ten

Ten Beautiful Asian Stars-part 2

noreply@blogger.com (multiplybyten) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:49:00 +0000

This post has created a lot of buzz. One follower wanted to have pictures of the stars--to put a name with a face--so how about a little game? Match the pics with the descriptions below and take the poll to answer.

THE

Most Beautiful Asians to Watch

10. Zhang Zi Yi (China)

Dubbed "little Gong Li", she has taken over as the little darling of Chinese Cinema. How can you not love her in Crouching Tiger or Rush Hour 2?

9. Wonder girls (South Korea)

Who can’t toe tap to “Nobody but you”? Love the candy color videos too! Check out "Now" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNR4dbtJxAY.

8. Frieda Pinto (India)

After the success of Slumdog Millionaire, I can’t wait to see her again. What will she do next?

7. Sai Sai (Myanmar)

While the young Burmese were bobbing their heads to “Ou Lei Lo Ba Hey”(Shake that little pot) during water festival, I was receiving a light-beam from the Heavens realizing that Hip Hop and Rap truly is a global phenomenon. Influenced by Tupac and 50 cent, Sai Sai is the avant guard of Hip Hop in Myanmar. He speaks perfect English but told me he prefers to rap in his own language. SaiSai online http://www.saisaionline.com/saisai/index.htm .

6. Rain (South Korea)

Singer, dancer, now actor. You saw him in Speed Racer. So Hot! Fans are on the edge waiting for his next appearance in Ninja Assassin.

5. Deepika Padukone (India)

Model turned MV dancer turned actress. She’s the new Aishwarya Rai! Check her out in Om Shanti Om . She is a good reason not to be ashamed of loving Indian cinema.

4. 2 pm (Thailand)

Has Asia gone boy band crazy? Needn’t ask. Asian teenage girls’ hearts are a flutter from Thailand’s latest installment. The boys of 2pm are hot. MTV Asia loves them too with over 15,000 requests per day!

3. Tata Young (Thailand)

Born to an American father and a Thai mother, Tata has been on the scene for a while. But she has gone absolutely supernova with her new international English hit, Ready for love.

2. Super Junior (South Korea)

Korea is the new Japan. (You heard it first from me) Clearly at the top of the boy band heap of Korea, this one has Beatle-mania appeal. Check out “Sorry, Sorry” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2zgUEWJVBU .

1. B.O.A. (South Korea)

The intrigue is in the name, rumored to be “Best of Asia”, she has already crossovered into the American Market with her pelvic gyrations in her new MV “Eat You Up” Why is she #1? Comment and let me know. (Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSVl0kBzpQE)

The Ten Most Beautiful Asians to Watch

noreply@blogger.com (multiplybyten) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:33:00 +0000

Move over Brangelina, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts. Out with the old and in with the new-Asian superstars are supernova! No longer are we in a world where the West dominates the East in cultural proliferation. The horizon of a new flavor, a fusion, a globalization of the appreciation for cinematic art and international artists is advancing. Hollywood, Bollywood, Globywood! I’m ready.

THE

Most Beautiful Asians to Watch

10. Zhang Zi Yi (China)
Dubbed "little Gong Li", she has taken over as the little darling of Chinese Cinema. How can you not love her in Crouching Tiger or Rush Hour 2?

9. Wonder girls (South Korea)
Who can’t toe tap to “Nobody but you”? Love the candy color videos too! Check out "Now" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNR4dbtJxAY.

8. Frieda Pinto (India)
After the success of Slumdog Millionaire, I can’t wait to see her again. What will she do next?

7. Sai Sai (Myanmar)
While the young Burmese were bobbing their heads to “Ou Lei Lo Ba Hey”(Shake that little pot) during water festival, I was receiving a light-beam from the Heavens realizing that Hip Hop and Rap truly is a global phenomenon. Influenced by Tupac and 50 cent, Sai Sai is the avant guard of Hip Hop in Myanmar. He speaks perfect English but told me he prefers to rap in his own language. SaiSai online http://www.saisaionline.com/saisai/index.htm .

6. Rain (South Korea)
Singer, dancer, now actor. You saw him in Speed Racer. So Hot! Fans are on the edge waiting for his next appearance in Ninja Assassin.

5. Deepika Padukone (India)
Model turned MV dancer turned actress. She’s the new Aishwarya Rai! Check her out in Om Shanti Om . She is a good reason not to be ashamed of loving Indian cinema.

4. 2 pm (Thailand)
Has Asia gone boy band crazy? Needn’t ask. Asian teenage girls’ hearts are a flutter from Thailand’s latest installment. The boys of 2pm are hot. MTV Asia loves them too with over 15,000 requests per day!

3. Tata Young (Thailand)
Born to an American father and a Thai mother, Tata has been on the scene for a while. But she has gone absolutely supernova with her new international English hit, Ready for love.

2. Super Junior (South Korea)
Korea is the new Japan. (You heard it first from me) Clearly at the top of the boy band heap of Korea, this one has Beatle-mania appeal. Check out “Sorry, Sorry” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2zgUEWJVBU .

1. B.O.A. (South Korea)
The intrigue is in the name, rumored to be “Best of Asia”, she has already crossovered into the American Market with her pelvic gyrations in her new MV “Eat You Up” Why is she #1? Comment and let me know. (Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSVl0kBzpQE)

10 Films I Just Can't Put Down

noreply@blogger.com (multiplybyten) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:01:00 +0000

10 films I can’t put down

Like a book, I have to get to the end. I rewind favorite scenes until it’s worn out. If it’s on, even with 10 minutes left, I won’t change the channel. No matter the time, the place, or the company, I am ALWAYS in the mood to watch. I even watched one in Thai with No subtitles! I have them on VHS, VCD, DVD AND Blue-Ray. If they come out with some other format, you know I’m going to buy it. They are movies I could in, but can’t live without. Thank the heavens each made it to the big screen! A magical elixir--they can’t be done again and hope no one ever tries. They are my private-island, all-time greatest hits of hits--10 films that I just can’t put down. Enjoy!

Films I Just Can't Put Down

10. High Fidelity

John Cusack had me from Better off Dead. In this one, he appeals to my twenty-something-I’d-better-make-a-move-soon-but-I’m-having-too-much-fun side. It reminds me of when love meant everything and money nothing at all. (because I didn’t have any)
9. American Beauty
Hauntingly beautiful, the invitation to look closer is not just to merely R.S.V.P. but a summons for America to look into the proverbial mirror.

8. The Usual Suspects

The most wickedly clever heist film of all time. Kevin Spacey is just cool. This one made Benicio Del Toro.

7. Rushmore

Herman Blume: What's the secret, Max?
Max Fischer: The secret?
Herman Blume: Yeah, you seem to have it pretty figured out.
Max Fischer: The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore.

6. When Harry Met Sally

Is it the soundtrack, the quips or the question? Something keeps me coming back and laughing all the way. The comedic stellar lineup delivers as expected. But Carrie Fisher—now that old girl was truly brilliant. That question that can never be answered and keeps me chatting with my friends in the teashop—can men and women really be just friends?

5. There's Something About Mary

What is it about Mary? One word-hysterically followed by another-funny.

4. Out of Sight

Sexy, Sexy. Sexy! JLo and George Clooney. My favorite author Elmore Leonard. For those who love their comedy black—this one is for you.

3. Casablanca
Let’s forget how timely the movie was when it was first released. And forget the one-liners that cannot leave the vernacular. Watch it for its comedic timing and pathos and it will be apparent why Hollywood is still obseesed with this movie. Bogie before Bacall. Sam’s Piano. Love, loss, loyalty, friendship keeps it at #2 on AFI’s top 100 movies of all time.
2. Charade

This is the perfect example of a film that should not ever be redone. Mark Walberg and Thande Newton tried their best but just couldn’t pull off the chemistry of the Hepburn/Grant combo. In the 1958 original, it established a new genre of romantic thriller.

1. Romancing the Stone

Robert Zemeckis' first. The rebirth of the action comedy. The match up of Kathleen Turner and Mike Douglas proved to be so Chernobyl, so bankable that Hollywood hooked them up all through the eighties and nineties. Post Golden Age, it's the closest we've had to Bogie/Bacall or Hepburn/Tracy duo.

noreply@blogger.com (multiplybyten) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:50:00 +0000

In university there is the required reading list. Over the summer, students everywhere can be seen avoiding their summer reading list. The good news is in life after school, we read what we want. I spend loads of time reading the likes of Nick Hornby and Elmore Leonard. I laugh and I’m thrilled but does any of it add to my intelligence or general knowledge? Probably not. (no offense intended to Nick and Elmore, shout out love you both!) This prompted me to not waste my adulthood in simple reading pleasure but to find and read books that made me smarter. I could go on and on about many of the books in this list, and paring it down to just ten nearly forced me to not put finger to keyboard.

So here is that list of ten:

The

BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU SMARTER

10. Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen

It’s about: Freedom is a corner stone for development. Sen, a 1998 Nobel Prize winner , says that dictators around the world argue that a strong hand is needed for economic development; freedom can come later, are dead wrong.

How it makes you smarter: We take for granted that we live in a land of freedom and often we criticize the United States of meddling in the internal affiairs of other nations but little understand the idea that the framework of a democracy produces the economic stability that other nations crave and are fighting about. Democracies, he points out, don't have famines.

9. The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

It’s about: Running counterpoint to Popular Delusions, this book embraces the collective. Here the author argues that the collective information totaled within groups can result in decisions that are often better than those that could have been made by any single member of the group. Surowiecki presents numerous case studies and anecdotes to illustrate his argument, which pervade several fields, primarily economics and psychology.

How it makes you smarter: That a diverse collection of independently-deciding individuals is likely to make certain types of decisions and predictions better than individuals or even experts runs contrary to popular crowd psychology awakens a new paradigm.

8. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay

It’s about: Irrational exuberance, manias that produce bubbles are explained with numerous anecdotes and historical references. My favorite is the Dutch tulip mania and alchemists who were imprisoned until they produced gold.

How it makes you smarter: The dot-com bubble and bust of the 90’s and the present real estate bubble sound familiar now?

7. The Art of War by Sun Zu

It’s about: Thirteen chapters, each devoted to one aspect of war. This book has influenced Napoleon, MacArthur and even more modern military strategists. Sun Zu understood the importance of positioning in strategy. The position of both sides is affected by objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective opinions of competitors in that environment.

How it makes you smarter: It has far-reaching applications into business and managerial tactics, and East-West relations. How could you not learn from a statement like “All warfare is based on deception.”? Kinda gives new meaning to all’s fair in love and war.

6. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

It’s about: Its gist revolves around the fallibility of human knowledge. The name of the book has become an idiom in the modern language used to describe when someone sees a pattern where there is just random noise.

How it makes you smarter: Just as Taleb purports-- people resist the idea of randomness and tend to look for patterns in an attempt to explain the world.

5. Orientalism by Edward Said

Said, the man, was brilliant, complicated, debonair and troubled. A professor of comparative literature at Columbia University, his life’s work was centered in comparison: comparing the East to the West. Through comparison he hoped to gain insight that would lead to understanding and acceptance.

It’s about: Said in Orientalism, now a pejorative, argues that the West continues a long tradition of false and romanticized images of Asia and the Middle East. Exoticism is at the crux of Western writings about the Orient, which depict the East as an irrational, weak, feminized "Other", contrasted with the rational, strong, masculine West, a contrast he suggests comes from the drive to create differences between West and East that can be derived from immutable "essences" in the Oriental make-up.

How it makes you smarter: The idea that “understanding of self comes through understanding of the Other” Said transformed into a mantra that still impacts comparative literary theory, cultural and anthropological studies, and geo-political studies. There can be no peace without understanding.

4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

It’s about: Not a tips and tricks quick course but something that should be read and reread until it becomes second nature. He goes beyond pat phrases like “be a good listener” and into the realm of understanding people’s basic needs and wants to win them over and without them really knowing what you are doing. That’s the key—manipulation but from a genuine and almost sweet personal interest.

How it makes you smarter: You start to understand yourself. It really burns me when I know I am in the presence of a Dale Carnegie master.

3. 1984 by George Orwell

It’s about: Considered to be Orwell’s opus magnum, the novel portrays the pervasive government surveillance and systematic control of the proletariat, and the dangers of the government's increasing encroachment on the rights of the individual.

How it makes you smarter: Since its publication, many of its terms and concepts, such as "Big Brother", “room 101”, "doublethink", and "Newspeak" have entered the popular vernacular. Reading it or rereading it should make you rethink the Patriot act and censorship.

2. Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

It’ about: Are we all participating in the same myth, the same story, and the same life? Campbell explores the theory that important myths from around the world and have the staying power of thousands of years all share a fundamental structure—the monomyth. From the introduction, Campbell sums up the monomyth this way:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

How it makes you smarter: His own summary quoted above reveals why George Lucas, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan are just a few who were influenced by his work. It’s reach doesn’t stop there --classic examples of the monomyth include the stories of Osiris, Prometheus, the Buddha, Moses, and Christ, rely upon this basic structure.

1. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

It’s about: Remember Furby or Teddy Ruxpin? Somewhere in product purgatory, right? Wonder why some things never take off and other gain wide spread popularity? In this book, Gladwell offers extensive analysis into the factors and patterns that “tip” a trend into exponential popularity and helped initiate paradigm shifts in fields ranging from marketing to public health.

How it makes you smarter: A new paradigm anyone?

10 Least Desirable Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (multiplybyten) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:36:00 +0000

With the economic crisis still looming over the horizon, millions out of work and desperate for jobs; there are still some jobs in which one would prefer unemployment. After compiling this list, a wave of gratitude for my job washed over me. Enjoy!

The

LEAST DESIRABLE JOBS

10. Metro train stuffer

In Japan, young strong males are employed to push passengers into the train, thus stuffing them inside and filling the train to capacity.

Pay: generally low paying

Pension plan: normal government retirement

9. Rice chewer

Young female virgins chew but do not swallow cooked rice, then spit it out into a vat to make kuchikami no sake, (Japanese for "chewed sake"). The enzymes from the saliva allow the starches to convert to sugar and then allowed to naturally ferment. Early forms of sake were likely low in alcohol and consumed like porridge. Why a virgin? It just tastes better.

Pay: Virgins make a middle class living. Non-virgins much less.

Pension plan: lock jaw

8. Prison Guard

If your life can be defined by your associations then guarding the underbelly of society must take its toll. It's probably the reason the pay has increased dramically over recent years; however, it makes the list because most people just don't want to do it.

7. Coroner’s assistant

Forget CSI. This guy or gal does the heavy lifting, cleaning, sorting bits and what nots.

Pay: 12 an hour

Pension: the usual

6. Trash heap sorter

All over the world, women and children are sent into city garbage dumps picking what can be salvaged or recycled.

Pay: less than $1 a day

Pension: one generally leaves this profession for a marginally better one--begging

5. A cheap hooker

The world's oldest profession still has it's place at near rock bottom.

Pay: depending on the country, a few dollars to $200 a night

Pension plan: retirement is usually well sought after. Forced retirement includes pregnancy and Aids.

4. Sewer diver

Deep in Mexico City's sewers divers in deep-sea diver outfits plunge below to clear blockages. What he finds? A nasty soup of garbage, bacteria, excrement, dead animals and even the occasional murder victim.

Pay: $35,000 a year

Pension plan: hopefully includes full medical

3. Fecal matter disposal (a poop scraper)

Women in the lowest caste in India scrape human waste out of the toilet chute located at the back of wealthy people’s homes.

Pay: $1 a day, disease, fungal infections, and social ostracism

Pension plan: one bequeaths the work to a daughter not a son.

2. A cadaver

A final job?

1. Suicide Bomber

Pay: onetime payment of anywhere from $0 to $20,000, often in the form of cancellation of family debt.

Pension plan: 72 virgins, honor for female bombers, martyrdom.