Should marriage be a legal contract between individuals or a non-binding relationship based on love? Why?

Being single does not mean one is lonely. Being single may be due to the hectic schedule one faces everyday. These singles may be too busy with their work that they hardly have any time to socialize. However, not all singles are socially disadvantaged. By maintaining a single status, one has a little more freedom compared to those who are married. For example, singles have less restrictions in making friends.

Responding to the 5-day work week, singles now can spend more time socializing. Through dancing lessons, pubbing or perhaps through 'Find your soul', a matchmaking programme held by MCDS, singles can be more socially enriched.

Most singles will not have any financial problems. Due to the savings they accumulated over the years in the working society, it is enough to support themselves for a few years. Probably, this may only affect those singles who have just stepped into the working society.

Married couples does not necessarily mean they are more lonely than singles. They can also find time for themselves despite their hectic schedule. They can still engage in activities enjoyed by youngsters and singles even after they are married. For those who have children, they can put their children in the care of their parents' hands during certain weekends when they want to have their personal time together. However, though married couples can also be active by engaging themselves in enriching and exciting programmes they could have enjoyed before they were married, their social lives will somehow be restricted. This is because, for a person who is married and especially for one who has children, he or she will need to commit more time with his or her family members.

Whether married couples have more savings than singles will depend on how much assets they got and whether they have any children. For example, if a couple stays in a condomedium, we can be sure that they may be earning high salaries. But having to pay for all the installments, their savings will be greatly reduced. Moreover, if they have a child, their savings will definitely be lesser than before as expenses like education, food and clothing, spent on the child will be very big. This is different for singles. Most singles tend to live with their parents. Expenses that elderly spent will be much less than a child. And if we assume that the salary the single receives similarises the amount receive by the married couples, tha savings the single has will be much more.

Frankly speaking, the legal contract does not ensure that people stay married. As long as people think their marriage is beyond saving, this legal contract can be broken by signing a legal seperation contract. Though one straits time article(ST, 26 June) states that women were more reluctant to file for divorce, and couples here seems more likely to hang on to a troubled marriage tha Westerners, another article (ST, 5 July) contradicts it by having a comment which says that these days, people suscribe to the Western notion that if one is not happy, one should not hesitate to get a divorce.

Before the late 20th century, women had few economic opportunities. Men in the marriage would control most of the economic resources and custody were often granted to them. Many women found themslves tied to a marriage that gave them few rights and options within the marriage, and many obstacles to ending the marriage. Today, women have the right to ask fo divorce.Thanks to the liberised divorce law! Other than the change in law, women now are better off economically. They are able to support themselves. And because they are more likely to be beter off economically, they do not automatically lose custody of their children. Thus women are more ready to walk out of a failed marriage.

Today, more and more people view marriage as a non-binding relationship based on love. They feel that as long as they are in love with each other, it doesn't matter whether they are married. Human beings can be fickle minded when it comes to love. A person can be unfaithful to his or her partner even after a marriage. Thus there is no point staying in the marriage when one does not love another anymore. It will be very miserable for both paries to hang on just because of a legal contract.

To me, love does not last forever. People fall in and out of love everyday. Love is a mutual interdependence thing. Love between each other depends on how much one is willing to commit and sacrifice in this relationship. Perhaps, love can be everlasting but everlasting love is hard to achieve.

My views on advertisements

Advertisements are public notice about something. Through advertising, advertisers can pass the messages they want straight away. These can be done through a few sources like telivision, radio and internet, etc.

Advertisements normally work well due to a few points. The main point is its simplicity, As advertisements are mostly short and simple, consumers can easily comprehend them. Secondly is its marketing strategies. Advertisers will only display the good side of the product. Not many will like to display both sides of their product as this may send customers away. Thus only by displaying the good side of the product can advertisers attract consumers. Lastly, advertisements work well due to the promotions and reduced prices shown in the advertisements.One example is the Kenya Airflights. In order to increase the company's sales of air tickets, it provides a complementary package.For air tickets bought in this package, the airflight company will provide hotel accomodation at discounted prices for the consumers at their destination. Mesmerised by these attractions, people will flock down to the company or shops to buy the products. Moreover, there may be a time limit for these attractions. Thus people will have to act fast before the promotion ends.

However in some cases, it is neither a matter of time nor any attractions that hypnotised the consumers. The problem is with them. When there are advertisements of slimming centres or slimming pills, this group of people will feel inferior of their own bodies. They will feel that they are fat, but frankly speaking, they are fit. Thus in order to be come slimmer, these people will respond to the advertisements. Sometimes people may point out that this type of advertisement may be misleading. Yes they may be misleading but the main problem is their psychological problem. Have they overcome it?One example is the Slim 10 Case. In order to look better on screen, Andrea De Cruz ate the slimming pills despite having look slim.

For some companies, money spent in advertising may be worth it. Advertisement is likely to publicise the company's name and help promote its product. One example is RAINBOW, a shop which specialises in breeding and selling fishes. It has advertised itself such that it has made itself known in Singapore. However, whether the money spent on advertising is worth it may be greatly dependent on its sales after advertising. If sales is good, the company may be able to cover its costs. Total cost of advertisement will be able to spread over a large area. But in certain cases, sales cannot be used as a support of whether money spent on advertising is worth it. One example is the slim 10 case. Although the plls were selling hot then, health hazards from eating its pills were later identified. Slim 10's pills contain fenfluramine, a poison that was not listed on the list of ingredients. Those women who were healthy but took the pills for vanity, suffered liver failure and hypertension. this resulted in a battle of court cases. In the end the company, TV Media, that helped to advertise the product, was also sued and was asked to pay a huge amount of money to its plaintiff. At the end of the day the company had also made a loss.

Not all unsolicited advertisements should be banned. The term "unsolicited advertisement" means unrequested advertisement. if all unsolicited materials are banned, then we will not know where we can get product or food that are selling at the most cheap or economical price. However advertisements like the Slim 10 pills should be banned as it provides untrustworthy reports and evidence. For example, Chen Liping, the artise celebrity spokeman for the product, did not feel anything wrong after eating the pills for weeks. On the other hand, Andrea De Cruz suffered from liver damage after eating the pills. Hence unsolicited advertisements with false claims and that could harm the public should be banned.

I think the government should impose stricter laws on advertisements. For example, advertisements within the printed products cannot contain price ranges. This is to safeguard the accuracy of the information within the directory because those items are often subjected to change. Discount offers are acceptable if they are not in connect with a price and are stated in isolation. Cashback offers should also be restricted as such offers are quite complicated and may not be possible to fulfil and can also mislead users

What is one value or belief that you hold onto in life?

One value that I have been holding onto in life is to have confidence in everything I do. Confidence reflects one"s character. A person without confidence is least likely to succeed in life. This is because he is unable to overcome himself pychologically, let alone overcoming obstalcles that he will be facing. In a nutshell, I am trying to say that a person without confidence is most likely to fail in whatever he does.
 
Ignoring whether I have prepared and studied hard enough or not, I will always step into the examination hall confidently for every test and examination. With confidence, half the battle is won. For me, confidence drives determination.  It also gives me the support I need whenever I meet with problems e.g. a difficult examination question. Hence,  confidence makes me perservere to the end in whatever I do.
 
One good example to illustrate my belief is through this  song  "I believe I can fly" by R Kelly. This song is very meaningful as it tells us to believe, to be confident in whatever we do. I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky. I think about it every night and then. Spread my wings and fly away. Basically, I rather like the chorus towards the end of the song. If anyone has noticed, it goes like this 'Cus I believe in me. If I can see it, I can do it. 
 
Therefore, having confidence in everything I do is one belief that I will continue holding onto in life. Without confidence, one's life will be dull.