iPhone 4 has won the Best Mobile Device award at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011 happening in Barcelona, Spain as I am writing this. Apple does not have a presence at the Congress this year. Even though iPhone 4 has won Best Mobile Device, Best Device Manufacturer Of The Year goes to HTC instead.

Rovios’s “Angry Birds” game meanwhile has won the Best Mobile App Award and the Best Mobile App on the Apple Platform. I have played Angry Birds but I don’t see how it could be so addictive. I sure like its colours and liveliness but I don’t like the fact that it’s taking me too many tries to get over each level.

Meanwhile, Best App in BlackBerry App World goes to BlackBerry Messenger, though it’s not stated why. Google Maps, on the other hand, wins Best Android App. Seriously, there are so many good Android apps. But the best? That’s too difficult to pinpoint!

My brother’s friend came for a visit on the third day of Chinese New Year. He related to us that although he looks fine, he is not able to report to work because of an old injury. This friend works offshore and I remember how many difficulties he was put through to be able to secure the job. Although offshore work is dangerous, it looks like many people love it because of the fat pay check.

We wondered if he was adequately compensated when he said that he would need to speak to an experienced Offshore Injury Lawyer just in case he loses his job unfairly. Well, it’s not like he wants to delay reporting for duty since he loves his job very much.

I recently read about Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., a maritime law firm with 45 years experience, and I thought that these lawyers would be able to help. Of course, we hope that it wouldn’t come to that but we never know. Some employers could be most unreasonable!

In a move to tighten media influence and reporting leading to Singapore’s General Elections that must be held before February, 2012, Singapore’s Registry of Political Donations has ordered a website “The Online Citizen” that has covered political issues in the country since 2006, to register as a political association.

The Online Citizen appealed towards this ruling but was rejected and in the end complied. The move, though celebrated by The Online Citizen, will restrict its movement, reporting and fund raising. Firstly, The Online Citizen would have to disclose its list of staff to the Registry of Political Donations. Registered groups like The Online Citizen are not allowed to receive funding from overseas and anonymous donations are capped at SGD5,000.

The Singapore Government says that The Online Citizen’s change in status is required because it is a political participant and no longer and observer based on the polls on political issues it holds on its websites, political forums and campaigns.

I have been thinking that I should set up a pet website. I love pets like dogs and cats but I have sworn off keeping pets after a few traumatic experiences with my pets. My last three dogs died very tragically too, something which I still couldn’t forget.

My sister told me that she is going to take in a puppy but I tell her that based on my experience, she needs to not only read up on the characteristics of the breed but to also buy dog insurance for it. I was able to cope with my dog’s illness and his medical expenses only because I am single without much financial commitments.

According to my sister, dog or cat insurance is very common and she believes she would have no problems getting her new pet insured. Well, I am envious of her that she did not go through the experiences I did with my dog. I wish I could one day keep a dog again but for now, it’s better to just look at cat and dog photos on the computer screen!

Clear marketing division of M&C Saatchi has released a branding report this week. According to the report, Apple is the world’s most desired brand in the world. This survey took into account one hundred brand names and 17,000 people around the world participated in the survey.

Even though Apple is the global leader in brand name, it is not the top brand name in every country. In China, BMW is the top brand while Trader Joe’s is top in the U.S. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the number one brand in Germany while Singapore Airlines came in tops in Singapore, not surprisingly.

But for global brands, Apple is at number one, followed by Google and BMW.

The 1Malaysia social gathering with the Prime Minster of Malaysia, which was supposed to be held on 5th November of last year, has been postponed to 20th February. This gathering was postponed because the Prime Minster was down with chicken pox during that time.

This event will be held at 4pm (20th Feb) at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Those who were invited the first time around for the 5th Nov, 2010 gathering will be invited automatically. From what I know, interested people can still apply for a place at the social meeting with the Prime Minster of Malaysia.

My cousin’s son, who recently obtained his driver’s license, has already received his first driving ticket. He thought that he could put it aside and forget about it until the elders explained to him that he has to keep his driving record clean.

Luckily, he could easily enroll in an online traffic school, sit for the course and take the test, all court-approved and done online. By going through this and passing his test, he could keep his driving record clean, which means that he will not be given demerit points and he doesn’t have to pay high auto insurance premium.

I actually found out about this from the San Diego Traffic School. I thought that my cousin’s son would have to attend a driving school. Fortunately, with the convenience of the internet and user-friendly website, he doesn’t have to take time off work for the course or test.

In California, drivers are allowed to take this course once every 18 months. It helps that San Diego Traffic School fees are very reasonable and one could follow the course at one’s own convenience at home. It’s a good thing that we could take a quiz after every chapter. We will be able to tell how ready we are for the final test.

*** This post has been sponsored.