You pay... for this?

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Source: hardwarezone forums

The bus stop vandal.

I was at the bus stop preparing to take the bus to work when I decided to check where the buses that left my home went to. As I went over to look at the bus guide, I saw this.

Someone had pasted two pieces of paper over the bus guide. They were stuck fast with some really strong glue so that their clean removal would be extremely difficult. I thought it was probably one of those notices asking for rooms to rent or offers for tuition, but it turned out to be neither. Here's what was written on them.

I know the second picture is a lot of text so I shall briefly explain what was written on it. It basically alleges that certain members of a certain family control all the big businesses in Singapore, by putting all their different relatives as directors. After that, this person goes on to allege that the ministers below this family set rules in favour of the family to facilitate the maximising of profits. Finally, he asks the family to return the money earned from the MRT business to the people.

I would really like to ask the person who did this - Do you seriously expect anyone to take you seriously? If not, please stop vandalising the bus stop sign because you are wasting taxpayers' money to clean up the damage, on top of inconveniencing users of the bus stop.

It is idiots like you who make life miserable for the people you claim to sympathise with. In no country in the world are governments obliged to provide free transportation systems, because if they did taxes would rise even further, and the poor, which I assume includes you, would suffer even more.

Do you even study economics or have an idea of how economic systems work? The only thing you know is how to complain that money isn't dropping from the sky.

The last I checked, the turnover of SMRT is $802.1 million for the financial year 2008. Where did you get the figure for billions from Mr Vandal? Out of your smart ass? Don't go telling me SMRT doesn't release accurate figures in their annual report because the next thing you're going to tell me is the board of SMRT hides money in milo tins all over their bungalows.

Sure, I'm sure SMRT could return all the money to the people. $802.1 million divided by 5 million people is about... $160. I tell you what uncle, let's just say SMRT gave everyone in Singapore $160 for the whole year and let the transport system run for free. Everyone rejoices. The next day the MRT breaks down and nobody can get to work. Soon we'll be eating rats off the streets.

I'm not trying to be pro-government, but just step back and see how little SMRT is really earning from each Singaporean citizen. It's basically slightly under 50 cents a day. I know people who earn more money than that from you every day. Like the canteen uncle who sells you drinks.

As for the rest of the allegations, it is very easy for you to say something, but without substantiation, I could say an elephant is pink. At least I would be right because this elephant is pink.
Thanks, I know I'm genius.

Every member of the public has a right to read a bus stop sign free of obstructions. I don't care if a certain family is earning too much money like you say. At least the country runs fine. If that is the price I have to pay, I'd gladly pay it. Stop vandalising the bus stop.

the weird guy.

Once in a while, you meet weird people. The only scary part is when they turn out to be very very weird.

I was at my desk when I got a call from one of my superiors to check out someone who had been making a scene at reception. Apparently he wanted to complain to one of us about a dispute between him and his neighbours. Since I was the intern nearest to my supervisor, I got the job.

When I first saw the newsmaker, I had a bad feeling. Something told me there was something funny about this guy. The handshake confirmed it. His hand was cold and clammy for a guy. But a job was a job, so I sat down and listened to him talk.

Immediately, he asked that no matter what I did not quote his real name. After that, when he noticed a group of visitors behind me taking pictures in the lobby, he actually came over to sit beside me, saying that he was afraid of having his picture taken.

I went over to sit on the other side so I could continue the interview, and also because I really did not want to sit beside him. After the whole series of allegations, which included his neighbours assaulting him, police brutality and more, he asked that I did not put his real address in the article. He wanted me to put "somewhere in Singapore".

I told him that people only did that on STOMP. At this point, I was actually perusing his statements. I saw that one of the entries included "wrongful admission to IMH".

Well, I don't know how wrongful it was, but if the police consider you worthy of admission to IMH, there must be something wrong up there. Either that or they were trying to do the Man In Black erase memory thing, but they failed and somehow you remember, hence you were trying to tell me that there's a big conspiracy in the government to erase your memory because you know something they can't afford to let people know.

Yeah right. You think what, movie ah. I told him that everything was done, and he could leave. I then went back to office.

Four hours later, when I knocked off, he was still in the lobby. The only person sitting there.

I was so freaked, I just got the hell out of there as fast as I could.

Dreams and dust.

I was having a chat over the table with my cousins, since it was CNY and we were all broke from gambling.

One of my cousins was reading a research paper about solar cells, possibly the most dry and boring subject you could imagine. But when I enquired about what he was reading, he proceeded to describe the research to me, making every single detail come alive.

Just by listening to him, I learnt how to interpret chemical formulas, the state of solar cell research over the last 40 years, and the current state of research. He actually made science interesting to me, when I had given up on it 6 years ago, deeming myself unsuitable for science.

And the day before that, my electrician uncle was showing me a newfangled device he was working on. He had wired up his house so that with just one remote he could control two tvs, the dvd player and on top of that he had found some way to boost the strength of the internet signal in his house. It was like seriously, the unsexy version of Harry Potter. Magical, but utterly unsexy.

It was then that I realised that perhaps I was never really uninterested in science, it was just that my teachers didn't manage to make it come alive for me. And several years down the road, I find myself a writer, something people tell me I have a talent for. I do not dispute that perhaps I have a better grasp of the written word than the average person, because from what I gleam from STOMP, dey write lyk dis.

However, these two people in my life, they showed me the difference between being good at something, and truly enjoying what you do. Personally, I find that it's not difficult to become good at something if you apply yourself diligently to it.

It's like maths, you can hate the subject, but if you do enough TYS-es, you'll score that A. I failed maths all through JC, so much that my teacher had given up hope on me. She predicted an A for the whole class except me. I got an A anyway, so I shall say it now.

Thank you for not believing in me. It gave me that urge to shove it back up your backside.

It is that extra love for whatever you do that takes you beyond good. You stretch yourself to become better at it because not doing so is harder to do. And over a period of time, it shows.

In the newsroom, there are reporters who have been there for years. They are the most jaded old farts you can imagine, because they have seen it all. When I asked them whether a 3 car pile up on the expressway was a story, all they asked was "Did anyone die? No one? Cheh. Why you tell me, waste my time." Their utter lack of concern for the welfare of fellow human beings was actually refreshing, if not a little disturbing.

But they are the very same people who come in early and leave late. And in a newsroom, you really survive on passion, because the job takes a toll on your physical and mental well being. It is stressful, crazy and utterly unpredictable. And the pay sucks like shit, for the number of hours that you work. But one thing I have noticed is, these senior reporters never ever complain about work.

In my case though, it's just that much harder. Just because I am an intern, SPH pays me peanuts. They claim it is because they are giving us work experience. I honestly think that is bullshit. If I had joined before university, I would have earned $1000. Now, I earn just $600.

My mom used to tell me when I was younger that I had to study in uni, so I would get a better paying job. Oh Mommy, why did you lie to me? Was it because you knew I could not handle the truth?

At this point, I still have no idea if this is something I want to do for life. But I hope that someday, I will find a job I love, because after that day, I no longer work.

Overheard on CNY

I was at my aunt's place and she was stuffing me with CNY goodies. I told her that I enjoyed the goodies very much, but I really couldn't take in any more pineapple tarts, chocolates, sweets, or bak kwa.

Then she was like "Eat more, eat more. If you don't eat more, after CNY, your uncle and I, we'll die trying to finish up the goodies. We don't actually like to eat them, but we have to buy them because it's CNY. Eat more. Eat more."

I think I seriously lol-ed and died.

Oh come on who are you kidding Singapore

I'm sure everyone is more or less familiar with Pastor Rony Tan, the pastor who made some insensitive comments regarding Buddhism and Taoism, and even posted a video of it.

This is the video in question



He was eventually hauled up by the ISD, and made to apologise for his comments, which the leaders of the two other religions have accepted.

However, I really wonder if he is sincerely apologetic, or just afraid of getting in trouble. There is a huge difference, even if in both cases an apology is supposedly enough to show his "remorse". I will elaborate on this later.

Many studies on human behaviour have shown that it is difficult to change attitudes, because they are often very deeply ingrained. I really doubt that a mere call-up by the ISD will have convinced Pastor Rony Tan of the error of his actions in a fundamental sense.

By fundamental sense, I mean the right of all Singaporeans to practice their religion of choice freely in a secular society without the fear of persecution or being subject to denigration.

This goes right down to the very core of our societal fabric because firstly, religion is often tied very closely to race and demographics, and secondly, religion is something intensely personal that people have very strong feelings about.

I find it deeply disturbing that a man who is the leader of a religious congregation engages in such childish behaviour, and even has the cheek to post it online so he can share his childish beliefs with other equally bigoted people.

I do not claim to be immune to the odd politically incorrect comment, but sharing it online on a video that "glorifies" his actions to the public is simply distasteful and to a large extent, seditious.

I actually did research on the Sedition Act in Singapore.

Here are some excerpts, as well as cases of previous offenders under the Sedition Act.
3-(1) A seditious tendency is a tendency
(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.

In 2005, 2 men and a 17-year old youth were charged under the Sedition Act for making racist comments on the Internet. More details on the cases can be found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_(Singapore)

So the message I'm getting from the government is, if you are a normal citizen, you get charged under the full extent of the law, and jailed and fined if need be, for making seditious comments on forums and blogs.

However, if you are the leader of a religious congregation, you get a callup from the ISD, a chance to explain yourself, and all's well after you make a public apology. Why such double standards? Especially since in this case, I am pretty sure the impact was far greater, in terms of public anger and reach of the inflammatory material.

I am actually in favour of a stronger and stiffer punishment for this man, because he was in a position of authority and he did not use the power and influence accorded to him by his position in a responsible manner.

By letting him off lightly, the government gives the impression that the powerful protect each other, and in addition, people who already have an axe to grind with the Christian community in Singapore feel dissatisfied and as a result voice their disaffection with said community between themselves, reinforcing religious tensions.

I'd like the government to realise that many of us out there are not stupid. We were brought up in an environment where we received an excellent education, and with this education comes the ability to see through and question the failings of our government more acutely than ever.

If you are sincere about protecting Singapore's secularity, then show us that anyone who tries to threaten it, no matter how powerful or influential, gets the hard end of the stick.

Love, peace and whatever to all mankind

Today, I was at Sun Plaza on assignment when I suddenly felt mother nature calling. I was at the ground level and I saw a sign to the loo. I snuck into the nearest one and when I saw what the place looked like, I beat a hasty retreat.

Honestly, if you'd told me at the moment that an elephant had escaped from the zoo, run into Sun Plaza and crapped in that toilet, I would have believed you. I'm serious.

Note to people: When there is a hole in the floor, you crap into the hole, not all around it. Thank you.

So I was like really grossed out, and yet I had a personal emergency to attend to. I did not feel like running to the loos upstairs because I was convinced they would be just as... hygiene challenged.

And at that moment, I saw something divine that sang out to me. It was this.

I know that able-bodied people are not supposed to use them, so I looked all around for any probable disabled people before I did. By probable, I meant physically as well as mentally disabled, like those weird people you see hanging around leering at young girls.

Having ascertained that even those were not in the vicinity, I proceeded to make use of the best toilet in the shopping centre. Clean, pristine, well furnished with its own personal set of mirrors, basin, a nappy changing area where you can put your bag, and a full roll of toilet paper.

I have to say it again. The toilet bowl was white and unblemished. In a public toilet sense that is like striking 4D.

How much more awesome can a public toilet get. Just using it you feel like a king.

The male species is in danger

Over the past year I have realised that guys in general are becoming more feminine in the way they dress and behave. While effeminate guys used to be rare and hence tolerable, now I find that they are way too common. For the sake of convenience, I shall now refer to them as "metroboys".

In the past, when you threw a stone, you would hit either a guy or girl. Now, if you threw that same stone, you would hit a PRC, a bangla, a metroboy, and a Top-mat (mat-yoyo Topman style), before you hit a normal unassuming guy or girl. But that's another story.

Today as I was taking the MRT to work, in walked a person in a pink shirt. I knew it was a guy because no girl is that ugly, but the way he dressed, it screamed "I'm so gay and don't you know it. I'm a flaming metroboy and ooh I'm on fire babeh!"

It is making me convinced that women are slowly gaining the advantage over unsuspecting men. Men who do not realise that women are subtly forcing their fashion conventions upon them are slowly moving over to the dark side, and embracing their inner world of rainbows, unicorns and ponies.

So, what kind of guy is a metroboy? He is the kind who can accessorise better than the average girl. The kind who wear sunglasses even at night or in shopping centres. The kind who will not leave home unless their clothes are colour coordinated down to the last detail, and tight fitting in all the right places. The kind who wear bronzer, foundation and eyeliner. The kind who go for boy-zillians, which to me is like the ultimate act of emasculation short of being neutered.

I am not against guys who dress well. I am just against guys who dress well, but in a style of fashion that is more metro than metro. Like skinnies that are tighter than girls' jeans covering a pair of legs waxed so shiny and toned that even girls would kill to have them. Like seriously, what the. You "guys" put both guys and girls to shame, if for different reasons.

I make a stand for guys here. Even as the bastions of masculinity crumble I want to be the last man standing who wears his tacky shirt and berms with pride while the rest of the world is wearing skinny pants so skinny I wonder if their nuts have any space to breathe. I will survive on the same wardrobe till even the Salvation Army won't want it.

Fashion is big money, but I refuse to be held to ransom by shops demanding more and more cash for flimsier pieces of clothing (Topman *cough cough*) just to upkeep standards of fashion that are actually an attempt by women and other metroboys to cash-in on insecure guys.

Guys should save money. If not, where are girls going to find money to spend?

You are the one.

I was out on assignment interviewing people in Yishun and later Clementi, and I finally reached my office at around 5pm. Just when I entered office, my fellow intern friend told me that he had very bad news for me.

"Hey, I heard that the editor has something for you. It's bad."

I was like wondering what the hell it was. I went back to my seat, and just then, my supervisor came over and said "Weili you know what the angle of the story is this Sunday right?"

I was like "No?"

She was like "Oh you mean you didn't know you're working this Sunday? Oops. Sorry to spoil it for you."

I think I heard my heart breaking. I had planned for a relaxing afternoon on Sunday spent sleeping in till 11am.

Just then my editor came over. "Hey I just wanted to see you" he said.

"Yeah, I know I'm the special one this Sunday right."

"Hey, I didn't even get to tell you myself. How come you know that already."

"Probably because I'm awesome."

"Well, same thing. Don't come back without a story."

Two weeks in pictures.

Variety is the spice of life, so I've decided to try my hand at doing a picture story this time. The theme of this picture story is, two weeks in pictures. In other words, a random mishmash that I'm too lazy to give a good theme to.

At a childcare centre to interview the teacher and play with the children. Aww, so cute!

At the roof of Helipad@Central having a few drinks on the company account.

MUSE concert

At the Indoor stadium waiting for MUSE to open their concert. Oooh yeahhh. The sight of a sea of thousands jumping together is truly something to behold. Not to mention the synchronized hypnotic clap-along to Starlight. MUSE fans, we are one!

They played like everything, ranging from Uprising and Undisclosed Desires on their latest album, to classics like Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Time is Running Out, Knights of Cydonia, Plug in Baby, Sunburn, Hysteria and Stockholm Syndrome, and many more songs. It was absolutely crazy and I got a good cardio workout just from jumping like a teenybopper throughout the concert.

At the Singapore Airshow 2010

Big guns in the air, and big guns on the ground. Check out that guy shooting aircraft with his massive anti-aircraft gun.The Apache and F-15 flying together in some synchronised formation. Quite awesome to behold.

Oh my. What are they pointing at?

None other than this, the A-10 Warthog.

Team Rocket blasting off again! Just kidding.