coolio ice cream

The weather has been so horribly humid right here in Singapore that I swore to myself that the only way to get my hot body (pun intended) right off chilled, is to indulge myself sinfully in ice cream. Just in case u were planning to do the same and had no idea which ice cream chain to settle ur ass in, here is RaGaSiyA to ur rescue.

Presenting the 5 most common ice cream chains in no particular order.



1.
Name: Haagen-Dazs

Location: CentrePoint, Velocity, Junction 8, Clarke Quay, Hilton Sidewalk, Suntec City, Siglap, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Holland Village, Esplanade Mall, Vivocity, City Square and Anchorpoint

Specialties: They sell a range from aromatic coffee, indulgent drinks and shakes to their immensely pleasurable ice-cream in pints, mini cups and cakes. They have popular flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate chip.

History: Founded in 1920 and swears to stick to traditional standards of care. Every pint of ice-cream undergoes 20 quality checks before leaving the factory. They promise a unique passion for quality, pleasure in its purest form and continuing quality.



2.
Name: Swensen’s Ice Cream

Location: Singapore (You can click on the map to find out the exact location), Malaysia, China, Brunei, Middle East, USA and South America

Specialties: This eatery does not only cater to ice-cream lovers, but also serves western food. They have a variety of dishes on their menu.
Ice cream --> Outrageous sundaes, ice cream novelties (in cones) , the sizzling pan varieties; where ice cream is served in a heated pan, topped with butterscotch/maple syrup/caramel, chocoholic cravings, wild tropics (mango, coconut and yam), towering temptations where ice cream is served in tall glasses. Girls, demand to have ur date at this place. Oh yeah their ice cream cakes as well!
Food Menu -->Salads, sides, fish and chips steak, lamp chop, pasta, pizza, baked rice, burgers and omelettes. Perfect for a friendly get-together.

History: Founded by Earle Swensen in 1948 and the first shop was opened in San Francisco. Since then, over 180 flavours have been created and enjoyed by both the young and the old. The first ever Singapore outlet was opened in 1979; a 200-seater restaurant in Thomson Plaza. Today Swensens has over 20 outlets in out Lion City and over 200 outlets worldwide. I am sure many of us remember special occasions and cherished memories in Swensens.




3.
Name: Strickland’s ice cream

Location: USA - Ohio, Florida, Colorado and California. This ice cream chain is not located in Singapore but it has been awarded the Best Ice Cream of the Year for decades. Time to find out more.

Specialties: WOW. They have got so many!



New Arctic Twister -

Fresh Strickland's ice cream blended with your choice of "Twist-Ins".

Choose from: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Snickers, Oreo Cookie, Reese's Pieces, Heath Bar, Butterfinger, or M&Ms.
Try a specialty recipe twister - Banana Shortcake, Maui Delight, Fudge Brownie,
The Apple Pie All American, and the Banana Split.

Cones - Small, Medium, Large, and Children's Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, two Flavor's of the Day, Orange Sherbet, Rainbow Sherbet, and No Sugar Added Butter Pecan


Waffle Cones Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, two Flavor's of the Day, Orange Sherbet, Rainbow Sherbet, and No Sugar Added Butter Pecan

Sundaes - Small and Large Blueberry, Butterscoth, Caramel, Cherry, Chocolate, Hot Fudge, Marshmallow, Peanut Butter, Pineapple, Red Raspberry, and Strawberry

Turtle Sundae - Small and LargeVanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Hot Caramel, Whipped Cream, and your choice of Pecans or Peanuts

Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae -A rich, chocolate brownie, with a dip of Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream


Banana SplitTwo dips of Vanilla and one dip of Chocolate, sandwiched between two halves of a split banana, covered with Chocolate, Strawberry, and Pineapple Toppings, then garnished with
Whipped Cream, Peanuts, and a Cherry.

Banana BowlOne Dip of Ice Cream, Half a Banana, One Sundae Topping, Whipped Cream, Peanuts, and a Cherry.


Strawberry ShortcakeA light sponge cake with a dip of Vanilla ice cream, covered with strawberries in syrup, and garnished with whipped cream

Milk Shakes - Small, Medium, and LargeBlueberry, Butterscotch, Caramel, Cherry, Chocolate, Hot Fudge, Marshmallow, Oreo Cookie, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Pineapple, Red Raspberry,
Strawberry, and Vanilla


Pints and QuartsYour favorite Strickland's Ice Cream hand packed into pints and quarts.

Hot Beverages-Choose from regular or decaf coffee, Earl Grey tea, or one of six varieties of Hot Chocolate


Strickuccino Strickland's Signature Coffee Beverage - our own rich roast of coffee, with a dip of Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and hot caramel sauces, and a whipped cream garnish

Iced StrickuccinoCooler (Float)Your favorite soft drink with a Dip of Ice Cream

Ice Cream Soda-Your favorite Milk Shake, sweetened, with sparkling water, a Dip of Ice Cream, real whip cream, and a cherry.


SlushyCherry, Orange, Watermelon, Grape, Lemon-Lime, Sour Apple, and Blue Raspberry

Strickland's Chiller -Your favorite slushy with a dip of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Homemade Ice Cream Pies


Red Hot Chicago Dogs-All beef Hot Dogs with your choice of Cheese or Coney sauce.




Now u know why they are voted to be the best ice-cream outlet in the world. *smiles*





History: Founded by Bill and Florence Strickland in 1936. After serving in a milk company for ages our dear Mr. Bill decides to make his own ice-cream, using a machine that freezes it ASAP. Walla! There came Strickland’s Frozen Custard. (aka ice cream)Now it is run by the third generation and Strickland’s Marketing Corp. According to them, To indulge in it (ice-cream) during these hot months is always a forgivable sin.


This is an extract from their webpage.




The Ultimate Comfort Food
Strickland's has used the same secret recipe and the same ice cream machines since 1936.
Only three flavors of custard are on offer at Strickland's: vanilla, chocolate, and the Flavor of the Day.
The Flavor of the Day changes every three days or while supplies last.


The Secrets of Strickland's
The first and last Flavor of the Day each summer is Black Raspberry.
It takes about 23 minutes for the machines to process five gallons of custard.
While Strickland's also offers milkshakes and sherbet, they do not use the same recipe as the custard. Fans of Strickland's almost always go for a cone or the occasional banana split.
The Flavor of the Day starts with a vanilla custard base, to which fresh ingredients are added, like banana, coconut, raspberries, or almonds.


Keeping Up with the Times
Fans of Strickland's can have the Flavor of the Day e-mailed to them.
From time to time, Strickland's introduces new Flavors of the Day. One recent addition is Reese's Pieces. ( dun ask me whats that!)



4.
Name: Andersen’s Of Denmark Ice Cream

Location: Suntec City Mall, Sentosa Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, Funan IT Mall, Great World City, IMM, Jurong Point, Marina Square, Parkway Parade, Plaza Singapura, Tanglin Mall

Specialties: ice cream, freshly baked waffle cones, sundae baskets, low fat yoghurt. Sorbet, ice cream cakes, concoctions, hot waffles, milkshakes. Their flavors include

(An extract from their webpage)

Vanilla, with the luxurious taste of real Madagascan vanilla bean, lavishly crushed into the ice cream,

Danish Nougat, with the crunchy richness of caramelized almonds, as enjoyed by the Danes through generations,

Mango, only real mangoes, and lots of them,

Belgian Chocolate, the finest Belgian chocolate is used to create a delicate chocolate ice cream,

Strawberries & Cream, with the natural colour of real strawberries,

Banana Fudge, notice the real taste of bananas with a ripple of chocolate fudge,

Boysenberry, a delicious berry fruit ice cream with an enticing boysenberry ripple throughout the ice cream,

Mint Chocolate Chip, a favourite with kids and grown-ups alike,

Hazelnuts & Chocolate, fine Belgian chocolate make the perfect background for an abundance of roasted hazelnuts, delicately highlighted by chunks of Belgian chocolate,

Coffee & Almonds, short black in a scoop,

Rum & Raisin, we endeavour to highlight the true nature of one of our favourites: lots of raisins soaked in real Hansen Rum,

Macadamia Nut, a truly native Australian favourite with a smooth caramel ripple,

Raspberry Sorbet & Lemon Sorbet, smooth non-dairy sorbets with very amazing zest,

Mocha Almond Fudge, combining coffee, liquor, chocolate and almonds to create an exclusive coffee treat,

Passion Fruit, with the refreshing tangy taste and smoothness of real passion fruits.
Cookies & Cream, nothing but just the real thing - chunks of Oreo cookies.


History :Founded in Denmark in 1978 under the name of The Great Danish Cone Company. They based their innovations around the original cone maker. This company is lovingly held by three generations now. They brought their concepts to Aust in 1982 and to our Lion City in 1989.




5.
Name: Geláre

Location: SMU ( new) , Causeway Point, Citylink Mall, Holland Village,Hougang Mall, Marine Cove, Plaza Singapore, Siglap, Far East, S'pore Changi Airport T1 (Transit Lounge) , Suntec City Mall
Specialties: Freshly Baked Waffles, Cones, Ice Cream Cakes, Sundaes, Sandwiches ,Salads, Pasta. Their ice cream in low in fat ( ladies look out!!) Their fantastic range of ice- creams is surely a must-try!! Their ice cream flavours are

Geláre Ice Cream
All White Chocolate Chip
Banana Walnut
Brandied Cherry
Butter Pecan
Cappuccino
Chocolate Overload
Cookie Dough
Cookies N Cream
Green Tea
Jamaican Chocolate
Macadamia Nut
Mocha Chip
Oregon Mint Fudge
Passion Fruit
Pistachio Nuts
Pralines N Cream
Rum N Raisin
Swiss Caramel Chocolate
Tiramisu
Tropical Mango
Vanilla Bean
Vanilla Chocolate Chip
Wild Strawberry
Soy Chocolate Obsession
Soy Purely Vanilla
Raspberry Sorbet
Geláre Yoghurt
Blueberry Cheesecake
Choc Chip Choc Chunk
Apple Pie Crunch
Strawberry Cheesecake
Oregon Hazelnut
Geláre Sorbet
Lemon Sorbet
Mango Sorbet

History: Began as a small café in Fremantle, W.Aust. In Jan 1987.

So now that u know where to get ur ice creams and get urself cooled. (what ever you do after that aint our concern one bit) Btw do check urself now and then. Ice creams ARE fattening. (we're telling you now itself. fat free ice cream is available all over spore. risk it if u want.) U wun wanna be on the next extreme makeover. ( free liposuction anyone?)

Adioz

Paesuvom

NgRNthk;

Vasantham Central, Wednesdays at 8pm

The exciting and thought provoking Tamil talk show series is back for the 4th season. The burning issues that we confront or observe, which impact or disturb us, leading to conflicting opinions is brought to light in the new Paesuvom series.

The show started out with topics such as the importance of Tamil speaking and pre-marital sex. The very next debate was on blogging and if it should have its limits. A few of us got the chance to be in this episode, on both sides of the panels. One panel that was up for blogging totally and said that writing whatever they wanted was their own choice. Another panel, not against the idea of blogging but did have the idea that blogging should have its limits; i.e. we must know where not to cross the line.

Having to meet Miss Kalpana(the host) at 4pm, off to the makeup room where it was the boys who were made up in the end. Pretty sure they enjoyed it! The guests for that debate were the Miss Vasantham Girls, Barathi and Puvaneswari.

Well there was only one main reason these girls were the guests. They were out to get answers for all the trauma they had been through during the Miss Vasantham period. These girls were all written about in many blogs especially one in which they were made very famous. And yes readers, I'm sure we are all aware of which blog we're taking about. None other than the all famous KLK blog. So yes who were they going to get their answers for, the reasons to why they were targeted. We had two representatives from KLK, Aarthi and Praba.

The issue on Miss Vasantham got the debate heated up. The vasantham girls were defending themselves while our KLK representatives reasoned out everything they wrote. Everything they spoke was thrown to our KLK representatives. Explanations flew from one corner of the panel to the other. The opposition panel threw in questions such as social responsibility and the usage of language, how what one writes affects many others. The key idea was that yes you can write, no one is stopping you in that aspect but yet you should know your limits. There is that line to where it should stop, a border each one should have. Points such as the freedom to write and such were mentioned in which they were then questioned that if one could think twice when he or she speaks, why is it then when it is written it does not become such a case.

Things got heated up at certain parts of the shoot and people were shooting each other off. At the end of the day we know we are not going to take things personally. Well hard to say the same thing for the vasantham ladies who throughout the entire show kept going on and on about how they were so badly affected etc.

Overall the show came to a point where it looked more like the debate was on the vasantham girls. But points were made clear in the end. Blog all you want. Yet the key is to structure your words in such a manner that it is not going to affect a certain party in a certain manner. That was something everyone definitely agreed on. We never know how old our readers are. Examples were given such as the usage of the FUCK word. Western influence has definitely changed our society. Yet there is one thing we had to understand. We are not America. Singapore does not provide that basic infrastructure to write all we want. And maybe the day we are given the key to freedom in what we write, this aspect of blogging may definitely change.

Watch more on the show in about two weeks time.

A few of the participants from both sides of the panels.
(Frm Left to Right) Surein, Shalini, Praba, Sathiya, Samantha and Revathi.

Infidelity- Attraction or Distraction?

[Editor: A very dejected Ragasiya wrote this post after she caught red handed her beloved boyfriend sleeping with her cat. This has been ongoing for a year now and the very heart broken her wrote this post dragging two Carleberg along the way. So much so that she didnt't even bother to answer me if he was having a doggy style with a cat]

Experiencing infidelity often calls for devastation. For others, especially in the tradition Asian outlook, its a big taboo. According to a website, recent surveys show that 40% of woman (this number is increasing) and 60% of men indulge themselves in extra-marital affairs. This actually amounts to 80% of relationships affected by infidelity.

Before one goes into the usual " Oh my god, why the heck would I wanna cheat/disappoint the near to perfection hubby/wifey that I've got?", think again cause I know you're lying. And guess what? Everyone's gonna know that too.

A study shows that it is almost impossible for one to stay faithful to their spouses in his/her lifetime. It also says that monogamy is the most uncommon of all the common categories of relationships. [Uncommon of all common? Ok, we all know what level you're in now]

Every male/female practice infidelity in their lives at least once. The braver ones do it outright with their pretty high hormonal levels by going ahead with extra-marital affairs and, well yeah, the weaker ones do it right there. Yeah right there, in their hearts. Fantasies of being with someone else and living a life with a 'better person but not my hubby/wifey' is what it means.

With the wind blowing from the west side, we all do know that the divorce levels are on the rise just like the sea levels right at Antarctica. Take a look at these statistics.

• from 2313 in 1983 to 6561 in 2003

• The highest divorce rate was seen among those who married young, between the ages of 20 and 24. Their divorce rate also registered the highest jump in the past 20 years

• The most common reason given for, cited by 49 percent of couples, was "unreasonable behaviour of spouse". The second most common reason was living apart or separation of three years or more.

http://www.singapore-window.org/sw04/040623a2.htm

Some of the most common excuses of infidelity are perceived lack of intimacy, boredom, stress at work and the usual "My spouse made me do that!" Somehow or rather, the finger points everywhere else then to their own selves.

I believe the basic reason why one seeks to infidelity is basically attraction. Ur eyes/mind/heart is attracted to someone else's intelligence/beauty/personality/behavior etc. And definitely such an attraction is a simple act of distraction from work/school/home etc.

To whether this attraction or distraction for that matter is justified after marriage is yours to debate. But then and again, just because one is in an relationship does not make him/her less human. Its up to one's discretion to pretty much decide on their rights to keep attraction within their hearts or to bring it to a higher level and break many other hearts.

So the next time you hear those gossip queens and the rising number of kings yakking about this, you know they are just lying as much. Now u know the truth. The truth that probably everyone knew but never faced it. Hid it like a 'true blue' Samaritan and stood side by side with the ugly lie that came with the label of 'societal norms'. What is left is the irony of it all.

So if you're attracted and distracted, cool, face it. You're just being human. But trying to explain to ur spouse about this, for the men, yes being hit by the stilettos is painful and to the women, trust me, you wouldn't wanna see a crying man.

Look back, think. And just in case the one sleeping next to you rouses suspicion juices in ur lil' head, watch out. [Whether or not the spouse wanted to raise suspicions, you have made 100% sure that a fight will break out at a home near us. Just in case a fight is indeed what breaks out due to suspicion thanks to our drunk ragasiya here, don't worry about it, shit happens]

Excuse me, Are you Gay?

[Editor: Here's one that'll serve as a tissue paper for Brandy. Yes, yishun Brandy]

GAY.

1. A person whose sexual orientation is to persons of the same sex.
2. A person who is homosexual.

Some of us regard the word 'Gay' as taboo. Some of us tend to think gays or lesbians are just people with either sexual identity crisis or purely people who are sick in the head in terms of sexual orientation. [In my own words, I call em' insane in the membrane] Personally, I beg to differ. No, don't be quick to judge! I am not lesbian neither was I one nor am I holding a 'Support the gay community' campaign here.

I have friends some of which who are gay and some who are lesbians. Coming from a convent background, I have learnt to accept such people purely based on the fact that they, like any one of us reading this entry right now, are normal human beings with feelings and emotions. The only thing that separates them from a normal straight lady or man would be their sexual identity.

Yes, sexual identification. I've heard of some labels used to identify the many types of gays or lesbians you see loitering in the streets or clubs. Here are some of them. However, these are more applicable for the lesbians.

Butch/Bung: A female who dresses like a male. Has short cropped hair (Funky hairstyles apply too) Most of them are mistaken for guys.

Passive: A female who dresses like a girl and who is like any other ordinary girl, only thing she is harbouring gay feelings and is not attracted to the opposite sex.

Active: A female who dresses like a guy. She probably would be seen in jeans and polo tees most of the time and does not have short cropped hair. She might possess tomboyish manners but is still seen as a female on the whole due to the length of hair.

Yes, so these are some of the labels for lesbians. The other labels would be bisexual which applies to both genders. It literally means that the girl/guy is attracted to both sexes.

Let us take some time now to identify some possible reasons as to why people turn gay.

1. They have been either tomboyish (regard to girls) or girlish (regards to guys) since young.

2. As some girls grow up, they find that they are more interested in their own species compared to guys. Gay/lesbian attractions usually tend to be superficial.

3. Some girls detest men due to bad childhood experiences (Eg: Rape/Torture)

4. Some guys prefer to be women contributing to the increasing numbers of transvestites in Singapore. If they can't reach the level of being a tranny, they would be happy enough finding a partner with similar sexual orientation.

5. Most gays and lesbians discover their sexual identity during their teens. Some continue to be gay/lesbian for a long time never changing, while some come out of it over time.

6. Could this whole gay and lesbian thing possibly be a trend? Or does love exist between species of the same gender?

Having a few lesbian friends, I have posed such questions to them before. Some of them have said:

1. "Yes, true love could possibly exist between 2 females".

2. "I've always had an interest for girls".

3. "I find women more appealing than men".

4. "Men just bring trouble, I would rather be with women for they are more emotional and understanding".

5. "I love making out with women because they can pleasure me better than any man cause women always know what another woman wants!". [Just for the records, you friend didn't answer the question. Question is, Could this whole gay and lesbian thing possibly be a trend? Or does love exist between species of the same gender? From where in the world did her 2.5 milligram brain fork out the answer?]

6. "For the sake of thrill".

So there, we have heard their reasons. Those answers does not represent the community of lesbians but at least now we sort of know what makes them have such a sexual identity. They are still humans because it still boils down to one thing. Love. It exists amongst everyone of us in varying amounts. Love is all around! Lesbians/Gays have feelings too. We should stop condemning them just because of the way they are.

Most guys tend to detest lesbians and gays. [Who the hell said that? You have no idea how happy we feel when we witness two lesbians get it on] That point alone is understandable. They are afraid their girlfriends might turn lesbian soon. If you guys have watched The L Word (I'm a big time fan of it) you'd realise that there's this character named Jenny who was a straight girl but ended up dumping her boyfriend for a woman solely for the sake of her sexual pleasure and her crazy attraction towards women.

The world is funny isn't it? Then again, I'd like to say love and lust knows no boundaries and every human on this earth regardless of sex, race, identity is free to love. Don't condemn the gay community! [Like how Russell Peter's dad says it, "INDIAN MEN SHOULD NOT BE GAY!"]

P.S Why is it that some clubs have barred bungs from entering on ladies night? [It's simply to avoid confusion]

[Editor: Now I have a question. Which toilet does a bunk use? They sure as hell would not be able to squat in a men's urinal can they? And neither will they be allowed into a female toilet. These days, ladies hammer anything that resembles men in a women's toilet]

Women. They're No Longer Like Before!

*Editor's remarks in brackets

[I knew this was coming. A post done up about women. Here's shalini's very first]

In the past (and not too long ago at that), a woman, over age 50 who was single, inspired sympathy and concern from her married peers: Will she ever be able to find someone and settle down? True. Even today, many unattached women are in this demographic dream of hearing wedding bells. Still, a surprising number have the exact opposite attitude and think, "Why the heck would I want to get married now?" [Coz they're fugly?]

Most people believe that men over 50 have long cherished their bachelordom. But these days, a growing number of women also feel that staying single has a whole lot of benefits. When I was conducting a survey busing this book as the key concept, The Boomers' Guide to Online Dating, I was surprised by how often I heard this sentiment.

This doesn't mean these women aren't dating—on the contrary, their calendars are packed with fun plans and romantic prospects. [Yea, we all know what fun plans mean] But if a well-meaning male suitor starts putting out feelers along the lines of, "So do you ever want to get married someday?" they're more likely than ever to hear a woman say, "I doubt it"—and really mean it. What's caused such a dramatic shift in 50-plus women's romantic goals? Read on to find out.

Reason 1: They've got plenty of company
Perhaps the first reason women are happier to stay single is because they're hardly the pariahs they were in the past. Today, a whopping 16 million Boomers, more than 25 percent of men and women in this age group, are single. That means unattached women this age are rarely lacking in a little company, whether it's a night out with some single pals or a hot date on a Saturday night. Internet dating has also helped turn the world into their oyster, presenting them with tons of prospects, many of whom are much younger and very interested in wooing an older woman. [Amen to that. All hail the Internet, now!]

All in all, it's easier than ever for women this age to get the same emotional perks than their married counterparts do, whether that be affection, intimacy, shared fun or laughter. In fact, some of these singles might argue that their love lives are even more exciting by comparison, since their relationships aren't weighed down by the draining domestic concerns that marriage entails.

"You'd be surprised," says Carol Ford, a fifty-something widow for ten years and online dater for two years, "How easy it is to find someone who is warm and interesting to be with? I've been out with a lot of charming men my age. Then after a romantic evening, I can go back to my little retreat and he goes to his, and there's no squabbling over 'Why didn't you fold my laundry the way I like it?'"

Reason 2: They'd rather downsize domestically
While 7.6 million Boomers have never been married, the majority have tied the knot at some point. Many have raised children. If they find themselves single again after the death of a spouse or divorce, marriage is rarely high on their list of priorities because, well, they've already been there, done that. In fact, many have spent so much of their lives compromising in the name of family, sacrificing their dreams of starting a business to take care of their kids, passing on that 'girls only' Caribbean holiday because their husband argued that money was tight that being single can feel downright liberating!

Reason 3: Their family comes first
Another factor for women who already have families under their belt is how messy things can become with a new husband in the picture. Conflicts of all kinds can crop up once families blend, even if the kids are already out on their own. Some women express reluctance to share their family inheritance with someone else and their children. Others worry about the emotional impact a new husband would have on the family dynamics. Rather than rock the boat, they'd rather keep things status quo.

One acquaintance of mine I know, has this story to share: "I dated a really nice man, and we had no problems with each other," she said. "But he would criticize my 22-year-old son, and I was very sensitive to that. You know, if you bring up a child, you have this history; the long-term view. Maybe the kid isn't doing so well at this point in time, but you remember how hard he worked to win the 400-meter butterfly in a junior varsity swim, say, and you believe he'll dig down and be a winner again. It felt disloyal to hear someone doubt him. So I picked motherhood over marriage."

Reason 4: They don't need a man to make ends meet
Now more than ever, women in this age group are engaged in successful careers with lucrative salaries. The impact of this fact has been twofold: One, they're less likely to think they need to marry a guy to get by. Two, they're often so focused on their careers that socializing and romantic pursuits get put on the back burner.

Sometimes high achievers feel marriage would be more of an annoying distraction than a welcome diversion. Just ask Jan Harayda, a successful author and former women's magazine editor. "There have been many points in my career," she said. "When I've really had to concentrate to meet deadlines or the work is going smoothly and I'm having so much fun with it that I just don't want to stop." And while many men often view marriage as a support network that will help further their professional goals, women still tend to think in either/or terms: They can have a family or a career, but "having it all," so to speak, isn't as easy as the slogan suggests. Whether or not this is true is debatable, but the feeling is real and very prevalent, keeping many women content pouring their energy into a career rather than a forging a long-lasting relationship.

The bottom line is, there are so many mature unmarried folks, male and female, that going solo doesn't feel like a lonely proposition any more. If you want companionship but not necessarily commitment, love but maybe not wedlock, chances have never been better that you're in very good company.

Appearance

[Editor: This maniac now puts up something that's gonna make me a maniac. I've been always disturbed by the fact that appearances matter much. Much more to anyone who mattered much to me. Here's the maniac for you:]

I bet most of us talk about how we don't go around judging how a person is like just by their appearance or how they dress or how they look. But on the contrary, this is how many of us judge another. Given the ability to think, we all assume that whatever the person is like on the outside, is how he/she is on the "inside". [She meant inside as in the heart you kinky scoundrel!]

Don't tell me no one is ever guilty of making judgements upon first impression. When we see a girl with piercings on her eyebrows/below her lips, wearing black tee, black pants and has the wildest hairdo you can ever imagine, we all start assuming she is a bad influence, she has the worst company and whatever nots the human mind is capable of thinking. But no one will ever know, except those who are close to her, that she could be a straight A' student in the University. [Which crazy retarded straight A' student from any Uni will do that? Find me one. I will wash your laundry for you.] When a lady carries an Armani bag, wears Hugo perfume, dresses in CK clothes, we assume she is a rich bitch who has everything we would want. But we will never know that she is also just another ordinary woman who takes the public transport on every other day to get to work and saves every bit of her hard earned money to get the things that's on her.

Even us ladies, we all adore looking at men who dress well enough to turn us on. [Sharks, you mean you women get turned on looking at a man in clothes? We men thought otherwise] But then again, we will never know what exactly the person is like beneath all this appearance. [Yes my dear, if it's men in clothes that turn you on, you will never know what exactly a person is like beneath] Hanging out with someone who has the whole "goth" look is also like a "mistake" in the eyes of our society. Everyone basically creates a category of their own and lump all those who don't dress "up to the standard" as people not to be associated/or seen outside with. [There's a benchmark for this as well?]

Try looking beyond the looks, the appearance and then maybe you would get to meet the real intellectuals around us.

10 Most Haunted Places in Singapore

Note: Editor's comments in brackets.

[Since it's our very first post, we're dealing with the supernatural. There's always constant debates as to if they exist. The inquisition of if there is any life after death. It's been a tough week for Tashvini as she packed her bags and went in search of places regarded to be haunted. Just last week, her cousin went into trance and ran into the woods of...errr..woodlands. And while she was crying to me on the phone, I thought she could do us a favour of finding out a lil' more about the places. Here's tash for you.]

This used to be a hotel at the junction of Still Road and Marine Parade.

Punggol Kampong House, which is also known as Maltida house, is filled with rumors of being haunted by spirits because people used to come in and perform black magic. There is a mysterious number 7447 written on a wall and its well known that when u snap a picture there, you can see orbs on the picture after developing it! [Start rolling the digits to work on that 4-D]

It was a living hell for POWs. There is a Bloody Satanic face in sealed chambers and it is rumored that a Night guard died mysteriously at the barrack. [Stop blaming the supernatural for the death of NS men. All NS men die thanks to their officers]

If you guys would like to explore this place, take note of a single room in the second story of the house where a lot of wooden scaffoldings are. This room is really big, and there is a huge tree just in front of the room. It is rumored that this tree keeps dripping water non-stop.

Located at the stretch of Dairy Farm Road leading to the BKE Expressway, at the left. If you happen to explore this place, you would see maybe a hundred of bottles hanging on sticks or small fig plants. During the night, it will look like markings of tombstones waving at you.

Woody Lodge is somewhat vacant now. But if you walk near it at night, you will always hear one or two ear piercing screams from inside, possibly from the incurable mental patients. Screams from the living ghosts? Or living patients who can see ghosts? [This is interesting. I've never heard the term 'living ghosts' in my life before. Of course, with the exception of women that is]

A lady is often spotted there. Wanna check her out NS Men? [KNN, I going NS very soon some more]

The Forgotten WW2 Japanese HQ. The ghosts here will keep reenacting the suicide scenes as if a tape recorded in the event and being playback forever. [This is hilarious balls! The ghosts reenact the suicide scenes? Who the hell do they think they are? James Lee?]

Not sure why this place is under this list.. All I know is the owner of the property refuses to sell off the land. And there is no one staying there, so many of our “Kay-po” instincts say its haunted and try to scare ourselves. Try trespassing and see what you get now! [Fact is, I've tried trespassing before. Nothing interesting except for the fact that it is a good place to make out]

Ahhh. Now there is a personal experience here. Been there a couple of times just for the sake of fun. But alas, didn't see anything which we were expecting to. But something happened which left all of us speechless. We took the stairs up to the last floor and were just exploring the place. Guess where we ended up? At the ground floor! The bizarre part is that, we din take any staircase down. Any slopes down?? Any explanations anyone?! [No explanations. Just a simple question. Which was it that you had? Carlsberg or Tiger?]

Intro

Good day ladies and gentlemen. After a few weeks of planning, I'm glad to announce that our intended blog is up and running. Since I was doing the blog up all alone, I decided to leave the current template in its original state and colour. [KNN, no one offered any form of help] It's not done up 'steady pom pee pee' just as yet but I promise a 'power to the giduga' look to it as soon as I can. By the way, if you don't like the name of the URL, learn to like it. Or else, pretend. But don't be too sad cause the other ideas that came to my mind were not in any way satisfactory. If you really [And I mean really] want to know what were the ideas that came to my mind, below contains a few examples.

1. I_Have_No_Life_And_If_You_Are_Reading_This_Then_Neither_Do_U.blogspot.com
2. I_Have_Too_Much_Time.blogspot.com
3. How_Come_I_Have_No_Girlfriend.blogspot.com
4. Please_Just_Faster_Commit_Suicide.blogspot.com
5. Is_That_A_Pimple_On_My_Face.blogspot.com

If you're dreading the opening of this blog, don't worry, shit happens.