of presentism...

Source: Google

...and guilty as charged.

Headache + stuck sinuses + moderate temperature...

and sneezing out a whole lot of viral particles at my kids!

of consumer choices...

Source: Google

The oft-repeated phrase "consumer has the choice" is really just an illusion.

Take Blogger for instance. I had to try logging in a total of 6 times without being re-directed to use a Google account. Apparently this is an attempt to persuade consumers like me to switch to the new format under Google. I prefer Google when they were just a small search-engine based start up.

Take another instance of how the consumer does NOT have the choice. There isn't anything done by food manufacturers & retailers about the labeling of trans fat content in food products in 1984-ville. Trans fat is bad (read New England Journal of Medicine, April 13 2006, pages 1601-1613). In fact, it's so bad that eating animal fat may be a healthier alternative. And the authority that govern food safety isn't doing anything about it. You have to read the labels in detail to find out if the stuff you buy contains any trans fat. Just remember to avoid products with hydrogenated vegetable oil. Time to throw out the magarine and bring in good old butter.

I don't like to do mental gymnastics every time I go grocery shopping but, hey, the take home message is: if you want the choice, you got to do your sums. Sounds very much like shaky unit trust funds and shady swindlers financial advisors.

Oh, and one more headache for health nuts out there. Eateries and cafes do not, and are exempted by law from providing food labels on the menu. Do you know if they're using hydrogenated vegetable oil?

The New Year

Source: Google

Turned up for work on the first day and saw a big fat Volvo parked at the disability parking lot of my work place. It's supposedly a place where educated people hang out. None of the staff here require that lot as far as I know but that's not the point. So much for a pleasant start to the year.

On another note related to cars. Just done servicing the car this morning and the nice folks at Tan Chong Motors (technically their sub-contractors Autolution) washed it for me and even polished the interior leather fixtures too. Nothing to shout about you might say. Well, silly me had just washed the car the previous day before sending it in, with the thinking that a more presentable car would brighten up the mechanics' day. It was a nice work-out though, hand-washing the car.

Let's hope that the rest of this year will be nice and smooth.