Girl blogs about her work stress and dies days later because of overwork

This is such a sad story. Girl blogged about her stress in the office and her worries about her health due to overworking. She dies days later. From PinkMayFlower:

I just feel like I'm carrying a heavy baggage of few hundred kilos & I'll start to feel really weak & dizzy. Doc just said I'm really stressed out. sigh..... what should I do? Quit? or continue this ultra-super stressful job? I've got a contract of 6 mths to fulfill... 3 months to commit. If I quit now, I've got to pay back 1 mth's salary. Not worth it. If i quit after May, it won't be so bad. But I don't know if my health can tolerate til then. My mom's really worried & I can't do much to get less worried. Cos my focus was to earn lots of $. I really thought I was able to do everything, that I can be supergirl as well, but my health is worsening at a fast rate. Vitamin M(oney) isn't gonna cure my health. Just yesterday, I received an email from my job agency saying that a contract staff who's working in HP as well, passed away from heart attack, leaving his wife & kids... deja vu? coincidental? a warning sign? I dunno. I don't wanna end up dead for the sake of dough. The moral of the story is don't ever fall in love with your company or your job.

Her friend wrote on his blog that she died because of a blood clot in her leg as a result of sitting too long. From Kaiyan:

Her cause of death was mainly due to overwork. Doctor said that she sat down for too long a time and a blood clot formed at her legs. When she tried to stand up, the blood actually shot to her heart, causing her to collapse. Her Mom called the ambulance immediately but even on the way there, she was informed that MJ's condition was critical, asking her to be prepared. That was when she called Pamela (MJ's best friend since don't know when), then Pamela called me to inform me and her Mom called me just a minute after that. After that, all was written in the past blog which I decide to skip here. According to her Mom, she was working non-stop for the past 8 hours with the lap top on her lap, replying emails and work related stuff, so this proves what the doctors had examined as well.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein of the body, usually in the thigh or leg. What killed the poor girl above is a condition called pulmonary embolism. From PDR Heatlh:

If a blood clot forms in a deep vein, it can block the flow of blood, which prevents the tissues from draining properly. This causing excess fluid accumulation, swelling, warmth, and discomfort in the leg. A blood clot in a deep vein may also break off and travel back to the heart and into the lungs, causing a condition called pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism can be minor and go unnoticed, or it can be significant and cause difficulty breathing, sharp chest pain, and even death. Less commonly, the clots can also travel through the heart back to the rest of the body, including the brain. This is called a paradoxic embolism. A blood clot that travels this way to the brain can be a cause of stroke.

Researchers in New Zealand recently said that office workers are prone to such blood clots because they tend to sit rigidly for too long. From CBCNEWS:

"The study suggested that people develop clots in their legs from sitting three to four hours at a time," Toronto cardiologist Dr. Beth Abramson, a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, told CBC Newsworld.

"It wasn't common, but it was more common than we thought."

Certain segments of the population are at higher risk for clots because their clotting systems are more active, Abramson said. These include women on estrogen from the birth control pill, pregnant women and people being treated for cancer.

While researching for this story, I came across this news article dated way back in 2003 about a similar case. From San Jose Business Journal:

The report centers on a case from New Zealand in which a young man who spent up to 18 hours a day sitting at his computer nearly died after developing a massive blood clot that formed in his leg veins, broke off and traveled to his lungs, a condition called pulmonary embolism.

This new disorder has been termed "e-thrombosis" by the authors to describe what may become the 21st century variant of thrombosis associated with immobility from prolonged sitting. This condition was first described in people sitting in deck chairs in air raid shelters during the Blitz in London and subsequently identified with prolonged air travel.

Dr. Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand and his colleagues warn that there may be a large unrecognised risk of developing blood clots in this situation when the widespread use of computers in so many aspects of modern life is considered.

There are ways you can prevent a potential lethal blood clot in your leg. From ClotCare:

* exercising the legs regularly -- take a brisk walk every day
* maintaining a reasonable body weight
* avoiding sitting or lying in bed for long periods of time
* avoiding tight-fitting, restrictive clothing
* sitting with both legs on the floor (uncrossed)

And remember there's more to life than just work, work and work. It's not worth losing your life over a job. Take a break, walk around in the office and then go back to your work, no matter how busy or tight your deadline is.

Also read:
High-5 Bread in Singapore is safe to eat
Beware of the pedicure

Female bloggers becoming targets of sexual threats

This is a worrying trend. More and more female bloggers are receiving sexual threats and harassment once they become popular or gain more visibility online. From Washington Post:

A female freelance writer who blogged about the pornography industry was threatened with rape. A single mother who blogged about "the daily ins and outs of being a mom" was threatened by a cyber-stalker who claimed that she beat her son and that he had her under surveillance. Kathy Sierra, who won a large following by blogging about designing software that makes people happy, became a target of anonymous online attacks that included photos of her with a noose around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth.

Cartoon All-Stars say No To Drugs!

YouTube Link

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is an animated drug prevention public service television special produced in 1990 starring ALF, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Huey, Dewey and Louie from Ducktales, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, Baby Gonzo, Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Hefty Smurf, Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garfield, Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Remember kids, stay away from drugs!

Related: Watch intro clips of 1980s cartoons

How to make a mouse mouse

This has got to be the grossest howto project found on Instructables - how to make a mouse mouse! You need a computer mouse and a dead mouse. Eeeeeeks!

Beautiful Russian Cake Art

I think for my birthday, I wanna get this cake shop in Russia to make my birthday cake. It specialises in creating incredible sculptural cakes such as this one, a scorpion! These Russian cakes are so amazingly beautiful that I don't think anyone would want to eat them.

(via Boing Boing)

Animals and their babies

The First Post, an online daily magazine has a beautiful pictorial special on parenting in the animal kingdom. The nine pictures are guaranteed to make you go "awwww".

(Thanks Sir Thomas)

Director Jack Neo has a blog!

Singapore film director Jack Neo has just started blogging on Blogspot. Pity about the English though. Well, he is looking for a good translator. From Director Jack Neo:

OK...so many ppl support me to come here..don come means don give face...

this time i follow LAW ,follow all my fans law...i come here to set up my blog...because of my lovely fans ,you all said easier to make comments...no need to sign in blabla...ok la..

NOW I AM HERE BLOGSPOT....xinming daily supported me by reported i am a blogger..hehehe...

et me say again,for me to become a blogger,only one reason...want you to know me or my job more.want to be closer to you all...

i know a lot of ppl dreamed to be the star...but cant find the entrance...some ppl knock the wrong door ,go one big round still at the same spot.this is why i set up blog here,i want you to know me stay close to me.

(Thanks Fion)

Plane spotting in Singapore in 1960s

Expat dude shares one of his favourite past time activities as a kid in Singapore in 1960s - plane spotting! From Good Morning Yesterday:

So where did we go to photograph planes? Well Changi obviously. In those days the Upper Changi Road went right across the main dispersal area so our school bus or gari ride was always a way of checking out any interesting planes. And the other location was Singapore’s international airport at Paya Lebar – we took a bus along the Tampines Road, then a trek through some Kampongs (I still remember the pigs and chickens) to the end of the runway or a further walk to the terminal building itself. Those were the days of Boeing 707s, and Douglas DC8s. Singapore was already an international hub with planes from the USA, South American, Australia etc.

Experience weightlessness with Zero G

At US $3,500 per seat, you too can experience weightlessness without having to travel to space like what my favourite cosmology professor Stephen Hawking experienced early this morning. The company Zero G, conducts its weightless flights aboard its specially modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft. By flying parabolic maneuvers between approximately 24,000 and 32,000 feet altitude, customers will be able to feel like they are floating in space. I'm so happy that Stephen Hawking gets to achieve his dream of experiencing weightlessness. He has been wheelchair-bound for most part of his life so this weightless experience must have been a truly joyous one for him. Reserve your flight here.

StarCraft Origami

I reckon the guy who made these insane StarCraft origami must have been a huge StarCraft fan and he had too much time on his hands. Ok seriously, these are some amazing origami work!

Costume Dogs

Dogs are cute. Dogs in costumes are cuter, especially this little Sith Dog Lord here. All he needs is a lightsaber and he will be ready for action.

(Thanks Johnny Q)

Do It Now!

Thanks to the people at Dohhh UP!, now I can watch each individual member of Morning Musume (ahem, my latest obsession) perform the song "Do It Now!" at their recent concert. Here are the links to the individual cams of Miki Fujimoto, Risa Niigaki, Ai Takahashi, Koharu Kusumi, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige and Reina Tanaka.

Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon

Dude in Belgium gets permission from Lucasfilm to make a really amazing Darth Vader hot air balloon that stands 26 meters tall. The balloon based on a design of the Darth Vader helmet, took more than 8 weeks to build and the whole project was kept top secret at the request of Lucasfilm. It made its maiden flight just this month. I truly hope it tours the world because everyone should see it!

Matchbox Labels

This Flickr set by lucigermerken contains more than 100 beautiful matchbox labels. I think most of them are real vintage stuff and I love their artwork.

(Thanks Sir Thomas)

AXN Spider-Man 3 Private Screening

Last night, I attended a special private screening of Spider-Man 3 organised by AXN at Golden Village, Vivo City. Spider-Man 3 will only be shown in cinemas here in 4 days time so to be one of the lucky ones to watch it before the rest of Singapore does is a real privilege.



The first thing I noticed as I walked towards the cinema were these kids dressed up in cute Spider-Man costumes. Later, I was told that there was another Spider-Man 3 screening held at the same night- the Gala screening by Mediacorp and Starhub (I think). Besides the little Spideykids, they also had a red carpet entrance for the Gala's star guests. The private screening by AXN that I attended wasn't a Gala in any sense but at least I think it had something that the Gala didn't provide - free cocktail for everyone!

The cocktail was held at Brotzeit German Bier Bar at Level 1. They even had Spiderman to welcome guests at the door.





There were free flow of drinks and an endless serving of food for all the guests.



Here's the MD of AXN Asia thanking all of us who came and telling us what a kick-ass movie Spider-Man 3 is.



And no private screening will be complete without a photo of me getting drunk. I really wanted to come to the screening wearing my Spiderman costume but Peter Parker wanted to borrow it. Too bad.

So after the nice cocktail, we head off to Golden Village to watch the movie but before that, everyone had to surrender their mobile phones before entering the cinema hall. They didn't want anyone to do an unauthorized recording of the movie. Security was tight. They even did a body search on all of us and had us go through metal detectors. It's like getting into an airplane!

Now to the movie. Spider-Man 3 is really a kick-ass film. It has all the ingredients of the first two installments and more. One of the reasons why I wanted to watch it so badly is because of the Black Spider-Man. In the movie, a small meteoroid crashed near Peter Parker aka Spider-Man while he was making out with Mary Jane on a huge spider web. The meteoroid contained a black liquid-like alien entity that followed Peter Parker home. One night, while Peter was asleep on his bed, this alien entity wrapped itself around him. The next thing he knew, he was hanging beside a building in a black Spider-Man costume with more powers that he could ever imagined.

I just have to say this. I think all superheroes should wear black. Black is so cool. Get rid of all that brightly coloured spandex! Wear black instead. I guess that's why I love Batman so much because he wears black.

I won't give away the movie here but do watch out for the evil Venom who will only appear near the end of the film. There's also the Sandman who is actually the guy who killed Peter's uncle in the first film. The Goblin (Goblin Jnr) also makes a return. As for the ending, I think it was a little weak. I would prefer everyone to die, leaving Spider-Man the last man standing. I guess I'm a sadist. I hate happy endings.

Overall I gave Spider-Man 3, 4 1/2 spider webs out of a possible 5. I wanted to give it a 4 but the part when Peter Parker used a spider web to make out with his girl under the stars made me add another 1/2. Now, if only... hmmm. Nevermind.

Little Plastic Men

Little Plastic Men is a cute name for a really wonderful website that is dedicated to the popular table top game, Subbuteo. I played Subbuteo as a kid and I fondly remember the times when I had to superglue my players who unfortunately had their bodies snapped off from their bottom because me and my mates accidentally stepped on them. Those were the days before computer games took over our lives.

4D goes Web 2.0

Wah, now even 4D is going Web 2.0. Thanks to this Google Maps mash-up by 4DWinner, now I know where to buy my 4D from. I'm eyeing this store at Collyer Quay. It has produced 10 winners.

Math question from Chinese university entrance tests

The Royal Society of Chemistry in UK is offering a £500 prize to one person who can answer this Math question which is used by Chinese universities in their entrance tests. Compare that with the test set by English universities for first year students and you'll know how far more advanced maths teaching is in China.

(Thanks GeekGod)

New Earth Found

Finally, after all that searching, astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet yet. They say the planet could support water and most importantly, life! From CNN:

"This one is the first one that is at the same time probably rocky, with water, and in a zone close to the star where the water could exist in liquid form," said Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, who led the study.

"We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius, and water would thus be liquid."

Most of the 200 or so planets that have been spotted outside this solar system have been gas giants like Jupiter. But this one is small.

"Its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth's radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky, like our Earth, or covered with oceans," Udry said in a telephone interview.

But those of you thinking of migrating to this new planet may be disappointed to know that it is located 20.5 light-years away. 1 light year is equivalent to 9,460,730,472,580.8 km. Do the math. Yup, it's so far, far away.

The Condiment Packet Gallery

Dude has been collecting small packets of sauce, jam and other condiments from restaurants, eateries, etc since November 2003. He has amassed quite an impressive collection as you can see from his website - The Condiment Packet Gallery. To keep his condiment packets in good condition, he sliced open the packets to remove the sauce. After drying them, he placed them in baseball card cases. Here's a tip to view his collection in all its glory: Click the "See Them All" link, sit back and wait for all the images to load.

Meatless recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert

Try out these excellent meatless recipes. Now you can enjoy your breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert without killing an animal. From 10,000 Birds:

Once you accept that cooking is an expression of emotional generosity, you might see why it can be nice to spread the love towards your ingredients every once in a while. By this, I mean preparing meals without meat. Most people are surprised at how delicious meals prepared with only fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products can be, somehow forgetting that pizza, french fries, and doughnuts are staples of the Western diet! Following are some spectacular ideas for meals at every course that require no more sacrifice from animals than, at most, a little milk or eggs.

(Thanks kimmie)

Blood Puddle Pillows

I think these Blood Puddle Pillows are really cute. They make people (or animals) sleeping on them look like they have blood coming out of their head.

(Thanks jd37)

6 Patently Bad Ideas

Here are 6 patents filed with the US Patent and Trademark office that are some of the dumbest inventions out there. Take for example the Helmet-Mounted Pistol. It's a gun strapped to the top of a hat. You have to blow into the connected tube to shoot the gun. Can you imagine using it during war? There'll be a lot of blowing. Pics here.

How to remove a cork from inside a bottle

YouTube Link

I immediately went "woah!" after watching this clip showing how to remove a cork from inside a bottle. It's as good as magic! Go try it out fellas.

(Thanks xXx)

The US 1 Dollar "IZ Reloaded" Bill

Don't you think the US$1 bill look so much better with my face on it instead of George Washington? Ha! You can create your own personalized money too. Just head to this online money generator and upload your pic. They are also looking for more foreign bills so go ahead and scan your local dollar note and send it to them.

Have a little fun with your coffee

Here are some impressive pics of coffee art. It's amazing what you can do with just a cup of coffee aye. Mummy says don't play with your food but she doesn't specify coffee.

(Thanks Shy)

Billions of honeybees mysteriously dissapear

Scientists are puzzled at the huge numbers of honeybees that have vanished without a trace in the US, Europe and Brazil. Even the US government is worried because one-third of the US diet depends on pollination and that's mostly done by honeybees. From CNN:

The phenomenon was first noticed late last year in the United States, where honeybees are used to pollinate $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and other crops annually. Disappearing bees have also been reported in Europe and Brazil.

Commercial beekeepers would set their bees near a crop field as usual and come back in two or three weeks to find the hives bereft of foraging worker bees, with only the queen and the immature insects remaining. Whatever worker bees survived were often too weak to perform their tasks.

If the bees were dying of pesticide poisoning or freezing, their bodies would be expected to lie around the hive. And if they were absconding because of some threat -- which they have been known to do -- they wouldn't leave without the queen.

Is the bees mystifying disappearance a warning sign of global warming or some sort of an impending natural disaster or is this just simply a case of workers going on strike and refusing to work?

This bee mystery reminds of the X-Files. In the TV series and the movie, bees play an important role in the X-Files mythology. They are used by the secret government to act as a carrier for an alien virus derived from genetically altered corn crops. Hmmm, maybe that's where all the bees have gone to. Anyone know of any secret government test facilities where they grow genetically altered corn crops?

IZ Reloaded signs with Newstex Blogs on Demand

As part of my plan for global domination (cue cute evil laughter), I've signed a license agreement with the folks at Newstex. My full-text blog feed will be available to Newstex customers, thus instantly adding millions of potential readers to this blog. And as I understand from Newstex, I'm the first blogger in Singapore to be signed up by them. What an honour! I've just checked the Newstex site and saw that my blog is already listed on their roster. Nice!

Newstex offers Content On Demand and Blogs On Demand, including tailored, real-time news and commentary from thousands of branded newswires, newspapers, magazines, financial and business sources, official government feeds and blogs. Newstex collects full-text digital news and commentary feeds, standardizes the content format, adds stock ticker symbols, indexes stories using PeopleTickering and topical categories, and instantly delivers the result via easy-to-integrate XML or RSS newsfeeds. Newstex was selected for the 2006 EContent 100 list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry and Newstex was voted top new IT enterprise in Information Today’s 2006 People’s Choice Awards.

Pregnant crickets anyone?

Hey it's lunch time, so how about the following delicacies to help boost your appetite aye. First up is...


Pregnant Crickets with Soy Sauce flavour. Yummy! People in North East Thailand love to eat pregnant crickets. These crickets are slow roasted until they turn very crispy. They have a slight nutty flavour similar to that of the horse chestnut.

Pregnant crickets not for you? How about Smokey BBQ Canned Scorpions?


Again, a delicacy for the people in North East Thailand. Boy, they sure know how to enjoy food aye. These scorpions have been roasted and added soy sauce and BBQ flavouring.

You can find more edible insect food here. Enjoy your lunch fellas.

Boy taunts crocs then gets eaten by them

Apparently, this boy did not read my advice. From Times Online:

The nine-year-old, whose family name was given as Liu, and three friends sneaked into the crocodile park at the Silver Beach holiday resort at Beihai in the southwestern Guangxi region on Friday.

The children shot at the animals with catapults and beat them with sticks.

The official Xinhua news agency said: “One of the irritated crocodiles bit Liu’s clothes and dragged him into the water where he was eaten by a swarm of crocodiles.” His companions then raised the alarm.

Remember kids, be nice to animals. Don't shoot them with catapults or beat them with sticks ok, especially if they are crocodiles and listen to my safety tips!

The Making Of Star Wars

The Making Of Star Wars looks like a great book for all Star Wars fans. Using never-before-published “lost” interviews, photos, production notes, factoids, and anecdotes from the Lucasfilm Archives, the book brings readers back back in time for a one-of-a-kind behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Star Wars films. Wired has some images from the book which will be released on April 24. (Image Wired/Ballantine Books)

Cheeky MRT Notice

This notice found on a MRT train station tells all train officers to lookout, confirm and admire. According to a station manager who spoke to STOMP, "Yes, drivers have been told to admire the people who are getting off or getting into the train. It is not a mistake. It is meant to add humour to our checklist on train safety."

(Thanks ENG)

No, I don't have a tattoo.

Contrary to what some of my friends think, I do not have a tattoo anywhere on my body. I don't know why but they think I must have a tattoo hidden somewhere. And no, you people are not allowed to check all over me. The thing is I'm not scared of tattoos. In fact, I've always wanted one since I was 18. It's just that I have yet to come across a design that suits me. Hey, we are talking about something permanent on my skin here aye. It's not like one can erase a tattoo off easily if he doesn't like it later down the road.

I've been watching Miami Ink quite a bit on TV (Discovery Travel and Living, I think). It's a behind-the-scenes look at life in a Miami tattoo parlour. The show is highly addictive and boy, are those tattoo artists talented. Miami Ink really makes me want to get a tattoo or become a tattoo artist.

For those of you who love tattoos but are too afraid of having them on your body, you might want to consider the clothings from Space Monkeys. Check out their Tattoo'd Clothings, full body shirts that will make you look like you have tattoos all over your body and then there's their detachable tattoo sleeves that you pull up your arms to give the illusion of a full sleeve tattoos. Nice!

Polar Clock

Tell the time using the Polar Clock. Its radical design is a joy to look at. You can download it too.

(Thanks GeekGod)

He-Man, She-Ra and Skeletor want you to know

He-Man, She-Ra and Skeletor (yup, the three of us in the pic here) want all of you to know that IZ Reloaded has updated his popular Watch Intro Clips of 1980s Cartoons post. There are 81 clips of old school cartoon intros to enjoy. There's He-Man (of course), MASK, Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs, Centurions, Care Bears and a whole lot more. So everyone, take out your sword and say, "By the power of Grayskull..." and go watch the darn thing k.

Messi's incredible Maradona wonder goal

YouTube Link

Did you catch Barcelona's Argentinian wonderkid Leo Messi's spectacular goal against Getafe? The goal was remarkably identical to the one scored by Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup - some say the best goal in World Cup history. I've been a big fan of Messi - he and Ronaldinho are the only reasons why I watch Barcelona and the Spanish La Liga - and I'm having goose bumbs watching the above clip that shows a side by side comparison between Maradona's goal (left) and Messi's strike. The new Maradona has arrived! Oh, and don't forget to turn up the volume when you watch the clip. There are more clips on YouTube here. The Telegraph has a nice write-up asking if Messi's goal is better than Maradona's. It also has this nice graphic:

Monkey Steals The Peach

"Followers of the Iron Hand styles immediately clench their fists tightly, with a crunching grip, and jerk the hand sharply back to the near hip, effectively ripping away the genitals." Ouch! Hmmm, I wonder why they didn't teach me this move back in my Ninjitsu class years ago. Click here for a bigger picture if you want to read the words on these two pages lifted from the book Ninja Mind Control.

Indonesian among the dead at Virginia Tech

A student from Indonesia was among those who died at the Virginia Tech shooting carnage. From The Chronicle:

Partahi M.H. Lumbantoruan worked hard all his life — first to get to Virginia Tech from his home in Indonesia, and then in hopes of returning to teach there.

The son of a mid-level officer in the Indonesian army, Mr. Lumbantoruan, 34, was a dedicated student and a caring friend. Known as “Mora” around the civil-engineering department, he was a quiet man who spent more time in the library than in the bars. A fellow student in the department, Soonkie Nam, describes him as shy...

On the day he was killed, Mr. Lumbantoruan was in an advanced hydraulics class. When he was shot, his adviser says, he had laid himself over another student, protecting that person from gunfire.

CNN also has his profile here.

Previously:
Virginia Tech killer sent multimedia manifesto to NBC News
Virginia Tech In Memoriam
He is Cho Seng Hui

Evolution according to The Simpsons

YouTube Link

Trust The Simpsons to provide us with a quick introduction to evolution. D'Oh!

Real fake watches

realfakewatches (Flickr page here) are wristwatches that only work for one minute every day, laser cut from three pieces of genuine leather, manually assembled and fastened with velcro.

(via Make Blog)

More doctors smoke Camels!

You've got to love the good old days aye. According to this 1951 Camel Cigarettes advertisement, Camel is America's most popular cigarette by billions and more importantly, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarettes!

(Thanks Mr Big)

Bring Your Own Bag Day

Yesterday, the first Bring Your Own Bag Day (BYOBD) in Singapore kicked off to an encouraging start. BYOBD is an initiative by the National Environment Agency to encourage more Singaporeans to bring their own bags when they shop. From NEA:

At Carrefour, Suntec, one of the participating retailers, some shoppers came with their own bags. Many who did not have one bought them on the spot from cashiers who eagerly prompted them to do so. At the Parkway Parade Giant outlet, the response to the campaign, which is part of the 'Why waste plastic bags? Use plastic bags' campaign launched in Feb last year, was so overwhelming that the reusable bags were sold out by mid day and new stock had to be brought in. Likewise, shoppers were seen bringing their own bags at the Marine Parade NTUC FairPrice.

Said NEA Chief Executive Officer Mr Lee Yuen Hee who checked out the malls at lunchtime, 'We are very encouraged by the positive response to the campaign. More people are taking interest in environmental issues.”

'This is a small but important step. We hope that bringing your own shopping bag will become a trend one day. And our message to those who need the checkout bags for their purchases is, take only what you need and reuse them whenever possible.'

Don't forget from now on, every first Wednesday of the month will be a designated BYOBD.

(Thanks pinkdior)

Italian movie posters and ads

Fans of Italian movies will love this impressive collection of Italian movie posters and ads. I think I've watched only a few Italian movies in my life- not really a big fan of them, but I sure love the artwork on these posters.

(Thanks ravioli)

Virginia Tech killer sent multimedia manifesto to NBC News

The student that killed 32 people at Virginia Tech sent a multimedia manifesto to NBC News between the shootings. The package was received by NBC News only on Tuesday morning (US time). It includes a DVD with 27 QuickTime video files, photos and an 1,800-word manifesto-like statement. View the photos here and watch a video report by NBC News on the multimedia manifesto here.

Photo credit: NBC News

Previously:
Virginia Tech In Memoriam
He is Cho Seng Hui

Cheddarvision.tv

YouTube Link

Here's the star of the latest internet sensation - a cheese! The above is a time lapse video of the first three months. Excited? Now grab a nice cup of coffee and watch it live. Yawn.

(Thanks GeekGod)

Virginia Tech In Memoriam

In Memoriam...

Update:
Korea reacts with shock and shame to the shootings
The world reacts but not suprised, pointing to liberal American gun control laws
Evidence shows that Korean shooter could be schizophrenic
Asians fear backlash after shootings

(Thanks Mr Big, Shy, KYM, GeekGod, Fannie)

Previously: He is Cho Seung Hui...

He is Cho Seung Hui...

He is Cho Seung Hui, 23 yrs old, a Virginia Tech student of South Korean descent, and he recently shot 32 fellow students and teachers in his school - the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history. From MSNBC:

Authorities still are not sure what set him off and what propelled him Monday as he stalked the halls and classrooms of Norris Hall with two semiautomatic pistols, chaining doors closed and murdering and maiming as he went.

Authorities found two three-page notes in his dorm room after the shootings. They weren't suicide notes and provided no clue about why he did what he did. Instead, they were expletive-filled rants against the rich and privileged, even naming people who he thought had kept him down, federal and state law enforcement sources said. Two government officials said he had been treated for mental health problems.

Police also are uncertain why Cho stopped and shot himself to death in Norris Hall, where most of his victims lay scattered around him.

BoingBoing has several posts on him, here and here. This is a horrific tragedy and just shows why the world should get rid of guns from civilian hands. My heart goes out to the students of VA Tech and those who lost their family members and friends. The Americans will no doubt remember this tragedy for a very long time but I don't think it will change the majority view that it is the right of every citizen to bear arms. Guns and America are inseparable. Unfortunately for Americans, they will just have to live with future tragedies like this one.

No one belongs here more than you

No one belongs here more than you has got to be one of the most creative websites for promoting a new book. This is the first time I've heard of the author Miranda July and I don't even know what her book is really about but after viewing her site, I would definitely grab her book when I see it in Borders.

Typography, a photoset

Font porn! Here's a lovely photoset on Flickr containing photos of classic typography books.

(Thanks Johnny Q)

Japanese jellyfish cookies selling like hot cakes!

These Ekura-chan cookies, made of Echizen kurage jellyfish, are a huge hit in Japan. So far more than 20,000 Ekura-chan cookies have been sold since they debuted last October. These cookies are the brainchild of students from a Japanese fisheries school. They turned jellyfish essence into a baking powder that is used to make the cookies. Customers love them, saying they taste great. Hmmm,I don't know about that but I love the packaging and the cute jellyfish imprinted on the cookies. And I'm pretty sure they need not worry about running out of Echizen kurage jellyfish to make the cookies. These jellyfish love to invade Japan.

I love bubbles!

It's official. I love bubbles! I love bubbles! I love bubbles!

(Thanks Ray)

The Autonomous RC Car

Bored playing with your remote control car? How about hacking it so that you can control it with the computer, then once you're done with that, use a laser based obstacle detector with the car to turn it into an autonomous vehicle and lastly, add a wireless camera to make it a truly wireless autonomous car! Now, if that won't impress the geek chicks living in your area, I don't know what else will.

Ikea Hacker

Dude hacks his Ikea wooden frame bed into a neat storage bed, a boring looking Ikea clock is converted into a time bomb clock, a chic tv bench made from Ikea stolmen chests - these are just some of the delightful projects you can find from Ikea Hacker, a blog about, yes you guessed it already, hacking Ikea products.

Today is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day!

Don't forget to get your free Ben & Jerry's ice cream from 12 noon to 7pm at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops. Here in Singapore, you can find the Scoop Shops at Downtown East, Great World City, Suntec City Mall, Raffles City, The Cathay, United Square, VivoCity and White Sands. Free Cone Day is a annual worldwide event so do find a participating Scoop Shop near where you live here. The first Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day was held on May 5, 1979 as a customer and staff appreciation event for the one year anniversary of the ice cream store's opening, and has continued ever since.

Scorzonera's book cover scans

Scorzonera has some very interesting scans of book covers on his flick set here. This one caught my attention. No, not the woman. Ahem. But the title on the book and what's written below it- "Lynn's Lusty Weekend! It started with the father and ended with the son!" Now, that seems like one hell of an interesting read.

Crazy battle scenes using Star Wars toys

Gal who works as a reporter for Starwars.com, loves to pose Star Wars toys in crazy battle scenes during her "toy breaks" at work. Check out her Saving Private TK-421 set on Flickr. I just can't help but smile while looking at her pics of Ewoks beating the living daylights out of the Stormtroopers. Ewoks rule man!

50 tips for grocery shopping

Here are some great tips for those of you planning to do your grocery shopping this week. From zen habbits:

1. Always go with a list. If you go without a list, you may as well just throw your money away. Better yet, donate it to me — I probably need it more than you. Seriously, though, you need to prepare a list of everything you need, pulling from your weekly menu (next tip) and checking to make sure you don’t have it in your pantry, fridge or freezer. Make sure you’re not forgetting anything. Now stick to that list.
2. Plan out a weekly menu. This is the best way to ensure that your list is complete, and that you have enough to serve your family dinner for the week. I often plan a weekly menu and then duplicate it for the next week — this way I can shop for two weeks at once. Be sure to plan a leftovers night.
3. Don’t go when you’re hungry. This is a common tip, but it’s true: when you’re hungry, you want to buy all kinds of junk. You’ll end up spending a lot more. Eat a good meal first, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your list.

(Thanks Shy)

E@L at the SDP Forum

Expat@Large aka the fat ugly angmoh, was at the forum held by Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) at the Sheraton Towers hotel on Friday. The forum made the news recently because the government refused to give the invited foreign speakers professional visit passes to speak at the forum. From E@L:

Under the aegis of both the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the Singapore Democratic Party ran a meeting that was supposed to be about The Development of Democracy in Asia and Europe. But the invited guests were not allowed to speak.

Uniquely Singapore.

This was weird. Here are eight serious important European and Asian dudes, silent all through this meeting, just sitting there. Yep. They just sat there. And gave a thumbs up sign at the end.

So instead, local speakers took the stage.

Stay away from crocs!

YouTube Link

Here's a safety tip for all you kids this weekend. Stay away from crocodiles if you value your limbs ok. This safety tip is kindly brought to you by Crocs, the only crocs you should get close to. LOL.

The Doom Comic

Some say this is quite possibly the most hilarious piece of modern literature - The 1986 Doom Comic. Read it in all its bloody glory here. Warning: Comic may cause brain damage. Do not operate heavy machinery for at least three hours after reading the comic.

(Thanks grierf)

Graham Barker's Beard Collection

According to this dude who collects his own beard, collecting beard is easy. All you need to do is to shave your beard over a large sheet of paper or thin cardboard to collect all the hair, and then pour it into a small plastic bag. It's easy alright but yikes! Don't think it's a hobby I would take up. He has some photos of his beard collection here.

(Thanks Shy)