I am ashamed to say that there are countries that I have never heard before.  Have you heard of places like Lesotho, Kiribati, Azerbaijan, Burundi, Moldova, Chad or Micronesia?

I am also in awe of the number of countries that are particpating in this year’s 2010 Youth Olympic Games, 204 National Olympic Committees in all!  I noticed there are also fewer than five competitors for some countries like Bermuda, Cambodia, and only one for Bhutan??  But I guess it’s the spirit that counts.

I think I would be really embarrassed if you put all those flags in front of me as I probably won’t recognize at least half of them.  Haha.  Well, how about you, how many can you identify?

I guess I better buck up in the general knowledge area.  Otherwise, how am I to answer my kid’s questions next time?  Are you up to the task too?  Haha.

For those who are interested, you can check out the list of YOG Participating NOCS here.

It happens once in a while to my main laptop and really irritates me to no end whenever I have to boot up my laptop or shut down quickly.  As I am typing this now on my mini notebook, the blue update screen of my main laptop has been stagnant for the last half an hour, with a message telling me not to turn the power off.  Well, this is it.  I cannot take it anymore and this time I am seriously going to get it done today.

For those who are facing the same frustrations like me, just follow the steps below to switch off your Windows Vista automatic updates:

1)  Go to Start –> All Programs –> Windows Update

2)  Click Change Settings.  You will see four options and I decided I will choose “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them”.  Ok, I have no guts to choose “Never check for updates” because I am also concerned about security issues that I am not aware of.  Haha.  But it’s up to you.

3)  Click OK. Done!

Now, that’s really easy.  I couldn’t believe I didn’t try to do it much earlier.  Arggh!  Now I can stop pulling my hair out over pop up messages warning me that my laptop is going to restart in 10 minutes.  Finally!

I learnt from my friend that it is very common there to order baby announcements cards to give to other family members and friends. That’s how they usually notify everyone that there is a new addition to the family.

But baby announcements cards doesn’t seem to be the norm locally. What we do here is so straightforward and that is to call or text everyone by phone when the baby arrives. Then relatives and friends will either go visit the new mom at the hospital or home and the real celebrations start only when the baby is one month old, aka the “full month” celebration. When I told my friend that, she seemed really amused.

That’s the difference in cultures, I suppose. I actually like the idea of baby announcements. I can feel the pride and joy of the new parents from just a simple card. It’s so heartwarming to receive a personalized card for a change, compared to a “cold” email or text message, don’t you think so?

Is it a scary thought to you?

I believe many of us make new year resolutions on Jan 1st every year, but how many can we actually tick off the checklist by year end?

Every year, I hear many people wanting to lose weight, to spend more time with the family, to re-evaluate their careers or even to find a partner.  But the hustle bustle of life often takes over, leaving us with no time and an excuse again to leave it to the following year.

So have you even started on any of your resolutions yet?  If not, probably it’s time to make the first step.  Otherwise, December will be here before you know it.  Don’t procrastinate any more, take action today.

FOR senior accounts officer Sharifah Juma’at, a common grouse she has when out shopping or dining is with foreign staff who could not speak or understand much English.

A tweak in the labour policy in the third quarter of next year hopes to change that.

Work-permit holders in the hotel, retail and food-and-beverage sectors must pass an English- language proficiency test to receive the skilled levy status.

This was announced yesterday by the Minister of State for Manpower as well as Trade and Industry, Mr Lee Yi Shyan.

He said that employers who recruit foreigners proficient in English will need to fork out only $150 a month for the skilled worker - as opposed to $240, the levy for unskilled employees.

This gives companies in these sectors an incentive to improve their foreign staff’s language skills to enjoy lower levies and achieve cost savings, he added.

The announcement comes in the wake of a flurry of complaints by customers to the media about foreigners in the service sector who could not communicate with them properly in English.

I am not sure how many of you have experienced this for yourself, but having to deal with service staff who does not even understand basic English is absolutely frustrating for consumers like us.

These are two scenarios of what Hubby and I went through.

1) At a fast food counter: I asked for a burger set from a coupon leaflet I showed to the counter lady. She acknowledged my order and proceeded to pack the items. I was not sure if I have to tear out the coupon so I asked “Do you need this coupon?” She stared at me, paused for two seconds and said “You want this right?”, pointing to my burger set. It is very obvious that she did not understand what I meant even when I repeated my question again slowly. Finally, I had to make a tearing gesture with the coupon leaflet before she goes “yes yes yes”. Arrghh.

2) At a Japanese restaurant: I was looking at the menu for a ramen dish that Hubby had eaten the last time we visited the restaurant in November. So I waved a lady and asked “Is this the same ramen as the one promoted in November?” She stared at me, paused and don’t know what to say. After a few awkward seconds, I broke the silence and said “Do you speak Mandarin?”. She finally heaved a sign of relief and said yes. I had to repeat my question again in Mandarin before she could answer me. Argghh x 2.

I hope these service staff should have at least basic English proficiency before they can serve at the front line of our retail and food & beverage sectors. I am not trying to be difficult in speaking to them in English. Hubby and I speak English at home and it just comes naturally. Fortunately, I can still switch to Mandarin when I need to. But I am not too sure about how other races would react when they can’t even order a simple meal. English is a common language in Singapore. Don’t these foreign workers have to pick up enough knowledge of English before they can communicate to our friends from other lands too?

I also realize that these workers can rattle off the menu items (maybe they memorized them??) fluently, but when posed a somewhat different question, they are caught off guard. They say “Upsize?” and “Thank You” loudly and confidently. Haha. They can repeat your orders by reading them off the menus, but they can’t provide much value added services for the customers if that is all they can do.

I hope the change in labour policy do work in improving this situation in the near future. It would be great for us who are at the receiving end of such service. We have gotten so used to being understood in our society that when these foreign workers appear in our lives, we don’t expect them to make much changes to it. Call me pampered. Call me intolerant. But I am a consumer and I would like to be at least understood properly when buying my next dress and ordering my next sushi.

Disclaimer: I am taking the chance to air my grouses. If you have your own personal experience, feel free to share too.

It’s also the time of the year where many of us go for vacations. So are you heading anywhere this time?

Usually I will categorize my vacations according to themes, do you do that as well?

If I feel like spending a wintry vacation, I will consider going to places with ski resorts like Korea or Canada.

If I feel like taking a theme park trip, florida vacations are a good choice.  You will be guaranteed lots of fun.

If I just want to chill out somewhere in the sun, I will head for destinations like Bali, Phuket or Australia now where it is summer now.

And well, it also depends on the budget and my travelling companions too. If you are thinking of going somewhere this month and have not planned anything yet, it may be a little too late now.

But it is not impossible. Just look hard enough and you may find a last minute deal at a great price. Have fun!

However buying the right type of rugs needs some careful planning.  The correct rugs should complement other furnishings of your home, so depending on the decor, choose area rugs that matches well with the surroundings.  If your home has earthy colors, rugs that have tones of brown, green or orange would give the room a finished touch to the theme.  If you have minimalistic colors like white or black, a rug with bright colors will liven up the room and make it less dull.

Area rugs placed at the appropriate places also makes one feel pampered.  Imagine how relaxed your feet will feel when you step on a rug in front of a sofa, instead of hard tiled flooring.  Rugs just beside the bed is also a great idea as you wake up everyday stepping on something soft and not so cold.

Do you have any rugs in your home?  Time to pamper yourself today!

She was put to sleep during an operation to remove cysts, after veterinary surgeons found her condition was too advanced to be treatable.

Sam had become a symbol of hope for Australians after the deadliest bushfires in the the country’s history.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the 4-year-old koala’s death was “tragic”.

Sam was found by fire fighters carrying out preventative back burning operations in Victoria state. She was picking her way through the scorched bush on badly burned paws.

Images of her drinking water from a bottle held by fire fighter David Tree were seen around the world.

She was taken to the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, Victoria, but a few months later was diagnosed with cysts connected to chlamydia, a potentially fatal disease which affects about half of Australia’s koala population.

Before her operation to correct the condition, the centre said surgery was “100% necessary” as without it she would die.

But during the surgery, vets found the condition was more advanced than they had thought and had caused severe changes to Sam’s urinary and reproductive tract.

“Unfortunately we have had to take the decision to put Sam to sleep,” said veterinary surgeon John Butler of the Morwell Vet Clinic.

“She was going to be left in pain in the state she was in and have chronic cystitis symptoms, pain on urination. We had no hope of helping her any further.”

Peita Elkhorne, a lawyer representing the wildlife centre, said all those involved with Sam were “devastated with this loss”.

The February wildfires were the worst in Australia’s history, killing more than 200 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Mr Rudd said the images of Sam being rescued “gave people of the world a great sense that this country Australia could come through those fires - as we have”.

“Sam the koala was part of the symbolism of that and it’s tragic that Sam the koala is no longer with us,” he said.

Source:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8186991.stm

If you use Google as your default search engine, you would have seen this now.

I like the fireworks and who can miss the iconic Merlion?

In case you are a friend from overseas who don’t know what this is all about, it is Singapore’s National Day on 9 August every year and this year marks our 44th year of independence.

During the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, the search engine page was also customized.  Do you remember seeing it?

I wonder if Google does that for the major holidays of every country.  Have you seen it elsewhere?  Share with me if so!

I think this is such an ingenious idea in a country like ours where space is always an issue to have a bathtub.

Before getting married, I sometimes enjoy a mini jacuzzi bath at my previous home where we barely managed to fit in a four feet tub.  But now in my new place, it’s impossible to fit in any, so we had to make do with just a rain shower.

But look at how space saving this device is.

The compact, elite model would fit just right in a shower stall, yet allow the user to sit down and enjoy a hydrotherapy spa experience.  There is a door for each tub which makes it really easy to get in and out and this is especially useful for older or handicapped users who find it very difficult to step in and out of a normal bathtub.

For those who can afford the space, there are larger walk in tubs as well.  There is even an XL comfort model which can hold a person weighing up to 500 pounds!  Haha.

I really like the idea of a walk-in tub.  It is much safer to use and is suitable for anyone in the family, from young to old.  Now, if only it is available here!