Hot Pants: trendy or indecent?

Most wearers of such a fashion item are young girls and reading what one of them said appalled me."I know they encourage us not to wear...but you don't have to listen." It smacks of wilfulness on her part. I hope that she is the exception.

Seeing young pre-teenagers wearing it is still acceptable in my eyes, as I am giving them the benefit of the doubt in assuming that they have no intent to use it to flaunt their sexuality. However, knowing that a 34-year-old woman wears it to work is simply flabbergasting. She is a retail assistant and that is somewhat of a professional job. How can she be so nonchalant when she is asked about it?! It is one thing to see it as practical but it is another thing to wear it to work. It certainly degrades her professionalism and casts an adverse effect on her retail outlet. She is not a part-time worker at this age, I reckon.

Another equally shocking knowledge is the fact that VCH and the Esplanade are rather lenient with dress codes. I have performed in VCH a few times and I would not want any member of the audience to wear such an outrageously unsuitable item to my performance! As a member of the audience at Esplanade, I make sure I wear something decently presentable like pants or a dress as a form of respect to the performers. The theatrical operators may not seem to mind but this is merely proper theatrical etiquette to me.

I know that it is a vastly different situation in London because watching musicals is a common activity among Londoners. A man was wearing a singlet to the performance of Sister Act and he was not stopped at the entrance. It is not a common activity but a form of luxury for we Singaporeans though.

I am heartened to note that Les Amis does not approve of such dressing. Kudos to their discreet yet effective measure of providing appropriate outfits to counter this.

It is strange how some wearers are aware of the unwanted attention they get on their bodies when they wear hot pants, but they still do not opt out of wearing it. Though not every guy gives them lecherous looks when they wear it, the looks do make them feel uneasy. What harm is there then in wearing a more decent fashion item? Should they continue to wear it, the lechers may mistakenly think that they really are sexually easy to prey on. When that happens, it would be too late to harbour any regrets.

Double standards towards fashion etiquette

A viewer showed his verbal disapproval towards a newscaster's choice of dressing on Deepavali. Her silver-gray dress was unfortunately intensified in tonal colour on television such that it appeared as black. It is ironic how no one else filed a similar complaint. Even the president of a Hindu temple acknowledged that different settings give allowance to different codes of dressing, and the practical setting of a news bulletin complemented the colour of the dress. The viewer seems to have overlooked this.

Now that it has been proven that it was due to the camera that the dress appeared darker, it would be good if he extends an apology to the newscaster. Contradictions are noted in his comment to the media when he said that he "had moved with the times" and didn't care about the dressing on Vesak Day. If he truly has, then why is he complaining about the newscaster's dressing? He seems to be implying that he is thinking of the interests of other viewers by writing in but they did not express any negative opinions towards her dressing. Strange, is it not?

Lindsay Lohan's attempt at fashion design

Her collection for Ungaro was met with harsh criticism and I can see why. She designed dresses which were very short and tight. They make me think that wearing them is equal to not wearing anything at all. Also, there were blazers worn as blouses, unfastened over tight strapless bras. These are extremely fantastical.

Let me go to the graphic prints now. They were made of mostly hearts and glitter. It surely does reflect her own tastes but she had forgot that the brand she was designing for counters them, specifically the hearts. They seem more suitable for little girls' fashion, besides her pink dresses.

Reading from books versus from the Internet and audio

Tradition has maintained that reading means doing so from books, whether paperbacks or hardcovers. I've never strayed from this physical entity.

Though audio books are available in the market, they cost more than real books. Their attraction is the bringing to life of the writer/ narrator's thoughts which had been done so in word form. Reading becomes a whole new experience. At the same time, Siva Choy brought up a very valid point. The spelling of students will suffer due to the fact that they are unable to read the words and see them on pages. Listening to the words being read aloud will improve merely their oral pronunciation of words.

With the advent of Internet technology, e-books have been created. Words appear on a screen instead of on a page. This effects the probability of causing one's eyesight to deteriorate, as he strains his eyes to read the e-book. Moreover, it requires more effort to use, as the reader has to scroll down to the bottom of the screen in order to read a page. In addition, it is in greater danger of being stolen due to its high monetary value. Lastly, an e-book disallows literature students from making notes next to, or highlighting certain parts of, the text for simultaneous reference and study purposes.

Both audio books and e-books present the opportunity to read on the go but in my personal opinion, they dilute the traditional and real experience of reading from books in the physical sense.

Ms Singapore Universe's national costume

The ultimate choice for the costume was a pink gown with orchid petals attached to the back. There are critics who are deadly against it. I think it is simple and yet outstanding, as compared to other countries' costumes, like that of Panama's. In comparison to last year's Merlion costume, it is prettier. I am not really passionate about the scale-like design on last year's. It does showcase our national icon but it looks bizarre.

Ion Orchard: a dazzle!

Life ran a full-length feature on its highlights and perks. Looking at the picture of its public loos already leaves me bedazzled. I do not mind not being a VIP who can gain access to the $10 000 restrooms. Even though different terms are used for the same place, the public ones are very spacious and the huge mirrors in the middle definitely makes one's vanity checks more luxurious. :)

I am enticed by the fact that the architectural design was inspired by Orchard Road's history as a real orchard. Its history has been resurrected through Ion! I also am happy to note that all the shops are easily visible and reached. I am not a consumer who goes for designer brands and so I will immediately go to the basement levels.

I am very excited about the food outlets. Canton-I seems to be as good as Crystal Jade. I must go and try its food. :) I know my mum would have looked forward to eating there. I will go on her behalf then. ThreeSixty Marketplace has Fortnum and Mason products on its shelves. I am ecstatic! It is the English queen's grocer, for your information. I went to its original location in London. Its products are gourmet in nature and its cakes are the traditional kind! I was so excited to see Victoria Sandwich cakes. Its wedding cakes are those worthy of being at a royal wedding. Its window displays will cause you to take a second glance at. Ginza Bairin's tonkatsus and Katsu sandwiches sound delicious, and so do R Burger's Asian burgers. Ooh, what about Tsukiji Gindaco's takoyaki balls and AOBA Ramen's shoyu ramen?! I will wait till the crowds die down though. I hate crowds.

The Sunday Times featured an article on the food offerings in Ion. There has indeed been a long queue for Tsukiji Gindaco's takoyaki balls, since they originate from Japan. difference though is that they are crispier than takopachi balls. The latter, which can be found at outlets like Junction 8 and Bugis Junction, is still soft on the outside, and I prefer this. Also, I prefer its smaller serving of 3 balls, as compared to Tsukiji Gindaco's 6. Thus, I guess I may not try this new fad after all.

The picture of Ginza Bairin's Katsu sandwich is enticing. The pork cutlets look pristine white in the centre, indicating they are well-cooked, while their breaded batter looks crispy. My tastebuds are reacting to the picture! The sandwich comes as finger portions and costs $9.10, a tad expensive for my pocket. Modern Peking Duck serves its duck skin slices in crepes at $6 for 5 pieces. This is a rather reasonable price but the health factor of this delicacy is on a low level, to be frank. The Chicken fenugreek tikka kati roll from Go India Express has the same issue with me. It is more expensive at $6 for 2 pieces and using prata as the roll decreases the health factor of the dish. The Taiyaki falls into the low health factor category as well.

I went to the supermarket ThreeSixty Marketplace and it is full of exotic products. In the deli section, I saw an unusual pre-made dish which merely needs to be put in the oven before eating. Bell peppers are filled with minced beef and shredded cheese. There are unusual canned products as well, in the form of butter beans and refried beans. I spent a rather long time in the baking needs section, where I bought ready-made graham pie crusts. I hope to make pies and cheesecakes with them. There were more varieties of Hawaiian Host chocolates, for example, Jewel. Exotic fruits and juices were also displayed in their various sections. The last attraction for me was the huge single portions of cheesecakes and brownies, as well as the exotic desserts served in covered plastic cups. Of course, their prices are expectedly high.

High heels and flip-flops per se

I've never liked stilettos because I know that despite their ability to make women look taller, slimmer and sexier, they cause long-term damage in a physical sense. To compromise my bodily functions for vanity is not worth doing. I love kitten heels though. They may not be as sexy as stilettos, but they are better for my legs. I have to wear flat shoes due to my arthritis, but I disagree with Sumiko Tan's opinion that they make me look old. I love them, as I feel like a ballerina in them.

It is true that regardless of brand name and price, high heels still do damage to the wearer's legs. I especially like A.A.Gill's humorous opinion on high heels. They are the modern version of the feet-binding which women in ancient China had to endure. Sumiko Tan equates the act of forgoing high heels for a month to let her legs recover to a short-term sacrifice, and the wearing of stilettos to a long-term pleasure. I hope she is just being satiric here, as the short-term sacrifice should really be forgoing high heels for lower ones, and the latter be maintaining healthy legs.

Like stilettos, flip-flops are harmful for our feet. However, Trove Tkees supposedly makes them look better. The range is named after makeup essentials, and seek to enhance our feet's appearance. Though flip-flops offer comfort to their wearers, they have thin soles, which give very little support to our feet. Again, is comfort worth obtaining at the expense of health?? Also, no matter how comfortable they are, they are definitely not suitable for formal occasions such as meeting the State President, even if their designs are sparkly and pretty. Blame the Y-shaped straps they have as their basic design.