today, i witnessed a tele-conversation by one of my colleagues. it's like a negotiation between 2 mafias. the story goes like this, apparently one was not "very happy" when his ad came out on the papers. to many, it just looked like any other same classified ads. but this guy just won't accept it. his reasoning was that the characters on the 1st line was not nice.( duh~ it's justify by the machine and the 1st 3 words were bold.) and he wants a full refund. well, the ad has already appeared in the papers. so if there's nothing wrong with the ad, (which it doesn't by professional eyes), and we refund him. he got his ad advertise for free; which is ridiculous.

and this man make a big fuss over the the issue.. and insisted on the refund. tsk, i can't understand why he can have a 1/2 hour or more worth of conversation on his handphone and claimed he's not free. he probably didn't know that he had incurred a bill of the conversation that the amount is greater than the refund.

lastly, everything is kinda settled for his ad. but he's still not happy when the refund took about 2 weeks to take effect. he went, " whaypayment by credit card takes a day and refund takes 2 weeks" duh~, it's the same everywhere in s'pore when you got a refund. you jolly well know that you won't get it so soon.

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qoute from 20 Nov 2003, TODAY's paper :

Forget the Pill, use the patch - by Tan Hui Leng
huileng@newstoday.com.sg

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Evra, the paste-on birth control for women, is said to be more effective than condoms. Imagine a little plaster that could help you practise birth control.

That is exactly what has been promised by a new contraceptive to hit Singapore called Evra.

The 20 sq cm beige colour patch, voted one of the "Coolest inventions of 2002" by Time Magazine, is pasted on a woman's body, releasing hormones through the skin into the bloodstream. The hormones used are in the same family as those found in contraceptive pills.

"Because the patch is pasted onto the body, it's unlike contraceptive pills that you have to remember to take everyday," said Dr Lien Lian Sze, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.Available only by prescription, one Evra patch is worn for one week at a time and changed on the same day of the following week for three consecutive weeks, with the fourth week being patch-free.In Singapore, oral contraceptives are the second most popular method of birth control, with 16 per cent of the population using them. Condom usage is still the preferred method at 22 per cent, according to the 1997 National Family Planning and Population Survey.

But the Evra patch outperforms the condom, with a 99 per cent effectiveness rate (comparable to oral contraceptives and sterilisation) compared to 90 per cent for the condom.

The president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Singapore, Dr Lee Keen Whye, added that Evra is particularly useful on travels as there is no need to synchronise the time to take contraceptive pills. Because the Evra patch is self-administered, it can be removed anytime although it would stay in place even if users bathe or swim. It is also non-intrusive, painless and discreet under clothing. Users can choose to stick Evra on their buttocks, abdomen, upper torso, or upper outer arm.

Using Evra also means that sensitivity is not lost during sex, a complaint of some condom users, said Dr Lee.

Available from general practitioners, obstetricians and gynaecologists, Evra retails at $30 for a pack of three patches, comparable to one month's supply of higher-end contraceptive pills.

Possible side effects are similar to those from oral contraceptives such as headache, nausea, and breast discomfort. Those with a family history of clotting, high or uncontrolled blood pressure, severe liver disease and smokers are not encouraged to use the product.

Marketed by Johnson and Johnson subsidiary Janssen-Cilag, Evra was approved by the Health Sciences Authority in September and Singapore is the first Asia-Pacific country to give regulatory approval to the product.
Evra, the paste-on birth control for women, is said to be more effective than condoms .

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xiaoqiang's words: it's a patch. ya'know, a patch. it really makes me wonder what the patch can do (it claims). apparently, people are trying to conceive; and sometimes the baby/ foetus isn't that healthy as we all might think it is. at least it's happening around me.