On the choice between love and work...

I was reading this article, about the personal choice between love and work. Which one would we choose?

I have always thought of myself as career-minded. You might consider me a workaholic, since I don't mind working weekends, and I certainly don't mind working 90-hour work week. I guess I have inherited that work ethics from my parents.

I never really have had much problem with having to choice love and work in the past, until the time when my husband and I have to decide what we want to do with our long distance relationship. We were not married back then. I was in Australia. He was in Chicago. Our long distance affair had been ongoing for five years, with annual getting gathering. The idea is quite romantic. We would go about our lives, focus on our work, and we'll have long chats over phone often. (Don't ask about how much the phone bill is, though, because it'll pop your eyes.) It's not a bad thing to have five years, free of other distractions, so that we can focus on our career. But then, at some point, the whole premise will get shaky. At some point, when we both know we are serious about each other, we have to do something about our relationship. That's the point when decisions have to be made; our moment of truth.

As I'm in IT, the skills are pretty portable around the world. He's in research (biology), and should not have problems finding jobs in Australia. Eventually, I decided to relocate to America. I've lived in different countries in the past, so it's not that big a deal for me to move. And, I travel light.

It's been a good decision, since things have worked out well, both work and our personal lives. To be sure, personal relationships (be it married or otherwise) are never easy. One would always have to work at it. But I truly believe that, if both parties are willing to try, it'll work out (in most cases).

So, I can empathize with those mentioned in the article, on the need to choose between love and work. I'd say, as one gets older, one tends to lean towards love, rather than work. I tend to be very pragmatic (much like my mother). I'm not sure if I would give up my work that easily, nor would I give up my personal life, for the sake of work. Somehow, I always believe that, I would find a way, if I will it to be. There are times when my husband prods me to spend more time with the family and the kids because I have to work in office for long hours. Instead of quitting my job, I find a way to work from home. While working from home can mean even longer working hours, but having the chance to be with the kids and family makes a world of difference.

I always believe that, with some luck, when there's a will, there's a way.

On unsightly models favored by fashion industry...

There's this recent spat of the use of Polo Ralph Lauren (PRL) of a dangerously underweight model in a magazine. It turns out, PRL doctored the picture to trim the model, who has since been fired since she's considered too full-bodied.

I must say, I really don't understand the mentality of the fashion industry. I seriously if anyone (or a majority of the target audience) finds those very under-aged and under-weighed models appealing. Personally, I find those pictures I see in magazines and on the web repulsive. Apparently, the fashion industry thinks otherwise. And the use of these highly unappealing models is so pervasive in this industry that one can hardly avoid seeing these sickly pictures of models, pushing all sorts of products, from shoes, to fashion, accessories, fragrances, cosmetics, and more. Honestly, these pictures make it less likely for me, as a potential customer, to buy these products, when I see how these products are used. Still, these industries keep using these sickly-looking models. Why they still keep doing it, I really can't comprehend.

Maybe I'm at an age when I'm very comfortable with myself, my body, my self-esteem, that I know what I like and don't like. For younger girls and women, they are much more impressionable, and they are the ones who are being molded (or brainwashed) to believe that the thinner you are, the better-looking you will become, even though you're looking more malnourished by the day.

So, for me, this spat between PRL and this model (and the feminist movement) is more like storm in a tea cup to me, since I pretty much ignore this very unsightly picture that are heavily doctored. For others, it gets more personal, demanding apology from PRL. Although I don't give a damn about these fashion pictures, I do believe that the fashion industry should apologize for continuing such sickly practice.

Bottomline is, someone needs to stand up and tell the fashion industry that, whatever that they think is beautiful, it just looks so darn sick that they've pretty lost my business, because of that.

On a decidely undeserved Nobel Peace Prize to Obama...

I was stunned this morning when I started up my computer and read the news headline: Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize!

At first, I thought it was one of those satire from The Onion, like they duped me in last time. I was wrong. Obama really had got the Nobel.

My second reaction was an immediate question: What has he done? I kept thinking and thinking, and I couldn't come up with anything. While I like some of the initiatives and instructions that he has initiated since he took the presidency, I have yet to see any results. In fact, I don't really know if he can deliver. I don't think anyone knows, including Obama himself.

It's apt to call the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama, the Nobel Hope Prize this year. I would have expected much deeper considerations to go in with a Nobel prize, let alone nomination. Given that the nomination of Obama (by whoever the sycophant) came just 12 days after he was sworn in, his nomination itself alone stood on the most shakiest grounds. How could such important a prize be given to someone with no results to show for??? I simply cannot believe how naive this Nobel committee has been, jumping on the Obama bandwagon, and awarded him a Nobel, based on nothing but posturing and looks.

This whole thing is such a farce to me. It's not unlike awarding a PhD to a college freshman, simply because he tries very hard to get in the program, he's working hard now, and he looks to be "on the right track." Is that good enough? Absolutely not. And I expect much more from a Nobel committee.

From this day on, I'll look at a Nobel Peace Prize in a whole new, different, negative light. In fact, I don't think I would bother much with this peace prize anymore. It's totally ridiculous, and worths less than a joke.