)
10.Toyota Corolla (2001)

This study is based on some 1.2 million motor vehicles reported stolen to the NICB in 2002 by law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The CCC's most-stolen vehicles for 2002 are as follows:


1.1989 Toyota Camry
2.1991 Toyota Camry
3.1990 Toyota Camry
4.2000 Honda Civic Si
5.1994 Honda Accord EX
6.1994 Chevrolet C1500 4X2
7.1995 Honda Accord EX
8.1988 Toyota Camry
9.1994 Honda Accord LX
10.1996 Honda Accord LX

The study is based on total losses from theft submitted to CCC by 350 insurance company customers during calendar 2002.

Taste Varies
Thieves' choices differ from region to region, according to the CCC and NICB. The 1994 C1500 4X2 pickup was the most-stolen vehicle stolen in Texas, while 13 of the 25 most-stolen vehicles in California were imports. The NICB also reported that the most stolen color was white, followed by red, blue, black and green.


Saturday, May 08, 2004

Sony, Nintendo Aim to Wow Gamers with New Handhelds

TOKYO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites) plans to unveil its first new major game hardware in four years next week with a handheld machine that aims to unlock Nintendo (news - web sites)'s stranglehold on the mobile game market


Nintendo plans to answer back also at E3, the game industry's annual trade show held in Los Angeles, by taking the wraps off a new handheld of its own that the Kyoto-based company says is unlike any gaming device ever made.


Lofty expectations -- Sony has dubbed the PlayStation Portable (PSP) as "the Walkman for the 21st Century" that can play games, movies and music -- have inflated the hype for the PSP and Nintendo's new machine, codenamed "DS."


The pre-E3 buzz has gamers excited about DS, a mobile machine with two screens one above the other. Industry insiders have said one of the screens will be a touch panel.


"This will not be a machine where you push the 'A' button or 'B' button and move the direction pad, but a completely different way to interact with the device," said Hirokazu Hamamura, president of "Famitsu" game magazine publisher EnterBrain.


In fact, the gaming community has been so perplexed by the idea of the DS and how it might be designed that one Web site, Gizmodo.com, has offered a bounty to the first person to send it a photograph of the unit before its public unveiling.


Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has said he wanted to come up with a new type of machine to cater to gamers alienated by the trend toward more complex titles, while inspiring software developers to get creative again.


At E3, the creators of "Super Mario Brothers" are expected to display up to 30 titles, a number that Sony will be hard-pressed to match for the PSP since some of its software specifications have yet to finalized.


"I still don't have a great sense of how much PSP there's going to be (at the show)," said American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy.


Sony suffered a setback with the PSP in February when it postponed the U.S. and European release until early 2005, missing out on this year's holiday demand. The PSP is slated to go on sale in Japan before the year-end.


Tokyo-based Sony has said it targets shipments of three million PSP units in the business year ending March 31.


BREAKING UP MARIO'S PARTY


Sony will try to succeed where others have failed in breaking up Nintendo's virtual monopoly over the handheld game market with its GameBoy line.


Last year, Nokia (news - web sites) tried to muscle in with the N-Gage, a hybrid phone and game device, but has not managed to dent Nintendo's 90 percent market share. It plans to offer a revamped model from May in Europe and Asia.


"The challenge is more on Sony's side than Nintendo's," said Hiroshi Kamide, analyst at KBC Securities. Working in Sony's favor is its game guru Ken Kutaragi's track record of beating Nintendo in its backyard. In the console battles of the 1990s, the PlayStation toppled Nintendo64 by catering to developers with cheaper and more advanced CD-ROMs.


Kutaragi is again trying to appeal to software makers by making the development process for the PSP similar to that of the PS2.


"There were a lot of complaints from game developers when PlayStation shifted to PS2, so Kutaragi has been saying he wants to make it as easy as possible to create games for the PSP," said EnterBrain's Hamamura.





Sony's efforts to woo buyers with a line-up of attractive software titles got a boost when Electronic Arts Inc, the world's biggest game developer, said last month it would have four to six games for the PSP by March 31, 2005.

HOW MUCH??

For years, Nintendo's strategy has been to offer hardware at low prices, while making most of its money from software sales.

Analysts speculate that its DS pricing strategy will be no different. As a game machine targeting children, the DS is not expected to top $250, despite having two liquid crystal display (LCD) screens and two microprocessors.

Sony's PSP could come with a price tag significantly higher, because it will be marketed as an all-in-one entertainment system. The PSP promises a wide-screen LCD monitor and the capability to play two hours of DVD-quality video.

It is also expected to offer wireless Internet connectivity and a proprietary storage device, Universal Media Disc (UMD), with three times the capacity of a CD-ROM.

"Whatever happens, I don't think Sony can beat what Nintendo is offering at the moment (with the GameBoy Advance), which is $99," said KBC's Kamide.

"It depends how much money Sony wants to lose every time it sells one of these things."


7 sure signs he's a mama's boy


She knows his deepest secrets. She knows how to cook his favorite food. And hey, she's known him longer than anyone. How are you expected to compete with this other woman?

Sure, it's endearing when your man cares about his mom: sends her flowers on mother's day, drops by for lunch, helps her move. But it's downright scary when he takes it too far: sends her flowers weekly, lets her pack his lunch, helps her move into his apartment.

Allow me to paint a few pictures and you decide if your man's mom has a good son or a good grip on your boyfriend:

Call Waiting Courtesy
You're on the phone with your man, making plans for a romantic evening. Just as you're confessing that you plan on going commando, his other line beeps. He makes two mistakes. First, he answers it. Second, when he returns, he explains that he really needs to take this call from his mom. Her cat, Benecio, seems depressed.

Maxing out Minutes
Speaking of phones, how often does he talk to her? On a daily basis? Think about it; they can only discuss Benecio's mental state for so long. Then what's left? You? Watch out, she may be monopolizing his cell phone minutes chastising you for your hellacious hospital corners.

Priority Planning
So now the romantic evening is upon you. Remember? The one where you're going commando, yes that one. Try and keep up. There you are, standing by the door, looking fabulous sans undergarments, when he calls. His mom needs him to help her move a china cabinet ... or a cabinet to China — whatever it is, all you hear is that he's ditching you for her.

Quotables
Ever hear this? "My mom always says you should rinse your pasta before you serve it..." or "My mom always says, 'haste makes waste' " If he starts more than 20% of his sentences like this, you're on the losing end of this competition. And as long as you're discussing things that people say, hit him with one of your favorites: "There comes a time when you have to cut the apron strings."

And in This Corner We Have...
Is he constantly comparing the two of you? This can be annoying — "When my mom cleans the mirror, she doesn't leave any streaks" — or just plain creepy — "When you clean the mirror in that skirt, you remind me so much of my mom." Come on, you're a sexy singleton. She's a senior citizen. There should be no comparison. Oh, but if I were you, I'd lose that skirt.

Interior Design by Mom
So would you describe the décor of his house as "Country Clutter" or "Fashionably Floral?" Trick question. Either one is a sign that he let mom do the decorating. The real question is, does the house include an abundance of pictures of her? Even more importantly, do you have to stare at a picture of her when you're in his bed? That's not right. A picture of mom in a muumuu can really spoil the mood.

Visitation Rights and Wrongs
Does his mom ever just stop by because she was "in the neighborhood?" She's lying. Come on, the woman's got a warm plate of cookies and a basket of his clean laundry. Plus, moms aren't impulsive. If she stops by at 11:00 on a Friday night, she planned it. So make sure you're dressed. Or better yet, get your cookie and run.

So if you've surmised that your man is maternally dependant and you think you can change him, let me paint one final picture for you. I call it, "your future" and it looks something like this: You and your man sitting on the couch, with his mom in between. Oh, and don't forget little Benecio, moping under the coffee table. So paint yourself a new picture: you, your new man (who does not require anyone to cut the crust off his sandwich) cuddling alone on the couch. And while you're at it, liven up that picture with a bouquet of flowers he bought just for you.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

YEAH finally graduated from year one.. i can;t believe it hahahhaa.. now its looking foward to year 2..
can;t wait hahhaha .. then year 3 graduation finally.!



Rabbit rabbit rabbit .. frog sandwhich
Airline Passenger Finds Frog in Her Salad

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Australian carrier Qantas said Tuesday it has changed its lettuce supplier after a passenger on a flight from Melbourne to Wellington found a live frog in her greens.



The one-inch Australian whistling tree frog didn't get a chance to hop away. The woman plunked the lid back on her meal preventing any escape.






The Qantas plane's crew notified the Quarantine Service while the plane was still in the air and officials were waiting when it landed at Wellington Airport.


"I'm afraid the frog was euthanized" in a freezer, service general manager Fergus Small told National Radio.


Quarantine officials made a check of the airplane "but no other frogs were detected," he said.


A Qantas spokesman told National Radio that the airline had changed its supplier since the February incident. Tree frogs were common in the area where the lettuce was grown.




LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) says he is working round the clock to complete memoirs for which he received a $12 million advance, and friends say he is stuck on what has become his favorite subject: himself, according to a story in Vanity Fair on Monday.



In an interview with Vanity Fair contributing editor Sam Robert Anson, Clinton says he is obsessed with getting his long-awaited memoirs done, although he only started on his White house years around four months ago.


"I am literally hardly sleeping. I am working around the clock. I am killing myself because I want (my memoirs) done. ... Hard enough to live my life the first time. The second time has really been tough," he told Anson.


Clinton said he was not interested in paying back his adversaries but in setting the record straight. "I have no power, and I can't do anything to anybody else anyway," he told Anson,


Anson said that those who socialize with Clinton say there's no off switch even when he's relaxed. One unnamed friend said of Clinton, "He just talks. You don't really have a conversation with him. He never asks about you. He never asks you your opinions on anything. He just loves to talk and have an audience.


"He is just self-absorbed. Totally. Not really interested in anything does or what they think. Except what do they think about what he is doing and what he is saying."


Another said, "He's like a walking Google. I don't care what word you put in, he will keep going and going."


Others describe him as a man who hates to be alone and who dominates every social setting he is in.


Anson added that Clinton's "exhaustively analyzed marriage" seems healthy, too, despite gossip linking him to a multi-continent harem. Stories also have him intending to divorce Hillary... Nonsense, say friends, who relate witnessing manifold instances of stroking and smooching.


"They are the two most co-dependent people in the world," says friend James Carville, a Democratic pundit and former Clinton campaign adviser.







Some people think teachers are overpaid--I get e-mail about it all the time. Other people think teachers are underpaid. I get a lot of that e-mail too.

I was going to weigh in with my own opinion when I realized I couldn't, because I didn't know how much teachers make--or how much anyone else makes, for that matter, except for a few well-known CEOs and sports stars

I said to myself, "Get some facts before shooting your mouth off, Tamim." (I learned that from a teacher.)

Lucky for me, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) researches salary issues. I found their Web site, and here's what they report:

The average American public school teacher, kindergarten through high school, makes $44,367.*

Salaries vary from state to state, with South Dakota coming in last at $31,383 a year, and California leading the way at $54,348.

Is $44,367 a lot, or a little? I couldn't tell, so I dug up salary averages for a few other professions. Here's how they stack up:

Profession
Average annual salary

teacher
$44,367

state patrol officer
$47,090

assistant professor
$47,476

accountant
$54,503

architect
$56,620

computer systems analyst
$74,534

engineer
$76,298

full professor
$89,631

attorney
$90,290

family practice physician
$150,267


I can hear some of you out there saying, "Sure, teachers make less than doctors, big deal. Isn't that fair?" Underpaid, overpaid, it only means something in comparison to how much a person should be paid, right?

But that's a big can of worms. How much "should" anyone be paid? And how do we judge "should"?



Part II: What teachers deserve
Is any line of work entitled to a particular level of compensation? On what basis? Are there objective criteria?

I can think of three:

The amount of training needed for the job
The all-around difficulty of the work
The value of the product or service to society
If you use these criteria, doctors deserve tons of money. Their job requires endless schooling followed by a brutal internship...and they save lives. What could be more important than that?

Carpet installers, by contrast, don't necessarily need a college degree, although they do need training and practical experience. If they're good at what they do, their carpets look smooth and stay put--an important and necessary skill, but it's not saving lives. No wonder doctors make more.

OKay last paper.. manage to survive yest's paper.. c;est tout au jourd'hui is the last paper.. then i'll grad year one.. phew..

Monday, May 03, 2004

okay fine.. fine fine.. monday... second last paper and i have not touch a single thing on creative and science. shit.. man.. i hate exams.. ok cool.. fine .. exams sucks