MEL

Haha came across something that is worth your time. Check it out!

http://www.talkingcock.com/html/article.php?sid=1710&mode=thread&order=0

Sighz, going back for reservist on Wednesday for the first time. At some damn ulu place somemore- Sungei Gedong camp. Have to waste taxi fare liao. Somemore must wake up early at 5+am. Army sucks! IPPT will also be conducted, and judging by my current standards, maybe I have to forget about getting the $200 that comes with the IPPT Silver too.

Anyway went for a run today. Planned to do 5km, but in the end got more than I bargained for when I got lost at the landed property area at the end of Petir Road. Never been there before & stupid me decided to go explore & kaypoh people’s bungalows. They were huge! But anyway I quickly got lost. Then tried to find my way out of that place by using the setting sun as my guide, but who was to know that Chestnut Ave, Chestnut Lane, Chestnut Street, Chestnut Road, Chestnut Drink & a thousand other similar sounding names got me confused & I found myself going round in circles, & kena chased by dog somemore! But later somehow managed to find my way out after I was reduced to a walking pace, & needing a defibrillator (did I get the spelling right?)! Why are there so many slopes up & down the Chestnuts? Anyway I did learn something new- too many chestnuts will cause swollen knees, strained hamstrings & shortness of breath. Excessive exposure will also cause a snail to zoom past you if you tried to race one after that. You are hereby warned- beware of chestnuts! Anyway maybe next time I will try exploring the Almond cluster (really, I think they ran out of names, & creativity, when they were naming the roads around Petir Road) instead, anyone wanna come along? Preferably someone trained in CPR, pretty ladies a bonus hehe.

Very tired. Don’t feel like writing much on the blog these days. Maybe the novelty has worn off. Maybe it’s the lack of response from you readers that I feel I’m talking to myself. Maybe I’ve run out of things to complain about. Whatever. But anyway I’ve got about a hundred pages left of Darles Chickens to complete before I have to return the book tomorrow. Wish me luck for that & also my IPPT.

Bye bye. Please leave some comments leh. Very boring leh. Hehe How about taking a marketing approach- leave a comment to stand a chance to win a dinner date (at your expense) with Mel. Haha. Let’s see if this works…   :P

Well been busy with the above-mentioned roadshow during the weekend. Had some "interesting" experiences there. One was with cheapskate people… Namely PRCs again!

The plan was to entice people to listen to our sales pitch with free gifts in the form of a bottle of water. There was no short supply of PRCs who would stand there to bother us just so that they could get a free bottle of water:

PRC: What’s this about?

Us: This is Beiklin’s new product, the Beiklin Tongkat Ali.

PRC: And what’s that?

Us: Drinking water. Free gift for customers.

PRC: So it’s free! Can I have one too?… *I’m waiting to hear the word "thanks" but something else comes* How about one each for all my friends here too?… *Still no "thanks"* Oh, can we have a plastic bag as well? You know it’s troublesome carrying it like that.

Us: As I was saying, this is the new pro…

PRC: Oh, I will read the leaflet myself. *To his friends* Let’s go!

But well, guess we all know about these PRCs. Especially the woman who very recently dua Koizumi & fly aeroplane. So does "Wu Yi" refer to "unintentional" or "lacking in integrity"? What a sincere gesture that they are very committed towards the peace process! Just for the record, my "discovery" in recent times on several occasions: If you buy MIC (Made In China) products, be assured of getting MICkey Mouse quality!

Well, anyway while we were there we also we doing some observing of how the business in Sim Lim Square were conducting their business. Something that was observed was that ang mohs were always treated as more "superior" over others, especially locals. Why is this so? Somehow it seems that it could stem from our colonial past… Has anyone ever noticed that Singapore seems to be the only place in the world that seems to be very proud of its colonial past? Yes, we were a crown colony, supposedly the more prestigious of colonies in the British empire, but a toilet bowl made of gold is still a toilet bowl, isn’t it?!?

Why is it that everywhere we go we encounter the name of THAT colonist? For those not in the loop, refer to my previous posting, "The Passing of a Local Hero" Why is that school named after THAT guy who found-ed Singapore much more prestigious & highly-regarded than the one named after our very first local president? Why are half the roads in Singapore named after some ang moh who was probably here to exploit the locals rather than to build a home & contribute to this island? How many of us know where Merdeka Bridge is, & what "Merdeka" stands for? Who wrote the national anthem of Singapore? How many of you actually remember how to sing it now? Why is it alright, unique & tasteful for the Americans, people from different parts of Britain like Yorkshire especially, the Jamaicans, Russians, Hongkies, even PRCs (insult of insults) to have their own brand of the English language, but when Singaporeans use our own class of language it is low-class? Why are overseas scholarships more highly sought after than local ones, especially in the civil service? Then we are told local Universities are just as good as overseas ones…

Then there are others who complain that the local schools, artists, academics etc are not given their due recognition in the presence of foreigners. That we could name more players from 3 teams in the english league than all the players in the S-League, that foreigners are always hired ahead of locals for jobs requiring technical specialties etc. Most of the time however, it seems that the people who "suffer" this injustice are not necessarily different from those who perpetuate it. So who’s to blame, if anyone is to in the first place.

I’ve been told to keep my postings short, so guess I shall not continue much longer. But just some food for thought: What will the Integrated Resorts, Budget Airline terminals, Education Institutions etc that are coming up be named? Will it really be "Uniquely Singapore"? Let’s keep our fingers crossed. But the Sengkang LRT line has set a good example I must say. Let’s hope the effort extends to more "internationally prominent" areas…

Damn, saw her again today! Just as I was talking about her in 1 of my postings recently! Now I believe those people who say when you talk about ghost, you will meet ghost! (Literally translated from Hokkien) Better don’t talk about her anymore. Anyway whether it’s more than a coincidence I don’t know but saw someone post this on the bulletin today:

Makes you think…you never know what
the other person is thinking….speak your
mind..KEEP IT REAL….

BOY: I saw her today
GIRL: I saw him today

BOY: It seems like its been forever
GIRL: I wonder if he still cares

BOY: She looks better than before
GIRL: I couldn’t stop staring at him

BOY: I asked her how things were going
GIRL: I asked about his new girlfriend

BOY: I’d choose her over any girl im with
GIRL: He’s probablly really happy right
now

BOY: I couldnt look at her without starting
to
cry
GIRL: He couldnt even look at me

BOY: I told her I miss her
GIRL: He doesnt mean it

BOY: I meant it
GIRL: He didnt mean it

BOY: I love her
GIRL: He loves his new girlfriend

BOY: I held her for the last time
GIRL: He gave me a friendly hug

BOY: Then I went home and cried
GIRL: Then I went home and cried

BOY: I lost her
GIRL: I still love him

Would like to inform everyone that only the first 2 lines are true. Shall not comment on the rest. Not that I scared kena sue (as she’s not likely to look at my blog lah, you stupid dork!), but don’t wanna du dio again ah! It’s a harrowing experience as she literally really looks like a ghost when I saw her today! Haha. OK shall not be mean anymore, if not will have to see her several times more.

But anyway today’s experience simply made me realise 1 thing: how much my lao po has come to mean to me nowadays. She just seems to become a bigger part of my life with every passing day. Maybe it’s true what that song says:  爱情不能作比较… But I wouldn’t trade my lao po for her definitely, thank you very much! What happened between us was all in the past, when I had yet to mature in some ways, & when I was still looking at the world from my old naive way.

Hmm… Going off liao. Gonna check out the travel packages to decide on a good destination to go on a holiday in July! Wish us luck ah. Nitez & have a good week. By the way please make this blog more interactive coz this is really getting boring…

Thanks to Alvin & Judy for adding some colour to my blog haha. Hmm… Judy, guess I know what you are driving at. Could also imagine what you have been doing, where you have been going etc. A few friends & I have gone down the same path sometime ago, & we have learnt some things later on that we realised what some people who claimed they genuinely wanted the best for us did not tell us. Oftentimes we come across people who claim they are trying to help us improve our lives etc & paint a rosy picture of what could be done, what things will be like etc if we did what they did. But they always miss out the TRULY detailed plans. Things are always fuzzy to say the best. Ultimately, what they wanted you to do indirectly benefits these people who are hiding behind some organisation; middlemen (middle management, as some call it); or some created identity. It benefits themselves, at anyone’s expense though they will never admit it. Initially they had us eating out of their hands to- & we dismissed the warnings of the naysayers, just as I expect you not to believe me. Whatever you have will always be different from what others before you have gone through. Your predecessors will are always the unlucky ones who went to the wrong organisations, met the wrong people, employed the wrong methods, held the wrong attitudes, & your own "formula" was a sure-win one given the right amount of hard work & attitude. I know, because I have felt that way before.

Anyway I’m not trying to discourage anyone or pouring cold water etc. That was what I used to accuse people of doing when I was in that position sometime ago. Do what you think is right. Do not allow anyone else to run your life because ultimately, you have to bear the consequences on your own. Nobody else can "die" in your place when something bad happens, just like nobody else could receive "accolades" on your behalf. Not even you parents, your family, your spouse, your best friend etc. Take ALL advice (including what I’m writing here, if you perceive it as advice) with more than a pinch of salt. Examine motives, logic, & look out for signs of unnecessary coercion!

Well anyway enough of that. Now to the point of this posting, which is somehow related to what was mentioned earlier. Went to JB yesterday with my parents & my girlfriend. Just a shopping trip & for dinner. But something that I saw on the way back got me reflecting. It was just past midnight & we were stuck in a jam at the Malaysian side, just past Caltex for people who are familiar with the place. There was a light shower but the skies were threatening to overflow with the lightning flashes etc- signs that a storm was brewing. Just then, i spotted this man- about the late 20s in age I guess from the bright lights that came from the lightning flashes. *Yes it’s sounding melodramatic, but don’t expect sorrowful music please*. He was standing in the middle of the road, looking at all the cars that passed (or rather, inched) oblivious to him. On a second look I realised he was leaning on crutches & clutching a cup tightly to his chest. In the rain, he was trying to get the attention, & sympathy of, anyone who would be bothered about him. Unfortunately that amounted to nil from the whole 10 minutes that I was observing him. Yes, he was begging for money, for those who still do not get the drift!

Somehow as our vehicle was abreast of him, though we had 1 other car between him & our car on that 3-laned road, his eyes met mine. That moment of eye contact was too much for me- I felt guilty & ashamed of myself at that point of time; too ashamed & guilty that I could not bear to look him in the eye any longer & I turned & pretended I hadn’t made eye contact with him. There we were complaining about getting stuck at the checkpoint at 12.30am in the morning with a storm brewing, & how the customs people were inefficient & poorly organised etc in this time-strapped & efficiency-obsessed society we call Singapore, that we simply forgot about the existence of others who were more inconvenienced than just some ignorant fool who was sore that he was not comfortably in bed due to the inefficiency of the immigration officers in another country. I was inconvenienced for that few hours that we were stuck in the jam, but he was to be inconvenienced for life because he was made in such a way he was less "perfect" than us. I could see from the fleeting moment my eye had met his that he was trying to say he had no wish to be there doing that. He had wished he could be with us in the car sitting comfortably dry & warm, complaining about the frustration caused by the jam. To put things in perspective, probably he would not even be frustrated if he was in my place.

There would be many of us who would be thinking- surely there were other things he could do to get himself out of that plight. There was something that definitely could be done. He was there begging in the rain at past midnight by choice- that he was too lazy to do something about his condition; too conservative for the lack of a better word) to get his butt moving & do something "impactful" that would get him away from his status quo. He was too ignorant to find more constructive & effective ways to make ends meet for himself, & whoever was waiting & worrying about him at home at that point in time. If only he had been more determined things would have turned out very differently. Well to admit, if this had happened a couple of years back this would have been exactly what I would think. That people who failed ultimately had themselves to blame for a lack of drive; & consequently a lack of "success". Wasn’t that what the motivational speakers & whatever not you have all said, didn’t they? They could say it & pull it off & get themselves rich simply because it all boils down to one reason- human greed. We all love it when we hear someone say that we have the potential to partake in a rags-to-riches fairytale. We hate it when someone tells us we’re ruining our lives. These people tell us what we want to hear. They "advise" us to believe in something we like to believe in. Their words are the "evidence" that we have been looking for. Wasn’t exactly the same thing the very one that had made the old women buy the "magic stones"? wasn’t those court advisors who always said things that were what the rulers liked to hear well rewarded & the cause of many empires’ downfalls since long ago in History? The loyal servants who had sound advice but whose advice went against what the rulers’ personal preferences were often banished, put to death; or simply gotten rid off. & with the benefit of retrospect we always blamed these rulers for being ignorant- heeding the wrong advice at the detriment of their empires. It is on the very same premise that these people get rich & have us "respecting" & reverring them. Saying things that we like to hear, even though it may not be true, or they may not even believe it to be true in the same place!

Anyway I have come to realise that this world is not as beautiful as these people paint it to be. Call me what you want- but I have come to learn it, probably through the hard way. Even with the best of intentions & the best of preparations, things do not alway sturn out your way. It is good to be determined & persistent; but another altogether to be foolhardy & to repeatedly run yourlsef against a rock wall. The line between the 2 is not exactly thick or easily discernible too. But again there would be some who will tell us that there is no line, simply because 1 side does not exist in the 1st place for there to be a line in between.

Weel anyway I guess I have digredded to much that I have lost myself. For the man, it might be true that he really had opportunities to find a better future for himself but he chose not too for some reason. But there might also be genuine circumstantial reasons for his not succeeding. He could have been born in a poor & lowly educated family that he does not even realise that there are other options for him. He could have been deprived of a chance of education that he cannot make informed choices for himself. Bear in mind that it is because many of us have the privilege of having been educated that we realise that there are other people among us who are ignorant. These same people might not have even had the chance to learn what being ignorant is about. He might have been cheated previously by some people who had "assured" him that he could get a better life for himself & his family if he had listened to them & done the things they told him to- explaining they had done exactly the same things before & the result was the "good life" they led as a result. After realising he had been cheated, he refused to trust anyone again. Is it then totally his fault to reject genuine help when it finally came (if it does come at all)? who is a genuine social worker & who is not? I would kowtow to anyone who could come up with a formula that defined a genuinely philantrophic person.

Anyway what that had set me thinking also was that the Singapore government might really be too efficient for our own good. Such scenes are seldom seen here. If there are peopl begging in the middle of the raod you can be sure he will be taken away in 10 minutes. The less fortunate are usually "hidden" from us in a sense- the governemtn provides for them in other means such that we forget about their existence. In Singapore little incoveniences generate so much complaints that we take for granted that it is precisely because of the efficiencies of our society that we view privileges as a right. The right to MRT trains arriving precise up to the minute. The right to have these "nuisances" & "pests" put away so that our people & tourists alike will be sheltered from the less privileged among us. The right to many things that people in other places might not even know existed to even want it- but which we view as a necessity.

Guess that’s enough from me for now. Well I hope that man the best. May he find his way around in life soon enough. Maybe to him being happiness is defined differently from how the rest of us define it. Money may not be involved in his view of happiness. In that case I will wish him HIS OWN happiness- & not what I think will cause him to be happy simply because it would make me happy.

Well have a great week ahead people. Take really good care. Hope you all find your own happiness too.   :)

-Mel

Hmm… Anyone? Very sienz at home. Somemore very broke. Need a job. Spent the day reading Darles Chickens’ book: A Tale of Two Cities. Judy should take a look at it, so that she will not complain about me being very loh soh. Dickens it actually the master of being long-winded in his expositions lor! Very cheem, one of the most challenging works I’ve ever read in recent times- discounting the Managerial Accounting textbook of course! However the side effect of reading this work of his is that I seem to be devoid of a sense of humour right now. Maybe too exhausted neogtiating my way around his book. Not anywhere near done reading it definitely.

Went for a run again just now. 4km this time, & I think the people around me were left breathless after I completed the run because I had used up all the oxygen within a 50-metre radius. Wonder if I caused any damage to the wildlife in my estate… Sighz really have to buck up- otherwise I can forget about the $200 after my test on 1st June. Wish me luck ah, people… Though if anyone is willing to show support & encouragement through actions is definitely welcome too. Heard ginseng, spa treatments, cash sponsorhips etc won;t do any harm to physical performance!   :P

Hmm, stuck liao. Somehow there seems to be nothing to write about these days, so do not be alarmed if I stop writing for awhile till I figure out something. But it may be good to check if it’s because I kena sue or something lah haha. Please give me some inspirations on what to write k? Till then, have a great weekend ahead!   ;)

Sighz, conducted a little of a self-test for myself yesterday & found out that my fitness has fallen to a pretty depressing level. All NUS’ fault that I have no time to train! Haha. Could only manage 6 pull-ups, & took a whole 12 minutes to run the 2.4 on the treadmill, & to add insult to injury I almost needed CPR after i had complteted the 2.4! I only have till 1st June to get myslef back in shape, otherwise can forget about my IPPT silver & $200 liao. Sighz… Jia lat ah…

Hehe better keep this short, otherwise Judy will complain again… Signing off now. Btw please keep your comments coming in k? Otherwise I’m also lacking in inspiration on what to write about in recent times. Hehe Bye bye…   :P

Hehe, well, Mothers’ Day was just yesterday, so I find it apt that my inspiration to write this post came from there. Hehe anyway please bear with me… One of my childhood ambitions was to be a regular newspaper columnist, & since there isn’t much likelihood of me achieving my dreams, at least for now, I have always treated this blog as an avenue to display my "talent & flair", or the lack of it. Hehe… So c’mon, humour me! Haha. Read my "works", give some comments so that I may know how to improve!

Well anyway, ya, back to the topic of mothers… The person in our lives that we can’t live with (is it just me + that few/several/many "dysfunctional" friends of mine?), neither can we live without. Of course, what I am writing about isn’t just inspired by my dear mother, but rather many mothers (of other people of course!) that I have come across. One thing I found in common: they always like to remind us little brats that it was tough work for them to be walking around with a huge belly for 9 months etc etc… Perhaps much of that is true, but I have also found out that mothers love to exaggerate many things… So how much of that suffering is true, you probably have to judge for yourself. But mothers somehow love exaggerating… Probably that is why there is a stereotype that women all love gossiping. Well for fear of offending my female friends (Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn), I shall refuse to admit I subscribe to that stereotype & I believe in this case that there is no smoke without fire… Oops, what did I just say? That was a Freudian slip… Damn, I should just keep my mouth shut. Keke. Anyway since I had already let it out, I deem it necesary to inform you that my beliefs are not baseless, but there is a wonderful specimen who is proof that women love gossiping among my friends. But don’t make me say who- I don’t wish to embarass Huili…   :P

Hehe oh well, what did I just do again? Hehe… But since we’re at it, I have also found that women are masters of juxtaposition (read: contradiction). Somehow they always love contradicting themselves. But the Mother of mothers in Singapore has got to be, unfortunately a civil servant who not too long ago declared to the world: We in Singapore must now take the business of FUN very SERIOUSLY… Something to that extent. Wonderful! I bet that person must have been an overseas scholar who had done achieved a PhD (Permanent head Damage) from the University of the Moon. Hmm… Better not say more… Don’t wanna kena sue for what I write in my blog like in a recent case.

Anyway have you all ever realised that many mothers seem to defy the laws of logic in the things they say? A conversation I overheard sometime ago (some mothers like to speak aloud on buses):

Mum: How many times must I catch you not closing your eyes (during a particular part I couldn’t really catch) in a church service before you will do so?

& I wondered how she knew… Or how about this classic courtesy of my own mum, during a trip to the East Coast park beach when I was about 10 years old (see how well I remembered it):

Mum: Look, aren’t you ashamed of yourself? That girl there looks 5 years old & she can ride a bike. You are twice her age!

Me: When will you teach me then?

Mum: Ask your dad! You know I can’t cycle!

Wait… that’s not the end of it…

Me: Dad, will you teach me to cycle then?

Dad: OK where’s the bicycle kiosk?

Mum: Are you crazy? The bicycle rentals are so expensive! It’s such a wste of money for him to learn to cycle. Furthermore he does not have his own bike at home so there’s not really a need for him to learn. *A few moments later* Look! Another boy half your age & he’s cycling past you! Shame on you! I wonder when you will feel ashamed of yourself enough to start learning how to cycle!

So that’s my mum for you… Of course, some of it has been kindly exaggerated by me for comic effect, but that  kinda stuff is what she tends to do, & I believe so do many mothers… But mothers are great entertainers too, do you all know? Those I grew up with, ie my own mother, & the mothers of my cousins & nto to mention the GrandMOTHER. Sometimes wonder how they can keep straight faces after telling jokes… eg:

"Why are you jumping down from that slide instead of sliding down it?!? If you break your legs, don;t come running to me!"

The next one is courtesy of Neil Humphreys, my favourite satririst’s mother. Saw it in his book: "Cross the road like that! If you get knocked down by a truck, I will kill you!"

But I think the most memorable has to be a mother I had come across sometime back. I had known her personally, but we’re not friends in anyway I guess! She always believed in bringing up her daughter to her "high" moral standards & good upbringing. Jst to be exemplary in every aspect. Of course, she had always believed that she had done a bloody wonderful job, & that her daughter was a perfect angel. Probably she belived that Britney Spears was a virgin, if you get what I mean. O… while we’re at that, my friend, Sam had a great way of expressing his 2-cents’ worth about what he believed about Britney’s ALLEGED virginity- He believed that Britney was a virgin, or at least some "holes" in her was still virgin. Curde, yes… But he used to go into more details which I shall spare you here… But you guys see the point, don’t you?

Well so she always ensured that her daughter always did things that were befitting of her family status, & that her activities were always constructive. Therefore while poor people like you & I went off in search of temp or part time work during school holidays, or some of us tried to get our driving licences etc… She would have her daughter do none of these impractical & unconstructive things which were beneath her dignity, to start with… Therefore she enrolled her into private singing classes, social dancing classes etc… Somehow that angel of hers also always received clothes that perhaps covered just that little more flesh than my hankerchief could… & she was innocent & demure, as was claimed…

Back to that, at about this time last year, that mother had called up MY MOTHER, & said something about her knowing that I was going to NUS, & being the hooligan without a "proper & socially acceptable" (read: not wealthy) uprbinging that I have hailed from, she was wary about the personal well-being of her daughter. Well isn’t it a known fact that I am capable of murder, assault, blackmail, molest, rape & crimes of the like? I must say, & you all must agree, that she had every reason to be afraid as I was coming to NUS business school & her daughter was studying in the Arts faculty. Now you guys know why I try to avoid some places in the Arts faculty whenever you all wanna go there- it is to maintain my mother’s honour as she had made a promise on my behalf that I was not to go anyway within a mile’s radius near her daughter! Now, trust me, my mum was not in anyway intimidated into doing that, whatever you all think might have happened in those circumstances!

Hmm… Dunno why that outburst again, but better shut my trap soon… Later kena sued & have to swim to Malaysia to siam with the aid of a straw… Just for the record, anyone knows where can get bendable bubble tea straws? Just in case lah, have to pack my Ready Bag mah, government says… Not that I have anything to fear in principle, or in my conscience, but I have grown to accept that it is not only true that money does make the world go round, but also in any direction that you may wish it to go… as long as you have the cash. This lesson was not taught by my own mother though…

Hehe anyway, happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers who may be reading this! By the way, remember ah… Got bendable bubble tea straw remember to pass to me hor!   :P

-Mel

Guess you guys have all heard about it, maybe even experienced it. Prices seem to be rising all over Singapore, almost at the same time as if some prior agreement had been made. Cinema ticket prices, petrol prices, school fees, transport fares etc etc. Maybe after this the friendly auntie at the hawker centre toilet is going to announce an increase for the use of toilets as well- to 13 cents or something like that. Haha & she’ll be hoping that "all those buggers will need the toilet so urgently that they will just fling the 20-cent coin on the table & not wait for the change" Well anyway, because so many people have been complaining about the price increase, I deem it a personal duty as a responsible citizen to explain to all you "ignorant" people why these increases are necessary; & why you should quietly slap yourself & feel guilty about not being understanding enough. Here goes:

Cinema tickets: Well, this is a bid by the cinema operators to perform national duty in the form of fostering economic ties with our neighbour up north. You see, the more they increase price, the more Singaporeans will flock there to purchase copies of pirated VCDs or DVDs. You know, they might be so touched with this gesture on our part to improve bilateral trade that they might decide to decrease the price of water! However because the petrol companies do not see the point, they have insisted on the 3/4-tank rule for vehicles going across the causeway. Oh, by the way, heard the hawker centre toilet aunties are lobbying for the 3/4-tank rule too: bladders must be 3/4 empty when going across the causeway.

Anyway, as we all know, the purpose of going cinema is more than just to watch movie mah. If not might as well buy DVD, legally somemore for the price of 2 cinema tickets. There are many other benefits of paying the equivalent of 10 plates of fried kway teow at hawker centre (but not Newton lah, like what that bimbo who got into the Ms Singapore Universe said) for 2 people to watch a 2-hour show with lots of advertisement before that. The most common: 1. The cinema is a conducive place to answer mobile phone calls or to check how strong the light on the display screen of the phone is; 2. It is also a good place to go for a chat with your friends, especially when the movie features subtitles in a language that most of the audience doesn’t understand; 3. It is also a good place to build up your immune system. Imagine a large room which has cloth seats which are stained with 1001 people’s sweat, popcorn, soft drink- & that very same room & chair has not seen sunlight, or any type of light for 10 years. Does it sound familiar?; 4. Training up your bladder- notice how the aircon is always blasted at full power & how the toilets are always 3 streets away & how your drinks are always filled with ice, & how long shows like LOTR are? Next time you try stand up in the middle of the movie & tell everyone like how you can tell your friends when watch DVD at home, "Eh, chope ah! I want to go wee wee… Pause the show until I get back ok?"; 5. Training up your eardrums: Notice how the considerate cinema operators always turn up the volume so that you can continue your urgent & important conversation in the theatre while ensuring that the guy right at the other corner can’t hear clearly what your conversation is about? This is privacy! Somehow at the end of a movie everyone walks out of the hall & starts shouting instead of talking to their companions…

Editor’s note: Please do not buy pirated DVDs or VCDs. You are really a cockster if you really go over to buy because nowadays for the price of less than 2 cinema tickets, you can legally purchase copies of the DVDs at Carrefour or something. By the way, whoever has bought legal copies of the latest movies remember lend me to watch ah!   :P

Petrol prices: What you expect? You think the petrol companies running charity business meh? World oil price increase of cost their cost of production increases as well lah! Anyway how come the world oil price will increase even when OPEC is raising output? Hmm, you think what? The US fight war in Iraq for the sake of all humanity in a bid to save the world no need money ah? It’s only right that they get to sell the oil in Iraq & keep the profits for themselves lah! After all they are the conque… eh, sorry, liberators! so you buy oil from them you try bargain with them lor!

School fees: Wah lau eh, this type of thing so obvious, still need to say ah? If the school doesn’t charge hgh fees how to make sure that only the "elite" & the rich people get a "world class education"? Who wants you to study in uni if your parents are not earning a 5-figure income each month? Also, how else can they make sure they can subsidise the PRCs’ school fees & provide them with a world class education at affordable prices? Of course they have to make the locals pay higher school fees lah! Uni student somemore, simple logic also need to explain to you… Shame on you!

Editor’s note: Please refer to the very 1st post in this blog if you have not done so already!

Higher transport fares: Ah, see lah, whose fault again? Singaporean always zho pai hang zheng 1 mah… Blame who? Complain, complain, complain… It all started with some buggers who wrote to the papers complain about buses not running on time, trains & buses not being properly maintained etc lor. Then some more people geh kiang also write 2 support them… So like that bo bian lor, force the transport providers to act. So in order to settle the complaints, they have to increase manpower, increase costs & therefore increase price lor! If not how to hire more people write nonsense to reply those complaints in the papers or hire more con-men to pick up the hotline phone calls? What? You still expect them to use the money buy more buses & hire more drivers ah? You wait long long ah! Your gor jiam dua guey gu chia lian ah? Increase 5-cents you want so much? Like that must at least increase by 50-cents ah!

Well so here goes… Still not convinced? Then complain to your neighbourhood MP lor! Shoot letter here & there lor! Then I sponsor you 1 straw you can swim over to Malaysia to siam liao. But anyway, the good news is that COE prices for the BIG CAR category has been falling… So OFFICIALLY the Consumer Price index has been falling because of the falling COE for the BIG CARS. As a result, for the AVERAGE CONSUMER, the TYPICAL BASKET OF GOODS is costing less on aggregate, & you should be happy because on aggregate MOST PEOPLE are spending less on the USUAL basket of goods! Like that still not happy, complain somemore! Singaporean really hard to please leh!   :P

Well, probably most of you have already guessed along what lines my post today is going to be about. For those of you who have been spending too much time on Hongkong serials, playing on the game-boy/computer games etc & who know more about the on-screen lives of some Cantonese-spouting characters, Mario & his penchant for eating mushrooms that can run around on their own, or the life-&-death knowledge of how Orcs can be killed in order to save the human race & be a hero- than how your parents have spent the week, perhaps it’s time to get a life! Anyway just for the benefit of those people (who have correctly set their priorities, that it is much more important to learn how to kill aliens, monsters & the like in case the need ever arises that you might be called upon to save the world sometime in the near future, rather than to bother about those mundane things that are happening to your friends, your relatives or even things reported in the papers, which are so insignificant in the cosmic order of things- the BIG picture. Even the lives of some make-believe characters in some drama series bear more weight, to put things in perspective) benefit the 4th president in Singapore history, Dr Wee Kim Wee’s funeral is today.

Now, why is he a local hero? Frankly I’m not exactly very familiar with him, because I was too young to really understand what he did in his term in office. But from what has been said & written about him, he seemed a popular figure during that time, genuinely displaying concern for all people that he came across- & his humility is one of the greatest vritues that people remember him for. That sounds like he is a person to be respected, & there is no sarcasm intended here whatsoever! Anyway he is a hero in my eyes also because for a guy to become the president without even an O’Level in Singapore, he must be nothing short of extraordinary! He should be a role model for all Singaporeans, especially those aunties who keep saying without a degree the only job that 1 can find is to be a road-sweeper, although we all know deep down that the chances of anyone repeating that feat is as good as finding Angelina Jolie running down Orchard Road naked! Anyway think to make up for that "shortcoming", they gave him some kind of honourary doctorate so that he could be called Dr Wee didn’t they? Sighz, such is the state of the local civil service…

Anyway, my personal favourite is actually Mr Ong Teng Cheong, with the current president coming a close 2nd. The biggest achievement by Mr Ong, in my eyes, was that he almost single-handedly caused the MRT to be built- against much objection from many other characters (scholars, I believe) in the public service. That alone was enough to make him a hero. How any people actually can pull of such a stunt- going against the numerous ministers & not to mention *ahem* & not ending up running to Malaysia? All you lucky people who get to enjoy the convenience of the MRT have him to thank! But anyway perhaps THAT could well be the reason he did not receive anything near the pompous "farewell" that Dr Wee is having.

Anyway while we’re on this topic, has anyone ever asked youself why so many places in Singapore are being named after the Raffles guy? From the MRT station; the scholars-wannabe school(s); the lounges, buildings, halls & even airplane lounge, if I remember rightly; to the hotel whose doorman looks like an 1800s safari explorer who is dressed to tame the many wild animals he may encounter along Beach Road. What has he done to make us see his name everywhere we turn in Singapore? Yes, he found-ed Singapore, just in the same way that Christopher Colmbus discovered-ed America, as we all know from what has been taught-ed to us in the textbooks, & I have understood-ed all these… But other than having found-ed Singapore, what else has he done? He brought in his famous assistant, Farquhar (For your info, if you do not know, his name is pronounced with the silent "u"- so if you ask an American to try to say his name you might get a pretty accurate discription of what he was), who, when he came, insisted on chasing away the Malays & build a bungalow right on top of the Forbidden Hill, where the Malays used to bury their kings before Raffles found-ed Singapore. The best part was after that everyone was made to believe that Raffles & that Farquhar (say that aloud in an American accent if you like) BUILT Singapore! Wow! & i wonder what the Malay fishermen, administrators; the Chinese migrants, samsui women, bricklayers, coolies; the Indian labourers & moneylenders did if Raffles & that Farquhar (I’m enjoying making fun of his name, if you realise…) BUILT Singapore! So these people came from all over Asia to supervise the building work done by Raffles & the Farquhar? Just for the record, if my beliefs are correct, my Indian friend from New Delhi, Ganesh, has spent more time in Singapore than Raffles ever did! So can I call Ganesh a super-builder? Like Bob the builder?   :P

Hehe enough of my nonsense. Going to play games & try to win the world cup liao. Ain’t that something bigger in the world scheme of things? Bye bye & have a great weekend!   :P

-Mel