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The number of opportunities for meeting new people slowly diminishes as age catches up with you. You find your usual group of friends deviating from your life, one at a time. Your favorite hang-out haunts become boring. Day in day out, your interaction is only with the same people at work. You find yourself socially stranded in the sea of loneliness. What do you do next?

If you find yourself facing any of the above problems and want to make a change to your social life, try out BunchOut.com.

BunchOut.com is somewhat similar to a dating service. If you are raising an eyebrow to that thought, pause for a moment and allow me to change your mindset. You do not go on one-to-one dates with users of BunchOut, unlike some dodgy dating websites. Truthfully, I had that first impression when the BunchOut Kuala Lumpur version was launched in January 2008. After dwelling deeper into the concept for a month, I think this website has good potential. Come, follow me to the journey of discovery with BunchOut.

BunchOut.com at present, spans 6 locations around the world; San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, London, Singapore and last but not least Kuala Lumpur. Locations will grow when the listing of groups reach to 20. Now, how does this listing work and most importantly how will the listing work for you? Let’s tackle the former question first.

A city needs to have 20 group listings to launch - a pioneer batch of people get on it first, so it will be populated and useful by the time other people from the same city sees it. In a simpler context, you create a listing for your group(s) of friends. This listing will get you in touch with people you want to meet. How? Simple, just hit the “Contact Them” button when you browse through the listing that you like and then, you initiate a contact point with that group. However, the party on the receiving end can choose to ignore the call.

So, now, how does the listing work for you? The keyword is “group”. I’m sure you may have heard of meeting criminals and other shady characters via the Internet. It is indeed a scary world out there. However, by going out in a group of friends, you lower this risk. I’m not implying that there’s no risk at all. There’s risk to everything you do. So, an arranged outing with a new group of friends, this I refer to as a “friendly outing”. Imagine the worst scenario, you meet a group that was out of your expectations with no common interests, you can always flee the scene with your friends. A harmless and most polite way to excuse yourself is to leave with a group. Since a city requires 20 groups to exist, you’ll still have 19 groups to meet if the first one does not meet your expectations. Whoever has had the complaint of meeting new people, surely had not heard of BunchOut.

Next, another discovery about BunchOut.com. As defined by the founder of BunchOut, “BunchOut is a list of interesting groups of people in your city!” Finding the right people who share your passion and hobby is like finding a needle in the haystack. Finding like-minded individuals in today’s hectic society is no doubt a considerable challenge. For instance, you may like a variety of extreme sports, thus you need to join a specialized club/organization that organizes such events to meet people. Where on earth do you find the time to do that? It is definitely not impossible but extremely cumbersome. BunchOut.com creates the opportunity for you to meet this interesting group of individuals all in one place. Best of all, it is free!

So, whatcha waiting for? Start BunchOut’ing now!

Click here to visit BunchOut.com
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Evan Almighty (2007), a similar humor or even a sequel to Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty (2003)? If that was your first impression of Evan Almighty, think again. I was expecting to laugh my heart out at the movie. Did I laugh much? Yes, I did, but the laughter was rather subtle, not the “haha …this is so funny, laugh till you pee in your pants” kind of entertainment. I had a real bad day that day, so I needed a good laugh. I walked into the cinema with a troubled mind and I think God sent me a message through the movie. Perhaps some may not realize the underlying meaning this movie portrays, or tries to portray. After watching the movie, one may sit solemnly and ponder own’s belief with the “Almighty”.

Based on Christianity teachings, Evan Almighty introduces the importance of saying your prayers, the importance of having a relationship with God. If you’re an atheist, you’ll most likely be like “what nonsense!” or if you’re an Antichrist, don’t watch this movie, it will irritate very much your core soul.

I don’t know if it’s meant as a mockery, Morgan Freeman is God. I believe he used to play the role as God before in other movies too. His soothing and calm narration in the movie always appeals to my hearing sense. In the movie, God sends messages to Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) by waking him up at 6:14AM every morning, showing the number 614 on Evan’s car number plate and everywhere else. The significance of the number ‘614′ is found in the bible. The bible reads Genesis 6 14 as follows:

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch.

Yes, the newly elected congressman Evan Baxter is called upon by God to do a holy mission - to build an ark, because a mighty flood is coming. Initially, Evan refuses to summit to God’s words thinking that he’s dealing with a mentalist. He repels the idea completely, then pairs of wild animals start to hunt him down, literally. The wild animals follow him into the halls of Congress, his front yard became a zoo. Basically, the animals follow him everywhere and Evan ends up making a fool of himself with the animals. Pretty much the same lame and tasteless joke as “Ace Ventura”. Anyway, Evan has to go through in this movie, such as being self-conscious about his look when he starts to look like Noah with a growing long beard. Kinda reminding me of my own growing pain that looks are everything. Doubting God’s existence but wanting to believe, even though we may never understand why ill things happen the way it does, we just have to have faith that “God Loves Us”. Evan finally accepts the mission, though unwillingly, and sets to construct the ark big enough to house all the world’s animals despite being labeled as “weird” and “insane” by the society and his family.

What caught my attention the most was these words “One random act of kindness at a time”. I was feeling sour that day as I felt the world was turning away, that mankind was doomed for eternity, evil prevails. Ok, that’s a bit extensive. Anyway, God tells Evan’s wife, Joan Baxter (Lauren Graham) that God doesn’t just give things when you ask for it in your prayer, instead He gives the opportunity to get things. When people ask for courage, God doesn’t just give them courage. He gives them the opportunity to be courageous. It is still within your own choice, your own decision to act on that opportunity. How true.

Evan Almighty (2007), though not the best biblical comedy, is a fun flick with lots of wild animals and eye-popping special effects, promises to give you the laughs that you need. The ending of the movie, well, Evan builds the ark and the flood comes, just not the way he expects it. But that’s the way life is.

Click here to buy “Evan Almighty (2007)” DVD
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While it almost seems unlikely, each and everyone of us is able to speak out about any topic online and get ourselves heard at the same time. Sure, it’s not an easy task, seeing as how most of the time our point of views aren’t even considered. However, thanks to sites such as Blog Action Day, maybe more of us will be heard by the higher authorities.

BlogActionDay.org is a non-profit organization blog which has high aspirations. It was founded by Collis Ta’eed, Leo Babauta and Cyan Ta’eed. To find out more about the founders, click here (they have removed the link). The site is hosted and funded by Eden Creative Communities. With one aim in mind, Blog Action Day calls for all bloggers to join hands and post about the same topic on the same day. For example, 15th October 2007 marks the day for bloggers to write about the “Environment”.

A very noble call, I must say. To date, 1879 bloggers have answered it. The numbers are steadily increasing even as you read this. The methods by which you are able to participate are simple enough. It’s just 3 easy ways, as follows:

1. Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
2. Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
3. Promote Blog Action Day around the web

Mass participation with one agenda, on one day. Will it make a difference? To be honest, I am skeptical. I read the blog with interest though. The banner artwork is simple. Nothing catchy and yet it serves its purpose. However, I suppose I wasn’t the only one with pessimistic thought as Blog Action Day took the liberty to respond to the concerns and reservations of:

• whether or not blogging about something can really make a difference
• that it isn’t a good idea to all have the same points of view

Environmental conservation, raising awareness and hoping to make an impact. Do you think it’s possible? Yes, I do although I have my doubts, I’m sure you have yours too. Leo Babauta wrote a lengthy post on “why bloggers will change the world, and how you can help” whic can be quite profound.

The fight to protect the environment has started ages ago and voices which speak against environmental degradation can be heard in the media every single day. Yet, has much been done? Sadly, no. Hopefully, Blog Action Day will reach millions of readers on that faithful October 15th. Will we see the impact overnight? No. Considering how even the creators of the site state that “change in the world does not happen in events, but rather in processes.” However, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

What will you do after reading this post? The choice is yours.

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“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generation whose words of thanks will not be heard” by Gayland Nelson, co-founder of Earth Day

Want to be an Eco Action Hero? Let’s start with the easiest things that don’t require much effort. A little peek at the things we use in our daily life. I’m sure in the modern world today we use a lot of battery operated gadgets. Digital camera, remote control, wireless mouse, MP3 players just to name a few. By simply replacing batteries to rechargeable ones, you are playing a major role in saving the Earth.

Eneloop, a rechargeable battery, is an environmental friendly product developed by Sanyo. The major advantage of Eneloop is its 1,000 rechargeable application usage. Mine has lasted 1 time, so I have a rechargeable lifespan of 999 to go. Indeed 1,000 rechargeable lifespan count seems huge but in actual fact, who keeps count? Anyhow, I can’t attest to or disprove the claim from the manufacturer.

The white colour AA or AAA sized Eneloop isn’t as attractive as common batteries. Despite the old fashioned appearance, Eneloop is relatively lighter than common batteries. I only own the AA battery set but Eneloop only comes in two specifications, AA or AAA. The major downside is its availability in the market as it’s only available in several countries. I had mine purchased from Singapore. The 2 ready to go Eneloop were placed in a suitcase, driven 4 hours in a car before arriving at my doorstep.

Priced at less than SGD20 for a set, I reckon it’s a reasonable price to pay to be an Eco Action Hero. Although some may beg to differ. After all, the value of money is rather subjective. What’s most convenient from Eneloop is its out-of-package readiness. Unlike other rechargeable batteries, which take at least 8 hours for the first time charging, Eneloop eliminates this need. It comes fully charged. Handy.

In short, if you are photographer or an avid user of any remote control, Eneloop rechargeable battery is probably the best solution for you. You’ll never have to charge your battery ever again if you leave it on the shelf. Ok, maybe a year later, you will need to, as a fully charged Eneloop is able to retain its charge for up to year. It’s only a month for me and I haven’t replaced any batteries yet, so come back again in a year’s time and I’ll attest to my statement above!

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Doctors are a crazy bunch. The amount of stress they face daily, they must have an outrageous avenue to relieve all that tension.

Thus, I was curious enough to find out more about the lives of doctors. While there are many TV series involving life of doctors, one of the more popular ones is Nip/Tuck. They are, to be precise, plastic surgeons, which are still in the category of medical services.

I got hooked on to Nip/Tuck Season 1 and Season 2, but have yet to follow on with Season 3. In a nutshell, the theme behind this TV series is love. Love between husband and wife, love in the family, love between 2 friends and love between lovers.

The plot details the lives of 2 main characters, Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). To be honest, I don’t find the physical appearances of either of them attractive. However, the attitudes and image portrayed by each individual is indeed interesting. Sean is a family oriented family man, a man that lives by the book in season 1. I didn’t like the character change towards the end of season 1 however. I admired the courage shown by Sean dealing with his problems at home, while his determination to patch up the rocky road with wife Julia (Joely Richardson) is truly compelling. Christian, on the other hand, portrays an image of guys your father tried warning you about since you hit puberty. Having watched the series, I got a first hand view into the mindset of a male player. Apparently, in the TV series, Christian is an irresistible, sexy and charming doctor. I can’t help but feel really annoyed with his distasteful, low act to get women into bed. In fact, I felt Christian degraded the dignity of man in Season 1.

Towards the end of Season 1, Sean’s cozy character had an 180 degree change. He killed Escobar Gallardo, a Colombian drug trafficker and had an affair with a patient named Megan O’Hara. It was peculiar to me that somehow the affair presented itself to a “rightful” one, as if all the marital problems were to be placed on Julia’s shoulder. While it wasn’t very nice, I continued watching to see how the mess could turn out. The story evolved further with Christian showing his emotional side when he had sex with a woman named Gina. Ironically, he met the woman from Sexaholics Anonymous and Gina was later pregnant with Christian’s baby. The drama only gets more ridiculous from then on: the baby is African-American, which means Wilburt (the baby) is not Christian’s. When I thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre, the TV series surprised me. Julia finds out that her son is not Sean’s.

So, Julia and Sean’s son, Matt is actually Julia and Christian’s son! This is revealed in Season 2. What a complete mess. This is really not an unethical series to watch at all. I give credit to all the beautiful women featured in the series though. To add complexity to the story line, a new character is introduced: Ava, a life coach for Sean and Julia. Ava turns out to be a pedophile and forms a sexual relationship with Matt. The punchline has yet to come. Season 2 ended by revealing that Ava is actually a transvestite.

So, do doctors have an exciting life? You tell me.

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