| 06 September 2010 ,23:00
The Theory of (Humour) Relativity
By
Siti Rohani
|
This issue marks the fourth Humour Special that I've worked on for Reader's Digest
Asia. I put together the first three as Humour Editor and although I may have hung my hat
up (Associate Editor Joyce Sim takes care of your favourite humour departments in the
magazine now), I couldn't resist putting together this special section for September. The
truth is, it’s a lot of fun. I have to trawl through lots of funny articles from
around the world to choose the right ones for the magazine. What’s not to like? Read More...
The main article – the one where celebrities from around the region share their favourite jokes* – was also a blast to do. I have a confession though – I didn’t find every joke they shared funny. I suppose that drives home the point that humour, like time, is relative. I remember this particular incident. I was at the cinema watching Mean Girls, the teen comedy Tina Fey wrote that she also co-starred in with recently released jailbird Lindsay Lohan. I loved that movie, and I laughed so hard that at some points – and I can’t believe I’m revealing this – there was definite snorting. On one instance, I also almost choked because I was guffawing so hard. Unfortunately, because it wasn’t a very full theatre, the lack of mad laughter from the other members of the audience was quite apparent. Thank god for the dark. Incident number two – another movie – this time Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin starring Steve Carell. I went with a friend. Again, I loved the movie and I laughed so hard, I had stitches. My friend? Not a peep. In fact the only thing she found amusing was my hysterical laughing. Later, we ran into a mutual friend who had also just been to the same screening. She too didn’t find the movie funny. I guess it’s quite clear the point I’m trying to make – I need new friends. But seriously, if there’s anything I’ve learned during my years as Humour Editor, it’s that there’s no ‘one joke fits all’ policy. So please enjoy our 7th Annual Humour Special and don’t worry if you don’t find everything in there funny. You’re just illustrating the theory of (humour) relativity. * Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the shooting of the photos. |
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| 18 August 2010 ,23:43
A Tale of Two Kitties
By
Siti Rohani
|
I’ve got two cats: Dude and Fred. Fred’s a ginger boy cat, and
Dude’s a mix of several gradations of grey and she’s a girl cat. Yes, I know
it’s unusual to name a girl cat Dude but I figure, she’s a cat, she’s
not likely to have any gender confusion issues. Anyway most of the time I end up calling
her Puddy. Fred’s the younger of the two, just about three and a half years old now. Dude’s a fair bit older, probably around 10 years old or so. It’s hard to be sure because when she came to live with my flat mate and I, she was already an adult cat. Dude had the luxury of being the Queen of the castle for about three years until I decided to adopt another cat. We got Fred when he was three months old from the Singapore Cat Welfare Society (www.catwelfare.org). He was living with an adoptive family and was called Cookie at the time. I decided to name him Fred because of his ginger coat (Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, geddit? Well, it made sense in my head). Now I just can’t imagine him being called anything else. In fact, I can no longer meet a man named Fred without sniggering inside. .jpg) Fred has a very un-catlike characteristic
– he’s incredibly needy. When my flat mate and I come home from work, he gets
right up to us and meows and meows until we acknowledge him and stroke him. Every morning,
when I open my bedroom door, he meows and meows again for attention and affection, and
will not stop until I give a pat on the head. I blame it on him having spent his formative
months living with a dog at the adoptive family’s home. I like to joke that his
Chinese name is Fred Soh Nee Di (so needy). Dude could not care less where in the world we were so long as her food bowl is full. Another doglike behaviour Fred has – eating everything on the floor. True story. This was a few months after we got Fred. One morning, my flat mate and I were both leaving the house to go to work. Fred came running over to say goodbye as usual. That was when I noticed something trailing behind him.... Read More... |
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| 18 August 2010 ,22:51
Health Responsibility
By
Debbie Lau
|
I've gone back to my old ways. Yes, the hankering
for junk food, the sugary drinks, the excesses and excuses from exercising are all coming
back. Looking back, I have to say, I was at my healthiest when I was
pregnant. I led an exemplary healthy lifestyle and it probably had everything to do with
the fact that I was responsible for the life forming in me. So
what did I do while I was pregnant? Well, alcohol was off
the list immediately. I also cut out caffeine and that included sugary soft drinks. I
popped calcium supplements in the afternoon and a fish-oil capsule after dinner every
day. Every morning, the first business of the day was to eat a
hearty breakfast and I always had wheat crackers on standby for pecking anytime. My only
weakness was perhaps Nasi Padang with extra belachan chili during lunch - I blame that on
cravings. I cut out the junk as I couldn't bear the thought of
all that processed food going to my baby. I made it a point to drink more milk,
calcium-fortified juices, loads of veggies and tofu and healthy broth alongside my
well-balanced dinner. I also ate more fruits, drank more water and exercised! I was doing
yoga - shoulder stand and downward dog all the way till I was 38 weeks. And I was
huge! I felt great for most of the 40 weeks of pregnancy, never
once fell ill, not even the flu. And at the end of it all, I gave birth to a healthy,
chubby little baby boy. I continued this healthy streak well
into my maternity, especially during the months of breastfeeding - I was still responsible
for keeping healthy to produce sustenance for my baby. It's funny how you'd do it for the
sake of a child, but you'd find every excuse to slack if left to your own
devices. Well, research has shown that children learn by
example and their eating habits are directly influenced by the household. Now that should
be reason enough for me to keep up those good health habits if I don't want a tubby child
who fusses for McDonald's Happy Meal all the time! |
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| 18 August 2010 ,22:37
Egg-citing Taxi Ride
By
Siti Rohani
|
I try not to take cabs too often because, well, they cost a lot more than buses and trains. But some days, I just have no choice. My brain’s shut down at the end of the day, and I’m just not in the mood to stand two inches away from a stranger’s armpit, or be in constant danger of being elbowed in the forehead by a tall guy who’s holding on to the handrail. Things like that happen to me a lot since I’m short. Getting into a cab, I feel, is a slightly less dangerous game of Russian roulette. You just never know what type of cab driver you’ll get. I’ve had a few who have barely showed any signs of life. They don’t greet me when I get in, they don’t nod when I tell them where I want to go and they barely make a sound throughout the cab ride. And then there’s the complete opposite. One night last week, I had a cab driver who had something on his mind. Three minutes into the 20-minute cab ride, he asked me, “Have you ever heard of an egg being stolen?” As I honestly hadn’t, I answered no. He went on to say that his wife had just called him claiming that one hard-boiled egg was missing from their kitchen. That’s right, one hard-boiled egg. I was intrigued. The story unfolded that the driver’s wife had boiled three eggs for lunch. She gave one to her daughter and then they both left to walk the daughter to school. When the wife got back, there was only one egg left. Puzzled, she called her husband to check if he had gone home and eaten it. He hadn’t. The driver and I spent the entire cab ride discussing what could have happened to the egg. His theory was that a crow had flown in and grabbed the egg in its beak. He also thought his wife was hallucinating. Even the idea of bomohs (witch doctors) was bandied about. My practical brain told me that his daughter had taken an extra egg and neglected to tell her mum about it. Either that or mum was mistaken and had two eggs to begin with. I refused to believe there was anything weird or supernatural about a missing egg. I never did find out the truth. I reached my destination before I could. But till today I wonder about that egg, especially since I Googled it and it turns out that crows can carry eggs in their beaks. |
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The Editor's Blog is the little soap box where the editors of Reader's Digest Asia and their occasional guest, talk about stories and issues in the magazine that they find thought provoking. Readers are more than welcomed to add their opinions. In fact, we want you to express them. So here's to the start of many a good conversation. Read on MacDuff!
| September 6, 2010, 11:00 pm The Theory of (Humour) Relativity This issue marks the fourth Humour Special that I've worked on for Reader's Digest Asia. I put together the first three as Humour Editor and although I may have hung my hat up (Associate Editor Joyce Sim takes care of your favourite humour departments in the magazine now), I couldn't resist putting together this special section for September.Read More... |
| August 18, 2010, 11:43 pm A Tale of Two Kitties I’ve got two cats: Dude and Fred. Fred’s a ginger boy cat, and Dude’s a mix of several gradations of grey and she’s a girl cat.Read More... |
| August 18, 2010, 10:51 pm Health Responsibility I've gone back to my old ways. Yes, the hankering for junk food, the sugary drinks, the excesses and excuses from exercising are all coming back.Read More... |
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