Would you want him to be in SG?
Definitely not me , for some reasons..
How about you!



Edison Chen's imminent presence prompted an Internet user to lash out at him, triggering threats of a boycott of the chain's products. -- PHOTO: SHAW

MORE than a year after Hong Kong actor-singer Edison Chen found himself at the centre of a sex scandal, the 28-year-old remained toxic here.

News that he is showing up at a fast-food chain here next week sparked off controversy within the Internet community.

Chen was invited as a guest to Carl's Jr.'s launch of its latest creation - the 100 per cent Angus Beef Thickburger - next Friday.

His imminent presence prompted an Internet user to lash out at him, triggering threats of a boycott of the chain's products.

'He is a dubious character who is an affront to women,' the man told my paper. 'I hope that Carl's Jr. will realise that they're making a PR fiasco.'

The executive, who is in his 40s, did not want to be identified.

Although some who spoke to my paper said they would not support a 'jinx', others were more forgiving.

Mr Jeffrey Koh, 32, business and finance manager of film distributor Festive Films, said: 'It's time for him to come back. The incident happened so long ago.'

Chen gained notoriety last year when racy pictures of Hong Kong celebrities such as Gillian Chung were leaked on Internet forums.

A spokesman for Carl's Jr. said: 'When we chose to invite him for this event, it was based purely on friendship between his management and us,' she said.

Sports giant adidas, which also invited him to be its guest for a separate event the same day, said: 'Edison Chen is a streetwear authority...and continues to maintain a strong base of consumers and followers.' -- MY PAPER


Source ; http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_340769.html


Cheers,
Mysterious!

If ones never master his or her language eventually it will become a laughing stock..



Here's the article..

Kelly Poon's 'comment' on Taiwanese show draws criticism

Singer: I didn't say 'there are no Chinese idioms in S'pore'

By Tan Kee Yun
February 27, 2009

SHE admits her command of Mandarin is not fantastic.

But local singer Kelly Poon insists she would never make her country look bad.

The 25-year-old is fending off criticisms that she had 'shamed Singapore' on a Taiwanese variety show.

On the show called Variety Big Brother, Kelly was among a group of celebrities who were asked by host Chang Fei to come up with a Chinese idiom to praise a performance they had witnessed.

The episode, which was recorded in October last year, was aired here last Sunday on StarHub Cable Channel 56.

On her turn, instead of coming up with an idiom, she said with gusto: 'Fei chang li hai!' ('very amazing' in Chinese).

When this was rejected, she allegedly retorted that 'there are no Chinese idioms in Singapore', reported Shin Min Daily News.

Singaporean netizens who had seen the show blasted her, saying that 'not only has she shamed herself, she has shamed the whole of Singapore'.

One netizen angrily pointed out that 'every Singaporean Chinese who went through their O-level examinations would at least have to learn and memorise 100 idioms', so how could she say there are no idioms in Singapore?

Popular forum Hardware Zone was rife with angry remarks too, ranging from how she has 'thrown Singapore's face away' to her being a 'national disgrace'.

But in a phone interview with The New Paper yesterday, she denied making the 'idiom' remark.

'It wasn't me'
'It wasn't from me at all,' she said with a sigh. 'It was another Taiwanese female actress. It's just that when we were recording that episode, I really didn't catch her saying it.

'If I had, of course I would have jumped up instantly and shouted an idiom on the spot to prove her wrong!'

She said: 'I went through the Singapore education system, studied Chinese as my mother tongue, and I would never put my own country in a state of shame.'

As for her boo-boo in offering an expression instead of an idiom, she said she had 'tried too hard' to be 'funny' by playing on Chang Fei's name - hence 'Fei chang li hai'.

'I wanted to create more laughs, but in retrospect, maybe I overdid it.'

To bloggers who have told her to 'brush up on her Chinese' before venturing into the Taiwan and China markets, Kelly said she 'is constantly working hard to master the language'.

The singer hopes Singaporeans do not take everything they see on Taiwanese programmes too seriously.

The incident echoed a similar one last February.

Taiwanese actor Shen Dong-Ching also incurred the wrath of Singapore netizens when he went on a popular Taiwanese talkshow and started mimicking 'the way Singaporeans speak English'.

Adding fuel to the fire was a Taiwanese English teacher, who claimed Singaporeans pronounced 'pregnant' as 'pegnant'.

Both subsequently apologised.


Source : http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,194073,00.html?


Cheers,
Mysterious!

Oh man,when I see this article online.I was totally amused man,how come can so accurate!But anything can happens..
I think this year won't be such a prosperous year for SINGAPORE!Even the lightning want to strikes the Merlion.Economic gradually falls as day goes by..

Here's the article!


The original Merlion statue located at One Fullerton was struck by lightning this afternoon, causing quite a commotion.

Claire Huang caught up with some witnesses to find out what happened.

Nature sure knows how to throw a tantrum.

In its fit of anger, Singapore's longstanding original icon - the Merlion, was damaged by lightning flashes.

23 year-old Ms Swee Xueping who was having lunch with 5 other friends said the incident caused a stir.

"So we were actually sitting at Coffeebean, and then we were buying (food) and then we heard a loud thunder sound. Then we saw the lightning which was quite, it's kind of orangey and then there was a commotion, and we heard a loud noise, but we didn't know what actually happened. We were just wondering how come there's this big commotion."

A staff who wants to be known only as Mr Yap said the incident happened between 4 and 5pm.

Mr Yap who works in a shop a few metres away from the damaged statue, describes how some passersby who were stranded in the rain, dashed into the restaurant for cover.

"Something like an explosion sound, very loud. Then after that some of the pieces fell off the Merlion. All the people under the umbrella (3 parasols) ran in, towards our shop. They were scared that there'll be another thunder (lightning) strike."

Mr Yap's colleague Ms Toh said she didn't realise that the lightning had struck the statue until a customer drew her attention to it.

"I heard the thunderstorm and I saw many of the customers running into our outlet. I just heard from a customer then noticed "Hey, why the Merlion's head dropped?""

The explosion, caused by the lightening, created a hole the size of a soccer ball, on the Merlion.
But according to eye witnesses, no one was hurt.

In fact, many passersby and tourists didn't even notice the rubble on the walkway.

The statue is one of five Merlions in Singapore.

The 8.6 metre tall statue was originally located at the mouth of the Singapore River but was moved to Fullerton in 2002.



Cheers,
Mysterious!

As stated on the title above!
Yes,
It's the first indoor office ''playground!''
Hahaa , actually it sounds so wrong!
It's actually the Britain's first indoor office helter skelter!
And you will be seeing staff sliding down three floors in just 7 seconds!
I wonder how people are gona react or see them,when they are actually sliding down the helter skelter.It's like some kids on the playground!I wonder will the guests try this!Scully,the whole office congested with kids.And what if the pants too tight , then slowly rub your butt down the slide?Or polish the whole slide with some oils xD!

Anyway,
Here's the article.

Pictured: Britain's first indoor office helter skelter sees staff slide down three floors in just seven seconds

By CHRIS BROOKE
Last updated at 9:04 PM on 26th February 2009

The economy may be on a downward spiral.

But designers of a new office development have come up with a novel way of lifting morale during the downturn.

They have installed a see-through helter-skelter to take staff from the third to the ground floor reception area in an exhilarating seven seconds.



Going down? The new Electric Works in Sheffield with the UK's first office helter skelter for workers

Catering for media-related businesses, the Electric Works office complex in Sheffield opens on Monday, complete with the novel descent.

Made of steel and plastic, it is 87ft long with a 40ft drop.

It will inevitably give the health and safety police palpitations, but that's all for the better according to designer Toby Hyam, who says it is intended as a 'statement about risk-taking'.



Business with pleasure: Building managers insist the slide is not a gimmick, but a way of making the block unique

He said: 'We have put quite a lot of thought into what this is all about and we wanted to make a big effort to make this place special. We won't be putting another helter skelter in anywhere else.

'We know that it will be a novelty at first, and we don't know whether it will wear off, but if you are having a meeting with a client and people are whizzing past, it will be memorable.'

Office manager Deborah Walsh said: 'I think the helter-skelter is a brilliant idea and we will constantly have people moving in and moving out, so there will always be somebody new to try it.'

For the less adventurous, the options of using the stairs or a lift remain.



Thrills: Deborah Walsh, centre manager, tries out the slide

The project is the result of a public private partnership between landowner Yorkshire Forward, developers Scarborough Development Group and Sheffield Council which has bought the building.

It stands on land between the city's railway and bus stations and is aimed at people working in the creative industries and media, from freelancers who work alone to companies of up to 75 people.

The centre of the building will be known as the 'club area' and will be available on a subscription basis costing £50 a month. For this, members will get access to all communal areas and meeting spaces.

Other services, such as the hire of lockers which include mobile phone and laptop chargers, the provision of a business address and a reception service, will also be available at an extra charge.

A conference room, which seats 150 people in a theatre-style environment, is also available, and offices on the upper floors of the building are up for rent with prices starting at £16,000 a year.

The building will be run by Mr Hyam's company Creative Space Management which also runs Round Foundry media centre in Leeds and is working on several other Yorkshire projects.


Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1156292/Pictured-Britains-indoor-office-helter-skelter-sees-staff-slide-floors-just-seven-seconds.html


Cheers,
Mysterious!


Wow,so fast reunited already!
:)



Here's the article!


Pop star Rihanna was going another romantic round with R&B singer boyfriend Chris Brown less than three weeks after he allegedly used her as a punching bag, it was reported Friday.

The Barbadian-born beauty - who had hits with "Umbrella" and "Disturbia" - and Brown were cozying up at one of hip-hop honcho Sean (Diddy) Combs' homes, People magazine said on its Web site.

"They're together again. They care for each other," an unidentified source gushed to the magazine.

"While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves," the source said.

The relationship apparently started warming up again after Brown called Rihanna last week to wish her a happy 21st birthday. Rihanna then reached out to Brown.

"She doesn't care about her image. She is so in love with that boy that it doesn't matter," said a source.

Brown, 19, has been lavishing Rihanna with jewels, designer shoes, a handbag and the video game "Guitar Hero" in an effort to make up.

"It doesn't matter what he buys her, though," said the source. "She loves him. For his part, he knows he screwed up and he is going to try like hell to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, said he's OK with them getting back together.

"I love my daughter with whatever road she takes. I'm behind her win or lose. I will be supportive," Fenty told Us Weekly magazine's Web site from his home in Barbados.

A Brown rep had no comment and Rihanna's publicist couldn't be reached.

Brown, a rising star with a huge teen fan base, was charged with making criminal threats following a reported attack on Rihanna after Clive Davis' pre-Grammys party on Feb. 8.

A picture of a bruised Rihanna with swollen lips was leaked on the Internet last week, apparently from Los Angeles police files, and added credence to widespread reports that she was the woman involved.

The assault on the eve of the Grammy Awards caused both stars to cancel their scheduled appearances.

It sent shockwaves through the music industry, stunned fans of the couple who had been dating for about a year, and rocked Brown's career.

"Goodies" singer Ciara reportedly ditched plans for a duet with Brown and has hinted she'll leave his vocals out of her single, "Turntables."

Rapper Flo Rida has already pulled his collaboration with Brown on his upcoming album "R.O.O.T.S." and a Sacramento radio station has banned Brown's songs from rotation indefinitely.

The incendiary singer also is said to be omitted from promo clips for the upcoming movie "Bone Deep."

Rihanna returned to her family in Barbados and Brown issued a statement Feb. 15 saying he was "sorry and saddened" about the incident and was seeking counseling.

lstandora@nydailynews.com





Cheers,
Mysterious!

I stumbled upon someone blog and saw a post about,''Gang of naked ladies torturing a naked men!''
Before you scroll down!
Let me warn you first , the images below contains explicit sexual content!
As it not really censored well.
Please close this window,if you are 18 and below!:)


This was what the blogger wrote on his blog post.
I will just copy and paste it and correct his ''English'' ^_^.

I do not understand Japanese words but since High School boys have been joking about the word "yamete".I guess it meant typical moaning of Japanese porn actress saying,''Please stop!''


I will have the images up right now :)
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Apparently,due to the increasing demand for female domination porn.The ladies would be the one
torturing the man!Like this picture on the left showing the poor man sucking the lady's toes.


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And when thing gets out of control!
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It will be...
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Time for the ladies to wash their feet on a man-made-floormat!
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And kick on the men's cock as hard as possible -.-''
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That also include his face,stomach
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And everything,those furious ladies can think up of!


Like this ..


A football match indeed!


In conclusion,who knows,he might be enjoying and was too shy by screaming, ''yamete!''
But that is not for me to say because I didn't watch the video.I'm just too pure!


Cheers,
Mysterious!

Another one,paid for sex.This time round is not a boy and a girl but a gay and several boys who sold their pride for money!


Paedophile jailed in Indonesia


DENPASAR (Indonesia) - AN AUSTRALIAN man was sentenced to eight years in prison in Indonesia on Thursday for having sex with under-aged boys on the resort island of Bali.

Philippe Robert Grandfield, 61, had paid 12 teenaged boys below 18 years of age for sexual favours, Denpasar district court judge Frida Aryani said.

'It's been proven clearly and convincingly that the accused deliberately persuaded his victims to carry out lewd acts with him... and he committed those acts with under-aged boys,' she said. 'He will be sentenced to eight years in jail.' Prosecutors had asked for 12 years.

The court heard the Australian paid between US$1 (S$1.50) and $10 for each sexual favour, which included oral sex but not sodomy.

The offences occurred in the man's home where the boys had been invited to play pool, table-tennis and computer games.

'He lured them with sweet words and exploited their poor economic situation... he gave them whatever they wanted in exchange for sexual favours,' Aryani said.

Wearing a yellow shirt and blue jeans, the retired accountant who had lived on the tourist island for 10 years looked calm as the sentence was read out.

'I'm very happy as I'd expected to get the death sentence. But I will still lodge an appeal,' Grandfield said.

His lawyer, Ketut Suartana, said his legal team would consider an appeal.

'This is a heavy sentence. I want him (Grandfield) to be free. We will consider an appeal,' he said. -- AFP





Source ; http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_343351.html


Cheers,
Mysterious!


As request by an unknown Guest to make an article for Fufu United Ninja All-Stars!
Yeah,this is the first time I'm doing this!
I assume it is much more like a map which is played with Warcraft and it is a most popular and played map in Garena (GG Client)!


Fufu United Ninja All-Stars is a custom map splintering out from the original Ninja Duels by ThredNThrash.
With creative infusion from an active Garena mapmaking community, Fufu United Ninja All-Stars was born.
The game is pretty simple.

First you have to download the latest version of the map at their official website:
http://www.getfufu.co.nr

OR

Download it from
http://epicwar.com/maps/66879/
or
http://nibbits.com/wc3/maps/download/121991/

After having the map into your Warcraft maps folder, you are now ready for some hardcore ninja action.
Bringing in characters from the TreeTag, Vampirism, Dota, War of the Philippine Heroes series, Fufu United Ninja All-Stars gives countless hours of fun with the barkada and classmates.


Most importantly it's brought to you by Garena!
Enjoy
:)



Cheers,
Mysterious!

Oh man!
I can't believe it before I see this article.
This kind of job exists!
Wouldn't you want this kind of job if you have the talent!



Best job: Paint nude models !
RIO DE JANEIRO - BETTO Almeida is the Mr. Lucky of Rio's Carnival. The 36-year-old artist awakes at 8am. Has a little breakfast. Survives a commute through the city's tough traffic. Arrives at the office by 11. Then he spends hours painting the bodies of gorgeous women - and earning as much as US$2,000 (S$3,042) a day.

'You wouldn't believe how many applications I get for an assistant,' Mr Almeida deadpanned, never taking his eyes from his work as he brushed bright orange paint on the stomach of a model in his glass-enclosed studio under the grandstands at the Sambadrome, where Rio's Carnival parades ended on Tuesday at dawn.

'But it's hard work, man. I take my job seriously.' Slight, soft-spoken and unassuming, Mr Almeida devotes his art to a sideshow of the samba parades: models who earn about $250 a night to mingle, clad only in paint, with high-rollers in the luxury boxes.

His day job is art director on television soap operas, but for the past 12 years he has been brushing, dripping and spraying paint on some of the most beautiful bodies Brazil's Carnival has to display.

Michele Peres, a 28-year-old model wearing tiny black shorts, snakeskin stilettos and a watch, said the quality of Mr Almeida's work was vital to her professional success.

'I've been doing this for nine years, for Carnival and other events,' she said as Mr Almeida painted a jaguar on her breasts. 'He is the best body painter I've come across and his work draws more attention to me. It is good for him, it is good for me.' A gentleman tapped on the studio window and, as gingerly as a drunk Carnival reveler could, requested that Ms Peres turn toward the growing crowd. With a barely perceptible sigh, she complied, not hesitating to light up a smile once the cameras started popping.

Both women said some men - mostly foreigners - get a little frisky in the box seats, where the models mingle for 15 minutes before taking a champagne break for 15 minutes in a glassed-front room next to Mr Almeida's work space.

'It gets a little rowdy. Not too many men grab us or anything, but there is always one or two who get a little confused,' said Luana Minini, a 22-year-old actress, was making her first appearance as a Carnival body paint model. 'Brazilians understand the ambiance of Carnival and they come here prepared to see this.' As the models answered questions, Mr Almeida kept working. On his knees behind Ms Peres, he dipped his brush into one of a dozen plastic water bottles cut in half to hold his paint, carefully painting jaguar spots on the back of the model's thighs.

Sweat on his brow, he said the hard work is worth it. A modeling agency that employs the women pays him US$1,000 for the roughly two hours it takes to paint each model. During the samba parades, he paints two women a night. And in a typical year will paint a minimum of 50 women for various events.

'I started doing it for theatre and one of the samba parade officials asked if I would do it for Carnival models. How could I say no?' he asked, diving into a cheeseburger after finishing up with Ms Peres. 'A lot of guys are jealous of my job.' -- AP







Source : http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_342677.html


Cheers,
Mysterious!


Found this on one of the Nuffnang blogger's blog and I'm here to share it with you!




Left to right: Hong Peng, Alton, Andy, Ying Zi, Yi Ling, and myself

It has been quite some time since our last Nuffnang bloggers’ gathering on 30 December, 2008. Nevertheless, we still managed to meet up 2 months later at the same location - Plaza Singapura.

Thanks to Yi Ling for organizing the outing, and our fellow bloggers for joining!

The bloggers met at around 12pm on Friday, 20 December. Ying Zi and myself only joined them at Starbucks Coffee at around 7pm. There were a few other bloggers who went off earlier before the both of us arrived.

We had a chit chat session for about an hour and went to Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe for dinner. Well, it was the first time I dined there. It seemed like the place was quite popular as it was crowded with patrons.

We placed our individual orders and a few other side dishes like Dim sum (a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes).

We waited for around 10 minutes for our food to come. And when it finally did, disaster was about to unfold…


Please read the following quote from http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=58409:

The standard of both food and service at Xin Wang Hong Kong Café in Plaza Singapura were unsatisfactory, says STOMPer Yi Ling, who went there to dine last Friday (20 Feb).

This STOMPer says:
“This is regarding Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe in Plaza Singapura. I was there with 5 other people on 20 Feb at 7.30pm.

“Firstly, I would like to feedback regarding the food. I ordered the black pepper chicken chop with fries. The dish was very salty. I got my friends to try it out and they all felt the same. I rejected the entire dish. One of the staff in black, a male, waived the charge.

“The next few dishes were dim sums - siew mai, har gao, spring roll, and fried dumpling. I am a fond dim sum eater and the standard of their dim sums was disappointing. The dim sum was not fragrant enough. The siew mai was dry and hard. The har gao was wet and soggy. The stuffing in the spring rolls and fried dumplings were also soggy.
“I am sad to say that I have eaten better dim sums in coffee shops.

“I want to feedback regarding the service as well. When the food was delivered, one of the staff wearing black, literally threw the food at us. When everyone was about done, I went up to the manager to give my feedback for the first time. The second time was while we were leaving.

“I was shocked by her attitude. She had poor listening skills and seemed unable to handle such a situation. She was easily distracted and hardly focused on the person speaking, which I found rude. Her apology was insincere from the tone of it and it was soft.

“We stood at a corner discussing our unpleasant experience, when we saw one of the staff taking a picture of us. One of us was taking a picture of the signboard, yet the manager who saw it demanded to see the camera and was very rude when asking for it.

“He even threatened to call the police, which of course he did not in the end. Another female staff came out when she saw the commotion and used her index finger to point at us, which was rude as well.

“We were not doing anything wrong. They could have requested for the camera nicely and we would have complied. Why the hostility? This made us wonder if the staff were properly trained to handle such situations.”

Moral of the story
Please think twice before you eat at Hong Kong Cafe in Plaza Singapura in the future. Any of the staff or managers there may just threaten to call the police if you make a complain that the food or service is unsatisfactory.

The funny part is, such idiots only know how to threaten. As to whether they have the guts to call the police or not, is a different matter. I think that people should think twice before using the police as their shield. It is as if the police are going to side them or anything. Worse still, these people are actually nothing but pieces of shit.



Cheers,
Mysterious!

Even China is more open!
Should the whole world be more open like they do!
For me , I gona support them deep deep in my heart!
Loving someone should not be a barrier!

ARTICLE:

Gay and lesbian couples campaign for same-sex marriages in Beijing

Long closeted in China's traditional patriarchal society, gay and lesbian couples are waging a campaign to gain recognition for same-sex marriages.




Lesbians Da Na and Bu Xiu pose for their wedding photographs in Beijing Photo: REUTERS


Zhang Yi carries Hai Bei as they pose for their wedding photographs in Beijing Photo: REUTERS
While there are no prominent openly gay figures in China, nightclubs and bars catering to the homosexual population are common in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

But for China's rural population, homosexuality largely remains shameful or unknown.

On Valentine's Day, activists took to the streets, posing in same-sex wedding photos to advertise their cause in a country that, until 2001, classified homosexuality as a mental illness.

Thirty gay and lesbian activists gathered near Tiananmen Square in Beijing to participate in a ritual that is a ubiquitous part of the modern Chinese wedding: the photos.

When most Chinese couples marry, they hire a photographer to produce a series of portraits showing the pair dressed in a variety of formal traditional and Western-style marriage clothes.

Mimicking the custom, campaigners posed in the street to gain support for same-sex marriages as police looked on but did not interrupt.

Although there is still no legal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual preference in China, there are signs that homosexual couples are slowly gaining support amongst the public.

And some historians say this is only natural.

While the Communist Party has historically maintained that homosexuality goes against traditional Chinese morality, in fact, some historians argue, China was relatively open to gay relationships as none of the country's major religions specifically prohibit same-sex relationships.


Cheers,
Mysterious!

Nowadays loan sharks,getting more bolder and bolder!
They would do anything for easy money!
But they did not think of the consequences they have to bear if they are caught!
Sometime those loan sharks even harass those innocent household by splashing paint on their door!
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When their neighbour was the one who owe the money!!!
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How?Call police?Write statement?But in the end also no use.
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What's worst!
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.Sometime it's actually not the neighbour who owe the money but the previous owner of the house!!!
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And then
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Loan sharks won't give you a damn!D:
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In conclusion,I think the loan sharks might consider having art lessons to improve on their art!


Anyway,here is the article!
This poor Madam!

LIVID WITH LOAN SHARKS - HARASSED, even in hospital


Pasir Ris residents find paint splashed, gate locked by loan sharks Loan sharks lurk in hospital, ask family if mother is dead yet

February 27, 2009


EVEN as she was in hospital fighting for her life, the loan sharks allegedly refused to leave her alone.


NO REST, NO PEACE: Madam Lee, 62, was unconscious for two days in hospital. PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO

About five of them turned up at the hospital and lurked outside her room.

One of them even asked her family over the phone if she was dead.

A former hawker, who was identified only as Madam Lee, 62, had slit her wrist and swallowed as many as 60 pills last Friday .

She was apparently distraught over alleged harassment by loan sharks, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Her daughter, Ms Wen, a housewife in her 40s, said that more than 10 loan sharks had called her mother's handphone demanding payment that day.

She informed them that her mother had been hospitalised and pleaded with them to leave her alone.

But it seems they did not.

Said Ms Wen: 'I was at my mother's bedside when I saw these suspicious-looking men outside the room. About five of them came one after another and they all kept glaring at us.'

She claimed that one of the men even called up after he left the hospital and asked: 'Is your mother dead yet?'

Madam Lee's dealings with the loan sharks began two years ago when she borrowed $10,000 to set up a noodle stall.

She managed to cope with the repayments initially.

But the business did not do as well as she had expected.

Hoping for a change in fortune, she switched to selling economy rice. But that did not do well either.

She ended up taking loans from other loan sharks to pay off her first loan.

Before she knew it, she found herself owing as much as $100,000 to more than 30 loan sharks.

Madam Lee had spoke about her predicament to Lianhe Wanbao earlier.

'Just this month, the loan sharks have been calling me non-stop asking for payment,' she said.

'They've been calling me about a hundred times a day, and I've been so stressed. I really don't know how to deal with them.'

In that interview, Madam Lee also said that she was living in fear as the loan sharks had allegedly even threatened to harm her neighbours and friends.

Friends in trouble, too
She added that two of her friends who came to know of her plight had agreed to be her guarantor and that they had even borrowed money from loan sharks to help repay her loans.

Now, the loan sharks are allegedly after them too.

'They've threatened to lock my friends' doors and have been calling them (her friends) to harass them,' she said.

Madam Lee said that there was hardly any money in her bank account and she no longer had the means to continue running her stall.

She said that Ms Wen - her only child - and her husband, an odd-job worker, were unable to help her repay her debts.

The harassment got so bad that Madam Lee could neither eat nor sleep, said Ms Wen.

Ms Wen said that her mother lost 20kg from her 50kg frame and looked like 'a bag of bones'.

Final blow
The last straw was when one of the loan sharks contacted her last Thursday and told her to pay up $20,000 within a day.

Madam Lee said she could not come up with the money and begged them to let her off.

She was then allegedly told: 'We won't pursue it only if you're dead.'

Ms Wen said her mother, who lives with her, appeared to be in low spirits that night.

She said that she got up from bed at around 6.30pm the next day to find her mother lying motionless in the living room.

She suspected that something was amiss when her mother did not respond to her.

When she switched on the light, she got a shock.

'Her body was cold and her face was pale. No matter how I shouted and called out to her, she did not respond,' said Ms Wen.

She then called for an ambulance, which took her mother to a hospital.

Madam Lee remained unconscious for two days and woke up only on Sunday.

But she is still weak.

Meanwhile, apart from the loan sharks who have gone to the hospital, some other loan sharks have also turned their attention to Madam Lee's friends.

One friend who visited her at the hospital last Sunday afternoon claimed that after Madam Lee was hospitalised, one of the loan sharks had splashed paint on her (the friend's) front door.



CALL FOR HELP

SAMARITANS OF SINGAPORE (SOS): 18002214444

SINGAPORE ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Helpline: 18002837019

CARE CORNER MANDARIN COUNSELLING: 18003535800


Cheers,
Mysterious!




A 24-year-old teacher, Lisa Lavoie, and an unnnamed 15-year-old student were found in a Morgantown, West Virginia hotel room. The boy had been reported missing Feb. 16th.

Lisa Lavoie is (or was) a teacher at the Maurice A. Donahue Elementary School in Holyoke, Mass. The boy's parents had contacted the school on Feb. 13, noting concern about the relationship he had with the first-year teacher.

On Tuesday morning Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott said they tracked down the two by following a trail of financial and cell phone information (meaning credit cards, ATM charges, and the like). Apparently Lisa Lavoie doesn't watch enough shows like CSI. Morgantown police arrested Lavoie around 6:00 AM on Tuesday.

Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan said Lisa Lavoie was an 8th grade teacher and had only been teaching in Holyoke for five months. Lavoie is being held on charges of child endangerment, which includes a charge of statutory rape.

Arrangements are being made to return the boy to Holyoke, where he will be initially remanded to the Department of Children and Families. Meanwhile Lisa Lavoie is scheduled for a rendition (but not extraordinary rendition!) hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

At the same time the school district has place Lisa Lavoie on immediate administrative leave. She will obviously lose her teaching license if she is found guilty.

Source : http://snafu-ed.blogspot.com/2009/02/teacher-15-year-old-student-found-in-w.html

Cheers,
Mysterious!

What can I say!
The world is in deep shit!
Economic crisis and no one would know what lies ahead us!
More and more people going to take the plunge?
Touchwood*
We just got to adapt to the financial squeeze.
And stop wasting $.$!
Use it wisely.


Singapore revises Q4 GDP to -16.4 pct, keeps outlook
* Reiterates forecast for 2-5 pct GDP contraction in 2009
* Says GDP grew 1.1 pct for whole of 2008

* Manufacturing contracted 10.7 pct year-on-year in Q4

* Financial services contracted 8.1 pct yr/yr in Q4

SINGAPORE, Feb 26 - Singapore issued revised 2008 GDP estimates on Thursday showing the export-reliant economy contracted by 16.4 percent in the fourth quarter, and reiterated its forecast that it will shrink by 2-5 percent this year.

"The economy is likely to continue to perform weakly in the first half of 2009," the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a 130-page detailed survey of the Singapore economy in 2008.

The manufacturing sector will be weighed down by declines in global demand for electronic products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, the ministry said, while financial services are likely to slow as volatile markets keep many investors on the sidelines.

Singapore's economy shrank 16.4 percent on an annualised, seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis but grew 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008, the ministry said in a statement.

The manufacturing sector declined by 10.7 per cent in the fourth quarter from a year ago, while services contracted 1.3 percent. Singapore's gross domestic product declined by 4.2 percent in October-December on a year-on-year basis.

The government's latest figures were little changed from estimates released on Jan 21, which showed the economy shrank an annualised 16.9 percent in the fourth quarter and grew 1.2 percent for the whole year.

The financial sector suffered a sharp contraction in the fourth quarter, declining 8.1 percent from a year ago.

"As the current downturn takes its toll, the near-term outlook for trade and investment appears bleak, not only for Singapore but also for most countries across the world," the ministry said.

"A larger concern is that this crisis may impact trade and investment flows well into the medium term as governments may face pressures to pursue protectionistic policies."

Singapore's economy could contract by more than 5 percent this year if the global economy worsens, local media quoted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as saying this week.

Following the latest estimate, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp lowered its 2009 Singaproe GDP forecast to -4.8 percent from -2.8 percent, citing the rapid deterioration in the services sector and an expected rise in unemployment.

"Given that the balance of risks for growth is still tilted to the downside, the market speculation and pressure for a monetary policy easing at the April policy review cannot be discounted, with a re-centering of the Singapore dollar band lower still very much on the cards," head of treasury research Selena Ling said.

The trade ministry also said the public sector will provide a boost to construction demand this year by awarding a record S$17 billion to S$19 billion worth of projects.

Singapore issued three sets of GDP estimates this year as it wanted to provide a set of numbers before the Jan. 22 announcement of its 2009/2010 budget, which had been brought forward by one month because the city-state had fallen into a recession. [ID:nSP404398]

The government typically issues two sets of GDP estimates -- an advance estimate about one week after the quarter, and more detailed data around five weeks after the advance estimate.


Cheers,
Mysterious!

Read on and sign up at Nuffnang to participate in this contest!
Click on the Nuffnang Ad on the right hand side of this page to be redirected to the Nuffnang.



Have you gotten bored reading the same old blogs every day? We thought you might want to turn your attention to 2 new blogs we discovered recently. Daily juicy updates are guaranteed and I’m sure you would be very interested in their intriguing lives! Read on!



Every story needs an ending. You get to decide this one.

Love, gossip, drama, suspense…
Who doesn’t like it?

www.notsosecretlives.com is the online diary of two young people filled with the heady rush, excitement and dangers that come with being young. Discover what decisions they and their close friends make when it comes to love, sex and relationships in their inextricably intertwined lives.

Follow the story of Jesse & Trey, share in their ups and downs, and get involved in their decisions. But their story remains unfinished.

Come up with the best ending for their story and win $500. (Jesse’s & Trey’s story will run from 1 Feb to 28 Feb 2009.)

Check out the vids!

For the videos refer to http://www.nuffnang.com.sg/blog/2009/02/23/win-500-when-you-come-up-with-the-best-story-ending/

• Contest starts from 28th February ’09 and ends on 7th March ’09.
• Entries will be judged on creativity, relevance to theme of HIV & its impact.
• Contest entries submitted will be vetted and links to your entries will be posted up on notsosecretlives.com until the winning entry has been selected.
• Winner’s blog entry will be featured on notsosecretlives.com on 8 Mar 09.

Cash Prizes:

1st Prize: $500, 2nd Prize: $300, 3rd Prize: $200

Contest Requirements:

The entries must adhere to the following guidelines:
• No stigmatization of people infected with HIV• No R-rated content
• No malicious entries (this includes no ethnic sensitive entries and derogatory ones e.g. those that lash out at organisations & individuals, especially those who are well known and homosexuals)
• Submission must be made from Trey’s or Jesse’s Point Of View i.e. as if they are blogging (the blogs, however, can include new characters.)

3 Steps to Winning $500!

1) Publish your most sensational ending to ‘Not So Secret Lives’ on your own blog with the title “My Not So Secret Lives ending”.
2) Sign off with “Get involved with Jesse and Trey today @ www.notsosecretlives.com”
3) Send in your permalink to secretlives@nuffnang.com with your full name and contact details.

Note: Entries submitted before 28th February ’09 will be considered void.


Cheers,
Mysterious!

Bumped onto a provocative and forlorn article!
Yeah,which one says it's the every men's desire.
After reading this,it looks like money is more priceless than pride and money do wonders!
Anyway
Here's the article!



-The schoolgirl earned almost £100,000 a year working as a prostitute (file picture)

A 15-year-old schoolgirl earned almost £100,000 a year working as a high-class prostitute, it was revealed yesterday.

By day the teenager attended classes but at night she was regularly paid hundreds of pounds for sex.

The girl, who cannot be identified because of her age, is believed to have been working for an escort agency based in Newcastle.

She lied about her age before going on to earn £1,700 a week, meeting dozens of men on school nights and at the weekend.

Her double life was exposed in November when a suspicious teacher searched her schoolbag and found condoms, a card with the name of her pimp and details of the agency she worked for.

The school alerted police and officers later searched the £200,000 family home in South Tyneside, finding £8,060 in cash hidden in the loft, a court heard.

Detectives believe she was paid £14,000 in just two months but have not been able to recover the remaining £6,000.

Her parents, aged 44 and 46, were originally arrested on suspicion of inciting child prostitution but have since been released without charge.

The £8,000 found by police was confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act during a brief hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on February 13.

Asa Anderson, from Northumbria Police, told the court: 'The money was seized after police received a phone call from a school where a teacher found a pupil's bag. The bag was found containing certain items.'

The girl, from Eastern Europe, is now being cared for by child protection agencies.

She is understood to have arrived in the UK with her mother in the past few years.

'Prostitute': The 15-year-old girl, who had lied about her age, is believed to have made more than £1,700 every weekend working for an escort agency

Police sources said she looked older than 15 and was able to dupe the escort agency into believing she was 18. The identity of the agency involved has not been revealed and police are still investigating.

Had she not been caught she would have gone on to earn £84,000 in a single year.

And police believe her earning potential would have risen over £100,000 through entertaining more clients as she grew older.

A report published by Save the Children in 2007 claimed there were approximately 5,000 child prostitutes in the UK - 75 per cent of them girls.

They and other charities have repeatedly urged the Government to do more to crackdown on the rising number of child sex slaves in the UK and Western Europe.

Last night Michelle Elliott, from children's charity Kidscape, said: 'This is absolutely shocking. I feel desperately sorry for the girl involved. She is, like the others, a victim.

'As a parent you would think that you would know if your daughter was working as a prostitute or not. Clearly, this young girl managed to hide this from her parents very well.'

She added: 'It does make you wonder what her motivation was for selling herself. Was it to get nice things? Was it to get enough money to leave home?

'Was it because she was abused herself as many prostitutes have been? She would clearly have continued working as an escort had she not been caught. At such a young age she thinks that selling herself is the way to get fame, fortune and love.

'There are probably many more cases out there like this one.'

Wendy Shepherd, children's service manager for Barnardo's Sexual Exploitation Children Outreach Services, said many young children are being abused.

'It is not unusual that young people are coerced and groomed into sexually exploitative relationships and they don't always understand fully what is happening,' she said.



Cheers,
Mysterious!

Hi Readers!
I'm here to share a interesting article,I bump on the Internet a few minutes back!
As stated on the title.
Kid,the Internet,and the End of Privacy?
Firstly,I shall ask you a question.
To what extent do you agree that your privacy are at stake when there is this thing called the Internet.

For me,I agree to a large extent that my privacy would be at stake!
Personally,I feel that ..
If I don't post my pictures up on the internet,my privacy would not be at stake.
But when someone,be it my friends,peers,etc..
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.
.
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Post my picture
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.
And what if the picture is a picture
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
When anyone look at it
.
.
.
.
.
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.

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Make you a
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Laughingstock!
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.
.
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.
.

Like this

I rather get a plastic bag and cover my head.


So how about you?


And here is the article about Kitty Ostapowicz.Her privacy is invaded by one more person and that's me!-.-''

Say Everything
As younger people reveal their private lives on the Internet, the older generation looks on with alarm and misapprehension not seen since the early days of rock and roll. The future belongs to the uninhibited.


Kitty Ostapowicz

Yeah, I am naked on the Internet,” says Kitty Ostapowicz, laughing. “But I’ve always said I wouldn’t ever put up anything I wouldn’t want my mother to see.”

She hands me a Bud Lite. Kitty, 26, is a bartender at Kabin in the East Village, and she is frankly adorable, with bright-red hair, a button nose, and pretty features. She knows it, too: Kitty tells me that she used to participate in “ratings communities,” like “nonuglies,” where people would post photos to be judged by strangers. She has a MySpace page and a Livejournal. And she tells me that the Internet brought her to New York, when a friend she met in a chat room introduced her to his Website, which linked to his friends, one of whom was a photographer. Kitty posed for that photographer in Buffalo, where she grew up, then followed him to New York. “Pretty much just wanted a change,” she says. “A drastic, drastic change.”
Her Livejournal has gotten less personal over time, she tells me. At first it was “just a lot of day-to-day bullshit, quizzes and stuff,” but now she tries to “keep it concise to important events.” When I ask her how she thinks she’ll feel at 35, when her postings are a Google search away, she’s okay with that. “I’ll be proud!” she says. “It’s a documentation of my youth, in a way. Even if it’s just me, going back and Googling myself in 25 or 30 years. It’s my self—what I used to be, what I used to do.”
We settle up and I go home to search for Kitty’s profile. I’m expecting tame stuff: updates to friends, plus those blurry nudes. But, as it turns out, the photos we talked about (artistic shots of Kitty in bed or, in one picture, in a snowdrift, wearing stilettos) are the least revelatory thing I find. In posts tracing back to college, her story scrolls down my screen in raw and affecting detail: the death of her parents, her breakups, her insecurities, her ambitions. There are photos, but they are candid and unstylized, like a close-up of a tattoo of a butterfly, adjacent (explains the caption) to a bruise she got by bumping into the cash register. A recent entry encourages posters to share stories of sexual assault anonymously.

Some posts read like diary entries: “My period is way late, and I haven’t been laid in months, so I don’t know what the fuck is up.” There are bar anecdotes: “I had a weird guy last night come into work and tell me all about how if I were in the South Bronx, I’d be raped if I were lucky. It was totally unprovoked, and he told me all about my stupid generation and how he fought in Vietnam, and how today’s Navy and Marines are a bunch of pussies.” But the roughest material comes in her early posts, where she struggles with losing her parents. “I lost her four years ago today. A few hours ago to be precise,” she writes. “What may well be the worst day of my life.”

Talking to her the night before, I had liked Kitty: She was warm and funny and humble, despite the “nonuglies” business. But reading her Livejournal, I feel thrown off. Some of it makes me wince. Much of it is witty and insightful. Mainly, I feel bizarrely protective of her, someone I’ve met once—she seems so exposed. And that feeling makes me feel very, very old.

Because the truth is, at 26, Kitty is herself an old lady, in Internet terms. She left her teens several years before the revolution began in earnest: the forest of arms waving cell-phone cameras at concerts, the MySpace pages blinking pink neon revelations, Xanga and Sconex and YouTube and Lastnightsparty.com and Flickr and Facebook and del.icio.us and Wikipedia and especially, the ordinary, endless stream of daily documentation that is built into the life of anyone growing up today. You can see the evidence everywhere, from the rural 15-year-old who records videos for thousands of subscribers to the NYU students texting come-ons from beneath the bar. Even 9-year-olds have their own site, Club Penguin, to play games and plan parties. The change has rippled through pretty much every act of growing up. Go through your first big breakup and you may need to change your status on Facebook from “In a relationship” to “Single.” Everyone will see it on your “feed,” including your ex, and that’s part of the point.


:)
Check back for more updates!


Cheers,
Mysterious!