Wednesday, August 05, 2009

We the citizen

In another 4 day, we will be marking our nations 44th birthday.
one of the event is to get every citizens at exactly 8:22pm to recite the national pledge together.

For those who are unfamiliar or forgotten the pledge, here it is
We the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
base on justice and equality
So as to achieve
happiness, prosperity and progress
for our nation
In case you are wondering, that was reproduced through sheer memory and thanks to 10 yrs of reciting this every morning.....Sorry, I digress

But the question here is that,is it still relevant to the Singapore Citizens, those that pledge to themselves and the nation, day in and day out... in fact, how many still remembers it by heart, and even more so, fulfilling the pledge?

I have no answer to that.... What I have are only questions....

Pledging ourselves as 1 united people, but how shall we unit with those people that comes to our shore offering cheaper wage and take our jobs?

While we tend to be colourblind, how will you feel if you can only buy your prata if you speak tamil or coffee only if you speak mandarin. And people telling you that Kopi-O is wrong.......Do you still go about the regardless of reace, language and religion. As for religion, how will feel as a parent to have a kid coming to tell you that it is all about Adam and Eve and that 1 should no longer offer prayers to ancestors and the dieties and eschew all the time honoured rituals as they are all hethen practices....

To build a democratic society, will mean that we are more democratic then before, pray tell how many actually saw a ballot box and paper. I am 35 and Ihad seen neither. Nor Have I ever seen a referendum being carried out.....

To based on Justice and equality will mean that we are all equal, pray tell that why some people gets off with nary a fine when running down a pedestrian or motorist?

We are supposed to achieve happiness, look at where we stand as a country in the Gini coefficient.....

Prosperity? whose? asked those who got retrenched? or those who are paid million dollars a year by raising GST.

Progress? besides the changing skycrapers, have the society progressed? we may have first world infrastructure..... but do we have or are even allowed to have a first world mind-set?

While I will be reciting the pledge at home at 8:22pm this Sunday, not out of patriotism but rather as an example as a father to daughter, so that she will not grow up cynical.... I am pondering, as we push past 44yrs of national building and edging to half a century, are we building a new national identity or are we tearing up the fabric of nationhood to exposed the fact that we are probably a company being called a nation incidentally as we are on the same island....

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Ungreen our Bus

I had done my ICT about a month back and so, I am pretty sure that this lady is not talking about me. But I do find her point of view interesting

I was bringing my children home from Downtown East last friday when a group of army boys boarded the bus with us. Gosh they were so smelly and disgusting that my kids started to make sick faces at me. Their sweaty body touch mine hands and my kids and I glared at them. SAF should really ban their soldiers from taking the bus. Can't they take taxis with their pay? What are our tax payer money for? Somemore they come from tekong dunno got any germs or virus with them. Later they spread to my children and worse to us. Hope the relavant authorities take note
In case you are wondering if this was a figment of my imagination,


http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/368533
http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=21523
http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20090721-156196.html

Think Again.

But in some ways, though warped and perverted, I do agree with her.
In fact, I would reckon that its time to give our boys in green their dues and that make it the law that all Taxi are supposed to ferry our boys in Green, when they are in uniform, to anywhere on the island for a flat fee of $2.

That will stop them from spreading their germs to the public and also to recognise them for the work that they are doing and the sacrifice that they are making. It is probably obvious to people reading this, that I am under certain influence when writing it.

As to JusticeLegal, whoever she might or is supposed to be, I have the following in reply.

Dear JusticeLegal,

I have chance upon your short post in SGforum and I will just use this as the platform to reply to you this,

While you might consider yourself fortunate to never have been wife to a NSmen or a full time SAF servicemen, I cannot stop wondering what is the circumstances that induce this, was it that he was found lacking which was why he was never enlisted. OR that he hails away from our shores.
In anyway, calling our NSmen boyscout brings to light that you bear certain misgivings and prejudice against the institution that is SAF. Granted that it does have some shortfall, but unless you are in it, I do feel that you do not have the calibre to brand them as such.
And to top it off, while on thisisland, in the event of war, they will be the one to protect you among others. As such, your remark is unkind to simply diss the men and women that will take up arms and lay down their life to afford you, your hunband and your 2 daughters safety and security.
As for germs, they carry just as any other people. As such, by banning people on our public transport, you are probably no better than those who brought forth the Apartheid? And might I remind you that as your namesake sounds, a learned in law that this will commit our fair government to breach an international law?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_of_apartheid
And to ask the Nsmen to take taxi will be to make them spend beyond their means. Would you happened to know that their allowance is only 350 a month? The taxes you pay is nary enough and that they are bound to have no other employment beyond this. And hence, you are chasing them out of the bus, not to take a taxi but to walk?
And I would like again to remind you that, just as you are the mother to your daughters, they are their mothers' son and that are you not being disrespectful to their mother as well?
And finally, I would like to end this by giving you this advice
Go take a cab yourself. In fact, you should just get a car and be driven around Singapore. Of course, it will be better that you, your daughters get out of this stinky island.


Thursday, June 04, 2009

Classy things to say when stressed

Classy things to say when stressed

1. "Okay, okay! I take it back. Unfuck you!!!"

2. "You say I'm a bitch like it's a bad thing?!"

3. "How many times do I have to flush before you go away?"

4. "This day sure was a total waste of make-up"

5. "Well, aren't we a bloody ray of sunshine?"

6. "Don't bother me, I'm living happily ever after."

7. "Do I look like a fucking people person!"

8. "This isn't an office. It's HELL with fluorescent lighting"

9. "I started out with nothing still have most of it left"

10. "I pretend to work, they pretend to pay me"

11. "Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed"

12. "Do they ever shut up on your planet?"

13. "I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable"

14. "Don't worry. I forgot your name too."

15. "I just want revenge. Is that so wrong?"

16. "Not all men are annoying. Some are dead."

17. "Wait...I'm trying to imagine you with a personality"

18. "Ambivalent? Well yes and no."

19. "You look like shit. Is that the style now?"

20. "A hard-on doesn't count as personal growth."

21. "If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport.

Rules of investment

I was recently inspired on how investment can be done and how some scholars showed the way, let me just share them with you

1). Screw legality
It only needs to seems legal, doesn't matter if it may turn out otherwise, if someone promise you a state-own enterprise at ridiculous price, just take it cause some law intern told you so.

2). Monopoly is good, cartel better.
It really doesn't matter if you own a large share of the top 2 company in the same industry in a country because you can still sell the stake of it to another foreign company even if the court says no.

3). State openly that your investments have a long horizons and divest very quickly
Claims that your investment is for years if not decades and sell them off in under 20 months

4). Its all in a name
If you can't get a top execute call wealth or trillion or billion, get some that share the namesake of a tyre should be fine as well

5). Buy High sell low
Ignore calls that you over exposed your investment in a particular sector and ignore all the warning sign that you are buying a lemon. Good is good, Lehman was pretty fantastic.

I am sorry, as I am not a big investor, you will get nothing guessing who I am talking about. If you are following these rules, you should have a few billions in reserve and I can recommend you myself as the beneficiary as I can assure you that I can make better returns in Macau, Genting or our new IRS

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Beware, aware

It should not concern me, really, afterall, this NGO and its activity concerns me not 1 bit. Its about women, their rights, the apparant lack of it and also the promotion of their rights.
What made it interesting was that, all of a sudden, the entire executive committee were changed, the chairwomen resigned and that its happening becomes the latest feedstock of news. Not 1 day will you be able to read the news without AWARE appearing in caps..

So, what interest me so now?

That the entire coup was planned, staged and executed either with militant choreography or looks as if divine intervention sets in? that did not get me

The new exco was from the same church and in fact, aunt, niece and in-law were in it together? not really raising an eyebrow

How about if the new chairperson did not get the consent from her company and that the employer was the biggest bank in Singapore and she probably was behind a PR fiasco that slurred the bank with a fufundamentalist religious group? that got my attention a bit

How about a man of cloth, the pastor of the church is rallying the church, its parish to go about to hold control over the EOGM that will happen next week? quite a bit.

My true concern is that, if they proved to be successful, is it just a precursor of things to come. What happened if in the future, CDAC is deemed to leaning towards Taoist and buddhist and also showed a movie which happens to talked about gay, will they want to take over it too?

I firmly believe, that man (or woman) believe, faith or relation with his or her god, should remain one that stays between him/her and God. While the goodness and the virtue may show through words and deeds, do not, at any one time, slight anothers faith or religion.

Even more so, to attempt to sieze control of any organisation to further ones religious belief is scary and dangerous. Woes be the day if the fundies takes hold of our military and use all its might to spread their version of good word......
But know this,

They may tell you that its either them or the Homos


Which reminded me that the Fracist gained power by telling the people its either them or the jews will get all their jobs and money... look what happened then

when they used illogical fear to attempt to gain power, watch out... they will get more power and with that power, drown out every single voice that is different.....What we, should remember, is probably this phase from our pledge,
as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality


And with that, I leave you with this simple line

God's first gift to man is that of free choice, what rights it of man to take it from his brethen

To the women out there, reading this, you can sign up to join AWARE and vote. But end of the day, the choice is yours to make

Friday, April 24, 2009

Phillips Screwdrive

Happens to be a new term for how law is applied here.

Its just that, anyone questioning our law minister if there is more than 1 law is so wrong.

There is only 1 law

There is only one set of law

But 3sets of judgement:
1 for the elites
1 for the peasants
and 1 for the chees

from here
It was again reused and updated

There is only one set of law

But 4sets of judgement:
1 for the elites
1 for the angmos and FTs
1 for the peasants
and 1 for the chees and oppositions

Updated here

And someone gives it a name here

So there you have it.
Phillip's Screwdriver
only non-ang mo non-elites are treated badly?

Cue philipchai and his 4 levels of treatment inequality, also known henceforth as Phillip's Hypothesis of Being Screwed (or in short: Phillips Screwdriver).

Law

People who are not familiar with Singapore can always says that we are safe and clean and even about Michael Faye...

However, I have a feeling that Michael was probably screwed because he did not have a good lawyer and that he put it too political that in the end, in order to prop up the image of us being tough, he got the cane.

Fast forwarding it to yesterday.
What do you think about people who steal car, drive under the influence of alcohol and also knocked down a few lamp post? Jail Time? Cane? Waterboarding?

Well, read this
Neil Arthur (left) was fined a total of $9,500 and banned from driving in Singapore for two years after he admitted to the two charges. --PHOTO: ST

AN OIL company engineer on a business trip here last November had an extended stay - all because he stole a lorry and committed driving-related offences.

Neil Arthur, 37, was fined a total of $9,500 and banned from driving in Singapore for two years after he admitted to the two charges.

His blood/alcohol level was more than 11/2 times the legal limit.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Moses Tan said Arthur, who had earlier been drinking with friends at Orchard Towers, was walking along Tanglin Road at about 2.30am on Nov 19 when he saw Mr Lim Swee Ann's lorry.

On seeing the key in the ignition, he got in and started the engine.

Mr Lim, 43, who was installing new lamp posts along the road, tried to stop him. Arthur stepped on the accelerator and drove off, crashing into a signboard and lamp post a short distance away.

While reversing, he hit another lamp post and some Christmas decorations causing the vehicle to flip.

He had compensated a total of $57,039 to the State and the victim. Pleading for fines only, his lawyer Shashi Nathan said his client's conduct that day was totally out of character.

Arthur, who is married with two young children back home in Aberdeen, Scotland, vaguely remembered being assaulted and pursued by a number of persons with fists and feet as well as sticks. He ran away and briefly lost consciousness, said the lawyer.

Two other charges of driving without a Class 4 licence and insurance coverage were taken into consideration, while another causing hurt charge was withdrawn and he was acquitted.


http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_367529.html

And basically, the following should sum it up pretty nicely

My creation

Defend

Got a call sometimes this week from my ICT unit.

They are asking me for 1 more week back in service.
In all honesty, ICT is most of the time fun, alot of hardwork, yes, but it is time whereby we get to break from our routine and do somethings out of our routine work.

Of course, there will always be alot of rush to wait and wait to rush.
There is also a sense that I am doing this, if not for the country, my family and those who served with me.

But if you look at it, we are really getting the shorter end of the deal, no?

As if 2 yrs of life was not enough, every year, u get called back 2 weeks of your time. Yes, one can argue that its like going on leave, but ask anyone from club med to trade their week for 1 in Tekong.... Any takers? I guess not.

And be asked to keep fit every year and if not, you will get RT or IPT. Which means that you have to get off work early or even on weekends to do exercise. Failing to do that, you get charged.

Which mean that you spend alot less time at work then all the foreign talent in your office..... And you are wondering why the quality of life and promotion is far away....... For all you know, its more likely to advance you in the list of people getting retrenched....

Trust me, the whole moniker that "Jobs for the FT, NS for the Sinkies" is not a joke. It is the culmination of what we are so pissed of about.

In fact,
If you asked me, what do I defend?
Definitly not
1). The trash that masked as talents that took jobs from the local
2). The Ang Mos that screws our women and look macho but can't even hold a gun.
3). The million dollar or 8 month bonuses
4). The helpers that torments our kids and aged and still cry rape and abuse
If they happened to benefit from the umbrella of protection, just be quiet as I can assured that its all accidental.
Because when the call to arms is answered, rest assured that those in the 4 listed, if they had not scuttled out and hide somewhere far, might just get some iron or lead in their system.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

And she turned 1

It seems like only a fews back that I see my daughter, coming out into the world and breaking into her first cry.

And just on Sunday. we celebrated her first birthday and she is already tasked to decide what path she wants to take in her life by grabbing stuff that represents different inclination.

Her choice was to brush everything aside and go straight to her grandmother. After which, made a beeline for the house coffee table cum biting post... she finally settled on a Chinese Brush Pen...... I wonder if she wants to be a writer, a poet, or from the way she is holding it, a conductor.......But whtever is her path in the future, as long as she does not stray and spiral into a path of self-destruction, my job as her father is to make sure nobody leads her down that path.

There was nothing that I inhereted, be it legacy or calling, neither shall I leave her a calling that may not be her choice. However, I do hope that I can afford to leave back a bit of legacy to help her a bit in her life.

As my mother is out of town, I had to take 2 days off to take care of her, to carry her about, feed her and to change her soiled diapers when needs to do and to coax her to sleep, provide some entertainment and to sooth her when there is those little knocks and bumps and to make sure that those knocks and bumps stay little.....

I will not tell you how great parenthood is as it is as it should be, there is no need to make it sounds any more grander or to belittle it.

If you ask me if or when the next one will come, I do not know, all I can say is that everything in due time, and while I may be a bit wiser, the next kid will be a persona unique and requires a different treatment altogether.....

[Funny] Anger Management

Saw this from a regular joke thread and felt that it is too good to ust go away

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know, but you know deserves it.

I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialled it. A man answered, saying 'Hello.' I politely said, 'This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?'

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear 'Get the right f***ing number!' and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled 'You're an asshol_e!' and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshol_e' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, 'You're an asshol_e!' It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshol_e' calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, 'Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?' He yelled 'NO!' and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, 'That's because you're an asshol_e!' and hung up..

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a 'For Sale ' sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshol_e (I had his number on speed dial,) I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshol_e, too. I said, 'Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?' He said, 'Yes, it is..' I then asked, 'Can you tell me where I can see it?' He said, 'Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax. It's a yellow ranch style house and the car's parked right out in front.'

I asked, 'What's your name?' He said, 'My name is Don Hansen,' I asked, 'When's a good time to catch you, Don?' He said, 'I'm home every evening after five.'
I said, 'Listen, Don, can I tell you something?' He said, 'Yes?' I said, 'Don, you're an asshol_e!' Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea.

I called asshol_e #1. He said, 'Hello.' I said, 'You're an asshol_e!' (But I didn't hang up.) He asked, 'Are you still there?' I said, 'Yeah!' He screamed, 'Stop calling me,' I said, 'Make me,' He asked, 'Who are you?' I said, 'My name is Don Hansen.' He said, 'Yeah? Where do you live?' I said, 'asshol_e, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax , a yellow ranch style home and I have a black Beamer parked in front.' He said, 'I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers.' I said, 'Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshol_e,' and hung up.

Then I called asshol_e #2. He said, 'Hello?' I said, 'Hello, asshol_e,' He yelled, 'If I ever find out who you are...' I said, 'You'll what?' He exclaimed, 'I'll kick your ass,' I answered, 'Well, asshol_e, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now.'

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover.> Then I called Channel 7 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Blvd in Fairfax . I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better.

Anger management really does work.

Friday, February 06, 2009

The beast in me

I try to put up a civil front most of the time. Not out of fear of reprisal, but fear that the beast in me might be out of control. I am probably one of those, while drinking... will tend to get while, but little does people knows that even then, I retain full faculty. Guess that there is a little of a control freak in me.

despite how lousy this week has been so far, I do in fact yell alot at people. But all was done in deliberation. As I began to realised that despite us in a civil society, a show of force and a raise of voice still does wonder to get one's point across.

you can consider it the modern way of gunship politics.
But even madness needs method, least it is only mindless lunacy. Showing of force, which I like to call it, needs to be done in such a way that it delivers the message and emphasis it without losing the plot and without getting 1 into trouble.

It is more than a raising one's voice or for that matter, the banging of tables and using angry word.... Words should be carefully chosen and never should they be foul. Threaten not but always say something that you can back up. Be vague at times but descriptive if necessary, but always, always, take to the extreme and know this, the whole idea is not just to get your message across, but to vent it as such that at least you feel better.

End of the day, I can either chose to die young with all frustration in me, or I can get a safety valve to let it out and let it out on those that rightly deserves it.

forgotten

There are many a times in the past months that I tried to will myself back to the keyboard to strike those words hard and leave them like footprints in the sand... but many a time I just fear to thread or simply too lazy. Being a father is a full time job. Not to mention that I have a full time job.

And so, for a while it seems that all is forgotten.

That is how I feel today, during work that me or at least what I have been doing all these while are forgotten.

I only came to the revelation from the golden mouth of my boss that he does not know that part of my job is done by me... and not just merely coordinating....

What fun...... To think that that function had been with me for the last 7 yrs and being written off just like that.....

This is one of the more frustrating weeks, of course, I had seen worst. Being in a company for so many years allow 1 to see the bad day through by think ing about the good days.......

But yet..... only knowing how much a certain job has been taken lightly makes 1 wonder if the year of the ox should not let 1 just merely toil the field like to ox but to beat one's ow trumpet so that all will know.... But alas, as it is my sign, I prefer to do my work....

Anyway, its still not too late, just wish that everyones life gets better through toil and hardwork....