BoA Kwon is a South Korean singer. Her stage name is BoA which is an acronym of “Beat of Angel”. She has released albums in Korea as well as Japan. Amongst Korean pop stars, BoA is one of the most influential in Japan due to her company’s active promotion of her music in Japan.

BoA Kwon ambition was to become a singer when she was a kid, but her route to star hood came with a bit of faith and coincidence.

When BoA was 11 years old, her brother went for a talent quest audition organized by Korea entertainment agency, SM Entertainment (SM).

SM was planning to produce an international superstar and wanted to train the prospect from young age, and BoA’s brother was asked if he got any younger siblings, and BoA was invited by SM for audition as well, and BoA was chosen to be the future star.

BoA’s parents were persuaded to allow BoA to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a singer, and she started her training in singing, dancing and foreign languages. She was once sent to Japan to learn Japanese and sing & dance skills, which according to BoA was some of the toughest time she ever had.

BoA released her first Korean album, “ID; Peace B” in 2000 and immediately noticed by Japan’s Avex and signed a contract.

In March 2002, BoA became the first foreigner to top the Japan Oricon chart, with her debut Japanese album “Listen to My Heart.” The album was co-produced by Avex Japan and SM Korea; Boa showed her talent singing in English, Japanese and Korean.

The BoA sensation spreads to all around Asia, with numerous Japanese and Korean hits in the past few years. She won the MTV Asia The Most Influential Asian Artist Award in 2004, she was just 18 then.

In February 2006, BoA released her 4th Japanese album “Outgrow” and top the ORICON chart again and became only the 2nd singer to have 4 consecutive album topping ORICON chart (after Ayumi Hamasaki).

It’s also a known fact that BoA is interested in acting as well. Her first movie involvement was as voice-actress for Korean version of Anime movie “The Hedge” in May 2006.

Picture link: Click Here.

With the launch of the Kuala Lumpur (KL) wireless metropolitan project at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall headquarters on May 13, 2008, the entire capital city will be covered by a wireless broadband access network in the near future.

This means that if you are in KL, you will not need to patronize certain cafes or pay for Internet services to go wireless.

Everyone in the city will be able to use the service, which runs at 512kb per second, for free over the next two years.

The service is based on WiMAX 2.3 Giga Hertz and Kuala Lumpur is among one of the first cities in the world to use this technology.

The city-wide project involves the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Synapse Technologies Sdn Bhd and Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd.

It involves two parts. The first is to make the city wireless with the collaboration of Packet One Networks while the second part is to have the city’s own portal - Portal Metropolitan Kuala Lumpur (www.kul.com.my) managed by Synapse Technologies.

If you are in KL, to use the free wireless service, register as user at www.wirelesskl.com.

From heating and cooling to washing and drying, there are many ways you can save energy around your home.

By reducing the amount of energy you use, not only will you save money, but you will also help reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere.

The following tips are easy to implement and can be applied to nearly any home with minimal impact on lifestyle.

Summer

1. If you are going on holidays, switch off hot water systems and other major appliances.
2. Seal fireplaces that are not in use.
3. To enable air conditioners to run more efficiently, keep air filters clean and outside units clear from obstructions.
4. Install a timer for your pool filter so it only runs when needed.
5. Leave fresh air and exhaust controls on cooling units, where available, in the closed position.
6. Limit the number of times the fridge door is opened on hot days.
7. Use blinds and sunshades to keep the hot sun off windows.
8. Limit the use of your clothes dryer – take advantage of the warmer days and hang your clothes outside.

Winter

1. Wear layers of lightweight clothing indoors to keep warm.
2. Ensure curtains are closed to retain heat inside the house.
3. Close off any rooms you don’t wish to heat.
4. Instead of heating an entire bedroom at night, use only an electric blanket to warm the bed.
5. Take advantage of free warmth from the sun by opening your curtains on sunny days.
6. Use reverse angle ceiling fans, which cost little to run, to force hot air down to floor level.
7. Keep your radiant heater reflectors clean and free of dust.
8. Set the temperature on your clothes dryer to no hotter than warm or consider using the fan only.

All year round

1. Turn off appliances at the power point – standby power can add-up to over 8 per cent of a household’s electricity usage.
2. Avoid using your dishwasher, washing machine or clothes dryer if only half-filled, or use the half-load or economy mode.
3. Seal or weather-strip your windows and doors to reduce the transfer of hot and cold air.
4. Activate sleep features that power down computers and other office equipment that are not being used for short periods of time.
5. Fix a dripping tap – dripping taps can result in thousands of liters of lost hot water.
6. Replace regular incandescent light globes with compact fluorescent light globes.
7. Keep light globes and light fittings clean – dust can reduce lighting by up to 25 per cent.
8. In the kitchen, use the smallest pots and pans possible – it takes less energy to heat them.
9. Turn off a second fridge that’s not being used.

Besides the above recommendations, you can help to save energy by using Blackle as your search engine.

The creators of Blackle state that the idea behind the site came from a blog, which estimated that a black Google would save 750 megawatt-hours a year. A megawatt-hour is the equivalent of ten thousand 100 watt light bulbs burning continuously for 1 hour. On the Blackle homepage, the creators of Blackle provide a count of the number of watt-hours that they claim the users of Blackle have collectively saved!

If you are into beach parties that you have got to go to one of the Full Moon Parties (FMP) at Haad Rin beach in Koh Phangan, Thailand. You may take a boat from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan. The island is relatively small so if you don’t get there a few days before the party then your chances of getting a place to stay would be minimal as it will be easily packed with fellow partygoers.

On the night of the party, hundreds more partygoers arrive from the neighboring islands, the atmosphere starts off chilled out with people sitting along the hundreds of candlelit mats on the beach enjoying the sunset but soon the music (mainly techno, house) comes on and you will find yourself amongst a sea of people dancing the night away. It is definitely a night to remember - the maddest night!

About the FMP - the first party either went off in 1987 or 1988, no-one is really sure; and it was someone’s birthday. It was such a good party that the same crew met up again at Paradise Bungalows and partied under the next Full Moon. From there on the party grew to be a Mecca for travelers in the 90s and then became the global dance music festival that it is today, attracting thousands of visitors from every walk of life.

Come and join us!

For more information: Click Here.

Cyclone Nargis has devastated many parts of Rangoon, Burma’s largest city as well as the populated, low land areas of the Irrawaddy Delta region. See photos.

The most recent reports claim nearly 23,000 were dead, 42,000 were still missing and it is believed that 1.5 million survivors have been left homeless after 190 km/hour (120 mph) winds and pounding rain wreaked havoc on the city of already substandard housing, poor sewage and limited infrastructure. The chief U.S. diplomat in Myanmar has said the toll could reach 100,000.

They need your help. Donate now! Your donations will support the following activities:

1. Providing food and materials to monasteries/shelters for the newly homeless population in Rangoon
2. Supporting the emergency supply and distribution of water filters
3. Assisting the efforts on the Thai-Burma border to purchase rice in Thailand and transport it to the affected areas
4. Support for Burmese doctors and nurses that have offered their assistance and are currently visiting monasteries/shelters to provide care for the wounded and surveillance to prevent disease outbreak

Please help to put some of the pieces back together. See photos.

Donate (Foundation for the People of Burma): Click Here.

Donate (International Rescue Committee): Click Here.

Donate (Google): Click Here.