MEL

Wanna say a HUGE THANK YOU to all you people who had remembered my birthday and who had showered me with gifts and wishes! So here is my Thank You "Speech", to convey my very sincere thanks to each of you. If I had inadvertently missed out any of you names, please tell me so that I can put it back on k? I had almost finished doing this when I accidentally clicked on the ad banner near the bottom & I was brought to the Dell website with all my info gone. Now I have to upload the pictures and type this all over again… But here it goes…

First up, the Wife! These gifts + the nice massage to ease away the stress and fatigue accumulated from the previous few weeks. And not to forget her helping to pay for part of my xiao laopo, through whose lenses these pictures were taken. Love you Dear!

Next up according to chronological order is Xiaohui, who kiasu-ly gave this pen to me on Tuesday. Ironically I had been hoping that someone would give me such a pen for my birthday and my wish was fulfilled. Thanks Xiaohui! Treat you to lunch someday k?

Not forgetting of course, the Crazy Gang! By alphabetical order they are: Huili, Judy, Kain, Poyi, Qin, Sarah and Shuohan! Somehow you guys had the same idea as my laopo and got me exactly the same bottle, except in another colour! Thanks lots to you guys! Together let’s stay crazy!

There were also some people who had been unable to pass me gifts, but you guys are not forgotten either! Thanks so much for remembering my birthday (by choronological order according to the order of receiving your SMSes and emails etc), Kakak Sahira, Daniel Chin, Elgin, Jingwen, John, Tengyuan, Liyan and Alvin Tay. Hope I didn’t miss out anyone! Please tell me if I do so that I can make the rectifications k? Really don’t wanna miss out on any of you!

Oh yes, somehow NUS Business School got in the act as well; by sending 3 emails to me, each bearing the same message but with different pictures. Since I have not reached the picture upload quota for this month, shall upload them here. Thank you ah, NUS, for trying to make me feel like my school fees are justified so that I will donate generously as an alumni in the future…

OK that’s about enough of blogging for now. Time to hit the books again. Anyway just to leave you all with the lyrics of one of my current favourite songs. Hope it will come out because I’m not sure if friendster supports Chinese characters:

我愛台妹

作詞：姚中仁／張震嶽
作曲：姚中仁／張震嶽
演唱：Mc Hot Dog＆張震嶽

我的阿妹妹　快來和我跳阿哥哥　Go
我知道你看到是我　妳不會說No
我不是油頭葉教授　我的Honeys都叫我熱狗　for show
女孩　就是喜歡你台台　等等去家裡轟趴　要不要來
只怕你掛的太快　明天要去廟裡收驚拜拜
How High ?　We Can Kiss The Sky !
人生海海　我們不會只是　Stand One Night
One Night In 墾丁　我留下許多情
你是我的可口可樂　幫我解渴　看我穿著就知道我玩饒舌
不用說我壞話　因為我有順風耳　
如果是你肚子大　我帶你去看順風婦產科

我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　林志玲算什麼
我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　侯佩岑算什麼

我不愛中國小姐　我愛台妹　萬萬歲
妳的檳榔2粒要100　好貴　有沒有含睡
如果能夠和妳共枕眠　更多更多的奶粉錢　我願意為妳貢獻
我不是愛現　請妳噴上一點點銷魂的香水
換上妳最性感的高跟鞋　人群之中　妳最亮眼
台妹來了　我是否和妳一拍即合　跟我去很多的不良場合
大家看到我都對我喊Yes Sir　因為我是公認最屌的Rapper
台妹們　麻煩和我拍拖　我不是凱子　可是付錢　也不會囉唆
純情是什麼　我不懂　我的想法很邪惡　張震嶽他懂

我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　林志玲算什麼
我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　侯佩岑算什麼

為了妳　我可能要投資一家檳榔攤　為了妳　家裡可能要有鋼管
為了妳　我要常常下去台南　為了妳　流氓會來找我麻煩
對於帶著一點台灣味的女生　我的腎上腺素毫不考慮亮起紅燈
畢竟妳也不是天使　我也不是聖人
時尚的野獸　那就請你滾　我受夠　你是馬戲團訓練有素的Animal　
所有　男模　女模　你在屌什麼
我就不信你現在還有處女膜　都是凱子戳
喜歡台妹說話的口音　有時候挾帶幾句靠盃三字經
愛神的箭　你要射向哪裡　這裡　Free9　張震嶽　熱狗　這裡　等你

我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　林志玲算什麼
我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　侯佩岑算什麼
我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　林志玲算什麼
我愛台妹　台妹愛我　對我來說　侯佩岑算什麼

Yo Yo Yo Yo !!　Come on~　Yo Yo !!
把手放在空中甩　我叫你什麼都不用管
讓我看你把手放在空中甩　把手放在空中甩
台妹　手放在空中甩　叫你什麼都不用管
台客　手放在空中甩　把手放在空中甩

把衣服都掀起來　把奶罩都丟上來
把衣服都掀起來　把奶罩都丟上來
把衣服都掀起來　把奶罩都丟上來
把衣服都掀起來　把奶罩都丟上來

Cheers!

It was a great movie, one of the best local productions I have EVER seen. Really! Please go watch it if you have time, definitely worth your time and money. Not the usual Singaporean slapstick comedy kind of stuff, but it has a more serious theme and tone. Kinda depressing most of the time, but definitely a good movie.

Anyway I would like to hear comments about a tagline I have seen in a laptop computer’s ad. I found it quite clever, but apparently some of my friends didn’t even manage to understand what it meant, and after I had tried to explain it to them they didn’t seem to appreciate it. So I would like to get a feel of the general views about whether it is me or those friends of mine who are on the wrong frequency. It goes something like this: "For those who have arrived, but still need to travel." I’m not sure if it is the exact words, but that’s the idea. For a laptop computer ad. What say you all? I’m hoping for many points of view here.

Anyway the IMF meetings are over. Life is going back to normal, or can it ever go back to normal? Something I don’t really understand, my friends & I had intuitively thought that for this IMF/WB meet, the value of e SGD would appreciate, just like it did for the euro during the world cup. So when I realised that the value of the SGD had fallen pretty significantly for the past week, I could not figure the reason out. Perhaps some of you economists out there could enlighten me? I would really be very grateful if you could help me resolve this perplexing issue in my mind!

In my very humble opinion, however, I suspect it could be somehow affected by the fact that almost every other news organisation in the world is criticising our country for the way we have handled this IMF/WB convention. I personally saw on Channel 13, the BBC News how they had criticised our government for the "authoritarian manner" in which they handled this event, and it probably did not help that during this period our government leaders were taking the FEER magazine to court (for what reasons, probably we all know)- while the 20,000+ delegates were in town! The interesting thing is that all this while when we were being criticised left, right, centre, our local media had actually kept insisting that the event had been a success. Do they have different ways of measuring success? Or do they want to protect our fragile egos and shelter us from the harsh remarks made by outsiders? Or maybe they interview different delegates from those that are interviewed by everyone else?

Probably those delegates are also pretty perplexed as well. They could be wondering, how could the people of this country be so thick-skinned and behave as if nothing had happened, and even keep talking about feeling proud for pulling off such an event "successfully", when elsewhere there is a barrage of criticisms. And I also wonder why there are no pictures of the scene at Hong Lim park in the local media when the Chee siblings were staging their protest, when I had seen 3-minute-long footages & speeches etc on BBC? Is it because the things that the Chees had said which were heard on BBC might cause people to change the very positive impression of the government which we currently hold? Or is it because of the way the police officers at the scene handled the situation might have the same effect, again as seen on foreign news channels?

OK better don’t say more liao. I don’t want to be a bankrupt, although it would not make life very different for me from my current situation. Neither do I enjoy going to court or having to run off to Malaysia.

Some update on my life. Probably many of you would already have been getting updates on my MSN nicks. Just a continuation:

Came across something that could make for an interesting read. Provides an alternative view on certain issues that we would otherwise have no access to on the mainstream media. However I have a feeling that people who most need a fresh perspective will not ever read something like this, maybe not even in their lifetime.

Have to make it clear that I do not profess to endorse or reject his ideas. Just feel that we should be open and explore differing viewpoints on issues. Since the opposing view to what has been mentioned in the article floods us anyway, probably we all know very well what is being said on the other side. Just take a look at that and decide for yourself how much you want to accept and how much to reject. On my part, I definitely believe "reality", if ever there were such a thing, is somewhere in the middle of what has been offered from both parties, but which version it is closer to, you have to decide that for yourself.

Anyway I was just thinking, if much of what he says is true, what does that leave us as Singaporeans? NOTE: I said IF what he said is true, I am not saying definitely it is true. So what does that imply IF it is true?

This hypothetical scenario reminds me of thie movie that I watched while working at a roadshow some time ago - Aveon Flux or something like that. Don’t really remember the title, but the movie went something like:

The people in a certain city were provided with alot of material comfort, and protection from the diseases inflicting the outside world. However they could only remain in the city on one condition: that they submitted to the Government’s control and pledge total obedience. Kind of like in Orwell’s book, 1984.

So if much of what he says is true, is that where we are moving towards? Sounds like a scary thought. It is almost akin to those movies where people sold their souls to the Devil in return for material favours. Does that correspond to the fact that we have a very healthy economy/GDP figures, but are still lowly ranked in the Happiness Index?

I have to reiterate my stand again. I do not want to decide yet, not to mention state, whether I agree or disagree with what was written, but I am just exploring the possible implications if the issues he brought up are true. This gives us the motivation I guess, to try to find out whether it is indeed true, because the consequences are not very optimistic if it indeed is.

OK shall not continue on this anymore. Guess such discussions are taboo in our country, and also I believe I will not be getting comments for this posting for 2 reasons: 1) Not many of us in Singapore have an opinion on many things in general- we just believe what the Government and our parents tell us; 2) If we had views, and if they happened to contradict what the Government or our parents tell us, we clam up and refuse to acknowledge that we have opinions.

You are free to prove me wrong though…

By the way, 1 thing I can say for sure, I hate PRCs! In line with the Government’s stance towards immigration I can say in general I have nothing against the Malaysians, Indonesians, Thais, Filipinos, Indians, Sri Lankans, Vietnamese, Bangladeshis, even the Mat Sallehs who are coming here in pretty large numbers. It is only the minority of the trouble-makers and undesirable characters in this groups of people that I have issues with. However for the PRCs it is the opposite- I am against them in general except for that elusive few of them who are decent.

Just to share with you some of the pieces of work of these master counterfeiters and con masters of the world:

The greatest piece of flash drive in the world. Save all your work, music, documents etc in this flash drive. technologically so advanced that a tiny piece of wire is all that is needed to store all your stuff! Go on, buy more Made-in-China stuff lor!

Keke I shall first first show my appreciation to The Wife who had been showing care and concern the past few days when I had been sick.  Been down with fever and sore throat (with insomnia thrown in as well) but The Wife’s massages and hugs always manages to drive illnesses away in a flash.

Anyway made a shocking discovery. Alright, maybe not exactly shocking, but kinda something I had not expected all the same. Maybe you guys can take a look at this picture:

Get it? If you don’t, click on the picture to get a clearer view of it. Wonder how many Muslims have unwittingly taken this when they had sore throat like I had over the past few days. Not a huge amount, but I guess when the Prophet had said good Muslims do not consume alcohol, he did not say good Muslims do not consume EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS of alcohol… Alcohol is alcohol is alcohol, just like it does not matter if Adam and/or Eve took just one bite or swallowed the forbidden fruit whole. They had eaten it. Period. My Muslim friends care to comment?

OK, guess that’s about it for this post. Not sure when I would do the next one. When I’m free or when I have the mood I guess. Maybe someone would have to put me in the mood again if anyone does bother to read my posts, because the mood is really lacking recently, hence the intervals between posts.

Have a good week people. To Sahira, happy Teacher’s Day, and to the rest of you who do get a one-week break, have fun. To the rest of us, tough luck! Cheers!

Oh by the way, today I saw a very quotable quote. I have a mind to use it on certain characters sometime in the future:

"If I had wanted to hear an asshole out, I would have farted."

Ain’t it wonderful?