CHINA - hair band scam

Article adapted from one of my junk mails ......

Beware when you are traveling to China , just try to be careful when you are buying hair bands down the road who knows what it is made from?


Be careful of hair bands at open markets around the city too - they are probably from China since they are purchased in bulk and very very cheap !!!!
Take a good look before buying hair bands in future - especially like the following kind.....




BEIJING (AFP) - Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province , China Daily newspaper said.

'These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ..... threatening the health of local people,' it said.
Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

'People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,' the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just 25 sen (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China 's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems.
_.___
Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair.

Pudgy, Portly and altogether Pumply ....

Lately I was inspired  by a friend (SarahP who adores Mr Darcy from Pride & prejudice- and yes it was written by Jane Austen ) to read on Jane Austens' books. I used to read her books but as time passed, I kind of lost my touch with English literatures. Perhaps maybe I find literatures a little wee bit boring.^_^

I think everybody knows Jane Austen.Her famous work ,"sense and sensibility", pride and prejudice", "emma" ....Okay I only know 3  of her works.Don't get me wrong coz I love my Jane Austen.It is just that  I am just not the biggest enthusiasts in the world on her . I do admit that I have not even read every single book she had written. In short, I enjoy her observance,details, wit and her ability to have readers (like Sarah P) feel as though they have infiltrated a world that has long since passed.

(this is for you Sarah ... ya!)

She writes in a way that I can picture the stiffness of Mr Darcy and  that I can reach out and touch Anne's pain or suffer with Eleanor's shyness. I'm just as annoyed with Kitty and Lydia as if I had lived in the Bennett house and had to suffer with their nonsense. 

If you would really wanna read more (its a very good book ) you may go to this website

"Mrs Musgrove was of a comfortable substantial size, infinitely more fitted by nature to express good cheer and good humour, than tenderness and sentiment; and while the agitations of Anne's slender form, and pensive face, may be considered as very completely screen, Captain should be allowed some credit for the self- command with which he attended to her large fat

personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has as good a right to be in deep affliction, as the most graceful set of limbs in the world. But, fair or not fair, there are unbecoming conjunctions, which reason will patronise in vain, - which taste cannot tolerate, - which ridicule will seize. "

Is she implying that the pudgy, portly and altogether plumply do not do solemness and sadness and indeed - that when they DO do it, they look ridiculous and funny?

Is she implying that the pudgy, portly and altogether plumply should stick to loud guffaws and determined streaks of happiness with the sole intent of promoting other people to be happy and merry and perhaps engage in a little jig around the drawing room?

So my question is: Is Jane Austen a sizeist? 

I think I shall go for a turn about the room and recover my senses.I think I am being overly sensitive. Anyway it's just one of my random thoughts while reading it.

P/S no 1 : If you're reading this and you feel that I am feeling pudgy, portly and altogether plumply ... don't be...^_^ I am not sad or hurt or angry. I just happen to come across the text and feels that it would be interesting if I share it out in my blog. ^_^

See... I'm not ^_^

P/S no 2 :  I am having a hectic cycle this month. So I will not blog and comment as much as I want but I will keep continue reading blogs.^_^

The Promise ( secret garden )

I felt so peaceful after listening to this ...

Truth or Money ?

Lately, I have been watching this reality Tv show
"The moment of Truth".
The title of the show pretty much says it all.
Basically, it's about telling the truth and getting paid for it in a huge amount of money which may come up to about 500 000 USD.
So far, I have yet to see anyone passing the 100 000 USD mark.
Cause in exchage of the money, they hurt feelings of the people
they love ... or not love...or pretend to love....

There was this episode that particularly caught my attention and caused an uproar in US.

Lauren cleri
-the most hated woman in America after the show was aired.

Lauren Cleri’s ex-boyfriend Frank came on the show to ask her a question “If I wanted to get back together with you, would you leave your husband?”

Since her friend Monica didn’t want to hear it, though, she pressed the button to interrupt it.

So they replaced it with another question, still asked by her ex-boyfriend. “Do you believe I am the man you should be married to?” No way to get out of hearing this. She says yes. That answer is true. This is enough to bring her to the $100,000 mark. Her husband tells her to just keep going since it’s not like she can upset him any more. He admits he’s sometimes unhappy with the marriage, not that anybody’s surprised. Her mom wants her to stop now and take the money (Fox, 2008).


If you're curious to how it ends, whether she won the money, whether the marriage survived,then you might want to see this video:





Now the Question is :

Would you risk it all to win a huge amount of money?
After all, Honesty is the best policy!

The truth hurts, but it also sets you free.
But what if it chains someone up in order to set you free just like the show?
Okay, let me rephrase my word.
But what if in the process of setting of yourself free , you hurt the feelings of those you love.

To me,the hardest thing to endure is to have
your loved ones there with you and to be asked questions
that can threaten your relationship with them.

Anyway, after a long ranting, my answer is NO.
No way I'm going to sacrifice my family in exchange for the money.

TRUTHFULLY, 500 000 USD is a big sum of money.
I wouldn't be surprise if there are people out there who are willing
to reveal their darkest secret in order to get the money


Currently on:

Its either you die or.... I die

There's quite some stuff that is going through my mind recently. 

 Just as I am about to turn off my laptop,

 my mind kept thinking about this movie that I saw

 when I was back in Malaysia(can't remember its name though but it is based on true story) 

  Basically it is about people who give up their places on a lifeboat in order to let the others survive...  

Now my question.

If you were in their shoes, would you give up your place in order to let others survive?

My answer ? 

I............ don't think I will 

Why?

 One Simple reason....

When I cant even  give up my seats in the metro

 ( sometimes I pretend to be asleep in order to escape from the "old grandma" .. I know its awful) 

what makes me think that I would give up my life for others.

  I know it is a really weird random thought.

okay, that's it from me. 

Funerals...

The word "funeral" has taken a lot of course in my life.

Back when I was in the band during my secondary school days,

I enjoyed going for funerals.

Cause "funeral' back then = my pocket money

Of course its tiring cause we had to march under the sun or rain.

But I have a bunch of great friends.

We laughed,chit-chatted (we only did this when we were blocks away from the funeral home where the service was held)

But when it was time for us to play our best piece to the deceased, we would be very serious.

However as I begin my walk into adulthood, my perspective of " funeral " has changed alot.

Probably because I was put into their shoes.

I have attended Christian and non-Christian funerals.

And I know

that there's a difference in attending Christian and non-Christian funerals.

For some people, death is the end of life

while for others, death is just the beginning of life.

And no matter how you define or compare "funerals"

It doesn't, however, stop the grief.

Excuse me? There's a parcel for you!

Have you ever been 18? 

Do you remember how it was like to be 18, 

and have your whole future stretched out before you, 

glorious opportunities ripe for the taking?

Have you ever had all the adults

 suddenly cornering you and asking you what you want to do with your life? 

Where you want to go? 

Which place to study?

Have you ever waited with sweaty palms,

 waiting to hear someone over the phone telling you whether you had won a college place,

 a scholarship, a competition?

 Have you ever spent nights staring at your ceiling,

 wondering how to make a decision that will greatly impact your future?

Have you ever been torn between your wildest hopes and ambitions; 

and the realistic limitations of finance and your own capabilities? 

Have you ever agonised about whether your plans were in line with the One who has the highest plans for you?

Have you ever believed that you can do anything that you dream of, 

if only you try?

 Have you ever been convinced that in your own small way, 

you can make a difference for the better;

 change the world?

To be naive, to be inexperienced, 

to be hopeful and optimistic and idealistic and pseudo-cynical and insecure all at once.

 To love for the very first time, 

and get your heart crushed like brittle ice under your lover's feet.

And it's all part of a parcel of being 18,

 for the first and last time.

May you be happy being 18 my dear sister...

^_^

aLL the best in your exams ya!!! ^_^

My Smile

Okay people ... today I've decided to do something out of my normal entries....

Behold my citizens, I declare that today is FLUFF day, when one can write as much fluff as they want!

Stuffs that make me ^_^ smile :

1.  Travelling

Okay... not by plane

But this!!

2. A warm and cozy bed. (especially when I'm experiencing winter here in Moscow)

3.  My cam-whoring skills

4. Food and that includes pot luck-ing 

Aftermath...

5. Chocolate cake.

6. Letters! Bythe way I don't mean bills and advertisementsor even emails but real letters written by

 people. Though I rarely ever get them now, probably because I don't send any...

7. My pets 

(Shiro , Bobby , Mr & Mrs Smith & my beloved Mr. Top Pan )

Shiro

He has a pair of fake-looking eyeballs.. I mean seriously..don you think so?

My Bobby 

& She is about a size of a chicken ..

and yup she is definitely smaller than a cat

And yes ... she smokes... 

8. The moment especially after a big exam... what a big relieve..

9. Remembering something funny that I did or said months or years ago. 

Time makes good memories better.

You may have noticed that in this list 

I didn't include the perpetual "God, family and friends " list.

 That is because these are so much more

 important to me that

 it doesn't just make me smile,

 it is the foundation of my security and identity. 

and of course it makes me smile deep inside.

Medical Specialty

Veysman, B. Physician, know thyself. BMJ 2005; 331:1529.


For those who wants to know what medical specialty that they want to pursue in future but still unsure may check out this algoritm I found over the internet.


Mine's opthalmology... What about yours?
^_^

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival or should I say Happy Mooncake Festival Ya people!!!
Doesn't it reminds you of your home and family?
Well I do...