Priceless: Hor de Prix

Lesson Learnt from the French movie

Finally got to catch this movie after strong recommendations by friends or rather a friend and 2 wasted trips to the cinema (GV PS and Cineleisure), to find only first row seats were available.

Anyway, i shall not comment on the movie much since I'll probably spoilt it like I always do. Yes it's funny, No they didn't die.. :) Instead I'm going to share with everyone a valuble lesson I'd learnt.

In the show, the lead actress told the lead actor, "You can resist good looks but not charm." in the context when the guy told the girl he's not gd looking.

Yes.. such a simple sentence yet true, especially if you dun really have much of the former to talk about. This brings light to all of us: Since there's nothing much you can do with your looks and I doubt "Extreme Makeover" will be cast in Singapore, considering singaporeans' favourite passtime is to write in to forums and complain about all underlying implications which i wun elaborate here, START WORKING ON YOUR CHARMS INSTEAD!

Below is a set of guidelines for myself to work on.

(1) Laughter Control: Will now avoid laughing hysterically. Wide smile and shaking the head with fist clenched and index finger resting on the bridge of the nose should suffice to bring across the idea that something is really funny.

(2) Eye Contact: Shall maintain eye contact with occasional transmission of electric pulses in an attempt to mesmerise the intended party. (Exactly how, I'm still working on it) Skillful control of your eyelids apparently works too.

(3) Voice: Will maintain a low manly voice no matter how excited I get. People like that dun they?

(4) Speech: Gonna start picking up french. Cava? Oui, ci vou plare. Bon jour. Merci. Au voir. Yes I caught u. Impressed already huh?

(5) Body language: Really important. Crafty use of body languange exude charm in every pores of your body. Learn it well and noone can resist. Obviously I dunno how yet.

Of course there are more ways to work on your charms. What's your killer move?

Hairloss Extravaganza

Because You're Worth It

Hairloss. The greatest nemesis of men since 2005, the same year I found myself having the problem. Ever since, I have looked upon all fellow victims with utmost sympathy. "Have they found a solution?" " Have they realised?" are questions I really want to ask them. Why? Why has such disaster befall on kind, decent souls like us?

Obviously, worrying and lamenting don't help. In fact, they only expedite the whole process through sleepless nights and nightmares. Degree of hairloss = x (duration of nightmares) + y (hours of loss of sleep) + z where x, y are exponential functions and z is a constant equals to fixed number of hair loss destined each day. Yes, the equation itself brings nightmares.

So, just like every young, motivated and promising bloke, I had taken matters into my own hands, searching for the cure. Over the last 2 years or so, my vocabulary and knowledge about hair and hairloss grew and sadly, it's still growing. And now, I'll take this opportunity to educate the public.

Follicles: A small, protective sac, gland, or cluster of cells in the body. This is where hair grows. Dead follicles = disaster

Androgenetic Alopecia: Leading type of hair loss in men and women and is a result of genetics. Commonly known as male and female pattern baldness, this type of hair loss is due to the action of a chemical known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which attacks the hair follicles and causes hair loss. Blame it on your parents.

PROPECIA: The first and only FDA-approved pill demonstrated to treat male pattern hair loss. They are EXTREMELY expensive here in Singapore. A box of propecia which last for a month cost $95 and it's to be taken until the day you've decided that losing hair is no longer a concern.

Nioxin Haircare System 1 (Shampoo, conditioner, follicle booster, Scalp treatment spray) : Hot favourite among balding dudes. It helps to build a healthier scalp and promote thicker and stronger hair growth. Entire system cost S$ 220 and may last for a few months if used wisely.

Minoxidil: Hair solution spray that helps stimulate hair growth and treat hair loss. Makes your hair coarse and harder to manage from past experiences. Makes scalp itchy at times too. S$45 a month. Pick between Propecia or Minoxidil. The price says it all I guess.

Summing up, based on an average amount of S$200 per month invested on keeping my hair intact and assuming that it will cease as a concern by the age of 50, a handsome amount of S$60,000 will be meaningfully spent.

Why? Just solely "because I'm worth it". The greatest advertisement slogan ever created to boost spending.





Next on research agenda: YunNam, Beijing 101, Svenson - anyone with any feedback or recommendations?

Meaning of Life

Five Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How do you measure life in a year and the life of a person?

In daylight, in midlights, in cups of coffee? In laughter or in strife?

In true friends we made or fames in our life?

In truths that we learned or in times when we cried?

In fortunes we earned or the time when we die?

I read an article last week about this american who chose to become a monk to seek true enlightenment and to help others. He was a havard graduate. He has found a meaning in life.

Honestly, when I asked myself the question above.. I couldn't find an answer and that frightens me. How about you?

Family Matters

Families Function Differently

As I grew out of my teenage years and schooling life, my approach to maintaining good family relationship changes, basically from "never even think about it" to "Taking a more proactive role".

Having said that, I met my mum at Bukit Panjang Plaza for dinner earlier this evening. Actually she asked me to and i agreed, instead of insisting that she should buy dinner home. We all have to start from small steps isn't it? Anyway it was a nice dinner as the mother and son spoke in a casual, almost-like-friends manner, with occasional motherly nagging which i believe all children face. After which, mummy insisted on doing her own shopping while I headed home, completely exhausted from the day's work.

On the way home... I heard a very interesting conversation between 3 people whom i will call them A, B and C for now. The conversation was in mandarin:

A: haha.. wah you secretly and silently drinking away siah. (as A took the cup of bubble tea away from C)

C: ugh... hmph.. (with a little squeaky voice, trying to get back the cup)

B: Ya loh she always like that, drink all the pearls like people dun need to drink. Go and die la!

A: haha ya loh. Next time she should have one cup to herself.

B: Wahhh. Then she most happy loh.. Always so selfish. cannot like that mah. Go and die la! (yes.. again)

C: (giggles) I never hor...

A, B, C : psss hss hehe psss hss hss sssss kek mm ii ( As i walk further and further away from them)

Ok now A and B are the father and mother (late 20s) of C, an at most 5 year old little girl.

Start bonding with your kids early.

Why Write A BLog?

The Calling

The idea of blogging has been toying in my mind for some days now. Thru extensive discussions (aka " i think i wanna start a blog" , " yes u should! " ) with friends and more friends AND coupled with the various reasons listed below, I , have decided to answer the calling.

10 great reasons to blog:

(i) Curbing memory loss: I swear my memory is failing. Though some of my friends may beg to differ, I must remind the general public that absent-mindedness IS different from memory loss. I am more than just absent minded now.. Hair loss, together with incidents which probably shouldn't be elaborated now are my proof. Yes. hair loss is directly related to memory loss. SO.. by blogging, I seek to keep fond memories of my golden twenties and maybe thirties documented so i can get reminded of when i forget them. I'm not kidding.

(ii) Most convenient way to crap: See reason (i)

(iii) Retain my command of english. This is in light of the loss of my command of chinese after many years of non-practice. I can't write !@#! in chinese now. So if i dun start writing in the ONLY language i'm at least comfortable with, i may well become useless soon. Plus my occupation highly requires me to write impressively. Yes, i'm evaluated and promoted by "papers" I have to publish every year. Did i mention i'm in the military?

(x) What else do you need when u already have 9 such convincing reasons?

The calling has awakened me.