21 Apr 2008 1:52:00 pm

i hope ST doesn't sue me for plagiarism

Nationalistic sentiments ran high in Beijing as well as Wuhan, Kunming, Xian and Qingdao. Protesters are said to be planning a nationwide boycott of Carrefour on May 1, a public holiday in China.

lol! lets go to c4.
but its 4 days before the exams. hahahaha.
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MADRID - MANY women might wish to be in her place, but Spanish pop singer and heart-throb Enrique Iglesias says his girlfriend, tennis champion Anna Kournikova, keeps turning down his proposals of marriage.
'I always try, but she doesn't want to,' the Madrid newspaper ABC quoted Iglesias

They were rumoured to be engaged in December after Kournikova was spotted sporting a large diamond ring on her wedding finger.

But earlier this month she told People magazine that a walk down the aisle was not part of her plans. 'I'm never getting married. Everything is good,' she said.


omggg. what's her prob. tsk!
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=) interesting.

Mind the gap (year)
More Asian youth are travelling before university and it's great for the soul

WHEN I was a university student in the United Kingdom, I was intrigued by the 'gap year' phenomenon.

This is when, after finishing their A levels in June, British 18-year-olds take a year off to see the world before entering university.

Some work on farmstays in Australia. Others get splendidly wasted on the beaches of Thailand, or dig wells in Africa. Most youth see travel as a way to burnish their resumes for university, or job applications in the future.

It's a trend that has caught on in Asia recently, says economist Dr Yuwa Hedrick-Wong in his new book, The Future And Me: The Power Of The Youth Market In Asia, launched on Friday.

In it, he argues that 'travel is another form of personal investment' for young premium consumers - namely those between 20 and 35 years old - who are well-educated and have sizeable disposable incomes.

These youth recognise that in a highly competitive job market, 'a well-travelled job applicant stands out against those who stayed closer to home'.

I'd agree. In fact, travelling has recently become the top priority for my friends and I.

One friend legged it to London and Canada last year. Another went solo exploring Luang Prabang in Laos.

Me, I just went on my first backpacking trip last month to Koh Lipe, a tiny island off the southern coast of Thailand, all by myself.

The experience was so phenomenal that I'm already planning to explore more of South-east Asia this year (Perhentian Islands, Hanoi, Angkor Wat, here I come!).

But it was after my trip that I came to a realisation: Such experiences aren't just about impressing future employers.

At its core, travel is an ongoing journey in the expression of who we are as young, independent individuals.

It is tied to a larger sense that life is not just about goals, but about learning and experience.

So while collecting the five Cs still remains a high priority for ambitious young Singaporeans, more youth (like myself) are rethinking the goal of, well, goals.

After the rise of materialism here in the 80s and 90s, we are starting to want greater substance to our identities in the 21st century.

An article in the British broadsheet Guardian last July noted a trend where more professionals are dropping out mid- or late career to travel and pursue other interests.

It told the story of Mr Richard Harvey, the chief executive of insurance giant Aviva, who at 57 quit his job to help out on Aids and sanitation projects in Africa.

It was time to 'take the gap year I never had', he said.

His is an example nothing short of inspiring. It reminds us that in life, there are no real end-points, but only stages.

So I say cheers to a lifelong journey of self-discovery - and pass me those hiking boots, please.