JayWalk - All Your Xmms Are Belong To Me

Last Post

2017-01-13T10:37:00.001+08:00

Hi Everyone.

JayWalk Online has had a good run of about 10 years while it lasted.

However, with smartphones taken over our daily lives as the de facto goto device, it has reached a point where other social media platforms via their apps have taken over, simply because of their sheer convenience.

With them, it is so much easier pen my thoughts, share my discoveries.

I have moved over to Facebook and you can find me over at https://www.facebook.com/voxeros and twitter at https://twitter.com/voxeros.

Anyway, I would like to say thank you for keeping company for the past 1,547 entries.

Thank you.

See ya over on the other side!

- Voxeros

RunForFunds - August 2016 Visit

2016-08-09T17:48:00.001+08:00

Back in May when we were giving out the Maximise Your Potential (MYP) Award to the kids, Adrian and I promised to return to visit them before the PSLE.

With the examinations just round the corner, starting with the oral examinations on 18 Aug 2016, we kept our promise and dropped by yesterday as it was a short day for the school on account of National

Day celebrations.

We headed over around noon armed with lunch for the kids.

Like a bad habit of an old naggy mother hen, the first business of order was going around the table asking for their targets i.e. what PSLE aggregate scores are they aiming for and with those target scores, which secondary schools do they hope to go to.

Like all the other RunForFunds kids, from the past years, most of them set a score lower than what we feel is their true potential. Perhaps lacking in confidence and possibly because they have not seen "what good looks like", it was quite understandable to find them, more often than not, going for the "safe bets" by aiming lower.

Then we got them thinking.

"You wish to go Chung Cheng High School and you know for a fact that the cut off point for the school is around 245." I said. "Next you tell me, you are aiming to score 235. Where is the logic in that?"

The room went silent and you can almost hear the gears beginning to click and move in their heads.

While we do acknowledged that some of them may have faced some early setbacks in life but we felt that we owed a duty to open their eyes (and minds) that the so-called “disadvantage” is not as big as they perceived.

We urged them to think big, aim high with the hope of breaking their mental shackles.

Their best, if I may add, is easily more than what their target scores were when we went around the table for the first time.

Granted, all that we could offer were mere words but we hope that it would be enough to convince them to give themselves a chance to really go for it. We are confident that they will come out fruitful at the end of the day. The results that we predict they will score shall be, fingers crossed, the best proof of what we saw in them.

We also shared on some techniques during the examinations to avoid losing marks.

- Buy more time, if required, to process a question during oral examinations by asking the teacher to repeat the question

- Making a mark on the optical answer sheet when skipping a question, to ensure each answer is aligned to the correct question.

- Always show workings and statements when answering mathematical questions.

We finished by emphasizing that a healthy mind is nothing without a healthy body. All the preparations in the world would be undermined if the body decides to fall sick at the most crucial moment.

Rest, in the form of sufficient amount of sleep is just as important as studying hard for the examinations.

“So, how many hours do you think is an adequate amount of sleep?” I asked.

“8 hours.” Almost in unison.

“What time do you need to wake up for school every day?”

Some say 5:30am, some say 6am.

“So what time do you need to get to bed based on that?” I asked further.

“9:30pm, 10pm.”

“So,” I continued, “how many of you actually sleep during that time or earlier?”

Silence and the gear sounds clicked and whirred again.

We got them to understand that all that studying goes to nought if your mind is tired. A brain will function best only when it is sharp and sharpness can only come from adequate rest.

On that "intellectual bombshell", we bade them goodbye and will visit them again in September before the PSLE papers begin.

- Voxeros

MYP Award Ceremony 2016 - Part 2

2016-05-03T13:18:00.002+08:00

13 Years.

I was just telling Adrian the other day at the Maximise Your Potential (MYP) ceremony that we have completed a full cycle of the Chinese Horoscope.

The newest batch of P4s were borned under the same Chinese Zodiac animal as that of the very first batch of P4s, thirteen years ago.

Time really flew.

ZhiWei was one of the RunForFunds kids when we first started and we are very very proud that he has returned to be our guest-of-honour along with his mom.

We hope to see more kids making the return to continue to motivate and encourage their juniors.

I hope to see these kids taking over RunForFunds when we are no longer able.

Dear friends,

The 13th Maximize Your Potential (MYP) award ceremony held on 23rd April 2016 was special.

The guest-of-honour was a recipient of the inaugural Maximize Your Potential award in 2004.

We also have a bumper crop of 25 award recipients!! (6 P4, 9 P5 and 10 P6).

They have been highly recommended by their teachers for good behaviour and grades and more importantly, potential to excel.

Pictures taken at the 2016 MYP award ceremony are posted here:

https://www.facebook.com/RunForFunds

1. Guest-of-Honour: Tan Zhiwei from the 1st MYP in 2004

Zhiwei, an inaugural MYP award recipient in 2004, is a role model for the MYP students.

Despite very challenging circumstances at home, where he helped his mother (Mdm Kek, who was present) to care for and educate 4 younger siblings, Zhiwei excelled at his studies and CCA. He shared his inspirational testimony:

His academic history. Zhiwei is a first year undergrad at NTU. From GMSP, he excelled at PSLE to qualify for Hwa Chong's 6-year Integrated Programme. While at school he participated in various CCA's and excelled in Taekwondo, winning national awards. He shared time management tips with the students.
His Naval Diving Unit experience. Zhiwei completed his NS at the elite naval diving unit. Yes, he is a frogman!! The students were thrilled to meet one in person. Zhiwei shared how the Navy taught him discipline and teamwork. It also exposed him to different cultures and countries (Japan, US) when he travelled for overseas missions.
His responsibilities as the eldest child. Zhiwei is the eldest of 5 siblings. Since young, he has had to share with his mum the burden of educating and raising his younger siblings, who have done well in school. Zhiwei admitted that circumstances were tough but they persevered. He also took the opportunity to thank his mum for loving and caring for the family.

2. Life lessons
Adrian encouraged the students and parents to embrace 3 enduring values exemplified by Zhiwei.

Being sensible: Making wise choices, self-sacrifice and putting benefit of family before self.
Being responsible: Being clear about personal accountabilities at school/home and acting on them.
Being obedient: Parents want the best for us. We must obey them. "Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12)

3. Target setting for P6's
2015 P6's did very well in their PSLE and they were posted to the following secondary schools: Victoria, Beatty, Cedar Girls, Punggol, Geylang Methodist and Anglican High.

(For those of you who are familiar, to qualify for Cedar, Victoria and Anglican, students need to score more than 240++, a very good score).

Adrian encouraged the current P6's to aim high and study hard (and smart...focus on weaker subjects) like their predecessors.

He will follow-up with them in July and Aug - pep talks over lunch.

4. Award ceremony
GMSP principal Mrs Rina Liang congratulated the award winners and urged them to keep up their good work.

She also encouraged parents to follow the example set by Mdm Kek (Zhiwei's mum) to guide and support their children, especially when the going gets tough.

Mrs Liang then invited Zhiwei and Mdm Kek to give out the awards.

It was gesture that was heart-warming and inspiring.

Some parents told me they are inspired by Mdm Kek.

They aspired to raise their own "Zhiwei's" and give out awards to MYP students in the future :-)

Mdm Sulis thanked RFF supporters for believing in the MYP students.

She also shared her personal story that demonstrated the importance of hard work and discipline to overcome tough family circumstances.

This was followed by group photo taking and a tea reception

5. Accounts Update
RFF account as of 4th May 2015 = S$28,666.23

RFF account as at 2nd May 2016 = $17,748.57 (inclusive of $3,831.08 balance from Nepal village rebuilding fund)

The amount you see above is after $2 monthly deductions for account maintenance and addition of interest.

a. Outflows since May 2015

$13,543.92 for Nepal village rebuilding in July 2016
$21,000 for MYP 2016-2018 in April 2016 (see letter from GMSP. I will claim tax deductions for this contribution and recycle the income tax benefit back to the RFF)

b. Key contributions since May 2015

$17,375 from supporters of Nepal village rebuilding in July 2015
$5,799 from Jaywalk from his Dec half marathon.
$500 from JQ (Ms morning glory) in Jan'16

6. Special Thanks
Special thanks go out to the following people:

Mrs Rina Liang, Miss Theresa Tong and Mdm Sulis – Thank you for your labour of love. Through you, we have impacted close to 100 young lives in past 13 years. May we impact 100 more in the next 13 :-) On behalf of the students, their families and MYP supporters, I extend our heartfelt gratitude.

RFF Supporters - Thank you for trusting and supporting me when I first reached out to you to start RunForFunds 13 years ago. In our 13-year journey, we've impacted many lives positively. I look forward to your continued support and prayers for RFF.

If you have any queries about RFF, please email or call me.

Blessings,

Adrian

- Voxeros

MYP Award Ceremony 2016

2016-04-16T18:19:00.000+08:00

Hi Folks,

Again, it's the time of the year where we move into yet another year of RunForFunds.

First, it was 10 years. Now, we are embarking on a new milestone.

This year's award winners, correct me if I am wrong on this one, were born under the same Chinese Zodiac animal as that of our first batch of award winners 12 years ago.

Yes, we have come a full cycle.

Dear friends,

You are invited to the 13th annual Maximise Your Potential (MYP) award ceremony on 23rd April 2016 (Saturday)

Time: 1000h – 1130h
Venue: Geylang Methodist School (Primary), 4th Floor, AVA Room

The guest-of-honour for this year’s MYP is Mr. Tan Zhiwei.

Zhiwei was an award winner at the inaugural MYP in 2004.

Since then, he has excelled in the Integrated Programme at Hwa Chong, served with distinction as a naval diver during his NS and is now doing well in his 1st year studies at NTU Business School.

Zhi Wei will be sharing the “secrets of his success” to inspire the students :-)

Your support for RunForFunds (RFF) has made a difference to more than 90 young lives in the past 13 years.

Visit the RFF facebook to recap those magical MYP moments:

https://www.facebook.com/RunForFunds

Please email, whatsapp or SMS me to RSVP (for catering purposes).

Thanks for your continued support of the RFF movement.

Blessings,

Adrian
Mobile: <Number withheld, Please contact us via the comments or private messaging>

- Voxeros

If You Don't Play My Song, I'll Tell Auntie Mary

2016-03-19T14:13:00.000+08:00

One thing you can count on is whenever it's MistressGrace's birthday bash, it is going to be...

< wait for it >

.... AWESOME!!!!

"If you don't play my song, I'll tell Auntie Mary."

"You bring family here, I'll play your song."

Sibeh cute. These two. Haha....

Happy birthday, Grace! #muakz

A blast from the past.

JayWalk Online (01 Apr 2008) - April Fool's Day 2008

- Voxeros

Tennis Strings II

2016-02-11T21:32:00.004+08:00

For someone who has been playing with the same tennis string since 1993, I felt marooned when Gamma Ruff 16 was discontinued.

Despite it being out of production for a number of years, tennis-warehouse.com still have a few pieces of this precious commodity left.

In the interim, I tried the Toalson Rencon Devil Spin but I didn't like it.

Anyway, I went down to TennisHub.sg (nearest tennis pro shop from my place via public transport) and consulted the experts there. They recommended a hybrid combination for me.

Babolat RPM Blast 17 (cross) and Babolat Xcel French Open 17 (main).

Since I am using this hybrid for the first time, it was agreed that we play it safe and try mid tension first at 55 lbs (I normally play high tension at 58 lbs on my Wilson nCode nPro Team and 62 lbs on my Prince Triple Threat Hornet).

I got my racquet back the same day and I can't wait for Sunday to start pounding with the new strings.

Will see how it goes. If this hybrid is suitable, I may opt to move up the tension the next time I restring.

Oh and forget about mail ordering Gamma Ruff 16 from tenniswarehouse.com.

JayWalk Online (09 Feb 2016) - Tennis Strings

Image Credit: http://www.tennishub.com/

- Voxeros

Tennis Strings

2016-02-09T23:56:00.003+08:00

PIAK!

The sound I've been waiting to hear for a long time now. I hated the string that i was trying for the first time. Toalson RENCON Devil Spin125 but I was too cheapo to cut it and restring.

Real glad that I finally snapped it.

So this would be the first and last time I will be playing with poly string?

It has always been multifilament strings for me until Gamma Ruff 16, that I have been using since the 90s, was no longer in production.

I have a love-hate relationship with this poly string.

On one hand, it produces a very clean snappy feel with every strike but the down side is that I lose a shitload of power (I play with high tension 60-62 lbs) and it felt like I was playing with a wooden plank.

Then again, it forces me to generate my own power and to rely less on technology. I actually felt myself playing stronger over the past couple of months.

Maybe I will end up with poly string again despite all the bitching? #犯贱

Or I probably should ask the tennis shop guy for advice.

Any advice from the floor?

p.s. Click here for a good article on tennis strings -> http://www.slcstringer.com/aboutstrings.html

Image Credit: http://www.toalson.co.jp

- Voxeros

RunForFunds - StanChart Marathon 2015 Update 3

2016-01-17T13:07:00.002+08:00

Happy new year everybody as I start off this year's first entry.

This entry is overdue as a result of Adrian needing to settle some personal family matter.

In any case, thank you once again to the RFF supporters who have contributed generously.

RFF Update January 2016

Hi folks,

Happy New Year!

Trust all of you had a blessed Christmas and a great New Year break.

2015 was a fruitful and eventful year for the Run For Funds movement (RFF).

Our P6 Maximise Your Potential (MYP) winners did very well in their PSLEs.
.
We raised $17,375 to help Nepal earthquake victims rebuild their homes.
.
Superfriend Jaywalk raised $5,799 from his Dec 2015 StanChart marathon run.

1. MYP Results

We are very proud of the achievements of our P6s.

They worked hard and reaped the rewards of their efforts.

Average score of the 6 students was 221, with the top 3 averaging 247 and top score of 255!

They have been posted to schools of their choice (some closer to their homes): Cedar Girls'' Secondary School, Victoria School, Punggol Secondary School, Geylang Methodist Secondary School, Beatty Secondary School, Anglican High School.

May God continue to watch over them and bless them with good health and wisdom as their embark on their new adventure in their secondary schools.

MYP 2016 MYP ceremony will be held in March/April'16 - watch this space.

2. Aid For Nepal Quake Victims

A total of $17,375 was raised in July 2015 for the victims of the Nepal earthquake.

Thank you so much for your generous contributions.

To date, $13,600 has been deployed to rebuild homes. (see July 2015 email update or repost by Superfriend Jaywalk http://www.jaywalkonline.com/2015/07/runforfunds-for-nepal-update-july-2015.html).

The rebuilding efforts were fraught with difficulties e.g. landslides, petrol shortage (due to border blockage), monsoons, a very cold winter etc.

I'm thankful that my contact, Nepali school principal Bharat, was faithful and resilient in his service to his people.

I'm now waiting for Bharat to activate us for the next phase of the rebuilding efforts.

3. Superfriend Jaywalk Runs For Funds!.
Jaywalk, has been a strong supporter of RFF since its inception.

He's RFF's defacto comms/IT manager because I'm an IT dumb-dumb.

Early in 2015, Jaywalk wanted to raise funds for RFF and a determined year-long effort to train for his StanChart half marathon in Dec 2015.

I'm so proud of my kaki for finishing his run and grateful to him and his supporters for raising $5,799 for RFF.

This contribution will be put to good use.

4. Account Update

Funds available in RFF's dedicated account, as of 31st Dec 2015: S$42,546.89.

I expect to contribute $21,000 to GMSP this year to continue the MYP for the next 3 years.

The remainder of funds will be set aside for prudent, accountable use to aid those in need.

Again, thank for your continued support for Run For Funds.

God bless you and your loved ones with love, peace and joy for 2016.

Cheers,

Adrian

- Voxeros

RunForFunds - StanChart Marathon 2015 Update 2

2015-12-15T22:36:00.002+08:00

JayWalk Online (17 Nov 2015) - RunForFunds - StanChart Marathon 2015 Update

A very big heartfelt thanks to those who stepped forward and dropped a little something into the hat for the RunForFunds project.

Words cannot express my gratitude for the generous gestures.

The above is the contributors' list. The contributors' respective names, for privacy purposes, have been replaced with a reference number, whom I had earlier informed each and everyone who is which.

The list above has to be published so that the amount tallies with the screen capture of my outgoing internet transfer of the corresponding amount (see below).

All in the name of transparency.

(Click Image To Enlarge)

As for the half marathon, I am happy to report that I did complete the 21km, albeit in a less-than-stellar time of 2:57:39. Way off my intended target of 2:29:59.

Still, I am thankful for the encouragements that kept me going.

I promise I will clock a better half marathon time at the next Sundown Marathon 2016.

Once again, I thank everyone for supporting RunForFunds.

Thank you.

Afternote: I have a last minute contribution that was missed at the time of this entry earlier. I am adding the wire transfer slip below and have updated the contributors' list above. No prize for guessing who was late! :P

Nevertheless, still an awesome big thank you for the support! Muakz.

- Voxeros

A Year Of Running 2015

2015-12-07T21:51:00.005+08:00

The recently concluded StanChart Marathon 2015, which I completed the half marathon, marked the end of my running calendar for the year.

While the result has not be satifactory due to cramps midway, I still managed to scrape in under 3 hours.

In any case, inadequate training due to haze, cramps and/or bad route planning causing human traffic jams are just excuses.

I will run better the next round with the Sundown Marathon 2016 (Half Marathon) on my radar.

More importantly, I am happy to report that I raised some money for RunForFunds which I will publish the details shortly.

JayWalk Online (04 Feb 2013) - Running Gear

Remember the above entry from 2 years ago? Perhaps an update is in order.

1. Shoe Wallet.

It is still serving me well. The velcro has died during my time in QQland but I managed to get the Drycleaner Auntie below my apartment to "re-velcro" the wallet. It was a most unsightly patch job as she just used whatever velcro she could find in her drawer. I was ok with it considering that fact that she was not a professional seamstress and she charged me only RMB 5.00 (about SGD 1.00) for the job.

She was surprised why I hung on to this shoe wallet for dear life when most people would simply just throw it away.

Let's face it, where on Earth can you find a shoe wallet in this day and age? I can't. Not even on the almighty taobao.com.

So anyway, for a modest sum of a mere dollar, I get to extend the life by at least another 5 years. Why not?

2. Runner's Belt

The zip broke off 2 weeks ago, thus ending its loyal service of more than 2 years. I have since replaced it with a double zipper version. Bought it off Qoo10 for SGD 7.50 after getting a SGD 2.00 discount coupon off the purchase.

This is for short runs when I don't need to carry water on me.

3. Water Belt

The last water belt was given away and since I haven't been doing any long runs (more than 10km) when I was in QQland. It wasn't until when I started training for the StanChart half marathon this year, that MistressGrace had so kindly given me her belt since she no longer needs it.

Thank you, MistressGrace. Muakz.

The belt is very comfortable. However, the water bottle capacity is a tad small. The back pouch was also a tad too small that I had to sacrifice a bottle space to put my mobile phone. On the actual day of the half marathon, I had to sacrifice a second bottle space to store my gels.

All things considered, they are just mere minor problems, since there are adequate number of water stations along the route of the entire race.

4. Music

I gave away the Creative Zen to Faith since it made no sense to carry an additional item when the iPhone can double up as an MP3 player. That too had gone to Walkman Heaven earlier this year after 6 years.

As for earphones, the Sennheiser PMX-80 Sport is also long gone and I wasn't able to find this model in Singapore anywhere. In its place, I opted to go bluetooth wireless and bought the Jabra Sport Wireless+.

Initially, I thought the built-in FM tuner would be a welcoming change from having to listen to my playlist over and over again and bluetooth would save me the hassle of having to deal with wires.

I thought wrong.

First off, the FM tuner sucks. The neck strap, across the back of your neck connecting the two ear pieces, doubles up as an antenna is too short, resulting in almost-to-nothing reception. Secondly, the battery life lasts shortly under 2 hours. Good for a simple 5K run but certainly falls short of my long run requirement.

As a result, I replaced it with a cheapo Philips SRS4840 for about SGD 20-something from Best Denki. Good value for money considering this fella is close to indestructible.

5. Heart Rate Monitor

Since the last Polar disasters (plural), I got the Wahoo BlueHR in May 2013.

JayWalk Online (22 May 2013) - Wahoo BlueHR Bluetooth 4.0 Heart Rate Monitor

This items is relative cheaper than all the other HRMs as it does not come coupled with a watch. This fella connects directly with my phone.

2 years on and 2 battery changes since, it is still working perfectly. I coupled this with the Digifit's iRunner app and has never looked back since.

6. Running Shoe

The Asics GT-2140 was showing signs of wear and tear since the beginning of the year but I kept procrastinating, pushing it back to the end of the next run after next run. Finally from Green Corridor, to HomeTeam Real Run, to Sundown Marathon and to Asics City Relay, I got a new pair of shoe.

Besides, the StanChart Marathon was too big a risk to run in a pair of shoes that was threatening to fall apart any time and also I needed enough time and mileage to break in the new pair.

Introducing the Asics GT-2000 (T500N).

This pair of shoes is a tad lighter and bouncier. Not sure, it is one of those new tech energy-return thingie or just a refreshing change from dying rubber.

7. Running Socks

In the past, I swore by Thorlo sock. I love the added padding at the ball of the foot as well as the heel. Not only do they feel comfortable, you get some sense of added security knowing that there is some sort of reinforcements down there.

Still, when it comes to long runs, I had to tape up my feet, especially under the balls of my feet to prevent the risk of blisters. I used Strappal rigid strapping tape for that, by the way..

When I bought the new running shoes at Feder Sports (ask for Jeffrey), I thought I'd pick up new running socks as well. Unfortunately, the nice sales lady (Jeff was busy with another customer and I didn't want to kachow him) said that they don't carry Thorlo anymore and recommended Feetures instead.

I was initially skeptical about it being as good as Thorlo which I have been running with for years. The Feetures socks felt very snug when worn and it didn't have that extra padding that I was all so familiar with Thorlo.

Suprisingly, and pleasant, if I may add, Feetures socks are good. I don't need to tape up my feet during my long run trainings anymore. However, for this last StanChart, I still taped the balls of my feet up as a precaution even though I know it is more for psychological peace of mind than anything else.

As expected, I cleared the StanChart half marathon without incident.

I am going to try doing without taping during the next Sundown.

Image Credit: www.kwout.com; http://images.philips.com/; http://feeturesrunning.com/

- Voxeros

RunForFunds - StanChart Marathon 2015 Update

2015-11-17T22:33:00.000+08:00

This screencap was taken last year during Sundown Marathon 2014 with Adrian.

Details are in my facebook entry but only accessible to my friends for legal reasons.

Click Here To Proceed --> http://tinyurl.com/pm2mfq9

JayWalk Online (29 Jul 2014) - BarRun 2015 - Prelude

- Voxeros

SG Elections 2015 - Part 3

2015-09-10T00:03:00.002+08:00

17. MacPherson SMC

PAP Candidate Tin Pei Ling was scorned left, right and center during the last election for coming in via the back door in 2011.

Fortunately, Tin Pei Ling made good on her opportunity windfall by performing well as an MP for her constituents. The word around town is that her residents think she did a pretty decent job so far.

Such was the confidence of the gerrymandering gahmen that they felt comfortable enough to cut her out of Marine Parade GRC to let her run on her own. And likely, to win it on her own.

The opposition, on the other hand, will not win on two counts.

First is NSP Cheo whose sexist remark offended every female voter in the constituency. There are still male voters left, you say? Don't forget, these male voters' grandmothers, mothers, aunts, wives, girlfriends, sisters et al. are from the same pissed off female voter pool. Check-mate.

Second, in every 3-cornered fight, PAP always wins as the two bungling opposition candidates will split each other's votes.

A solo victory for Tin Pei Ling and vindication of her calibre despite her age.

18. Mountbatten SMC

We read from the news that SPP's Jeanette Chong-Audross put in a lot of effort trying to reach out to the residents. Alas, it appears that Mountbatten is too deeply PAP-entrenched that she gets stone-walled everywhere.

PAP to win despite a valiant effort by SPP.

19. Potong Pasir SMC

PAP captured Potong Pasir during last election and the upgrading projects started coming in. Bus routes improved, amenities added and Woodleigh MRT station finally opened.

So all the goodies have come in already. Will the residents say "OK, thank you much, Mr Sitoh. You can go home now." ?

I believe it was a shock for everyone in Potong Pasir that the Chiams lost the ward that they have been looking after for close to 30 years tirelessly.

The margin of just a mere 114 votes may be a wake up call for those who didn't take the election seriously. I'd bet they'd probably were thinking "OMG, what dafug did we just do??"

Lee Kuan Yew started the "repent" back in 2011. Perhaps the proverbial table is turned in Potong Pasir 2015?

Too close to call here but I am rooting for Lina Chiam to return Potong Pasir SMC to Chiam See Tong.

20. Radin Mas SMC

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Gossip in the grape-vine was that Han Hui Hui wanted to join Reform Party but was rejected as she was deemed too much of a nutcase for them to handle. In short, she was too kookoo.

Guess what happened next? She would purposely pick one ward where RP is contesting and made it her own 3-cornered fight. By now, we all know what happens to a 3-way, right? PAP will win.

Once again, HHH was crowdsourcing for campaign funds and by listing everything out, I can only assume that she is not going to come up with any money on her own. I would have respected her some if she were to fork out the election deposit and ask for money only for the other items like PA system for rallies, posters, banners etc.

PAP to win, Han Hui Hui to lose the election deposit, which she don't really give a rats' ass anyway. Not her money what....

21. Hougang SMC

The WP Ultras will be holding the fort steady while their brethren go forth and fight the Aljunied battle as well as all the neighbouring SMCs.

No contest here as WP remains victorious in the USA again.

Upper Serangoon Area.

22. Punggol East SMC

PAP sending in their Party Handyman, Charles "Mr Fixer" Chong to come and eat Punggol East orh luak. While he has been an effective fire fighter in the past. I doubt this guy is able to connect with the folks at such short notice.

So far, like PAP Tin Pei Ling, it is said that WP Lee Li Lian has managed her ward pretty well. As such, I believe her residents will continue to support her for another 5 years.

23. Sengkang West SMC

The columbarium saga was resolved by PAP Lam Pin Min but lest we forget it was the gahmen that screwed this up in the first place.

So how? Oppose the PAP for sneakily trying to squeeze a columbarium in and worse, gave the tender away without due dilligence? Or support PAP for it was da man Lam Pin Min who came in and save the day, appeasing all parties?

WP Koh Choong Yong had 42% during the last election and with WP's growing influence over neighbouring SMCs, it is possible that this ward may finally end up in the hands of WP.

The way I see this, PAP will still make it. I feel Lam Pin Min did well to clean up the gahmen mess.

24-29. Bukit Batok SMC / Bukit Panjang SMC / Fengshan SMC / Hong Kah North SMC / Pioneer SMC / Yuhua SMC

Paiseh. The remainder of the wards, I really not interested to look closely. Aiyah. Chin chai anyone win also can lah.

30 Pulau Uber SMC

Special mention goes to Shirwin "Sure Win" Eu. I like this guy. He is honest. MP is a good job and it pays well. 5-figure salary leh! Mai siao siao hor!

Too bad this fella never do his homework properly and was unable to get 10 resident's signature to qualify for candidacy.

Still, I feel it is a blessing in disguise for him as he saved losing $14,500 which means that at the end of the election, he will not be the worst-off.

Indirectly, he earned his first month's MP salary right there on nomination day. Correck or Corwrong?

--> Click Here To Return To Part 1

--> Click Here To Return To Part 2

- Voxeros

SG Elections 2015 - Part 2

2015-09-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

11. Chua Chu Kang GRC

All these while I thought it was spelt as CHOA Chu Kang. Oh well. #shrugs

Goh Meng Seng. The Party Boy of the entire candidates cohort. Worker's Party, then National Solidarity Party, now People Power Party. First Aljunied, then Tampines, now Chua Chu Kang.

This is what we call KLKK (kia lai kia kee). Walk Here Walk There.

Like a vagabond with no roots. I don't see how the constituents will allow him to come in. I have more respect for people like Kenneth Jayaratnam, Sitoh Yih Pin (pre-2011) and Lina Chiam who stuck around even when they were unsuccessful in their respective campaigns.

I don't see PPP getting anything back from this except the election deposit for where credit is due, this fella is GRC election sibeh old bird one.

PAP to take this GRC.

12. East Coast GRC

People say that this is PAP weakest ward. I disagree. It may not be the strongest but there are good things to say about the incumbents.

L.A.M. (05 Sep 2015) - On Which Town Council Was Managed The Most Wisely

On paper, it appears from the article above that East Coast GRC has the best run ship both 2013 and 2014.

Lim Swee Say was one of two who was singled out for special mention during the National Day Rally 2015. A public endorsement like that is almost like a 免死金牌 or a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.

Granted that there has been some comments, deemed unfortunate, during the rallies, he was merely reflecting the sentiments of many folks on the ground (whether you agree or disapprove, that's another debate another time, another place). Problem is that from a foreign diplomacy point-of-view, that was a damning faux pas.

The WP side, headed by Gerald Giam, pose a credible threat and this will be contested down to the wire.

It could go either way but I think PAP has that fasterer, betterer, cheaperer little extra to nose the tape ahead of Worker's Party.

13. Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

IMHO, I feel that this is the weaker PAP GRC compared to East Coast GRC. Vivian B did not endear himself the last election for his obsessive harping on Vincent Wijeysingha's gay orientation. This time round, it is flinging personal barbs towards Dr Chee Soon Juan. It actually reflects worse on Vivian B for seemingly petty and foolish enough to be lulled into Dr Chee's game.

After Sim Ann's speech Monday night, she has earned my most annoying candidate award. Yes. Even beating Han Hui Hui to that coveted award. (Click here --> https://www.facebook.com/TheStraitsTimes/videos/10153005168982115/)

She also reminds me of a certain scary ex-Barfly but I digress.

If NSP Choong Hon Heng was SMLJ?! Then this one is SimAnnLJ?! (sorry. couldn't resist)

If PAP loses this battle, Sim Ann must hari kiri liao.

On the surface, Vivian B may appear to be PAP's lemon after the massive budget blow on YOG. His subsequent appointment from Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports to Minister of Environment and Water Resources was viewed by some as some sort of demotion (kena signed extra duty go jaga reservoir).

In the minds of many, we thought this one is "condemn sergeant" liao and perhaps not asked to run this election or maybe not appointed into the subsequent new cabinet. Well, the first is dispelled and the second remains to be seen (I think unlikely lah).

Alas, it was full redemption as he earned the spot of being the other of the 2 to be singled out for special mention at the National Day Rally 2015. I'd like to use my "Free Spin" now!

At the other corner, we have Dr Chee Soon Juan returning to contest after a 15-year absence. His eloquence at the rostrum is second to none and I dare say he is the best speaker amongst the lot. It is scary that he has achieve rock star status with his sublime performance on stage.

Would that translate to actual votes? Remains to be seen.

I have personally not forgiven him for the harm he has done to Chiam See Tong. The younger generations of voters may not be aware of the less-than honourable things that he had committed and the fear of the possibility of an SDP victory here is very real, especially with Paul Tambyah co-piloting in the wing.

Then again, the massive turn outs at SDP rallies, for all you know, is nothing more than bored people looking for a side show to be entertained. Once the novelty wears out, pragmatism kicks in with votes still going to PAP.

Some say this one is too close to tell as it can swing either way. I doubt it. I am placing my betting chip on PAP for I really do not wish the see Judas in parliament.

14. Jalan Besar GRC

While it appears that the Worker's Party is getting stronger, I reckoned this has to be WP's weakest team.

I think many will expect this to be a close fight. However, I believe Yaacob Ibrahim, Heng Chee How and Denise Phua have enough mettle to not only fend off the challengers successfully, but to surprise pundits with a stellar margin.

I'd go for a straight-forward win in favour of the PAP.

15. Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC

In football, we talk about a team's depth of squad and this is exactly SDP's achilles' heel. With all their strong candidates in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, this relatively inconsequential B-Team will not amount to much.

No worries as far as the election deposits are concerned as I do not think anyone has ever lost their deposits at the GRC level.

Incumbents to win.

16. West Coast GRC

This could have been PAP's first victory as early as nomination day, had S. Iswaran not pointed out Reform Party's mistake, on the nomination form, ahead of closing time.

My hat to Mr Iswaran, for that is certainly a class act.

Iswaran gets my vote. (Who says Chinese only vote for Chinese? Scrap the GRC system!)

While kudos to Kenneth Jeyaratnam for sticking to West Coast GRC despite last election's failure, I'm afraid he is going to be disappointed yet again. 3rd time lucky? We can only find out come 2019/2020.

--> Click Here To Return To Part 1

--> Click Here To Proceed To Part 3

Image Credit: http://www.straitstimes.com/

- Voxeros

SG Elections 2015 - Part 1

2015-09-08T22:14:00.001+08:00

We are mid-way through the election hustings and it is time for me to punt the outcomes of the various electoral battles. Some will be close. Some will be one-sided. Some will be unexpected and lastly there'd be one or two to return with empty pockets.

Let's start from big constituencies to small.

1. Ang Mo Kio GRC

If VR Man, Vietnamese Bride, Banana Boy and that CREEPY-Looking Auntie (standing behind VR Man and Ravi) were to join forces with M "PA... Reform Party" Ravi and Roy "CPF" Ngerng, it would have been the ultimate dream team pummeling Lee Hsien Loong and his team to a pulp with a landslide victory. (Tharman for PM?)

Alas, it was not to be for VR Man is missing, Vietnamese Bride was dumped, Banana Boy is underaged and Creepy Auntie is well...... creepy.

What a let off for Lee Hsien Loong & Co.! Team LHL was never really tested in the past with walk-overs and contested only in the last 2 elections, where he came in at 66% and later improved to 69%.

I foresee Team LHL doing very well this time round and likely be able to breach the 70% mark.

Tharman will have to wait another 5 years to see if he got chance to be PM or not.

2. Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

I think it'd be third time lucky for Desmond Lim for once, he gets to keep his deposit. Yay!

This ward is no contest as it'd be a thumping victory for PAP to give their thumbs up for Janil Puthucheary who volunteered for national service. For Sun XueLing where she refreshed our memories that there was a time when we have hanyupinyin names (in brackets) in addition to our regular name. For Teo Ser Luck who is forgiven for his LKY91 antics falling flat.

3. Aljunied GRC

The fact that PAP is too chicken to send in a Minister to anchor this team is evidence that they are still smarting from the expensive lesson dished out to them during the last election.

With a bunch of noobs, we are reminded of the time back in 2011 when Reform Party sent in a squad of unknowns, only to walk away with nearly 50,000 votes from LHL's AMK GRC. This time round, it will be the reverse. PAP will stage a credible fight and walk away with a handful of votes. However, it won't be enough to wrestle Aljunied GRC back to PAP.

The fact that PAP sticks such a tiny wager on this bet is evidence that the almighty folks in white has already waved the white flag (no pun intended).

I was thinking why not send in Goh Chok Tong to lead the charge? Surely the senior statesman Goh has the mojo to deliver Aljunied back to PAP? If fail, the country saves $1 million per year (win-win!) but don't be too happy yet, he sure come back as President after that one lor (dammit!).

WP to return as victors while continuing to make sense of their financial numbers.

4. Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

People joked about how to tell who is from DPP and who from SPP in this joint-opposition team.

Answer? Got Hair and No Hair.

With Wong Kan Seng put out to pasture, PAP stands a better chance in this hotly-contested ward even though the new faces in the team has yet to impress (the Tiger Woods fist pump do until really siah suay). Still, I think chiobu Josephine Teo and Ng Eng Hen should nick this and come back for another 5 years.

5. Jurong GRC

Tharman for PM!! Enough said.

And SingFirst is a joke.. Enough enough said.

6. Marine Parade GRC

Marine Paraders love their ESM Goh (heng ah. never kena posted to Aljunied) and Tan Chuan Jin has fared well too. No chiobu Nicole Seah means opposition don't stand a chance. Lao Goh to return with votes in the 70% range. Mrs Goh would be most happy to be able to afford more peanuts hereon.

7. Nee Soon GRC

Too bad, it's the wrong Gurmit Singh. Had it been Phua Chu Kang, the yellow-boot one would have won outright, bringing Nee Soon, Johor Bahru and some say Batam back to Worker's Party.

PAP to win this one with Lee Bee Wah, the surprising superstar, stealing the show from Shanmugam.

8. Sembawang GRC

I suspect the reason NSP did not announce their candidates at time of Writ Of Elections is because they haven't found enough people to fill up the slots. (If people find out, very malu lor.) With the party imploding and key members mass exodus, NSP, from the days where people were starting to take them a bit more seriously with Goh Meng Seng and Nicole Seah, is now just another clown show.

They are trying to replicate their Nicole Seah success with another yew kee (幼齿), Kevryn Lim, but sequels, as we all know, are never as good as their predecessors.

PAP to win by default.

9. Tampines GRC

Youtube (07 Sep 2015) - "Boo to PAP!" shouts NSP's Choong Hon Heng

That was one powerful speech so much so that he single-handedly hands victory to the PAP.

I say before, let us not make fun of those whose master of the English language is not as good. Hear what the person has to say. Not mock him.

In this case, whatever he was trying to say, nobody understood lor. I am sure it triggered several "SMLJ?" blank looks from the floor.

PAP to win with Baey Yam Keng, making all the aunties sploosh.

10. Tanjong Pagar GRC

This is the first ever LKY-less contest for the ward. The new candidates must be kicking themselves for not signing up earlier. This time round no more 100% guarantee plus chop sure win liao.

Luckily for them, their opposition this time will not amount to anything.

PAP to sail through with Indranee 好好嘢!!

--> Click Here To Proceed To Part 2

--> Click Here To Proceed To Part 3

Image Credits: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/; http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/;

- Voxeros

RunForFunds For Nepal Update (July 2015)

2015-07-19T18:31:00.002+08:00

Normally, our RunForFunds centered around the StanChart Marathon held every year in the month of December.

We had a break with tradition where we decided to have a RunForFunds run during the Sundown Marathon 2015 held earlier in July.

Adrian's 21km Half Marathon effort was a fruitful run and I am happy to report the reason below:

a. My Half Marathon Results

Thanks to your prayers and encouragement, I completed my comeback 21km run on 5th July in "a world record time" of 2hr 35 min without back pain or cramps.

Managed to finish 1859 out of 7195 participants.

Must admit I'm surprised with the ranking as many ah peks overtook me!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable run and, if you have not tried it, give it a shot!

b. Your Overwhelming Support

Your support for RFF's initiative to rebuild 2 villages in Nepal is overwhelming.

The target was S$9,200.

As of 16th July 2015, we have pledges totaling S$12,775!

If we include the private fund-raising round in May of S$4,300, close to 50 RFF supporters contributed in excess of S$17,000!

This will make a significant direct impact to the 100+ families in Nepal (see updates below).

On behalf of these families, Bharat and I extend our thanks and gratitude.

c. Funds Deployed So Far

I have made 2 wire transfers.

S$4,300+ in May 2015 (private round - Phase 1a, equiv US$3,200 / 325,440 rupees) and S$9,200+ (RFF for Nepal round - Phase 1b, equiv US$6,800 / 687,820 rupees ) in July 2015.
See attached pic of the bank statements (need to blank out personal details).

I will hold the excess funds in the RFF account for future deployment - see paragraph (f) below.

d. Phase 1a (26-28 May 2015)

Click on link below for photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.321132038001372.79440.293969844050925&type=3

Since May, Bharat and his friends have been working tirelessly and resiliently to co-ordinate the purchase, delivery and distribution of zinc plates to his hometown Gorkha.

As there was a lot of uncertainly in zinc supply and availability of delivery trucks, Bharat had to remain patient and vigilant to secure the best deals expeditiously.

The supply route to Gorkha was perilous and fraught with problems, as the pics show, because the earthquake destroyed the roads.

Despite these obstacles, Bharat and his friends managed to navigate the route safely.

Bharat secured 61 zinc sheets which were not enough to supply to 100 families in Gorkha. He prioritized 52 families: 2 zinc sheets to 9 families (widowed, old couples and the disabled) and 1 zinc sheet to 43 families.

These new zinc sheets augment salvaged scraps.

Nothing goes to waste in their home rebuilding efforts.

The total expenses (prepared by Bharat) are shown in the table below.

As you can see, our S$4,300/US$3200/325,400 Rp transfer was insufficient. My friend Rina and her supporters provided additional funding to cover the deficit.

S/No	Descriptions	Qty	Rate	Amount
1	Zinc (Size 7 ft HQ)(High Quality)	30	7,500	225,000
2	Zinc (Size 9 ft HQ)	18	8,000	144,000
3	Zinc (Size 7 ft MQ)(Medium Quality)	13	7,1000	92,300
4	Transportation Cost (Truck)	1	18,000	18,000
5	Transportation Cost (Jeep)	1	20,000	20,000
6	Food & Snack For Helper	11	250	2,750
7	Local Bus Fare For Villager	11	100	1,100
8	Rice @ Rs. 1,050 & Rs. 1,450	10	1,250	12,500
9	Mosquito Nets	25	450	11,250
10	Cooking Oil	3	1,120	3,360
	Sub-Total			530,260
	Money Received From Adrian			325,440
	Due Amount to pay to Zinc shop/others	US$ 2,049		204,820
	Received Cash From Rina's Supporters			318,900
	Now Cash Balance For Next Trip			(114,080)

e. Phase 1b (5-6 July)

Click on link below for photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.823874481060456.1073741828.293969844050925&type=3

This time, Bharat, having gained experience from phase 1a, managed to secure 100 zinc sheets at better quality/rates.

Now every family in Gorkha has at least one zinc sheet to rebuild their homes. But zinc supply was delayed due to muddy roads and a landslide because of heavy rains.

We thank God that Bharat and his team have been kept safe throughout.

The total expenses for this phase (again prepared by Bharat) are shown in the table below.

S/No	Descriptions	Qty	Rate	Amount	Remarks
1	Zinc (Size 7 ft)	40	6,500	260,000
2	Zinc (Size 6 ft)	60	6,500	390,000
3	Transportation Cost (Tractor)	1	15,000	15,000
4	Transportation Cost (Jeep)	1	10,000	10,000
5	Food & Transportation For Helpers	5	700	3,500
	Total Expenditure In This 2nd Trip (Rs.)			678,500

	Previous Balance With Adrian (Rs.)			114,080	Extra Money Left From 1st Zinc Trip To Gorkha
	Money Received From Adrian			687,820	Money Received On 05 Jul 2015
	Total Money For Gorkha			801,900	Total Money Including Previous Balance
	This Time Expenses (Rs.)			678,500	Money Received On 05 Jul 2015
	Extra Money With Adrian (Rs.)			123,400	Money Received On 05 Jul 2015

f. What's Next?

With Gorkha settled, Bharat will extend the relief work to Sindhupalhowk. We will support this with the excess funds we've raised and Rina's friends will supplement this too. As the monsoon has started, zinc distribution is expected to be more complex and dangerous.

Please keep Bharat and his friends in your prayers as they continue their mission of mercy. I will update you as I receive more info.

Finally, thank you for your generosity. Without your support, none of these would have been possible.

Blessings,

Adrian

- Voxeros

Sundown Marathon 2015

2015-07-08T06:30:00.000+08:00

No BarRun this time round as I flew solo at this year's Sundown.

Timing wasn't fantastic and I thought I fared very badly this time round compared to last year's 62 mins. As it turned out I remembered wrongly. Last year's time was 64 mins, and so my 68 mins was worse off a lesser 3 mins 49 seconds.

Mai hiam buay pai lah.

The consolation was that ranking went up to 548th from 589th last year. Maybe the better runners all graduated to the 21km category liao. Haiz....

Prior to the race, we were treated to an awesome display of fireworks. It was just our good fortune that Sundown Marathon coincided with SG50 NDP rehearsal.

Well, now that Sundown 2015 is done and dusted, it is still not time to take a breather as I have the Asics City Relay just round the corner.

Pushing on!

- Voxeros

The Banana Show

2015-07-07T21:59:00.001+08:00

Oh look at the poor boy. He is totally shaken up and distraught like a wounded bambi.

Sorry but my gut feel says that it is all an act.

With all the cameras on him, now even with foreign media attention, it's show time!

The way I see it, this boy has too much smarts to run circles around our local Mickey Mouse Media and then counter-clockwise. Remember how he trolled them all the last time with the molest allegations and again even with time-release entries when he was in custody?

Let's face it, our local Mickey Mouse Media are a bunch of not-very-the-smart people. An mere ounce of BananaBoy's wit will probably see the reporters' all die of brain hemorrhage.

If there were a parallel-universe of stupid people, BananaBoy would have been one of the X-Men.

In any case, please go home, have a good night's sleep, take two bananas and call me in the morning.

Video Credit: Youtube - Straits Times

- Voxeros

Standard Dropped

2015-07-06T06:00:00.001+08:00

I am sure many of us have heard someone saying this at one point in time or another, or even said it ourselves.

This place or that store "standard dropped liao".

Standard Dropped is more often than not, referring to a certain food or food place where it no longer used to be as good. Or at the very least, since the last we remembered.

Few of the notable "standard dropped" places that I have heard of late:

Power Nasi Lemak
Punggol Nasi Lemak
Fong Seng Nasi Lemak
Note: Sorry ah. I eat nasi lemak by the truckload one. So naturally, this particular item shows up on my radar more frequently.
Chatterbox Chicken Rice
Kay Lee Char Siew
Prego's

There are more that I have heard but at the time of writing this, these few were all that I was able to recall off-hand.

My question is this.

I only hear people say this standard drop. That standard drop.

Has anyone ever said a certain food or food place standard IMPROVED?

It seems that we are so focused on the negatives that we take good food for granted?

Good food don't fall from the sky. They are the result of hard work, passion and dedication by the remaining people who pour their hearts out to make you that perfect hokkien mee, that awesome roti john, that divine char siew / siew yoke or even that sibeh steam chicken rice chilli sauce, or that bowl of kan hor jiak hei mee?

Allow me to say a big thank you to the folks who slave away day in, day out in front of the fire frying that wok-hei-ful char kway teow or stewing that sompah-best rendang or double boiling that 几够力 watercress pork rib soup.

These are the people who still believe that food should have a soul.

These are the people who need our encouragement.

- Voxeros

Death Of The Ramen Fad

2015-07-05T10:00:00.000+08:00

(Random Ramen Picture)

I accompanied my dad to Central Mall to get his RedMi phone fixed. Apparently, Gabe managed to somehow destroy the USB charging port of the phone.

Sidetrack: My dad quipped how short the queue was at the XiaoMi service center as compared to HTC. Perhaps the latter is more problematic?

So anyway, the XiaoMi staff said to come back to collect the phone after 2 hours. Repair charges, by the way, was waived. Thank you XiaoMi!

Looking at the watch, it was close to lunch time and we decided to just grab something to eat while we wait out the 2 hours.

At Central Mall, it was only natural we gravitated towards the ramen place.

We regretted it.

If I were to describe the ramen in one word, I would pick "lifeless". Seriously, I don't know what I was eating for SGD 14.00. The noodles was so boring that my tongue attempted suicide by jumping into the path of my chompers.

So now you know why I refrained from mentioning the name of the establishment. No difficult to guess. Happy sleuthing!

Then it got me thinking about this ramen hype where we pay 12 to 18 bucks for a meal in a soup bowl where back in Japan, it is an insert-coin-make-selection-ticket-to-counter-pick-up-noodles street food.

In the era of pre-Somerset ramen, there usual places were Liang Court and Central Mall. Now with big names like Ippudo coming into the saturated fray, it is getting kinda boring liao.

I tried Ippudo in Hong Kong. One word. Meh. I cannot fathom what the fuss was all about. It is just another glorified Ajisen.

In any case, allow me to be the first to sound the death knell of ramen fad in Singapore.

May it rest in peace with the rest of the fads like donuts, bubble tea and Portuguese egg tart.

p.s. llaollao froyo will be in the death notebook albeit slightly down the page.

Image Credit: http://thetastingbuds.com

- Voxeros

Snorting Corn Starch

2015-07-04T15:32:00.004+08:00

CNN (29 Jun 2015) - Almost 500 Injured In Explosion At Taiwan Water Park

It was a horrific accident and my heart goes out to everyone who got hurt.

I can only imagine the horror at the scene of the accident. Chaos, pain, panic, fear, despair all mixed in the morbid fragrance of sio bak in the air.

I remember being at a fire scene many years ago. One cannot imagine how is it something as awesome as the fragrance of siew yoke be associated to something as tragically horrifying as a burn victim.

That sensory overload was something that I had a hard time dealing with.

Anyway, enough of that. I wish for the speedy recovery of the survivors. May they get well soonest.

Coming back to this colour run thingie, I felt that it was something really dumb to begin with.

Sure, the supposedly underlying message, methinks, is that at the end of the run after all that colour blasting, we are identically multi-coloured. We are all coloured the same. No one is a different colour from the next person i.e. let's all kick racism's ass. Yay!

Let's pause and think things over for a while, shall we?

First of all, you are doing a 5K run. Sure, it is not really that long a distance, but it is enough to get a person breathing heavily from all that cardio exertion. Now, spray a shitload of corn starch powder in the air for everyone to breathe them in heavily.

Can anyone not see something wrong with this?

Sure, the corn starch particles are not small enough (PM 2.5) to enter your bloodstream but these larger particles (PM 10.0?) going into your body where it is not supposed to cannot be healthy at all, right?

Yes, eventually, they will be expelled from your body via phlegm, mucus, coughing and even choking. This is how the body deals with foreign particles in your air tract.

Wouldn't it be easier to not put them into your body in the first place?

This is the exact reason why I don't bother with these color runs.

It is stupid.

Image Credit: http://news.asiaone.com

- Voxeros

The Scoop On Scoot

2015-06-23T18:30:00.001+08:00

Five Stars And A Moon (23 Jun 2015) - Scoot Cabin Crew Turns Spokeswoman

TL;DR - Too long; didn't read.

I only saw Felicia Camel Toe.

Sorry.

Really sorry.

Really.

p.s. Ok. Fine. I did read a little bit and all I can say is that the only thing LCC is equal to that of FSC and that is flight safety*. Everything else is you get what you paid for. Fly FSC if you can't deal with all the badminton pattern that comes with a budget airline.

p.p.s. * I can't say the same for Indonesian budget airlines though.

Image Credit: http://www.fivestarsandamoon.com

- Voxeros

The Test Of Love II

2015-05-19T21:48:00.001+08:00

Channel NewsAsia (18 May 2015) - TRS Editor Back In Singapore, Next Hearing In July

In my earlier blog entry, I speculated if Yang, who was given permission by the courts to leave Singapore on compassionate grounds, would skip bail and leave his girlfriend/fiancée in the ditch.

JayWalk Online (04 May 2015) - The Test Of Love

As it turned out, the guy was man enough to return within the stipulated time and appeared before the State Courts.

Kudos.

Now, let's see how they face up to the charges laid upon them. For all the hatred they have incited, for all the flames of bigotry that they have fanned, let's see them account for all of them.

If kena prison sentence, can have wedding inside prison one or not ah? Or must wait until come out first then can ROM?

Image Credit: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

- Voxeros

MYP Award Ceremony 2015 - Part 2

2015-05-11T22:34:00.000+08:00

Dear SuperFriends,

The 12th Maximize Your Potential (MYP) award ceremony was held on 25th April, 9 am @ Geylang Methodist School Primary, GMSP.

The MYP is a key program under the Run For Funds (RFF) movement.

Present were 20 MYP award recipients (4 Pri 4, 10 Pri 5, 6 Pri 6; 9 of them are prefects!), their parents/guardians, 10 supporters of Run For Funds, GMSP principal and teachers.

To date, 92 students have received the MYP award……. we will reach the milestone century mark within the next 2 years!

Pictures taken at the 2015 MYP award ceremony are posted here: https://www.facebook.com/RunForFunds

Teacher-in-charge of MYP Miss Theresa Tong welcomed everyone.

She congratulated parents and students, adding that it was proud day for all of them.

The recipients were selected for MYP based on their academic performance and good behaviour.

Here’s an overview of this year’s event:

1. Part 1: Life Lessons

Adrian spoke about the importance of choosing friends wisely.

Friends play a critical role in supporting us and guiding us along a right(eous) path.

He reminded the students that choosing “wrong” friends who have wayward behaviour and dubious characters, could influence them negatively.

He gave examples of how his good friends have influenced him for the better and chastised him when he was wrong.

He encouraged the students to surround themselves with good friends and be a "good friend" to others.

2. Part 2: Mini-Workshop (New)

RFF supporters Christa and Lawrence shared practical exam preparation tips.

These included (1) knowing their own study styles (2) working on their weaknesses (3) proper planning

The students listened attentively to these pearls of wisdom.

Some parents/guardians shared afterwards that the min-workshop was enlightening and would help them guide their children/wards better.

We will do more of these in the future.

3. Part 3: Target Setting

Adrian encouraged the students to aim high.

If they excel in studies and have good CCA/behaviour, scholarships at local and foreign universities (e.g. Stanford, Cambridge) await.

He shared that the 2014 Pri 6’s did very well for their PSLE and all the RFF uncles and aunties are very proud of them.

1 qualified for Victoria Secondary School, 4 qualified for Chung Cheng High School (Main) and 2 went to Geylang Methodist Secondary.

(For those of you who are familiar, to qualify for Victoria and Chung Cheng, students need to score >240, a very good score).

He also shared success stories of past MYP recipients to inspire the students.

The awards were then presented to the students by RFF supporters Lawrence, Christa, Henry and Jason (the man anchoring RFF's web presence).

Event ended with GMSP principal Mrs Rina Liang congratulating the award winners and urging them to keep up their good work.

Rina also thanked RFF supporters for inspiring the students via MYP.

This was followed by a tea reception + group photo taking.

Accounts Update

RFF account as of 29th May 2014 = S$28,576.19

RFF account as of 4th May 2015 = S$28,666.23

We didn’t raise funds in the past year as funds are adequate.

We did, however, receive a $100 contribution from a friend of a Superfriend :-)

The amount you see above is after $2 monthly deductions from the bank for account maintenance and addition of interest.

We contributed $21,000 to MYP in 2013 and these funds are depleted after this year’s award ceremony.

The plan is to inject the $21,000 later this year to fund MYP for another 3 years (2016-2018).

So in 2016/17, we will raise funds for MYP for years 2019-2021.

Some of you have approached me to contribute to MYP/RFF.

Can I suggest you channel your generosity this year to Nepal relief missions?

They need our help to rebuild their lives.

Special Thanks

Special thanks go out to the following people:

Theresa Tong – Your labour of love and persistence over the past 12 years has impacted 92 young lives and their families. On behalf of the students, their families and MYP supporters, we salute you !

Sulistiati Idrus - Welcome to the MYP family. Thanks for caring for the students in GMSP and looking after their welfare.

Rina Liang and the staff of GMSP – Thank you for believing in MYP and allocating time and resources to support it. The students at GMSP are blessed to have teachers who are committed to making a difference in their lives.

RFF supporters – As always, thanks for your support, prayers and contributions all these years.

If you have any queries about RFF, please email or call me.

Blessings,

Adrian

- Voxeros

The Test Of Love

2015-05-04T22:38:00.004+08:00

ChannelNewsAsia (04 May 2015) - The Real Singapore Editor Allowed To Leave Singapore For Australia

These two of the three editors (the third Malaysian one is still at large outside Singapore) of TheRealSingapore rubbish website were charged for sedition for all the bigoted rubbish that they put on their website.

As far as I know, they are out on bail but their passports have been impounded.

Today's latest update was that Yang was given permission to go to Australia to visit his critically ailing father.

The public prosecution was right to deem him as a flight risk i.e. he may jump bail and never come back. However, not letting him go see his father's final moments would be really bad PR all around the world for after all, the crime was not a serious one like murder or drug offenses.

It was simply shit stirring.

So after some deliberation by the court, he was given back his passport to travel on condition of a higher bail and a return-by 17 May 2015 deadline.

The girlfriend? I am afraid, girlfriend means not immediate family and so will not be accorded the same courtesy.

She is staying put.

Do you see where I am headed with this?

This may just be a test of their love. Will Yang ditch the girlfriend to rot in jail while he gets away scot-free?

OK. OK. I am just being dramatic here. She is not in custody. She is on bail remember?

Question here is will Yang return on/before 17 May 2015? Or will the lass be abandoned to face the music alone?

On one hand, I hope not, for her sake and it would be really sad to see yet another coward that the world will have to deal with.

On the other hand, I hope he skips bail. That way, I will have fodder for my next I-Told-You-So, You-Heard-It-Here-First blog entry.

Only one way to find out.

In 12 days.

Stay tuned.

Image Credit: https://pbs.twimg.com/

- Voxeros

National Museum Of Singapore - Revisited

2015-05-01T14:22:00.006+08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I mooted the idea to the family to go check out the memoriam exhibition of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew only to be met with less-than-lukewarm response.

Fine.

So on the first morning of the Labour Day long weekend, I head out, on my own, to the National Museum Of Singapore, after a morning run and a shower.

It was a tiny exhibition and over in a matter minutes, still well worth the trip anyway as we bid our second farewell to a great statesman.

I stood at the cross created by the edges of the four marble slabs in the foyer of the National Museum, which I believed is smack middle.

Then I looked up with the camera and it appears that the spot perfectly aligns with the center of the dome.

I think.

I love the National Museum. I love the stories she tells of our land. Venagdasalam had his two-shooted coconut tree, I have my National Museum where I head to seek solace and quiet reflection.

- Voxeros