Swedish goalkeeper figures out a new way of narrowing the angle…

In a smart bit of out of the box thinking this Swedish goalie figures out a way of narrowing the angle.Unfortunately for him, the ref,who saw what he was doing from outside the box, came in and put the goalposts back where they originally were....

Korean BBQ Chicken

One of my favourite perks of being a student, other than the no-working part, of course, has to be all the little benefits and discounts we get at various shopping and eating outlets across the islands.

A particular meal I enjoyed in recent times at a student rate was at the Korean BBQ Chicken restaurant at the basement of Cathay Cineleisure. A fried chicken chain from Korea (the BBQ in the title stands for “Best of the Best Quality"), there’s nothing discernibly Korean about the food served there but, at the student promotional prices they’re offering, who’s to complain?

As i was looking for a solid bite but not a huge meal, I opted for the chicken tortilla meal, which comprised of two slices of chicken strips wrapped in tortilla with some lettuce and cucumber, fries and coleslaw on the side and a drink to top it off. While the the tortillas were a tad cold when they reached my table, the chicken was pretty delicious and the fries were fried just right.

And, thanks to the student promotional price, I got the whole set for less than S$8! Definitely worth the price.

One of my friends went for the Korean charboiled chicken set, which he described as decent if not the best he’d tasted and another friend who just wanted a quick bite went for the col-pop, which is a cute cup in which they have popcorn chicken in a slot taking up half a cup and there’s a hole for the straw to access the bottom half, which is filled with a soft drink of your choice.

While the food wasn’t earthshakingly good, it was definitely a decent meal and, coupled with the fact that the service staff were friendly and that the total meal cost us barely $20 on a Friday night in town, Korean BBQ Chicken definitely left a good impression.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (if you’re a student)
3 out of 5 stars (if you’re not)

Korean BBQ Chicken Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#B1-04/05
Singapore 239695
Tel: 6887 3638
Operation Hours
Sun - Thurs & PH - 11:00am - 10:30pm
Fri - Sat & Eve of PH - 11:00am - 11:30pm

The chain also has outlets at NorthPoint, Tampines 1, Downtown East and West Coast Plaza

An Army Husband’s Guide 1 – It’s That C

A relationship is like a dance - it takes two to tango. Finished the series for the army wife, I’m now stepping into the other dancer’s shoe – yes, the man – to continue the tango and make it complete. 

I remember vividly how the five Cs – Cash, Condominium, Car, Country Club membership, Career – has dominated the minds of single women hunting for eligible husbands about a dozen years back.

Slowly, the definition of these five Cs changed. It became more humanised with traits like companionship, caring and compatibility. Regardless of how they have evolved, one C remains to be crucial.

Guys, it is Communication. Are you thinking: Yes, I’ve guessed it!? The never-ending communication, communication and communication. Is that all women ever want?

It’s not all women ever wanted. It’s a necessary and essential ingredient to a successful relationship, like bullets are to your guns. Without them, you can’t fire. 

First, let me say that I understand talking to your wife for an hour after a long day is not something exciting to look forward to. Yes, it can even be emotionally draining at times.

I know.

The question is: Does your wife know?

She may, or may not. Especially when you had been gone for some time and she had been longing for your return. You can probably see the strained and lengthened veins in her neck.

In her mind, she’s probably playing the image of you returning home and having this big, passionate reunion with her. She’s preparing for the cosy up in bed at night, where you can hug and tell her how much you’ve missed her and she can finally pour out all the things she’s done in your absence.

She relishes in that thought and survives on that anticipation.

Then, you come home. Instead of that big, hot passionate reunion, all you want is some quiet space for yourself. You need time alone. 

She doesn’t understand why you’re behaving so oddly. In fact, she finds you slightly cold and strange. She thinks you no longer love her, or you don’t miss her at all.

The fact is, you probably missed her as hell when you were deployed. At the same time, you’re just not up to a long chat yet. Not yet. Your body may be at home, but your mind could still be hovering at the spot where people were grieving over the death of their family members in the big disaster that had struck their homeland.

Let her know how you feel, when you’re ready to speak about it. But, don’t take too long to be ready.

Less you begin to agonise over finding the right words and way to say what you need to, take heart to know that communication is not just about speaking. It is a tool to convey what you feel and need to your wife. Think out of the box – is there any other way you can let her know how you feel without saying everything?

How about playing some songs? Leaving a note? Or placing a certain item on the table to indicate your readiness to talk?

In the meanwhile, what is it that you can do to give her the sense of love while she waits for you to be ready? Can a hug do? Or a quick 5 minute run down for her first?

You and your wife can set up some common understanding among yourselves. The important thing is to be sensitive to the need for communication, and ensure that it is not broken.

What can you do to keep in touch with your family when you’re away? If a phone call is a luxury, can you send an SMS twice daily to begin and end each day? If technology is limited, can you write letters or postcard? Late news is always better than no news.

I cannot emphasise the importance of communication anymore harder than saying that without it, your marriage will more likely than not run into serious trouble. Therefore regardless of how tiring it can be for you, you cannot not communicate. It is the bridge for connection.

Ali Dia worst EPL player in last 30 years

English daily The Times of London presented a list of the 50 worst players to have appeared in the Premiership in the last thirty years.

The worst player to ever appear in English football is, according to the survey in The Times, Senegalese player Ali Dia, who joined Southampton in 1996 and was asked to leave the club after playing a mere 52 minutes. Second place in the “flop list” goes to a much more remarkable name, as it was taken by former Swede World Cup 1994 star Tomas Brolin, who went through a horrid time at Leeds United following his glamorous move from AC Parma.

The “50 Worst Players List” also includes former Serie A top scorer Andrea Silenzi (8th place, Nottingham Forest), the first former Yugoslav player to earn a transfer to an English club Nikola Jovanović (21st, Man United), World Cup 2006 “villain” Marco Materazzi (36th, Everton), Ukraine star Sergey Rebrov (44th, Tottenham) and Brazilian defender Roque Junior, who was chosen as the 45th worst player in the history of Premiership.

A Penny For Our Relationship?

How many times have we secretly wished that we are the most popular guy or girl in class during school? Well, maybe not the most popular, but well-liked at least.

Acceptance is a “popular” value among many people. Don’t we hate the feeling to be ostracised by others? To be left alone while our peers huddle together in their tight inner circle, passing juicy titbits of gossips of people out of their clique. Many times you wonder if you were one of the subject topics among them.

In order to be accepted, we go to great lengths. We please. We butter up. We bow our heads and seek for approval. Ok, maybe not to that extent – our pride’s in the way! But you get the point. We’ll do what we need and have to so that we can belong to at least one clique. We don’t want to be left behind, always the last to know what’s happening (or not even knowing until the event has been filed in the archives!), and never having someone reserve a seat for us when we run slightly late for a lecture or tutorial.

Solitude is not designed for the human race. That’s why God created Eve for Adam. That’s why we live in a society. We bond with people. We create and maintain relationships. We have a family. We have friends. We interact with strangers.

This need to be accepted by others and to mingle well with our various groups of friends is with us as we grow up and become adults.

But wait! If solitude is not designed for us humans, then are we born with the talent to make friends, keep friendships and be, erh, popular?

I can see some heads shaking.

Yes, not all of us have this knack to make people laugh, to make ourselves appear to be so loveable that nobody can resist wanting to spend the rest of their lives spinning around us.

So what happens then? How do we find friends?

Here, I’d say sorry pal, you have to learn to make friends. There are books out there for you to pick up a tip or two to crack jokes that do make people laugh, remember people’s names and to give a genuine compliment when needed.

But if you were lucky enough to be in Japan, then I say you have the easiest way out! All you need to do is to rent a friend! If you need a bestman or maid-of-honour for your wedding, don’t fret over the fact that your closest friend is the teddy bear in your closet. Nobody needs to know that you don’t have any close friends really.

Rent one! And this person will be able to deliver the most touching wedding speech that’ll guarantee to make your guests shed a bowlful tears, if you add a couple of hundred to the bill.

These agents for rent do not limit their roles to just the next-most-important-person, beside the bride and groom, in a wedding. They can be anything and everything you want. Apparently, as mentioned in this news article in today’s TODAY, you can rent a boss and even a father. Yes, a father. DNA can be transferred through air, don’t you know?

Though very amused, I’m more saddened by such a trend that has been invading Japan since eight years ago.

It leaves with me a big question hanging in the air: What is relationship worth?

If it can be bought with money, what is the message we are sending? 

Is using money to resolve this problem the solution, or the beginning of a host of other problems? 

In my opinion, renting an agent to play a role that is not true in real life is cheating. And here is the point – we can cheat the whole world, but can we really cheat ourselves?

Are we able to go to sleep in peace knowing that the best man who delivered the best speech in our wedding said what he said because of the money we stashed in his pocket?

Are we able to face our parents with no guilt at night when just hours before during the day, we had been calling someone else “Dad”?

What is the extent we will go to save our own skin? Is this price worth paying?

At the end of the day, who are we kidding? 

Suing the world over food

I’m laughing deliriously at the news of Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen declaring Malaysia’s claim on certain food as Malaysian.

Now, aside from the mind-boggling prospect of passport-totting Bak Ku Tehs, I’m not sure what that declaration would serve for the minister. It’s not like anybody who wants to eat Malaysian food has to make a trip down to Malaysia, would they? After all, the pyrrhic victory that she may trumpet at the end of her term could be overshadowed by the hysterical laughter coming out of the patent office. Why? Because you can’t patent something that is already known to everybody.

Despite all that is wrong with the patent system in general, the one thing they have down pat, which also happens to be the only rule that prevents anybody from patenting the “act of walking”, “eating”, “sleeping”, “talking”, etc — is the fact that the inventor would need to demonstrate an innovative improvement over existing methods of doing something, and make sure that it is kept a secret until the patent is awarded. I mean, I would have been a nastily rich brat if I could patent “sneezing”.

In any case, it is illogical for anybody to lay claim to a certain food as being a certain country anyway, because with the constant flux of people migrating around the world, food itself takes on a new life of its own. Certain ingredients are substituted where certain items are unavailable in migrants’ new homes; or some person has a bright idea of an addition to the dish, and it turns out brilliantly for the people in a different country. The only bond to any geographical country can thus only be described as historical.

We can trace where the food originates, not own the food itself. If you don’t realise the silliness of it, try going out on the streets and declaring that Hainanese Chicken Rice is Singapore’s. You’ll find yourself being ignored, just like how most of Singapore has reacted so far.

I’m just going to go out and have my Laksa. It’s going to be fun to see how Dr Ng is going to enforce the world to refer to it as “Malaysian Laksa”. Sue the world?

Loss of Honesty

I had lost my mobile on three occasions: pick-pocketed twice and carelessly left it in the toilet of a very small pub once.

In all the three times, I discovered the loss very quickly – within five minutes of it being gone. Equally swift was the pair of hands that landed on my prized possession at the other end.

The dreadful message announcing the phone has been switched off when I called myself means I have received the death sentence for my mobile. It is gone forever from me. 

One can easily imagine the phone is either going to change hands pretty soon at a tidy profit for the seller or will be used by this same dishonest guy who picked up someone else’s property and claimed it to be his or hers.

I was bitterly reminded of this distasteful behaviour when my friend lost her mobile in a taxi in Hong Kong. She was distraught. Sure her mobile was old and due for a change anyway, but the data that was contained in that little memory card was priceless!

She had all her contacts, SMSes (don’t we all have some very precious ones to keep?), photos, notes etc that she relied upon. Then there were those photos taken during her gown-fitting – the joy and anticipation of seeing her bridal gown being completed in stages, to see it nipped a little here tucked a little there to reveal a radiant bride in her gorgeous gown eventually.

Yes, this bride-to-be was close to tears when she dashed out from the taxi and into the building to escape from the heavy rain, hence not noticing that her mobile had, together with the taxi, sped away.

I really shudder to know that such behaviour has become common in our societies now. Since when has the spirit of “finder’s keepers” blinded us? Where is the good ole honesty that we learnt when we were young?

I remember my primary school teaching telling us that if we were to pick up a wallet on the road, we should do our best to return it to the owner. Otherwise, we should bring it to the nearest police station and leave it there. It’s about being honest, she said.

Yet, such valued honesty in the past is easily passed of as “stupidity” now.

“Don’t be stupid la. Of course you don’t return la!”

“You can sell it for a profit what. Then you can use the money to buy a better handphone!”

I can almost hear those words being spoken to me and images of these dishonest people dancing greedily around as they pop up in my mind now. I am saddened. 

Mobile phones have weaved their way very intimately into our lives now. Many of us can’t live without one. Yes, I sleep with mine beside me as it’s responsible for waking me up and provides me with some soothing solace on nights that I crave for some nice music.

And more often than not, it is usually our camera phone that captures those exquisite and spontaneous moments which would have been missed if not for this phone being constantly with us as and when we need it.

Writers like myself use our phones to take down lines and lines of text when a wave of inspiration flows in.

A mobile phone is no longer just a phone. It has become part of our lives – especially for those using smart phones.

Can you imagine a part of your life being ripped away from you? How would that feel?

I’ve been through it three times. I know how that feels. To sum up in one word – lousy. No, should be very, very lousy. The heartache will be one that lingers on even after we got a shining new phone. Some things are simply irreplaceable.

I’ve always subscribed to a principle in life: Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.

Please return the mobile to the poor soul who owns it the next time you pick up one. He or she will be eternally grateful.

Last but not least, can we bring the good ole’ honesty back into our society? Can I be hopeful that we can? 

Life’s Dramas

I didn’t plan to watch it. In fact, I had resolved not to watch it because it’s 1) probably too long and 2) going to upset me.

But on those few nights when I watched it with my mother, I realised that it might be a drama worth following after all.

Why?

Because it’s a vivid portrayal of life.

Heart of Greed, the Hong Kong mega TV drama showing now on Channel 8 depicts life as it truly is. Revolving around a rich family, this drama tells a riveting tale of how being rich is a boon, while having a heart of greed turns all the wealth into a bane. 

I found many values and human elements depicted in this show – kinship, friendship, ethics, morals, integrity, honesty, love, understanding, magnanimity, forgiveness, repentance, peace, harmony, trust, support, betrayal etc.

All of these shape who we are as a person. They define our character and they affect the way we interact with others.

Every character in the show has their own strength and weakness. The relationship between one another holds much dynamics, and to a relationship coach like me, it is extremely interesting.

Many of us have always taken our family members for granted. We assume that just because blood is thicker than water, all will be well and fine in the family. Little do we realise that harmony is not a given, but a continuous pursuit. It is the result of a never-say-die attitude and willingness to make constant effort in bringing everyone together.

In every family, there’s usually a central figure gelling everyone together. This person mediates when misunderstands occur (as we know there will surely be), organises outings and brings out the good in all of us.

Maintaining the harmony in a family and keeping it close-knitted is, in my opinion, one of the most challenging things to do in the world. You need plenty and plenty of love, tolerance and faith to accomplish this task.

Trust is not a given too, as many of us wrongly assumed to be. Haven’t we seen families being torn apart because of mistrust among the members? 

As we move into a society that dictates success based on wealth, money is no longer something that brings food to the table and keeps us alive. It represents a lot more – power, status and freedom.

And it is precisely because of what money can bring us that leads people into the wrong path. Money should be a tool for us to bring more love, happiness, joy, peace and warmth to ourselves and our loved ones. Money is never the end goal, but a means to our goals.

If it is a cause for pain, heartache and quarrels, then whatever benefits it can bring materially will never measure up to the loss of love and breaking up of a family.

Strong family values need to be planted since young - let them grow root and flourish as we age. This isn’t easy because there are too many outside factors that can easily blow us into the wrong direction. And each one of us grows up being influenced by various factors separately.

It is therefore essential to keep everyone reminded of these values that we hold dear in our hearts. Not easy, but can be done.

I’m eager to see how the family will become when the central figure is now gone. Heart of Greed, you have me tuned in. 

An Army Wife’s Guide 6 - The Woman’s Soul

I decided to add one more article to this series after giving it some thought.

I’ve talked about how you can be the wife to your soldier, the mother to your children and the pillar in your family. But I’ve forgotten an important element – the soul that makes you who you are!

Therefore, I’m dedicating this entire post solely for you. Yes, you, the good army wife, dutiful mother and unwavering pillar of strength, support and hope in the family.

You deserve the best in your life, really.

Let’s look at these 5 tips to keep you lively and lovely while your soldier is away from home.

1.  You are what you eat

Well, well. Haven’t we seen this slogan scrawled everywhere? And it’s everywhere simply because it’s true!

You are what you eat, physically. Eat well, and you will live well.

It helps to boost your energy level which makes you feel younger physically. It makes your skin glow when you take in good nutrients.

Overall, there’s too much to gain by eating well and healthy!

And, it’s really simple to do. 

2. Flirt with your hobby

I’m sure you have a hobby or interest. It can be singing, drawing, knitting, taking strolls, taking photos, shopping or any activities that allow you to be fully engaged when you’re doing it.

Such activities help to integrate all your senses and emotions and make you relax and rejuvenated. If it involves a project, it also gives you an immense sense of satisfaction when you’ve completed it.

This helps to keep you rooted to being who you are as a person, not a wife or mother. 

3. Pampering you

What can you do to feel that you’re in heaven? The kind of pure bliss that makes you feel lighter than air, as if you’re floating around joyfully and totally carefree? 

If going to spas and having a massage is the recipe for you to feel pampered, then go for it.

If not, find some other ways that make you feel that you’re living life the fullest. For me, it’s to be free of all things on my mind and read a good book with my favourite music on. It’s pure bliss!

The key here is to find out what it is that will make you feel pampered. It doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag, if that’s what’s bothering you.

It just needs to feel good, really, really good for no good reason.

4. Calming

Waiting for your husband to come home from a deployment can be tough. There’s probably lots of anxiety and worries. You may even feel frustrated at times and wonder why do you have to go through all these jittery? Why is your husband leaving you all alone to take on the entire family’s affairs on your shoulders?

Watch out when you are feeling dispirited. Do not let such negative feelings spiral into something bigger and overwhelm you. Catch it while it’s just coming out, and nip them in the bud. Chase them away from your mind.

Then, calm yourself down. If drinking a cup of hot tea helps (known to work for many), then make yourself one. Some other foods known to calm one’s nerves include oranges (it’s the Vitamin C ladies), avocado and yes, dark chocolates. Oats seem to enhance the serotonin-producing abilities in our bodies, so it’s good to take muesli bars or oat porridge. Serotonin is the chemical that helps to release stress and give women a feeling of bliss.

Everyone will have their own way to calm their spirits and nerves. Find out what works best for you and do it. You may create a list of these workable solutions with you all the time. When the anxiety and frustration suddenly attacks, you know you’re always ready to handle them. 

5. Last but not least, be yourself

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. If you see a need to spend time alone, then say no to things or people that want your attention.

Don’t give yourself too much pressure. It’s okay if you make mistakes. It’s okay if the house isn’t as tidy as you would like to. It’s okay that your life is not perfect. It doesn’t have to be. All you need to know is to recognise that you have been doing your best, and you deserve to enjoy life as much as everyone else.

Even when you think that there is simply no time left for you to pay attention to yourself, do it. It is especially during such times that you have to start loving yourself. Do not see it as being lazy or shirking responsibility. See it as a form of recharge that is ever so necessary in order for you to bounce back brimming with more energy and zest!

Choices

"Don’t disturb me. Leave me alone.”

“You don’t like me right?”

What do these have in common? They are both *extreme* sides to a situation. And more often than not, I usually manipulate things such that I get chewed out with the “Don’t disturb me. Leave me alone.” variant.

Puzzled? Consider this.

You are organizing some gathering for the year 1 freshers in Singapore, before they fly off to the UK, and because you are mentoring a few of them, you know their schedules. One of your mentees is busy studying for a diagnostic test which will be conducted when they arrive at University. You know he will be extremely busy. Also, he doesn’t get along well with another year 1 fresher because she kicked his dog.

Would you invite him to this gathering?

1. You invite him. He goes: “You jolly well know I am studying for this insanely hard test, why do you send me invitations? Don’t disturb me. Leave me alone.”

2. You don’t invite him. He finds out, and goes: “I am your mentee, and you invited everyone else, except me? What kind of senior are you? You don’t like me right?”

What should you do? As a masochist, I go for the immediate potential conflict.

“Hey, there’s a gathering next Wednesday, please come if you can make it.”

Sure, I can get blasted with a “Don’t disturb me, leave me alone”, but I’ve had experience in the SAF of chief clerks and what not telling me the same thing. But that’s all that happens. You may get a person slightly angry, but at least that person knows about the gathering, and can choose whether to go or not.

That’s infinitely better than thinking you know better, and then not giving your mentee a choice whether to turn up or not. You may have meant it for the best, you want him to be the only person in the level who gets full marks for his diagnostic test, and you want to avoid any potential conflict. So you say nothing. If your mentee doesn’t find out, everything is fine. You’ve saved yourself some hassle. But if your mentee does, then everything is much worse. It’s no more a simple “Why do you disturb me when I’m busy”, but more of a “Why do you not tell me, do you not think I can make my own choices? Am I just a “mentee” on a piece of paper, and nothing else?”

And strangely, while your mentee can be angry with you disturbing him, telling him there is a gathering next week, he will only be angry for a short while, perhaps a few seconds. But in the latter case, it’ll last much longer, because there are too many things coursing through his mind, which have more weightage than mere irritation.

This is why I suppose, in the last Easter holidays, whenever I decided to cook and have small dinners, I risked everyone’s wrath and asked them instead of assuming they were busy. It is not so easy as you think it is, facing a year 3 student who has a 100 page report to do on Statistics within the Easter holidays is worse than facing a rampaging bull. Of course, there were people who were understandably annoyed at me because they told me they were already busy, but I much prefer being the vent of their annoyance, rather than not bothering to give them an invitation.

An Army Wife’s Guide 5 – A Motherly Father?

We’ve come to the last post in this series for the army’s wife.

In the previous posts, I’ve focused on the relationship between the husband and wife. This relationship forms the bedrock of a marriage, and hence, has to be given utmost priority over anything else.

Now, let’s switch our centre of discussion to the ones bordering around the couple -their offspring.

As an army wife, when your husband is away again for an extended period, your role as a mother becomes more critical, and extended. Suddenly, you are now both a mother, a father (when necessary) and the bridge between your child and their father. Guess what? It’s a role that you have to take up, prepared or not regardless. 

I’ve listed down three ways that would help to close this physical gap between father and child. Hope it helps!

1. In our sight, in our minds

Out of sight, out of mind! Therefore, it’s vital that your children can see their father every moment in the days when Daddy is not at home.

How do we do that? Simple. Shoot a video.

No, shoot as many videos as possible when your husband is around.

Video him in as many activities as possible. He can be pouring a glass of water, watching TV on the sofa, playing with the children or just giving you a kiss on the cheek.

Play this video to your children regularly. When they see their father in action, they can link it to the daily activities in which they engage in themselves. Hence, a virtual connection is established and maintained on a continuous basis.

Of course, if you can shoot videos, what’s stopping you from taking photos and blowing them up to place in every corner of the house?

It’ll help a lot if you have photos of your husband at work. How about him smartly posed in his uniform? From here, you can slowly explain the type of job he is in and why he’s always not at home!

When it’s not out of sight, chances that it’s out of mind are reduced.

2. Daddy’s lullabies

That’s right! Even though Daddy may not be the next Singapore Idol, he can still sing sweet lullabies to his darlings. This is especially useful when you have newborns at home.

As we all know, babies are sensitive to touch and voices. Since your husband can’t be there to talk to them as often as you can, playing lullabies sung by him at night works on your newborn’s subconscious mind.

When Daddy’s back, rather than crying and feeling scared at a stranger’s touch and sound, your baby would be smiling to the familiar voice in their father’s arms.

3. Daddy and I …

I know this may sound rather troublesome, and a mouthful to say it every time. But it’s important, especially if your child is old enough to understand things.

Your child knows that Daddy is often not at home. But that doesn’t mean that their father is not involved in their lives. And they need to know this.

You can help to remind them constantly by referring to Daddy as often as needed. For example, instead of saying “Mummy loves you” say “Daddy and Mummy love you!”

When they come home from school telling you excitedly about their little achievements, tell them that “Daddy and I are so proud of you.”

This may be an insignificant gesture, but it goes a long way in imprinting the role of Daddy in your child’s mind. 

And this wraps up this series of An Army Wife’s Guide. I hope you like them and find them helpful!

Positive thinking

Is your glass half-empty or half-full, or completely empty? How you answer this age-old question reflects your outlook on life, your attitude towards yourself, and whether you’re optimistic, pessimistic or suffering from Ris Low-induced bipolar depression!

All these, in turn, affect your health and well-being.

Positive thinking is the key to effective stress management. It means approaching unpleasant situations in a more positive and productive way.

By knowing how to put positive thinking into action in your own life, you can reap the benefits, even if your glass turns out to be completely empty!

Health benefits of positive thinking

You live longer because you have greater resistance to common ailments like cold and the flu. Your risk of death from heart disease is also lower. You can cope better in times of hardship and distress.

We are not sure why people who engage in positive thinking also experience these health benefits. One possible explanation is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful effects of stress on your body.

Positive and optimistic people also tend to adopt a healthier lifestyle. They exercise more, have a healthy diet, and don’t need to drink alcohol or smoke.

Handling self-talk

Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk is based on logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information or because you did not take time to examine certain issues.

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook will likely to be pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely to be an optimist — someone who practises positive thinking.

Negative self-talk

In negative self-talk, you magnify negative aspects of a situation and leave out the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work and you completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented. But you forgot to complete one minor task. That evening, you only brood on your oversight and disregard the compliments you received.

You automatically blame yourself when something bad occurs. You hear that an evening out with friends is cancelled, and you assume that was because no one wanted to be around you.

You anticipate the worst. You refuse to go out with friends for fear that you will make a fool of yourself.

When you handle an issue or a situation, you consider the outcome only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be completely successful in dealing with the task at hand or you consider yourself as a total failure.

Practical steps to develop positive thinking

Learn to turn negative thinking into positive. The process is straightforward but it takes time and practice as you are creating a new habit and new lifestyle.

Here are some actions to develop the habit of positive thinking:

Be mindful. At regular intervals, stop and step out of your thought process. Imagine yourself as an outsider and look critically at what you have been thinking and are thinking right now. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, ask if there is a reason for them to be negative. Is there a positive aspect that you have overlooked. By stepping out of your mind, you become self-aware of your thought process. You treat your thoughts as external things to be discarded if you don’t like them.

Laugh. Give yourself permission to chuckle, especially during difficult times. Life is hilarious, if we look hard enough.

Exercise intensively at least three times a week. Run in the park for 30 minutes. Lift weights. Cycle. Vigorous exercise causes your brain to produce feel-good chemicals that are a safer way to alter your mood than taking anti-depressant drugs. It’s also cheaper!

Hang out with positive people. Positive, supportive people give you encouragement, useful advice and tips, and are willing to spend time to help you solve difficult problems.

Avoid going to pubs and other drinking spots to “drown” your problems with other born-losers. Alcohol – wine, beer, brandy, whisky and other strong drinks – does nothing but poisons your brain and body and eventually exterminates your life.

Machine or man?

I wonder. Is it better go through life uncaring, unfeeling, labelled cold-hearted by peers? You’re not necessarily evil, but you’re just neutral. You just don’t care, or don’t seem to. You brush through life, hearing tales of woe, tales of adversity, and you just nod your head. “Oh.”

You understand. You give allowances, off days, excuses, maybe even offer to take on their workload. But you don’t care. You can understand it intellectually, but you don’t seem to be able to empathize. It’s easy to go through the motions, but they don’t mean anything.

People who know you label you as a cold person. Maybe they try to draw you out of your own little shell, hoping you’d develop some spark of warmth, of empathy. Of something that doesn’t just rely on intellectual rigour. You have juniors cajoling you to do things, maybe your army mates pushing here and there, regulars taking an interest. But you don’t seem to grasp the concept. A cold, calculating machine. What gives? You’re effective. Get the job done. Pulls rabbits out of hats. Makes allowances. Does that balance against everything?

Then again, what about the converse? You feel. You try to understand, genuinely listen. I’d like to think I did, for my first year at University, until now. I do, but perhaps I’m a bit like the above kind of person. I find it hard to say things, to find the correct kind of words. But you know, I do. I do know. Weak, foolishness? It easily opens one to many other dangers, cynicism not becoming me. Justifiable, definitely.

What causes the above stilted prose? Empathy, and wondering if it would be better to be a cold person instead. After all, it’s lesser complications. Easier to be a thinking machine, rather than one filled with various differing emotions. Because I find it difficult to express what I feel in words, and I can only listen. Listen, and offer what support I can, if any. I have my own problems, and my friends have their own problems as well. And yet I wonder, if I can be as good a listening ear and support as they are to be. Sometimes, I think I’m not. After all, how can a mathematician express how he thinks and feels, in a medium apart from logical symbols? I can only try.

And yet somehow, deep within me, I feel a twinge. Of what? I do not want to know.

Rant online, and still keep your job

How the hell?

You’ve seen people lose their jobs after they rant about their bosses on Facebook, which really scares most people half to death (I mean the losing job part). But at the same time, the lure of anonymous ranting is so enticing.

Isn’t the web an excellent place to talk about the people who disappointed or angered you? My answer is still: YES.

On one condition: You actually re-frame your experiences as a learning experience, instead of about tearing a person to shreds online. This is important. You want to share your experiences, about how you could have handled things better; peppering it with fiery sentiments of anger is only going to detract from your message.

I mean, we’ve all had it. Days where good friends really get on your nerves, but most people are inherently reasonable people. Once the conflicts are resolved, the last thing they want to do is to read about it on your blog. To make matters worse, the written word is a lot less emotionally expressive than vocal or face-to-face communication. A lot of the things that would work in social settings (like sarcasm, and joking mockery) fail badly when taken online.

Of course, you could have made a video in order to be sarcastic, but that would have defeated the purpose of having anonymity online. Not a real choice at all.

So before you fire off anything online, calm down first! If your blog can be read by anyone, it can sure as hell be read by your boss and friends!

An Army Wife’s Guide 4 – That’s What Friends Are For

The song has sung it. 

Many articles have written about and extolled the many virtues of having girl friends. And this is no different.

Except that you - an army wife - probably need even closer friends than the others. Brownie points if she is also an army wife.

Of course, no girl friend, no matter how close, can replace a husband. But never, ever underestimate the power of close friends. They provide one of the greatest values in this world, something that no money can buy.

They provide support.

They provide listening ears.

They stand on your side and gripe with you.

They make you feel that you’re not alone.

Whenever you feel that life has thrown too much for you to handle alone, you know they are there to turn to and let out your complaints. And funny thing is, it usually just get better when you have poured out your grievances, even when no solution is in sight.

Do you have these gems in your life already?

I believe that you do. Who doesn’t have one or two close friends, right?

But in the event that you don’t, due to whatever reasons (maybe you just arrived into Singapore and settled here), then don’t get disheartened. I’ve listed some easy ways here to expand your social circle, and hopefully, with good management and sincerity, you’ll be able to find yourself some real chums soon.

3 Ways to Find Friends and Build a Support Network

1. Follow the clique

I believe your husband must have a group of friends whom he hangs around more often than the rest. If he doesn’t, then ask him to invite his army colleagues – the closer ones, of course – out for a drink. Remember, your aim is to know their wives, or girlfriends. Therefore, it’ll be a night out with his close army friends plus their significant others.

Through such casual gatherings, it’s not hard to gather some clues into the lives of these army guys and the roles their wives play.

Spend some time to speak to and get to know more about each and every one of them. Do not discount anyone during the first two meetings. You never know. The girl who remains silent most of the time may turn out to be the real friend as opposed to the one who can’t keep her mouth shut for a second!
Having a clique of army wives as friends is really good for both emotional and practical reasons. I’m sure you know why.

2. Join a wife or mother’s club

I know a friend who is an Australian and married a Singaporean. When she and her husband moved back to Singapore, she was without any friends. And, to make things worse (or better?), she was pregnant then.

She joined a yoga club for mothers-to-be. And viola! Now, she has made herself some friends whom they can hang out with after class or whenever time permits and just chat about anything under the sky! The best part is, this group of mothers-to-be continue to meet up regularly after they become mothers. Their children have become best of friends too, needless to say.

If yoga is not down your alley, find something that suits you. Then go and find out if they have a class specially for mothers, or wives. Why does it have to be married women and not singles? Because chances are the singles might not be able to understand so deeply what you’re going through managing a household alone most, if not, all the time.

3. Utilise the social network

I strongly recommend Facebook. Why? Because I’m a regular user, and I’ve made a few friends through this site. Real friends, I mean. Those who give you advices when you ask for them.

In this site, there are many specialised groups available. You can search and join one that suits your interest and character. These groups constantly organise activities which you could join if you’re keen. I’m sure you’ll be able to find some friends there. Chat with them for a while, and if your intuition tells you it is safe, arrange to meet them up in person. Who knows, a true and budding friendship could just be on the way!

No man is an isolated island. We need friends. But what is friendship really? I know of people who refuse to ask favours from their friends because they hate to inconvenience others. Personally, I think you should ask for favours whenever you really need them.

That’s what friends are for, isn’t it?

Otherwise, you’ll be too overwhelmed by all the things happening that this stress will somehow find its way to create problems in your life and your relationship with your husband and family members. As an army wife, you know as well as I do that this is not a remote possibility but a highly likely one.

And when the turn comes for you to return the favour, or merely giving them one, do your best to help them out. After all, we all live on the same piece of land. So why not give each other a back rub as and when we can? 

Lastly, friendships need, like any relationships, time and effort to maintain and manage. Do not only go to your friends when you need them, and forget about them when you’re carefree and happy. You share your happiness with them, and you have them to lighten your burdens.

Sincerity goes a long, long way.

Local Short Film - Little Note by Royston Tan (Snippets)

Royston Tan is back, doing what he truly loves, i.e making short films. The last production that many of us caught on the big screen was “12 Lotus” which seemed like a sequel to the ever popular featured Getai film “881” which was released in 2007.

Royston Tan is one of our country’s prides, a talented and promising film director who had received more than 60 awards internationally for his works so far. Royston’s early productions were daring and abstract in some ways, emitting rebellious and individualistic characteristics. In recent years, his works ascended into a different level. Most of which used the simplicity of life to touch the audience. Little Note, his most recent short film that has yet to release is one of those that will rouse your tear ducts and make your hearts go funny.

It is not easy to bring an audience through a whirlwind of emotions within the sheer few minutes of a short film. Let’s await and see if Royston will surprise us like he always did in the past with Little Note.

Stay tuned.

The original video of the Little Note Trailer can be viewed from Chuan Pictures’ Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126371297763&ref=mf
Official website of Royston Tan’s production house, Chuan Pictures: http://www.chuanpictures.com

Snippets of the Little Note Trailer:

Spain and England almost there… Portugal almost Gone

Spain and England will secure their place with a point from their next qualifying game after registering 7 wins out of 7 matches! The European Champions trashed Belgium by 5 goals to nothing, and can afford to miss a penalty! Valencia duo David Villa and David Silva played an excellent game with each scoring a brace, while former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique scored the fifth!

England had a less than convincing win against underdog Slovenia, narrowing edging 2-1, and United forward Wayne Rooney was accused of diving in England’s opening penalty goal! Still… its 21 points! Capello is certainly staying as England manager!

Portugal kept alive their World Cup qualifying hopes on Saturday when they held Group One leaders Denmark to a 1-1 draw thanks to Liedson’s 86th-minute equaliser on his international debut. Portugal now lies SEVEN POINTS behind leaders Denmark in Group A, lying in 4th position with only 3 games remaining. Looks like CR is not visiting South Africa!

Brazil qualifies for the World Cup 2010

The Argentinian defense goes to sleep as they fail to mark Luisao who heads home Elano’s free kick. Then Luis Fabiano scores as Mariano Andujar fails to collect cleanly. Jesus Datolo responds with a blistering left footed shot from 30 yards out. Argentina are back in it again. But a minute later Kaka threads a devilishly clever pass to Luis Fabiano who outraces the lone Argentinian defender and scores.

Its over. The hex of Rosario Central is lifted. It was Argentina’s first World Cup qualifying home defeat since September 5, 1993, when they lost 5-0 to Colombia in Buenos Aires

Brazil qualify for SA joining Australia, Netherlands, DPR Korea, South Korea, and Japan. Argentina are in fourth place on 22 points just ahead of Colombia.

Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009

My stomach churned when the first rain drops hit the windscreen of the cab, where I was desperately trying to catch some winks for the run. The feeling that I might not need that rest only intensified as I stepped out into a Changi Village that had an ominously overcast sky.

Thankfully, while it did drizzle a little, the weather more-or-less held for the next two hours and made the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009 a really enjoyable experience.

The run was organised to promote awareness of the Yellow Ribbon project (which aims to rehabilitate ex-convicts into a society that isn’t biased against them), starting from SAF Field at Changi Village, the race route (which came in 5km fun-run or 10km competitive choices) wound through the entire Changi prison complex, passing through landmarks such as Changi Chapel Museum and the Johore Battery before ending up at the new Changi Prison compound.

I was initially hesitant about taking up the race because I hadn’t run a 10km race since last year’s Nike Human Race and was (and still am) terribly out of shape. In the end, however, the prospect of running for a good cause as well as a goal that motivated me to start training led me to join the thousands at the starting point at 7.30am, undeterred by the little specks of rain.

Unlike the Nike race’s disorganised and badly-planned race route (which featured lots of human jams due to bottle-necking paths and horridly-chosen water points), the Yellow Ribbon run’s route was largely spacious and allowed for participants to run at their own pace without worrying about blocking anyone else, although the wildly undulating hills were a bit trying on knees and legs turned wobbly from a sedentary life.

The route itself was an interesting viewing experience and offered up a lot of sights that even Singaporeans would probably never see. There were several times along the way when I actually slowed my pace down to a stroll (not that I needed an excuse, what with strong winds buffeting me and the hills wrecking havoc on my legs) so I could take in the old buildings along the way.

The post-run activities were pretty well done too. Other than a mini-carnival with games, there was also free ice cream from Anderson’s (one of the sponsors), milo for the lucky few who manged to snag it before it was gone and even muffins baked by the convicts themselves. The goodie bag, too, was unexpected hefty for a charity run and included a towel, a cap, an actual yellow ribbon and a huge heavyweight of a finisher plaque.

Overall, I enjoyed the run a lot (despite having had to wake up at an unearthly hour to traipse across the island for it) and it was definitely an interesting viewing experience.

The Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009, organised to raise awareness of the Yellow Ribbon project, consisted of a 10km competitive run and a 5km fun run. The run, which was graced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Mr Teo Chee Hean, started at 7.30am on 6th September 2009.

Mandarin in Singapore’s service sector

Pu Tong Hua (普通话), the language that unified mainland China, also happens to be one of Singapore’s official working language. Contrary to what many people believe, it is not the lingua franca of the Singapore Government. (Trivia: The country’s national language is actually Malay. Not Tamil, and most certainly not English!)

However, for most practical of all purposes (and our government prides itself as being rationally down-to-earth on many issues, such as this one), Mandarin is the more commonly heard language here, snapping hot on the heels of our official working language: English.

We have an absolute majority of ethnic Chinese in Singapore, and the dual-language education policy has ensured that at least 70% of the population can speak some Mandarin. That is good news, because over a billion people speak the language. The government believes that being able to speak a second language would place the country at a more advantageous position versus economies that can’t.

When we Singaporeans go over to China for leisure or for work, most of us have lesser problems with finding our way around, making new friends and business acquaintances. It doesn’t completely remove the cultural barrier between us and the China Chinese, but a common language at least makes it easier to communicate.

This language policy has also served many Chinese very well, being able to communicate with most Singaporeans, even if they knew little or no English. It’s an added advantage for them, especially when most businesses are conducted in English. Assistance is just a request away, and settling in Singapore for all means and purposes is smooth for these foreigners.

However, the trouble comes when foreign workers from China who match the profile I’ve outlined above try to service customers in Singapore. While 70% of Singaporeans may be able to speak Mandarin, that still leaves 30% of our country with little or no grasp of the chinese language. That is not to include the millions of visitors to our country, of which many have only a smattering grasp of English, and absolutely no clue on Mandarin.

It’s easy to see what effect this has on service levels. It took me a long time to understand a Parisian bus driver when I asked him how to get to Terminal 2E of the sprawling Charles de Gaulle airport with the basic French I took up before flying out. Now imagine trying to describe the sequins on the handbag you’re trying to sell, and at the same time relate the manufacturing process and raw materials of the exotic leather strap, and you would realise the herculean task involved.

Tough indeed. There has been talk in the news, as well as the huge flurry of activity in the forum pages about mandating that workers in the service industry be tested on their competency in English before they are hired. The outlying hard-liners even believe that there are too many Chinese workers in the service sector, and propose employment limits.

It is a tough call. Service sector jobs such as waitressing and sales are unpopular with Singaporeans. Many of us deem those jobs to be labour-intensive and lowly paid, and refuse to take up positions. However, for businesses to survive, these positions have to be filled. Sure, I may aspire to be a restaurant’s general manager, but what’s there for me to manage if there are no waitresses?

Similarly, filling these critical jobs is pivotal to our economy’s continued growth — to continue to attract companies to set up shop here, amongst the issues they need to consider is whether there are enough people to keep the business going. Hiring foreigners is a key strategy to filling these vacancies without having to inflate worker salaries. In this case, many China Chinese are willing to take up these positions, which is the reason why they seem to be everywhere these days.

So, if the problem isn’t the usage of foreign labour, then what is the problem?

I’d point to the lack of awareness about our country’s geo-political landscape for the current problem. It’s not about the hiring of apathetic workers who can’t speak English; it’s about the practice of hiring workers without preparing them sufficiently for the real world. Employers would find it more beneficial to their businesses if they would sponsor their workers for practical lessons on conversational English; I find it strange that not enough have done so — it is highly possible that they seek solace in the fact that 70% of the local populace speak Mandarin to somehow manage the situation.

The bottom line is that having service staff whom cannot converse with the customer in English is disadvantageous not only to the establishment, but also to Singapore’s position of being a easy place to conduct business with in English. When most of the world recognise English as the working language of the world, appearing to be English-unfriendly is just about the last thing the government can afford to have to handle.

Yet, too much government intervention into the commercial dealings may hurt the impression of free-rein enterprise that is being carefully cultured. Not all operations require English-speaking staff, and the proposed solution of testing all service staff on their competency in English would only complicate the situation. The way out I see for the government is for it to take a facilitator approach towards this delicate situation.

Officials can encourage companies to send their staff for lessons, or even hold free English lessons for foreign workers, to enable them to learn the basics of communicating in English in Singapore. With a fostering culture in place, it won’t be hard to see foreign workers hold basic conversations with tourists and Singaporeans, competently.

Sumptous noodles at Crystal Jade Jurong Point

To end off the Jurong Point Chinese restaurants theme that I have been following over the past weeks, my friend and I tried out Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao outlet in the mall. I recalled mentioning on the Din Tai Fung review that the Crystal Jade outlet was probably a better choice for those looking for a good Chinese meal.

Having enjoyed a hearty meal there, I’d have to say I stand with my suggestion then.

We each ordered different types of noodle dishes, my choice being the beef brisket noodle dish.

The presentation of all the food was simple but appetising and every dish looked sumptuous from the get-go. And the tastes sure didn’t disappoint. Other than devouring my own dish, I had a little sample of the different ones my friends had and each dish had its own unique flavour, with high-grade ingredients (the mushrooms were pretty good) and a whole boatload of spices.

Customers could also choose from different noodle types (like at Italian pasta restaurants).

To complement the noodles, we ordered some of the ubiquitous xiao long bao (although off hand I can’t remember the exact flavour we chose), which was adequately tasty,a fried pancake dish which tasted exactly like (very good) roti prata and two roast pork buns, which were great (although Zhou’s Kitchen’s were better).

To top it off, our combined order of over $50 qualified us to order a fish dish for $1 (they have a different item for each day), which was not only really tangy and delicious (although the fish was of pretty low grade), but substantial.

The service at the restaurant was also decent, the service personnel both friendly and informative.

Out of all the Chinese restaurants that I’ve eaten at Jurong Point so far, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao is by far the best in terms of quality, service and even pricing. A definite must-go if you’re in the area.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
1 Jurong West Central 2 #03-18
Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Singapore 648886
Tel: 6790 2212
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri 11.30am - 9.45pm
Sat/Sun/PH 11pm - 10.30pm

Going Home - An Award Winning Short Film on Dementia

Take 10 minutes off your aimless internet browsing time to watch this local short film about Dementia. It is simple yet it stirrs the hearts of those who watch. Even though the focus of the film was to display the effects of Dementia in simplicity, the other underlying moral from it was about filial piety and treasuring those whom you love.

I felt my heart crumple with shame after watching this film, as it reminded so much of my paternal grand mother. As guilty as the grandchild portrayed in the short film, I didn’t know how to appreciate the kind of old fashioned love that my grandma gave. I remembered being embarrassed about sitting beside her in the public buses as she spoke to me loudly in our dialect, Hakkah. And I would run far away from her towards home as she struggled to carry my heavy school bag along the same path. These things made me misses my late grandma more now that she’s gone.

I didn’t understand the way she loved because I was young and too ignorant to comprehend the conventional way of giving selflessly from the heart without expressing much in words.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to still have your grandparents around, take a chance to sit down and listen to their stories and treasure the time spent with them doing simple things together. Be proud of them as much as they are proud of you.

Quotes Wikipedia: “Dementia (meaning “deprived of mind") is a serious cognitive disorder. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury or progressive, resulting in long-term decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the body beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood. This age cutoff is defining, as similar sets of symptoms due to organic brain syndrome or dysfunction, are given different names in populations younger than adult. Up to the end of the nineteenth century, dementia was a much broader clinical concept.”

For more details about this disease that currently has no prevention, do to its wikipedia explanation page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia

Hargreaves named in Man United’s UCL squad

Owen Hargreaves has been included in Manchester United’s Champions League squad.

Hargreaves is not due back at United’s Carrington training complex until September 23 to step up his rehabilitation work after undergoing operations on both knees to cure a career-threatening tendinitis problem. By that time, United will have already started their quest to reach a third successive Champions League final against Besiktas in Istanbul.

In theory, Hargreaves would be available for the home encounter with German champions Wolfsburg on September 30. But, more likely, the former Bayern Munich star will come into contention later in a group that also contains CSKA Moscow.

In total, United have registered 35 players for the competition, however, Serbian midfielder Zoran Tosic is absent from the squad which indicates that unlike Gabriel Obertan, he has no further place in the manager’s plans.

The following players have been named:

Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Evra, Fabio, Rafael, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Brown, Vidic, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Nani, Scholes, Park, Hargreaves, Gibson, Giggs, Obertan, Macheda, Owen, Berbatov, Rooney.

The UEFA ruling allows players who are born on or after January 1, 1988, to compete outside of the registered 25 if they have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years. The following players have been included:

Amos, J Evans, Cathcart, Chester, Hewson, C Evans, Anderson, Gray, Welbeck, Zieler.

Diana Mini - The New Lomo Camera

The new lomo cam, Diana Mini. So compact, you can slip it in your pocket.

Woohoo~~ The new Lomo camera - Diana Mini is in store now! You can purchase it from the official Lomography website or make a trip down to Liang Seah Street to our local Lomographic Embassy.
I’m pretty sure that this brand new Diana Mini will take the Lomographic world by storm. Its sister camera, the Diana F+, is already a darling but only more costly to use because it requires Medium Format films which are expensive to purchase as well as develop.

The new little sister, Diana Mini, uses normal 35mm negative films which are more economical. You can also use 35mm slide films in her if you are intending to cross process or achieve photos with higher colour saturation. This little Chilli Padi comes with powerful functions for an array of different analogue Lomographic effects.

Our cute little Diana Mini possesses the following:

- Retro square format frame
- Half-frame (Ability to shoot 72 shots in 1 roll of 35mm film!)
- Long exposure function (You can mount it on a tripod and use the cable release attachment for less shakey results) - This function is not available on the Diana F+
- Wide-angle lens allow choices of any 4 focal distances
- Multiple exposure ability (This is a must for me, I’m a MX freak!)
- Horse shoe for external flashes (Like the all time favourite Colour Flash)

My friend’s Diana Mini purchase will arrive any time soon. I’m so excited to give it a try!

These are the different ways of taking lomographs with the new Diana Mini:

Cross processed using slide films during the day

Good old square frames

Half Frames - 2 in 1

Long exposures in the night

Multiple exposure on a single frame

-Photos taken from Lomography.com