This is shocking and sad..

Dec 20, 2008

Chew has incurable illness

Actor's condition said to strike one in 40,000 people and is incurable

By Jasmine Teo

VETERAN MediaCorp actor Chew Chor Meng said last night that he has been diagnosed with a form of muscular atrophy, an incurable disease where a sufferer's muscles waste away.

The 40-year-old told reporters outside his church, Renewal Centre, in Serangoon that he was diagnosed with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, or Kennedy's disease.

He had earlier told the congregation about his condition, which strikes one in 40,000 people and is incurable.

Doctors have told him that in the next seven to 15 years, he will face 'physical impairment', but the disease does not affect life expectancy.

Mr Chew, who is married with two daughters, aged four and six, said his legs have become weaker but he is not taking painkillers or medication for the condition.

He said he is trying to live a normal life but has been advised by doctors not to engage in strenuous activities such as jogging.

The 1990 Star Search champion said that he first experienced back pains in 1997. He consulted Western doctors and Chinese physicians and all of them diagnosed it as a slipped disc. But the treatments had no effect on him.

Last year, the pain worsened and spread to his waist.

In September this year, a doctor who attended the same church as Mr Chew referred him to specialists, who finally diagnosed his condition as spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

He said in Mandarin: 'The doctors told me, 'Chor Meng, you have to start spending more time with your family'.'

The actor is famous for playing the Lobang King in the 1996 Channel 8 sitcom, Don't Worry Be Happy, and the titular character in the Channel 5 sitcom, Mr Kiasu from 2001 to 2002.

He is now seen in the drama, Love Blossoms II, where viewers had observed that he seemed to be limping.

Last night, when he was asked what he was most concerned about, Chew became emotional and said: 'My mum, my wife and my children.'

Oh no this is so sad. I genuinely feel very sad after reading this article. He was one of my favourite local actors.. All the best to him, and I hope he stays strong..

How To Make A Korean Drama

How To Make A Korean Drama

Ingredients:
- 2 male leads (A and B) *one good, one bad*
- 2 female leads (C and D) *one good, one bad*
- an item that symbolizes the token of love
- time, a lot of time
- cellphones (make sure you get the flip kind)
- money (the less there is, the more conflict)
- a conflicting situation
- lots and lots of crying
- just one kiss (at most two)

Procedure:

1) Make sure there is a pre-existing relationship between A, B, C, D but information about the relationship(s) is not fully known across all parties. If there is no relationship that exists, make sure to create one.

2) Communication is mostly via cellphones, with minimal face-to-face contact, unless otherwise specified in the phone conversation, such as, "Shall we meet?" *Remember: Hang up without saying a proper goodbye.*

3) A and B will soon fight over one of C or D, or vice versa. Usually the conflicting situation and money problems come in as well. By this time it is a big mess of spiderwebs of conflicts and relationships.

4) Of course, the love story prevails. The token of love is repeatedly emphasized, especially during the most emotional times. These are also the times when the females tend to cry more, and the males as well. And at last, the confirmation of love between the two parties is expressed with one long lip-locking smooch.

5) After a lot of emotional turmoil, everything turns well like in a fairytale, the good female and male leads always end up together, and the bad ones either go their own way or might end up together with some other loser.. And no, there is no final kiss to seal off the whole relationship. Usually the happily-ever-after just carries on as per normal, making it seem more like a platonic relationship.

* For extra spice and/or excitement, you might want to add in a little something extra, for a kick.. For example, putting a kid into the picture always makes relationships even more intricated. Setting the drama in a corporate environment gives it more ooomph, with rivalry and plotting and evil scheming to steam everything up, adding revenge to the bubbling cauldron of love, hate and emotions..

Alcohol = $$$

On the train home, this lady was chattering on the phone loudly in the crowd, and everyone heard her conversation. Well, I did anyway. Some parts of the conversation:

- "I'm gonna sleep my New Year's away, just like I did last year.."
- "I'm not even gonna go drinking.. I didn't even drink last year.."
- (the most shocking line of all) "You know, I think I probably saved a little over $2000 this year by not drinking.."

Very very intriguing. So how much have I saved this entire lifetime by not even going near a drop of alcohol? This makes me wonder why I am not a millionaire yet...

Chunz's Recipes (I)

Click for larger version!

Chunz in Office Wear

This is what I look like when I become the CEO of your father's company ah. Don't pray pray.


Okay fine, when I graduate with a BA in economics and work in a bank, maybe this is what I will look like.

Will oil and food prices continue to rise? Will interest rates continue to go up?

Only Chunz has the answer.

Grab your copy of RICHES today! Available at a newstand near you.

You put clothes into the bag!

You know those kind of vaccuum-sealed bags you see on the Shopping Channel or those paid advertisements on TV? I had a few and decided to stuff some of my clothes in and see how convincing those advertisments are.

But when I opened the packaging and looked at instructions behind, I nearly laughed myself off the chair bed... 


Yes yes, that makes sense. I wouldn't want to put anything that DOESN'T fit into the bag, do I? Well, without cutting any holes, that is..


Wow we learn something new every day... Today we learn that wiping something with a cloth removes dust!


Now you come in and help me. This is a two-person job all right! Now, which edge should you choose? Hmmm, left or right?


Back to my turn again. Oh no, now I have to save YOU when you "all fall out"!!! Now, can you tell me how many pieces you are in again? I need to keep count...

There's more, but I am not going to post anymore up cos they just don't make sense.

But when I tried it (yes, from putting in clothes smaller than the size of the bag to closing the fastener from "an edge") it actually works wonders! Look!

Before:

Large mountain of clothes.

After:

Mini hill of clothes.

Before using those bags, those clothes took up more than half of my bag.. Now?


Only one-third of the bag!!!

So, those paid advertisements are not lying through their teeth after all huh...

What is this??

I found this on my wall this morning.. Something was growing out from the wall!!!



By late morning it had grown to this and it migrated to the armrest of my chair..



And then by late afternoon it had grown even longer and hopped to the table!



What is this mysterious strip of thing that keeps growing and moving around??



Is it a tempura or lollipop for me to eat?



Is it a wand for me to be Harry Potter and cast a spell on you?



Or was it Santa's moustache he left behind last Christmas?



Make a guess! What is this???

*Answers revealed in the next post.*

Top Pet Peeves About Men

(Includes both in general and when you are in a relationship with hopefully just one.)

1. Playboy type
Don't go around liking every other girl in sight.. Especially when you are rejected and immediately go round looking for some other substitute.

2. Has BO / Bad breath
Come on face it, who wants to be with someone who smells bad? Bad breath included.

3. Thinks about sex every second whenever he is with you (and maybe even without you)
Porkie claims that's 50% of the male population. I think it's perhaps 80%.

4. Broken English
How can you express your thoughts and feelings to someone like that and expect gibberish in return? A relationship is about communication you know...

5. Looking at other girls when you are out with him
Girls like (and demand) attention! We do not exactly enjoy the backview of your head...

(to be continued....)

Chunz's School of Singlish (2)

How to use the phrase "top-up"

Definition: To "top-up" something means to add on to something, usually to improve the current situation.

Example 1:
When your EZ-link card (a stored value ticket for public transport) no more money, then to "top-up" the card means to add money to it, so you now have money to take the bus or MRT!

Example 2:
One has already studied and attained a diploma, and with another extra few months of studying, the diploma becomes a full Bachelor's degree. This is how you "top up" your diploma to a degree.

Example 3:
Your computer software is outdated, and is unable to run without an upgrade. It's time to "top up" your software!

Chunz's School of Singlish (1)

Appropriate use of KNS:

MSN Party with Choco, Oli, Porkie:
(while talking about MDG)

chunz: OMG her face CMI la!
choco: what's CMI?
chunz: cannot make it
oli: hmmm
choco: while we're on that line. wad is KNS too?
oli and choco: and what is ka na sai?
chunz: eat shit
choco: ooo KNS *name removed*!!
chunz: its like u screw up something, then u say "KNS!"
oli: haha
choco: ooo..
chunz: grammatically correct would be *name removed* KNS la!
porkie: got nothing to say about MDG
porkie: crap production
choco: wad porkie means is MDG KNS, correct?
chunz: correct!
oli: MDG KNS LA

See how fast my students learn?

The Back of the Bus...

is a wonderful place...

This post is was inspired on my way home, on the shuttle bus.

When we are on the bus, we usually sit by the window and watch out for streets and where to get off. We see the world going by us in a flash, as we pass by quickly with a blur from the lack of speed on the bus.

If we are nervous about getting to a destination, we tend to stand near the front (behind the red/yellow line!) and watch for our destination through the front window, anxious about whether we are going to miss our stop and constantly shoot the driver looks and finally sigh a breath of relief when he tells you to get off at the next stop.

When we sit at the back of the bus, it's a different story. Many think of it as lovey-dovey couples snuggling at the back of the bus. The back of the bus is such an interesting place to be.

Yesterday, I sat at the back of the bus alone. It was the mini shuttle bus so I could see directly out the window and not have a big block behind the last seats before the window.

I looked out at the window behind and it was a completely different sight and different emotions washed up over me, like waves lapping the ocean.

I felt like I was on a plane, leaving the beautiful scenery behind as I depart to another place (eh, why sound like I'm dying). I guess it's the same effects as a plane would, you see things getting smaller and smaller from your sight until they eventually disappear.

I felt that leaving things behind was a pity, and you don't know when you'll ever get to see that view again. That reminded me to cherish the things we have now before they vanish into thin air out of sight.

I also somewhat felt the excitement of leaving on a jetplane and flying back home! But again, I'm never very excited beforehand, not until I actually arrive at the airport anyway.. And even then it stays dull until I touch down!!

So the next time you hop on a bus, try looking out of the window and see what you feel.