An offer of coal comfort in the depth of winter
[2009-01-22 11:29]I have a dirty secret that will make the greenies turn red with anger - a liking for coal.
Shopping frenzy a threat to my health - and bank balance
[2009-01-20 11:39]Hong Kong is heaven for shoppers, especially after Christmas. Although I am not a shopaholic, I could not resist the temptation of the big sales and decided to treat myself.
We'll have to sell everything except our Tiffany wedding rings
[2009-01-13 07:45]If this financial crisis lasts as long as the Great Depression of 1929, I'll be 32 when it all draws to an end. Should this nightmare come true, the shockwaves of overseas mass layoffs will hit me hard.
Naked truths
[2009-01-09 10:07]This month last year, a bunch of snapshots of Hong Kong star Edison Chen and several starlets engaged in extremely explicit scenes surfaced online.
Zhang is butt of jokes after revealing all
[2009-01-08 10:46]Those of you who have not seenZhang Ziyi's bikini pictures, be warned.
A lesson in the realities of life
[2009-01-07 17:13]When our son learned his exam marks weren't high enough to enter a top university, the 18-year-old got a part time job at a ceramics shop, delivering bowls and plates to restaurants.
Copyright not an issue for fake CCTV gala show
[2009-01-16 07:47]Organizers of the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala are in a quandary this year as lip-synching has been banned and stars are struggling to find their voices - if they ever had them. The situation has come to a head because of a culture ministry directive last year ruling that professional performers who pretend to sing or play their instruments will have their licenses revoked.
Battling cold in new house adds 'frost on snow'
[2009-01-08 07:49]For many people around the world, this is a particularly cold winter due to the financial crisis that "adds frost on snow", as a Chinese idiom puts it. Our family is also enduring an unprecedentedly icy winter, but I find the situation inspiring.
To be politically correct, Santa's not for everyone
[2009-01-06 09:59]
When a former Chinese student asked me if I would go home during the "merry Christmas", I felt it was time to set things straight: "First of all," I answered, "I consider China as my home now, and Xmas lasts only 24 hours, so I don't have time to go back."
Creating an image - or trapped in one
[2008-12-31 07:53]This has been a year of extremes - extreme joys and extreme sorrow. It was a year many celebrities decided to tie the knot, or bear children, or emigrate overseas, at least in name; and it was a year amateur photographers made history without the aid of Photoshop.
Top 10 trends in publishing
[2008-12-30 07:56]At a recent forum in Shenzhen, pundits zeroed in on 2008's major trends in China's book publishing industry.
Parody is a norm of life, accept it
[2008-12-29 11:12]American television talk show hosts like Jay Leno and Jon Stewart are hugely popular among the audience for their satirical humor - right from ridiculing US President George W.
