tnppostwoman.com archives

Maychoon Says:On which planet does German dictator Adolf Hitler - you know, mustachioed mass murderer and mastermind of the Holocaust - symbolise anything revolutionary?

Apparently, it’s Korea. We know that because a controversial Korean skincare commercial by South Korean brand Coreana starring actress Park Jin Hee has caused a flap around the world. In it, she’s wearing a Nazi-inspired military uniform.

Sirens wail in the background, German voices fill the air, a bomb explodes and raucous cheers resound. Then comes this message: “Even Hitler didn’t have the East and West.”

No matter how “revolutionary” this lotion’s moisturising and calming effects supposedly are, Hitler and cosmetics just don’t go. Unless of course you are a fan of The Producers and believe that the man was really gay.

But seriously, what the hell were they thinking? Or maybe they weren’t.

This pro-Nazi concept sparked outrage among foreigners in Korea and beyond, leading irate officials from the Israeli Embassy in Seoul and the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organisation, to send letters of complaint to Coreana.

Eventually, good sense prevailed and the advertising campaign was withdrawn.

Oddly enough, the South Koreans themselves have remained apathetic and insensitive to the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II. Most of the mainstream media in South Korea didn’t even bother pursuing the story, nor did Jin Hee come out to make any statement.

However, you can bet your last won that they’ll be singing a different tune once anything Japan-friendly comes into the picture.

Tell Us: Do you think such ads cross the line of good taste? Are consumers getting more sensitive? Or should all things Nazi remain taboo?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

Sheela Says: Despite my stand that the Internet is a cowboy town whose dark elements need to be reined in, it has become a boon for the wallflower.

Special interest groups on social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut or MeetUp have given shy ones a chance to get off the wallpaper to mix and mingle with other human beings. If you have a hobby, there is sure to be a group online who is organising an offline event where people can meet, talk and share.

Like the a group of local internet foodies who meet up regularly at a nice restaurant or at local hawker centre to talk about food and to just get to know each other in a stress-free, non-threatening environment.

And if you’re new in town, such groups are godsend for making new friends and possibly meet new romantic partners in a new city. Hardly surprising, Cupid has struck a number of people in these groups. One foodie told me that a fellow member, a 17-year-old student, was painfully shy when he first started coming for the foodie meet ups. Over time, he loosened up, became confident and his conversational skills got better. His future on the dating circuit just became brighter.

Tell Us: What do you think of these online groups that organise events offline? Are you a member of such a group? Would you join a group like this?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

Raven Says: By now, I’m sure you may have heard of The Game, the best-selling book by Neil Strauss which teaches you how to go from “average frustrated chump” to “master pickup artist”.

But is it really just a loser’s guide to getting laid, or is it less cretinous than initial impressions lead you to believe? The book arouses your curiosity as the story follows a ‘geek’ into a remarkable world of insecure boys who spend years trying to find their confidence and manhood through the pickup of depthless women in nightclubs. These guys have no confidence, no charm and really nothing going for them at all, so they have to fake it and that is their game.

The book was featured on the New York Times Bestseller List for two months after its release in September 2005 and it will soon be adapted into a film. This just highlights how many tepid and clueless men there really are out there.

But behind the psychologically juvenile methods and strange sad stories recounted, there is some pretty amazing writing. Strauss guides you through the full bodied recollection of a traveled vein with the hand of a master, deft and confident. Though some people revere this book as the ‘bible of picking up club sluts’, I argue that the real mastery in this book lays in the art of penmanship, not physical prowess.

Tell Us: Have you read The Game? Do you like it? And do you think a book can actually teach you how to seduce the opposite sex?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

It is too simplistic to think that there is a set of method that can seduce the girls. I’m sure even under heavy intoxication our girls are more sophisticated than that. I think that this book is rather degrading to the girls but boost the males ego making them think that there is a simple solution to “getting the girls” in the club. Moreover, western culture differ from local culture quite abit.

Tan Kian Chong

Jeanmarie Says: Reality TV dancing shows are becoming a dime a dozen these days. There was that highly-entertaining So You Think You Can Dance and the missable Wade Robson Project. There’s also a new one coming up from the producers of Project Runway called Step It Up. And of course, here in Singapore, we had our very own The Dance Floor.

Now comes the successful Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), which has seen six seasons in the US, and will be premiering on TV here this week. The show has been such a hit over there, every episode gets dissected and analysed obsessively by fans on entertainment websites and blogs, and the show’s participants travel around the US in DWTS tours.

And of course, what would a reality TV show be without the stars? Has-been actors like Mario Lopez, Joey Lawrence and Jennie Garth have seen a new lease of life after being part of the show. And who wouldn’t want to see one-legged Heather Mills kick up a storm doing the cha cha? Or deaf actress Marlee Matlin negotiating the tricky tango without being able to hear the music?

But how about a local version with our own local celebrities? After all, the DWTS has spawned overseas in countries like Austria, Italy and even the Czech Republic. And let’s face it, The Dance Floor, while it was entertaining, didn’t really make you want to tap dance across the living room floor.

Tell Us: Are you looking forward to Dancing With The Stars on TV? What about a local version? Which local celebrities would you like to see in it?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

Raven Says: As times roll on, I feel an impending sense of doom.

Not about my career or future, but about my face, my skin and my body in general. I feel like I’m slowly turning into a wrinkly potato and there’s nothing I can do about it. Maybe it’s my industry, famed for magnifying beauty until it’s burned out, but that aside, there’s very few of us who are immune to the emotional sadness of aging, no matter how little vanity we think we have.

The stretch of our waists and wrinkle of our once-taunt skin is a constant reminder of our time running out, and this in an age where many of us spend our days in isolation behind our computers, hoping we’re getting the best out of life while secretly knowing and ignoring the fact that we’re living the farthest thing from fulfillment. Time passes and we’re way past our prime, living in the minds that we owned 10 years ago and horrified at the realization that only our outside has changed, and people’s perceptions of us with it.

I find myself wanting to scramble to lose the pounds gained, to fit into those clothes and styles that I was once able to, to not be able to notice the lines quietly etching into my brow. More than anything, I want to have known then what I know now but be able to bask in all the innocent fabulousness of youth, sans spots, droop or cellulite.

As Rita Rudner says, “I don’t plan to grow old gracefully; I plan to have facelifts until my ears meet.” And, as the wrinkles begin to smile in the mirror, I find myself starting to agree with her.

Tell Us: How far would you go in the name of vanity to prevent yourself from aging?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

Raven Says: So, they have a fat girl in the Miss England competition. Chloe Marshall has become the first “plus-sized” girl to make it to the finals of the UK’s national beauty contest.

I know that calling her a ‘fat girl’ makes me sound anti-curves but that’s just too bad. It’s what she is, with a BMI six points over her 5’10” optimal at the young age of 17. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to be full figured and curvaceous; we totally adore fatties Crystal Renn, Nigella Lawson and Sophie Dahl - I’m a happy size 12 myself, but I am quite aware that society seems to be embracing fatness with arms a little too widely open.

It’s worrying that people are accepting being a bigger size when they are NOT NATURALLY THAT SIZE… if you eat more vegetables than anything else, eat only as much as you need and get out of breath exercising three times a week and you are still a size 12 then congratulations, that’s your natural size. If you are sitting on your lazy ass, placing your job before your health and eating deep fried food all over the place, then you’re just a disgusting lazy fat ass who doesn’t deserve the right to complain about your size.

We need to remember that while no size is ‘bad’ or ‘good’, it is wrong to lie to ourselves about our true size and it is right to treat our bodies as they deserve to be treated, no matter what size.

Tell Us: Is big necessarily beautiful?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

This question made me have two thoughts, beautiful or not beautiful. To me, as a guy, I would not want to criticise the girls who are big in size as that might affect their conscience. However,I would not mind Chloe Marshall winning this competition because I believe she won it with her excellent personality and a little on appearance because she is one of the beautiful big-sized ladies. As said by many, never judge a book by its cover. She may be fat, but she may have done several good deeds behind our backs.

Being fat is not really a healthy sign. According to the health bulletins, obesity tend to result in health problems such as high blood pressure and Arthritis. I hope that these girls will control their daily meal intakes to have a balanced diet.

Therefore, this makes me difficult to tell whether being fat is beautiful or not, but I can surely tell whether it is healthy or not. So, just let everything be natural.

Joel Ong

Big is beautiful if only you feel confident about it yourself, and that usually only goes to people who are naturally born big.

If binging and lazy is the reason that makes you big, people will find you unacceptable.

I know this better than anyone because i used to be big size girl.

Being big size not only makes me out casted by friends, but also crushed my dreams.

So, 7 months ago i took the first step to losing weight and say bye-bye to the 60 KG big girl.

Now i am a 45kg girl, and i get better treatments where ever i go.

After all, this is a realistic world.

Wendy Chong

The thing is, regardless of whether you are overweight because you binge, or you are lazy, or you have a genetic or medical problem or you are naturally towards the larger side, the society at large will still find you unacceptable. Sadly, thinness is the norm in Singapore and anyone who deviates from this norm is termed unacceptable.

How many times have overweight people been stopped in the streets by complete strangers who rudely shove pamphlets of get-thin-quick schemes and slimming products regardless of the place you are at and company you are with?

I don’t believe these ‘ambassadors’ of thinness are doing people like me a favour, I think they are ultimately insensitive and must be given at least a crash course in proper social etiquette. Somehow the general attitude towards big people in Singapore is that 1) they are slobs, 2) they are not active, 3) they eat a lot, 4) they are unattractive and 5) they most probably are not successful.

This myopic view of overweight people is indeed immature as it shows how narrow-minded people really are. I don’t think I have to list the thousands of individuals you and I may know who are overweight AND successful in their lives! We talk about equal human rights and egalitarian beliefs in Singapore but I strongly believe that such rights do not belong to people who are simply overweight in this country.

Forget the fact that the overweight person could be an educated, eloquent or talented person by all means, that does not really matter because the person’s BMI is not within the healthy range. Yes we agree we are unhealthy by all means.

Perhaps we are even burdening the health system in Singapore by being a breeding ground to numerous chronic or acute illnesses that could affect us due to our weight. But it seems as if the addicted smoker gets a more glamourized treatment than an overweight person who may not have any habits like smoking or drinking! At least they don’t have numerous pamphlets shoved at their faces or taxi-drivers and market uncles telling them how to stop smoking effectively. Overweight people are discriminated and there exists a stereotypical view of big people and no one can possibly deny that. The government encourages Singapore to be a gracious society, especially since the country is gaining popularity amongst the foreign crowd.

Perhaps, Singaporeans can start with being gracious to people who are simply different in size than the average person you bump into. Yes appearances influence first impressions, but if the entire world were to operate only on first impressions, we most probably would not have gotten this far. Learn to be sensitive to another person’s feelings, for being overweight is NOT a crime. Sensitivity ought to be the first signs of a civilized society, but are we even close to achieving that?

And yes, big can be beautiful, and no, it is not a way to justify being overweight.

Renuga d/o Konasegaran

Sheela Says: What a political mess some celebrities have found themselves in this week.

Those picked to run in the Olympic Torch relay as part of the global run up to the Beijing Olympic Games probably weren’t expecting to face the barrage of criticism thrown at them by pro-Tibet and human rights supporters. Or for that matter attacked while carrying the torch on route in their respective cities.

The protesters are demonstrating against the Chinese government’s crackdown on the pro-independence movement in Tibet last month and on the country’s human rights record. Protestors tried to jump on British celebrities like television presenter Konnie Haq, Arsenal footballer Theo Walcott and violinist Vanessa Mae as they ran through London last week with the torch.

The latest to face the heat is Bollywood star Aamir Khan who has been bombarded with a storm of criticism after he decided to continue to participate in the run when the torch arrives in New Delhi next week.

While protestors have every right to demonstrate their unhappiness with the Chinese government, jumping on the relay runners in a bid to extinguish the torch is a little much. Call me an idealist but it has been proven time and again that sports and politics make awful bedfellows. The Olympic Games is about celebrating the human spirit and it shouldn’t be hijacked in the name of politics.

Tell Us: Should celebrities run in the Olympic Torch relay despite the protests? What do you think about mixing sports and politics?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg . Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

It is nice of you to ask about this ongoing human behavior regarding the relay and the participants. Celebs, athletes or anyone who cares for the welfare and good of others must voice out their concerns for the Tibetans. The olympics should not be the stage to do it. The Human Rights groups are right too cause they care and I believe most Singaporeans do not know the hardships these Tibetans are going through. Stars, they maybe
and their lifestyles are different from what the Tibetans are going through. It is easy for for them to lend their names and have raving reports to boost their popularity. They have their freedom and believe in what they are doing. Most importantly they must reflect and ask themselves if people all around the world, including leaders of certain countries are voicing out for the Tibetans than what has caused the olympic torch relay to be so messy. Let us all think again and put ourselves in the Tibetans shoes.

Robertson Fernandez

Celebs wanting to make their political statements , should not use the Olympics as it is not the platform to do so. Instead they should not make money from China and condemn their own government for recognising China’s sovereignty over Tibet.

Peter Liu Soon Ching

Raven Says: In some ways, it must be hard for Sarah Jessica Parker.

She shot to stardom as the super fashionable and loveable Carrie Bradshaw, lead chick of Sex and The City. Carrie was sweet, pensive and unerringly uber stylish, thanks to the heavy-handed genius of costume designer Patricia Field.

But when time came to design her own fashion line for Steve & Barry’s stores, SJP proved to the world that her character was merely that: a character. From the unfortunate name, Bitten, to the taste-tragic collections, the line was a unanimous flop, disappointing and confusing millions of women and fans worldwide.

Now SJP has earned the title of “Unsexiest Actresses” in Maxim magazine and once again oscillated annoyingly; she admirably quips; “I never thought I was sexy, either” and then later has a pathetic whine about the judgement and how traumatic it was.

You can only wonder when or if she’ll ever figure out that a two-faced public image is probably a large part of what earned her the title in the first place.

Tell Us: Do you agree that Sarah Jessica Parker is the “Unsexiest Actress” in Hollywood? If not, who do you think deserves that title more than her?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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Unsexy Parker? I doubt so. I was astonished by Maxim magazine classifying her under the Unsexiest in Hollywood. To me, this statement is false as she is not a bad celebrity and I believe this has got to be a gossip. I have many reasons why she is not the unsexiest.

Parker has become very influential in the world of fashion. I recalled one event that impressed me the most. In 2000, I watched her hosting the MTV Movie awards and she appeared in no fewer than 15 different costumes throughout the show. She has also become the face of many of the world’s biggest fashion brands. She was also not left out in movies after winning numerous awards.

Since 1999, she had won more than 10 Emmy awards, mainly being the outstanding actress, and several achievements in Golen Globe awards. Thus, calling her an unsexy girl is absolutely an insult to me and her fans. Maxim has got to take note of its words. Jessica Parker is the coolest and most attractive celebrity as compared to others.

If I were to classify celebs under the unsexiest, I would only place Madonna due to her self-righteous bellyaching and rapid postnuptial deterioration. No way for Jessica Parker to be in that group.

Joel Ong

Jeanmarie Says: Caught Zoe Tay’s new gig yet? The Queen of Caldecott Hill has a new ad where she proudly declares: “I make hairbrush and umbilical cord stamp for my sons, I trust HuaXia Taimaobi.”

Err, what? Yes, you saw it right. Zoe is now the brand ambassador of a gifts and souvenirs company which makes calligraphy brushes out of hair from newborn babies, and commemorative seal stamps containing a piece of a baby’s umbilical cord. The beautiful mother of two even sportingly contributed her sons’ “foetal” hair and pieces of their umbilical cord to make these gifts for herself.

But Zoe is no stranger to strange endorsements. Remember the furore over her “I Swallow” Imedeen ad? In 2006, Zoe had done an ad for the company’s anti-ageing beauty supplement pills where she seductively coos: “My secret to beautiful skin? I swallow.” Zoe also drew criticism for hawking powdered milk after after extolling the virtues of breastfeeding in press interviews. Then there was also her slimming ad for Extrim X, which resulted in some fans saying she should not be consuming slimming products while she was nursing her first son, Brayden.

Poor Zoe, who knew selling that luscious body and sensuous smile would lead to so much trouble? But let’s give her a break. Now that she’s been relegated to mummy roles on TV, the lady’s got to find a way to bring home the bacon, right?

Tell Us: What do you think of Zoe’s latest endorsement ad? And should we cut the Queen of Caldecott some slack for her strange endorsements?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

I am so embarrassed by Zoe Tay’s new endorsement ad. If it will to be shown to the public, her reputation may be tarnished.

The public had been grumbling for Zoe’s health-supplement commercials, yet she did not realise? Besides that, I recalled her ad on Extrim X slimming products. She shot that when she just gave birth to her first son, Brayden. I feel that she deserves the kind of commercials she has been shooting these days- about Abbot’s Similac baby milk powder. Those baby ads would perhaps show what a mother should recommend, instead of slimming products as those are harmful to health.

And about Zoe’s upcoming ads, calligraphy brushes out of hair from her new-born baby is not an auspicious movement. Seal stamps with her baby’s umbilical cord inside is neither good. Using an infant’s most precious things to make objects to keep as commemoration is such a waste. It is no wonder it had became a talk of the town nowadays. It is absolutely stupid to do such things. I doubt her baby will lead a great life ahead unless this celebrity will move on to ads on essential products like food and beverages or cosmetics.

I suggest Zoe will focus both on shooting her drama serials and advertising informations to enable people to lead a healthy lifestyle for example. Isn’t this more meaningful and informative, not a disturbance to the public viewers?

Joel Ong

As most readers would have gathered from the media, Zoe’s advertisements since she had her pregnancies have substantially gone down.
It’s like the phrase: “No fish, shrimp can also make do.”
In order to justify her income, I feel Zoe has to jump on any offer which comes by.

Tham Siong Tuck

This is nothing new. I am a Singaporean and is residing in Japan for almost 20 yrs. When I had my daughter, I did not know that the Japanese also used the baby’s hair to make brushes until I met some mothers at the park and when we started to chat about our bables, then I discovered that it was also done over in Japan.

As a mother, I also think that it is a good idea. No one has the right to judge Zoe’s actions.

Mary Ngo

In my opinion, I don’t think there is anything wrong with Zoe endorsing the foetal hair brush, It is a wonderful and unique way to commemorate the birth of a child. I am sure most mothers feel the need to have something that they can remember of their child. It is more of a sentimental value than anything weird or embarrassing same goes for the umbilical cord. But I don’t know why they called it foetal rather than baby hair brush?!

Sally Lie

Wat’s wrong with making brushes out of baby’s hair. Every mother wld loved to keep anything fm her babies, me too! So far HuaXua taimaobi has made more than 20,000 brushes & seals for more than 12.000 parents, so are u saying those parents are strange too!

To Tham Siong Tuck & Lisa above, “No fish, shrimp also can”, “She needs to put keep money coming in”, ….I think u din read the news properly….the endorsement fm HuaXia was first offered to Zoe 3 yrs back! And there were a few other offers which the company think were not suitable to her tat she din endorsed! If Zoe is tat hardup for $$$$, then she shd accept ALL the endorsement offers tat comes by!

Michelle Liow

Raven Says: My favourite nightingale, British singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, lost her husband recently in what looks to be a shattering tragedy for the angelic starlet.

Married since 2001, she’s frequently spoken out about how her husband inspires her songwriting and how lucky she is to have found someone who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. With a super clean-cut image and such critical acclaim that’s unusual for the industry, the news of her husband’s possible death from a drug overdoes must surely be salt on the wound.

My heart goes out to her and her family - she who has done so well and stayed so strong in a shark-filled industry, only to suffer this incredible blow.

But Heath Ledger, Britney on the edge, and now this? It really does make me wonder - is the entertainment industry cursed?

Tell Us: What price must be paid for fame? For Hollywood celebrities, does having fame mean you must sacrifice a part of your personal life?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

People associate fame with wealth – a famous person must be swimming with ridiculously stinking money, and of course there’s some truth to it but there’s a lot more than meets the eye. The pressure, for one. Your life is under a microscope for all to see and it can be overwhelming for some.

I wouldn’t go to such extreme as calling ‘being in a limelight a curse’, after all, it depends on the individual in how they’re dealing with the stress. Guess what, commoner like me has stress too, you know, and whereas I can’t compare my stress with a public figure’s stress, it’s a stress nevertheless and each of us has our own problems to deal with.

Jason Rae died of a drug overdose, and it’s a sad news. But on daily basis people die for a whole number of reasons, so what, are we all cursed? At the end of the day, it goes to show that even public figures are human beings as well, and they’re prone to earthly emotions too, just like the rest of us.

Maybe instead of focusing on the bad side of fame, we should hand it to them. They’re just trying to live their lives, and doing so while we are all sitting on the edge of our seats, ready to judge and criticize their latest misdoings, is pretty damn tough.

Christina Thung

Of course, Hollywood is cursed. When you are in an industry where everything you do or every mistake you make is magnified, naturally it’ll seem as though everybody will have skeletons in the closet.

The truth is, nobody’s perfect. The difference is that ordinary people like you and me could get away with little sins but not celebrities.

But not celebrities. That is why even seemingly goody two shoes celebrities like Corinne Bailey Rae eventually fall prey to the curse.

Is it fair? No, it isn’t. But unfortunately, that is the price that celebrities have to pay for having fame and fortune.

Lisa