The High-story of Heels

Heh, I just love that title. Pretty smart eh? =P

Ahhh...high-heeled shoes. What woman doesn't go on a rampage for them on a daily basis? So far, I have never met any woman who wouldn't compromise on going heel-less for more than a day - save for myself. =\

Face it, we females are suckers when it comes to cute shoes. We are actually a bunch of masochists(it takes a lot for me to admit this) to put up with the pain that comes with that new 4-inch stiletto from Dolce and Gabbana. Damn, dont they make some fine ass shoes! Aherm, moving on.

In the recent years that I voluntarily succumbed to the temptation of heels, I have learned a few things:

1. The most beautiful shoes are often bad for your feet.

2. Wearing heels will results in painful physical conditions known as bunions.

3. Wearing heels for more than 5 hours will results in blisters, abrasions and stinging pain on the sole of your foot.

Which begs the question "why women wear heels if it's more pain and less gain?"

Once I wore heels for more than 8 hours and I suffered for 2 weeks from swollen ankles and blisters and dislocated Achilles point. As Mrs. Doubtfire(played by Robin Williams in 1993) said " who's the mysogynistic bastard who invented high heels? I'd kill him if I find him!".

That got me thinking. Who did actually? When and where did it all start?

After surfing around for some time, I came across these few theories on the origins of high heels.

1. The earliest known high heels were worn by the Egyptians in 1000 BC. Heels were said to denote high status. Since the Pharaohs and his royal entourage were the only people with high enough social status, im guessing it's them.

2. Esquilo, the first Greek theatrical author in Old Greece used platform heels to denote the social statuses of the characters his actors are portraying.

3. Chinese and Turkish harem women wore high heels to preserve their demure, graceful sway so they would look like fairies flying . It is also implied that such high platform shoes(raging from 30-50cm) were to prevent them from escaping the harem.

4. In the 16th century, a really short woman by the name of Catherine of Medici hailing from Paris invented high heels to accommodate her short stature. This is what heels commonly looked in 16th century until the late 1800's.

 I personally think they're kind of cute but the toe part makes me think twice.

4. Prostitutes Old Rome were identified by their high heels and it was said to be very seductive to men. Showing the feet in the ancient times were considered sexual, thus wearing high heeled shoes(that shows the feet) that would be visible under the hem of the long skirt of the prostitutes is something that comes off as flirty and sexy.

After the 19th century, designer shoes boomed like a tsunami and that fad have not yet faded since then. Heels are now prevelent not only among the rich but among the bourgeois and lower middle class as well!

Here are some popular high heeled shoes in the market.

 

Cone Heels

Kitten Heels(peep toe front)

Stilettos. Most popular kind of heels among women. I personally think it's painful but I do like peep-toes. =D

These are called Mules. Popular among those grandmotherly old women.

Apparently these are called platform heels. I personally refer to them as Pornstar Shoes.

 

Prism Heels. These cant be worn for long, my Achilles Point hurt like hell. =(

These are called Pumps. High stiletto heels with fully covered toe. Popular among those business-woman type.

These are Platforms. They're the cause of sprained and dislocated ankle for women everywhere who wore them.

These are called Sling-Back Heels. Notice there's a support around the ankle area. These are quite comfortable and stable than her sister-heel counterparts.

These beauties are called Sneaker Pumps. I personally own one of these babies and boy do I turn heads when I wear them! One even asked me where I got them! But the downside is, they're pretty uncomfortable wearing a long time.

These are called Spool Heels. Looks weird...doesn't it? 

Newest atrocity made by mankind to further kill our dying feet, Ladies and Gentlemen may I introduce you to Tip Toes. 

These are called Wedges. Too bad, for all their attractiveness, these shoes are very unstable and painful on the sole of the foot.

And the reward for wearing these shoes for the sake of beauty, here it is.

Why, hello there bunions! I see you have paid a visit to my feet! Oh, didn't see you there Distorted Toes! Fancy having some nourishment? A tube of Foot Cream, perhaps?

So ladies, the lessen here is, you dont need to torture yourself by wearing pretty shoes that would end up like the picture. Wear flip flops, sandals or even go barefoot instead! I personally refuse to have my feet so gnarled and diseased like that picture when I'm older...do you?

Manga Review: Ouke no Monshou

This is is the manga I have been talking about in here: http://talesofaluciddreamer.blogspot.com/2011/05/99-facts-about-guys.html


This manga is the brainchild of Chieko Hosokawa who was born in 1929. She is still alive as of today and the manga is still ongoing since 1976! Thats what? 35 years! And guess what? This is the longest ongoing manga of all time and is the 3rd best selling manga in Japan. The current volume is 77!

The basic plot is this.

Carol Lido is a 16 year old American(she will age as the manga progresses). A carefree girl who is pampered and sheltered by her family, especially her older brother, Ryan. She comes from a filthy rich family of business and archeology funding type pursuits. She is an archeology student in a prominent school in Cairo where's she staying to pursue a career in archeology and observing the many excavation sites going on in Cairo. She absolutely loves Cairo and is adamant on staying in despite her family's urges to back to America.

One day, diggers/archeologists have found the tomb of Pharaoh Memphis and invited the Lido family to have the honor of having the first look. Upon entering the tomb, Memphis' sister Isis who had been guarding the tomb became angry that her brother's 3000 years of peaceful sleep had been disrupted, had put a curse upon the Lido family. Carol's father died of a snakebite, Carol almost died of a snakebite too but was saved in time.  After a series of tragedies, Carol was abducted by Isis herself and was taken to ancient Egypt where Carol saw the Pharaoh Memphis himself in flesh! The ruthless young king then took a strong liking to Carol because of her beautiful appearance(gold hair and bright blue eyes). Since she appeared from the River Nile(the means of transportation from modern time to ancient time) people thought she was the Goddess of the Nile. Initially, the young king was only besotted with Carol's exotic beauty but that soon turned into real love because she displayed some badass girl power.

Her intelligence, wisdom, beauty and kindness travelled far and wide. Even the rival kings wanted to possess her. She has then established a reputation of being Goddess of the Nile and the rival kings had in mind that to possess her they would possess Egypt and her.

She catches the fancy of...of course Pharaoh Memphis whom she will marry and have a child with later in the series.

The Hitite King, Ishmin, who almost married her by kidnapping her. He too likes her strong personality. Compared to Angon and other rivals kings, he is a actually gentleman. He kidnapped her, but he treated her very well.

 

The Assyrian King Angon. Despite his good looks and devil-may-care attitude, he's in fact the worst kind of pervert there can ever be. He tried to rape her once! God, what a sicko!

This is Isis(right) who married the Babylonian King(left) and these terrible duo collaborated one one mission: KILL CAROL.

The Minoan King. I haven't got to this part of the series yet so I am not sure.

This her brother, Ryan who is actually the reincarnation of Pharaoh Memphis.

And introducing our heroin, Carol:

This Carol. Im sure you want to know what's so special about her that all the great kings are trying to get their hands on her. I assure you, she really is beautiful to go with a fantastic personality.

*off topic*
Since the beginning of the series, she's kidnapped/almost raped countless times, stabbed, sliced, poked, beaten up, bitten, broke her hand, lost a baby, had slight burn and she's still flawless and beautiful and SANE for goodness sake! Any other women would have hanged herself!
*back to topic*

There are a lot of important supporting characters Like Unus(a loyal Egyptian soldier), Ruka(the Hitite spy), Isis(Memphis' sister who is adamant on killing Carol for she loves her brother since little, The Libyan king-I cant find his picture-and her Brother Ryan, Jimmy-the boy who pines for her back in modern Cairo and more to come. There are 77 volumes, just think how many characters have emerged!).

Anyway, here's some gallery. Artwork is really charming in my opinion. I love old-school artwork like this!

Movie Review: 9 (2009)

1 to protect us...
2 to inspire us...
3 to define us...
4 to teach us...
5 to guide us...
6 to lead us...
7 to defend us...
8 to guard us...
9 to save us.

Confused? Dont be! Here's a better explanation. This movie was set in a post apocalyptic world. By the looks of it, this movie was meant to reflect another take of what World War 2 would have turned out. The plot is pretty much this: a scientist have created a super-technology robot that was meant to assist human in progress. However, the evil Chancellor had another thing in mind, he wanted to use this powerful robot to raise havoc and war and ultimately led to the compete wipe-out of humanity. Not a single life form is left on earth except for the sackdolls the scientist created as a last hope to help defeat the misused machines. The last sackdoll, branded number 9 by the scientist contains the last fragment of the scientist's knowledge and his soul. All the sackdolls are fragments of his soul and each play an important part. It is interesting to note however that this movie is not meant not for children, it contains very obvious death(carnage from war, dead bodies here and there, wasteland and some surreal elements).

Character introduction:

This is Number one. He is the first one to be created by the scientist. He assumes the role of an old elderly leader of a clan. He represents the hesitant and fearful part of the scientist.(Voice: Christopher Plummer)

This is Number Two. He is the inquisitive and curious part of the scientist that's hungry for knowledge.(Voice: Martin Landau)

This is Number Three and Four. They're represent the intelligence of the scientist in knowing many information. Heck, they live in a library. They are twins.(They are silent throughout the film hence no voice actor for them).

This is Number Five. He represents the part of the scientist that's supportive and spirited.(Voice: John. C.Riley)

This is Number 6. He represents the problem-solving part of the scientist. He is the one knows what the machines are made up of and what can be done to stop them. (Voice: Crispin Glover)

This is Number 7. She is represents the feminine and protective part of the scientist. Perhaps this can be seen as how he created the sackdolls as a last resort to save mankind - protecting.(Voice: Jennifer Connelly)

This is Number Eight. He is a big fella and repesents the masculine and powerful side if the scientist.(Voice: Fred Tatasciore)

Finally, Number 9. He is our hero who leads the rest of the sackdolls to stop the tyranny of the machines once and for all. He is the last sackdoll to be created by the scientist before he died.(Voice: Elijah Wood)


If you like unique, out of the ordinary movies...then you will enjoy this! The visual is beautiful, the creativity is magnificent and storyline may be cliched but it was taken in such a way that you would sit throughout the movie really wanting to know what would happen. My personal rating - 10/10

Here's the official movie poster:

99 Facts About Guys

 THEY ARENT MINE I GOT THEM FROM THE NET.

http://www.knowledgesutra.com/forums/topic/36949-99-facts-about-guys-believe-it-or-not/

*inserting reverse harem anime boys was a brilliant idea no? Plus, it gives a relief from reading too much words. Only my genius self could think of something like this.
***********************************************************

1. Guys don't actually look after good-looking girls. They prefer neat and presentable girls.
2. Guys love flirts.
3. A guy can like you for a minute, and then forget you afterwards.
4. When a guy says he doesn't understand you, it simply means you're not thinking the way he is.
5. "Are you doing something?" or "Have you eaten already?" are the first usual questions a guy asks on the phone just to get out from stammering.
6. Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.
7. When a guy really likes you, he'll disregard all your bad characteristics.
8. Guys go crazy over a girl's smile.
9. Guys will do anything just to get the girl's attention.
10. Guys hate it when you talk about your ex-boyfriend.

11. When guys want to meet your parents. Let them.
12. Guys want to tell you many things but they can't. And they sure have one habit to gain courage and spirit to tell you many things and it is drinking!
13. Guys cry!!!!!!!!
14. Don't provoke the guy to heat up. Believe me. He will.
15. Guys can never dream and hope too much.
16. Guys usually try hard to get the girl who has dumped them, and this makes it harder for them to accept their defeat.
17. When you touch a guy's heart, there's no turning back.
18. Giving a guy a hanging message like "You know what?!..uh...never mind!" would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking.
19. Guys go crazy when girls touch their hands.
20. Guys are good flatterers when courting but they usually stammer when they talk to a girl they really like.

21. When a guy makes a prolonged "umm" or makes any excuses when you're asking him to do you a favor, he's actually saying that he doesn't like you and he can't lay down the card for you.
22. When a girl says "no", a guy hears it as "try again tomorrow."
23. You have to tell a guy what you really want before he gets the message clearly.
24. Guys hate gays!
25. Guys love their moms.
26. A guy would sacrifice his money for lunch just to get you a couple of roses.
27. A guy often thinks about the girl who likes him. But this doesn't mean that the guy likes her.
28. You can never understand him unless you listen to him.
29. If a guy tells you he loves you once in a lifetime. He does.
30. Beware. Guys can make gossips scatter through half of the face of the earth faster than girls can.

31. Like Eve, girls are guys EUR™ weaknesses.
32. Guys are very open about themselves.
33. It's good to test a guy first before you believe him. But don't let him wait that long.
34. No guy is bad when he is courting.
35. Guys hate it when their clothes get dirty. Even a small dot.
36. Guys really admire girls that they like even if they're not that much pretty.
37. Your best friend, whom your boyfriend seeks help from about his problems with you may end up being admired by your boyfriend.
38. If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don't need to give advice.
39. A usual act that proves that the guy likes you is when he teases you.
40. A guy finds ways to keep you off from linking with someone else.

41. Guys love girls with brains more than girls in miniskirts.
42. Guys try to find the stuffed toy a girl wants but would unluckily get the wrong one.
43. Guys virtually brag about anything.
44. Guys cannot keep secrets that girls tell them.
45. Guys think too much.
46. Guys' fantasies are unlimited.
47. Girls' height doesn't really matter to a guy but her weight does!
48. Guys tend to get serious with their relationship and become too possessive. So watch out girls!!
49. When a girl makes the boy suffer during courtship, it would be hard for him to let go of that girl.
50. It's not easy for a guy to let go of his girlfriend after they broke up especially when they've been together for 3 years or more.

51. You have to tell a guy what you really want before getting involved with that guy.
52. A guy has to experience rejection, because if he's too-good-never-been-busted, never been in love and hurt, he won't be matured and grow up.
53. When an unlikable circumstance comes, guys blame themselves a lot more than girls do. They could even hurt themselves physically.
54. Guys have strong passion to change but have weak will power.
55. Guys are tigers in their peer groups but become tamed pussycats with their girlfriends.
56. When a guy pretends to be calm, check if he's sweating. You'll probably see that he is nervous.
57. When a guy says he is going crazy about the girl. He really is.
58. When a guy asks you to leave him alone, he's just actually saying, "Please come and listen to me."
59. Guys don't really have final decisions.
60. When a guy loves you, bring out the best in him.

 

61. If a guy starts to talk seriously, listen to him.
62. If a guy has been kept shut or silent, say something.
63. Guys believe that there's no such thing as love at first sight, but court the girls anyway and then realize at the end that he is wrong.
64. Guys like femininity not feebleness.
65. Guys don't like girls who punch harder than they do.
66. A guy may instantly know if the girl likes him but can never be sure unless the girl tells him.
67. A guy would waste his time over video games and basketball, the way a girl would do over her romance novels and make-ups.
68. Guys love girls who can cook or bake.
69. Guys like girls who are like their moms. No kidding!
70. A guy has more problems than you can see with your naked eyes.

 

71. A guy's friend knows everything about him. Use this to your advantage.
72. Don't be a snob. Guys may easily give up on the first sign of rejection.
73. Don't be biased. Try loving a guy without prejudice and you'll be surprised.
74. Girls who bathe in their eau de perfumes do more repelling than attracting guys.
75. Guys are more talkative than girls are especially when the topic is about girls.
76. Guys don't comprehend the statement "Get lost" too well.
77. Guys really think that girls are strange and have unpredictable decisions but still love them more.
78. When a guy gives a crooked or pretentious grin at your jokes, he finds them offending and he just tried to be polite.
79. Guys don't care about how shiny their shoes are unlike girls.
80. Guys tend to generalize about girls but once they get to know them, they'll realize they're wrong.

 

81. Any guy can handle his problems all by his own. He's just too stubborn to deal with it.
82. Guys find it so objectionable when a girl swears.
83. Guys' weakest point is at the knee.
84. When a problem arises, a guy usually keeps himself cool but is already thinking of a way out.
85. When a guy is conscious of his looks, it shows he is not good at fixing things.
86. When a guy looks at you, either he's amazed of you or he's criticizing you.
87. When you catch him cheating on you and he asks for a second chance, give it to him. But when you catch him again and he asks for another chance, ignore him.
88. If a guy lets you go, he really loves you.
89. If you have a boyfriend, and your boy best friend always glances at you and it obviously shows that he is jealous whenever you're with your boyfriend, all I can say is your boy best friend loves you more than your boyfriend does.
90. Guys learn from experience not from the romance books that girls read and take as their basis of experience.

91. You can tell if a guy is really hurt or in pain when he cries in front of you!
92. If a guy suddenly asks you for a date, ask him first why.
93. When a guy says he can't sleep if he doesn't hear your voice even just for one night, hang up. He also tells that to another girl. He only flatters you and sometimes makes fun of you.
94. You can truly say that a guy has good intentions if you see him praying sometimes.
95. Guys seek for advice not from a guy but from a girl.
96. Girls are allowed to touch boys' things. Not their hair!
97. If a guy says you're beautiful, that guy likes you.
98. Guys hate girls who overreact.
99. Guys love you more than you love them if they are serious in your relationships.

This is ouke no monshou, the longest manga still ongoing since 1976. I am currently reading this and I must say I am very impressed with how this series is catching up. No wonder it's the 3rd best selling manga of all time.I am going to write a review about it soon.

Sir, You Have Never Owned A Dog, Am I Right?

 

I found this article in the previous Sunday Star edition in newspaper so I took the online article and posted it here. I suppose some of you have come across it. Well, there is a lot to criticize in this article because an experienced dog owner like myself find what Mr. Gomez wrote here a bit offensive. This is clearly a biased view on dog owners and their etiquette in raising their dogs. While Mr.Gomez does have a point in saying that there are irresponsible owners who let loose their dogs and let them poop in other people's residence, I'd like to stress that not all of us are like this. Responsible owners like myself pick up after our pets, make sure they are in leash and make sure tour pets do their business on the grass far away from civilization. 

I'd like to clarify a few things.

First, you brought up a point of dog owners purchasing license yet the dogs are still misbehaving. How is purchasing a license ensures their good behaviour? I fail to see the correlation. We purchase a license for our dogs so that the people from Majlis Bandaraya does not mistake a house pet for a stray! The last thing we want is for our pet be shot down and burned in a dumpster! The Bandaraya people also fail to notice that despite the absence of the lisence in a dog's collar, if the dog is in a house(behind the gate) then obviously it's a house pet! What right have they to shoot a pet that was inside a house??? So here it is, we buy lisence so to ensure the safety of our pet, not to curb their animal behavious. Lisence have nothing to do with that!

Second, you claim that it is a nuisance for dogs to be brought out of the house for a walk. The pooping everywhere aside, did you know that if you keep a dog indoors for a long time they become frustrated hence the agression we see in so many dogs? How would you feel if you haven't left the house for 7 days? Wont you go mad with boredom? It is the same thing. Dogs needs to go out and have a breather outside their house too. Just like how you go out to the mall in the weekend after a long hard work on the weekdays. It's the same thing, animals need chillin' out too. So you can't blame the dog owners for taking out their dogs out for a walk. It keeps the dog calm and in good spirits. Another thing, owners like myself allow our dogs to go in and out of the house and they sometimes poop in the house. We dont mind cleaning that up but letting them poop outside is a much better alternative. We love our dogs, we want them to be happy too. So for you to say we bring out our dogs so they can poop at other people's house just shows ignorance on your part, Mr.Gomez. We dog owners better things to do.

Third, you mentioned how you are intimated when a dog sniffs at you. Well, as basic knowledge as this can be, when we humans use our 5 senses to make up of something, dogs only have their nose to make sense of their surroundings. So if they sniff you, it means they want to know what you are. They dont mean harm. Honestly. Guard dogs are proptective by nature so their first instinct is to protect their family. They are naturally wary of their surroundings and will not hesitate to attack if they find themselves or their family in danger. It's their basic instinct, YOU have to be careful not to provoke them!

Fourth, their bowel movement issue. If a pet dog keep giving you 'presents' in front of your house, why dont you just tell the owner to quit it? Why are you taking out on the rest of dog owners like myself? Again, this is ignorance on your part. Not the dogs fault, but the owners' for not keeping an eye and being responsible for the dog's bowel movements and the pick up after.

Fifth, the government does not need to do anything at all. Its just a matter of the dog owner's consensus in training their dogs. I think this is a given but if one doesn't know how to look after a dog, then spare the dog and don't keep one. You're being unfair to the poor animal by not knowing how to look after it. Looking after a dog is not an easy job, one must have a real dedication to raise a dog. If you're thinking of keeping a dog, do it because you are willing to love the animal, willing to let the dog be a part of your family and raise the dog as you would raise a child.