Hmm...Upgrades

This picture was taken in 2003 January 16 1519hrs


And this one, 2006 July 12 1143hrs

Obviously the guy has upgraded...keeping up with the times I must say. I guess it wouldn't be nice to post his car number plate on the web so I've deleted it but based on prefix and suffix, you can see that it's the same car...

And both times, he zoomed past me. :P There have been other instances whereby I've seen the same car...for example, last month, I saw the Lancer that ended up in the ditch along Stevens Road with the same guy (in the picture)driving it.

I didn't have enough time to grab a photo though, unfortunately but sufficed to say, the car was repaired.

Okay, so that's about it for my blogging tonight. Just thought I'd share these little interesting coincidences with my readers (if you're still here).

Technology

You gotta love new technology. It makes one feel like a professional providing the opportunity of "instant replay". It also makes things a heck of a lot more affordable than before.

I find it quite amazing that the younger generation's only opportunity to see what used to be common domesticated farm animals such as a chicken running loose would be at the zoo. Younger generation would equal youths that are below twenty this year. Born circa 1986.

Nothing much was accomplished this week or last. I guess it's time to get off the old butt and start working again. Things might be easier if I had an idea of what everything was about. In any case, it's time to get moving.

A Good Time?

Someone must've have had a good time last night. The evidence left behind is way to compelling. Although I must add that it must've been physically uncomfortable for the floor is cold, hard concrete/ceramic tile.

At least they practiced SAFE SEX...

There's always this thrill of making out and getting naked in public I suppose. That the idea of the possibility of being caught is there. It just turns some people on. But the least they could do is clean up afterwards...the lift was littered with used tissue paper...probably remnants of the activities which included the contents of the wrapper left behind.

Well, whoever's the one that scored, the best muffins and bagels are on their way!

Why oppose?

Not being the ruling party doesn't necessarily mean that one MUST oppose the ruling party. So why are they called the "opposition"?

If I had a political party and if the incumbent kept calling me "opposition", I'd want to set the record straight. I would want to be called the "alternative" party, the alternative choice; anything but opposition.

The word opposition has such negative intonations. It's not there to generate good feeling but more to the tune of discontent. The alternative party doesn't necessarily have to oppose new legislation IF it benefits the country and its citizens. It's a matter of questioning and keeping the ruling party in check.

That's what democracies are all about. A 1 party government doesn't have to mean that it is better to rule. If the ruling party cannot handle any line of questioning and would spend more time and energy countering each other, then they are obviously not fit to govern. If they feel that since they are the majority government, they don't have to listen to anyone else to answer to anyone else. Which to put simply means that they can do whatever they want and nobody would keep check on them.

Since when is that good? Sounds very much like a dictatorship to me. Dictators can give handouts once in a while as well. It doesn't mean that because you give out share and create medisave (which incidentally is your own savings anyway) that a government with an overwhelming majority is not a dictatorship.

The term dictator doesn't mean "Adolf Hitler". It doesn't mean misery and suffering. A dictator is one that rules with total authority. A dictator is one that is domineering. A dictator doesn't have to answer to the people. We are lucky that we have elections once every 5 years. This is so that even if we had a dictatorial government they are answerable AND liable to the people. That keeps them in check because if they screw up in any way, nobody would vote for them the next time round.

"What is the opposition's job? It's not to help the PAP do a better job ... because if they help the PAP do a better job, you're going to vote for me again and they're going to be out of a job for a long time. So their job is to make life miserable for me." - PM Lee in a lunchtime election rally.

To be capable of such thought and bring forth into a speech is selfish to say the least. When is the government about winning and when is it NOT about how best to SERVE the public?

Issn't it quite possible that not EVERYTHING the PAP does is in the best interest of the public? We've learnt to accept whatever's been legislated simply because there've been no opposition in parliament. It is as simple as that.

Is the minority voice actually heard? It's usually drowned out by majority noise.

I'm not here to say who's right and who's wrong. I believe that this General Election is gone to the point of character attacks and inelegent bantering between the parties. So much so that the matters at hand, things that concern everyone has been all but ignored.

Concerns such as means testing for healthcare as it was brought up by Sylvia Lim of the Worker's Party. Does the PAP have a ready reply that's good enough to convince borderline cases that fail to obtain subsidies swing their votes?

I wonder if anyone's done a poll about what the people would like to hear and what the major concerns are for the next 5 years.

Whatever the outcome, I believe that this GE has gone off track and it's sad to see it go this way.

Lack of Respect

Who the heck do they think they are? Total disregard for the MM and the government. Asking questions that shouldn't be asked, interrupting and trying to show that they've got brain? Geez!

One even said that she was afraid of asking a "stupid" question.

From where I was sitting, all the questions asked were stupid. It must've been disheartening for the MM to build up the country to this level only to have those who have never been through the tough times criticize the way it's being run now.

What do they know about politics? If they think that they're so capable, why not run for office? Yes, the people should question the government and keep it on its toes but what should be questioned would be the manifesto and not the method.

Does the govenment have any plans for the future? How can they assure the same quality of government that has been running the country in the past?

Questions such as these pop up in my mind.

Would "poaching" scholars into the civil service followed by joining the party be good enough? How will they ensure that Singaopre is not left behind in the global chase for a better life? Is there any way that the government can help to improve the quality of life here?

These are questions that should be asked. Not questions like "Shouldn't you be retiring?"

If I was the MM, I would shake my head in disgust and pose this back at them, "If the younger generation of Singaporeans thought the way you did, how can I retire?"

It's pathetic...it's political bashing...it's ridiculous. Period.

Outspoken Immaturity

If you've watched the dialogue with MM Lee, just as I have, you be fearful of what today's young think of politics.

Question such as "Do you think you're arrogant" and ..."the playing field is so skewed, it is impossible for us to have a good check" (with regards to the opposition not being able to play politics at a level field)

These questions are questions that demonstrate the immaturity of the young today. After all, the people have voted the PAP into the majority of parliament themselves. Was it because of lack of choice? Perhaps and perhaps not.

Why do are there walkovers? Simply put, because there are no opposition candidates to contest. Is it healthy? No but who will step up and an independant? People are not afraid of voting for the opposition. Not so much as people are afraid to RUN AS the opposition. Politics is a murky world. If you're in the opposition, the majority government will do it outmost to discredit you. Unless you have a squeaky clean past record and a good track record of success, you don't stand a chance because they will dig up everything you've done before.

They won't do anything illegal since these things when found out, will totally discredit them and what they've build so far. The smart people know that. That's why they join the winning party and in Singapore's case, it's not such a difficult choice.

We're comfortable with the goverment now. Yes, once in a while, when a new policy is passed, we make some noise over it but after a while, we learn to accept it. Just as we've learned to accept that there will be little or no opposition.

My question to the PAP is this, "Would new candidates in the PAP be characterised as people following orders? Would they have a mind of their own and if there is a conflict of interest with regards to certain policies, would they be able to sum up the courage and stand up to say "I don't believe that this is what my constituents want".

Sleeping early

There's a wonderful feeling to hitting the sack at 7pm and waking up at 3am...

Well, yes, I do get the full 8 hours shut-eye time but apart from that, being up at 3 gives me the wonderful feeling that I'm fresh and fully awake to do my stuff.

Like write my blog & play Need for Speed Most Wanted.

I'm now driving an Aston Martin DB9...but only in the video game. I wish I had one for real though. The sound effects are alright but I wouldn't say that it's true to the cars themselves.

It's a fun game of dodging the cops etc but the soundtrack's a killah! Pity I can't find any online to stream here.

National Service and Bonuses

I understand the fact that Singapore Permanant Residents can't vote. I also understand that SPRs might not share the same national loyalties or patriotism as citizens. What I don't understand is if that were the case, why I'm serving National Service.

Of course there are sensitive issues with regards to which camp or unit I'm in but sufficed to say that I'm trusted by MINDEF not to leak any military secrets. Yet, I don't receive the NS Bonus. Okay, politically, I understand I suppose. After all, this is an election year with the GE coming up, obviously they have to dangle some carrots from the budget and give it to people who can vote.

But why call it NS Bonus when it's not across the board? I wonder how many SPRs serve NS like I do. And since it's called NS Bonus, I would automatically assume that I am eligible. So far, there hasn't been any statement issued stating that SPRs who served full-time National Service and are currently Operationally Ready with Active In-Camp Trainings are not eligible.

Yes, it's only a $100 but still, money is money and MINDEF should at least make a mention of it. As an SPR, I believe that I'm contributing as much to the nation (National Service wise) as any citizen.

Oh well...something to bring up I suppose.

Typing in the dark

Yessss...I can now type in the dark. Thanks to the new Saitek Eclipse keyboard with illumination. I don't know why, but manufacturers of PC notebooks till now, haven't got it in their heads that with the LCD Monitor so close by, it's almost impossible to see the keys on the keyboard behind the glare of the display.

Unfortunately, the Saitek's an external keyboard. It helps when I hook it up to my laptop but I feel that it's a little cumbersome. Why can't PC Laptop manufacturers get it right? Apple's Powerbooks have illuminated keyboards and they work wonderfully well. IBM's ThinkPads (now marketed as Lenovo) has a keyboard light which works pretty good but that's about the only one that offers built-in illumination.

I just wish that design engineers would steal ideas from one another once in a while. Just so that the provide that little extra value. Oh well...at least I'm enjoying my new kayboard (which incidentally costs $99).

Accident

"Guess what happened? I just drove my car straight into the temporary fence and into a pit. Its still got its ass sticking out but hey, I'll need a tow truck to get it out."

This was probably what the owner was trying to tell someone on his cellphone. I guess due to the wet and slippery condition of the road, he might have tried to take the turn with a little too much gusto.

It must've slipped cause from the looks of it, the car went straight into the barrier. Anyway, the workers lurking nearby would probably buy some 4Ds with the number plate of the car.

It's a good thing that no one was injured though. At least I saw none.

Mentors...

There seems to be a push towards mentorism in the current political regime in Singapore. Mr Lee Kuan Yew retired from the political limelight (sort of) in 1990 and became Senior Minister taking on a more "consultancy" role with Mr Goh Chok Tong at the helm of the People's Action Party. After his retirement in 2004, he took on the post of Senior Minister and our dear SM Lee become Minister Mentor (a post specially created for him).

It looks as though the older generation still feels the need to "tutor" our new leaders. It's almost as if the entire cabinet is still tied to "mommy's apron strings". I mean, they're so unwilling to let the children grow up and move on. When is this going to stop? Really.

Now, Dr Tony Tan, has made a similar announcement in that he's going to retire from politics but continue to "play a mentor role" (Straits Times, March 26 2006). I'm sure that our younger generation of politicans are more than capable of running the country but I guess it's really hard to let go. Kinda like parenting. It's not easy when a parent finds that the child has grown and is ready to move out. No matter how old you get, parents will still and always treat the child as one. It's the bond that makes us special and different from other animals.

Of course not everybody would agree with all the policies of the current government but seriously, do we actually have an opposition that's worthy of taking the seat of power? Singaporeans are always outwardly complaining about the government but inwardly, they don't do anything. Most are ready to criticize without thought but honestly speaking, without the PAP, would Singapore truely be where it is today?

I'm not pro-PAP but until such a time where there's a better political party that can run our country putting the nation's interests first and not political agenda, I'd stick with the PAP for now.

Camera phones and the 25th century

Lets see...what will happen when 3G mobile telephony takes over the current 2-2.5G? Everyone's gonna have a phone with a camera built-in. It's the natural progression of things issn't it?

But then again, 2G may not be totally phased out. After all, there are still sensitive installations such as military camps that prohibit the use of mobile devices with built-in cameras. Makes you feel a little like James Bond doesn't it?

Trying to sneak a miniature camera into somewhere. Those fellas at MGM never even thought about a mobile telephone with video capabilities. Neither did the producers of Star Trek. They had video conferencing alright but it's usually between two captains stuck on the bridge of their ships.

We've gone beyond the 25th century with regards to this aspect.

Sporty citizens

So we won the gold medal for women's table tennis at the 2006 commonwealth games.

But who really won at the women's table tennis? The top competing teams were dominated by players of Asian (and to be more precise, Chinese) decent. Of course, it being the commonwealth games means that besides england, every other country is basically a migrant country with few or no true "locals".

To what extent would a person be considered "from" a country? Or rather, what qualifications would it take for a person to represent the nation that they're representing? Would citizenship be enough?

It's hard to say and the debate's been going for quite some time here. Trouble is, with globalization, everyone's migrating to where-ever they feel that there are greener pastures. It's almost like as if we've gone full circle and have become nomadic again.

We started as hunter gatherers like a billion years ago without any technology and now that we've "arrived" technology-wise, we've become hunter/gatherers again. What is happening to the world? But I digress...

Of course I should be congratulating the winners for a fantastic effort and all the hard work that they've put in. Yet I can't help but keep thinking, would we be here if not for our foreign talent which we've welcomed with open arms?

After all, if she (or they) had remained in her (or their) home country, success might not have come as easily and the rewards that she's(or they've) reaped here so far wouldn't be as lavish had she(or they) remained behind.

Well, whatever the outcome, with Singapore being such a global city, I can only say that I'm proud of our achievements.

Well done Team Singapore!

Phone contracts

I've got so many concurrent phone contracts running that it's not even funny.

The problem with buying new phones these days is that you keep signing whatever contracts they shove at you. It all started with the purchase of a motorola phone back in 2003...I signed on a 24 month contract and a year later, i purchased a nokia which put me on another 2 years...

After that, it's all a haze. Now, all I know is that the contract will go on till 2007 march...geez.

Tammy wannabes

Read in the paper that there are a couple of Tammy wannabes out there now.

I wonder. Maybe doing a search for "Bukit Batok" and "Airport" might turn up something. But then again, why bother? I prefer the real McCoy.

It's been a hectic week. I wonder why. So many jobs yet the money's not rolling in. Perhaps it has something to do with me not asking for it when it's due. Ah well.
We just love expos. The IT fair ended today and I ended up buying 2 19" LCDs although 1 of them is not for me.

Managed to get a pretty decent bargain though. Philips going for S$459...

Went to the Civil Service Club today. Obviously, the people that go there are not all that civilised. I guess most of the people that've gone there so far are the general public cause it's still open house. Can't wait till they start the club proper and limit to members and guests only. At least then, I can get a bowling lane and can go about knocking down pins without having to make a booking first.

Bus Stops...

I sometimes wonder if LTA works with MOE as well as the local public bus companies.

If ever there was a dangerous school entrance/bus stop/zebra crossing, it'd be the one that's right in front of the main gates to Bukit Timah Primary School (BTPS).

Lets see...

The bus stop sits near the crest of a hill and at the crest of the hill is the zebra crossing and main gates of the school.

Every day, without fail, doting parents would indiscriminately park their cars inches or even on the zebra crossing. Take into account that the road is a single-lane, dual carriageway.

Didn't they forsee this problem when they designed the school? It makes it all the more dangerous when there's a bus in the bus stop (which incidentally does not have a bay) thus forcing vehicles into oncoming traffic.

At the same time, parents who decide that in a housing estate, u-turns are legal anywhere and everywhere, make them without so much as looking to see if the road is clear.

I've had a couple of close calls from these idiots in the past but still, LTA, MOE and whomever else doesn't seem concerned at all (at least enough to do anything about it).

I guess nothing short of an accident's gonna make them budge.

Ownership

Did you realise that you don't really own any of the big ticket items in Singapore?

Take for example, a car. It costs you an arm and a leg, and most probably you'd be in debt for a lone time to have one. But you never really own it.

You get the car, you have to get permission to own the car in the form of a COE.
This "COE" allows you to have the car for 10 years. After which, if you intend of continue owning it, you'll have to pay again for permission.

Of course, should you decide to keep the car for more than 10 years, you'd have to pay an increased road tax and you don't get any of the taxes that you paid when you first bought the car back at all.

So do you really own the car?

I doubt so.

Housing is about the same. For the 75% of us that live in public housing, we lease the house, paying rent and at the end of 99 years, have to return it to the government.

Says a lot about what we pay for doesn't it? It seems that we're spending more time paying "rent" than anything else. We're just tenants in this country.

We the citizens...

Our economy is First world.

We are socially Third world.

Who can we blame?

Garment lah! Who else?

In Singapore, the garment is introducing "means testing" for special needs children.

What does that mean?

If you're a special needs person in Singapore, the garment is trying to say, "You have to take care of yourself just like everyone else (with the exception of the very poor).

We're not going to help you unless you're able-bodied and poor. If your family can support you, there's no reason why the garment should bother. This especially if you're a special needs person. In other words, be a burden to your family, not the garment.

Afterall, does the garment think long-term for people with special needs and their families? What about health insurance (the inability to get insured), health-costs, living expenses if he's dependent? Issn't the financial burden on the family already enough?

Shouldn't the income be pegged higher? Say $8K (which incidentally is the same for housing subsidies)?

After all, $8,000 is when the garment feels that people no longer need subsidies and can afford to go private. What determining factor did they use when they pegged means testing for special needs/early intervention programmes at $2500?

Did they consult anyone?

If it ain't broke (cont'd)

So came friday, 3 March 2006 and the final day for me to renew my road tax without having to fork out additional money for penalties. It again dawned bright and clear like a spring morning in the northern latitudes.

I made my way happily back to Viacom again optimistic that I can finally get it done. There were 3 of us in the room. 1 dude was already at the counter but it took the lady half an hour to get his road tax done. She was still trying to figure out the "system". The next dude took another 20 minutes. By the time it got to me, I happily shoved the renewal notice and certificate of insurance through the receiving tray (much like I'm trying to pawn something) along with my POSBank card.

She began by looking at the renewal notice. Then pointed at the date to me and said, "Your this one ah...cannot use NETS to pay. Oni cash or cheque."

I was stunned.

She shoved everything back through without a word.

I snatched it without a word.

I stomped out fuming...as if the day before's experience wasn't bad enough.

Well, a head's gonna roll.

If it ain't broke...

LTA's upper management are probably the biggest bunch of unmitigated scoundrels around.
They're the ones that make the decisions and the lower level staff have to pay for some of their more poorly made/idiotic ones.

Here's why:

"ANNOUNCEMENT ON PENALTY FEE WAIVER

As we stopped collecting road tax from 24 to 27 Feb 06 to facilitate the launch of e-Services@ONE.MOTORING, LTA shall waive penalty fees for road tax expiring between 24 Feb and 4 Mar if renewal is made by 4 Mar 06. Renewal may be made at authorised road tax collection centres. However, please ensure that your motor insurance is valid at all times." taken from One Motoring website.

Now, sufficed to say, that my road tax had the unfortunate expiry date of 3 March. So unbeknown to me, I trotted merrily down to Viacom @ Bt Batok to renew it. That was on 27 Feb...monday. I saw the sign stating that road tax would not be collected till 28 Feb. So.."Okay" I thought, seems reasonable that they're expecting some downtime.

As I was on my deathbed on tuesday and wednesday, I couldn't make it down to get it renewed. Thursday however, dawned bright and promised to be frightfully spring-like day with not a cloud in the sky. I trotted back down again slightly before lunchtime to beat the lunch crowd.

Unfortunately, there was already a large crowd of 20 or so. At first, I thought it wouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes per person to renew the thing so I took a number and waited...and waited...

and waited...

Half an hour had past and still, the queue number hadn't budged. Well, I didn't have the luxury of waiting all afternoon since I had a shoot to attend to. So I gave up my queue number after half and hour's wait.

I got most of the shooting done for the afternoon with the exeption of the IMM one which didn't really had any particular timing set. So I managed to pursuade Sheerin to wait while I went for a second attempt at renewing my road tax since I was in the Bt Batok vacinity.

I took a queue number again and this time, after waiting for an hour, the queue moved 4 numbers...well, if this was the speed at which she was doing it, I'd say that I'd be waiting till 8pm to get it done. The counter lady came up to me and looked at my renewal notice...she then said that I could still do it tomorrow (3rd March) without facing penalty.

So I decided that I wouldn't subject the poor Sheerin to the exasperating wait any more, and proceeded to IMM for the shoot.

End of part 1...

Sick and nothing's helping

It's the kind of low-grade fever that refuses to go away. After seeing the doctor (who is incidentally a locum), I took the prescribed medication only to suffer from palpitations, shortness of breath and accelerated heartbeats.

Bad enough that when one is sick, the best cure is usually lots of rest, with all the symptoms of taking the medication, sleep/rest seems to be out of the question. If ever I needed to stay awake, I know what combination of medication to take. Although I might be stoned for an hour or two.

My mouth feels like sandpaper and my extremities are so numb that I cut myself without feeling any pain. It's kinda weird not to have any feeling at all. That coupled with 2½ days of continuous photography is not helping much.

Oh well...I guess if there ever was a bad week in my entire life, this would be it.

I can see you...NOT!

Since when is a camera a "Urine Detection Device?"

I was searching high and low for a camera in the 1.5m by 1.5m by 2m box but couldn't find any. i suppose the little circles near the bottom of the lift walls were the "Urine Detectors" but it doesn't take any photos.

Did they really have to put the symbol of a camera there? I wonder. The newly upgraded estates actually do have cameras in their lifts. Where the signal actually goes is a mystery to me though. Imagine 1 block of flats having an average of 2 lifts. And within a smallish estate, there are 80 blocks. So, some poor dude's gonna have to look at people doing the previously mentioned things in the lift.

The guy'll be heading for therapy after a few years of that for sure.

Gone are they days when the lift was private enough for a quick smootch in. Now, they have windows on the doors so at almost every floor, people can take a peek inside and see what's going on.

Well, public housing is becoming just exactly that. Public.

Commerce...

Trust human beings to try to capitalize on everything.

Now, even blogs have ads...and I'm not talking about ads which the bloghost companies are putting up. More along the lines of ads whereby the bloggers themselves are getting.

This so-called "sponsorship" is now putting limitations on what the blogger can or cannot say. I guess they're just marketing on the fact that such and such a person is getting loads of hits/page-views so lets put one of our ads there and support him/her financially for the work done.

But on the other hand, if he/she says something that goes against our company interest or is not widely accepted by the public, we have to pull out. Oh man! So now, the blogger has to go "I'm thinking of what to write and while I'm doing that, I'm sipping my (popular soft-drink brand) - and I'm thus making the choice of a new generation of what to put on my site"

Riiiiiiiiiiight. I guess sooner or later, we'd all be sponsored.

I stumbled across this a few years back and looks like it's gonna be true...just take a look at the picture below:



Well, for a preview of what I'm saying about blogger's sites a good example is here.

Wasting Time

Here's one for the cut waste panel set up by the Singapore Government.

I spend 3 minutes a day taking the lift in and out of my house. So, in a week I spend 21 minutes in the lift (that excludes waiting times and I'm basing this on 1 up and 1 down trip per day on average). In an average month, I would've spent 90 minutes in the lift. That means that every year, I spend 18 hours taking the lift just to get to and from my apartment.

Lets take it that I'll live for another 35 years (I'm being optimistic here). I would've spent 26¼ days in the lift. That's almost equal to an entire month!

No wonder people multitask while they're in the lift...

They dig their noses (evidence of that is usually found on the wall with left-over booger stains), pee (whenever there's no "Urine Detector", smoke, eat, drink and take photos (like the one above).

So, what do you do in the lift?

Under pressure

For the 75% of Singaporeans that live in public housing, water pressure must've been one of the banes of every day routine. Taking a shower this morning, I realised that once the washing machine is chugging water in, my nice lovely stream of water become barely a trickle.

There I was halfway through rinsing shampoo off my head and there issn't enough water for me to do anything much less get the shampoo off. There's nothing you can do as well cause there are "standard diameter pipes" that you have to install...I guess otherwise, you'll deprive your neighbours of any showering experiences. HAHA!

Just heading to the loo and doing the big business before showering can be quite exasperating as well. Imagine after flushing the goods down the bowl, it takes another 5 minutes before the cistern fills up and water starts getting redirected back to the shower head. And if you've got skid marks in the bowl that requires additional flushing, you won't be taking a shower for the next 10 minutes at least.

Well..that's one of the daily banes that us public housing dwellers have to go through. At least the lifts are bearable now.

Zed's dead baby...Zed's dead

I've been noticing this.

Ever since the internet exploded in Singapore circa 1994, the English language as it is here has been evolved in to "netsspeak". At the same time, companies began using "z" in replacement of "s" bacause it just sounds cooler.

For example:

Brewerkz
Bakerzin
Werkz Photography

Just to name a few of the more popular ones. Just out of curiousity, does it necessarily make it sound better? What's wrong with Breworks? or Bakersin <-- okay this one I can understand after spelling it out...Works Photography????

Even now, our kids in school are abbreviating their essays. Very soon, I'm going to be writing my blog using nothing but abbreviations and weird (so called wired) spellings.

I shall coin the term for how we speak on the internet (IRC, IM, etc.) as "Wired Speech"

IMHO /me thinkz itz nort badz n idea.

Confessions

I have a confession to make. I do on occasion, when I'm alone at home parade around in my underwear. Yes, you heard right. I'm guilty of a little exhibitionism. Now before you go about thinking to yourself "I didn't need to know that", I'm saying this because apart from the fact that I live on the top floor (yes, it's a penthouse - at least by my standards...okay okay...a public housing penthouse), I also have a pretty unblocked view. However, I do suspect that if a neighbour really wanted to look hard enough, he/she might find a way to do so.

So, just out of curiousity, would parading around your own house in undies constitute exhibitionism?

Anyway, I just thought I'd get that off my chest.

Nevermind. I still have no idea what constitutes what here. Soon, even chewing gum will be illegal. Oh hang on...IT IS! Can you imagine if the internet was as popular back in 1992 as it is now? What would happen? I'd shudder at the thought. I remember hearing about the news when I was still in Canada. Most of my Canadian friends were saying "What the heck?" except that the "heck" was usually an expletive.

Yes, "what the fuck" did not originate from Singapore.

Oh...one last thing...(I have to end the post with this)

Tammy, try to look at the flipside of the hoo-haa that's going on about your video. At least you'll have a heck of a story for the grandkids. ;)

Sin Singapore

Sin City...it's about an imaginary city called BaSIN City somewhere in the US (probably East Coast). Well, if you've read the comic and seen the movie, good on ya.

And now, back to the real world...

Singapore..Hmm...the name is pretty provocative don't you think? What's been happening here in this little island state. Well, we've had bloggers jailed for racist comments which is not necessarily a bad thing; we've had peeping toms with pinhole cameras jailed; we've had a scandal of a couple of poly students video-filming themselves having sex using the handphone and losing the said handphone only to find that the video has been splashed all over the internet.

So we have our share of sexy, scandelous and downright disgusting activies going on...yet, men here are still at it. With the prospect of being publicly humiliated if they're caught, they still risk it. With the the prospect of being flogged, jailed and fined, they still do it. Is there nothing that will stop these men from doing it?

No...there issn't. That's the way nature has always been and that's the way nature will always be. Procreation is the single driving force of any animal (and yes, humans are animals as well). The debate of elevating ourselves from other animals has been going on forever and I won't start one here. Just take it that that's what we are for the sake of arguement. Now, the main difference between humans and animals is that we have morals, we are intelligent (though there are some people out there that might prove me wrong), and we are capable of creating things.

Well, the nature of man is that procreation is made pleasurable. We've gone slightly beyond that and have experimented with various styles, use of props, visuals, scents and sounds. Basically, making full use of all our 5 senses. Well, whatever it is, we will always be slaves to sex. That's the way it's always been, that's the way it'll always be.

World Wide whirlwind...

I've signed up to so many different websites, online forums, email accounts, photo galleries and what-not that I'm beginning to lose track of all my different personas. Apart from having usernames of my choice not being available, I suffer from occasional bouts of "online schizophrenia" as well so that doesn't help any.
Even in instant messaging, I have 3 different ways to keep in touch with people from Yahoo to MSN to ICQ. Being an early adopter of ICQ, I started with having a 4 or 5 digit ICQ account number (I forget if it's 4 or 5) and now, I've settled on a 7 digit account which hopefully, I will remember for the rest of my life.
I should start a service which allows people to consolidate all their different accounts into 1, simple webpage. Maybe that'll earn me some cash. But the prospect of having to travel continents is rather daunting. Perhaps I could suggest to Microsoft to start something like that and perhaps get a 9-5 deskjob out of it...NOT!
Getting lost in information is becoming common these days. Trying to find information via the internet is another daunting task. This is the world we live in today. The age of MTV, Video and radio is a thing of the past. We've moved on. It's now interactive or inactive. Even with television, they're trying to integrate websites of some form or other. Is it really that worthwhile? Is it productive or counter-productive? People spend more time on the internet bantering idly more often than not.

We don't really live in a global village. At least not yet. We are still separated by borders, culture, language et al. eBay for example may be global but there's still country specific sites, shipping to within a country etc. Japanese websites are still, well, in Japanese; the same goes for Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese websites. In order to be truly global, we as humans have to come up with a language that's easy to understand, is able to describe everything and is adobtable by everyone. So far, it seems to me that English is the popular choice. What have we learned from the internet? Nothing much except that it gives terrorists another way of telling people that 'They did it' and 'They'll do it again'.

Has it really made life easier? I don't know. Email has helped speed communications up a little but what's an email compared to a phone conversation? Where does it bring us? A little convenience perhaps cause now, instead of having to send in the warranty card for my recently purchased LCD TV, I can just register the bugger online. Ah...the convenience of not having to walk to the postbox. I'm not surprised that in the distant future, humans are all gonna evolve into 500kilogramme slugs with no arms and legs since computers and speech recognition's gonna handle everything.

Oh well...

Journal Entry #120

I make a terrible businessman.

I hate 'entertaining' clients and whenever someone entertains me (as a client), I feel obliged. I'm probably most suited to be the client instead of the businessman who's trying to wring every cent out of your pocket which is the intention of the so-called 'entertainment' in the first place.

Mother has always said that I was too soft. Soft is good isn't it? After all, that's where compassion comes from. Alas, that's also where misplaced compassion comes from. I've been told time and again to be at least a little more firm. Well, I can't help it if I'm a total sap. Blame it on the gene pool that I came from.

With a family history of aristocracy & academics in ancient (and I really mean ancient) China, I feel cheated; as though I was born a couple of hundred years too late. At least back in those days, they were somebody.

Now, just to make a name as a photographer, I have to sell my soul and plead with Lucifer himself. Not that I wouldn't have done it anyway. I am, however, totally bribable. Geez, if I was a girl, I'd probably end up as a hooker. But, fortunate as it may seem, I'm spared the option of the oldest profession. I might make a good Geisha though. After all, I am quite rhythmic.

I'm no idea why but whenever NH is around, my lips just seal shut. Probably due to all the post-mortems that he does of me once we're alone. He gets overly critical sometimes but I'll have to admit, there are times when I am quite "off" as well. Completely missing the point, subject matter at hand and going way off course. Which brings me back to the beginning which is, I make a terrible businessman.

Journal Entry #119

Must be a late night thing. The quiet streets 12 floors below...sets up an atmosphere good for reflecting and looking back at the day's events.

Roads are treacherous these two days. Seen a couple of accidents already. Most likely attributed to the large amount of water on the roads. Haven't quite got the ambient lighting for the living room right. Must work on that further.

No TV to watch at home but have many DVD's...getting sick of watching same movies over and over though. Time to get some new ones. Must also remember to buy more E14 bulbs.

Love the weather now. At least it's cooler. Don't know how long it'll last though. The longer the better.

Just got back from meeting with NH. Nothing much to discuss so spent more time in idle chat than really anything serious. It's therapeutic, having these conversations. Talking about our dreams and desires. Not much chance to talk to someone like that. Most people are too realistic to listen to idle banter. Apart from doing it online that is.

Was wondering if I can OD on Vitamin C...must've chewed at least 7 grammes worth. Only side effect from what I gather after googling "Vitamin C Overdose" is Stomach ache and diarrhea. Well, must remember not to buy any more chewables. Too addictive.

Someone mentioned once that I'm prone to substance abuse. I suppose it would be true except that I have quite a bit of self control.

Journal Entry #118

Happy New Year...

How can the new year be happy? It's just another year and a year less to live. What's so happy about it?

Yes, New Year's Eve has a certain atmosphere to it. Everyone partying, enjoying themselves. Probably one of the few days in a year that has the most sex going on. all the emotion, the hugs, suddenly feel closer to the person sharing the moment with.

That's when guard let down. What happens next? well, use imagination.

Every day is like a new year, every passing moment, once it's gone, it's gone forever. There's not turning back. Like the old debate of the millennium rollover...

Did it happen in 2000 or 2001?

Well, the new millenium began in 2001 and the old one ended on 31st Dec 1999.

My opinion. Anyway, 1999 sounds like a larger number than 2005 for some reason...probably due to all the 9s.