"If you cannot convince them, confuse them." - Harry S Truman

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The Universal Packing List

This is good stuff covering everything you'll need (and more). I wish I'd known about it back in 1993 when it was started!


"Hygiene (Other): After taking a sneek look at some womens makeup "equipment", I realize that this list could easily grow to ridiculous proportions."

"Condoms
Can be kind of hard to find in some countries. Don't go abroad without them! As for birth control pills/devices, these can cause some raised eyebrows (or worse) at customs checks in some countries if the woman is travelling alone. Wearing a wedding ring even if you're single is often recommended.

"Bring your own condoms and plenty of them. Buying them in a foreign country can be embarrassing, especially if you're allergic to nonoxynil 9. I bought some in Spain that were small thick and had some of the most powerful spermicide known to man. The words burning sensation should be enough warning to all. Anyhow, condoms are waterproof, if nothing else you can put your money in one and safety pin it to the inside of your swimming trunks." - Christina"

"Music media ( Music cassettes, CDs )
If you bring too many, they take up a lot of place in your backpack. If you bring too few, you get sick and tired of them in a flash. One option is to leave them all at home with your music player. That way all your music will be like brand new when you come home."

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Someone on sex education in schools: the O-level biology course has bits on STDs, etc. but many teachers are simply too squeamish to teach it effectively as far as I recall

and then there are questions of where and when
I recall NYPS getting some Dr Quek to tell all the 10? 11? year olds about sex
she went into rather too much detail, I suspect, including such tidbits as what her husbands semen tasted like, etc

Me: wth?!
eh how come I don't remember
hahahahaha

Someone: I was hiding under a desk after the first 15 minutes (:
maybe your batch missed out (;

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You Ignorant Offspring of a Cockeyed Camel! - "Mind Your Language was screened on local TV in the 70's when I was still in primary school... This show would never have seen the light of day in current times because people are more sensitive and less tolerant today."

Despair.com: Addressing Employee Complaints - "The good news is that it really doesn't matter whether the complaint is legitimate or not, because the 'It Could Be Worse' program works whether the complaint is legitimate or illegitimate... I could waste thousands of dollars on unnecessary headsets or I could simply remind my employees that despite their dissatisfaction, it really could be worse, so what I chose to do is I got a brochure from an outsourced call-center... It's one thing to be unhappy with your headset. It's another thing to lose your job. So as a result, complaints about headsets have virtually stopped."

MOE: Literature in English Teaching Syllabus
"Restricted" - Security Breach! Heads will roll!

The Vanishing Tattoo - "A global odyssey in search of the last authentic tattoos"

Toilet Monster - "Scare the crap out of your family and friends with the Toilet Monster! Halloween isn't the only time for scary fun! Painted, rubberized Toilet Monster easily attaches or deteaches to your toilet seat in seconds with 8 built-in suction cubs. It's nearly impossible to tell it's there under the lid, waiting to shock your unsuspecting victim! 13 x 15" and washes clean with mild detergent. You'll scream with laughter as the Toilet Monster scares the crap out of one person after another."

Putfile - Unavailable In Your Region - "Due to persistent abuse we regret we are not providing service to your region at this time."
Balls to you, Putfile.

Top 10 weirdest USB devices ever - The top one's no surprise, really. I'm disappointed - I thought they wouldn't cop out like that!