Have you ever felt as if you’re wasting your time on things that don’t seem to get enough recognition or even appreciation? It’s perhaps normal to feel this way because these sorts of situations can occur frequently. But when things like grades or other important criteria factor into the picture, then it becomes another matter.

For example: If you feel that you had put in your best effort towards an assignment, but it doesn’t reflect in your grade report, would you feel disgruntled? Sometimes it’s hard to accept the fact that there will always be other people who are better than you; so even if you do improve based on your own scale, as long as the standard is still there, it can be very hard to achieve higher unless a miracle happens or you suddenly become a genius. This can often lead to a point in time where you feel particularly unmotivated because you realize that whatever you do, you will still get the same ugly grade on your report card. How are you to overcome this situation? Is working harder going to solve the problem? Is consulting respective teachers about a certain problem going to solve it? If you’re in a school that has incorporated and developed a very strict grading system that puts your life at stake if you stray away for even a moment, will you still continue to move forward despite knowing the odds ahead and the kinds of politics that go around the school?

On the other hand, if you feel that you haven’t put in your best, despite spending hours and hours on your work, is there anything you wish you could have done? For instance, you might feel like you have spent a great amount of time on something, but somewhere in the middle you lost focus and ended up doing something else, which is perhaps something that many of us are guilty of.
What are the odds of you getting rid of bad habits and changing working ethics? Is the change for real or just a temporary routine to follow until one day you succumb to the likes of your old habits, and then whatever you have attempted to fulfill will be turned to dust because you have seemingly given them up?

Would you give up something you love to do, due to some unforeseen circumstances, for instance, you didn’t like the way the school operates, or how a certain teacher teaches and grades (e.g. By favoritism) or would you still continue to persevere even after knowing the harsh reality of trying to be successful in your field even though you know it’s going to be a really tough road ahead?
Perhaps this question has baffled many–including even you–to the point where some cannot decide what’s best for themselves. At times like this, what measures do you usually take to make sure that you don’t put yourself into some sort of depression?

Sometimes people tend not to think too much because it will eventually lead to feelings like the worry of having made the wrong decision, regretting not listening to peers, etc. But if this person continues to ignore the root of the problem and not find a solution for it, he will forever be trapped in a dimension he created himself. He will eventually realize that things are not working out for him, to the point that he won’t know what to do anymore.

So is there a solution for this? If you continue to leave things as it is, then the problem will stay; but if you are keen in finding out why you’re failing, or not doing well in your studies, by all means, do something about it. This is not aimless advice or even a suggestion, but it serves as a reminder for yourself. Why did you go to this particular school in the first place? There must be something there that attracts you to it, or maybe there’s a life-time goal you want to achieve, and this will help you with it. If you feel as if you’re slowly dwindling for one reason or another, you should ensure to keep your goals in check.

Why bother? You might not have noticed it yourself yet, but as you grow older and wiser, you will begin to realize how precious time is and how precious your school days are, as you can still have time to enjoy everything a student gets to enjoy. But as soon as you hit a certain age, you will soon realize how much you miss the old days, how much you wish you could have done better in school, how much you wish you could have continued your passion, instead of giving up halfway; or how much you wish you would have recognized sooner what the things you ultimately want in life were. This does not necessarily have to be something that you face in school… it pertains to everything: it could be a project you’re working on, or anything you encounter in life.

Oftentimes, when information gets to us it comes in bits and pieces; very rarely does it come in its full shape. Because of this, pieces of information are lost in the process of trying to communicate the details from one person to another, which can result in misunderstandings.

If you’re the informant, would you bother to feed more information to the other person to make sure they clearly understood what you were telling them? Or, as long as you told them what you were supposed to, would that just be good enough and would you not care whether or not they understood? On the other hand, as the receiver of information, is it okay to trust what the other person is telling you? Or would you probe further to see if there’s anything they are leaving out, and double-check that the information you are receiving is correct?

Receiving false information, or not receiving important information at all, happens very often in the school setting. For example: Let’s say you have an afternoon class at school in which you have an assignment due the next week; but at school one day you are told by a friend that the class was canceled that particular afternoon. Because of that information, you don’t bring with you whatever is necessary for that class and the assignment. However, when you set foot into the classroom you see everyone around you working hard on their assignments. The first thing you would most likely do is seek out your friend who told you that class was canceled, asking them why they didn’t follow-up with you and tell you that the class was not canceled after all. A common reply to that would be that they thought they told you, or even they may admit that they completely forgot. Regardless, you are the one in a hard situation, due to false—or undelivered—information from someone you trusted.

Many can relate to this. Perhaps you’ve found yourself at the receiving end, getting information and counting on or expecting something, but ending up being the one who has lost out. Or you may find yourself always being the last to receive information, despite being the first to ask about it; and when details are updated, you are either the last to be notified, or not notified at all, in which case, by then it’s too late to do anything about it. When this happens, it’s easy to feel bitter inside and question why things like this happen to you. As you sit there, you look at your friends—do they look worried or concerned? Of course not! They’re not the ones who got all the wrong information; you are. And because of it you are now facing a difficult situation. You can’t help but wonder why they didn’t bother telling you about the changes. Or, you may even wonder if it was your fault that you didn’t ask them about it further. Where does the blame lie?

Another disappointing aspect of this is that even though you may be the last person to know about things, you are usually the first one who informs everyone else. It’s not necessarily your business to make sure they get information right or wrong, and yet deep down you know that doing so is a sign of responsibility and compassion. However, despite the fact that you’re always trying to help your friends any way you can, you never get the same treatment in return. Instead, you’re the one losing out, while they never seem to have to worry about these things. It is situations like this that can make us feel disappointed in our friends.

When you’re treated this way, it is easy to feel as if your worth as a friend has been undervalued, and that your friends simply are more concerned about themselves than you. In these cases, should you then be more sensible to ask a more trustworthy person instead? Moreover, if you suddenly stopped being the nice friend you are, would things continue on as normal? Would these friends even notice the change in you?

The world is a cold hard place that often adopts the attitude of “every man for himself”. Despite the fact that you are surrounded by friends, there are times you have to do yourself a favor and fulfill your own responsibility as a student to check information on your own. The people around you may be your friends, but friends make mistakes too. So when these things happen, you can’t put all of the blame solely on your friends. Perhaps you should set a reminder for yourself to ask another person to double-check information, such as a class representative who keeps track of things inside and outside of the class.

There is no perfect solution to these kinds of problems, but if you keep things the way they are, it will continue the way it is, until you do something about it.

This review is written by SoulReaper @ Asianfanatics. This is a personal opinion and no personal attacks are intended.

Title: Cafe World
Developer / Publisher: Zynga
Platform: PC
Genre: Casual
Application (s) needed: Facebook
Target audience: Everyone

Following in the footsteps of its many competitors on the popular social networking site Facebook, Zynga’s Cafe World has also made its mark among the array of Facebook games that are currently running on the site.

At first glance it might seem like it resembles Playfish’s Restaurant City, as both of them revolve around the very same concept of setting up and running your own restaurant, hiring friends to be part of the management committee, decorating and personalizing your space with the various designs available, and most importantly, serving up dishes and beverages to your customers. But as time goes by, you will then begin to notice that it’s far from being a duplicate of the already known Facebook game Restaurant City. Although it seems like the concept and mechanics are similar, there is a vying difference between the two.

In Restaurant City, you hire chefs and waiters to cook and serve, respectively and the dishes that are served happen instantly. In Cafe World, you are the only chef around and the friends you hire are the waiters, but the time taken to prepare the dishes varies greatly. The duration is an exact reflection of time on our side, which is real-time. For example, in the game itself it states that a certain dish takes 12 hours to cook, which is equivalent to taking 12 hours in real-time to get ready.

As opposed to Restaurant City, it’s not easy to keep track of time for a game like Cafe World. Sometimes if you’re just too busy with chores and work, you tend to forget that your dishes are already ready in the game. When you leave the dishes out for too long, the dishes will eventually go bad after a certain period of time and then you have to wait for the next round of dishes to cook again. Moreover, the reputation of your cafe will also go down as your customers leave the cafe without being served on time, which is more or less similar to that of Restaurant City.

However, one of the positive points about Cafe World is that it rarely lags. Therefore, getting the application to load is a breeze. Zynga’s presentation of the game is cute and simple, like that of Restaurant City, which perhaps is the reason why both are quite similar because even the presentation of both games are the same.

Despite its relatively close resemblance to Restaurant City, Cafe World has managed to establish itself as one of the most popular casual games on Facebook. Of course, there’s bound to be a point in time when people will eventually lose their interest and move on to another more time-worthy game . But it’s undeniably SOMETHING worth the few minutes of your log-in time on Facebook.

Sarah’s Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Published: 2007
Dimensions: 320 pages (Paperback)
Genre: Fiction (Historical Fiction)

This review is written by Jess82 at AsianFanatics. This is a personal opinion and no personal attacks are intended.

Summary:
On July 16th & 17th, 1942, 1,129 men, 2,916 women, and 4,115 children—Jews—were arrested in Paris and the suburbs, held at the Vélodrome d’Hiver (Vel’ d’Hiv’) for days, then deported and assassinated at Auschwitz. Sarah’s Key revolves around this event as it follows the young Sarah Starzynski’s experience of it. The book begins on that early morning of the 16th when Sarah’s family was arrested, and when she locked her little brother in their secret hiding place, thinking she was coming right back. Very quickly she realizes the reality of what has happened to her and her family, as she faces the brutality of “La Grande Rafle” (the name given to this roundup). Through Sarah’s eyes, the reader is taken through the imprisonment at the Vel’ d’Hiv’ and the horrors of the French prison camp Beaune-la-Rolande; then follows Sarah through her escape and journey thereafter.

Sarah’s story also links into the life of Julia Jarmond – a current-day journalist who is given the assignment to write about the Vel’ d’Hiv’ for its 60th commemoration. As Julia delves into researching it, she makes a side-discovery: that the apartment her husband acquired through his grandmother once belonged to a Jewish family who suddenly “disappeared” from there 60 years before. Taking this discovery very personally, Julia resolves to find out more about the family that lived there—a family by the name of Starzynski. As she does, her eyes are opened to things that change her life forever.

The chapters rotate between Sarah and Julia’s stories as they begin to intertwine and connect; and through Sarah we see first hand the events which Julia investigates, bringing a hauntingly clear picture of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ from both the past and present.

Review:
I have read countless books and seen many movies about the Holocaust, but I had never read or seen one that dealt with the Vel’ d’Hiv’. As much as this was an interesting fiction novel, I also learned much from it. Tatiana de Rosnay really brings the events of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup to life again, as you so clearly see it through the eyes of the young and innocent Sarah. And as hard as it was to read about this event, I found I couldn’t put the book down. It is written in such a way that you can’t help but feel connected with the characters—feeling Sarah’s emotions, understanding Julia’s “obsession” with finding out the truth about the Starzynski family, etc. De Rosnay’s passion for this topic, and wanting to relay it through the characters, is unmistakable.

Although the story does look at several aspects and events in both Julia and Sarah’s lives—Julia’s marriage problems, facing another pregnancy, family issues; and Sarah’s guilt and personal struggle— its main focus is always brought back to the Vel’ d’Hiv’. And though this book is fictional, the Vel’ d’Hiv’ is very real, and all of the information concerning it in Sarah’s Key is absolutely historically accurate. Sarah may be a fictitious character, but, sadly, more than 4,000 children did go through what Sarah faced. Noting this, de Rosnay writes in the preface:
“This is not a historical work and has no intention of being one. It is my tribute to the children of the Vel’ d’Hiv’. The children who never came back. And the ones who survived to tell.”

Sarah’s Key is truly a must-read for all. For a debut novel, it is absolutely brilliant. It is engrossing, emotional, and riveting—a novel you won’t be able to put down. And most importantly, it is opening people’s eyes to the reality of what happened that fateful summer of 1942.
Reviewer’s Note: A historical look at the Vel’ d’Hiv’:
Before I read this book, I didn’t know the details of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ at all, and since reading Sarah’s Key I have researched a lot about it. I compiled some information to give an explanation of the event. So, if you’d like to know about the Vel’ d’Hiv’, please read on…

In occupied France during the summer of 1942, the Gestapo asked the French police to “deliver” a certain number of Jews between the ages of 16 and 50. The French police were so intent on deporting the maximum number of Jews that they decided to “improve” the orders, and arrested all the children as well. Over 4,000 children were taken by them. They were all first brought to the Vélodrome d’Hiver (known as the Vel’ d’Hiv,’ which was a famous indoor stadium where biking races were held). The conditions in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ were horrendous, as it was hot, had no toilet facilities, no place to sleep, and little food. For 6 days amidst mounting panic, the horrified prisoners—thousands of Jewish families—endured inhumane conditions; many tried to escape and were shot on the spot, while many others committed suicide. They were then sent to camps—Drancy (near Paris), and Pithiviers and Beaune-la-Rolande (known as the “Loiret Camps,” which were farther in the country). The Nazis had asked for the adults to be deported immediately, but not the children. Hence, the children were brutally torn away and separated from their mothers and fathers. The parents were deported straight to Auschwitz and gassed, and the children were left practically alone in horrifying conditions. It wasn’t until mid-August that the children were deported. They were first sent to Drancy, in order to mix with adults from there (so as not to raise suspicion among people about children traveling alone). From Drancy they went immediately to Auschwitz, and were sent directly to the gas chambers.

Jacques Chirac was the first president to ever draw attention to the role of the French government during the occupation and toward this roundup. He bravely addressed it in a speech in 1995, in which he said:
“On 16 July, 1942, 450 policemen and gendarmes, French, under the authority of their leaders, obeyed the demands of the Nazis. That day in the capital and the Paris region, nearly 10,000 Jewish men, women, and children were arrested at home, in the early hours of the morning, and assembled at police stations… France, home of the Enlightenment and the Rights of Man, land of welcome and asylum, France committed that day the irreparable. Breaking its word, it delivered those it protected to their executioners.” - Jacques Chirac, July 16, 1995

Every year on July 16th, France holds a commemoration, lest anyone forget the events of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, which accounted for more than a quarter of the 42,000 Jews sent from France to Auschwitz in 1942 (of whom only 811 came home at the end of the war).

Title: Fahrenheit’s Fantasy World Tour Taipei Special (2DVD) (Preorder Version)
Artist: Fahrenheit (Wu Zun, Jiro Wang, Arron Yan, Calvin Chen)
Release Date: 2010-01-08
Discs: 2
Disc Format(s): DVD
Picture Format: NTSC
Region Code: All Region
Language: Mandarin
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese

This review is written by Jess82@Asianfanatics. This is a personal opinion and no personal attacks are intended.

Fahrenheit’s Fantasy World Tour was a huge success, giving countless fans the opportunity to see their idols in such a spectacular show. Now, with the release of Fahrenheit’s Fantasy World Tour Taipei Special 2DVD, fans can re-live the experience, or see it for the first time. The footage for the DVD was filmed in the Taipei Arena on October 24th-25th, 2009 where they performed more than 25 songs—most of which were from their three best-selling albums: Fahrenheit, Two-sided Fahrenheit, and Love You More & More.
This preorder version also comes with a magazine-size photo book (with fantastic pictures of the guys during the concert, and promotional photos), plus a PVC passport holder measuring 15cm x 25cm.

DVD1 – Runtime: 2:02:07

Starting off with the big screen showing the guys getting in their “gears” as the time counts down for the show to start, you can almost feel the intense atmosphere in the arena as the fans wait with anticipation. By the time the four are lowered from the ceiling in their individual pods and the lights and sparks go off, the excitement in the stadium has already mounted to a complete high. Definitely a perfect way to start a show!

Episode 1: Future
In their “futuristic” outfits, Fahrenheit opens with 出神入化—filled with tons of energy, and featuring great choreography—and lead into 我有我的Young. After a bit of talking and introduction, they carry on with 心裡有數 and 寂寞暴走, after which the guys disappear to get ready for the next set. However, keeping things flowing smoothly, your attention is drawn to the big screen again, which shows the silhouettes of the guys as they each do their own thing… Jiro does a solo on his electric guitar, Arron plays piano, Chun does some drumming, and Calvin does his B-Boxing.

Episode 2: Rock
As the solos finish, the guys are back on stage in fantastic rock-style outfits (ripped shirts and all), still playing their own instruments for the Rock Intro, and then go straight into 超喜歡你 (for which Jiro continues to play guitar). After 越來越愛, Jiro has his time to shine as he does his solo. Playing his studded Brit flag patterned guitar, he is absolutely in his element. There’s no question about it – this guy was meant to rock! He exudes energy and knows how to get a crowd excited. And with lots of interaction with the fans, great effects with smoke and light, and Jiro’s own “high,” this section is a definite highlight of the whole show. As the other three re-join Jiro, they bring it down a few notches with 一個人流浪 (for which Jiro then switches to play acoustic guitar). The slower songs continue as Arron takes the spotlight and beautifully does two solos on his white Yamaha piano – Ti Amo and 一路上有你 – much to the crowd’s delight (and which I’m sure made more than a few girls swoon).

Episode 3: Old School
Re-appearing in old school suits and hats, the guys change the pace a bit and do a medley, including My Girl /老實情歌/暗戀你/Uptown Girl. Being English, hearing them do the well known and loved My Girl and Uptown Girl was great, and another personal highlight of the concert. They then finish off the Old School section with 不會愛 and 至少還有我.

Here, the atmosphere completely changes yet again as we are brought into another “intermission” – this time with the theme of Chinese Martial Arts. With sword fights going on, fantastic costumes, and an amazing light show, this section—though very short—puts you at the edge of your seat and is a spectacular introduction to the next episode…

Episode 4: Fighting
Chun takes the stage first to show off his fighting expertise. The choreography of the fight is very impressive, and was most definitely a huge crowd pleaser. Chun then shows his skills doing Taiko drumming for his solo. Still carrying on the intriguing atmosphere, his powerful solo is yet another highlight of the entire concert. Following this, the sword-wielding Jiro, Arron, and Calvin then join Chun for 不死之謎, 恆星 and 最佳聽眾.

Episode 5: Fantasy
For Fantasy, the guys appear high up in a very elaborate hot air balloon, decked out in their aviator costumes. They start off with 小小大人物, and while doing so, they look like they’re having a blast! Jiro, Chun and Calvin have their cameras out, taking pictures of the crowd and filming (it even shows some video taken from Calvin’s video camera) as they fly along the stage and are slowly lowered down as they sing “Touch Your Heart.” This section stands out as having much interaction with the crowd. Chun dances with a little girl, the guys all have their arms full of flowers and presents, while even at one point during 愛到 Jiro and Chun are laughingly pulled into the crowd. Following this is Calvin’s B-Box solo, which he does incredibly well; then 愛的王道, 夏雪 (sung amidst a confetti snowstorm) and ending with 為你存在.

DVD2 – Runtime: 0:32:15 (not including credits)

We haven’t hit the end yet! As the crowd chants Fahrenheit’s name over and over, the guys return for…

Episode 6: Encore
Calvin appears on stage first as he does a DJ scratch and dance. His DJ scratch in particular is very impressive, and the light show adds great effect to it. The rest of the guys come back out and join Calvin on stage, all in casual, colourful jackets/vests, and all donning Fahrenheit T-shirts (and Jiro with his playful cat ears!). Their outfits fit perfectly with the atmosphere of this last section as it’s all very fun, energetic, and yet relaxed. They sing 只對你有感覺, 美麗新世界, and 新窩; and though they’ve been performing for so long, they are all still full of energy and look like they’re having a ton of fun. We see Chun and Jiro skipping down the “runway,” jumping and spinning while singing, and lots of brotherly hugs and laughs. Even during their last talk we see more of their playful side as Jiro suddenly decides to slide down the ramp, while Arron and Chun join him “rowing” down it. This last talk is great, as they say their thank you’s to their fans and their families. After the final song, 留下來, the chorus of it repeats as they take final bows to every section of the audience, and then one last bow on stage amidst sparkling streamers and rapturous applause.

I personally didn’t want the show to end! But the bonus is that it doesn’t have to… I just have to put in the first disc and start over again!

The best part about watching these DVDs is seeing how much fun the guys of Fahrenheit seem to have while on stage. Their interaction with each other and with the crowd are always so enjoyable to see, and overall, they genuinely look like they’re loving every minute of it just as much as the fans are—if not more! They look completely comfortable as they have their talks, and so often they’ll do little things that show they’re just being themselves and having fun. And they all truly have great stage presence, which is an element that can really make or break a concert. Part of their stage presence is that they are naturally excellent performers and entertainers. Watching this DVD isn’t merely sitting down to watch a regular concert; you are watching a thoroughly entertaining show that keeps your attention at all times. There’s such a variety of things going on, many different themes, styles of music, etc, that you can watch this over and over again without getting the least bit bored. You may think I’m saying this because I’m biased since Fahrenheit is a favourite band of mine, but from an open mind and unbiased eyes I still feel confident in saying that this performance of theirs is highly worth watching and is something I believe people will still be watching in years to come!

DVD2 – Bonus Section – Runtime: 0:36:30 (approx.)

The bonus section on the 2nd DVD contains a behind-the-scenes documentary of the preparation for the big shows on October 24th & 25th. While each of the guys take turns to talk to the camera, it shows snippets of them at dance practices, giving a glimpse of the amount of preparation and hard work that they put into their shows. It leads us up to their October 23rd full dress rehearsal, and finally, the day of the show! With lots of encouragement and “加油”s from fans and fellow friends in the business, Fahrenheit performs an incredibly memorable concert. Seeing behind-the-scenes moments, such as them before going on stage, their reactions after the concert, and all of their practices in preparation, it’s impossible to not recognize the camaraderie and brotherly relationship they have with one another (especially as it shows them all as they dealt with Arron’s knee injury). It’s always a nice thing for fans to see their idols behind-the-scenes, and this bonus section gives Fahrenheit fans a lot to enjoy!

Full DVD Playlists:

DVD 1
01. Opening : Future
02. 出神入化
03. 我有我的Young
04. Talking 1
05. 心裡有數
06. 寂寞暴走
07. Rock Intro
08. 超喜歡你
09. 越來越愛
10. Talking 2
11. 自由/汪東城Solo
12. Talking 3
13. 一個人流浪
14. Talking 4
15. Ti Amo/炎亞綸Solo
16. 一路上有你/炎亞綸Solo
17. Old School Medley: My Girl /老實情歌/暗戀你/Uptown Girl
18. 不會愛
19. 至少還有我
20. Fighting Intro
21. 劍舞擊鼓/吳尊Solo
22. 不死之謎
23. 恆星
24. 最佳聽眾
25. Fantasy Intro
26. 小小大人物
27. Talking 5
28. Touch Your Heart(台灣觀光局國際形象主題曲)
29. 愛到
30. Talking 6
31. Calvin B-Box
32. 愛的王道
33. 夏雪
34. 為你存在

DVD 2
01. Encore
02. Calvin DJ Scratch & Dance /辰亦儒Solo
03. 只對你有感覺
04. 美麗新世界
05. 新窩
06. Talking 7
07. 留下來
Bonus曲目：
01. 想入飛飛飛越亞洲 幕後實錄
02. 想入飛飛組曲

We may feel either excited or distraught at the thought of meeting new people and making new friends, whether it is on the first day of school, or an orientation organized by the school to promote “ice-breaking” activities. Some people may find making the first move easy, while others find it incredibly difficult. When you think about it though, what’s so hard about saying, “Hi” or “Hello”? It’s just one word, yet it can take a lot of effort to muster the courage to say it. Is there any reason for restraining from such a simple act of greeting?

“I feel depressed because I have no friends.”
“Join a club and you can meet new people.”

I have probably come across too many of these sorts of threads to count, and therefore I find it necessary to make a point out of it. It’s easy to tell others to get out of their shells and meet new people, when the person giving the advice may not have experienced the same problem. Try putting a really introverted person on the spot, chances are, you will get nothing out of it. As long as there’s something that’s hindering that person from making the first move, it will continue to stay that way until he/she overcomes it. You may ask, what can be so devastating that can possibly stop one from making friends?

It can be anything - it may be due to a reserved nature, or maybe due to some other factors that make you fear making the first move. For example, it could have been incidents in the past that made you who are you today, or a supposedly best friend of yours backstabbed you which probably made you afraid of having the same thing happen to you again. Or it could be some other reasons. Whatever the reasons it could be, one shouldn’t strip himself/herself of the desire to make new friends. There’s no guessing how it would turn out to be if you don’t try.

It’s also important to note that many of these people may not have realized it themselves, but these traits may also be what stops others from wanting to befriend them. It’s not about discrimination or racism, but rather, how much it takes to make it work. For example, you may find it harder to talk to someone who’s very quiet compared to a person who’s out-going. Moreover, if that person doesn’t talk much, you may often get the impression that he/she is not interested, so why bother wasting time trying to befriend someone like this when you can spend more time with the rest?

Perhaps it’s our nature to do so, but we should also take into account the person’s feelings. Maybe she didn’t mean to push anyone away, or maybe she just couldn’t think of what to say and is trying hard to initiate a conversation. Like the saying goes, “we should learn to give and take in life.” Before walking out on anyone, we should probably learn to be patient with them to show that we’re really keen to be friends with them. That way, they may even find it much easier to talk to you once they have composed themselves.

Likewise, you may be a very reserved person, but you should at least try to make an effort to initiate the first move. It may not turn out how you expected it to, but at least you can applaud yourself for trying. In this world there’s no right or wrong, it’s whether you are willing to try that makes the difference. So before you jump to the conclusion that you can’t do it, you should think about the many millions of people who are just like you. They are trying their best too.

Some may only know him as being one-quarter of the much loved Taiwanese band Fahrenheit, but Jiro Wang Dong Cheng has a host of job descriptions following his name, including actor, singer, guitarist, dancer, and artist. And now, with the launch of his new label he can add one more to the list—designer.

On February 14th, 2010, Jiro Wang surprised his fans and supporters with the launching of MUA—his own official label. The February 14th launch has been a trial run, using a temporary website to collect pre-orders and gather feedback until the official site is launched on March 14th. And from the looks of it, I think it’s safe to say that this trial run has proven successful as the reaction thus far has been exceptional. Only halfway through the month, MUA has already outsold one particular design, and has had group orders from across the globe—including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and North America—making MUA succeed at appearing worldwide even before its official launch.

What’s behind the name?
Jiro Wang wants the same thing we all long to see: world peace. He believes that love has many components and expressions, and can touch the hearts of all. And so we have MUA—the sound of spreading love. Joining him to spread this love is MUA’s spokesperson—or should I say, spokesrobot—Jo. Those who are familiar with Jiro’s art from previous years already know Jo the robot, who has now made his reappearance for this project. He is introduced on the website as coming from a planet where only love exists, without impurities; and he now hopes to see the same here on Earth. That is the goal of MUA – to spread love all around.
The whole concept of MUA and Jo is not only creative and fun, but at the same time meaningful and something that we can all relate to. It’s a unique aspect to the label, which people have already responded to in a positive way.

The designs
All of the product designs are original creations by Jiro Wang. Included in the pre-launch are 5 designs from which MUA supporters can choose from to pre-order. The designs include the MUA Lips logo (the official expression of MUA love), Jo logo (with the incredibly sweet words “If I were to fall in love, it would have to be with you”), and three limited edition designs which comprise of the bright and cheerful “I [heart] MUA” (in which we catch a glimpse of Jo himself), and 2 Rocker designs, which express Jiro’s love for rock and roll (and feature the words, “If u want me MUA, U have to rock and roll”). The designs are quite simple—but in a good way. They’re colourful, yet not overdone, and as such, the focal designs are eye-catching and really stand out. Once the official site is launched, there will be more designs added, as well as other products, including hats and bags. And as Jiro hinted, he “will eagerly design more daring designs before the official debut on 3.14,” and also will be continuously sharing his design process with everyone, including rough sketches; something all supporters of MUA will look forward to.

So far, it seems as though Jiro and Jo have been seeing and feeling the love that MUA is all about through the support and success it has already achieved. With such a great response so far, as the official site launches it seems as if it’s just a matter of time before MUA’s love will be spread everywhere! Planet MUA, here we come!

You can check out the temporary website at www.mua-jo.com, and be sure to return on March 14th, 2010 when www.mua-jo.com will be officially launched with new features and products.
You can also follow MUA on Sina and receive regular updates at http://t.sina.com.cn/mua0214

This review is written by SoulReaper @Asianfanatics. This is a personal opinion and no personal attacks are intended.

Title: Bejeweled Blitz
Developer/Publisher: PopCap
Platform: PC
Genre: Casual, Strategy
Application(s) needed: Facebook
Target audience: Everyone

Ever since its launch, the Bejeweled Blitz’s predecessor, none other than the first Bejeweled game itself, has been a hit despite its very simple gameplay and has now been officially categorized as a classic. The next installment of the Bejeweled family has been quite an additional source of entertainment and although gameplay-wise, it’s still the same, it’s amazing how people can play it for hours, whether on the way to work or just for a break.

The Facebook application of the Bejeweled family has certainly been quite a hit as well, where friends can challenge each other to see who gets the highest score. It’s fun, and the hint of competition adds some motivation to the game for Facebook users, even though it’s a very short 1-minute game. Recently, the developers have decided to include a BOOST feature which I can only say, is a little too redundant. Although it does gives you some sort of well, boost, its power is insignificant - you can’t really see how much it benefits you. Bejeweled Blitz would still fare well without this feature. On the other hand, I like the fact that the developing team is constantly churning out new ideas for this particular Facebook application instead of leaving it to rot in space.

This Facebook game is suitable for anyone looking for a short break from work, or while traveling on public transport looking for some sort of entertainment to cure themselves of boredom, specifically meant for those who have access to Facebook from their phones or netbooks.

“School sucks!”

“I wish I could have holidays all year round (although you know that won’t happen)!”

There’s at least one time in your life when you’ve said it, but did you really mean it? Many a time, we say things on impulse, usually prompted greatly by something that painstakingly makes you feel like you’re in hell. For example, studying for the subject that forces you to churn out and know mental sums like the back of your hand, or the subject that forces you to memorize tons and tons of convoluted and useless equations.

We are born inquisitive. We question many things in life, yet we rarely question the root of the educational system. We are going to school because we have to, because our parents want us to, and because we’re bounded by society’s standards. We are just forcing ourselves to fulfill the wishes of people whom we owe our lives and morals to.

We study, we pass, we get on to the next level, forget everything, and then the whole cycle repeats again. We learn things that are supposedly meant to be useful for our future, yet only after having gone through it, do we realize how useless it was. However, there will always be someone above you telling you that what you’re studying is going to be useful to your career, and on the other hand, there will also be a bunch of other people telling you that whatever you’re learning now is just the tip of the iceberg: You will only start to learn the real thing when you finally step into the working world. So what do we believe?

Let’s admit it. Education is necessary, though not nearly as essential as our health and family. We NEED it to survive in this competitive world. Whether you like it or not, it’s not up to you to decide, but by what society wants us to do. You may hate it all you want, but at the end of the day, you still have to force yourself to like it, and sometimes to a cruel standard, love it.

There will always be people who doubt the piece of paper you get after graduation. What use is that piece of paper? Simple - it’s the proof of your education. But that’s not all to it. The paper you get at your graduation ceremony is merely just a piece of paper. Although it proves that you went to school, it doesn’t prove yourself to future employers your real capabilities and talents, it’s unquestionably a stepping stone to the next level in your life.

So if there’s anything that’s in your way to reaching your goal, it’s that piece of paper. You may hate it all you want, but remember, you NEED it. It doesn’t need you, as there will always be millions of people studying for it. Whether it’s a high school diploma or your university certificate, work hard for it. You will never know when it may become useful to you in the future.

Title: Mario Kart DS
Developer/ Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Kart Racing
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: Nov 14, 2005
ESRB: Everyone

This review is written by SoulReaper @ Asianfanatics. It is a personal opinion, and no personal attacks are intended.

What beats having fun with your friends on the wireless DS network? Nothing! Mario Kart DS is a casual racing game that promises an interactive game play that is sufficient to keep one occupied for a long period of time. Racing on the tracks with your favorite characters from the Mario series in various challenging modes, while sabotaging friends and having a great laugh at the same time is indeed something fun with no serious thinking involved.

The downside? Extremely boring missions that might appeal to the much younger audience but to the older ones, it’s a little too easy-peasy for their liking. However, there are many features to be unlocked while the game waits for you to accomplish its objectives, and various play modes are available to spice up your gaming experience, whether as an individual or as a group.

Race to be the best! This seems to be the motto of the game. A cabinet of medals waits to be filled as you compete in every race and there are various characters to pick from to suit your liking. There’s also a great range of maps to choose from, each having its own difficulty level, depending on your ability to survive through the challenge and eventually emerging as the champion.

In conclusion, Mario Kart DS is a rather addictive game. Moreover, who can deny the awesome cute graphics and background music? But don’t forget, if you want the best of your gaming experience, remember to plug in your earpiece! Well, at least from what I have done so far, sound effects come in handy especially when one of the CPUs or your friends try to sabotage you!

Overall Rating: 9/10