Moving In

Its kinda weird penning this post because I'm not exactly ready to sink my fingers deeply into this new blog at this very moment.

Essentially, this will be my 'not-so-new-but-still-relatively-new-blog' (get the drift of my problem writing this now?), which I intend to kickstart and fully migrate to from the existing one at http://lonerzprattlez.blog-city.com/ come the new year.

But in reality, there is the issue of moving the older postings from the previous site to here and then, only God can tell why I spent two weeks trying out different blog templates, colours, headings, blah, blah, blah and till this very second, I'm still doubting my own new year resolution - which is to blog more frequently and be happy with the look and feel that I have chosen.

Now, now, all these only sounds too familiar for my good old self - didn't I make an almost similar (if not exactly the same) resolution at the beginning of 2006? Did I live up to it?

Knock, knock...it's that time of the year for me to conduct a reality check as to whether I have successfully lived up to my own resolutions!

So folks, should everything go well and if I'm really up to the challenge of handling a more consistently frequent blogging mode in addition to mounting work plus personal stress, you'll see some newer posts here pretty soon.

Till then, season's greetings everyone :-)

Virgin Dragon Awaits Newborn

This Xmas, its not Santa who will be climbing down the chimney to leave behind presents.

This time around, the surprise is even bigger and better, especially for the folks staying in Chester, England.

I read here http://www.nysun.com/article/45568 that Flora, the Komodo dragon at the Chester Zoo, is due to give birth this holiday season and the surprise really is that she has conceived all on her own, without any help from the male counterpart.

Now, how's that for female independence...among reptiles that is!

The virgin dragon mother-to-be is said to be expecting seven young ones and what better time to celebrate their arrival than Christmas?!

Ho..ho..ho..ho & have a merry Christmas everyone!

Excuse me...the condom's too big for Indian men

Couldn't help but to laugh when I read here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6161691.stm that a survey among 1,000 Indian men concluded that the standard manufactured condom proved to be too big for their 'tools'.

First, I was amazed that there was such a 'unique' survey conducted in India and secondly, I was taken aback that the outcome of the survey got mentioned in the BBC website.

But on a more serious note, thumbs up for the two-year study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research for boldly approaching this topic in a land where sex related issues are considered to be a taboo if discussed in public.

Taxman Goes After Sperm Donors

From my days of writing tax-related stories for the Personal Money magazine, which gave me the opportunity to learn some basic hardcore facts about taxation and owings to the Inland Revenue Board in Malaysia, I learned that there is no evading tax.

One senior tax consultant told me that when it comes to tax, there is no such thing as running away from paying it - forever. You may and at times can evade paying tax for sometime but eventually, they will catch up with you and make you pay what you owe.

The consultant went on to say that with most tax authorities worldwide, its a case of 'we will hunt you and make you pay even if you already six feet under'.

The consultant didn't mean it literally but in reality, if you have illegally evaded paying tax all your life, just remember that death is by no means the end of the road - the taxman will hunt you down and whatever is payable to them will be deducted from your estate left behind for loved ones.

In line with trying to demonstrate just how serious tax authorities are when it comes to recovering what is owed to them, I found this article http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061206/hl_afp/denmarkhealthtax_061206191038 while browsing the web today.

Living in this part of the world where the word sperm hardly is mentioned in most conversations deemed to be decent, it took me by surprise when I learnt that tax authorities have now requested Danish sperm donors to declare their income from sperm donation.

It is said that in most Scandinavian countries, sperm donors are assured of anonymity but if they are now required to declare their income from sperm donations, how will privacy and confidentialy prevail, at the end of the day?

Tough question to answer? Yes, most certainly it is!

It's Still Not OK To Kiss in Indian Films

Just when I thought that the Indian film industry in particular is keeping up with Western trends, I'm proven wrong.

I mean, don't get me wrong because I'm not advocating that this is the way things should be but then, in the past few years, I have seen Indian movies churned out by Bollywood in particular featuring striking resemblance to what is accepted as a norm in English movies - such as a kissing scene.

And so, with time, I figured that the Indian community has come to terms with accepting the fact that as in real life, actors in the silver screen also kiss to make a scene more believable.

But then, I'm wrong. So bloody wrong because I read here http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-12-04T144950Z_01_DEL207809_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDIA-BOLLYWOOD-KISS.xml&WTmodLoc=OddNewsHome_C1_%5bFeed%5d-3 that a lawyer appears to have taken serious offense with a kissing scene in a hit Hindi movie between Bollywood's beauty Aishwarya Rai and hunk Hrithik Roshan.

Time and again, I hear of certain quarters being unhappy with this and that showed in a film, claiming that all these will contribute to moral decay among cultural and traditional Asian community.

Now, the pressing question is, in an increasingly free world who should be given the right to do moral policing?

And just because you are unhappy with a kissing scene in an Asian movie, would you file a legal suit?

Of course, I don't and will not question the right of the lawyer who decided to bring his unhappiness to be adjudicated by the court of law but all I'm asking is - where is this going to bring him, really?

Rules in Sin City

Pardon my ignorance or lack of knowledge (or both, really).

Perhaps there are many others out there like myself, too.

I'm one of those who have yet to set foot in Las Vegas a.k.a Sin City but I have grown up watching many English movies and TV dramas depicting the happening city.

As such, my limited knowledge about this city and the life one can lead there centres around one simple rule - when it comes to Sin City and all things erotic, there are no rules as money can buy anything and everything.

However, today, after reading this http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-11-12T005534Z_01_N09466303_RTRUKOC_0_US-LASVEGAS-EROTIC.xml I realised how wrong I was.

Talk about rules and baby, the article has just laid out the rules that must be observed by erotic dancers in Sin City!

Naked...but Armed

They say weird-er things have happened and this story probably just fits in that category.

Read this http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061104/ap_on_fe_st/armed_and_naked
to find out how you can be caught naked but still be armed ;-)

Price of Passion

What price for passion?

What are you willing to do or how much are you willing to pay to enact your passionate dream in a car on stilts?

In Amsterdam, it appears, some people are willing to ink their most intimate and not to mention, perhaps even naughty, passionate ideas, on paper to an Italian artist for a chance to enact such romantic acts in the comfort of a converted hatchback, an Opel Kadett.

Money wise, the thrill in the car - which features a double bed and is plcaed on to 13 foot high poles, costs nothing as couples get a free overnight stay in exchange for explaining their intimate ideas to the artist, Federico D'Orazio, who claims that this was created to provide a place for 'real love'.

Read more about it here:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-09-22T175345Z

And while we are at it, would you reveal your intimate ideas in exchange for something like this or others?

Amazing Nature

Have you ever wondered how mother nature never fails to amaze and amuse us just when we thought everything that there is to be discovered on this blue planet of ours have already been done and dusted?

Read the recent discoveries made by scientists from Conservation International in the Indonesian archipelago.

Pictures definately are worth a million words when we look at the very best of mother nature's gift to us here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5350666.stm?ls

Are we not lucky and truly blessed to have all these beautiful creatures sharing this living space with us?

I guess the large than life question now is for how long will these blessings be around, protected?

Only time will tell.

Islam-ic Swim Suits Have Arrived

Read the headline carefully. I was indeed surprised when I read the article about this issue at Reuter's Oddly Enough.

I mean, I must say that I can't agree more with the author's opening line - we live in a world today where flashing more skin and sporting skimpy bathing suits are the 'in' thing.

And in the midst of all these, we have a variety. One that would (most) probably solve the woes of pious Muslims worldwide. Now, isn't that what you call creative thinking?

Read the story here:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-08-31T134618Z_01_L28839747_RTRUKOC_0_US-TURKEY-SWIMSUITS.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

and here:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-08-31T134618Z_01_L28839747_RTRUKOC_0_US-TURKEY-SWIMSUITS.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage1

Europe Very Own Tirupati Temple

For every devoted Hindu, visiting the world famous Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tirupati, India, is a dream come true.

In fact, when I recently when to India for the very first time, I was disappointed for being unable to visit Venki, as Lord Vengatachalapathy is fondly known, because my trip was extremely hectic.

Despite the disappointment however, I have made a personal resolution to at least visit Venki once in my lifetime.

Having this aspiration, it only brought me more joy when I read recently that Europe now has its very own version of the Tirupati Temple, in Birmingham, London.

The newly built Balaji Temple is said to be the largest Hindu temple in Europe and is expected to be well on its way into the record books as the largest 'multi-national' Hindu temple in the world outside India.

More uniquely, say news reports, the Balaji Temple in London may be the Hindu religion's first truly modern 'multi-national' building because it counts Sri Lankan and Indian Hindus among its founders and ostentatiously rejects an India-centric view of Hinduism.

Read more about it here:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1933636.cms

and here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/5290564.stm

Unveiling The Blueberry's Blog

A close friend and a former wacky workmate, who in the infamous bloggers world of today goes by the name 'The Blueberry', has just started her own blog at http://blueberrymusings.blogspot.com/

In her introductory blog, she describes herself as a 'Cheerful person, harassed employee, stubborn daughter, eccentric sister, stingy aunt, devoted wife and broody mother.'

While I may not be able to vouch for certain things she described about herself such as being a broody mother, I'm quite amused with her blog titled Dearest Hubba Bubba which you can read at http://blueberrymusings.blogspot.com/2006/08/dearest-hubba-bubba.html

Here, this cheerful and chirpy friend of mine describes her husband as 'a charming, hardworking man in his early 30s.'

Note that the real point of amusement for me comes in her second line which reads, " Romantic and loving, funny and clumsy, he lights up my world with his constant "Isn't Tiramisu a type of sushi?" type of blunders."

Now, now, in the comfort of knowing that my husband-to-be doesn't even know I have a blog let alone read it, I truly think The Blueberry's husband must be a nice guy for I doubt I will be free to blog again should my husband-to-be find out that I have blogged about him and described his 'How come the wantan mee that I buy always never weighs one tonne?' or 'Bathing is hardwork. You know, you have to stand for at least 15-20 minutes, apply soap and then wash it off.'

It can be pretty tiring for someone who works hard (READ as sitting down in the same spot without moving) all day long like me.' quirks.

Opps...did I just let out too much details about the person who doesn't know I have a blog?!
I shouldn't be talking more, really. Anything is possible in the cyber world and if you don't see me posting more stuff about my husband-to-be in the near future, you know I have silently been given a stern warning not to repeat this ever again ;-)

Read The Blueberry's Musings every now and then as she is a delightful friend and I bet her blog will never lack the same element, too.

Have a good day :-)

A Case of Dumb & Dumber?

I've heard of some really odd things but this test by German scientists probably goes the extra mile in telling us how far modern science has gone.

I mean, granted there are positives and negatives to all R&D activities and findings but what really beats me is how scientist can actually think of 'anti-stupid' pills.

Read it in full here: http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=13102735&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews

Heart Attack & World Cup

It is said to be the most beautiful game on earth and every four years, the World Cup fever grips football fans globally like no other single sporting event does.

And what does this tell us? Quite a number of things actually, depending on how you would like to look at it but this article gives us the often overlooked angle in relation to the celebrated sport.

Read on and be enlightened - http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-0619T140348Z_01_L18100842_RTRUKOC_0_US-WORLD-HEARTRISK.xml

Help Me God

This is a very interesting read, indeed.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-06-05T123124Z_01_L05642927_RTRUKOC_0_US-UKRAINE-LION.xml

Wives Vs Donkeys

Marriages are sacred, in almost all traditions and beliefs. That's the little that I know even though I'm unmarried myself.

There is also no exception to this belief in the culturally rich Indian marriages. However, we are all aware of the fact that when two people are united in the union of marriage, there are bound to be problems every now and then.

In the most adverse cases, some married couples seek to go their separate ways in the name of divorce while some others may just remain married for the sake of it, although deep down they are unhappy with the choice they made.

Most problems in marriages these days result from a lack of understanding between both sexes, I feel.

It is common to find women nagging about their husbands' messy behaviours, little regard for housework and not helping out when it comes to looking after young children.

Likewise, it is also perfectly common to find husbands who often complain about their wives who never stop finding fault in everything that they do (in most instances, its about what the man never does), fail to understand the priorities of the man and so on.

Whatever said and done, however severe the daily conflicts between a married couple may be, we can never find the comfort of having a spouse, someone for us to love and share our ups and downs with in any other form, other than our beloved partners.

While this may be the case for most us, some are just different, as pointed out in this article:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-04-04T125002Z_01_DEL289490_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDIA-BOOKS.xml

Some men are just so tired of their wives, so much so they come to the opinion that a loyal animal offers more comfort in life than their better-halfs can.

But is it true? You decide ;-)

The Sun Goes Away

The solar eclipse means different things to different communities - that much I know because I live in a multi-racial and multi-ethnic society where each community has its own do's dont's whenever a solar eclipse occurs.

However, it was only after reading the article here http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-03-10T204300Z_01_L09177309_RTRUKOC_0_US-NIGERIA-ECLIPSE.xml that I realised at times, these interpretations, at times can be too far fetched.

Take it as humour if you want, but I guess the above article proves that even natural occurances are taken differently in different parts of the world and some, can really be different from the rest of us.

Hooray to human diversity :-)

Mouth Spray for Kissers

I knew this millenium will see many break-throughs and innovations which could further boost our quality of life but this is surely something worth more than just a mention.

If you are an ardent kisser and would like to term yourself as a serial kisser as the following article describes, perhaps this is what you have been waiting for all your life :-)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-02-22T130800Z_01_N21115863_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRAZIL-CARNIVAL.xml

Enjoy your kiss ;-)

Another Earth Exists?

In the recent past, we are hearing more and more about explorations and findings that could well be related to the answer that each and every one us planet earth citizens are looking forward to: can there possibly be another planet like ours?

Read this article to find out more about the latest in relation to this: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-01-25T183124Z_01_N25335776_RTRUKOC_0_US-SPACE-PLANET.xml

Hopefully this read is good food for thought.