Predictions! :))

2010 The year of the Tiger will be arriving on 14th Feb 2010.

2010 the year of Tiger will be like that of a mirage. Many areas might seem to be improving and even blooming. However the foundations for recovery will still remain shaky and unstable. The benefits of policies that have been made to tide people over the recession will have taken effect, but the instability will be far from over. Nevertheless, there will still be opportunities to make a fortune this year. While some issues such as military engagements, political power struggles, terrorism and civil disturbances might continue to persist or even get more severe, there will be other new challenges that will start to reveal themselves during 2010. These challenges will include food shortages, structural problems/land movements, social instability and general disillusionment in people. The gloomy outlook will not necessarily imply gloom and doom. The complex nature of this year will be that logic might not apply. Although the earliest where things will start tumbling down might be around the middle of 2010, this might certainly be delayed or even will never need to come about. It will depend on how long this mirage will last and how soon a new evolution will materialize. This evolution will be a new force or drive that will create a new start for all. It might be in the form of a lifestyle, or the appearance of an outstanding and charismatic leader(s).

One of the major issues confronting us will be that of food shortages. The scarcity of food will naturally drive up the prices of necessities and will cause great difficulty especially to the poor and to those who will be barely surviving the recession. In recent years, many agricultural countries switched from producing crops for food to fuel. With the bad weather and other natural calamities during 2009 and those expected in 2010, the impact of reduced food supplies will be greatly felt in 2010. This impact should not be underestimated as where crop-producing countries give priority to their own and control exports, this might cause difficulties to countries that are dependent on food imports. Some countries that have already anticipated this problem have even bought large tracts of land in other countries to grow crops for their own people.

There will also be more cases of landslides, structural collapses or even greater earth plate movements that might be caused by nature or be man-made. Some of these incidents might be prevented by requiring greater safety precautions when dealing with sloping land without grass or adhering strictly to the safety precautions during construction or other work sites such as mines or tunnels. However, it will be more challenging when it comes to preventing major structures such as tall skyscrapers from collapsing or sudden earth movements. In today’s world, we are competing to build the tallest buildings or biggest structures. Although living and working in tall skyscrapers and structures commands a premium, it might be very dangerous should disaster strike. Geologists might be able to provide some notice for people to have adequate time to escape provided the destruction is caused by nature. However, nature will not be solely responsible for such destruction.

The military engagements and political power struggles will continue in 2010. There will be more terrorist activities and civil disturbances. Males in the military and politics will do much better than their female counterparts. As explained earlier, the foundation of life will be threatened in 2010, through food shortages, poor job opportunities, a widening of social classes and worse of living conditions. Many will become disillusioned and feel a sense of hopelessness and despair. It will not relate to intelligence or maturity, but rather will be people’s perception of the present and the future. Thus, terrorists might be able to infiltrate society easily than in previous years. Riots and civil disorder might even sound appealing to those who will feel desperate and hopeless.

The Media and Corporations who will project this mirage will not be seen to be right or wrong. It will be the equivalent to injecting anesthetic into a patient who is severely in pain. Who will blame the doctors for trying to reduce the pain and suffering of the patients? If everybody were to react, it will cause too much panic and disorder and the destruction might be too fast and drastic to cope with. By creating a mirage in order to buy time till the next revolution might delay the collapse and lessen the pain to become more manageable. However, if too much anesthetic is given or there is a continuous use of painkillers, it might cause other complications and even result in death. If this mirage seems so real and remains for too long, people might start to have difficulty differentiating between the mirage and reality. Doomsayers who have the intention to frighten the public for their own self-interest might be despicable, but those who paint a rosy picture in front of a cliff causing people to fall to their deaths are not much better either. Thus, it would be best to adopt a middle ground.

2010 provides the best natural environment for the birth of a new evolution that will improve people’s lives and create another driving force for the next generation. This evolution might take the form of a new industry, a new form of lifestyle or even might be outstanding individual(s). Sometimes an evolution might gains its strength from a large collapse of society while others take off naturally with the help of a gentle breeze. Whichever way this new evolution might materialize, it would still be best to exercise caution and not to get in the way of the collapse if it ever materializes. You might also not want to get too carried away with the man-made mirage. Though it might lessen the pain, it will not be able to right a wrong. Instead, allow your true conscience to embrace the evolution. Through collective positive thinking, a natural evolution might just come about.


Predictions for me - OX


General
This will be a good year for you in many areas of your life. You will do well in terms of your career and wealth and there will be signs of promotions and increase in your wealth. Your popularity will be strong and you will enjoy being in the limelight. People issues such as betrayals or backstabbing will be minimal. Your worst enemy will be yourself this year and there will be a high tendency that you might get carried away with your new found success. Unintentionally, you might treat others abruptly and might behave very egoistically or stubbornly. People around you might start to feel the difference in your behavior and attitude and will not feel comfortable with this change. When others start to alienate you, this will restrict your growth potential. Those who have supported the idea of your promotions or to present you more opportunities might have second thoughts and will in turn limit your potential for this year. If you are able to overcome this, you will do very well this year. You will also be prone to falling ill this year and as such, you might want to take care of your health.

Career
There will also be a strong potential of promotions or being given greater responsibility and will also be enjoying strong popularity at work. It will be easy for you to get support from your peers and management. This year will be a good time for you to participate in teamwork, projects or presentations as you will be able to negotiate or convince others easily. With the strong backing given to you, there might be a high likelihood of you becoming too egoistic. You might be quite abrupt towards others and this might lead to you alienating yourself. Although your hard work will warrant acknowledgment, you will also require the continuous support of others to progress and grow. In addition to your hard work and skills set, teamwork and leadership will also be essential and you might want to bear this in mind as it will be easier to assume larger roles with support from more people, especially your peers.

In terms of business, this will be a good year for you to delegate more time and effort to activities that increases publicity and exposure, sales and marketing. You will be able to negotiate for your terms and will be able to convince more people to do business with you. However, you might need to remember that after securing deals, the service and after sales support you provide will be crucial for your business in the long term. Hence, you might need to ensure that your team or company will be ready to be able to do so. In addition to this, you might want to keep a humble attitude towards others, both your associates and clients. When you become proud of you achievements, your clients and associates will not feel comfortable with you and might prefer to stay away and this will greatly restrict your business potential in the future. This might also become a hindrance to the success of your business. Where your business involves business partners, your relationships might be quite sensitive this year as there might be disputes over the workload arrangements and profit sharing. Thus, you might want to handle this with care as failure to handle this in a proper manner, might result in the partnership falling apart.

Wealth
You will have the potential of being able to make a lot of wealth. It might be through pay increases, sales commissions, successful deals or from your own business. How much more you will reap will depend a lot on how well you will be able to remain humble and how much others like you. If you will be able to maintain a friendly relationship with others even after you have an improved position, this will allow you to maximize the opportunities of having more wealth than you already have.

Relationship
For those who are single, this will be a good time to meet the love of your life. That might be someone new or someone you will have already known. Although there will be a high likelihood of you meeting your special person, you will increase your chance of success by being honest with your feelings and avoid playing mind games with others or by making things difficult as it will naturally push the other person away from your life. For those who are already in a relationship, your relationship will be stronger this year.

Health
Most of the health problems that you will be prone to have this year will be related to more common illnesses such as colds and flu. Although they might appear as common illnesses, you will not want to put off taking care of your own health as it might escalate into bigger problems if neglected. In the event that you are not feeling well, you will want to consult a doctor and obtain the necessary medication and treatment. Your immune system will also be weaker than usual and you might want to take care of your health by drinking enough water, having adequate rest and consuming more vegetables and fruits.

People
There will be not much backstabbing or betrayals because everybody will tend to like you easily this year. Your popularity will soar and people will be willing to support and assist you. Even if you were to upset them, people might just alienate you and leave you alone. Although this might be so, it will be best not to offend others as they might get back at you when your popularity takes a turn for the worse. Instead, you might want to take this opportunity to build good lasting relationships with others.

http://www.jmine.com/chinese_horoscope2010.htm

Have you found the worm in your tummy? Someone who knows you deep down?

I wanna soothe you so much...to just be the air that you take in and the star that guides u to happiness.

How does one freeze time? By putting away our watches.. So time doesn’t stop the good times? :P

Have you ever been so grateful for someone that you wanna thank his/her parents or even grandparents for his/her existence?

The biggest hope I have is not for you to remember me..but for you to remember at least 1 thing I mentioned.

Jamie - Complete paradox. Innocent yet experienced. Fragile yet strong on the inside. Normal yet unique. Creative yet organized. Optimistic yet realistic. This is so me? lol.

Thanks for making me smile or laugh, especially when stress is all over me..

Someone told me this recently bout his love for someone, lol:

love.. is a feeling.. words cant describle how u feel.. without her.. you are lost.. seeing her u melt.. in another mans arms, u die in turmoil.. even death pale in comparison to the pain u r feeling rite now. without her u see no meaning in life n anytin u do. all u want is tink abt n see her.. her smile is worth all the pain u endure.. when alone u tink of wat she is doin.. hw is she... when shes there the whole world dun matter.. no matter wat wrong she did.. u rather brush it off juz to have her beside u... unless the wrong is really very serious.. she has become a part of u.. yr SOUL!!! without which.. u r lifeless n like a zombie..with her.. life heaven!!! even the worst things r gd when she hold your hand n tell u.. darling.. im behind u all the way!!!

u will find tat even if u alone against 1 million man.. all armed with swords.. u will still survive n live.. coz u know u r fighting not for yrself but for u both. tat is the power to move anytin!! to move man beyond all limits. .they may die trying.. but their hearts will nvr die!

And he asked what do women need from men exactly? lol.

And this is my 2 cents worth.

Women need assurances. so u shd do ur best to give, sincerely.
Its about the desire to wanna b there for her
To cry louder than her when she cries, to laugh louder than her when she laughs, to be her vitamin C, to be her first aid kit. to warm her when shes cold n soothe her when shes troubled...
u NEED to be with her not cus of yourself. but cus u wanna do what u can. to contribute to her happiness.
A woman wants a shoulder to lessen her burdens, someone who always stay by her side n tell her not to get too tired. someone who loves her parents like how she loves hers. someone who can soothe her all e time, listen to her more than talk, pay attention to her more than bicker, someone who is patient n understanding and always is there when she needs him..

Someone who can bring her laughters to lessen her burdens, someone who makes her laugh jus by being himself. someone who shows e childlike side of him which made her wanna b a child too, someone who minds even tiniest details of her..

Someone who enjoys sunrises n sunsets w her, someone who watches her slp in his car,
someone who soothes her like shes a baby, someone who lets her think w him around, everythin is going to be alright..

Someone who lets her forget her fear cus she was distracted by him..:)


Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

The biggest disease is feeling of being unwanted.

There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less cus of that missing drop.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy doing it.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired..

Be faithful in small vigor cus it is in them that your strength lies.

Whenever you smile to someone, its an action of love to that person, a beautiful thing.

I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.

I know God will not give me anything that I cannot handle..I just wish that he didn’t trust me that much..

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

Its been quite some time since i last blogged. Have been trying to get myself busy so I wont think bout certain things. Ultimately ill be happy cus of what I deal with. I know ill keep myself happy, with my own efforts. Had been a tourguide, tuition teacher to client's child, gym-ing a whole lot, loving the muscles aches from gym, goin for meetings, reminiscing memories w frens, planning for hol trips w frens, doin reviews w clients, reading alot on love, entrepreneurship n weddings n children art n crafts, doing assignments, turning down dates, eventually goin for dates, havin study sessions w classmates, bla bla bla. N Jamie's still in one piece. :) lol.

Someone recently indirectly popped some questions. I found tt something to think bout. N these are my answers.

What sorta proposal would I accept – any will do. As long as its from the right person. Something personal n makes me melt for life? Lol.

What sorta diamond ring would I want? - Something less than $1k cus its e significance that matters, not the exact value.

How many stalks of roses for me? – Just one, which represents I’m his one and only. Or the other way round. Lol.

Where to go on a date with me – Esplanade. The library especially. Lol.

Which color of roses to gimme – Any color except yellow cus yellow represents friendship. I don’t wanna be your friend? Lol.

Someone else wants me to part of his life. Lol. N I posed these questions to him.

1) When I gave u a joke, then ask for a joke, what does that mean?
His ans : cus im bored. Lol.

2) What do I truly need from a man?
His ans: his love, full attention n care.

3) When I said, “repeat.” What does tt mean?
His ans: means u really wanna repeat or do it one more time? 4) What is or are my passion?
His ans: to help and make ppl happy.

5) How do I determine my self-worth?
His ans: By helping ppl and to make them happy. that way, you feel you're self worthy?

6) When I don’t feel good, what do u have to do to make me smile?
His ans: tell a joke.

7) Do u kill insects or pests?
His ans: Yes. Especially cockroaches and ants.

8) Before a movie, what would u remind a girl to do?
His ans: get a hot drink.

9) What sorta job do u think suits me and why?
His ans: Counsellor, cus I love to nag.

10) Sweets and wallet. Which is more impt?
His ans: Sweets, provided he has money in his pocket.

11) What is one way to my heart?
His ans: Be your other half and make you happy?

12) Who is my hero?
His ans: Himself. (self proclaim. -_-)

13) What is my blog address?
His ans: I forgot. I have a bad memory. Im so sorry.

Lol. So is he the One? He jus deserves someone else he knew deep down. :)

Love quotes

Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart. If your head tells u one thing, n ur heart tells u another, before u do anything, u shd first decide whether u have a better head or a better heart.

There is light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond the highest, e very highest heavens. This is e light that shines in your heart.

The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, e delight, e ecstacy of it, u will discover tt for u, the world is transformed.

Love is missing someone whenever u’r apart, but somehow feeling warmth inside cus u’r close in the hearts.

Once a woman has given u her heart, u can never get rid of the rest of her.

Wherever u go, go with all your heart.

We shall be close, yet not too close, possess one another, yet be understanding. We shall be patient with each other – storms will come, but they will go quickly.

People say that e darkest hour is that before dawn. Ill always be by your side during that hour.

I will surround you with my love, yet leave u with some space.

I vow to laugh at e good times n share in e sorrows – may e laughter always be loud enough to dull any pain.

Never again will I ask, who cares? Cus now I know u do.

Soft lips, can I tempt you to an eternity of kissing?

I promise to warm you when u are cold and soothe you when u r troubled.

I promise that ill do my best – although it may not always seem enough.

Everything I know of you I love, but I wanna know more. The lesson may take a lifetime.

Will u accept me and love me just as I am? Will u roll with e mood swings n mop e tears? Will u laugh when I blunt ur razor and tell me I look lovely when ive gained a few pounds? If u can accept all my faults n imperfections, u will never find fault with my love for u.

I promise to respect you as a friend and cosset you as a lover. I will not promise to serve u, cus u have no need of servants. I will not promise to obey u, cus u have no need for followers. But ill promise to be ur lover, cus u deserve me.

Love gives u strength to love again. Love restores your faith in love. Love teaches u to love again, to let u open your heart to another. Have u loved?

Be prepared to learn from e past and build on the future.

U’ve waited a long time to love n be loved again. It was worth every second of waiting. Have u found someone so worthwhile?

I would rather negotiate a rocky path with you than trade a smooth path alone.

True love is putting someone up on a pedestal, but still being there to catch them when they fall.

If a man loves you, he’ll share his hopes and aspirations, his bed, his pension and his last piece of chewing gum/candy with you.

Be ready to bring all positive experiences from the past r/s to this new union.

Our paths have crossed a thousand times before. When we finally come to the same junction at the same moment, we’ve found the One.

A few years of wonderful togetherness are better than a lifetime of second best.

You are the only one in the world I cannot face the future without.

When life gets hard, we must never forget there would be no rainbows if there wasn’t occasional rain.

I will help you realize your strengths and learn from them. I will help you recognize your weaknesses and overcome them.

Now we will feel no rain, for each of us will be shelter to the other. Now we will feel no cold, for each of us will be warmth to the other.

I love u ever and ever without reserve. The more I have know u, the more have I lov’d – John Keats

Love and time with reverence use, treat them like a parting friend.
Nor the golden gifts refuse which go youth sincere they send:
For each year their price is more
And they less simple than before
-- John Dryden

God taketh me as I am and not as I was. Take you me so too, and let all things past pass – John Heywood

Only our love hath no decay;
This no tomorrow hath, nor yesterday.
Running it never runs from us away, but truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day – John Donne

Men always wanna be a woman’s first love. This is their clumsy vanity. We women have a more subtle instinct bout things. What we like is to be a man’s last romance – Oscar Wilde

Not an angel dwells above
Half so fair as her O Love
- John Vanburgh

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee. - William Shakespeare

Flesh of flesh, bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.
- John Milton

Love is my religion and I could die for that. I could die for you.
- John Keats

Love adds a precious seeing to the eye. A lover’s eyes will gaze an eagle blind. A lover’s ear will hear the lowest sound – William Shakespeare

I never saw so sweet a face
As I stood before
My heart has left its dwelling place
And can return no more
- John Clare

Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies.
- John Donne

But I send you a cream-white rosebud,
With a flash on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest.
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.
- John Boyle O’ Reilly

My face go thine eye, thine in mine appears
- John Donne

Two have more wit than one
- John Gower

New things are made familiar and familiar things made new
- Samuel Johnson


Life quotes

Today, see if u can stretch your heart n expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom u can give it easily, but also to those who need it so much.

Each of us enters the world with a body tt will be ours throughout our lives, to experience, to protect or to risk as we choose. The challenge is to remain vital n independent, free of distress and disease, n to live our full potential with inspiration. The zygote is hardworking n tireless.

We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are. – The Thalmud

To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, n one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living – Henri Frederic Amiel

Age considers, youth ventures – Rabindranath Tagore

With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come – William Shakespeare

The spiritual eyesight improves as the physical eyesight declines – Plato

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skim, to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If u don’t mind, it doesn’t matter - Mark Twain

And in the end, its not the years in our life that count. It’s the life in our years. – Abraham Lincoln

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.


A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

My good pal was asking me what makes me happy each day, what determines my happiness in life. We were talking about happiness and how it is derived. Yea happiness is a feeling which words can describe up to a certain extent, but only we ourselves know what makes us happy. So, do you know what truly makes you happy? Some say happiness derives from passion, from being grateful, from being loved, from loving or from giving. What makes you happy then? Or do u just live your life letting emotions control you? What brightens up your day and makes life worthwhile? What is it in life brings a smile to your lips? Haha. These are some stuff that makes Jamie happy. Do you share the same as I do? Lol.

Happiness

Sunrise / Sunset
Sea breeze
Sound of currents
Music
Couple cuddling
Little children running around
Birds soaring in e sky
Beautiful roses
Old couple walking side by side
Listening to stories from old ppl
Enjoying a car ride with someone putting hand on mine
Mountains
Singing to mom
Hugging mom everyday
Laughter of god daughter
Grow old with love
Warmth from clients
Pains that made me stronger
Training/ teaching
Public speaking
Disappointments tt made me independent
Weddings
Wedding planning
Stars n moon
Fireworks
Beach
Appreciating
Squabbles btw couples cus at least they have a chance to
Hugs
Suntanning
Babies yawning, sleeping like an angel, burping
Nature
Ballroom dancing
Rainstorms
Giving
Security
Nature
Being a pillar
Having a comfy shoulder to rely on


I came across these stories with regards to love and being a Love Guru, i'd like to share it with you guys. Enjoy!!

Some Lessons on Love:

BE PATIENT

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.

Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocentl y said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide.

Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.

People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.

NO OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another, or demands too much . People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character."

It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness.

It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..

CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home du ing my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television. "

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you."

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too.

Wonders of love:

1) “ I caught a glimpse of her walking across the room. Her hair, her smile and her face lit up my world. I guess my heart never stopped beating for her since then."

2) “ He was funny, looking at me the entire night. I knew he could not take his eyes off me, but yet I was enjoying every moment. I could hear my heart beating too."

3) “ The swing in the park is our favorite meeting place. The whiff of the flowers blooming, the rustling of the leaves and the sweet evening breeze warmed our hearts. ”

4) “ We spent weeks holding hands. And this once, he held my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger. That was it, the beginning of a new chapter. ”

5) “ Savouring every moment, I felt like a princess with my prince charming. He was waiting at the end of the aisle. I wanted to run to him. ”

6) “ I often wondered what it meant to say “forever”, to make a promise that meant a lifetime. Now with her, a lifetime is not enough. ”

7) “ I learnt from him my most important lesson about romance – that the potential for love exists in corners, in the most unlikely as well as most obvious places. ”

8) “ I love everything from her handwriting to the way she scratched on the apartment door when she came home. ”

9) “ I fell in love with him partly cus he can handle this and that. But it’s cus he never, ever killed bugs which won my heart. ”

10) “ I forgot my fear cus I was distracted by him.”

11) “ I’m like the sun – passionate and burning to let it all out. He’s like the moon – familiar yet mysterious. And so we found each other. ”

12) “ After a few times hanging out, I felt he was always around, a perfume that never faded.”

13) “I am just like the sun and you the flower. I’ll provide sunlight for you to blossom. Sometimes, clouds will prevent me from reaching you. But you’ll know that I’m always trying to reach you. Just wait for the clouds to clear if you can’t receive my sunlight.”

14) “Remember: To be happy, you either change the world, or you change your thinking. To be realistic, you have to change your thinking to be happy. But me, I will change the world for you.”

15) “Every single second, I think of you, I think of ways to make you smile, I imagine where are you now, and every single second, you are like a part of me, and I see you more than I see myself because the moment I close my eyes, your image stands in front of me.”

16) “Because if both of us are to cry, I want to be the one who cries louder, I want to be the one who takes a longer time to recover. I want to absorb all the sadness from you.”

17) “I feel like you are the only person in the world who can wipe out the loneliness in me. Every single second, I think of you, I think of ways to make you smile, I imagine where are you now, and every single second, you are like a part of me, and I see you more than I see myself because the moment I close my eyes, your image stands in front of me.”

18) Love is chancy, and it can slip from your grip like nothing else. Like a ghost, it can scare u to death, reappear or disappear without explanation and break all rules of gravity and sense.

19) Its love when you are incredibly comfortable, when the shoe fits perfectly.

20) Its love when you finally stop tripping over your toes.

21) Its love when you had strangest combination of things in common.

22) Its love when you can make each other laugh at the very worst moments.

23) 90% of being in love is making each others’ lives funnier and easier, all the way to deathbed.

24) Love is as plentiful as oxygen. You don’t have to be naturally blond, perfectly thin, super successful, funny, knowledgeable bout politics, socially connected, or even particularly charming to find it.

25) Live your life well, take care of yourself, don’t mope, complain, or shop too much. And Love will find you.

26) Love – if it keeps going, it changes all the time. Its one thing at e beginning and something else entirely years later.

27) If marriage’s about bonding, then marriage took place in the birthing room.

28) Love alters the food, humor, conversation, people and sports in your life.

29) Love is not art or science, but a simple formula – Perseverance to the power of 2 who are hopelessly in love.

30) Keep love burning with passion:

Say hello, keep dating, share same vision, don’t take things for granted, create own ritual, learn something together, coordinate calendars, have nicknames, pamper each other, hug n cuddle, celebrate togetherness, open up honestly, laugh, quiet time, apologise, travel together, treat family like own.

Quotes of the day:

- Yesterday’s competitor is today’s collaborator.

- Good Life starts only when you stop wanting a better One

- Stable strategy + Flexible tactics = Victory

- A leader is a dealer in hope

- Leadership is influence, technology is an ally.

- Leadership is empowering others and releasing them to make impact.

- The ability to stay calm under pressure is a great quality.

- Life is like a journey in which time is the distance and emotions our obstacles: Finishing the journey, overcoming the bad emotions with good emotions, is more important than pondering on why we are going to the destination.

- Broken hearts are a lot like broken bones. At first, there’s no pain, only shock and a hint of disability, like a house that stands briefly after an earthquake. But jus when u think u might be ok, u fall apart entirely.

- To forget is just an interpretation. An immeasurable love’s memories can never be wiped off. Time doesn’t devour memories: It just slowly, painfully converts it into fragments of a dream. Occasionally, something will spark the wrath of the dream, and the dream will alter into a memory again.

- Don't ever leave the one you love for the one you like, because the one you like will leave you for the one they love.

So much so for now! Hope you guys melt from love and appreciate love! Dead beat. my sack's waiting for me. (hitting e sack) Til then!

My fortune telling of 2009, for a lady Ox.

• Avoid crowded places as disasters can happen.
• Must work very hard to earn some dollars.
• Do not attend funerals.
• When choosing to eat or drink, be careful of anything to do with Ox.
• Australian and new Zealand dollars look set to fail.
• Retail industry mostly affected as food gets contaminated.
• Not much money luck., lol.
• Very little traveling.
• At work, must let go of stubborn needs.
• Not the year for Ox.
• May have stomach ache or severe headache.
• Must carry 20cent bagua in wallet whole year to prevent illnesses.
• Single may find rightful partner.
• Average results for those who are in these industries:
- restaurants, electrical products, fast food, accounting firms, Insurance, human resource bla bla..


Haha how true can these be? This fortune telling’s sent by a friend to me. Its accurate to some extent. I’ve been having accidents really often. Lol. But I always believe I will gain or benefit in other areas if ive lost out over here. Haha. Oh and I always believe my life’s determined by myself. So fortune telling’s just a guideline but it will not determine my life? What’s more…my life shd b unpredictable by anyone. Why? That’s for me to know, for you to find out. :P


Recently my classmate was telling me bout women in general. Lol. And I’d like to share it with u guys. she said at 18 yrs old, a girl’s like a football where many men in a football team go for ‘it’. When a woman’s 20 yrs old, shes like a basketball ball where lesser but stil lotsa men go for ‘it’. When shes 30 yrs old, shes like a table tennis ball when only 2 men go for ‘it’. Upon 40 yrs old, shes the golf ball whereby just 1 man go for ‘it’. hahaha. This is cute. They always say men age like wine, women like grass. Muahaha. Im so gonna prove this saying wrong! Women can be more attractive when they grow older yea. Esp when they exude motherly love when they have kids, esp when they develop from girls to ladies. Lol. Therefore, this saying don’t stand for me. I disagree. Shall we prove em wrong ladies? Lol.


Quotes of thoughts:

- You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.

- How am I gonna live today in order to create the tomorrow which I’m committed to?

- The only thing we never get and give enough is love.

- Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of men.

- The sad truth is excellence makes ppl nervous.

- Excellence if to do a common thing in an uncommon way.

- Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. (very true, esp in regards to men. Lol. Hear nothing, cus only actions speak. )

- No man can be happy without a friend, nor be sure of his fren until hes unhappy.

I went for the wedding planning at National Museum of Singapore with great excitement and I prepared so hard for it. Lol. All in all, I guess I performed well? At least up to expectations? And this is all due to putting my heart n soul in what I love to do. Haha. This couple is a very interesting one. The groom’s a freelance copywriter, the bride a banker. They wanna have a black n white theme. So everyone were dressed in black n white. They managed to mix eastern and western style together which I found it impressive! They had classic movies rolling as the wedding dinner was going on and they served Chinese dishes. Their wedding vows touched my heart and Verneta and I were getting emotional with red noses when e bride cried due to overwhelming pronouncing of love to her hubby.

From the arrangement of floral decors to arranging of table to folding or napkins to arrangement of table n chairs n matching colors of table cloths, I enjoyed every bit of it. Lol I hope I wasn’t overdoing cus I was almost folding every napkin in each table and matching lengths of chopsticks to ensure they r of e same lengths. Lol. Well I jus wanna offer what I can to ensure e wedding’s more perfect? Haha. I thanked Verneta n Serin for giving me this opportunity to watch how a wedding works at e backend and how one can manage when mishaps cropped up. Haha after all, e sense of satisfaction was perfect! i tried my best to think before the wedding planners n do what I can do to assist them. Other than that, I jus added more personal touch by guiding e aged n young to e renowned toilet. Lol. Its e least I could do, really. Oh e dinner was dragged cus of tea ceremony and a 83 yr old lady was so hungry. I gave her Serin’s sandwich after seeking her consent. Lol. Watching her eat e sandwich with warm water, I missed my granny all of e sudden. My eyes were almost fixed on tt old lady. She’s so adorably small n speaks great English! In e end she took my address n contact. Hope to see her again n have a gd talk w her.

Ultimately, with some guests asking for namecards from me (which I gave Verneta’s or Serin’s namecard), and with e bride herself giving a big hug to thank me for helping out and making this great event work well, all’s worth it. So very much worth it. :) And this sense of little achievement can never be measured by monetary terms. :)

Here are my preparations before the wedding started. These are areas to look into.

- Master to-do list.
- Hors d’oeuvres to be served before the exchange of wedding vows.
- Budget – 50% for reception, location, rentals food, beverages, 10% for flowers n deco, 10% for entertainment, 10% for photo n video, 10% for bride n groom’s attire, 10% for fees, invitations, transportations etc.
- Legal necessities – licenses, certificates, contracts w vendors, vendors’ liability insurance, cover event for accident, prenuptial and post nuptial agreement.
- Cards and numbers on dining tables to add elegance. With messages like ‘the honour of your presence’ or ‘the pleasure of your company’.
- Thank you notes to guests.
- Back- up plan when it rains.
- Anyway to heat up food if theres delay in serving food?
- Electric outlets may b limited in supply for museum.
- Have caterers bring in necessary equipment, schedule festivities to conclude in time for music curfew.
- Find out if support staff included to help with electrical requirements for e emcee and other setup needs.
- Paper fans n lemonade for guests at e outdoors?
- Directions to e rest rooms?
- Toss petals or mixture of herbs n flowers to ensure good fortune for e bride?
- Preserve wedding bouquet.
- Deco suggestions:
Cages, candles, lightings, scented oils, ribbons, trees, mirrors, glasses, ice, cherries, bears, balloons, nature, laces, feathers, petals, eggs, butterflies, seashells, candy corner etc. ( how to go about decorating it? Employ me as your wedding planner. N ill show u. :P)
- Coordinate with entourage and ceremony participants.
- Delivery of services by suppliers.
- Endorse and return to trustee all materials used in wedding ceremony and reception.
- Enforce all agreements btw couple n suppliers.
- Discuss dos n donts with photographer beforehand so he will not annoy e guests.
- Try not to keep guests waiting too long for food to be served. Have circulating waiters around.
- Guests seated w familiar ppl? Else put in same age group or similar career backgrounds.

And here comes e very well-known and sweet Wedding Speech! Or shd I call it Speech of love? Which to me, is 1 of e most impt thing in a wedding. These are few suggestions to pronounce ur love and you can be sure u will melt her heart. :)

- Whats marriage to u?

- These yrs, how much did she or he do for u?

- How has she or he become a part of your life?

- What do u have now that u didn’t have before u both met? Focus on e heart, not e head or material possessions. Has she taught u to appreciate beauty in a way you’ve never thought u could before?

- Has your worldview changed cus of her/him? Life has definitely gotten better since the both of u gotten together, so tell everyone bout it. Think bout the new things u’ve tried or seen with her.

- What do u miss most when u are apart? Her smile when she brightens up upon seeing you? Or e way she snuggles up against you when shes cold?

- What do u see youselves in years to come?

- Tell your long term hopes, dreams n goals.

- Is there a line from movie, song or poem tt says it all? Its ok to borrow as long as its not too much of a cliché.

- What promise can u give to signify your devotion?

- Pledge your endless love.

- When did u realize you’re in love? The more specific, the more touching the story will be. Don’t underestimate power of humor. Throw in one or two powerful anecdotes.

- Lastly, tell everyone what u r most looking forward to about married life. The wedding is just the beginning. :)


Quotes of love:

“ …For the better or worse, for richer, for poorer, for even poorer when you shop a lot, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..”

“ …With kindness, unselfishness and trust, I will work by your side to create a wonderful life together..”

“…I will trust u and respect u, laugh with u and cry with u, loving u faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together..”

“…I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish u through whatever life may bring us..”

“…you are the most beautiful, and generous person I have ever known, and I promise always to respect you. With kindness, unselfishness and trust, I will work by your side to create a wonderful life together..”

“…to be my lawfully wife and Wii partner, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for when u win and the very very rare occasions when I lose..”

:) Let everyone know how much u love her/him. This is one of e greatest thing bout wedding. Don’t you think so? Haha.

So much so for now! My life's good and i'm truly contented. How can I repay God for bestowing happiness to me? Happiness comes in many forms. And I'm just glad that I'm not alone..with frens n family n some ppl who allows me to feel tt life's worthwhile? Thank you so much. U guys know who u are. there r no need for nominations. I love u guys!! hugs. :)

Hello my loves. Guess what? I got an invitation to Verneta's wedding planning activity this friday! Verneta n Serin will assess me from there. haha m so excited! I gotta give it my very best shot yea. Gonna blow them off their minds and sweep them off their feets with sincerity and modesty. :) Hope I can make time for bestie's bro's ROM preparations too. Weddings are impt to me, whether minor or major. As I read more on weddings, I fell so in love with wedding gowns, wedding stories, flowers, cakes all e way to wedding vows n speeches. Weddings have become an addiction to me. lol. If I can plan weddings for all my loved ones, seriously I’d die with no regrets. We’ll see where this takes me to? :)

Recently been busy with getting vendors to sign up for Changi Airport’s flea mart on 10th and 11th Oct, meeting up w some of them to show them e location where e flea mart will take place, planning friend’s wedding and giving my 2 cents’ worth, reading wedding magazines to keep myself updated with the trends for weddings these days, accompanying my lil bro Jiande, meetin clients when I can, upgrading my skills n product knowledge with AIA, studying n doin school projects, doin volunteer work, helping out in mini events, taking driving lessons etc. haha stil, I have got lotsa time for loved ones!! Guess Ive truly learnt to slow down my pace n appreciate the little details in life. And indeed, Ive seen alot more. From e major to e minor stuffs. Tts e beauty of appreciating? I used to wanna trade anything for time. Now I wanna trade time for passion. Haha. There’s so many things I wanna accomplish n do. I know ill be able to handle everything, w loved ones giving me moral support. Way to go jamie!!

Thoughts of e month:

1) Life is short, so are e rules, forgive sooner, love w true love, laugh w/o control and always keep smiling. Maybe life is not e party that we were expecting, but in e mean time, we’r here and we can dance.

2) I can only feel love only if I give.

3) I find a lot of happiness in giving than receiving.

4) Fear prevents us from moving forward. To hit highest peak for fear (increase fear), then we will overcome fear.

5) Secrets in closing a deal:

- Sometimes we know how, just waiting for e right chance only.
- Closing is not about how but when.
- Must have a good opening.
- A gd sales man helps ppl to buy.
- Watch for closing signals.
- Never let a good opportunity go when its just right in front of us.

6) The great path, e great principle of spiritual cultivation, is to maintain your balance, maintain ur gd concentration in everyday life, like holding a bowl of water n walking in the dark. If you do not balance yourself well, if u do not have strong sense of morality, then u will spill e water in e bowl.

7) The best classroom in e world is at e feet of an elderly person.

8) If u say I’ve made your day, that makes my day.

9) Having a child fall asleep in ur arms is one of e most peaceful feelings in e world.

10) Being kind is more impt than being right.

11) Never say no to a gift from a child

12) I can always pray for someone when I don’t have strength to help him in some way.

13) No matter how serious your life requires u to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

14) All a person needs Is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

15) Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to e end, e faster it goes.

16) We shd b glad God doesn’t give us everything we asked for. Else we will take things for granted sooner or later.

17) Its those daily small happenings tt make life so spectacular.

18) Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wanna b appreciated and loved.

19) To ignore facts does not change the facts.

20) When u plan to get even with someone, u r only letting tt person continue to hurt u.

21) Love, not time, heals all wounds.

22) Everyone I meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

23) No one is perfect until u fall in love with them.

24) Life is tough, but m tougher.

25) Opportunities are never lost. Someone will take e one u missed.

26) When u harbour bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

27) A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

28) When a new born child holds your little finger in his little fist, u r hooked for life.

29) Everyone wanna live on top of mountain, but all e happiness n growth occurs while u r climbing it.

30) The lesser time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

31) A baby is god’s opinion that e world should go on.

32) Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs.

33) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with e truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. Love never fails.

34) If u don’t see the stars twinkle at nite, it doesn’t mean they r not there. They r jus hidden behind e clouds n u will c them shine when u need e starlight most.

35) Destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice. It’s not a thing to be waited for. It’s a thing to be achieved, with your own efforts.

36) PM Lee once said, “Many women these days are financially independent n want more control over their lives, they are not content with being confined to traditional, subservient roles. In family life, they expect an equitable division of responsibilities, n a say in impt family decisions.” Many surveys show both women and men do wanna get married n start families, but e prob is that by e time they get around to this, it may b too late n difficult.

This sets me thinking. Are women these days that hard to marry cus of their independence and ability? Isn’t it gd to have someone to share ur burdens with? Isn’t it gd to have someone who’s like e slave of e family to serve n do what she can? Will this quality in women leave them on e shelf til dunno when? Haha. Ultimately I guess one jus has to open his or her heart to accept love. At times it’s a matter of us wanting to do something about our happiness or not? Other factors are perhaps jus excuses?

37) In life, we meet ppl along e way, ppl who have touched our lives, ppl who have caused us pain, ppl who have helped us grow. Some come into our lives n left jus as fast. Some stay in our lives for a while..while others will always remain.

We encounter unexpected experiences, situations n challenges of all kinds..bitter experiences n happy ones, lonely moments n fulfilling ones.

Sometimes when we have regretted something we’ve done and when we’ve gone thru sth bad, we feel like tearing off tt particular page, tt particular chapter tt helped us create a beautiful story bout ourselves.

Most imptly, we hafta b strong when e tough gets going. We hafta pick ourselves up n continue to move on cus an ending of a chapter is always e beginning of another…another chapter which we will have a better storyline. We can never rewrite our stories but we can always begin with a better one, a new one.

I do not know how my story will end, but at least I know ive lived my life e way I wanted it to be. I wanna write my own story, a story filled with wisdom, love, honesty, understanding, hope, humility, compassion n strength. A story without any regrets, selfishness and ego. That’s my story.

One very interesting article tt was sent to me. I salute e CEO. He’s my idol!! Lol. Well said indeed.

Check it out:

CEO of J.P. Morgan's Reply to a Pretty Girl

A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:

Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?

I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here.

I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above.

You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York .

My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married?

I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?

Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.

If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden ( ? ) , $250k annual income is not enough.

I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:

1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)

2) Which age group should I target?

3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I've met a few girls who don't have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.

4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)

Ms. Pretty



An awesome reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan:

Dear Ms. Pretty,

I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.

My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here.

From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you.

The answer is very simple, so let me explain.

Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of "beauty" and "money": Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.

However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year.

Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset.. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worried 10 years later.

By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a "trading position".

If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or "leased".

Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you.

I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income. This has better chance than finding a rich fool.

Hope this reply helps. If you are interested in "leasing" services, do contact me.

signed,

J.P. Morgan CEO



Haha this CEO is so sweet! He mus be someone full of wisdom. Precisely...beauty fades one day. this is wad men have to learn. Perhaps this article brings shame to certain men who go for looks alone? Lol. Nevertheless, does this mean I shd keep myself as hideous as I can? So my looks wont b traded for money? And even worse my value sold in e end? Hahaha. This is so interesting. Ultimately, I guess one’s worth is definitely not wholly dependent on looks. We will only know if hes/shes worth it when we r hideous. Lol. So lets get ourselves hideously ugly ladies n dudes!!! :) See ya in hideous world!! :)



Lets see how men think these days.

An article I came upon:

Beauty is only skin deep, or is it? Is physical appearance really that important to men? We ask them to 'fess up. Here's what they have to say about women's beauty and their dating preferences:

His Say 1:
"Everything else being equal, looks are definitely a bonus. She has to look presentable at least. But then again, beauty is more than just looks, it has to do with some X-factor as well. I know a few 'plain-looking' women who have more suitors than their prettier friends, because they have incredible charisma."
-- Samuel, 33, public relations executive

His Say 2:
"Yes. If a man tells you otherwise, he's a liar. Guys are still hot-blooded visual creatures, no matter what. Let a man choose between a looker and an ugly girl, see which one he picks."
-- Jeremiah, 26, sales executive

His Say 3:
"Having a kind heart and good morals is more precious. In this materialistic and superficial world, beautiful women - natural and fake - are everywhere, but nice girls are hard to come by."
-- Vincent, 29, manager

His Say 4:
"I'd love to say no, but looks do matter -- and it's not just us guys. Turn the table around, and not many women will bother with a second glance at fat or balding men either. Beautiful people get more attention -- that's a fact. But having said that, you'd need more than just physical beauty alone to sustain long-term relationships like marriage."
-- Edwin, 27, educator

His Say 5:
"Not really. Looks are only a priority in puppy-love relationships. Love based entirely on physical attractiveness is lame -- it's only infatuation, and it won't last for long."
-- Tim, 22, medical student

His Say 6:
"Looks matter to a certain degree. I'm not the type to go for extraordinary standards -- she can be a plain Jane, but the fat and the ugly are off-limits for me. At the very minimum, she must have a great smile."
-- Paul, 31, postgraduate student

His Say 7:
"If she's a bimbo, I'd rather go for an average-looking but intelligent woman. Brains is more important than boobs. But if she's got both, hey, that's even better."
-- Sonny, 35, recruitment officer

His Say 8:
"Having exotic looks will help with the initial attraction. However, once the novelty wears off, inner beauty and depth is what will keep the flame alive."
-- Jung, 30, instructor

His Say 9:
"No. Character is more important than looks. Beauty will wither away with time, but virtues only grow stronger."
-- David Lam, 25, systems analyst

His Say 10:
"Yes. It's only human nature to be attracted to beautiful women. Even girls check out other hot girls all the time. I would say outer appearance is a stepping stone that sets me exploring the possibility of a relationship. Her looks is just one deciding factor, I need to consider other aspects like character and common interests."
-- Fredrick, 32, trader

A moving article from Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter.

Dr Lee Wei Ling - Why I choose to remain single

Sun, Apr 05, 2009 - The Straits Times

My parents have a loving relationship, but I knew I could not live my life around a husband.
My father became prime minister in 1959, when I was just four years old. Inevitably, most people know me as Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter.

My every move, every word, is scrutinised and sometimes subject to criticism. One friend said I lived in a glass house. After my father’s recent comment on my lack of culinary skills, another observed: ‘You live in a house without any walls.’ Fortunately, I am not easily embarrassed.

As long as my conscience is clear, what other people say of me does not bother me. Indeed, I am open about my life since the more I try to conceal from the public, the wilder the speculation becomes.

My father said of my mother two weeks ago: ‘My wife was…not a traditional wife. She was educated, a professional woman… We had Ah Mahs, reliable, professional, dependable. (My wife) came back every lunchtime to have lunch with the children.’

Actually, my mother was a traditional wife and mother. She was not traditional only in one respect: She was also a professional woman and, for many years, the family’s main breadwinner.

One of my mother’s proudest possessions is a gold pendant that my father commissioned for her. He had a calligrapher engrave on the pendant the following characters: ‘xian qi liang mu’ and ‘nei xian wai de’.

The first four characters mean virtuous wife and caring mother. The second four mean wise in looking after the family, virtuous in behaviour towards the outside world.

My mother lived her life around my father and, while we were young, around her children. I remember my mother protesting gently once about something my father had asked her to do.

‘It is a partnership, dear,’ my father urged.

‘But it is not an equal partnership,’ my mother replied.

The partnership may not have been exactly equal at particular points in time. But over the years, especially after my mother’s health deteriorated after she suffered a stroke, my father was the one who took care of her. She clearly indicated she preferred my father’s care to that of the doctors’, in itself a revelation of the quality of his care.

He remembers her complicated regime of medications. Because she cannot see on the left side of her visual field, he sits on her left during meals. He prompts her to eat the food on the left side of her plate and picks up whatever food her left hand drops on the table.

I have always admired my father for his dedication to Singapore, his determination to do what is right, his courage in standing up to foreigners who try to tell us how to run our country.

But my father was also the eldest son in a typical Peranakan family. He cannot even crack a soft-boiled egg - such things not being expected of men, especially eldest sons, in Peranakan families.

But when my mother’s health deteriorated, he readily adjusted his lifestyle to accommodate her, took care of her medications and lived his life around her. I knew how much effort it took him to do all this, and I was surprised that he was able to make the effort.

If my parents have such a loving relationship, why then did I decide to remain single?

Firstly, my mother set the bar too high for me. I could not envisage being the kind of wife and mother she had been.

Secondly, I am temperamentally similar to my father. Indeed, he once said to me: ‘You have all my traits - but to such an exaggerated degree that they become a disadvantage in you.’

When my father made that pendant for my mother, he also commissioned one for me. But the words he chose for me were very different from those he chose for my mother.

On one side of my pendant was engraved ‘yang jing xu rui’, which means to conserve energy and build up strength. On the other side was engraved ‘chu lei ba cui’, which means to stand out and excel.

The latter was added just for completion. His main message was in the first phrase, telling me, in effect, not to be so intense about so many things in life.

I knew I could not live my life around a husband; nor would I want a husband to live his life around me. Of course, there are any number of variations in marital relationships between those extremes. But there is always a need for spouses to change their behaviour or habits to suit each other. I have always been set in my ways and did not fancy changing my behaviour or lifestyle.

I had my first date when I was 21 years old. He was a doctor in the hospital ward I was posted to. We went out to a dinner party. I noted that the other guests were all rich socialites. I dropped him like a hot potato. In 2005, while on an African safari with a small group of friends, one of them, Professor C.N. Lee, listed the men who had tried to woo me. There were three besides the first. Two were converted into friends and another, like the first, was dropped.

I am now 54 years old and happily single. In addition to my nuclear family, I have a close circle of friends. Most of my friends are men. But my reputation is such that their female partners would never consider me a threat.

More than 10 years ago, when there was still a slim chance I might have got married, my father told me: ‘Your mother and I could be selfish and feel happy that you remain single and can look after us in our old age. But you will be lonely.’

I was not convinced. Better one person feeling lonely than two people miserable because they cannot adapt to each other, I figured.

I do not regret my choice. But I want to end with a warning to young men and women: What works for me may not work for others.

Many years ago, a young single woman asked me about training in neurology in a top US hospital. I advised her to ‘grab the opportunity’.

She did and stayed away for eight years. She returned to Singapore in her late 30s and now worries that she may have missed her chance to get married.

Fertility in women drops dramatically with age, and older mothers run the risk of having offspring with congenital abnormalities.

Recent studies show also that advanced paternal age is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as autism and schizophrenia, not to mention dyslexia and a subtle reduction in intelligence. Men can also suffer from diminished fertility with age although there is wide individual variation.

I would advise young men and women not to delay getting married and having children. I say this not to be politically correct. I say it in all sincerity because I have enjoyed a happy family life as a daughter and a sister, and I see both my brothers enjoying their own families.

Dr Lee Wei Ling
The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute.

This is what I call noble, indeed. In life, if we have gotten or benefitted here, we would have lost in other areas. This is one very gd example. We humans ought to understand that. Ultimately, its our choice where we wanna lose out in n gain on the other side. I salute her for sacrificing her love for her parents. Too bad, I cant stay single for my parents. Cus they want grandchildren? Lol.

Last but not least, this modest aritcle should set many of us thinking bout our wants and needs. Meaningful indeed. :)

Lee Wei Ling:
My house is shabby, but it is comfortable
Written by Lee Wei Ling, for the Sunday Times, 04 Jan 2009 ST link

In 2007, in an end-of-year message to the staff of the National Neuroscience Institute, I wrote: ‘Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time. Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.’

Slump time has arrived with a bang.

While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life.

Decades of the good life have made us soft. The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Singapore, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities.

A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order.

A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.

The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.

The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption. Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse. I am not an economist, but wasn’t that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to?

I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don’t believe in the supernatural and I don’t think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: ‘Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.’

My family is not poor, but we have been brought up to be frugal. My parents and I live in the same house that my paternal grandparents and their children moved into after World War II in 1945. It is a big house by today’s standards, but it is simple - in fact, almost to the point of being shabby.

Those who see it for the first time are astonished that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s home is so humble. But it is a comfortable house, a home we have got used to. Though it does look shabby compared to the new mansions on our street, we are not bothered by the comparison.

Most of the world and much of Singapore will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate.

But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Singaporeans, especially those born after 1970 who have never lived through difficult times.

No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food. Nobody starves in Singapore.

Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing $20,000 a bottle to $10,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy. Enjoying the fruits of one’s own labour is one’s prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously.

But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering. After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to?

Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.

When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?

We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice.

In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.

To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute.

Can we ensure we live like them when we've gotten almost everything in this world? When we are at our highest peak in life? when we have achieved so much in fame n glory? Can we stil live humbly that way as our status improves? Usually for normal beings, its almost impossible. cus ppl usually never stop going for better wants. This is sth to keep us thinking. If we can stil live very humbly when we have achieved in life, this is wad i call enlightenment. :)