Rare Nude Pakistani Girl

 

A popular Pakistani actress, Veena Malik, through the cover of a magazine could offend conservatives in the country, sparked controversy across borders and trigger promises investigation of the country's Interior Minister. Veena Malik can do all that just by posing for FHM India, a men's magazine.

On the cover of the December issue of the magazine, Veena Malik appeared nude, although the arms folded across the chest so shut her breasts. With ISI acronym tattoo on his arm indicated. Tattooing was a clear allusion to a famous spy agencies of Pakistan, which is accused of being involved in a series of crimes, including the Mumbai attacks in India in 2008.

That cover, which was released online before the magazine was published, has ignited a firestorm of comment and opinion in the official media and social media of Pakistan. According to a report in The Washingtos Post, in such a commotion, case cover scandal has overshadowed the continuing conspiracy and the impact of a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers some time ago near the border with Afghanistan. Web editor of a local newspaper even said that the 'coup' Malik was already beyond the death of Osama bin Laden in terms of traffic on the internet.

That cover has make different opinions also in Pakistan. For the people who are offended Malik's own father, who reportedly did not recognize him anymore because of shame to the family and his country. A Pakistani lawyer has filed a lawsuit to the Islamabad High Court to sue Malik passport confiscated. But the court rejected the lawsuit, arguing, it was committed outside its jurisdiction.

But Veena Malik also received support. Some praised his courage, others simply enjoy her naked photos. "Arguing about Veena Malik, like clothing Veena itself, very optional, 'wrote Express Tribune, a local newspaper, in an editorial." What is not acceptable is the position of neutrality in fight between Veena and critics who claim more sacred than others. "

People who do not like the cover it is Veena Malik himself. She claimed she did not pose nude and that the picture had been 'modified'. She sued the magazine and has demanded compensation nearly 2 million US dollars.

But the magazine has denied the charges and said it had video footage to prove that claim false Malik. In a statement threatening Malik with a counter claim, FHM India asserted that she did pose nude. Party magazine also said that Malik was very comfortable and quiet when photographed for the magazine.

Who Speaks Latin Today ???

Besides the pope, who speaks Latin today?
By Ben Zimmer


Pope Benedict XVI waved as he lead the Sunday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.

There aren’t many jobs where mastery of a dead language is an asset. But when Giovanna ­Chirri, Vatican correspondent for Italy’s ANSA news agency, heard Pope Benedict make an announcement in Latin earlier this month, she understood completely, and raced to break the story: The pope was resigning. Meanwhile, many of the assembled cardinals, it was reported, were left scratching their heads. Their Latin skills weren’t up to snuff.

It took the first papal resignation in six centuries to thrust Latin—as a live, spoken language—back into the news. Beyond the extremely rare circumstance of major world religious leaders announcing their retirement, however, you might well wonder: Who still speaks the language of ancient Rome outside of the Vatican walls? In this day and age, what would be the point?

As it happens, a conference in New York City last weekend provided ample evidence that this “dead” language is not quite dead after all. Around 70 participants, about half of whom were high school teachers from the Northeast, gathered at Fordham University to spend a couple of days speaking in Latin together. I dropped by to see what the “living Latin” movement is all about—and got a taste of a language that’s being used not just for scholarly and religious purposes, but as a way to bring centuries of classical learning into the here and now.

Jason Pedicone, a spirited young Princeton PhD candidate and a founder of the Paideia Institute, which sponsored the event, welcomed the attendees with a hearty “Salve!” before launching into an impassioned plea for keeping spoken Latin alive. (Thankfully for me—a non-fluent Latin speaker—he did so in English.) He recalled a “magical” summer program in Rome that introduced him to “the incredible sensation that came from making Latin, this fundamental key to Western ­civilization, a tool for interpreting and communicating with the world around me.”

Pedicone took issue with Cambridge University classicist Mary Beard, who was quoted by the BBC after the Pope’s resignation as saying, “One of the pleasures of Latin is that you don’t have to speak it.” “Pace Maria Barbatula, begging the pardon of Mary Beard,” he said, “one of the pleasures of Latin is you get to speak it, and by doing so, you get off the sidelines and make yourself an active player in this beautiful, glorious story of human history. Western civilization does not have to be a spectator sport.”

For the next two days, the conference-goers broke into small groups to talk in Latin, guided by instructors, on a number of topics, organized around the theme of mirabilia urbis, or “marvels of the city,” in both Rome and New York. The sessions I sat in on were easy-going and full of laughter, whether the group consisted of novices attempting to speak Latin for the first time or fluent experts declaiming like Cicero.

I caught up with Eric Hewett, who cofounded the Paideia Institute in 2011 as a way to maintain the tradition of ­Reginaldus, a.k.a. Reginald Foster, a gruff Carmelite friar from Milwaukee who ran that popular Rome summer course on spoken Latin for over 20 years. Foster was the Vatican’s official Latin translator until health problems forced his return to Milwaukee in 2008.

Hewett told me the institute had launched their own summer program in Rome, guided by Foster’s principle that spoken Latin should be a bridge between secular and religious worlds. This also means bridging two different accents: classicists speak a “reconstructed” Latin, while those from a seminary background speak with an Italian-influenced “ecclesiastical” pronunciation. But whether they pronounce c’s like “k” in the classical way or like “ch” in the style of the church, the institute welcomes all comers.

The institute has also started a summer course in Rome for high school students, attracting young scholars from the likes of the Brooklyn Latin School, which is modeled on the Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the country. The Brooklyn school makes the study of Latin central to a classical liberal arts education, in a disadvantaged area where Latin isn’t typically a high priority.

Bryan Whitchurch, who teaches there, told me about one student who’d gone on the Paidaia program last year: Sabiya Ahmed, the daughter of Bangladeshi and Puerto Rican immigrants. Ahmed was selected based on her spoken Latin talents, with a donor paying her way. She had never been on a plane before, but Whitchurch, as one of the course instructors, was able to accompany her to Rome. “Her face completely lit up when she saw the Pantheon,” Whitchurch recalled. “She almost dropped her gelato.”

While young secular scholars of Latin may be enticed by the opportunity to speak the language in Virgil’s old stomping grounds, Hewett told me that Catholic seminarians are also returning to Latin, after their elders moved away from it following the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s. (Vatican II helps to explain why those cardinals had such difficulty understanding Benedict.)

And that brings us back to what the journalist Chirri found so useful in knowing Latin: understanding the most famous current user of the language. A fluent Latin speaker, Benedict has encouraged the language’s revival, even posting to Twitter as @Pontifex. We don’t yet know if his successor will be such an ardent Latinist. But it seems clear that there are still plenty of signs of life in that old language, even in Novum Eboracum (New York).

Some people still speak Latin. What if U.S. presidents did?
By Frances Stead Sellers

You only have to glance at Washington to see how steeped the American republic is in the classics. The Latin language, so familiar to the Founders, may have faded from our collective consciousness, but the great temples of the Capitol and Supreme Court and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials echo the classical tradition.

And spoken Latin is even making a bit of a comeback these days, with some educators looking to the ancient language as a means of tackling the country’s contemporary literacy problems.

Two pioneers in the revival of spoken Latin, University of Kentucky Profs. Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg,  run classes and summer camps (or conventicula)  in spoken Latin and actually converse in Latin. It’s their common tongue.

Minkova  says she speaks Latin with “many other colleagues from Europe and America.” Sure, she and Tunberg will fall back into English in faculty meetings (to do otherwise would be  impolite and impolitic), but Latin has become “their normal language of communication.” Rome, where Minkova used to live,  may be the world capital, or caput mundi, she says, but she and Tunberg have created a new Rome, “novam Romam,” in Lexington among speakers who are comfortable using “the language that shaped the Western World.” Some of those disciples have in turn sent their own students back to Lexington to study at the Institute for Latin Studies.

“We are like grandparents,” says Minkova, perpetuating a language that many gave up for dead.

Tunberg doesn’t go so far as to suggest, as some have done, that the language of the European Union, for example, should be Latin. (“That’s absurd!”)  His approach is more practical —  that “we should use the language we study.”

And it’s easy to adapt the language to our changing world. Computer, after all, comes from the Latin verb computare (although there is a healthy disputatio about whether the Latin noun should be computatrum or computatorium). As for a laptop? Tunberg’s answer is simply to add an adjective and call it a carryable computer —  computatorium gestabile.  In other examples, the words for the new inventions are jargon that work in almost any language: An  iPad is an iPad is an iPad.

Their fluency made us wonder what it would be like if the grand tradition of Ciceronian rhetoric had survived in this country, if the successors of George Washington, the American Cincinnatus,  had delivered their famous lines in Latin.

Pope resignation: Who speaks Latin these days?
By Robin Banerji

The reporter who broke the news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation got the scoop because she understood his announcement in Latin. How much of it is spoken in the Vatican and elsewhere these days?

There are not many occasions when a reporter needs a grasp of Latin. But one came on Monday when the Pope made a short announcement.

Most of the reporters present had to wait for the Vatican's official translations into Italian, English and languages that people actually speak.

But not Italian wire service reporter Giovanna Chirri, who had clearly been paying attention in secondary school. Her Latin was up to the job and she broke the story of the Pope's resignation to the world.

But beyond Chirri how widespread is Latin within the Roman Catholic Church? To what extent does it exist as a spoken language?

In his office at the Vatican, Father Reginald Foster says "we always spoke Latin". It was Foster's job to write the Latin for the Church's official documents and encyclicals.

Now retired to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Foster continues to speak to friends in the Vatican on the phone in Latin. And he still has friends to whom he sends postcards in Latin.

But even while he was writing Latin for the Church he felt he was writing not for the present "but for history". It is still important he argues that there is a single version of a text which people can consult in case of any doubts about meaning.

To keep Latin alive he has for many years run Aestiva Romae Latinitas in Rome - a two-month immersion course in Latin.

"Latin is a language," Foster stresses. "It didn't come down in a golden box from Heaven. You don't have to be clever to speak it. In ancient Rome it was spoken by poor people, prostitutes and bums."

And how good is his Latin?

"I can make jokes in Latin and my students can follow my jokes."

But he worries for the future of the language in the Church. He estimates the number of fluent Latin speakers as no more than 100. And he does not see things getting better.

"The text of Vatican II has glorious passages in Latin but can the young priest walking across St Peter's Square understand it? I don't think so."

A sketchy understanding of the language is not good enough. "Take the sentence urinabor in piscinam: if you are guessing, you might think it means 'I will urinate in the swimming pool' but it doesn't. It means 'I will dive into the swimming pool'. "

"With Latin, either you know it or you don't," says Foster.

According to Foster, the language of the Vatican is not Latin but Italian, and to a lesser extent English. "You have to speak Italian properly, if not you're just out of it."

"Ultimately, I am not afraid for Latin," says Foster. "Like other great human creations, like the music of Bach and Handel it will survive. But I am afraid for Latin in the Church."

Foster may be relaxed about the future of Latin outside the Church but the picture is not entirely clear.

Nicholas Ostler, author of Ad Infinitum, a history of Latin, and the Chairman of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, compares Latin's presence on the internet (interretialis) to a small European language - it is comparable to "Icelandic, Lithuanian or Slovenian".

Ostler emails his brother in Latin for fun and enthusiasts maintain websites such as Circulus Latinus Interretialis (Internet Latin Circle), Grex Latine Loquentium (Flock of those Speaking Latin) and the connected online paper Ephemeris. The Finnish radio station YLE even broadcasts news in Latin.

But Ostler is concerned that Latin's vocabulary is not being renewed and developed. "There's a perfectly good Latin translation for tweet. It would be pipatum, the noise made by Catullus's girlfriend's sparrow, but for some reason the Vatican insists on using a periphrastic construction of three long words."

And he does not think much of Benedict's tweets in Latin - "the last one was a real case of messing up Latin word order".

He admits that Latin has been in retreat for a very long time. It survived the fall of Rome remarkably well and continued with some small changes in vocabulary into the Middle Ages.

In the Renaissance there was an attempt to turn back the clock. Writers deprecated the Latin of the medieval philosophers and tried to write like Cicero and Virgil. And not just write Latin.

The French essayist Michel de Montaigne was brought up speaking Latin as his first language and as a boy read Ovid's Metamorphoses for fun.

In Europe Latin was still important in the 16th and 17th Century but by the 18th it was already on the wane. It fell out of use first in France and England. "Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica (1687) was the last major work in England to be published in Latin," says Ostler.

In northern and eastern Europe Latin carried on as a language for scholarship and to some extent government even into the 19th Century.

Part of the reason, thinks Ostler, is that in an odd way Latin is actually easier to learn than living languages. "You don't need to be able to follow a conversation in it, you just need to be able to read," says Ostler.

And that is a point seconded by Mary Beard, professor of classics at Cambridge University.

"One of the pleasures of Latin is that you don't have to speak it and of course not many people do. It is charming that the Finns broadcast news in Latin. It doesn't hurt. But it's not why you learn Latin," says Beard.

"You learn it so that you can read what the Romans wrote and what was written in Latin down to the 17th Century. You learn it to read Virgil."

But can she and her classicist colleagues speak it?

"If you give us some nice claret, and as the claret goes down, we'll drop our inhibitions and have a go."

Why Italian is important

    Italian cardinals have long dominated Vatican hierarchy
    Of the 209 living cardinals, 49 are from Italy - almost a quarter
    That percentage is rising again after dipping to 17% in 2005
    Fell below 50% in the mid-20th Century

Pretty Girl Abducted and Enslaved

 ‘I was groomed online, abducted, chained up, raped and tortured’- Survival victim tells her story

At 13, Alicia Kozakiewicz believed she was chatting online to a teenage boy. Now aged 26, her story of being groomed, snatched, raped and rescued helps keep other children safe

Sitting in a car as it hurtled through the freezing night, my heart pounded in my chest.

Breaking the silence, the stranger beside me barked. ‘Be good, be quiet!’ He told me the boot had been cleaned out for me, so I was terrified. I faced the real possibility I was going to die.

Up until this point I’d been a typically shy, quiet 13-year-old girl. It wasn’t until I started using online chatrooms with friends that I found a confidence I didn’t have before.

Tapping away in my living room, my mum nearby, I felt incredibly safe. I had no reason to believe it would lead to the most traumatic experience of my life.

Chatting to friends and then friends of friends is how I met ‘him’. Now I refuse to use his name, he is a monster to me. Back then, of course, as far as I was concerned he was just this boy into the Spice Girls and Titanic, like me.

I didn’t know I was being groomed. He always listened and said what I wanted to hear: ‘Your teacher is stupid,’ or, ‘Why tidy your room when it’s your mum’s job?’

Soon I was spending hours online oblivious to the danger ahead.

Being taken

It was New Year’s Day 2002 that I’d secretly arranged to meet him.

After dinner, I said I had a stomach ache and left the table. At 7pm, I nipped outside in the cold without a coat. I didn’t plan to be out for long.

Walking up my street, a voice kicked in. My intuition told me to go home, but it was eight months too late.

As I turned, I heard my name being called. There was no boy there, it was a man. The next part is a blank, but suddenly I was trapped in a car and I couldn’t get out.

After a terrifying five-hour journey, we arrived at his house. He’d taken me from my safe, warm home in Pittsburgh to an unfamiliar place in Virginia.

Pulling me down a flight of steps, we ended up in a basement full of strange devices, including a cage. ‘It’s OK to cry,’ he said coldly, ‘this is going to be hard for you.’

Again, the details are a blur, but I remember him removing my clothes, locking a dog collar around my neck and dragging me upstairs. Up in his bedroom I was chained to the floor.

I felt the pain of him ripping my hair – I had braids from a family holiday in the Caribbean, so he pulled them at the roots.

Then he broke my nose and raped me. I’ve blanked out much of the experience. I know I could regain memories through hypnosis, but why would I want to?

In the four days that followed I was chained up, raped, beaten and tortured. I did whatever I had to do to survive, no matter how humiliating, painful, or disgusting. I did it because I wanted to live and hoped people might be looking for me. Hope was all I had.

I fantasised about mum and dad bursting through the door, but on the fourth day, before he left for work, he said, ‘I’m beginning to like you too much, tonight we’re going for a ride.’ I fully expected him to kill me on his return.

Lying on the floor naked, weeping, I felt pure despair. How could I escape? I was just 13 years old and 6 stone, he was over 21 stone.

People ask why I didn’t scream when he left. The truth is, I wasn’t sure he’d even gone. I pictured him waiting behind the door and panicked that any noise I made would prompt him to kill me on the spot.

Finally saved

Suddenly there was crashing and banging, and men shouting, ‘We have guns!’ The chain allowed me to move around the room, so thinking he’d sent them to kill me, I hid under the bed. I was ordered out naked to the barrel of a gun, I thought I was going to die, then I saw FBI – the three most beautiful letters – on his jacket.

I was saved. The relief, after being imprisoned for four days, was unbelievable.

My abductor had tripped up after livestreaming a video of him abusing me to a group online. When one of the guys realised he could be implicated as an accomplice, he called the police. Using the IP address they tracked me down.

At the hospital and police station I was so traumatised I could hardly speak, but I do remember seeing a dolls’ house after a forensic examination.

It made me realise that what I went through happens to kids younger than me, even babies. How can you begin to comprehend that?

That evening I was taken to a wonderful foster family. I sat up all night waiting for my parents. I didn’t know they couldn’t get a regular flight – media attention my rescue had generated forced them to take an FBI plane the next day instead.

I thought I’d done something wrong, that they didn’t love me anymore. Being finally reunited with them was incredible. They ran towards me and my dad gave me this hug that was so special, there are no words.

The aftermath

Back in Pittsburgh things should’ve been amazing, but as mine was one of the first big cases of internet luring, society didn’t understand how it happened. People blamed my parents – even distant relatives – and we were treated horribly.

Before the trial (he was eventually sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison) the FBI needed me to identify myself in the videos. I had to watch myself being tortured. Being abused is indescribable, but to see it through the eyes of your abuser is another thing entirely.

That’s why I now fight so hard against child exploitation, I know how it feels to have people watch your suffering and enjoy it.

Despite the cuts and bruises, physically I was intact. Psychologically I was broken – nightmares and flashbacks came daily.

My experience left a hole, but I decided to fill it by raising awareness. I started to tell my story in schools. At first it was hard, but seeing the kids’ response was worth it.

I could give my pain purpose. The Alicia Project was born. Rebuilding trust is still hard, in others and in myself. But now I’ve fallen in love and my partner is so supportive of my mission.

I’ll never forgive the monster who did this, so instead I focus on getting Alicia’s Law (which helps fund internet-crime-against-children task forces, like the one that rescued me) passed in every US state. I was given a second chance at life, so now I choose to use that to save others.
How to keep your kids safe online- Alicia's advice:

● Recognise that any child can become the victim of an internet predator. Predators don’t discriminate on gender, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status, income, or religion.

● Teach them to never share private or identifying information with a person online who isn’t known or trusted in real life. A predator can use it to groom and/or locate them.

● Strengthen privacy settings on all social networking sites and check they remain unchanged after updates.

● Disable geotagging on all mobile devices. It can automatically pinpoint and disclose their location. This option can usually be found under ‘Settings’.

● Monitor their activity. This includes desktops, laptops, tablet computers, and mobiles. Don’t feel that you’re ‘spying’. You’re the parent. This is your responsibility.

● Know their passwords on all devices. Check them regularly.

● Educate yourself on the apps they are using. Ask for an explanation and a demonstration.

● Maintain loving, open, and respectful lines of communication while setting enforceable rules for online safety. Assure them that they can always come to you for help in an uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situation.

For more tips and info, go to Aliciaproject.org

source

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass
He  hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his  brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal  with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My  Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders  and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who  carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most  Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've  been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I  never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I  worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too  steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times  I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept  unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the  people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their  fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be  so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't,  I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the  throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited  quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now,  you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully  on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in  Hell.'

Author Unknown~

The Tragic Story Behind Victoria's Secret

In the mid-1970s, a Stanford MBA named Roy Raymond walked into a department store to buy his wife lingerie, only to find ugly floral-print nightgowns – made even uglier under harsh fluorescent lights – and saleswomen who made him feel like a deviant just for being there.

Realising that other male friends felt the same way, the 30-year-old saw an opportunity: to create a lingerie store designed to make men feel comfortable shopping there.

Raymond imagined a Victorian boudoir, replete with dark wood, oriental rugs and silk drapery. He chose the name "Victoria" to evoke the propriety and respectability associated with the Victorian era; outwardly refined, Victoria's "secrets" were hidden beneath. In 1977, with $80,000 of savings and loans from family, Raymond and his wife leased a space in a small shopping mall in Palo Alto, California, and Victoria's Secret, was born.

To understand how novel Raymond's idea was, it helps to have a little context. In the 1950s and '60s, underwear was all about practicality and durability. For most American women, sensual lingerie was reserved for the honeymoon trousseau and anniversaries. For the most part, underwear remained functional, not fun.

Victoria's Secret changed all that, thanks in large part to its catalogue, which reached customers across the country. Nowadays it also has stores across the Americas and has expanded into the Middle East and Europe, with a store opening in London last summer. Its annual fashion show, which takes place in New York tonight, costs $12m, is televised on CBS and makes international stars of its models, known as Angels.

Within five years of founding Victoria's Secret, Raymond had opened three more stores in San Francisco. By 1982, the company had annual sales of more than $4m – yet something in Raymond's formula was not working. According to Michael J Silverstein and Neil Fiske's book Trading Up, Victoria's Secret was nearing bankruptcy.

Enter Leslie Wexner, the man who had ushered in the mass-market sportswear boom with a store he called The Limited.By the early 1980s, Wexner was looking to branch out, and on a visit to San Francisco he stumbled across Victoria's Secret.

"It was a small store, and it was Victorian – not English Victorian, but brothel Victorian with red velvet sofas," Wexner told Newsweek in 2010. "But there was very sexy lingerie, and I hadn't seen anything like it in the US"

Wexner quickly saw what was wrong with the business model: in focusing on a store and catalogue that appealed to men, Raymond had failed to draw a large following among women. Wexner surmised that women were as uncomfortable in Victoria's Secret as Raymond had been in that fluorescent-lit department store.

Nevertheless, Wexner saw the company's potential, and in 1982, he bought the stores and the catalogue for about $1m. His first step was to study European lingerie boutiques, and he returned home convinced that if American women had access to same kind of sexy, affordable lingerie as their European counterparts, they, too, would want to wear it every day. Wexner envisioned "a La Perla for the mass market" with a new shopping environment – one that was inviting to women.

Wexner ultimately decided to create for the company what Ralph Lauren mastered the decade before him: a British-inspired aspirational world that the American consumer would clamour to enter.

Gone were the dark woods and deep reds of the original stores; now, gilded fixtures, floral prints, classical music and old-timey perfume bottles filled the space. Lacy bras and panties hung neatly under warm-hued lights. Even a London home address – No 10 Margaret Street – was invented, even though headquarters were in Ohio. The catalogue, which had become modern and racy, was softened to reflect the new image, with models who looked like they had just walked off the pages of Vogue.

In short, women were buying, while men continued to ogle the catalogue. Wexner's plan was working. By 1995 Victoria's Secret had become a $1.9bn company with 670 stores across the US.

As they continued to refine and tweak the company image (they abandoned the English-boudoir theme around 2000), Victoria's Secret became the most popular apparel brand in the world today, with sales above $6bn last year.

Sadly, as Wexner's and Victoria's Secret's success grew, Raymond, despite his keen instincts, saw his fall apart. After selling the company to Wexner, Raymond stayed on as president of Victoria's Secret for about another year before leaving to open My Child's Destiny, a high-end children's retail and catalogue company based in San Francisco.

But a poor marketing strategy (focused too much on attracting only well-heeled parents) and an even poorer location (little walk-in traffic) forced them to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition two years later in 1986. The Raymonds ended up divorcing, and in 1993, Roy Raymond jumped to his death from the Golden Gate Bridge, leaving behind two teenage children.

Raymond's genius was recognising the need to remove shame from the process of buying unmentionables. But his story reads like a cautionary tale of how a brilliant opportunity can be seized and yet missed. Wexner, on the other hand, had both vision and skill. He imagined a world where there was no such thing as an unmentionable, and figured out a way make it so.

source

Nipple Slips On Hollywood Film Awards 2014

The embarrassing incident occurred when Stewart appeared on stage show Hollywood Film Awards held last weekend. While appearing on stage, wearing a strapless gown suddenly sagging, and exposing the personal assets of the body.
The event was watched by millions of viewers and also photographed the photographer. However, Stewart tried to remain calm about the incident visible. Stewart still put a smile on her beautiful face.

As quoted from Hollywoodlife, Stewart previously look beautiful and charming in a red carpet Hollywood Film Awards 2014. The white strapless dress that comes with a gray crop top is being praised. Many are considered, this is the best looks Stewart on the red carpet.

Unfortunately, Stewart suffered an embarrassing incident damage was intended to compliment the Twilight movie star.

The Mystery Of Wizard of Oz !!!

Wizard of oz did u know

At the 2014 Oscars, they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the release of the "Wizard of Oz" by having Pink sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", with highlights from the film in the background. But what
few people realized, while listening to that incredible performer singing that unforgettable song, is that the music is deeply embedded in the Jewish experience.

It is no accident, for example, that the greatest Christmas songs of all time were written by Jews. For example, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was written by Johnny Marks and "White Christmas" was penned by a Jewish liturgical singer's (cantor) son, Irving Berlin.

But perhaps the most poignant song emerging out of the mass exodus from Europe was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The lyrics were written by Yip Harburg.He was the youngest of four children born to Russian Jewish immigrants. His real name was Isidore Hochberg and he grew up in a Yiddish speaking, Orthodox Jewish home in New York.

The music was written by Harold Arlen, a cantor's son. His real name was Hyman Arluck and his parents were from Lithuania. Together, Hochberg and Arluck wrote "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which was voted the 20th century's number one song by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

In writing it, the two men reached deep into their immigrant Jewish consciousness - framed by the pogroms of the past and the Holocaust about to happen - and wrote an unforgettable melody set to near prophetic words. Read the lyrics in their Jewish context and suddenly the words are no longer about wizards and Oz, but about Jewish survival:
Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high, There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far Behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow Why, oh why can't I?

The Jews of Europe could not fly. They could not escape beyond the rainbow. Harburg was almost prescient when he talked about wanting to fly like a bluebird away from the "chimney tops". In the
post-Auschwitz era, chimney tops have taken on a whole different meaning than the one they had at the beginning of 1939.

Pink's mom is Judith Kugel. She's Jewish of Lithuanian background. As Pink was belting the Harburg/Arlen song from the stage at the Academy Awards, I wasn't thinking about the movie. I was thinking about Europe's lost Jews and the immigrants to America.

I was then struck by the irony that for two thousand years the land that the Jews heard of "once in a lullaby" was not America, but Israel. The remarkable thing would be that less than ten years after "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was first published, the exile was over and the State of Israel was reborn. Perhaps the "dreams that you dare to dream really do come true".

The Cutest Chinese Girl Becomes Internet Sensation

Cute face is definitely makes someone to be the center of attention, especially on the internet. Therefore, it is not surprising that JingYi Ju, 20-year-old girl native of Sichuan, China, was became an internet sensation.

The fans JingYi states that cute face girls who are members of the idol group SNH48 angel tub. Some netizens call JingYi looks very cute like a doll.

In fact, many who agreed that JingYi much prettier than Kanna Hashimoto, Japanese idol netizens.

 Reported by Rocket News, an Japanese entertainment analyst said that JingYi beauty is a rare thing.

"The face is like that only appeared 4,000 years and we are lucky to witness such beauty," said one netizen.

JingYi had just made her debut in the entertainment world in November 2013 ago. She joined the team of N from SNH48. But her cute face and her friendly behavior, makes JingYi rank shot up among her fans.

In the election of 2014, JingYi occupies the 4th position. As for the internet, JingYi became sensation of its own and became a byword in many forums.

A little about JingYi, she came from Suining City, Sichuan Province, China. Girl born June 18, 1994. She has a height 159 cm and weight 46 kg. From her small body and her cute face, making JingYi have a nickname that is not less cutesy, namely Xiao Ju or Kiku-chan. She is also good at playing the violin, piano and dance.

 

 

Sex in The Parking Lot

A pair of lovers became an internet sensation after the photographs of their sexual scene in a parking lot leaked to the social media Twitter. One picture even shows photos almost naked.

Both were seen hugging and kissing each other, as if he could not wait until they get home. They are known to perform indecent scene was leaning back in a black Citroen car in the parking lot Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent, South East England.

Citing page Mirror, the photos are then uploaded to Twitter and soon became an instant viral. Photo uploaded vulgar reported by the ownerDarthKnine account with the caption `And they're now having sex`.

The City Inside Meteor Crater

Not many tourists know Nordlingen. Small town in the region of Bavaria, Germany occupies the crater meteor that fell to earth 15 million years ago. The city is very beautiful, especially when viewed from a height!

Nordlingen is an old town full of Bavarian-style building that is very beautiful. But that makes it even more unique, the city is built exactly in a meteor crater.

Unique Things To Do In Singapore

Top 10 things to do in Singapore
You've been shopping, done some eating, what else to do in Singapore? Lots else, and you can start with these 10 fantastic attractions
By Balvinder Sandhu

1. Marina Bay Sands

The long-awaited grand opening of Singapore’s second integrated resort is slated for June 23 and most of us have been looking forward to getting stuck into the full-fat version of Marina Bay Sands ever since it’s phase one opening at the end of April. Locals pay a S$100 tariff for entry to the casino, while foreigners enter free, but after you’ve given your credit card a working, take a break from the retail roller coaster with a boat ride. Yes, this sampan ride (coming soon) takes you on a cruise down the canal at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. If food is more your thing, pick from the array of restaurants opened by celebrity chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and our very own Justin Quek.

10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956; tel. +65 6688 8868; www.marinabaysands.com

2. Double helix bridge at Marina Bay

This bridge is proof that, sometimes, a bridge is not just a bridge. More of an architectural wonder, this is certainly one spot for many touristy snaps -- and wedding photos too, we imagine. Located next to the floating platform at Marina Bay and the new Youth Olympic Park -- and connecting to Marina Bay Sands -- the bridge is made up of a major and minor steel helix that wind around each other. If all the steel tubes are laid end to end, it would measure 2,250 metres long. Plus, the entire structure weighs about 1,700 tons. And if you think walking through this bridge gives you the same experience at all times, think again. There’s a night lighting feature built into the bridge, which can be programmed to create various moods for different events.

3. Universal Studios Singapore

Singapore’s first theme park features rides and attractions that are guaranteed to give you a thrilling time. Meet Shrek and company, take a walk down Hollywood Boulevard or have an amazing encounter with dinosaurs at Jurassic Park. Make a day out of it and check out all the rides, while taking breaks for food and drink at the various F&B outlets. Just make sure you have your meals after the rollercoaster rides. Adult tickets are priced from S$66, but varies on different days, so check out the website for more information. Once you’ve paid for entry into the park, rides are free. Just don’t forget to get your souvenirs from the many retail outlets -- such as the Universal Studios Store -- to complete your theme park experience.

www.rwsentosa.com

4, Night Safari

Call us weird but we think the idea of a safari at night is really cool. The Night Safari is the world’s first wildlife park for nocturnal animals and has won the Singapore Tourism Board’s Best Visitor Attraction Experience not once, not twice, but eight times! The 40-hectare park is home to over 1,000 animals from 115 species, of which almost 30 percent are threatened. Catch them before they’re gone. Explore the park either on foot via three walking trails or by tram. Either way, you’ll be coming back for more.

80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore729826; tel. +65 6269 3411; www.nightsafari.com.sg

5. St James Power Station

Why party in just one place when you can do so at nine places in one night? What used to be a real, functioning power station is now a hotspot for night birds, who want more from their clubbing experience. With venues like Dragonfly, Movida, Peppermint Park and Bellini Room providing very different experiences, this is kind of like the clubber’s version of going around the world in one night. Live music features prominently here too, with local and foreign acts and DJs sharing the stage at the individual outlets. Perfect for club hopping without having to queue for taxis numerous times in a night -- or just for ADHD party-goers.

3 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore; tel. +65 6270 7676; www.stjamespowerstation.com

6. Singapore Flyer

It’s the world’s largest observation wheel and it’s still standing after two years, unlike the wheel in Melbourne, Australia. It stands at a stunning 165 metres and is the height of a 42-storey building. Plus, it cost S$240 million to build, so it sure is one heck of an expensive ride. Still, once you’re up there, you really can’t put a price on the breathtaking view. As the wheel turns and you get views of landmarks such as the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Marina Bay, Empress Place and the Padang. Being Singapore, you’ll also get to indulge in our top two national pastimes -- food and shopping. Eat, drink, shop and be merry, while being on top of the world.

30 Raffles Avenue, Singapore; tel. +65 6734 8829 or 6333 3311; www.singaporeflyer.com

7. Marina Barrage

This is a freshwater reservoir in the heart of the city. And it’s also a place for water sports enthusiasts to enjoy their favorite hobbies. It’s also a great picnic spot, especially the rooftop garden that’s also a big attraction for kite flyers. And, as with most green/water-based attractions in Singapore, it’s also a popular backdrop for wedding snaps. But its purpose is not just to be a pretty sight -- it’s also very environmentally friendly. Green technologies include a rainwater collection system and solar panels that generate almost half of its electricity needs. Get yourself on one of the tours that take place daily, except Tuesdays, to find out more about this attractive dam.

8 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore; tel. +65 6514 5959; www.pub.gov.sg

8. Art galleries at Tanjong Pagar Distripark

Five galleries and one art space are housed in Tanjong Pagar Distripark, right where the docks are. ARTSPACE@Helutrans is a white minimalist setting for galleries, artists, auction houses and museums. Fortune Cookie Projects bring in major international artists, with the one requirement that “it’s got to be very real, verifiable quality that fits our ethos.” ReDot Fine Art Gallery is the only gallery on our shores that specializes in Australian indigenous art, while Valentine Willie Fine Art focuses on modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art. L2 Space showcases fine art in different media by local and Asian artists and photographers. And, lastly, Galerie Waterton primarily exhibits Indonesian art but is startiing to include artists from countries such as India and the Philippines.

Tanjong Pagar Distripark is at 39 Keppel Road.

9. Raffles Amrita Spa

Possibly the most well-known luxury spa in Singapore, Raffles Amrita Spa at Raffles The Plaza is pure indulgence for the body and soul. The treatments offered here are for both men and women and it really doesn’t matter what age you are -- everyone loves a relaxing massage, right? Try the Nirvana Body Treatment, an Ayurvedic-inspired treatment that includes a body wrap, a foot massage and application of body moisturizer. And that's just the prelude to a massage! Other treatments include Golfer’s Escape, De-stresser and Grape Expectations, where grape seed products are used.

2 Stamford Road; tel. +65 6239 1780; www.amritaspa.com

10. Clarke Quay

If you want evidence of a city that never sleeps, head to Clarke Quay. What was once an area buzzing with commercial activity in the 19th century now hosts revelers who party till the sun comes up. Restaurants, bars, clubs and retail outlets all scream for your attention. Because of its proximity to the Singapore River, it’s a popular spot for tourists, but you’ll see a fair share of locals hamming it up for the night too. The Pump Room serves up Aussie fare and great music thanks to local band Jive Talking, The Highlander is a Scottish pub, while The Rupee Room brings a Bollywood touch to the heart of Singapore. Just be careful of possible taxi touts when you’re heading home. The taxi queue might look long but there are always plenty of cabs on hand, so just wait patiently.

www.clarkequay.com.sg

52 things to do in Singapore

Concoct your own cocktail bar crawl, attempt yoga while strapped to a hammock, and of course, there’s lots of eating to be done

By Charlene Fang, Rachel Tan, Jenny Tan, Elaine Ee, Aimee Chan

Wondering what to do in Singapore? Bored?

You'll have no excuse to prolong this complaint any further when you’ve finished reading this laundry list of 52 things to do this year.

And really, there’s no such thing as boring … just boring people.

1. Pick peanut shells off the floor of Long Bar
Littering is allowed in Singapore, encouraged even at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar.

To give you more value for your S$23 Singapore Sling, eat your fill of the complimentary peanuts and “decorate” the floor of this classic colonial bar with the discarded shells.

Walk up to the third floor for an exhibit on the history of Raffles Hotel Singapore.

1 Beach Road, Singapore, +65 6337 1886; www.raffles.com

2. Fly Scoot
If the Mayans are to be believed, the world will end in 2012 -- all the more reason to travel, and for less.

Choose soon-to-launch Scoot Airways whose slogan “short, sharp and snappy,” and undertaking to discount fares up to 40 percent -- we hope -- translates across as quality, value-for-money travel without the hassle of delays and cancellations.
www.flyscoot.com

3. Ignore the “chope” system
Isn’t it great that you get free tissues whenever you eat out at hawker centers?

Yes, we know tissue packets are placed as a way to reserve tables but this system deserves to be turned on its head every once in a while.

So go ahead, ignore the tissues packets and just sit down and enjoy your meal -– just don’t be surprised if someone has something to say about it.

4. Broaden your mind at Kennel
Spaces like Kennel give us optimism for Singapore’s entrepreneurial future.

Located in Dempsey Hill, Kennel doesn’t just rent out space, it encourages the sharing and cross-pollination of ideas hosting regular workshops, social events, classes, and talks.

To encourage learning from all avenues, every Kennel member is expected to contribute a certain amount of Knowledge Bank hours (KBh).
Block 8D, #03-03/4 Dempsey Hill, +65 6276 9616; inthekennel.com

5. Party like a mogul
When Filter (1 Nanson Road, #02-05, River Valley Close;  bottlepopper@filterclub.sg) launched in 2011, many people wondered if the world of VIP, bottle-service-only clubbing would survive in Singapore.

It has, and we have the region’s billionaires, trustafarians and generous corporate expense accounts to thank (or not) for this.

A big player on the scene is Pangaea (Pangaea at Marina Bay Crystal Pavilion, 2 Bayfront Ave., +65 986117013; www.pangaea.sg), which according to a recent article in Forbes is the highest-earning club – per square meter -- in the world, grossing US$300,000 weekly for the three nights that it's open.

But the most telling sign that VIP clubbing is here to stay is Zouk’s Velvet Underground (17 Jiak Kim Street,+65 6738 2988; www.zoukclub.com), which has re-opened with a VIP-only Velvet Lounge. Ultra slick with just 12 tables, and privy only for those on guests lists or table reservations.

6. Buy property
Prefer to save your clubbing money for a down payment?

Well, with realtors mourning the cooling-off measure of 2011, property buyers will hopefully have something to smile about. If these measures -- a 10 percent additional buyer’s stamp duties (ABSD) imposed on any private buys by foreigners and corporations -- have their intended effect, property prices should go from crazy to a little less crazy.

7. Re-watch your favorite blockbuster, Imax style
Singapore finally has an Imax theater that’ll regularly screen blockbusters.

On the bill:  “Avatar”, “Thor”, “How to Train your Dragon” and “Star Trek” for the first few months of 2012. From now till March 31, grab a bargain with the SHAW IMAX Passport for S$49, which includes entry to one IMAX 2D and two IMAX 3D movies.
www.shaw.sg/imax

8. Club at Club Street
The closest thing Singapore has to Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong, the injection of bars and restaurants has revived Club Street to be one of Singapore’s buzziest streets.

A big shout out to newish bar 83 (83 Club Street, +65 6220 4083; www.83clubstreet.com).

We’re a fan of the revolving artwork -- curated by local art collective Kult -- adorning the walls, the quirk decor (a clock turning backwards, a wall of cassettes) and the roster of DJs taking turns helming the decks.

Abig reason why people are once again spilling out onto Club Street, their happy hour (S$8 for a house pour drinks, beers and wines) from 3 p.m.-8 p.m.

9. Listen to your political voice
W!LD RICE’s social commentary on last year’s Singapore General Election returns.

Ivan Heng and Jo Kukathas direct the play “Cooling Off Day”based on real life interviews from Singaporeans.

10. Hic! Cocktail hop
Wondering what to do in Singapore? If 2010 was the year of rooftop bars, 2011 was the year of cocktail bars.

Some of our favorites include B28 (28 Ann Siang Road, +65 9026 3466; www.btwentyeight.com), where whiskey, fresh fruit cocktails and live jazz is the order of the evening.

Tucked away on a non-descript street is 28 HongKong Street (+65 6533 2001; www.28hks.com) a bar who rather not be known by the masses, too bad the word is out.

The reasonably priced tipples from barkode (66 Dunlop St., +65 6396 4463; www.BARKODE-Singapore.com), the signature Néktar Club inspired by Burma's Pegu Club at Nektar (31 Scotts Road, +65 6836 9185; www.nektar.com.sg), the smokey old bastard from Tippling Club (8D Dempsey Road, +65 6475 2217; www.tipplingclub.com), Red Ruby martini at Drink Culture (50/51 Kreta Ayer Road, +65 6557 0538; www.drinkculture.com.sg) and any of Bar Stories (57A Haji Lane, +65 6298 0838) cocktails that combine goose fat with your choice of booze.

11. Hustle in the Lunar New Year
It’s the year of the dragon, so festivities will be especially loud.

From January 21 to 29, the River Hongbao 2012 transforms The Float at Marina Bay into a spectacle of sound and lights.

On January 21, Guinness has brought together local singers for a one-night-only recital along Pagoda Street between 7 p.m.-8 p.m..

Lunar New Year's Eve (January 22), Chinatown will be all pomp and ceremony with revelers, auctions and tourists. And on February 3, the Chingay Parade with a gripping all-dragons show will round off the festivities.
www.yoursingapore.com

12. Embark on a River Safari
What started out as an idea for an aquarium grew into a river safari park with 10 freshwater habitats brimming with creatures like fearsome arowanas, giant catfish, anacondas and the elusive bamboo-chomping giant panda.
Opens third quarter of 2012. www.riversafari.com.sg

13. Opt for progressive meals
With the recent increase in taxi fares, every leg of the journey must count.

Progressive meals, which are gaining popularity in the United States, entail eating your appetizer, lunch, and dinner all in separate locations.

Spend a Friday night with friends by exploring the city course by course.

Adam Road for nasi lemak (Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak, #01-02 Adam Road Food Centre, 2 Adam Road, +65 9843 4509), the east coast for mee pok (Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok, Bedok Shopping Center, 308 Bedok Road, +65 6421 0201) or Wee Nam Kee (#01-05 Novena Ville, 275 Thomson Road, +65 6255 6396) for chicken rice.

14. Be a voyeur
Don’t whip out those telescopes just yet … we mean sidewalk voyeuring.

The newly renovated Crossroads Café (320 Orchard Road, +65 6831 4605; www.singaporemarriott.com) provides some of the best people-watching, and you can’t go wrong with the extensive east-west menu.

Sit around with a cup of coffee and a Kindle at Shots (8 Ann Siang Hill, +65 6224 8502) or Oriole Café (#01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, 96 Somerset Road, +65 6238 8348). Peruse the eclectic crowd at 40 Hands (#01-12, Blk 78 Yong Siak Street, +65 6225 8545) in Tiong Bahru and check out the people who can be bothered to make the trek over at Loysel’s Toy (#01-02, 66 Kampong Bugis, +65 6292 2306).

15. Go East and shop
Finally, somewhere in the East to shop that’s not Parkway Parade. The newly opened 112 Katong includes a Golden Village Gold Class, Max Brenner The Chocolate Bar, Cortina Watch and Market Place.
112 East Coast Road, www.112katong.com.sg

16. Eat pizza, lots of it
Salads were the trend in 2010, tapas in 2011, and now pizza in 2012 –- but did they ever fall out of favor?

Aussie import Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar (215R Upper Thomson Road, +65 64561555; www.crustpizza.com.sg) is not leaving anything to chance with 26 options on offer. Hot favorites: the spicy Sausage Duo and Peri Peri Chicken and the Asian-style barbecue pork with Hoisin sauce.

Pairing Papa Palheta coffee with Neapolitan-style pizzas is Extra Virgin Pizza (#01-04, Asia Square Tower 1, 8 Marina View, +65 6247 5757; www.extravirginpizza.com). While the menu features just 10 pizzas, we’re cheering the use of Italian double-zero flour, organic Saporito tomatoes, and high quality (what else?) extra virgin olive oil.

Quick and snappy is Slice – The Pizza Reform ( #01-05 PoMo, 1 Selegie Road, +65 6297 5875; www.slice.sg). Run by the same people as Zsofi Tapas Bar, the offerings here lean more to a fast-food slant. Try the spicy/tart Tom Yum festooned with squid rings and The Butcher, heaped with chunks of minced beef and bacon.

17. Attend a Khana Commune supperclub

At Zina Alam's Khana Commune (undergrounddining.sg) in Pasir Panjang, guests can expect to tuck into Bangladeshi-inspired sticky rice and dahl with chipotle and mango, lamb briyani, sometimes with themed events like storytelling evenings and singles' nights.

18. Escape to remote island
You’ve partied at Rawa, you’ve shacked up at Nikoi Island.

This year, discover the tree houses, driftwood palaces and Javanese joglos at Pulau Joyo (www.pulau-joyo.com).

This new-ish private island off Tanjong Pinang, Bintan, promises to pamper you in Robinson Crusoe-style, but at Richard Branson prices, at S$300 per adult, per night.

Half an hour away from Singapore, whoever said Batam is just for golf and -- ahem -- karaoke, clearly has not been to Montigo Resorts Nongsa (www.montigoresorts.com).

A new 88-villa resort that sits on a pristine kilometer-long beach, it’s the perfect long weekend vacay. Each villa (from S$350 per night) comes with a private plunge pool, al fresco dining area and sky terrace. And while it’s a child-friendly resort, the onsite Tiigo Beach Club is adults only, phew.

19. Gawk at some art
Great news for art lovers wondering what to do in Singapore. The largest art exhibition ever has arrived: “A Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty as Living Art.”

The 128-meter animated reproduction of one of China’s most famous works of art -– the “Qing Ming Shang He Tu” -- was originally featured as part of the Shanghai Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and is only on display till February 6.
Tickets from S$21 from www.ticketbooth.com.sg. Hall 3, Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre, www.amovingmasterpiece.com

A grand total of140 masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay should give you 140 reasons to spend an afternoon in the National Museum.

“The Dreams & Reality: Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris” exhibition will be staged till February 5, and is a chance to admire some Monets, Manets and van Goghs up close, unless you’ve made plans to visit Paris later this year.
93 Stamford Road, +65 6332 3659; www.nationalmuseum.sg

20. Check into the W Singapore
This Singapore hotel won’t open till August 2012, but it’s never too early to think about a staycation.

The W group will be bringing its trademark hip, rock star style of hospitality to Singapore’s Sentosa Cove.

And along with it, the top-notch Bliss Spa, an outdoor heated pool, moorings for private yachts and generously sized rooms with the expected quirky amenities.
www.starwoodhotels.com

21. Create your own “Top Gun” moment
Now that it’s been confirmed that “Top Gun” is going to be remade, recreate your steamy "Maverick" moment.

Time it with the Singapore Airshow 2012, and its big jets, aerobatic thrills and salivating boys (sorry, men), for extra realism points.

To continue the fantasy beyond exhibition grounds, book a night at the nearby Changi Village Hotel (www.fareasthospitality.com) where a 20 percent discount applies to bookings before January 13.
February 18 and 19. Tickets from S$20. Changi Exhibition Centre, 9 Aviation Park Road;  www.singaporeairshow.com

22. Get a Kevin Seah suit tailored
There are cheaper, faster tailors but none will get you as dandily turned out as Kevin Seah.

The clothesmith who learnt his craft from old-school Shanghai tailors wields a deft needle and has an impressive range of top-end cloths on offer, such as Holland & Sherry, Dugdale Bros. & Co. and Harrisons of Edinburgh.

Just so you look the part from top-to-toe, he also retails Alfred Sargent shoes, Pantherella socks, Albert Thurston braces and Nackymade eyewear.
5 Jalan Kilang, +65 9188 4681; www.kevinseah.com.sg

23. Get close to a civet cat
You’ve forked over a small fortune for the experience of drinking a cup of kopi luwak.

Now see the tree-dwelling creature whose digestive tract the beans actually pass through. Five of these native, nocturnal animals are currently on display at the Night Safari.

You can’t take one home with you, but you can buy back packets of kopi luwak.
80 Mandai Lake Road, +65 6269 3411; www.nightsafari.com.sg

24. Buy a new tennis racquet
Stop wishing you lived in a condominium just so you can play tennis on Sundays.

The Claycourt Tennis Academy has brand new DecoTurf hard courts (like they use in the U.S. Open) and clay courts that can be hired by the hour. Or book Simon Mason on +65 9144 5223 for lessons.
From S$15 per hour. 359 Winchester Road, www.claycourttennisacademy.com

25. Gig out at Laneway Festival
Get your fix of the best indie music from around the globe at the Laneway festival, Australia’s top urban music event that is live and loud at Fort Canning on February 12.

The likes of Anna Calvi, Cults, Feist, The Horrors and The Drums have been secured on the expanded bill.

February 12. Tickets from S$135. Fort Canning, 1 Fort Canning Rise; www.singapore.lanewayfestival.com.au

26. Learn Braille at Jurong Bird Park
Get a feel for how the sight-impaired perceive birds.

The Jurong Bird Park has worked together with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to produce Braille interpretive text and information, as well as the “pictures” of the birds so that they can feel what most of us see, and take for granted.
2 Jurong Hill, +65 6265 0022; www.birdpark.com.sg

27. I Light Marina Bay
Yes we even have a festival to celebrate lights.

The only time the city is better lit than Formula One weekend, I Light Marina Bay 2012 will light up the island with 30 environmentally sustainable light art installations by multi-disciplinary artists to promote the awareness and use of energy-efficient technology.
March 9-April 1, 7:30 p.m.-11 p.m. www.ilightmarinabay.sg

28. Turn the lights off
Yes, it’s the exact opposite on March 21 at 8:30 p.m.

A global initiative led by the World Wide Fund for Nature). The “I Will If You Will” Earth Hour lights-out campaign only lasts one hour, so maybe we could go the extra step and even turn off the air-con too?
March 31, 8:30 p.m., www.wwf.sg

29. Relive the dinosaur age
Around 50 life-sized prehistoric moving animatronics dinosaurs are here to impress the kids at the “Dinosaurs-Live!” exhibition. Spread over 3,000 square meters, it does double duty to wear out over-active little ones.
Until February 26. From S$18. The Annexe, Science Centre Singapore, 15 Science Centre Road, +65 6425 2500; www.science.edu.sg

30. Go outlet shopping
Johor Premium Outlets may not match up to Hong Kong’s Ap Lei Chau or Bicester Village in England but it is a lot closer.

Snap up Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Michael Kors and Burberry for less (hey, discounts plus prices in ringgits!) at Johor Premium Outlets –- and just in time for Lunar New Year.
Jalan Premium Outlets, Indahpura, Kulaijaya; www.premiumoutlets.com.my

31. Savor at Savour 2012
Singaporeans love food, and they especially love gourmet cuisine for less.

Sample more than 50 award-winning dishes (priced between S$6 and S$21) by chefs from France, Finland, Sweden, Singapore, Peru, Mexico, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Italy at Savour 2012.

There’ll also be master classes by Le Cordon Bleu and Alain Passard.
March 30-April 1. Tickets from S$40. www.savour.sg

32. Wipe years off your face
This one isn’t just for the ladies, the K-Lift facial claims to lift five years (or more) from your face.

Available at the Willow Stream Spa, the facial use a device powered by three high-performance energy technologies to energize and repairs cells, and promotes collagen production.

In lay terms, all faint lines are erased, the face is visibly firmed-up and you’ll glow as if you’ve been asleep for more than 24 hours.
From S$320 (90 minutes). 80 Bras Basah Road, +65 6431 5600; www.willowstreamspa.com/singapore

33. Go glampacking
Forget backpacking, it’s all about glampacking with a roller bag and statement eyewear.

Start in Singapore by checking into new generation hostels where towels are mould-free and there’s Wi-Fi included in the rate.

Rooms start from S$45 at the newly-opened Matchbox The Concept Hostel (39 Ann Siang Road, +65 6423 0237; www.matchbox.sg). At Five Stones Hostel  (Levels 2 and 3, 61 South Bridge Road, +65 6535 5607; www.fivestoneshostel.com), S$30 a night buys a bed, and the opportunity to make new friends.

34. Catch a fringe act
Art and faith is this year’s theme for the M1 Fringe Festival 2012 -- 17 works and 30 performances will center around the grand theme.

From dance to theatre, music and visual art, these works provoke you to “have faith, but more importantly, interrogate faith.”
February 15-26. www.singaporefringe.com

35. Swap clothes
Refresh your wardrobe with the help of strangers.

The monthly Your Clothes Friend Swap will take place January 18 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Come with all your pre-loved clothes, bags, accessories, magazines and pay S$20 at the door and get swapping.

All remaining clothing will be donated to the Salvation Army.
Email girl-about-town@hotmail.com for more information

36. Support The Substation
Local arts always deserve our love, especially The Substation, an independent, self-funded arts space.

Highlights for January include the fifth edition of “Short Circuit,” a gay and lesbian short film festival, and in February, “First Take” throws the spotlight on original, local shorts.
45 Armenian Street, +65 6337 7535; www.substation.org

37. Leg it, peddle power
Singapore’s answer to the Tour de France, OCBC Cycle Singapore is an event for both professional cyclists and amateur riders.

The three-day event caters for all ages and riders with differing abilities with a multitude of races, activities and other biking fun.

For the spectators, the Professional Criterium, taken out last year by Italy's 22-year old tyro Omar Bertazzo, will be staged again.
March 2-4. Tickets from S$33-S$71. F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Boulevard. www.ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg

38. Chug beer
More than 300 different beers, a wide assortment of food, live bands and general revelry. Need we say more?

Enjoy the annual BeerFest Asia that celebrates the humble amber fluid.

Have a taste of the world’s best stouts, lagers and ales at Marina Promenade. BrewDog, MOA and Baltika are just of the tasty beers that will available on tap.
From June 16-19. Tickets from S$15-S$140. Marina Promenade. www.beerfestasia.com

39. Singapore, meet Paul and Dean
Come 2012, the Asian carb-sensation of pork, pineapple, or milk buns begrudgingly welcomes their cousin from Europe, the croissant. Not just any croissant, but a buttery, flakey piece of perfection from Paul Bakery & Café (Level 3, Takashimaya, 390 Orchard Road). Established in 1889, its delights -- mille-feuille, flans and tarts -– are known from London to Taiwan.

Dean & Deluca (Level 4 Orchard Central, www.deananddeluca.com) is bringing its stockist of artisanal food to Singapore. Finally, a one-stop shop (and café) for quality breads, cheeses and cold cuts.

40. Have fun will getting in shape
Every new year, we all resolve to lose some weight, so you might as well have fun while you’re at it.

At Celebrity Fitness (www.celebrityfitness.com) Floating Yoga classes will put your balance to the test.

A form of yoga that uses a hammock as a soft trapeze to support the body while performing already difficult yoga poses, we suggest checking your inner-ear balance before signing up.

Whip your core strength into shape at Selective Fitness (50B Tras Street, +65 6222 8296; www.selectivefitness.com). You’ll yelp in pain (or pleasure) as you’re drilled through a series of intense abdominal and core-strengthening exercises on a Power Plate machine. Contact them for a free trial session.

Put your forgotten ballet skills to work in a Bodybarre (+65 9827 3847, bodybarre@gmail.com) class led by instructor Helen Su.

A ballet-style fitness class created to strengthen, tone and elongate the body using light weights and resistance straps. Their promise? To sculpt and tone your body, just like a dancer.

41. Support local music
Give our resident rockers some props at Baybeats, the Lion City’s annual alternative rock platform.

Held over three days at the Esplanade, this free event showcases the best in local, regional and international artists.

At time of publication, the organizers were still auditioning bands, so maybe this year it’s your chance.
June 29-July 1. The Esplanade, 1 Esplanade Drive. http://www.baybeats.com

42. Explore Gardens by the Bay
With triffid-like super trees sprouting bromeliads, two gigantic humps of climate-controlled greenhouses and a horticulturalist’s dream garden, Singapore’s new city park, spread over 101 hectares, is well worth a couple of hours or more. 
Opens June 2012. 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Marina Bay; www.gardensbythebay.org.sg

43. Venture out to Singapore’s farms
Concrete Singapore does have farms.

The Kranji Countryside collective (www.kranjicountryside.com) promotes local agriculture, education, and recreation. Among the group you can find the Jurong Frog Farm, Bollywood Veggies, the Hay Dairies Goat Farm, and a couple of places to have a meal.

Many provide tours and while hiking may not be a top choice to get away from the city, an afternoon of walking around a different environment may not be a bad alternative.

If you would prefer something closer to home, check out the Loewen Road Farmer’s Market (75E Loewen Road, +65 6474 0441) complete with homemade treats, every first Saturday of each month.

Or you can grow your own herbs (and vegetables) and cultivate your own garden cuisine. Get going with basil, mint, dill, okra, tomatoes, chillis or beans.

44. Test your toughness
If you'd rather show your manhood by pushing your endurance to the limit, you need to sign up for the Urbanathlon: a rope-climbing, obstacle-jumping and barrier-evading test of toughness and fitness.

This is one to separate the men from the boys, and it all takes place in a custom-made 14-kilometer course.
February 19, 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Entry from S$128. Nicoll Highway MRT Station. http://urbanathlon2012.menshealth.com.sg/

45. Get revved up for the Formula One
One of the top things to do in Singapore. You’re going to go anyhow so you might as well take advantage of the early-bird prices.

If you’ve got a dime to spare, there’s a new Turn 3 Premier Grandstand seats up for sale at S$2,128 each.

For that price they’ve included, food, bar and air-conditioned comfort -– just think of it as a lower-end Paddock pass.
www.singaporegp.sg

46. Dine at a Jason Atherton eatery
Another celebrity chef has set up in Singapore, London’s Pollen Street Social chef-proprietor Jason Atherton is behind the cozy L’esquina.

Taking over an old Chinese launderette, the tapas menu -- the scallop ceviche comes highly recommended -- has a definite seafood slant. Linger on with a half-bottle of sherry, or the pricey Estella beer brewed especially for the famed El Bulli restaurant.

Later this year Atherton will be opening a branch of Pollen Street Social in Gardens by the Bay: we can’t wait.
16 Jiak Chuan Road, +65 6222 1616; www.esquina.com.sg

47. Show Boat Quay some love
Poor Boat Quay, it’s still struggling to shed its tout-infested, overcharging reputation.

Show them some love in 2012. They’ve been taking pains to clean the place up and it’s already showing.

Some establishments to check out: Dallas (31 Boat Quay, +65 6532 2131, www.dallas.sg), L’Operetta (78/79 Boat Quay, +65 6438 2482; www.operagroup.com.sg) and, of course, the original Harry’s (28 Boat Quay, +65 6538 3029; www.harrys.com.sg)

48. Revamp yourself
You love wearing gold but is it really your best shade?

Get a whole new wardrobe with the help of Club 21’s Style Services team.

Ever the professionals, they’ll graciously educate you in all things chic and stylish, and help you work out what colors, trends and cuts show you in the best light.
S$300 per consultation (fee is waived with a minimum expenditure of S$1,000). Email styleservices@club21global.com for more information

49. Improve your sex life
Sex is good, and a healthy sex life and your overall well-being are interconnected.

Talk to clinical sexologist Dr Martha Lee (www.eroscoaching.com) or attend one of her workshops – Petals Pleasure, Sizzling Strokes -- where she deals with sexual and life issues with amazing frankness and sensitivity.

People of all sexual orientations are welcome.

50. Save an animal
All animals deserve a good home and there are a number of causes which accept volunteers.

ACRES (www.acres.org.sg) is an animal welfare charity currently campaigning for Resorts World Sentosa to not bringing in wild dolphins to display at their marine park.

Others, such as non-profit Animal Lovers League (www.animalloversleague.com) certainly need all the help they can get. Taking in abandoned or stray dogs and cats, they’ve only got half a football field to let the poor things run about.

51. Go cycling in Pulau Ubin
Step back in time and visit Singapore of a yesteryear.

Rustic Pulau Ubin is best explored by bike (rentals from S$3-S$8 per hour).

Pick a newer model as it can be a rather bumpy ride on the three cycling trails that lead past quarry pits, old village houses, fruit and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps.
Take a S$2 boat ride over from Changi Point. Call 1800 471 7300 or go to www.nparks.gov.sg for more information.

52. Read the local blogs

Still wondering what to do in Singapore? Keep on the pulse of what’s going on in Singapore by reading some of these sites.

source