2 Thumbs Up for Brothers & Sisters

The new TV series, Brothers & Sisters have my vote. After a month of dry season of TV re-runs of Greys Anatomy, House and also the ending of my beloved Gilmore Girls, I have found a new love.

Brothers & Sisters.

The casts, Emmy Winner Sally Field, Caslister Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), Emily VanCamp (Everwood) and many other guests cast like Jason Lewis (Samantha's boyfried from Sex in the City) , Rob Lowe (Spin City, I think) and looking forward to more.

The story is about the perfection of imperfection of a family after the death of their father. Who left the family business in shamble and the exposure of his 15years secret love-affair with an actress and a daughter.

The script is meaningful and intriguing. It is a mix of Six Feet Under, a little bit of West Wing and a lot of Brothers & Sisters. Watch it.

Purple is the New Pink

The next time you visit a women's website, notice the colours on the web. It is either purple, violet, lavender and the various shade of purple. Purple is the latest colours that defines womanhood. Woman who is feminine, strong, confidence, royalty and ripe. (Smile)

As in one of Seth's blog about role model, since Oprah changed the colour theme on their website to purple, many woman are influenced by this change. Purple or indigo is also the colour of the highest of chakras. I spoke to some women who are looking to do their personal or business website and one of their preference is to have the website in Purple. Go figures...

Nothing wrong with purple. Purple is great! But I would not be caught wearing purple dress. Me?! Golden brown skin with purple... hmm.... I don't think that would work.

To all the purple fan, Go Purple!~

Every Woman Should Know

I found this poem in my inbox. Thanks Jovita for forwarding.

Poem by Maya Angelou






A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

something perfect to wear if the employer,or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal,that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job,break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..

whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

HOTA default opt-in

Recently, the Mufti of Singapore has released a fatwa that Singaporean Muslims to be included in HOTA (Human Organ Transplant Act) by default. Whereas previously, it was an opt-in. Which means, if a Muslim dies, the hospital cannot harvest their organs for transplant to people who are awaiting organs. Few Muslims opt-in to HOTA since this was introduce. Also this would lower the chance of Muslims to get organ transplant especially kidneys if they don't opt-in

I am very familiar with this opt-in and opt-out concept. I manage email marketing and these terminology and concept seems to apply even for organ transplant.

Like in e-newsletter marketing, it is harder to build an opt-in email database than an opt-out database. The difference of the two is, in opt-in email database, you will get subscribers who voluntarily want to receive your news. Very few sometimes. But the quality is usually very good.

In opt-out, you will buy database and send them email with option to opt-out. The case here, people who really do not want to receive your email marketing will opt-out but you will still have a bigger database of default opt-in subscribers.

The reason behind these 2 scenarios, very similar actually. There are people who knows what they want and choose to act on what they want. But there are majority of people who just, how do I say this, don't bother or look-see people.

In marketing, it is a brag to declare that you have a huge database of subscribers. Because, your look-see subscribers are your asset. And for human transplant, you need this big of a database for the shortage of organ for transplant.

So the move by MUIS is a good call. Even though there is a condition that a Muslim must be buried with everything when they die.

In my opinion, when I die of old wrinkle age, my organs gets aged with me. If not, then at least pieces of me still lives in 12 other people.

Obsession with Clean Windows

I was sitting in my room on a cloudy and drizzling day, a resident from across my block was cleaning her 12th floor windows. Fully unsecured. She was leaning out an open window from the 12th floor.

I thought this is the obsession that Singaporean has with clean windows inside and out. Almost monthly, I would see news of maids fell from high-rise residential home whilst cleaning the window. What is this obsession that these Singaporean have? I can count how many times I cleaned the outer of my window in the 15 years that I have lived here. To me, there is no point. The rain will clean them. Why put my life in danger by cleaning the window. Living in a HDB flat, no one is going to look at your apartment from outside. You just can't. Clean the room, the corridor, it is fine.

Worse is getting the Indonesian maids who came from ground floor village homes to clean them. No wonder they fell. Stop with the window cleaning call in people who have the equipment and the right cleaning detergent to clean them. Since you have money to pay for the maids, why not pay for a window cleaning service monthly?

Sigh...

Wisdom Saying

Count your blessings when your chips are down.

Art of Letting Go

If there is one thing that I learn over my adult life that has benefited me hugely would be letting go. Letting go is not about giving in but it is about surrendering with faith.

I noticed that I was not as angry not so much thinking and gruelling over little things. When things seem to be hard, I just let go... Breathing it out...

Very powerful skill to learn especially when involving interacting with other people. Any book out there about this?

Relationship and Shoes

The other day I was helping a friend to think through the relationship she is having. In the discussion I reflected the obsession of woman and shoes. The saying "There are many fish in the sea" seems not so inappropriate for urban women living in concrete jungle. We hardly, never go fishing. So, are we able to relate to the old saying?

But we can relate to shoes.

Walk in to a fashion shoe store like Charles & Keith, you are already swimming in the possibility of walking away with one pair. There are shoes for almost every young ladies. But not all shoes are suitable for your feet. Some has different arches, flat feet, broad and bony. So a pointy toes shoes may not be comfortable for a flat footer.

The requirements of an ideal shoe is, colour to suit your skin tone, style that matches your dress and bags and height to suit your tolerance to pain.

Sometimes, you bought a pair and you like it so much that you wear them for all occasion. The colour and style goes with your work dress, suits and jeans. Then one day, you tripped and twisted your ankle. Boo-hoo, you have a sore ankle for a week! What do you wear? Crocs or Birkenstock to work. Terrible thing to happen.

Maybe the shoe failed you, broke and unrepairable. Even though how much you like the shoe, you have to throw them away. Sometimes, you kept the shoe at the back of your closet not wanting to face the pain the shoe has cost your ankle. The agony of walking around in smelly medicated bandage to a major account closing.

After two weeks, your ankle felt better and you decide to reward your recovery by getting yourself a new pair of shoe. Maybe a little more cautious this time. Lesser height, breathable material and perhaps something you don't mind running to catch the train with.

Before you realize it, time has made you forget about the shoe at the back of the closet. On spring cleaning, you took it out, tried them for a while and gave them away.

As a new saying, there is always a pair of shoe for everyone.

"There are many shoes at the store."

Who are your friends?

Friends are those who have the best interest in your well being and dreams.

Here, it is hard to distinguish between friends and business partners. I put effort to know about the people around me. Putting unconditional time to think about their business and careers. Suggestions and things to improve THEIR business.

Have anyone ask me what is MY dream? Hmm... it is busy, busy here in Singapore. Everyone is fending for themselves. They like to be heard but not to listen. Whew... tough.

So, who have the best interest in my well being and my dreams?