International Women's Day

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day celebrated globally with focus on women's rights and the call for action towards gender equality. The day also brings to light the achievements of women around the world.

Google commemorates this year's International Women's Day with this logo...

Google also follows it up with quotes from some 13 exemplary women around the world. Below are three.

Happy International Women's Day!

I'd also like to give a shout-out to someone whose birthday is today. "Happy Birthday and many, many happy returns".

Friday Frolics - The Birthday Cake Test

Happy birthday! Even if it's not your birthday today, birthday cake is something worth celebrating every single day of the year. Yes?

And here's a Birthday Cake Quiz for this week.

You Are Daring and Dazzling

You are funky, eccentric, and charming in unexpected ways. You are constantly inspired and inspiring. You throw caution to the wind and try to avoid the safe option. You love not knowing what's coming around the corner. You love that the world is full of infinite possibilities - and you'd like to try every combination of them that you can. You are always changing, growing, and expanding your horizons. You never suffer from stagnation or boredom.

The Birthday Cake Test

Take another quiz

Take last week's quiz: How Active is Your Imagination?

Happy 15th Birthday, Google!

15 years ago, what started as a research project for two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, has turned out to be currently the world's most visited website, making its founders multi-billionaires.

Google celebrates its 15th birthday with an interactive doodle on its homepage allowing the user to break a star-shaped birthday pinata.

To view what Google page looked like when it was first launched in September 1998, visit Google in 1998 as created by Google. 

And baby Kingston Lee makes Three

Congratulations to the proud parents - Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo!

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei and his wife, former national badminton player Wong Mew Choo, became the proud parents of a bubbly baby boy - Kingston Lee - on Friday.

Mew Choo delivered Kingston by caesarean section at 1.36pm at the Gleneagles Hospital in Jalan Ampang.

The bundle of joy weighed 3.4kg.
More: The Star..Chong Wei, Mew Choo are proud parents of 3.4kg baby boy Kingston

Madame Marie Curie - 144th birthday

If Marie Curie were to be alive today, she would have been a grand old lady of 144 years-old. The above is Google's doodle to commemorate Madame Curie's 144th birthday. She died on July 4, 1944.

Marie Skłodowska Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish–French physicist–chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes —in physics and chemistry. She was the first female professor at the University of Paris. She was the first woman to be entombed on her own merits (in 1995) in the Paris Panthéon.
More on Wikipedia

Happy 13th Birthday Google

Today is Google's 13th birthday. Happy Birthday Google!

July 1 Pictures of the Day on The Wall Street Journal

If you are a soccer fan, this face would be familiar to you. He has refereed many a great game.

FEELING FRISKY: Former soccer referee Pierluigi Colina posed at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, one day before Brazil and the Netherlands compete in the World Cup quarterfinals. (Stephanie de Sakutina/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

The above is one of the July 1 Pictures of the Day on The Wall Street Journal. View the rest here on WSJ

I'd like to give a shoutout to a friend who is celebrating his birthday today, July 1. Happy Birthday, my friend. Many happy returns..

By the way, I read that people born on the first day of the month often see the big picture of things more, as in a macro view or prefer to paint with a big brush not being concerned with little things. They also have a strong and assertive disposition. It also applies to a certain extent to people born on 19 and 28 as the two numbers add up to 10 and further reduced to 1.

Google Doodle - Charlie Chaplin's 122nd Birthday

Google has done it again! If you go to Google.com today, you'd notice a movie doodle,, Google's way of celebrating Charlie Chaplin's 122nd birthday if he were to be alive today. Click on the doodle to watch a video. Nice..

The Unforgettable March 8

Three years ago today, Malaysians went to the polls and the rest as they say is history, which includes five states crossing over to the Opposition. Let's take a little peek through the time-tunnel to three years ago to a Reuters report:

(Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition has won unprecedented control of five of Malaysia's 13 states in general elections held on Saturday, opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim said as counting continued on Sunday morning.

"Tomorrow we will start building a brighter future...This is a new dawn for Malaysia," Anwar, de facto leader of opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party), told reporters.

Keadilan and its opposition allies, the ethnic Chinese-backed Democratic Action Party and the main Islamist party, Parti Islam se-Malaysia, had won the northern states of Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Perak and central Selangor state, Anwar said.

Politics is never a nice subject to broach on, is it? So let's just leave it at that and move on to something more positive, more pleasant, if you will.

If it's your birthday today, and I know one special person is celebrating it on this date, let me wish you

Happy Birthday!
May each day of the year be filled
..with joy and love, blue skies..
and all things
nice..

Birthday Ideas

Are you one of those who are always at a loss for gift ideas when a birthday comes around? I know of people who are like that. You too? Here are some Birthday Ideas you would be surprised you hadn't thought of earlier.

Show tickets are a great birthday idea. Shows are something that many people enjoy but do not get around to planning them into their schedule. Further surprise them by driving them to the venue and seeing their excitement when they realize what they are about to see.

A get-away is a super birthday idea. Many people are too busy to plan for a vacation so a long weekend at a resort, a one night stay at a theme park, a spa weekend, or hiding away in a cabin for a few days are all popular birthday ideas.

Great birthday ideas for mom include helping her pick up her bath and beauty products or her color refills for her printer. Same goes for dad on his birthday. He will appreciate little thoughtful gifts too such as gifts that support his hobbies or a plate of his favorite cookies.

Gift vouchers or gift cards are practical gifts too. Now you won't be at such a loss for birthday ideas.

Oldest Man Celebrates 113th Birthday

Life magazine today features this gentleman being the world's oldest man at age 113. The picture below shows Walter Breuning blowing out candles on his birthday cake at his birthday celebration on Monday in Great Falls, Mont. He says he stays healthy by eating just two meals a day.
I remember a former colleague once said that he'd be happy to live until 45. He smoked, drank and had many lady companions (although married). And today in his early sixties, he is still alive and doing the same things he used to be doing. Life is unpredictable indeed and in his case, I suppose it's unpredictable on the good side.

Here's a thought. If you were given a choice to pick the age in which you'd give up your life, which age would you pick and why?

Goodbye August, Hello September!

STREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETCH..... Yawwwwwnnn!! Is it September already?

September... lots happening in September. For starters, let's crank it up with a song, shall we? None more befitting than September by Earth, Wind and Fire. Can't believe this number is three decades old.




Let's look at what's in store for September:

Sept 1 - Labor Day in the US (this year). Over here, the fasting month of Ramadhan begins for Muslims. Selamat Berpuasa.

- In India, Teachers' Day is celebrated on September 5. The date is the birthday of the second President of India, academic philosopher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

- In Japan, Respect for the Aged Day is a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday of September. Autumnal Equinox Day is also a national holiday.

- In the United States, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

- In Mexico, Independence Day is celebrated September 15.

- In Saint Kitts and Nevis, National Heroes' Day is celebrated September 16.

- National Grandparents' Day takes place on the first Sunday after Labor Day in the United States and Canada.

- In the United States, September 11 is Patriot Day, in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

- The equinox named the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the vernal or spring equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 21 September to 24 September.

- In Australia and New Zealand, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

And we do have a number of Swans, I mean birthdays coming up in September, don't we?

Happy Birthday, my dear friends, and may sunshine and blue skies fill your days!

September spells the end of yet another fabulous summer vacation for tourists but no sad goodbyes. They are probably raring to go back to their real routine. Eh?

Adios amigos and have a pleasant flight back.


Source: Wikipedia

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Today is Labour Day in many parts of the world. Here too. It's a public holiday. Would you believe it, I have four friends (all female - strange) sharing the same Labour Day birthday.

My dear friends, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! May your day be awesome and may today be the beginning of better things to come and may your dreams, hopes and wishes come true! *hugs & kisses* I thought I'd do up a little compilation for your reading pleasure. Big pinch of salt needed, yeah? But first, here's an ecard for you.



Born between May 1 - May 13
You would be a Monkey: Very impatient and hyper!!! You want things to be done as quickly as possible. At heart, you are quite simple and love it if you are the center of attraction. That way, you people are unique. You would like to keep yourself safe from all the angles. Shall your name be dragged or featured in any sort of a controversy, you then go all panicky. Therefore, you take your precautions from the very beginning. When you foresee anything wrong, your sixth sense is what saves you from falling in traps. Quite a money minded bunch you people are!!

From May 1 to May 14
BLUE is your colour -
You may have low self-esteem, and can be very picky. You are artistic and like to fall in love, but you let your love pass by, by loving with your mind, not your heart.

May 01 to May 14 - You are a Poplar Tree
POPLAR TREE (the Uncertainty) -
looks very decorative, not very self-confident, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Okay, now that you know what tree you are, wanna know what bird are you?

Born in May
>Stubborn and hard-hearted
>Strong-willed and highly motivated Sharp thoughts Easily angered
>Attracts others and loves attention
>Deep feelings Beautiful physically and mentally
>Firm standpoint Easily influenced
>Needs no motivation
>Easily consoled Systematic (left brain)
>Loves to dream
>Strong clairvoyance
>Understanding
>Sickness usually in the ear and neck
>Good imagination Good debating skills Good physical
>Weak breathing Loves literature and the arts
>Loves travelling
>Dislike being at home Restless Not having many children
>Hardworking High spirited
>Spendthrift

T H E.....E N D

No wait, not quite, here's a musical dedication to you, Bee Gees' First of May. One of my favourites. Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY again