Tribute for Michael Jackson, King of Pop

BLACK OR WHITE

A,B,C - it's easy as

1-2-3

And here's a short story

That's oh so iffy

As a kid he

and his brothers jived

Together they were five

Almost instantly

An icon came to life

Imbruing the universe

Living his ideated lie

Diana Ross,

she's his ingle

Inwardly,

He wants to be her

The knife's cold

The incisions swift

His face rearranged

Just to look impish

Where the world used to

Illuminate

The MOONWALKER's night

Those colors have since

faded into purely BLACK OR WHITE

Neverland kids' finally drove

The final nail

Betrayed his love

and erected his tomb

So the issue now is

He's BAD

He's HISTORY

So BEAT IT

Just beat it

Starlitecafe's 10 Word Challenge: - icon - ideate - iffy - illume - imbrue - impish - incise - ingle - inward - issue

To Michael - the biggest star of all time.

Saving Charmaine Lim

I was recently alerted to the case of Charmaine Lim, a 4-year-old girl who is suffering from neuroblastom , a most common form of cancer that afflicts young children. In Charmaine's case, the doctors discovered a tumor outside her liver on the lymph nodes and nerves - and other traces of cancer can also be found in her bone marrow.

At this point in time, Charmaine's mother, Cynthia (a single mum) is trying hard to raise funds for the girl's cancer treatment in the US - which will give Charmaine a 40-50% chance of survival. The drug used for this treatment is unfortunately only available in clinical trials, which means the Singapore hospitals have no access to it. If Charmaine continues to stay here for treatment, her chances for survival would be very slim.

The family is looking to raise USD 350,000 for the treatment - but as the amount is absolutely staggering (particularly in these times), their efforts in fund raising have been slow. I would like to appeal to anyone who is reading this to try and spread the message - and extend the beacon of hope to Charmaine and her family, who's trying their utmost to save her life

Apparently, her case has also been highlighted across various news platforms:

• Straits Times, March 24
• The New Paper, June 14

You can also visit her website at http://www.ourfeistyprincess.com/ and blog http://ourfeistyprincess.blogspot.com/ which details her illness and gives the latest updates on her current status (she just got out of the operating theatre today).

You can also read more about her illness and view her most recent photos in this powerpoint presentation.

If anyone of you would like to make a donation, please click here for instructions. Family and friends of Charmaine will also be organising various fund raising activities to help raise the money required for her treatment - which you can participate in if you would like to help out in ways other than donating money.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read this - and just know that any form of help that you can give (fund raising, donation or simply spreading the word) - will go a really long way.

Have a good day.

everyone needs a slumdog

it's a simple movie with no mindblowing effects

it's a simple story without the colourful villians we see in Gotham city

it's a simple man whom we would never have known if not for this movie

it's a group of simple actors quite unlike the stellar cast of Ocean's 12

it's shot in a simple country with no skyscrapers or fancy cars

but yet, despite this simplicity

it proved that it was no underdog

the Academy bestowed upon the film

the honour of 8 Oscars

the beauty of this recognition is hope

because the story goes

no matter who you are

no matter where you are from

no matter what you have (or don't have)

slumdog or underdog

dreams may come true after all

in times like these where everything seems to go wrong

everyone needs a slumdog

there's always a first time

Artwork by *Nonnetta

i had my first job at 12

my first kiss at 13

I tried smoking at 14

and found out i hate nicotine

i found lipstick and perfume at 15

was a hot clubber by 16

held two jobs when i was 17

met my ex in poly at 18

at 19 i was hired by mtv

and saw my first celebrity at 20

went on the plane for the first time at 21

had an abusive relationship at 22

23 i stood crying in the rain

fell in love with someone three years younger at 24

had my first long distance relationship at 25

and my heart broken a year later at 26

started blogging at 27

promoted to manager at 28

graduated with 2nd upper class honours at 29

and met my future beau at age 30

he proposed when i was 31

and gave me a home at 32

i have yet to reach 33

so here i shall end my blog cv

there's always a first time for everything

and that's what make life

- so messy -

the book, the blog and the movie

Once upon a time 4 years ago, I found a really cool book and bought it for a girl friend who was having boy problems.

Then I blogged about it here.

Now they have made it into a movie.

Maybe they will make it into a song soon.

Or a talk show. (Any takers - Oprah? Tyra? Ellen?)

All good things...

...must come to an end.

Loyalty is underrated.

In a relationship, respect precedes love. Always.

Don't compromise. But if you do, live with it.

What goes around doesn't always come around. Sometimes it just disappears completely.

When things don't go your way, pray.

If death can solve all problems, nobody will be alive to see the solutions.

Nobody is perfect, but we can all learn to be a little less imperfect.

Life is never fair. Suck it.

The winner takes it all. That's a fact.

YOU should never be more important than ME.

I am not different. I am just unique.

== Random thoughts on random space ==

Artwork by ~kponge

The Long Awaited Update

Image by SBA73

It's been almost three months since I last blogged. Thanks to those who dropped me sweet caring messages to find out how I was doing, especially Richard. I am good now - emotionally raw but stabilised.

So what has happened between my last blog and now? Thought I would give you guys a quick update:

1) I have not lost any weight. The ballooning weight is making me depressed. I think I should start starving.

2) I have just received a promotion. Before I was just managing marketing activities for the Singapore office, my portfolio has now been expanded to cover Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Greater China. That also means I get three direct reports now - which is fun! I love playing boss. :)

3) I am flying off to Bangkok tomorrow - but I doubt I have time to shop. My meeting schedule looks awfully tight. Might as well stay in the room...and read. Or I can go for a massage. Heard they are cheap and GOOD in Thailand.

4) I will be flying off to Tokyo (AGAIN!) the week after my Bangkok trip. Oh yes - back to my "jet-setting" days (as if)! This time I have allocated time to shop, eat, shop again, eat again, then shop, then eat...you get the idea. I can't wait... ii-desu-ka!

I just remembered that I have not posted the photos from my last Tokyo trip...I am indeed getting old.

Old, fat and forgetful. No wonder I am depressed.

5) Bought a new apartment some time ago - and the developers have finally finished building it. Got my keys recently and have been busy shopping for furniture and designing my dream flat. Now that killed 90% of my brain cells and definitely deserve a post on its own - which I hope I can get round to once I return from my business trips.

So there you go - a sneak preview of my exciting life.

Go ahead and envy me.

Frank Lee Speaking

FRANK LEE - MAY 28, 2008

Today I lost another friend. I don't even know how he died. Some said it was a disease. Whatever it was, it was too sudden.

On May 12, 2008, Frank Lee added me as friend on Facebook. A couple of months before that, I bumped into him when I was out shopping. We chatted briefly - and I chirpily made one of those empty promises which now, I would never ever be able to fulfil. I said we should catch up for tea one of these days.

I really like Frank. He's your Mr Nice Guy - patient, kind, softspoken and caring. He's a bit of a geek - but he's always very pleasant to hang out with.

He was also my ex-colleague who had left the company barely a year ago. He is always smiling, always willing to help. He was such a bubbly and optimistic guy that we enjoyed teasing him. To us, he was "Frank Lee Speaking" (a pun on "frankly speaking"). Having worked with him for a while and interacted with him on a daily basis at work previously, his passing left me reeling with extreme shock...and a lot of pain.

In a fatal stroke, everything was taken away from him. His wife-to-be, his future, his career, his life, his family...and our tea date. News of his death drowned me like a tsunami, paralysing my senses. I wanted to deny it so badly. For once in my life, I want to live in this lie.

But the verdict is sickening and final. He's no longer around.

I feel my heart plunging to my stomach. The sense of loss is overwhelming. Why him? Why now? Why does it have to end this way? He was only 32.

Frank - I am so, so sorry. I wished we had met up for tea. I wished I had been more proactive and communicated with you more actively on Facebook. I wished I knew you more. I wished this wasn't real. I wished I was more of a friend than a colleague. I wished I could have done more.

But I know now no matter how hard I wish, you are gone forever. Once again, I was too late.

I really hate this.

Artwork by *Miss-Rita