Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance....
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Quote - source unknown.
Responsibility is the price of freedom.
责任是自由的代价
Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones of genius
不解的努力和经长性地犯错沽是通向天才的必梯。
If it is a fact, Accept it.
If it is a problem, Solve it.
责任是自由的代价
Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones of genius
不解的努力和经长性地犯错沽是通向天才的必梯。
If it is a fact, Accept it.
If it is a problem, Solve it.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Nice to be..
20 - Nice to be beautiful
30 - Nice to be rich
40 - Nice to be young
50 - Nice to be Healthy
60 - Nice to be alive
70 - Nice to be walking.....
What is nice for you now.
30 - Nice to be rich
40 - Nice to be young
50 - Nice to be Healthy
60 - Nice to be alive
70 - Nice to be walking.....
What is nice for you now.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Reducing STD Risk
Nine behaviors to change, starting now.
By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Can you enjoy an active sex life and still be well protected against sexually transmitted diseases? By adopting healthy habits—some intuitive, some not—and avoiding a few dangerous behaviors, you can greatly reduce your STD risk. Here are nine important changes to make.
1. Don’t decide about sex when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Just as you wouldn’t endanger yourself or a friend by getting behind the wheel, don’t make sexual decisions when your judgment may be impaired. If your singles scene is one in the same with the bar scene, this can be a difficult guideline to follow. But under the influence of drugs or alcohol, people tend to relax their own rules and standards. In such a state one is more likely to choose the “wrong” partner—especially an anonymous one—and less likely to use protection.
Drugs and sex mix together in an even more dangerous cocktail when one partner has HIV or hepatitis B. Both of these blood-borne illnesses can be contracted by needle and then passed along through sexual contact, or vice versa.
2. Think ahead.
On a great date or a fun night out with friends, it’s easy to be taken adrift by waves of adrenaline, intoxication, or passion. If you decide ahead of time what you will and will not do—and perhaps tell a friend who can look out for you—your good judgment may come to the rescue later in the night. Thinking ahead goes hand in hand with No. 1 (“Don’t make decisions under the influence”).
3. Have a candid discussion with your partner.
Information is protection. While this may not be the sexiest notion out there, it’s invaluable to know everything your partner knows about his or her sexual health—bearing in mind that a person could be infected with HIV, HPV or herpes without knowing it.
Granted, initiating such a conversation is awkward.
“People can get defensive about this, so make it a two-way conversation—not a lecture or monologue,” advises Fred Wyand, media and communications manager at the American Social Health Association (ASHA). “Insist on using protection, and if the issue of testing comes up then it’s something both partners can do. The reality is that STDs can affect anyone regardless of number of partners, so it’s not a question of sleeping around.”
If you manage the situation well and your partner is still not mature enough to have the conversation, you may want to rethink the sex. Also, it’s hard to establish much trust on a one-night stand—another reason to use protection or resist anonymous encounters altogether.
4. Decrease the number of sexual partners.
“People most commonly think that by having two partners instead of one, they will only double their chances of contracting an STD. But that is dramatically incorrect at the population level,” says Dr. Douglas Kirby, a veteran research scientist at ETR Associates, a nonprofit health education organization.
We don’t add risk with each new partner—we multiply it. How can this be? Think back to Sex Ed 101, where we learned that we “sleep with everyone our partner sleeps with.” According to a nationwide survey released in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the median number of sexual partners over a lifetime is seven for men and four for women. With a first encounter we make our debut into that sexual network.
5. Avoid concurrent sexual partners (and partners with concurrent partners).
“Concurrent” partners means having two or more sexual relationships simultaneously. “Sequential” partners, on the other hand, have relationships that follow one another in succession with no overlap.
If for no other reason than to reduce STD risk, stick with sequential partners. The average sexually active person has between one and three partners at a time. But small increases in that number have a huge impact on the size of the network. It’s kind of like that old shampoo commercial where you tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends. But instead of getting clean hair, they’re getting gonorrhea.
Consider a man with four concurrent partners. We’ll call him Charlie. If any one of Charlie’s partners infects him with an STD, he will infect the other three women. They are all swimming in the same viral pool.
But if Charlie has four sequential relationships instead, the number of infected people is likely to be fewer. Let’s say he first has a relationship with Lucy, then with Patty, then Marcy, then Violet. If Marcy gives Charlie syphilis, he may infect Violet but not Lucy or Patty.
6. Increase the time gap between sexual partners.
Sequential partnering provides further protection when time elapses between relationships. As a rule, viral loads decrease with time. If someone contracts an STD, the viral load may decline enough over a few months to the point that it’s not transmissible to the next partner at all.
7. Use a condom correctly and consistently during every act of sex.
Men have been known to use condoms in any number of creative albeit inadvisable ways. Errors include flipping a condom inside out to re-use it; washing and re-using it; putting it on immediately prior to climax but after penetration; using the same condom for two different acts of penetration; continuing sex after it slips off; and not buying one in the first place.
One inadvertent misuse is when a man attempts to wear a condom but realizes it won’t roll on because the wrong side is facing him. So he simply flips it around. But a small amount of semen will remain on the first side where he tried to push through. If he has an STD, that side is infected—and that’s the side exposed to his partner.
8. Get tested and treated for STDs.
The CDC has suggested that screening and treatment for chlamydia, the most common STD among young women, could reduce incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) by more than 50 percent. Yet a lack of awareness—and of clinical resources—leaves more women susceptible than not. Plus, women can become re-infected by male partners who have not been diagnosed or treated.
Tests and treatments are a powerful combination for fending off STDs, especially for people who also maintain monogamous relationships. Says Kirby, “Assuming neither partner has an incurable STD and the relationship really is mutually monogamous, that’s a very safe [scenario] for them. Each knows the other has been tested and treated safely. If you look at people of college age, being in a mutually monogamous relationship is probably the most common method of preventing STD.”
9. Get vaccinated.
STD vaccinations remain somewhat controversial, in part because they are less than 100 percent effective and because side effects are possible. Still, the two most common vaccinations—for hepatitis B and human papillomavirus—have been gaining mainstream acceptance. The HBV vaccine is estimated to provide over 90 percent protection. The HPV vaccine now recommended for young girls does not cover all strains of the virus, but it prevents two strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and two strains that cause 90 percent of genital warts.
As Kirby is quick to acknowledge, changing nine behaviors is a lot to ask. Just remembering nine ideas is tough, especially when passion comes into play—you can almost picture all this good will meeting a quick end as a man fumbles for a condom with one hand and his list of behaviors with the other. Armed with a little awareness, though, we can take the first steps toward keeping ourselves and our partners safe.
By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Can you enjoy an active sex life and still be well protected against sexually transmitted diseases? By adopting healthy habits—some intuitive, some not—and avoiding a few dangerous behaviors, you can greatly reduce your STD risk. Here are nine important changes to make.
1. Don’t decide about sex when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Just as you wouldn’t endanger yourself or a friend by getting behind the wheel, don’t make sexual decisions when your judgment may be impaired. If your singles scene is one in the same with the bar scene, this can be a difficult guideline to follow. But under the influence of drugs or alcohol, people tend to relax their own rules and standards. In such a state one is more likely to choose the “wrong” partner—especially an anonymous one—and less likely to use protection.
Drugs and sex mix together in an even more dangerous cocktail when one partner has HIV or hepatitis B. Both of these blood-borne illnesses can be contracted by needle and then passed along through sexual contact, or vice versa.
2. Think ahead.
On a great date or a fun night out with friends, it’s easy to be taken adrift by waves of adrenaline, intoxication, or passion. If you decide ahead of time what you will and will not do—and perhaps tell a friend who can look out for you—your good judgment may come to the rescue later in the night. Thinking ahead goes hand in hand with No. 1 (“Don’t make decisions under the influence”).
3. Have a candid discussion with your partner.
Information is protection. While this may not be the sexiest notion out there, it’s invaluable to know everything your partner knows about his or her sexual health—bearing in mind that a person could be infected with HIV, HPV or herpes without knowing it.
Granted, initiating such a conversation is awkward.
“People can get defensive about this, so make it a two-way conversation—not a lecture or monologue,” advises Fred Wyand, media and communications manager at the American Social Health Association (ASHA). “Insist on using protection, and if the issue of testing comes up then it’s something both partners can do. The reality is that STDs can affect anyone regardless of number of partners, so it’s not a question of sleeping around.”
If you manage the situation well and your partner is still not mature enough to have the conversation, you may want to rethink the sex. Also, it’s hard to establish much trust on a one-night stand—another reason to use protection or resist anonymous encounters altogether.
4. Decrease the number of sexual partners.
“People most commonly think that by having two partners instead of one, they will only double their chances of contracting an STD. But that is dramatically incorrect at the population level,” says Dr. Douglas Kirby, a veteran research scientist at ETR Associates, a nonprofit health education organization.
We don’t add risk with each new partner—we multiply it. How can this be? Think back to Sex Ed 101, where we learned that we “sleep with everyone our partner sleeps with.” According to a nationwide survey released in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the median number of sexual partners over a lifetime is seven for men and four for women. With a first encounter we make our debut into that sexual network.
5. Avoid concurrent sexual partners (and partners with concurrent partners).
“Concurrent” partners means having two or more sexual relationships simultaneously. “Sequential” partners, on the other hand, have relationships that follow one another in succession with no overlap.
If for no other reason than to reduce STD risk, stick with sequential partners. The average sexually active person has between one and three partners at a time. But small increases in that number have a huge impact on the size of the network. It’s kind of like that old shampoo commercial where you tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends. But instead of getting clean hair, they’re getting gonorrhea.
Consider a man with four concurrent partners. We’ll call him Charlie. If any one of Charlie’s partners infects him with an STD, he will infect the other three women. They are all swimming in the same viral pool.
But if Charlie has four sequential relationships instead, the number of infected people is likely to be fewer. Let’s say he first has a relationship with Lucy, then with Patty, then Marcy, then Violet. If Marcy gives Charlie syphilis, he may infect Violet but not Lucy or Patty.
6. Increase the time gap between sexual partners.
Sequential partnering provides further protection when time elapses between relationships. As a rule, viral loads decrease with time. If someone contracts an STD, the viral load may decline enough over a few months to the point that it’s not transmissible to the next partner at all.
7. Use a condom correctly and consistently during every act of sex.
Men have been known to use condoms in any number of creative albeit inadvisable ways. Errors include flipping a condom inside out to re-use it; washing and re-using it; putting it on immediately prior to climax but after penetration; using the same condom for two different acts of penetration; continuing sex after it slips off; and not buying one in the first place.
One inadvertent misuse is when a man attempts to wear a condom but realizes it won’t roll on because the wrong side is facing him. So he simply flips it around. But a small amount of semen will remain on the first side where he tried to push through. If he has an STD, that side is infected—and that’s the side exposed to his partner.
8. Get tested and treated for STDs.
The CDC has suggested that screening and treatment for chlamydia, the most common STD among young women, could reduce incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) by more than 50 percent. Yet a lack of awareness—and of clinical resources—leaves more women susceptible than not. Plus, women can become re-infected by male partners who have not been diagnosed or treated.
Tests and treatments are a powerful combination for fending off STDs, especially for people who also maintain monogamous relationships. Says Kirby, “Assuming neither partner has an incurable STD and the relationship really is mutually monogamous, that’s a very safe [scenario] for them. Each knows the other has been tested and treated safely. If you look at people of college age, being in a mutually monogamous relationship is probably the most common method of preventing STD.”
9. Get vaccinated.
STD vaccinations remain somewhat controversial, in part because they are less than 100 percent effective and because side effects are possible. Still, the two most common vaccinations—for hepatitis B and human papillomavirus—have been gaining mainstream acceptance. The HBV vaccine is estimated to provide over 90 percent protection. The HPV vaccine now recommended for young girls does not cover all strains of the virus, but it prevents two strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and two strains that cause 90 percent of genital warts.
As Kirby is quick to acknowledge, changing nine behaviors is a lot to ask. Just remembering nine ideas is tough, especially when passion comes into play—you can almost picture all this good will meeting a quick end as a man fumbles for a condom with one hand and his list of behaviors with the other. Armed with a little awareness, though, we can take the first steps toward keeping ourselves and our partners safe.
Alert from CPFB-Get fast cash, high returns with CPF savings?
Get fast cash, high returns with CPF savings?
DO NOT INVEST BASED ON PROMISES OF QUICK AND ATTRACTIVE RETURNS ALONE
You may have heard of offers of quick and attractive returns when you invest your CPF savings. Be careful not to invest your CPF savings based on such promises alone.
Think long term. Your CPF savings are for your old age needs. You should thus invest your CPF with a view to growing your nest egg instead of taking risky decisions to earn a quick profit or receive gifts. This article provides some tips that you should note before you invest your CPF savings.
TIP 1: Always consider the risks
Do not be attracted to headline rates alone. All investments come with risk. If a product offers a high potential return, chances are that it would also be accompanied with high risks. This is true even for financial products included in the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS). There is no guarantee that any product will always be profitable.
Always ask what the risks are. Know how much investment risk you can afford to take. Make sure you choose investments that you are comfortable with and are suitable for your long-term goals.
TIP 2: Weigh the expected returns against the risk-free returns offered by CPF
The diagram below provides a summary of the interest rates paid by CPF Board. If you are not confident that your investment can earn more than the returns offered by CPF Board, it is better to leave your money in your CPF account and earn risk-free interest rates.
TIP 3: Find out how the product works
There are many different types of investment products in the market. Always find out how the product works before you decide whether to invest your CPF savings.
Here are a few key areas you should find out.
i. How does the investment product work? What does the product invest in?
ii. What are the risks? Can you tolerate these risks? As a general rule, the shorter your investment time horizon, the less investment risk you should take.
iii. What are the costs? Over the long term, high expenses can drag down the profits gained from investing in even the better-performing investments.
iv. How much do you have to invest? Consider how taking up the investment could affect your CPF balance that you need for other purposes such as financing your housing loan payments.
v. How long do you have to stay invested? What happens if you decide to terminate your investment earlier? Note that charges may be imposed or you may lose some of your earlier investments if you terminate an investment prematurely.
Do not invest in any product that you do not understand or are not comfortable with.
TIP 4: Before switching investments, check if the switch would benefit you
If you have already invested your CPF savings, you may be asked to consider switching your investment from one fund to another; or from one product to another.
Always find out how the recommended switch would benefit you, even if the recommendation is from someone that you know very well or hold in high regard.
Here are a few key questions you should ask:
i. What is the purpose of the switch?
ii. Would the switch give me better returns than the current product or interest currently paid by CPF?
iii. What are the potential disadvantages associated with the switch?
iv. Am I entitled to any free switching options? If not, how much the switch would cost? Note that you may be charged a switching fee or incur fresh front-end charges.
TIP 5: Do not invest or switch based on offers of gifts and cash rebates
Even if you are offered gifts /rebates for investing under CPFIS, bear in mind that these must be converted to cash or bonus units which must be refunded back to your account.
Consumers who receive cash rebates for any investment under the CPF Investment Scheme should lodge a report with CPF Board immediately. CPF Board will then arrange for the cash rebate to be credited back to the consumer’s CPF account. Members or intermediaries found to have siphoned out CPF monies through the offering/receiving of cash rebates could face legal action by CPF Board.
TIP 6: Diversify your investments and review them regularly
If you do decide to invest your CPF savings, consider spreading your investments among asset classes (e.g. stocks, bonds and cash equivalents) and among different products within each asset class. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket!
Do also review your investments regularly. Do this at least once a year to take stock of the investment performance, consider whether you are on track towards achieving your investment objectives, and adjust your investment portfolio according to your needs.
TIP 7: Keep your NRIC No. and SingPass confidential
You should keep your NRIC No. and SingPass confidential at all times and not disclose them to anyone. Otherwise, there is a risk that someone could authorise transactions for your CPF monies without your knowledge and/or approval.
In summary, invest your CPF monies prudently. Consider the suitability of the products according to your individual risk appetite and investment objectives. Do not invest based on promotional gifts and rebates.
If you are not confident in investing on your own, it is better to leave your money in your CPF account and earn risk-free interest rates.
Published jointly by CPF Board and MoneySENSE
DO NOT INVEST BASED ON PROMISES OF QUICK AND ATTRACTIVE RETURNS ALONE
You may have heard of offers of quick and attractive returns when you invest your CPF savings. Be careful not to invest your CPF savings based on such promises alone.
Think long term. Your CPF savings are for your old age needs. You should thus invest your CPF with a view to growing your nest egg instead of taking risky decisions to earn a quick profit or receive gifts. This article provides some tips that you should note before you invest your CPF savings.
TIP 1: Always consider the risks
Do not be attracted to headline rates alone. All investments come with risk. If a product offers a high potential return, chances are that it would also be accompanied with high risks. This is true even for financial products included in the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS). There is no guarantee that any product will always be profitable.
Always ask what the risks are. Know how much investment risk you can afford to take. Make sure you choose investments that you are comfortable with and are suitable for your long-term goals.
TIP 2: Weigh the expected returns against the risk-free returns offered by CPF
The diagram below provides a summary of the interest rates paid by CPF Board. If you are not confident that your investment can earn more than the returns offered by CPF Board, it is better to leave your money in your CPF account and earn risk-free interest rates.
TIP 3: Find out how the product works
There are many different types of investment products in the market. Always find out how the product works before you decide whether to invest your CPF savings.
Here are a few key areas you should find out.
i. How does the investment product work? What does the product invest in?
ii. What are the risks? Can you tolerate these risks? As a general rule, the shorter your investment time horizon, the less investment risk you should take.
iii. What are the costs? Over the long term, high expenses can drag down the profits gained from investing in even the better-performing investments.
iv. How much do you have to invest? Consider how taking up the investment could affect your CPF balance that you need for other purposes such as financing your housing loan payments.
v. How long do you have to stay invested? What happens if you decide to terminate your investment earlier? Note that charges may be imposed or you may lose some of your earlier investments if you terminate an investment prematurely.
Do not invest in any product that you do not understand or are not comfortable with.
TIP 4: Before switching investments, check if the switch would benefit you
If you have already invested your CPF savings, you may be asked to consider switching your investment from one fund to another; or from one product to another.
Always find out how the recommended switch would benefit you, even if the recommendation is from someone that you know very well or hold in high regard.
Here are a few key questions you should ask:
i. What is the purpose of the switch?
ii. Would the switch give me better returns than the current product or interest currently paid by CPF?
iii. What are the potential disadvantages associated with the switch?
iv. Am I entitled to any free switching options? If not, how much the switch would cost? Note that you may be charged a switching fee or incur fresh front-end charges.
TIP 5: Do not invest or switch based on offers of gifts and cash rebates
Even if you are offered gifts /rebates for investing under CPFIS, bear in mind that these must be converted to cash or bonus units which must be refunded back to your account.
Consumers who receive cash rebates for any investment under the CPF Investment Scheme should lodge a report with CPF Board immediately. CPF Board will then arrange for the cash rebate to be credited back to the consumer’s CPF account. Members or intermediaries found to have siphoned out CPF monies through the offering/receiving of cash rebates could face legal action by CPF Board.
TIP 6: Diversify your investments and review them regularly
If you do decide to invest your CPF savings, consider spreading your investments among asset classes (e.g. stocks, bonds and cash equivalents) and among different products within each asset class. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket!
Do also review your investments regularly. Do this at least once a year to take stock of the investment performance, consider whether you are on track towards achieving your investment objectives, and adjust your investment portfolio according to your needs.
TIP 7: Keep your NRIC No. and SingPass confidential
You should keep your NRIC No. and SingPass confidential at all times and not disclose them to anyone. Otherwise, there is a risk that someone could authorise transactions for your CPF monies without your knowledge and/or approval.
In summary, invest your CPF monies prudently. Consider the suitability of the products according to your individual risk appetite and investment objectives. Do not invest based on promotional gifts and rebates.
If you are not confident in investing on your own, it is better to leave your money in your CPF account and earn risk-free interest rates.
Published jointly by CPF Board and MoneySENSE
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
http://www.areyouclear.com.sg/clearly/me/2931
The Result of my Personality.
Try out yours. ^^
You are a simple person, or lazy. Sometimes both In addition, you find laying horizontally to be most fulfilling. In spite of that, you love fast sports and slow loris. On top of it all, you like to be on top at all times. Interestingly enough, you are the exact opposite of most people. Quite rightly, you find peace in putting foreign substances on your skin. Not only that, you find perfection in the human body and Haiku poems. Somewhat unusually, you fear destitution, resolution and evolution. And finally, your tastes are simple, trite and malleable.
Warning: This is 1 of 134,217,728 possible personalities that can be deduced from taking this survey. Rest assured, all 134,217,728 of them are absurd, ridiculous and have no bearing on your actual personality, unless it happened to be right.
Clearly Me...
Try out yours. ^^
You are a simple person, or lazy. Sometimes both In addition, you find laying horizontally to be most fulfilling. In spite of that, you love fast sports and slow loris. On top of it all, you like to be on top at all times. Interestingly enough, you are the exact opposite of most people. Quite rightly, you find peace in putting foreign substances on your skin. Not only that, you find perfection in the human body and Haiku poems. Somewhat unusually, you fear destitution, resolution and evolution. And finally, your tastes are simple, trite and malleable.
Warning: This is 1 of 134,217,728 possible personalities that can be deduced from taking this survey. Rest assured, all 134,217,728 of them are absurd, ridiculous and have no bearing on your actual personality, unless it happened to be right.
Clearly Me...
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