Let it be as you have said...

the Run.Out.Date

2007-04-28T18:27:00.001+08:00

Limpeh finally R.O.D. loh!!!!!!!!! Since that fateful day in Dec 1994 till now in 2007. I have finally ~~completed~~ paid back my debt to the Govt... My mom always said "this one is we owe the govt one and since she had 2 sons so she owe them a total of 5 years."

2.5 ~~years~~ years of youth wasted plus every 2 weeks once a year for 10 years. It was both bitter and sweet on the last day that I received my certificate. Bitter that the friends and buddies no longer had a chance to gather and talk cock at the expenses of the govt (where and what else in the world are you give so much time having nothing to do but sitting around waiting for things to happen?). Sweet that I no longer have to serve the NS reservist that is both disruptive and ~~non-productve~~ bloody waste of time.

Now is the final wait till 40 years old to completely rid of the stupid NS liability.

R.O.D. LOH!!!

the pot calling the kettle black

2006-10-02T14:39:00.000+08:00

Following the mini-saga (as portrayed by the nation builder press) or big-saga (as reported by non-nation builder presses) caused by our dear founder of Singapore, the no integrity journalism has an ENLIGHTENING article on it last Saturday.

I read and read, and read and read again... where I found the world most ironical sentences in the article "Non-bumi rights crop up once again" by Reme Ahmad on 30 September 2006, The Straits Times.

And this paragraph I termed it as "the pot calling the kettle black"

"The mainstream pro-government English-language papers - the New Straits Times and The Star - remained comparatively muted in their coverage. They reported the news and did not editorialise. "

Wow! COMPARATIVELY MUTED...

And since I didn't really understand the meaning of editorialise so I went to check the online dictionary and it is defined as "1. to set forth one's position or opinion on some subject in, or as if in, an editorial. 2. to inject personal interpretations or opinions into an otherwise factual account."

Both are as black as the Reporters without borders Press Freedom Index has suggested, if not blacker.

the more you say, the more mistakes you made

2006-09-29T10:08:00.000+08:00

Last time, asked you nicely to retire early, you don't want. Die-die want to hold on to it until the last breadth... See what happen now?

the more you say, the more mistakes you made

On another note, the gahmen has been promoting people to work past their official retirement age - 62 years old to:

1) increase workforce pupulation (abeit in the low-end jobs)
2) old people can earn their keeps and stay active hence less burden on the gahmen on social and medical handouts
3) delay in the full-blown effects of the fast increasing greying population

So good, right?

WRONG.

Who the hell is gonna help take care of my young children when both me and wife have to work in order to barely survive in Singapore Swiss Standards of Living? Throw them to the infant-care and child care? A fucking infant-care costs us at least $800 - $1,000 monthly and that's after the pathetic gahmen subsidies! Child care centres charge at least $400 - $600 per month after the pathetic gahmen subsidies. If I were to heed government advice and have at least 2 or 3 kids, you multiply that by 2 or 3! So that alone would set us back by $1,000 - $2,000 monthly!!!

And the gahmen encourages the grandparents to not stop working for $800.

Go figure...

the advantage of being a Singapore Permanent Resident = the disadvantage of being a Singapore Citizen

2006-09-14T16:58:00.000+08:00

I have long lament that being a Singapore PR is better than being a Singapore Citizen.

The only little advantages we, the citizens of Singapore, have are:

1) Subsidized housing - And its only for the 1st & 2nd time purchases of HDB flats, after that you have to pay the same amount as everyone else.

2) Subsidized education - Not much difference in the rates plus the fact that many stat boards and companies accept PRs for their bursary and scholarships.

3) Voting right - This is the best of all, as seen in recent General Elections (GE), not more than 50% get to vote as majority of the GRCs were walkover. Many many Singapore Citizens have not get the chance to vote for decades.

4) Red passport - The only real advantage of being a Singapore Citizen as the red passport is pretty much well-received all over the world due to the "Police State".

The many advantages of being a Singapore Permanent Resident:

1) Everything that a Singapore Citizen get to enjoy minus the 4 listed above and for male, the most important one below

2) No need to serve National Service - 2 full years of disruption that will haunt male citizens for the rest of your life plus 10 years of Reservist In-Camp-Training to further disrupt your career and family life.

Is it true that 2nd generation PRs are required to serve NS. Can they dun serve and yet stay in Singapore as a PR. How? See below:

"One person account "i came to Singapore at the age of 2 from malaysia,studied from k1 to jc 1,than at the age of 17 i cancelled my pr and went to uk to study.i came back to singapore at 21 and got an employment pass.after 5 years of ep i applied for pr and got it. i dont have to serve a minute of ns.i have a letter from mindef congradulating me that i am not liable for ns(ever). so i suggest you go down to singapore immigration and change your ic from pink to blue. the only advantage for pink ic holders are a subsidized 4 rm hdb flat. what is the value of a ns exempt letter from mindef ? priceless. i rather die than convert from blue to pink. i pray that the mentor lives for another 20 years and maintain the current status quo than i can retire a rich man in malaysia. malaysia boleh !!! btw my son will be learning this hat trick from his old man me."

Another person account "Same case here with me....! i was in malaysia studying til Form 6 (singapore's JC level) ....my dad is a 1st generation PR and i got my letter to serve NS after my studies. All i did was to renounce my PR and i didnt have to serve. 3 months later, i applied for a local uni as a malaysian and got in. After my degree, i was on EP and 1month after i got my first job, the singapore government offered me PR AGAIN.......i pity you singaporean......but its a loophole indeed. BTW, i was on scholarship during my studies in singapore as well so it was absolutely free...........GREAT FEELING....!!! I LUUVVVVV SINGAPORE"

Source from: Sammyboy.com Alfresco Coffee Shop

the integrity of local media

2006-09-14T15:33:00.000+08:00

What integrity do you still have, when millions of Singaporean heard it themselves that it was Hum (cockles) but yet you reported Hiam (chilli).

What makes you do that?

Can't a PM make a mistake in his speech?

Can't you believe that PM has said the wrong word while trying to show off his funny side?

Do you think that such a mistake if not corrected by the media, would diminish his standing and popularity?

Do you think that PM is a SAINT and hence he cannot say the wrong word?

Do you really think that Singaporeans are deaf and so naive!!!

You have just proven that you are unable to produce politically unbiased reports on Singapore politics.

the extracts

2006-05-22T17:17:00.000+08:00

Read through the discussions and was greatly impressed by some of his reply.

One self profess "young professional who belong to the top 20% of earners" forumer asked:

"While I admire your courage, determination and leadership, I have doubts on attractiveness of "civil disobedience" as promoted by you to the electorate. I am a young professional who belong to the top 20% of earners. Within 2 years of graduation, I am able to afford a condominium and a car. Much as I disagree with the PAP's heavy-handedness in dealing with the opposition, I owe it to them for what I have today. Though I come from a middle class family, my parents are able to support me to complete a medical degree in NUS, the most expensive course. Our country is stable and strong, we have material possessions and comforts few in other countries would ever imagine and I have a bright future ahead of me. To me, the concepts of democracy, human rights and liberalism sound very abstract and foreign. How can they improve my life in anyway. In spite of all its shortcomings, the PAP government did transform Singapore from a Third word to First in 4 decades. Which other countries can boast of such a strong, stable and responsible government as ours? Look at our neighbors Thailand which now faces a constitutional crisis due to the opposition boycott of the GE, when their economy suffer, its the people who is at the losing end. Is this the democracy you and your party propose? How do you intend to convince other young professionals like me to support your party?"

And his reply was that he used to be at the top 20% earners but he now have nothing.

"Dear Mihailov75,
First, let me congratulate you on your achievements.
Actually I think you are in the top 10 percent. You have indeed come a long way.
I, too, was in that tier of society where I was fortunate enough to do what I really loved - teaching and interacting with my students and seeing them grow intellectually. I was also doing research at NUH, Gleaneagles Hospital, and the Dept of Physiology. My wife was finishing up her doctoral dissertation and tutoring at the Dept of Social Work & Psychology. My office was serenely nestled on Kent Ridge. When I eventually applied for a credit card, I was offered three ¨C all gold. Banks started calling me up and said that they would give me a 100% housing loan. "One hundred percent??!!" my wife (fianc¨¦e then) and I exclaimed. We plumbed for a double-storey terrace house with four bedrooms, a big front porch and not little back garden. We got ourselves a brand new Mazda station wagon with plans to fit a few kids and a German Shepherd. We had arrived. (If you consider my childhood, which was distinctly not middle-class, the we-have-arrived feeling was even more delicious.)
But something stirred in me. Till today, I cannot tell you why, it just did. Seeing how the PAP treated Mr J B Jeyaretnam, the idea behind the Graduate Mothers¡¯ Scheme, the continued detention of Mr Chia Thye Poh, the bullying of the Mr Francis Seow and 1987 detainees, the absurdity of streaming our schoolchildren at nine years of age all gnawed away at me.
Most important, looking at the way working Singaporeans lived (and I know because I came from there) I found it difficult to continue living my lifestyle without lending a voice.
So I did.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Dear Mihailov, I cannot produce numbers to convince you that justice and truth outweigh the material comforts in life that you enjoy and the prestige that comes along with it. Instead I want to tell you that the measure of society is not how well it provides for the top 20 percent of its citizens. Instead the true measure of a society is how well we take care of our weak and old and vulnerable.
In the same vein, the true measure of a man is not how much he earns or what kind of house he lives in and what of a car he drives. It is how much he cares about those around him especially those who need a hand and a voice.
I will not try to convince you that democracy will get you a bigger pay check or buy you a bigger house, for it cannot. Instead I will tell you that in life there are virtues such as justice, truth and freedom that make us whole and that breathe into us the spirit to distinguish us from the other species of animals.
It is what makes us human.
I now live in a three-room HDB flat, drive a beat-up Toyota which
doesn't even belong to me, own no credit card, my office is atop the smoky Bee Cheng Hiang in Serangoon Road, I've been to jail four times, and I am a bankrupt.
But I have my wife and three children with me, and I have overcome my fear of standing up to the PAP. I can freely speak up for my fellow citizens. And because of this I dare say I am far, far richer ¨C and happier ¨C than the richest man in Singapore. Is this enough to convince you to join our cause? God will let you know.
Thank you, dear friend.
Chee Soon JuanSingapore Democrats"

A forumer - BalancedMind asked him to think for his wife and 3 children, to stop going against the ruling party or to change his tactics. I think he sympathizes with the poor wife and children who have to suffer together with their husband and father.

"Dear Dr. Chee,
I do not intend to burden you with all the questions and points that fellow
forummers have raised in this thread of yours. Your worth and what you
have done will be judged by our decendents many years down the road. You
can take comfort that you have played and done your part in securing democratic
process for us Singaporean and to which you have my respect.
However, I think it's high time that you do think about your family, your supportive wife and children. They have supported you in what you are doing up to now taking the blunt and discomfort that you are going through but don't you think you should also now think about them as they are just as human like everyone in this forumn. I have a little girl just like your eldest daughter and to which I try my best to give her the headstart in life. When I look at the photos of your family posted by Uncle Yap I was sad that you have not been fair to your little girl. I know you will be telling me that you love not
your little girl less but you love your country more. Much I can admire you for that believe but I still think you should spare a thought for your family especially your children who needs you more than we do.
You have done your duty to our nation and have been respected for that but allow me to say that my highest respect is not for you but to your wife and children who has supported you all these while which not many men can dream of. I do hope
you will spare some thought for them as it is your duty as the head of your
household to do so. "

But his reply was that he wish to create a better future for them by giving them a conducive environment and country.

"Dear BalancedMind,
Your words are wise and I thank you for them.
I have not the slightest ntention of sacrificeing my children's interests and needs.
Like any father, there is not a single day that goes by where I don't think
about how I would like them to grow up and how I can better provide for them.
But life is such that we never know what we are going to be confronted with.
That's why I see that the best gift I can give to them is to work for an
environment that facilitates their development into thinking individuals and citizens who endeavour to improve their lot around them. As they grow and see what is happening around them they will learn the values of right and wrong, and the courage to seek out the former and speak out against the latter. Their values system is what's most important.
With such an anchor for living, no matter where life takes them in the future they will always live richly ¨C both spiritually and physically.
Chee Soon JuanSingapore Democrats"

All these you will never hear from the media, not even the gossipy TNP or Shin Min...

the blue pill or the red pill?

2006-05-18T16:42:00.000+08:00

Dr. Chee Soon Juan has engaged the forumers of Sammyboy.com's Alfresco Coffee Shop for a post GE 2006 feedback session to seek their views, comments & suggestions.

Dear fellow Singaporeans and forumers,

Following the 2001 GE, the SDP spent 7 days in this forum posting its views, answering questions and responding to comments/suggestions.

We are here again to do the same following the recently concluded elections. We will participate in this chat-site for the next 7 days during which we welcome questions and comments that you would like to direct at the Singapore Democrats.

While we cannot answer every post, we will endeavour to respond to as many of you and cover as wide a range of topics as humanly
possible. It is our effort to continue to spread our message and solicit input from our fellow citizens.

In order not to impose ourselves on this forum, we will confine our postings to this thread and this thread only. We would like to kick it off by posting the article below which we had written before polling day and inviting comments.

We look forward to a meaningful and stimulating discussion with all of you.

Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party

This is your chance to find out more about him.

You have a choice.

"You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe."

"You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. "

Remember -- all I am offering is the truth, nothing more.

the technicality issue

2006-05-18T11:13:00.000+08:00

For most of the GE 2006, I ignored or skimmed through all the news reports on PAP except those where they bombard-ed the Alternative Parties. On the Friday before the Polling day, I went a jogging at Sengkang along the LRT SouthWest route starting from Cheng Lim station. Along the deserted road, there are many PAP and SDA posters hanging on the lamp posts, as they are both contesting for the Pasir Ris - Punggol GRC (I wondered how did SengKang fit into Pasir Ris - Punggol equation, but that's the UNIQUELY SINGAPORE GE thing when it comes to GRC boundaries).

So along the first few lamp-posts, the PAP posters shown was the 6-men team leaded by Teo Chee Hean. Funny why both parties bothered to hang the posters there as it is inhabited and the LRT stations are not operational too. Maybe they are targeting the joggers but I think it will most likely back-fired psychologically. How will you feel if u are panting heavily short of breath while all the candidates do is to smile at you fighting for air?

After a few hundred meters down the road, across 2 traffic junctions, I saw that the faces in the PAP posters changed upgraded from Teo Chee Hean to junior Lee?!? So SengKang is effectively split into 2 parts with 1 half under the Pasir-Ris - Punggol GRC and the other half grouping under junior Lee AMK GRC. And then I past by the construction site for the new SengKang Sports Complex, which is just beside the Sungei Punggol. And then I realized this the new SengKang Sports Complex that the Teo Chee Hean and his team members have said that "Residents in Pasir Ris and Sengkang can look forward to sports complexes" in his election speeches/interviews.

And while admiring the construction as I dream of swimming and/or jogging in the new SengKang Sports Complex, I realized that this SengKang Sports Complex is not within our Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC boundaries. IT IS TECHNICALLY LOCATED WITHIN THE AMK GRC, even though it is in called SengKang Sports Complex.

Not that I am very particular about the imaginary line drawn by the boundaries of both GRCs but hor, if it not within your GRC, please don't claimed that "It has been promised a sports hall and swimming pool in Pasir Ris, and a sports complex in Sengkang." It's a tiny weeny bit misleading, right?

the sore loser?

2006-05-09T16:37:00.000+08:00

So is the best loser in the 2001 GE really going to quit politics? He has lost again in this election and said that he will only make a comeback when there is enough people who are angry with the ruling party.

It took Mr. Chiam See Tong 4 rejections (He first contested in 1972 and that makes 12 years of fighting against all odds) before he succeeded in Potong Pasir in 1984. Not only that, he went on to be the elected MP for potong pasir for 22 more years, seeing off 6 fierce contests. He is now 71 years old but he is still fighting strong to deny the ruling party a clean sweep in the government, just as he has first rallied for when he contested in 1984.

So Mr. Chia, do you see the reality of being the Opposition Party in Singapore? You are only half-way there.

the founder of (modern) Singapore

2006-05-08T17:07:00.000+08:00

the other day me and my wife was discussing about the GE, paticularly the media coverage and the ernomous turnout at Opposition parties rally.

I was telling her that the turnout are so fantastic but it does not necessary translate into votes as we have experienced during past few elections. The turnout are inversely proportionate to the aomunt of media coverage. PAP rally only saw thousands of people at most while Opposition parties easily attracted tens of thousands. On the other hand, our media coverage of PAP is never lacking. On TV, you get to hear what the PAP ministers have to say to the voters. Opposition will be lucky to get 1 or 2 sentences broadcast to the whole of Singapore. On the newspaper, lagi best. Out of 10 pages, 9 will be reporting on what PAP ministers have said - many a times word for word. All the Opposition parties, no matter how many candidates they fielded, will get to share that 1 pathetic page.

Of course, there are exception. But you have to be on the wrong side of the law. Like Mr. James Gomez. He got plenty of coverage for 3 days because he did not submit the minorities certificate application form and yet went back to question the election department staff when he did not received his minorities certificate. All the ministers took turn to bombard him and the election department, under Ministry of Home Affairs, presented the media with their side of the story using CCTV footage and their conservation contents. The media dutifully printed all of them in their papers and I must say that the CCTV footage was shown so many times over the TV news, I thought they are asking the public for assistance to help identify the man in the CCTV.

But the biggest issue is that our so-called "founder of modern Singapore" as referred to by the media has also opened his mouth for the first time during this GE to give his thoughts on the "liar" James Gomez. And after him, many copy-cats ministers also started questioning his integrity and calling him names.

I told my wife that it's time the "founder of modern Singapore" let go and move on. Not only on the James Gomez issues but from Singapore politics too. It really time that he retired and stop interfering. I don't understand why many people were so angry about the youngsters who were "rude" to him during the live open debate aired over TV recently.

Yes, we should respect him for what he did to transform Singapore. But that respect doesn't means that we should allow him to "But from time to time when they’re out of bounds, I put them down."

Did he make single-handedly built Singapore from a third world country to (so called) first world country? Please don't forget that our grandparents and parents are the ones who sweat and toiled in contributing to Singapore progress as well. He did not built Changi Airport by himself, he did not served in the army as part of the National Service, he did not have a HAND in the building of the HDB flats, roads, expressways, drains, etc... He only lead a group of highly competent ministers to catapult Singapore into what it is today.

So please don't mind us being "rude" if you think that we are "out of bounds" cos you are past your time. Please learn to let go and stop interferring in our times. Thank you.

the election talk

2006-05-02T15:11:00.000+08:00

My previous guess was incorrect... but this new election date was also quite perfectly timed just after 1st May - Labour day and Hong Bao day. Have you ever wondered why is the Hong Bao available to those who are at least 21 years old? What about the 18, 19, 20 years old teenagers who had started working and hence contributing to country economically in 2005? Unfair, right? Blame it on this being the election year lah.

I was damn ~~proud of~~ pleased with the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties when they MOUNT the first serious challenge to the ruling party by contesting in 47 seats on the Nomination day. Credit should also be given to the ~~ruling party~~ election department for making minimum changes to the boundaries - electoral division. The ~~opposition~~ alternative parties are much better prepared this time round. They even managed to come together to discuss and finalized each party interests in which areas to avoid 3-corner fights and hence maximizing the ~~opposition~~ alternative resources. I am glad that they have denied the ruling party returning to power on nomination day.

There are many new faces for this election, with the ruling party introducing the new faces earlier (cos they know roughly when the election will be called) and the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties electing to intro their new candidates after the announcement of the Nomination day. I have nothing to say about the ruling party candidates, as usually they are high-ranking military generals, doctors and lawyers with impressive CV to show to the public. But the fact that ~~opposition~~ alternative parties are able to recruit more educated and younger candidates (and some hot chicks too) and convinced them to run against the ruling party is very encouraging.

Although 1 report I read in the news really emphasize the difficulties and hardships that a person will face if he/she decide to join the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties. There was this man at the age of 30 plus whom last minute withdrew from being one of the ~~opposition~~ alternative team candidates to contest against the ruling party in one area. He was reported (by their Chief) to be in eyes swollen with tears when he explained his reasons for withdrawing. The reasons were that his 67 or 69 years old mother has strongly disagreed to him standing as an ~~opposition~~ alternative party candidate and his family and relatives have also advised him not to join the ~~opposition~~ alternative party as it may affect his brother-in-law "career advancement". Very sad hor... but is this the true situation here?

One other thing about this election is that many high profile candidates in the ruling party have being using analogy in their speeches. Like the one who choose to warn his voters about the consequences of choosing the wrong candidate. He said in Mandarin that choosing a candidate is likening to choosing a DURIAN. If the voters chose the DURIAN that is spoilt, he/she will have to throw away that DURIAN. So they must chose the Good DURIAN. Up till now I still cannot understand what is the connection between choosing a durian and voting for an MP...

Then recently we have the minorities certificate saga that was running the newspaper for many days. One ~~opposition~~ alternative candidate took a minorities certificate application form but forget to submit it and then proceed to question the election department for mishandling his form when he did not received his minorities certificate. Apparently, the ruling party took big issue with this mistake of his and questions this ~~opposition~~ alternative candidate's INTEGRITY to stand as a candidate. The election department also very eagerly offered their version of the story, completed with a full detailed telephoned conversion between them and the ~~opposition~~ alternative candidates plus the video evidence that he took the form and kept it inside his briefcase failing to submit it.

And the media has been using the video many many many times (almost everyday) when the ruling party's candidates took turn to question the ~~opposition~~ alternative candidates silence over this matter. And even when the ~~opposition~~ alternative candidate has openly apologized at their rally, the ruling party still insist that the chief of the party answered to the public for that mistake - even to the point of hinting that the ~~opposition~~ alternative candidate be sacked and withdrawn from standing as a candidate. And this is the first time I heard that it is perfectly ok to run a 4-men team against a 5-men team in a 5-candidates GRC!!!

I think I remembered that I once read in the news that there was a drawer minister from the ruling party, who was once caught leaking some high class information out and he was charged and fine some money, shipped out of that organization for a few years then rejoined back after that. Correct me if I am wrong, please.

And of course, there must be another smart alex ruling party candidate to voice out at this saga with ANOTHER analogy - ~~stealing~~ getting caught taking a BIG item, putting it in the bag and walk out of a supermarket. Can someone please tell this fellow the differences between stealing and forgetting to submit a form that was given freely to anyone who asked for it? Why can't he say that it is liken to a student who forgets to submit his answer papers during his exam and later questioned the school when he found out he was awarded zero marks in that paper?

Several tactics by the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties were quite naive as well. Touting as a 24/7 MP is one thing but to the extend of offering instant access to either 1 of the 5 MPs 24/7 via a mobile phone number is suicidal. You will be bombed with nuisance calls 86400/1440/24/7 loh. The call for Economic union with our neighbour was also not the cleverest thing to do. As rightly disputed, we can't even build a bridge together, how to talk about economic union?

Where have all the eloquent speakers of the ruling party gone to? All retired? Till now, most that I have read and hear from the newspaper and tv is poor speeches completed with irrelevant analogies. The PM is one that makes excellent speeches - especially the National Rally last year, it was an excellent speech. The rest of his members simply cannot make it. As for the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties, the new lady chairwoman seems to be struggling when she was reading out her speech in mandarin. I give her poor marks for that. However, judging from the reactions of people who attended the ~~opposition~~ alternative rally, the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties have much better speakers who make an effort to connect with the people. BUT whether they can be better MPs remain to be seen, that is, provided that they are elected as MPs.

I noticed that many candidates of the ruling party are getting more arrogant, especially in the way they denounce and criticized the ~~opposition~~ alternative parties. It seems even more arrogant when those newly joined candidates jump in to criticize the other parties’ candidates. I thought they should be working to prove themselves in their sincerity and willingness to serve the residents first before they can criticize another person? If the ruling party is serious about the integrity and character of the ~~opposition~~ alternative candidates, why not used the same trick policy deployed in the Presidential Election where all candidates were screened through by a high-level committee before they were give a COE - Certificate of Eligibility...

I thought they should appeal to the voters through sincerity? I just hope that they will stop nitpicking on each other and start to show to us the voters that they really have our welfare in mind when they choose to stand as candidates for election.

Please tell me why should I vote for you. Not why I should not vote for the other candidate.

the burning question

2006-03-07T14:10:00.000+08:00

After watching the video clip, I cannot control myself but ask the lead actress this burning question...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Did it really went inside your "back hole"???

the Cash Incentives for NSmen - Is money the best way to compensate NSmen

2005-11-16T12:12:00.000+08:00

KAN - to the power of 2!!!

Cash gift to recognize NS contributions

I am about to ROD from my reservist obligations - thanks to the shorten 10 year cycle. And now they want to reward NSmen in CASH - HARD COLD CASH... shite, came too late but then again no amount of $$$ will entice me to go for more ICT.

I have been serving my ICT liabilities faithfully for many years and I went to all ICT unwillingly but yet bo bian. The only comfort I got from my time spent in ICT was the catching up with my equally unwilling but yet bo bian ex-army friends. Apart from that, everything else sucks. The same old ~~hierachy~~ respect-the-rank-not-the-person bullshits, fuckface enciks who think they are the lao jiao who knows everything, do-things-for-show-only wayang training, and best of all rush-to-wait-then-wait-to-rush way of doing things.

I faithfully attended every call-up so that I can finish my ICT cycle without delay and avoid attending make-up ICT with another unfamiliar unit cos doing shite things with friends whom you eat, drink, pee, shit, bathe, sweat and bleed together for 2 years make things a hell lot more bearable.

The darkest moment in my ICT was one that denied me of something so valuable and priceless that no amount of CASH INCENTIVE can compensate...

When my son first learn how to walk and succeeded in taking his first step unassisted, I was wearing the No. 4, sweating it out at near 40 Degree Celsius weather in the faraway land of Thailand. Thus I missed out on an important milestone in my son's development all because of ICT. I cannot tell my son in future that I was there to witness his first few baby steps.

How can I feel more patriotic when my NS obligation denied me one of the proudest moments as a father watching my son take his first step unassisted? And no amount of $$$ can buy me back the witnessing of my son taking his first step.

the GE gonna be held soon?

2005-11-15T17:19:00.000+08:00

Wow, Buangkok MRT station is going to be officially open on mid January 2006, and in time for Chinese New Year somemore! And the government said that it is purely a commercial decision make by SBS Transit, no government intervention at all.

Ya right, as if, all the ridership studies, appeals, low take up rates for Buangkok HDB pigeon-holes, residents' protests, anger, ~~subtle~~ demonstration with white elephants displays (7 somemore), for more than 2 years were insignificant to the Government especially when GE is to be held by 2007.

I think the last straw was the "white elephant" protest, there has never been such strong reactions of discontent from the good citizens of Singapore until one brave soul decided to show their anger and discontent PUBLICLY during another more VIP Minister visit. Even the most Kiasi Singaporean has a limit to his patience since their own area MP adviser was so ~~useless and incapable~~ docile in fighting for the welfare of his constituency.

I so smell a rat, and if PM Lee is really ~~scheming~~ tactical enough to hold the General Election near Chinese New Year, best if the polling is on Chinese New Year Eve day. That's the bestest ultimate super-duper killer strategy that he can deploy to win the psychological advantage. There is no way he can hope and wait for another 911 twin towers bombings opportunity to come their way before June 2007.

the 2 girls that went missing since Sunday

2005-09-01T10:05:00.000+08:00

Update: The 2 sisters have been found. Seem like a rebellious case to me. The parents really need to spend more quality time with them before the 2 girls get into bigger trouble. TNP report here.

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http://gvjc.blogspot.com/2005/09/2-young-girl-missing-since-sunday.html

the spell check irony

2005-08-12T17:26:00.000+08:00

I just notice that the word BLOG does not exists in the spell-check ~~dictionary~~ lexicon used by Blogspot. It will prompt you to change to another word.

Irony?

the NDP Aftermath

2005-08-11T17:31:00.000+08:00

National day is over.

My ~~prediction~~ weather broadcast was spot-on, there was many pockets of rain in the days before NDP and it did not rain a single drop during NDP afternoon/evening at all. On Thursday afternoon, 2 days passed National Day, there was an ultra-super-duper thunderstorm rain at my workplace in the east. And there was heavy rain on Friday early morning too. The weather are screw up, so try not to plan any outdoor activities, especially sun-tanning.

On another note, I was watching the NDP parade on TV. Half-way through, I spotted a misfire. Either the camera man was damn sway, never bathe for many many days, to capture it or one of the Gunners did not bathe for many many days.

It happened during the 21 Gun salute while the 81-years-old-but-still-healthy-enough-to-be-YOUR-President was inspecting the Guards-of-Honours and at the background, there is a 21 gun salute being fired off by 6 25-pounders. The 21 shots was to be fired one shot at a time, which starts from the first step taken by the President till the last step of the inspection. And so it happen that out of 21 shots that was rotated by the 6 25-pounders guns, the second close-up shots that they choose to pan over to, they kenna a misfire.

I have captured the screen shots from the NDP video they uploaded. It happened at 1 hour 27 mins in the video, if you wish to see for yourself. Else, I have attempted to post the first picture in my blog. Amen. Amitabha.

~~Shit. I cannot capture the screen shot from the video. Sorry, u got to go to the video clip yourself to see it. It happened at the 1 hour 27 mins.~~

I managed to capture the screen shots after googling for help when my print screen method turn out a black image only. Here it is.

How do u tell? Easy, the screen was pan to that particular 25-pounder during the President inspection walk. If you observe the gunner sitting on the side of the 25-pounder, his right hand that was resting on the gun actually moved to strike the firing lever. But nothing happened, and 2 seconds later (I actually timed the delay) the 25-pounder on the left fired off one round which u can see by the smoke that was blown over AND then the stunned camera man desperately tried to swing over to focus on the 25-pounder on his left then.

Luckily, the gunner of the next 25-pounder was quick-wit to fired off. Of course, they are supposed to be prepared for such misfire drill, that is the next 25-pounder gunner is to immediately fire-off if there is a misfire. But you do not get to practice such drill hands on. It really boils down to the alertness and smartness of that gunner to instinctively hit the firing lever.

2 seconds delay should be negligible but then again we are talking about SAF. I hope that the misfire was due to damage charge (there is actually no round loaded, not even dummy round, only the charges is fired to create the boom sound) or firing lever faulty instead of human error. And the other quick witted gunner was praised and the incident is put to rest.

Because the 25-pounder battery was tasked to fire off the 21 rounds with precision where each boom is timed to sound off according to specific steps taken by the president. If you missed the timing too obvious, u will get into big shit. If you missed and only fired off 20 shots in the end, God bless the whole battery including the CO, cos they will really get it up down left right.

It shouldn't be so when they have to burnt consecutive weekends for 6 months of practices, even though, they do have the easiest task after the mobile column troops.

the 40RN46!

2005-07-20T11:35:00.000+08:00

This morning i was driving along PIE towards Changi Airport direction at about 8 am. Just before the BKE exit, I spotted a vehicle registration number (commonly known as car license number in Singapore) of a black Ford Laser as 40RN46!

When I was about to drive past the vehicle, I struggled badly to peep at who the driver is and at the same time, not crashing into the slow moving vehicle in front of me. I saw a white-hair ~~Ang Moh~~ Caucasian in some sort of unfamiliar military-looking uniform (cause got rank epaulettes on the shoulder).

I know that there is S1234CD vehicle registration number which is for the foreign embassy staff uses. I know of ~~SEKOM1234~~ SUKOM1234, Malaysia vehicle registration number that was released to commemorate certain sporting event that was hosted by Malayisa that year.

BUT 40RN46?!?!

40 Royal Navy 46?

the campaign starts the minute they announced his submission of application for COE for Presidency

2005-07-12T17:16:00.000+08:00

Buay. Tahan. Damn. Buay. Tahan. Kan. Si. Lang. Buay. Tahan.

The ~~fucking~~ very moment ChannelNewsAsia reported that Mr. Nathan "Singapore President Nathan running for second term", they follows with 2 reports immediately on:

NTUC backs President Nathan's bid for a second term - supported delightly by "NTUC and all of its 63 affiliated unions"

President Nathan's medical report shows he's fit despite old age - he is not super-duper-fit cause he is 81 years old (way past retirement age) but then he "can continue with his normal daily activities" by the Directors/Chairmen/Senior Advisors of the respective specialist centres.

All this was because there is someone who has submitted his/her application for a COE for running for President Election on Monday...

I was discussing with wife that we are seeing alot of Mr. Nathan in the media this year, actually, make it he was seen more in this year than ALL THE PREVIOUS 3 years.

My guess then was that

1) There will be voting for the next elected President - no more walk-over. BECAUSE we they need to test out the E-voting system and use this chance to proclaim that it is very secure, accurate and privacy of overseas e-voters are not violated. (And this will also be the chance that my wife will get her first go at voting at the age of 31.)

2) Mr. Nathan will be running again despite all the rumours that he will be retiring BECAUSE either

(a) they cannot find another more suitable candidate to take over him.

(b) there is actually someone who is qualified (out of the 400 or 4000 over people that passed the freaking strict criteria which essentially limits it to almost everyone who passed to be the elites).

so they better beef him up in the limelights to remind everyone what a nice and adorable President that he was. This is what the newspaper reported, I do not know how true it is when they say he is a super-duper-nice-kind-benevolence-man because I have never met him before.

So how? Next on - the election talks about e-voting and we'll get to see more and more reports/ comments by Political writers & MPs on how Mr. Nathan will be the PERFECT guy to go for the second term despite being at the good old ripe age of 81.

the weather broadcast

2005-07-08T16:43:00.000+08:00

Drove pass Padang during lunch time today, saw the grandstand and all the props set up for the National Day Parade.

There is no shelter for the grandstand where all the VVVIPs of Singapore will be sitting. What will happen if it RAINs???

Men In White all drenched?

Women In White all wet... hmmmm ;)

I cannot remember any single National Day Parade that was sabotage by rain over the pass 15 - 2 0 years. I have participated in 2 NDP and there was never any CONTIGENCY PLANs in case it rain on National Day evening.

Why? I ~~remember hearing~~ highly suspected that they do weather ~~manipulation~~ modification to prevent it from raining on the actual day.

So dun expect any "It was a dark and stormy night" settings on the 9th of August in Singapore. Best time to organize birthday barbecue, picnics, all outdoor activities for that matter.

Also avoid the days or weekends just before 9th of August, sure confirm-stamp-chop will rain one.

Wanna bet?

the traffic watch

2005-06-23T10:18:00.000+08:00

Yesterday lunch time, i was driving to lunch and as usual the car radio was tuned to Class 95. Mediacorp radio has this regular Traffic Watch segment, every 15 mins i think, mainly reporting on which roads are experiencing traffic jams to warn drivers in advance. Source of traffic info came from TRAFFIC POLICE, the Meteorological Service Department, group of taxi drivers and private car owners plus public call-in.

As ~~Vernetta Lopez~~ the DJ was reporting on the latest on the road, i was pleasantly surprise at what she had announced. Not her exact words but something along this line...

"A word of caution to drivers on the ECP heading towards Changi Airport direction, STAY WITHIN THE SPEED LIMIT, after the Bayshore exit. We don't want drivers to suddenly jam their brakes and go eeeee.... if you know what I mean."

In the evening about 6 pm while I was driving home, again the radio was tuned to Class 95 and ~~Jean Danker~~ another DJ was again reporting on traffic watch, asking drivers to stay within the speed limit if they are driving along ORCHARD BOULEVARD, listed at number 25

The Public teaming up against the ~~sneaky~~ open and honest traffic police armed with the new-expensive-high-tech-super-duper-portable-speed-laser-camera-that-can-even-capture-the-driver's-face-clearly one.

I wonder how long will it take for the authorities to tell traffic watch to concentrate on their accidents and vehicle breakdowns reporting and PLEASE DON'T PICHA OUR LOBANG.

the incident that taught me humility

2005-05-27T15:19:00.000+08:00

Many years ago, when I was still in secondary school, I always spend my school holidays at my dad's little factory, in a industrial building.

One day, I took the lift with the cleaner uncle who walked with a limp. I smiled at him, as my dad always did and followed with some small talk. The cleaner uncle smiled back and told me, in hokkien, words that I will never forget:

"Your dad is a nice and good man, he always chat with me whenever he sees me around. A man that does not look down on people like me are hard to find, somemore he is a boss who owns his own factory and business."

My father is not a rich man, in fact, we are just able to get by, most of the time. He is just a small and tiny shoe manufacturer relying extensively on manual labour. A dying trade in Singapore.

The proud man counts his newspaper clippings, the humble man his blessings.
Fulton J. Sheen

the difference between Citizen & PRs

2005-05-26T15:27:00.000+08:00

i have something to ~~say~~ complain about this.

the towns/estates that is full of U-Turns - update

2005-05-25T16:30:00.000+08:00

I recently moved house.

From a HDB ~~flat~~ pigeon-hole in an old estate to another HDB pigeon-hole in a ~~new~~ five years old estate.

So nowadays while I am driving around the estate, I found that U can do a U-turn at about 90% of the traffic junctions there. Why are there so many U-turn allowed in this estate and the other ~~newer~~ ulu estate?

Then I realised that there are no more turning right, cutting across the opposite road, in the middle of a road, to get across into carparks/perpendicular road. Get what I mean? If you don't, try driving around here and you will understand the bloody frustration of MAKING A U-TURN everytime you wish to get to the other side of the road. Especially, when there aren't really many cars on the roads there.

I think this may be the act of the the gahmen. They are so fond of making U-turns nowadays that they decided to enforce the practice of U-turning skills of the younger generation thru such clever traffic plannings.

Sometime really buay tahan them one.

the 3rd time I worn the No. 1

2005-05-17T12:30:00.000+08:00

Mr. Miyagi post on Starry Night has unfortunately brought back old memories of mine.

8 years ago, 2 soldiers were burned to death instantly, due to an artillery round exploded in the gun chamber, in a faraway land.

We were split into 3 batches for a live firing exercise, the first time in that faraway land.

My team operated the gun as the first batch and left the country before the 2nd batch arrived.

He took over the gun that I had just used.

A round exploded in the chamber during the 2nd day of his exercise.

He never stands a chance.

I was there to receive his body when it was flown back.

I was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.

His mother slept beside his coffin every night during the wake.

I witnessed his mother crying her heart out while his father and younger sister fought to hold back their tears despite their sorrows.

I started to cry after seeing his mother running towards the burial hole, trying to jump in as they lowered his coffin in, wishing to be buried together with her beloved son.

He never chao-geng.

He carried out his duties & responsibilities diligently.

He was the most helpful guy I had ever known.

He likes to drink coke.

He is the reason I believed that there are christian who practice what the bible preached.

He never complained about the army.

He was the best trainee.

He was the soldier you will want to fight alongside with.

He would be ORDing in 3 months time.

He had a place in NUS reserved for him.

I would be standing in the same position as he was, if I were in the 2nd batch instead. I only thought of it after a few weeks had passed. But I never ever once thought that I was luckier than him.

All I know is that it should not had happened to him.

RIP, my dear friend.