spread the word

if asked what is the most obvious sign of globalisation, most would say its either the dominance of Starbucks, or how Microsoft has invaded into most homes and offices around the world.

However, way before this, there was the spreading of religion around the world. from Chistianity, budhism, islam, hinduism and so many others. this exchange of idea took place way before starbucks set up it's first outlet of even when Bill Gates was still a child. infact, it is still happening around the world. people are preaching about their beliefs.

though it was a very slow process with the level of technology at that time, it is truly a sign of globalisation. the message did not travel electronically but by land, on the back of camels or horses.

cultural cause

culture determines how we live our lives and how we look at others who are not from the same group as us. it defines what is right, wrong, normal and what's taboo. however what one culture perceives as right or normal may not be the case for another culture.

for example the 'thumbs up' sign. to most, it means 'good' or something positive. in Bangladesh, it is considered to be a vulgarity. so you can imagine what would happen if you were to go to Bangladesh and show people 'the thumb'.



another example is the 'OK' sign. which looks like someone showing the number 3 with the palm and the thumb and index finger forming a circle.as it shows, it can mean insult in Brazil, money in japan, zero in Russia and OK USA and UK.

taking a more basic turn, the way we eat our food can be different. most part of asia originally eat with hands. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and so on. And the Chinese, Koreans and the Japanese used chopsticks. but, ever since the western countries came to Asia they brought with them their own culture, their own way of eating food. fork and knives. and everybody started using them.

broken wonderwall

It hurts to say but one of the greatest bands of all time has split. it started during late august this year when Noel Gallagher confirmed that he simply could not go on working with Liam(front runner of Oasis and brother of noel) a day longer. though there was a similar incident in the past, this seems to be the serious story.

Liam gallagher reported to The Times newspaper that "oasis is no longer" though he admitted that they had a good journey together. from where i stand, Liam is the face of Oasis and Noel is the substance of Oasis. Without either of them, Oasis is not Oasis.


tension was high between the brothers as the video shows. they fought and didnt even talk to each other. concerts were canceled due to them arguing. Although they are related by blood and are working together in the same group, they cannot communicate.
there is a saying, never go into business with your family members. in this case the business was mega successful but the rivalry between the two brothers brought down the whole group.


in the future, they are looking at pursuing a solo career but there will be much speculation on the brothers individually but die hard oasis fans will definitely follow both of them closely, like they were when they were one.



this is a track of liam and noel arguing even during an interview by the media ( explicit content)











http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Oasis-Split-Liam-Gallagher-Confirms-Band-Is-Finished-After-Noel-Left-Brit-Pop-Group-In-August/Article/200910215402228?videoSourceID=ac0a5a2e6aaa1210VgnVCM1000005d04170aRCRD&lpos=Showbiz_News_Article_Inline_Player_List_2&lid=ARTICLE_15402228_Oasis_Split%3A_Liam_Gallagher_Confirms_Band_Is_Finished_After_Noel_Left_Brit-Pop_Group_In_August_

can we really have a specific order.. all the time?

During lecture, our instructor asked us to rank 4 things that influence relationships.

1. intimacy vs distance
2. openness vs closeness
3. autonomy vs connection
4. novelty vs predictability

different people gave different answers. most girls said they put the predictability and closeness first. most guys ranked intimacy higher. however, different people have different opinions about ranking these and the ranking can vary from who they are looking at also.

within each of the influences, the degree may vary. to some intimacy is not really important as they are very happy with just being around that person. to some, it maybe be important as they may loose interest in the person if the distance is too far and they see less of each other.

some prefer to come clean with things they have done with their partner. some try not to tell too much as they feel they need the privacy. either way, there are things that will not be revealed to the partner. these maybe some of the 'deep dark secrets' that could jeopardize the relationship.

autonomy vs connection is a very important influence. to me, if there is not much connection to the relationship, it will not go far. however, there is a need for rational thinking also. if there is connection but there are other odds that hinder the couple, they might want to reconsider. personally, rational decisions can be made together with the partner as such, connection takes priority over autonomy.

lastly, novelty vs predictability. some people are in it for the routined way of life. a predictable pattern of events that gets them through the day. not exciting, but if the couple likes it, it can be seen as the safer option. if someone is in it for novelty, every day would bring different challenges and different events that happen. to me, i'd like a mixture of both. unpredictability would definitely 'add flavour' to the relationship but a certain degree of predictability helps to keep both parties on the same frequency.

how would i rank them? it depends on from person to person and if we have anyone in mind. you can go around saying that you put intimacy first.. always.. that way, people might look at you with an raised eyebrow. sometimes, openness is not the first thing to look out for too.