Living on Water

31 Jan 2011 - Dutch people love to live on water. Most tourists visiting Amsterdam are fascinated by the numerous houseboats in the canals, but houseboats can also be found in other parts of the country. Amsterdam-north now has the first floating office. Attika Architects is a Dutch agency specializing in the design of  floating homes and offices. Attika developed a floating office for the Amsterdam Water company. The company invited Attika for the project as it was in need for a flexible office that could grow with the company's needs. The office offers the possibility to dock about 20 smaller boats. The offices are on the upper floor, while the ground floor has a lobby and a visitors annex meeting room. There is also a level under water, mainly consisting of showers and dressing rooms for the water engineers. The building is environmentally friendly and re-circulates water. It was shipped to its first location on January 26, 2011.

Birthday

31 Jan 2011 - It's my Birthday today - not my favorite day of the year. I wondered what Wikipedia has to say about the concept of "birthdays". It is explained that many cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays. Jewish boys become bar mitzvah on their 13th birthday and Jewish girls become bat mitzvah on their 12th birthday. In North America, families often mark a girl's 16th birthday with a Sweet sixteen celebration, and in Hispanic-American countries the quinceallera celebration traditionally marks a girl's 15th birthday.In Indian Hindu culture the 12th or 13th birthday is replaced with a grand "thread ceremony". The child takes a blessed thread and wears it, symbolizing his coming of age. However, some Asian countries that follow the Zodiac calendar have a tradition of celebrating the 60th birthday. The birthdays of historically significant people, like national heroes or founders, are often commemorated by an official holiday. Some saints are remembered by a liturgical feast (sometimes on a presumed birthday). By analogy, the Latin term Dies natalis is applied to the anniversary of an institution (such as a university). A person's Golden or Grand Birthday, also referred to as their "Lucky Birthday", "Champagne Birthday" or "Star Birthday", occurs when they turn the age of their birth day (e.g., when someone born on the 26th of the month turns 26). Too bad a month does not have 49 days.

Nadal's Turn

30 Jan 2011 - Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal may not have won the Australian Open, but it is his turn to bare it all for Emporio Armani. The fashion of tennis once centered on the outfits on white, whiter and whitest outfits of its stars, and especially on the revealing outfits of some women players. But now world's number one Rafael Nafal ("Rafa") is leading the way to a whole new game with an Emporio Armani underwear campaign. Within weeks, ads and billboards will go up with him wearing only cotton and elastane boxers. Nadal will also be the face (and the rest of him) of Armani jeans. Armani is taking a certain risks by abandoning their barely-dressed footballers Beckham and Ronaldo for the tennis god. Retailers reported that Beckham and Ronaldo had helped them to sell a great deal of underwear, but Armani is convinced that Rafa will also be able to inspire thousands of man (and women) to update their underwear. Nadal himself cofessed he was not totally in his comfort-zone while posing for the ads. He wrote on his blog : "I am a tennis player and I like sports, not really photo-shoots....".

Festive Cookies

30 Jan 2011 - It is a good time for making some extra money. Housewives who bake well make a small fortune here in Malaysia during the build up to the Chinese New Year. A ready market coupled with a passion for making homemade goodies has enabled many talented homemakers to earn an extra income. Housewife Leong Koon Ying, 32, first started selling her homemade cookies during the Chinese New year period 13 years ago. Leong says she was fortunate because her youngest son shared her passion for baking cookies and pastries. She claims her most popular biscuit is the pineapple tart. However, her son Chan has mastered the art of making fait koh which has been their best selling item over the years. Fait koh is associated with good fortune as they are made in the shape of money bags. The pastry is offered as gifts with ang pow, kuih bakul and mandarin oranges. It's almost as if Leong can go straight to Harry Pooter school.  

Fake euros

29 Jan 2011 - The value of the euro may have come under pressure in recent months, but there os some good news for the European currency as the production of counterfeit notes and coins remains relatively low. The European Commission said this week that the number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation last year rose 8% to 186,000. But the number of fake notes withdrawn by officials dropped 12,6% to 751,000. So while the total number of coins may have risen their total value was only about EUR 300,000, and the value of counterfeit euro notes came to about EUR 30 million. Those are small sums when compared with the total value of euro notes and coins in circulation, which was about EUR 860 billion  in 2010. The EUR 2 coin remains the favourite for counterfeiters, representing three of every four fake euro coins. Among banknotes phony EUR 20 and 50 bills are most common. So please take note during your next trip to the Eurozone.

Socotra

28 Jan 2011 - Like Pakistan (see below: Great Picture (29)), we hear very little positive news from Yemen. So great was my surprise to find the country on top of the list of "secret islands". Ripped from the coast of Gondwanaland (never heard of - sounds from Lord of the Rings) by plate tectonics, the four desert islands that form the Socotra group are a treasure-house of biodiversity, with thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth. Topping the weird list are the barrel-trunked cucumber tree and the dragon's blood tree, which oozes blood-red sap. Despite being closer to Africa than the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra is administered by Yemen, which keeps the islands off the tourist radar. The islands are being described as "the most alien-looking place on earth.". Looking at the attached poicture I am not sure if that is true, or just possibly just a clever trick from Yemeni marketeers, but the place seems a definite must on the "to do" list for adventurous travelers.

Great Picture (29)

27 Jan 2011 - I do not know who took this stunning picture, but I picked it from the BBC website. The picture was taken in Northern Pakistan, and I love the beauty, the light and the space on this picture. Last year we had so much negative news from Pakistan (floods, war, bombing), so I am pleased to show the beauty of the country. From sunny KL - longing for a wintersport holidays.

Cooking Your Phone

26 Jan 2011 - A south Korean man has been arrested for allegedly cooking his mobile phone in a microwave and then claiming damages from the manufacturer Samsung Electronics. The 28-years old man identified only as Lee is accused of accepting compensation of five million won from the firm after claiming his phone has exploded while being charged. But the National Institute of Scientific Investigation concluded the phone was "artificially modified" because of exposure to electromagnetic waves in a microwave, police said in a statement. Lee staged about 50 one-man protests in front of Samsung HQ and at Incheon International airport before receiving the compensation from the company.

Pussy Willows

26 Jan 2011 - In a bit more than a week we will welcome the Year of the Rabbit, and Chinese and other folks are getting ready to welcome the festive season. Flowers have special significance during the Lunar New Year. It is believed that healthy, blooming plans signify success, wealth and abundance. The Chinese have a saying "hua kai fu gui", which means "When flowers bloom , prosperity comes". Therefore it is lucky to have auspicious plants in bloom during the first 15 days of the New Year. It is even better if the plants wear lots of golden fruit, such as lime and kumquat. Good flowers to welcome the new year are pussy willow, as these symbolise the arrival of prosperity, plum blossom as they symbolize resilience and perseverance, and peony, because they are emblems of love, beauty and affection. But simple azaleas, hyacinths or narcissus will also do!

Thaipusam

25 Jan 2011 - About a week ago Malaysia observed a national holiday for Thaipusam. Thaipusam is a Hindu Festival celebrated mainly by the Tamil community. The festival commemorates when Parvati gave Murugan a spear so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. It has now been revealed that more than 1,4 million devotees and visitors were at Batu Caves to celebrate Thaipusam on Thursday alone. The Secretary says he had never seen such a large crowd in recent years. "We expected 1.3 million people to come this year, but the actual figure is 100,000 more," he said, adding that last year sw 1,2 million people thronging to the temple. One of the problems connected to the large crowds is rubbish collection. Although the cleaning-up process started immediately after Thaipusam, it took several days to clean up the mess. Workers had collected two rubbish bins of slippers besides finding several identity cards and some money.

City Cows

24 Jan 2011 - It is almost three months in Malaysia and so far the country has been full of surprises. It is a bit difficult to follow complicated local politics, but some people are not afraid to speak their minds. Residents from the Bandar Bahru Sentul area close to KL want to banish cows from their neighborhood, because they affect traffic flow when crossing the road to a ground to graze. But the owner of the cows is locking horns with the neighborhood, and he insists their claim is just a load of bull. He said "I have workers who monitor the cows every day. My cows do not wander off aimlessly." It must be rather stressful for these city cows, and they have already limited space close to car exhausts and skyscrapers. The Klang Valley is no more the idyllic valley for grazing cows as there are hardly any meadows for them to laze or graze the day away. I like to stand up for these marginalized city cows, who remain unappreciated for all their milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt, cream, hamburgers and probably your pair of shoes. Cows have rights too.

Year of the Rabbit

23 Jan 2011 - As demand for pet bunnies grows ahead of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, animal rights group Peta urged consumers to forgo adopting the furry animals as household companions. Pet shops in China and elsewhere in Asia have seen soaring sales of rabbits in the run-up to the Lunar New Year which begins Feb 3. Peta warned that the animals are often abandoned once the novelty wears off. "There is no better time to help rabbits than during the Year of the Rabbit, and you can do so by refusing to support the pet trade that causes so many animals to suffer", said Peta campaigner Maggie Chen. "Rabbits are not just cute and fluffy, but they are high-maintenance animals who require significant resources, equipment, attention and veterinary care.". A group of "crush fetishists sparked an online furore last November after uploading graphic videos showing attractive young Chinese women crushing small rabbits.

Appalachian Cooking

22 Jan 2011 - For the first time ever I met a TV cook. For 10 years Mark Sohn had a half hour cooking show on one of the USA network. He specializes in Appalachian cooking. From his website I learned that the foods of Appalachia are the medium for the history of a creative culture and a proud people. This is the story of pigs and chickens, corn and beans, and apples and peaches as they reflect the culture that has grown from the region's topography, climate, and soil. Mark Sohn has also written a cooking book about Appalachian cooking which unfolds the ways of a table that blends Native American, Eastern European, Scotch-Irish, black, and Hispanic influences to become something new and uniquely American. He shows how food traditions in Appalachia have developed over two centuries from dinner on the grounds, church picnics, school lunches, and family reunions as he celebrates regional signatures such as dumplings, moonshine, and country ham. Food and folkways go hand in hand as he examines wild plants, cast-iron cookware, and the nature of the Appalachian homeplace.

KL/Amsterdam

22 Jan 2011 - The last weeks I heard about a number of incidents involving bag-snatching, pickpocketing and theft in town. I had this (stupid) impression that Kuala Lumpur is a relatively safe city, but it turns out to be a city like any other in the world, where junks and criminals are always on the look-out preying for an opportunity to make some quick bucks. It reminds of the zillion times that my bicycle got stolen in Amsterdam. Bicycle-theft is probably still a reality for students and other folks in Amsterdam, but I read that the city also tops the Dutch list of car thefts. In particular the Volkswagen Golf appears to be popular. More than 17,000 cars were stolen in Holland In 2010, and 2,200 car thefts occurred in Amsterdam. Wow! This figure is about the same as 5 years ago, which must be quite frustrating for the police officers in charge and of course for the victim car-owners. I remember that miserable feeling when you realized that your bicycle had been stolen, but - damn - how lousy would it feel if your car is missing from its parking place?

Sopranos in Hong Kong

21 Jan 2011 - A copied this pice for the blogger BigWhiteGuy in Hong Kong. Never piss off a Hong Kong triad member, because they can hold a grudge. One might recall the 2009 murder of a triad member outside the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel. It turns out that was precipitated by a bar fight involving dozens of triads in 2006, in which the Red Pole smashed a whiskey bottle over the head of a rival gangster, causing loss of face and leaving him with a scar running down the right side of his face and throat (a literal loss of face, I would say). That's when the plotting began, culminating in the attack three years later, which saw the victim hit by a car and then hacked with knives.And the reason for the bar fight? Because one triad shouted at a bar girl. Rude behavior led to someone getting whacked. If it weren't Chinese it could have been an episode of The Sopranos.

Miracle Machine

20 Jan 2011 - A man whose heart had stopped was brought back to life after 3,5 hours thanks to a machine that performed 20,000 life-saving compressions. Arun Bhasin, 53, was found lying unconscious in Croydon last month. He was rushed to Croydon University Hospital, but suffered a cardiac arrest. He was then hooked up to a revolutionary cardiac support machine. The Zoll AutoPulse pump, which is battery-operated, performed 100 compressions per minute. It maintained Bhasin's heartbeat for more than three hours. Bhasin, who is on the road to recovery, said: "I should be dead. I cannot believe they kept me alive for so long. It's a miracle." I would love to know what Bhasin experienced while he was on the other side.

Toylets

19 Jan 2010 - There is great news for gadgets-lovers all over the world, because in Tokyo the Toylets.have been introduced. The Toylets have been launched by computer-game producer Sega, who transformed a number of public toilets in Toylets. Toylets have a pressure sensor in the otherwise innocuous urinals, which responds to the pressure of your urinal delivery. If you piss full strength into the right direction your delivery helps to blow up a girls' skirt, while an other application offers multiplayer competition. Your pressure is measured against the pressure of your predecessor to have used the urinoir. So hallelujah, the lives of Japanese men has now been enlightened with a measurable way to have pissing contests. The Toylets have been installed in four pubs and game halls, and are currently being tested. I guess after this news it's official: I will move to Japan. Who will join?

Ophiuchus

18 Jan 2011 - So, I thought I was an Aquarius, but after reading about a new zodiac sign it seems this is no longer true. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune a 13th constellation, Ophiuchus - Greek for serpent bearer - is being widely regarded as a new zodiac sign. Astronomy instructor Parke Kunkle also explains that the moon's gravitation pull has made the earth "wobble" around its axis which shifts the stars allignment with about a month. So suddenly I find myself being a Capricorn! Astronomers are quoted saying this is nothing new as Pphiuchus has been there for thousands of years, but that the ancients who discovered the constellations left out one constellation to fit the months of the calendar. The news has also reached social platform Twitter, where people reacted in shock. Twitter-bird @HarryPotterish said "First we were told that Pluto is not a planet and now there is a new zodiac sign: childhood was a bloody lie!".or @geezi who twittered "Damn you Ophiuchus, I was born a Virgo and I will die a Virgo." Anyway, if you are born between Nov 30 - Dec 17, you are Ophiuchus.

TukTuk Cheating

17 Jan 2011 - Do you also hate to be cheated by taxi drivers? Well, hope is appearing on the horizon. It could spell the end for cheating autorickshaw drivers in India, the scourge of commuters and foreign tourists alike.An Indian company has developed a mobile phone application that allows consumers to calculate the fare they should apy for a journey rather than the often inflated amount demanded by drivers. MindHelix Technologies, a software company based in Kerala, has launched its TukTuk Meter application that uses Global Positioining System (GPS) technology to calculate routes and their costs. "Anyone with a GPS enabled mobile phone camn download the application for free and use it when they are traveling in public transport", said Kalidasan, the company's Kochi-based Chief of Operations. "No autorickshaw driver can fleece you if you have a TukTuk Meter installed in your phone". He said the application can be used anywhere in India, even in remote areas.

Watson

16 Jan 2011 - Remember computer HAL from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: a Space Odyssey? Well, the future is here. Watson, a supercomputer which IBM claims is as a profound advance in artificial intelligence, edged out jeopardy! game show champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on  Thursday in a short practice round ahead of a million-dollar tournament that will be televised next month. It is powered by 10 racks of servers running the Linux operating system. It's not connected t the internet but has digested encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, news, movies scripts and more. John Kelly III, IBM Director of research said the technology could help doctors sift through massive amounts of information to draw conclusions for patient treatment and care.

Sally, Sam, Christine, Cedric and Sharon

15 Jan 2011 - In a few weeks we will enter the Year of the Rabbit, and a friend gave me the 2011 Chinese Almanac in preparation. It is full with useful and not-so-useful hints and tips, and the coming days it will keep me busy discovering my destiny. From what I got so far, the prediction is that my year will be "stable", which seems a euphemism for "boring". Some how, I have the feeling hat Year of the Rabbit will not be boring at all, so let's ee who is right. However, I was immediately drawn to the chapter about "Naming Your Pets". It is argued that naming pets is no different from naming babies. One first has to determine the birthday of the pet. The nature of a name is determined by the pronunciation: names of Wood begin with a dental consonant, names of Fire nature begin with a palatal consonant, and so on. According to Chinese wisdom an animal of Metal nature would suit me best, and I should name him/her Sally, Sam, Christine, Cedric or Sharon. I don't think I will ever have a pet ...

Ai Weiwei

14 Jan 2011 - Most of the time I like to keep the tone of message of this blog light, but sometimes there is a need to raise more serious issues. And as I care a great deal for China and the Chinese people these serious often have to do with the Middle Kingdom. BBC reports that demolition workers have torn down the Shanghai studio of Ai Weiwei - a move he says is linked to his pilitical activism. Mr Ai said that it only took a day for the workers to flatten everything. He initially had permission to build the studio, but later the permission was revoked under claims that he had failed to follow planning procedures. Mr Ai called the demolition order "ridiculous". Ai Weiwei is one of China's most famous contemporary artists, and he was involved in creating the Olympic "Bird's Nest" stadium in his hometown Beijing. He has been an outspoken critic of China's leaders and the human rights situation in the country.

Sharks in Queensland

13 Jan 2011 - The news wires are vbuzzing with the unprecedented floods in Queensland, Australia. On top of the misery and dismay caused by the rising waters, the local population is now reported to be confronted with a new challenge: sharks swimming in their backyard. Residents of the town of Goodna reported spotting a dangerous bull shark. These sharks are known to attack human beings, and it is feared that they are agressive and looking for food. And not only sharks are causing havoc, there are also reports of crocodiles at drift and of poisonous snakes swimming in the waters. The local advice to avoid the waters all together, but that is easier said than done when your living room in under water.

Pandamania

12 Jan 2010 - For the first time in nearly two decades two giant pandas will be brought from China to the United Kingdom. The two animals will be brought to the Edinburgh Zoo. The project represents the culmination of five year of diplomatic negotiations at a high level. One wonders what it is that makes the panda so engaging? According to Ron Swalsgood, Director of Applied Animal Ecology it is because the panda reminds us of ourselves. "they eat sitting up with their hands and their special pseudo thumb", he told the BBC. Zoo visitos love to see pandas eating and they are often amazed by the way they handle their food. The classic pose of the panda eating his food resembles a man or woman sitting on the floor. Mr. Swalsgood also believe we love pandas because of their distinctive eyes. Their eye patches look their eyes look bigger. I went to see Pandas in Hong Kong's Ocean Park, but all did was shit. Maybe we admire that too.

Lady Gaga - The Icon

10 Jan 2010 - The recently renovated Groninger Museum in the city of Groningen in the northern part of The Netherlands is considering a major exhibition on pop diva and fashion icon Lady Gaga. A spokesperson of the museum confirmed the news after the initiative came out through local media. The museum - with its outlandish  design an icon by itself - is known for its forward-thinking and trend-setting exhibitions. The spokesperson commented that Lady Gaga is a worldwide role model for fashion and style, for example when she recently appeared in a meat-dress during the MTV awards. Of course the museum hopes that the diva herself will attend the opening ceremony, but the media attention will no doubt benefit this small museum in one of the corners of the country (yet only 2 hours from Amsterdam). Bono visited the museum a few years ago to attend the onening of en exhibitiomn on the work of Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn. 

Great Picture (28)

9 Jan 2011 - The new year is a week old (so far, so good), but I came across this picture by Parool photographer Elmer van der Marel about a fireworks enthusiastic guy in Amsterdam.It looks a bit mysterious and dark, yet it is very happy occasion. I am only a bit confused there is no snow to see ... The country was covered in a white blanket all over - so when was the picture taken?

Sport and Sex

9 Jan 2011 - Sex sells and every successful sportsmen and woman will have to ask themselves at a certain moment in their career how to get in touch with inner ancient Greek and expose themselves. Most recently examples of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in their Emporio Armani briefs were all over the snazzy magazines. US cyclist Victoria Pendleton was photographed naked for Sports Monthly and a reader commented: "I want to be a saddle." In the original Olympics athletes competed in the nude covered only in olive oil massaged in by what these days would be described as ball boys. The aim was to prevent rivals treading on your toga and to glorify the god-like physics of the competitors. Maybe there were darker underlying reasons too?  Anyway, British tennis star Andy Murray, often described as a geek, has now posed for US Vogue looking mean and muscular in the gym. The pictures were made by famous star photograher Mario Testino and one hardly recognizes the scrawny, rugged, moody teenager. It is probably a shrewd career move for the tennis star who seems a bit stuck in the rankings..

Food Vouchers

8 Jan 2011 - The British Government is slowly changing tactics in its struggle to motivate the Brits to lead healthier lives. British officials are abandoning the health argument and fattening people's wallets instead. They have tested several programmes that pay people incentives to make make healthy choices. Last week the Government committed to cash payouts to try to reverse the obesity epidemic, announced it would give out five million GBP 50 vouchers to families that could be swapped for fruits and vegetables instead of hamburgers and fries. "If people drop out they get nothing," said Winton Rossiter, who designed the programme tested by the Weight Wins Company. "And people hate giving up money even more than they hate giving up the fatty snacks.".  

Eating Worms

7 Jan 2010 - Female students in China have been eating roundworm eggs to lose weight for job interviews, all because employment is so hard to come by in China.The eggs hatch in the stomach, allowing those who take them to shed pounds without exercising or dieting. But swallowing the worms or its eggs is extremely dangerous, and definitely not to be recommended for those wanting to shed pounds in the New Year. Unemployment in China stands at 22% and the size of the labour pool has grown by 112 million people over the last decade to more than one billion people. It was also reported that other people stare for hours at pictures to suppress their appetite so they can shed weight.  The unemployment problem is in particular high in rural areas. Jobs in cities are being created quickly as China undergoes a rapid transformation into a developed country. The country's urban population will rise to over 700 million people by 2015, outstripping the rural population for the first time.

Dumb and dumber

6 Jan 2011 - It is not something we like to admit easily, but it seems that the human race may actually becoming increasingly dumb. Man's brain has been gradually shrinking over the last 20,000 years from 1,500 cubic centimeters to 1,350 cubic centimeters - losing a chunk the size of a tennis ball. The female brain has shrunk by about the same proportion. Luckily, most scientists believe that the fact the size of teh brain is decreasing does not mean our intelligence is in decline as well. Some believe that our brains are smaller but increasingly efficient. There are several theories for the shrinking brain. One is that big heads were necessary to survive prehistoric life, which involved cold, outdoor activities. Another theory believes that skulls developed to cope with a chewy diet of rabbits, reindeer, foxes and horses. As our food is now much easier to chew, our heads stopped growing. There is - however - hope. A recent study found out that our brain is on the rise again. Maybe we get smarter at last.

Just a Service Provider ...

6 Jan 2011 - Who would have predicted this? Clairvoyants and astrologers can legally practise in Romania since a few days as fortune-telling was officially recognized as a profession per 1st January 2011. The Romanian Government adopted last week a bill listing fortune-tellers, astrologers and "small practitioners" along with butlers, embalmers and driving instructors in thye "personal services" category. The move drew scatching comments on the internet with some asking if fortune tellers would have to declare revenues and pay taxes."Will they have to issue bills that will then act as warranty certificate?"Benjib, an internet user, said. If so, :just imagine the number of complaints over unfulfilled predictions lodged with the consumers protection office," he added.

New Language

4 Jan 2010 - The Lake Superior State University in Sault St. Marie, Illinois, USA released its annual list of banished words, terms so overused, misused and hackneyed they deserve to be sent to a permanent linguistic trash can in 2011. "Viral" often used to describe the rapid spreading of videos or other content over the internet, leads the list for the year 2010. Runners up include "epic" and "fail" often twinned to describe a blunder of monumental proportions. Fourteen words were on the list. Cliched terms such as "wow factor" , "a-ha moment", "back story" and "BFF" (Best Friend Forever) rated highly. The very au courant use of "Facebook" and "google" as verbs got a thumbs down as well. As usual, election-cycle zingers and catchwords quickly look as worn out as last year's campaign posters. The word "Mama Grizzlies", used to describe right-wing female politicians is therefore also on the list. Did somebody say Sarah Palin?

Back to School

3 Jan 2011 - It is not totally clear to me why school holidays in Malaysia are held in November and December (the cooler weather seem perfect to study?), but the holidays are over and today and tomorrow children return to school. The back-to-school shopping frenzy is evident in many of the leading stores and shopping malls. Parents, with their children in tow, pick out school uniforms and shoes in the right sizes and colors. "Whenever the school term starts, the one thing most parents worry about is having to spend a significant amount to buy school uniforms, books, shoes and stationary. These days children ask for what they want and they insist that we buy their favorite things," said mother of six, Ajurun Begum Ahmad. Ajurun recommends not to wait last minute with the purchases, as it pays off to shop around, and they could benefit from the year-end sale. Another mother takes a different approach: "Although we have to get everything new for the little one, that still does not mean that we will give in to all his demands."

Shrinking Population

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2 Jan 2010 - Japan's population shrank by a record margin last year as the nation rapidly ages, said the Welfare Ministry yesterday. The number of people fell by 123,000, the biggest drop since the records began in 1947. It is an illustration of the demographic crisis the country faces as a smaller working population has to support a mass of pensioners. It is the fourth consecutive year that the country's population has declined. The fall was larger than the 72,000 registered in 2009. The Ministry estimated 1,071,000 babies were born in Japan last year, almost flat from 2009, while deaths soared by 52,000 to a record of 1.194,000. It is interesting to note this trend in one of Asia's most developed nations, and similar trends are spotted in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. It would probably also be the same in Europe but immigration changes the picture in the old world.

Rolling Stones

2 Jan 2010 - Rolling Stones' guitar player Keith Richards has published his autobiography called "Life". It seems an appropriate title for a man who was near-dead for many years of his life. He wrote the book together with ghostwriter James Fox. Richards explains how it all started ... The band was still totally unknown when they were invited for an interview by a local magazine.Jazz News (!!!!). The journalist asked the duo Mick Jagger and Keith Richards what the name of the band was They had no clue, but they saw an album by Muddy Waters lying around and one of the songs on the album was called Rolling Stone. So, voila ... The Rolling Stones were born. Much has been said about the rivalry (and friendship) between Mick and Keith, but the name of the band was chosen by both of them. Not long after, they played the world in gigantic stadiums and earned lots of money. The legendary band was born.

Musical Victory

1 Jan 2011 - Australian airline Qantas had a rough 2010. On top of everything the year ended on a sour note as local musicians said that had scored a victory against Qantas after a Facebook campaign helped persuade the airline to scrap a ban on carrying instruments as cabin luggage. Jazz saxophonist Jamie Oehlers started the online protest when Qantas introduced a policy requiring all musical instruments except violins and violas to be checked in and stored in the cargo hold. "After travelling with them for 20 years, I was made to check my saxophone in for the first time a few weeks ago, causing USD 1200 worth of damage.", Oehlers wrote, launching the campaign last month. More than 8,700 people joined the group, including members of the country's symphony orchestra's, posting stories and pictures of instruments that had been damaged in the cargo hold. Qantas confirmed on 24 Dec it had reversed the policy. The new policy allows small instruments as carry-on baggage, provided they are no longer than 81cm, higher than 30cm or more than 19cm deep.  

Last Puff

1 Jan 2011 - Spaniards better light up today, because when they wake up tomorrow they will find what many consider an inalienable right - puffing on a cigarette with a drink at their local bar - has overnight become illegal. On 2nd January 2011, one of the laxest laws in Europe will have become one of the strictest, along with that of Ireland. Spanish smokers will no longer be able to light up in bars, restaurants and cafes as a new legislation takes into effect that bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces (so including public toilets). It will also be illegal to smoke in children's playgrounds and on school or hospital grounds, according to the new law, which received final approval from Parliament on 21 December 2010. I bet many Spaniards did not have to think long for their new year's resolutions: stop puffing.

2010

31 Dec 2010 - So, the last day of the year 2010. The year saw new superpowers emerging in the New Media landscape and I expect their authority will further rise in 2011. Two of them - Google and Facebook - now influence societies and cultures all over the world by their sheer size and reach, while the third one - WikiLeaks - epitomises the power of information. Google has a mere monopoly of web search and online search advertising. It owns YouTube and Blogger (so many thanks!) and it is only expected to expand its digital empire further. These days if you don't appear on a Google search you don't exist any longer! I have already written about Facebook, and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, in the last few days, so let's spend the last lines of 2010 on WikiLeaks. It was labeled a "foreign terrorist organization" by some US lawmakers, but was also awarded by The Economist and Amnesty International. I believe we will hear (much) from/about WikiLeaks in 2011. And it will not only be WikiLeaks. A rival called Openleaks.org has already emerged and more whistle blowing sites will follow. I expect that 2011 will further change the way we look at information - as the new superpowers rule the world.

Salt Scarcity

31 Dec 2010 - I am back in the tropical weather of Kuala Lumpur, but I can still feel the winter-cold in my bones. I had a somewhat slippery journey to Amsterdam Schiphol airport as thaw has set in and the roads and pavements are icy. The Dutch complain about practically everything (not only the Dutch by-the-way), but I was quite surprised that nobody complained about the slippery icy conditions of the roads. "In the good old days" people were requested to keep the pavement in front of their house free of snow and the city council took care of the rest. The last few days I noticed that attitudes and practice has changed, because nobody bothered anymore. Even the city council got away with a comment that they could not keep the roads ice-free because of salt scarcity. They probably have never heard of "winter preparedness". Anyway, there is good news, because on my last day in Holland I learned a ship with 7,000 tons salt from Turkey sailed into one of the Dutch ports. But probably the roads are too slippery by now get it to its destination?

15 Minutes of Fame

30 Dec 2010 - The Year also had their short term heroes, like Anna Chapman and the Old Spice Guy. 15 Minute Hero of the Year is Steven Slater. You may not immediately recognize the name, but I am sure you remember the story about the JetBlue flight attendant who could not take it any longer and snapped. When the flight attendant was hit on the head by a passenger's bag in August and was told off by one of the passengers, he exited via an emergency chute and never returned to his job again. He became an instant folk hero for the online community on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Despite his fame, he said that - although he enjoyed some aspects of the limelight - he never felt more alone in his life than at the height of public scrutiny.

Mark Zuckerberg

29 Dec 2010 - Time Magazine selected Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg as 2010 Person of the Year. Facebook does no longer need any further introduction but Time Magazine has some interesting facts & figures about the phenomena. For example, if the recent growth rate of Facebook users continues, Facebook could reach 1 billion users by August 2012. In Afghanistan, where only an estimated b18% of adult women are literate, 85% of Facebook users are make. And Facebook continues to be blocked in China, but still counts almost 100,000 registered users. Growth in the Middle Kingdom is one of the main strategic objectives for Facebook. Lastly, every 60 seconds 1,789,736 actions are performed on Facebook: more than half a million comments are posted, 231,605 messages are sent and almost 100,000 friendships approved. Facebook connects the world - and I honor Mark Zuckerberg.

Nature Ruled

28 Dec 2010 - Mother Nature was on uncommonly unkind this year. Haiti's earthquake left 230,000 dead, and monsoons left one fifth of Pakistan under water. An Antarctic collision between an iceberg and a glacier gouged out a chunk of sea ice the size of Luxembourg. An effusive Icelandic volcano stranded travelers across Europe, and the winter was so warm that Canadian could not even make ice for their Olympics. BP could not plug the leak and an octopus made more accurate - but unfortunate - predictions than most economists did. Most of, 33 trapped miners returned one by one from their near grave. Miracles did happen and Mother Nature ruled (with thanks to Time Magazine, who published an extended version of this piece). 

Merry Christmas 2010

23 Dec 2010 - I will sign out for a few days to celebrate Christmas with family and friends in the motherland. I will be back on line before the end of the year. Ho Ho Ho Everybody! Merry Christmas!

Vampire Mistletoe

23 Dec 2010 - A new species of tropical mistletoe has been described by scientists of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in London. The research team found the plant on expedition to Mount Mabu in northern Mozambique in 2008. Now, just in time for Christmas they have confirmed that the plant is new to science. The plant tops of list of Kew's botanical discoveries of 2010, including a Vietnamese orchid and an exceptionally rare tree in Cameroon. A butterfly specialist discovered the mistletoe, and he immediately realized it was different from what he had seen in Malawi and Tanzania. Mistletoe's are "hemi-parasitic" meaning they take some of the nutrients they need from other plants.  When birds eat the small white fruits, the seeds are wiped onto branches of trees, where they stick. Once germinated, the root grows into the living tissue of the tree to suck out its nutrients. In sum, they are vampires. Think about it when you kiss your beloved under the mistletoe over Christmas..

Gulliver's Travels

22 Dec 2010 - Hollywood is lacking creativity in recent years and is now recycling Gulliver's Travels. In a contemporary re-imagining of the classic take by Jonathan Swift, US actor Jack Black stars as Gulliver, a big talking mailroom clerk. In the story Gulliver is mistakenly assigned a travel piece on the Bermuda triangle and (after shipwrec) suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput. Lilliput turns out to be the home of very tiny people. At first he is enslaved by the industrious Lilliputians, but later he is declared their hero (very Hollywood). There is also a message: Gulliver gets to learn that it is not about how big you are but that it is the inside that counts (sob, sob). Shot on location in and around Britain the movie also stars Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet and Brian Connolly. Soon in theatres near you!

No English, Please!

21 Dec 2010 - China's General Administration of Press and Publicity has banned newspaper, websites and publishers from using foreign words - particularly English. It said foreign words are sullying the purity of the Chinese language. It added that standardized Chinese should be the norm and that the media should avoid foreign abbreviations and acronyms, as well as "Chinglish" - a mix of Chinese and English often used in Hong Kong. The order is also applicable to radio and TV. The State body raised their order as foreign words are increasingly used in all types of communication and it now wants to turn the tide. It said the usage had "seriously damaged" the purity of the Chinese language and resulted in adverse social impacts on the cultural environment,. It also explained that if words must be written in English, a Chinese explanation needs to be added.

Airport Blues

21 Dec 2010 - Today is the official start of the winter, and the big freeze in Europe has kept many airports struggling to remain open. Still thousands of passengers are stranded in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, ..... Under snowy conditions the gap between landing and departing airplanes becomes bigger for safety reasons. The final decision to land or not shifts from air control to the pilot. One big issue is ice.Pre-cautionary de-icing chemicals are used to keep the planes ice free. Salt is not used, as it is bad for the planes aluminium. Some airports are better prepared than others: Stockholm's Arlanda remained open and hardly reported any delays. A spokesperson of the airport claims that heavy snow is no problem, but that strong side winds are. In the end it probably depends on how busy an airport is, as a minor disruption can cause massive delays at the bigger airports.

Luxury Malaysia

20 Dec 2010 - Malaysia is carving a niche as a destination for luxury goods shopping, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen. She said shoppers had much to look forward to as Malaysia would be a duty free haven for most luxurious goods, including watches and jewellery per 1st January 2011. "It is important to ensure an enabling environment for the industry." The Ministry targets to have 36 million tourists and RM 168 billion in tourism receipt by 2020, and it expects 35% to be from shopping receipts. There is a plan to built a 6 km long walkway in the Bukit Bintang area which also help encouage shopping and boost sales. KL has already opened its Starhill Gallery, with many luxury brands under one roof, but from what I hear the formula does not work well. Bukit Bintang looks more like a building site than a luxury shopping area.

Quote of The Day (26)

19 Dec 2010 - This week saw the last talk show by veteran CNN personality Larry King. The 77-year-old presented his cheesy chat show for 25 years and is now finally retiring. He will be replaced by creepy British journalist Pierce Morgan. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came on the show to announce that he had proclaimed the day Larry King day in the western US state. Former US President Bill Clinton also came on air. When King mentioned that ' we are both in the zipper club ' - and explained later that he meant they had both had heart surgery - Clinton replied " I am glad you have clarified that ' keeping a straight face as other guest chuclked. King's last gaffe must be the quote of the day. And yes, he will be missed (as CNN soon will find out).

Great Picture (27)

19 Dec 2010 - It's a tough winter in Europe. My other hometown Amsterdam is covered in a blanket of snow. The big freeze leads to travel chaos and stranded passengers. Schiphol airport had to close its runways, which is not good news with the peak Christmas season approaching. About 3,000 passengers had to spend the night at the airport because their flight were cancelled. But some beautiful picture could be made. This one is by made the Panoramio agency.