la merde en direct

unleash the beast

2012-01-23T04:43:00.001+01:00

have a roaring new year in the year of the dragon!!!

you need me

2012-01-13T17:18:00.003+01:00

stumbled upon this poem at the library the other day. the book was a collection of poems by local writers, and (fortunately!) i was quite taken aback by the quality of prose in it. given our stifling environment and focus on academic results, i was surprised that such a naughty, yet insightful poem was actually written by a singaporean - mr gan see siong, a lecturer at temasek poly. enjoy!

you need me
"you like to enter me in the wee hours of morning
that part of yours in protective sheath
and go romping with me
three to four times a week.

a gentle man you are not
for without warning you would spread me wide
to accommodate the full extent of you.

you strapped me up
with those dexterous fingers
so close i can see your grim determination
the even rise and fall of your chest.

and just like that
you would head me
down the pleasure road
growing all hot and hard in me.

if only you knew how i long for these sessions,
they are the reason why I even exist," said the pair of running shoes.

surface

2012-01-11T17:55:00.001+01:00

"...go home like damn style, then reach home and puke like a pussy..."

i wonder how many of us are like this?

sometimes.

2012-01-05T18:05:00.001+01:00

just remember to keep your chin up, soldier.

the end

2012-01-02T16:26:00.004+01:00

a bit late, but i just saw this message on my cuz's shirt this arvo and thought that it was quite apt to start 2012 with the end in mind:

the end.
everything will be okay in the end.
if it's not okay, it's not the end.

gambatte everyone for 2012!!!

2011

2011-12-31T07:33:00.003+01:00

2011: just a year between 2010 and 2011.

started the year off with a great experience as a linesman for the singapore atp challenger series (now i know how hard the pros serve). trained damn hard again for MSER and ARR and the team(s) achieved the best results ever like in the history of the unit; thanks guys for teaching me how to stand strong in the face of adversity and rise above seemingly insurmountable odds. needless to say, i smashed my own 2.4km record again, though i only achieved a silver cos of the sickening sbj. went overseas again for work in april; great exposure and experience which reinforced my belief and passion for the job (except for the sickening sbj though). went through 2 "watershed" elections - both times the results did not turn out the way i would have liked, but that's democracy for you and well done to aljunied! along the way i was also posted out to another unit; would not have minded to stay in my previous post but i did not want to be pigeon-holed into a particular niche and thus make it even more difficult for me to be posted out further down the road. and did i mention the 2 accidents that i had unfortunately got myself into? both times, same circumstances, same disastrous results. grah. i need to check my blind spots quicker. on the sporting front, i played a lot more tennis this year and had the chance to participate in quite a number of overseas friendlies (ipoh, batam, penang). maybe one day we might just make it to roland garros! =) also did my first triathlon after 2 years at PD; now i remember again why i fell in love with the sport back in 07. PD12, i'll definitely be back! the big trip of the year has to be north korea; looking back i'm glad i made it there before kim jong il's last hurrah - things will just not be the same without Dear Leader.

and now we're staring right straight at 2012 in the eye. 2011 had been a year of many firsts; nothing sensational nor revolutionary but probably just an evolution of how things were in 2010. somehow, i have a feeling that some bigger things are going to happen in 2012.

bring it on!

merry christmas 2011

2011-12-23T15:22:00.002+01:00

in the vein of the arab spring and occupy wall street protests, have yourself a very merry made-in-china christmas! =)

haus hunting

2011-12-18T16:32:00.004+01:00

recently, i have started looking for a place of my own (cannot stay with parents forever mah). for those who have done it before, kudos. for those who have yet to do so, good luck.

because finding the perfect house in singapore is like striking the lottery. for all practical reasons, i am only coming from the average everydayman's viewpoint here since a well-to-do person can use his wealth to mitigate the difficulties that i am going to list down below.

first of all, there is the BTO lucky draw. if you're lucky enough to even get chosen to select a flat, chances are that you will probably have to settle for some place in the outskirts of singapore. you may argue that no where is too far anyway since singapore is only that large, but nothing can be further than the truth than that. our public transport system is patchy at best; it is efficient only if you live near the transport hubs, and only to a certain extent. connecting buses seem to take forever to come, and trains are not as reliable as they seem after the recent breakdown saga. even the BTO's only saving grace that they are cheaper than resale flats have been diluted due to the current practice of pegging BTO prices to market value.

and if you are one of the successful ones in the balloting exercise, congratulations - you only have to wait for another 4-5 years for your house keys!

second, resale. this option gives you the opportunity to choose relatively larger houses in mature estates, but oh - the COV has become somewhat a means of legal extortion. coupled with unavoidable agent and renovation fees, a resale flat might cost more than an arm, a leg, and maybe your firstborn son. and just like men, all the nice units have already been taken up. the good but unsold ones are probably haunted or loanshark-marked; leaving only the lousy ones on the market.

looking at this rate, i think it'll be a long time before i become a flat owner in singapore.

i shot the sheriff, but i didn't shoot the blogspot

2011-12-14T17:13:00.003+01:00

its not my fault.

really.

ok, other than really being quite busy with life and 1001 other things recently, i do not think that i had done anything criminal. it is difficult not to be seduced when you have a platform that continuously feeds you live updates of your friends and their friends and their friends' friends, and another service which encourages you to be succinct in 140 words.

yes, ladies and gentlemen, i am sad to announce that facebook and twitter killed the blog. in a society where situations get overtaken by new events faster than the next britney spears scandal, and mobile apps that foster an an-update-a-minute culture, who can blame me for not updating as frequently as i would like here? afterall, anything posted here would probably just be a rehash (but probably also more well-thought out) of what i posted earlier on some other social network.

i admit there are still cases of bloggers going strong, but i guess those are the ones who have also incorporated other elements of social networking into their blogs to remain relevant and interesting. or that they just write damn well.

either way, i'm sorry that i've not been updating la merde en direct as much as i would have liked. it started out as a way for me to document my life, my travels, and other interesting things that i had noticed in the real or reel world. slowly, it became a place for me to rant and let off steam. now, it has reached its dying embers and i'm not sure how long can this go on.

perhaps we've reached the end of the road now blogster, and welcome to 140-word land.

wherefore art thou rain?

2011-11-28T18:01:00.004+01:00

ladies and gentlemen of the class of '11,
if i could only offer you one webpage bookmark for the future,
nea's rain location website would be it.

especially when the monsoon season is upon us,
when we never know where is the next place that will have a once-in-50-year event,
when you are deciding whether or not to change from tennis to badminton,
this website has proven to be the only reliable source of meteorological information.

heck, its the only non-porn website i surf on a regular basis.

111111

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001+01:00

hey i was here! once-in-every-1000 years moment. \^_^/

조선민주주의인민공화국

2011-10-30T15:10:00.004+01:00

so north korea came and went. had been planning this since 2 years ago but there was some nuclear missile testing (what else?) in 2009 and i had my visa application rejected. i guess its not a place where most people would like to go to, but for me it was one of the more memorable trips that i have been on.

i had always been politically leftist, and with the increasing number of countries "embracing" democracy (and consequently capitalism), north korea was my last chance to experience what the alternative would be. most of us must have read or seen about north korea in the media: about how cruel the regime is or how tough the living conditions are. well, in all fairness i must say that i was treated really well during my stay there. of course, its not MBS or RWS but it not a hellhole either. basic amenities were provided, the people were warm, and food was abundant. there was plenty of beer to go around too! yes, the itinerary was pretty much controlled and we were chaperoned everywhere but for me it was much better than walking around freely at some shopping mall or theme park.

anyway, i wish i could tell you fully how interesting it was and how much fun we had but unfortunately as the saying goes, a picture does indeed paint a thousand words, and for the benefit of my fingers here's the link to the photos: dprk, vladivostok and harbin.

...

2011-10-13T09:21:00.002+02:00

chinup bar

2011-10-09T16:50:00.004+02:00

this strangely reminds me of james.

homecoming of sorts

2011-09-26T18:29:00.008+02:00

and.. i'm back! a blink of an eye and its already been 2 weeks in northeast asia / russia. of course, it felt like eternity when we were there, but now that we are back, i can't help but wish that we were still on holiday!

anyway more on that later, and photos will be up on facebook soon as well!

-----
the feeling of being cheated totally sucks, especially when you thought that your friend was really in legitimate trouble and needed help. sucks even more when that friend also turns out to be one of your superiors.

this issue had dragged on for far too long already, and now it seems like this might just be a bottomless pit with no end in sight. should i just forget it and move on? or should i pursue to the very end with no guarantee of a favourable conclusion? seems like damn if i do and damn if i don't.

stupid naive me: i actually believed that my friend would settle everything once and for all and that everything would be settled once i came back from holiday. well, right now he is uncontactable and might have even gone awol!

gah. a friend in need is a friend indeed; but never will i ever be so gullible again. =(

dprk

2011-09-07T19:39:00.002+02:00

dear comrades, to the land of the free and plenty i go tomorrow!

see you in a fortnight's time!

endorsement

2011-08-20T19:51:00.007+02:00

what's up for all the endorsements for tony tan these days?

seriously, does that guy even need people/unions to publicly declare their ass-licking for him to "win" the elections?

and what does it even mean for the unions that have endorsed him: does that mean that their members now have to lan-lan vote for him (which is why the ST keeps on citing the number of workers in every union), or they are still able to vote independently? i wonder if they did even hold a meeting within their respective unions to decide on who to endorse, or did the committees just decide on their behalf?

sigh, such is the pragmatism of singaporean politics: you scratch my back and i'll scratch yours later when i gain power.

-----

so much for a president who is above politics.
so much for a president who must be a unifying figure.
so much for a president who must accept and can only act on the advice of the cabinet.

you want a candidate with all of the above qualities? forget the tans; let me tell you who i feel has all of the above and more: our very own merlion!
above politics? check. one can say that it is apathetic even.
unifying figure? check. who doesn't know what the merlion is?
accept and only act on the advice of the cabinet? check. i mean, vomiting water is its only ability.

and the merlion will definitely cost less than any of the tans. sure, some money must still be put aside for periodic maintenance and polishing of all the fish scales, but i'm sure the total amount will still be peanuts as compared to what nathan is drawing now, and what the tans will draw in office in the future.

indeed, as the chairman of 110 bukit purmei road unit number 05-156 (total members: 3), i endorse the merlion for president as i believe that it will be able to listen to the voice of the people and think singaporeans first, thus being the heart of the nation to inspire confidence for the future. =)

hurry curry

2011-08-18T19:48:00.002+02:00

同志们, welcome to curry weekend!

off the hook

2011-08-10T18:21:00.003+02:00

oh, just when i was just wondering about this the other day, the verdict actually came out today: no further actions against tin.

pap 1 : transparency 0

now, let's see what will transpire from the ministerial salary review. funny how the public transport fee hike can be decided in a matter of 2 weeks, but the salary review has taken 2 months and counting with no answer in sight.

the unbearable lightness of coe

2011-08-07T08:57:00.005+02:00

price of cat A certificate of entitlement: $48,801 (3 Aug 11)
deposit required to file nomination papers at presidential elections: $48,000

wow i'm not even sure which is worse: that it is cheaper to run for the elected presidency than to buy the right to buy a 1.6l car, or the fact that in singapore, anything and everything is for sale, if the price is right.

but wait. in rare occasions, its not only about the money. in singapore, before you can run for president you must even prove to the presidential elections council that you are worthy of doing so, by meeting some really stringent criteria. if you really do meet those requirements, the council will then issue you a certificate of eligibility, thus rendering you "eligible" for the presidential race.

i think in the future, they might do it king arthur style, where only the person who can carry the most babies / smile and wave simultaneously for the longest / make the most insipid of speeches is deserving to be our president.

if i were on the council, i would only award the certificate of eligibility to the great man who invented the certificate of entitlement. who better to lead singapore, than the one who displayed such great foresight to turn a simple vehicle ownership limiting system into a great revenue generator for the government over the years? when the government exhorts us to be more innovative and productive, i always have this person in mind: 100% returns for almost zero outlay, twice a month 24 times a year; even mbs and rws cannot lay claim to such ridiculous profit margins!

cos vs coe. uniquely singapore.

pricetag

2011-08-06T07:01:00.000+02:00

fine for illegal modification of exhaust and rear light: $250
fine for beating red light: $200 + 12 demerit points
repair cost for taxi uncle: $700
repair cost for own car: $350 (panel beating) + $540 (headlight)
60k servicing: $907.20

total cost: priceless experience with VICOM/LTA and a better understanding of singapore's motor repair industry. would i want to experience it again? HELL NO.

i kissed a car

2011-08-01T18:02:00.009+02:00

sometimes while driving i hear this chinese advert which goes: 当你的车kiss到我的车, 我不会跟你说 "i love you", 可是我会问你 “你是怎么驾车的@＃¥％⋯!!!”

after about 6 years of incident-free driving, i finally kissed someone today. and of all people, i had to kiss a cabbie.

was on my way for the DCM meeting at kranji when i rear-ended the aforementioned taxi at the junction of ite west and teck whye estate. i was executing a right turn when the bugger jam braked at the lights due to some pedestrians crossing the road, and the rest is history.

toyota crown 1 : vw golf gti 0

fortunately the taxi driver was quite nice and suggested that we settle the incident privately. we agreed upon a sum, went to the atm, i passed him the money, we both signed the settlement form, and it was over. however, the same cannot be said for the gti, who as i type, is sitting lonely in a workshop in toh tuck, waiting to have its headlights replaced, panels beaten, and front bumper spray painted and polished.

i still remember the time that i crashed my friend's dad's car just 3 days after obtaining my license. it was much worse then: 3-car pileup along the AYE near normanton. i didn't even have my license card at that time; just a pass slip, which shocked the other 2 drivers. =P this time, when me and the aforementioned cabby exchanged particulars, i was strangely amused to find out that his car plate number was SHB9520B. why? because i am SFQ9519B! what a coincidence.

so anyway, it seems like this is the latest in a series of unfortunate (traffic) events for me, after my exhaust and red light incidents. for the sake of my sanity and my wallet, i certainly hope that this is the last!!! =(

homesick

2011-07-25T08:36:00.003+02:00

wow i wish that i could have been back home in Grenoble last sat as the Tour stopped by for the ITT!

and what's more, the route passed by some of my favourite bike trials as well. =)

can't believe that this used to be my usual cycling loop

to transport minister lui tuck yew

2011-07-22T18:43:00.006+02:00

dear transport minister Sir,

i hope you've noticed that your ministry (and by association, your various stat boards) had been in the spotlight lately.

first, it was due to the deteriorating service standards of public transport, specifically the MRT network, due to overcrowding and insufficient trains.

then, it was the announcement that the transport operators had (yet!) applied for another price hike (what timing after elections!).

today, i read that COEs had hit $72,501 in the latest bidding exercise.

i would humbly like to remind you that you were appointed as minister of transport, not minister of elite transport, or minister-in-charge of increasing our national reserves. increasingly, it seems that we peasants are being penalised for wanting to travel around singapore, whether through private or public means.

i know that there is no panacea to singapore's transportation woes, but i believe that you, and the government, can do more for us. yes, i do see that LTA and SMRT are building the additional MRT and expressway lines now, but that should have been done a few years ago, even before the government decided to open its gates to the world.

and why the abrupt turnarounds in policy? in 98, PM announced that he would try his best to let every household own a car. ok, credit has to be given to PM for boldly promising that, and also to LTA for somehow allowing that to happen in the boom years from 04 - 09. but now, it seems that his promises has faded away, only to be replaced by the highest-bidder-wins system again. i do agree that in space congested singapore, car ownership is not for every household, but i do also feel that the COE bidding system should be changed to an allocation system instead.

let me expound on this: like what PM said in 98, every household should have the chance to own a car. for the sake of discussion, let the "car" be a motorcycle, goods vehicle, or private car. COE should still be implemented, but maybe it can be at a fixed rate of say, $30k (Jul 2011 values). the interesting part comes when first time owners pay 100% of this COE, second time owners pay 150%, third time owners 200%, and so on and so forth unless they can prove to LTA why they need to have more than one car in singapore. for households who really have a need to own a car, for e.g. have a handicapped or elderly member, they should pay only from 0% to 50% of the COE. COE should not be seen as a revenue generator for the government, but rather, whatever is generated from the COE scheme should be used to subsidise public transport. this will make public transport a lot cheaper, and make it a lot more attractive proposition for private transport owners, thus achieving the government's KPI of converting private transport users to public transport.

my second proposition is that taxis should not be required to participate in the COE bidding process. why? they are supposed to form part of the public transport ecosystem and thus, why are they required to bid for the right to drive on the roads? this will only make taxi fares more expensive and encourage private transport. worse, they also artificially drive up COE prices.

lastly, what is the use of a transport minister when he has no control over any means of transport? it is laughable that you can only be only a mediator between the two transport operators SMRT and SBS, just because they have been privatised. you can say all you want, but at the end of the day, all SMRT and SBS have to say is that they "have to account to the shareholders", and you are screwed.

as you were newly appointed, you may set your own KPIs or tweak existing policies, but when doing so, please remember that it is singaporeans' lives that you are experimenting with; we do not need any more yo-yo policies which only cause more anxiety than initial relief. think of the common good when you go to parliament, consider taking back the control of SMRT and SBS, and most importantly, use your heart to feel for the people.

because if you do not, all those statements you made about the state of public transport in singapore (and about taking public transport) would amount to nothing.

yours sincerely,
Jeremy

你好不好？

2011-07-16T09:18:00.002+02:00

很想知道你近况 我听人说 还不如你对我讲
经过那段遗憾 请你放心 我变得更加坚强
世界不管怎样荒凉 爱过你就不怕孤单

我想你一定喜欢 现在的我 学会了你最爱的开朗
想起你的模样 要什麼错 还不能够被原谅
世界不管怎样荒凉 爱过你就不怕孤单

虽然离开了你的时间 一起还漫长 我们总能补偿
因为中间空白的时光 如果还能分享 也是一种浪漫
关系虽然不再一样 关心却怎能说断就断

我最亲爱的 你过的怎麼样
没我的日子 你别来无恙
依然亲爱的 我没让你失望
让我亲一亲 像亲人一样

像亲人一样

singapore dreaming

2011-07-10T09:57:00.003+02:00

record $128,000 COV for HDB flat in bukit batok
cat B COE prices hit $68,000
hawker prices continue to rise

at times, i think that communism is not all that bad.

frust.

2011-07-06T12:14:00.001+02:00

haikus are easy,
but sometimes they are just a
bit misunderstood.

l'albatros

2011-07-04T17:40:00.004+02:00

souvent, pour s’amuser, les hommes d’équipage
prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux des mers,
qui suivent, indolents compagnons de voyage,
le navire glissant sur les gouffres amers.

à peine les ont-ils déposés sur les planches,
que ces rois de l’azur, maladroits et honteux,
laissent piteusement leurs grandes ailes blanches
comme des avirons traîner à côté d’eux.

ce voyageur ailé, comme il est gauche et veule!
lui, naguère si beau, qu’il est comique et laid!
l’un agace son bec avec un brûle-gueule,
l’autre mime, en boitant, l’infirme qui volait!

le Poète est semblable au prince des nuées
qui hante la tempête et se rit de l’archer;
exilé sur le sol au milieu des huées,
ses ailes de géant l’empêchent de marcher.

- charles baudelaire (1821 - 1867)

loop-de-loop

2011-07-02T12:04:00.001+02:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/39623270"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mandai Short Loop (48km)&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Singapore, Singapore"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

so what have you been biking lately? =)

go on,

2011-06-30T06:05:00.002+02:00

yep like you fuckin' don't even give a damn

à rebours

2011-06-27T18:58:00.001+02:00

7 days..
and he's back!!!

the countdown begins once again. =)

awol

2011-06-19T18:08:00.007+02:00

hey there, yes i'm still alive; thanks for asking.

just that i've been to busy living life and having fun - sorry if i've neglected you in the midst of doing so.

oh no please don't take it the wrong way and think that you're not important. you are. its just that there are more pressing issues like tennis balls to be hit, beers to be drunk, roads to be run, bikes to be ridden, movies to be watched, wines to be savoured, songs to be sung, books to be read, lovers to be romanced, idols to be cheered on, friends to be accompanied and oh, work to be done.

but don't worry, i'll be back! you take care of yourself in the meantime; do update as often as you can, and i'll try to do the same as well. =)

carpe diem!

unsunday

2011-06-05T10:11:00.002+02:00

rain rain go away,
come again another day.

sigh what a perfectly good tennis-and-brunch day ruined by the seemingly-neverending deluge. grah.

ah nevermind. you can't change the weather but you can change your mood! at least its still a sunday and its the french open finals tonight!!! ¡vamos rafa!

ta main

2011-06-02T17:51:00.004+02:00

tu sais que j’ai du mal,
encore à parler de toi,
il parait que c’est normal,
il n’y a pas de règles dans ces jeux là.

tu sais j’ai la voix qui se serre,
quand je te croise dans les photos,
tu sais j’ai le cœur qui se perd,
je crois qu’il te pense un peu trop.

c’est comme ça,
c’est comme ça.

j'aurais aimé tenir ta main,
un peu plus longtemps..
j'aurais aimé tenir ta main,
un peu plus longtemps..
j'aurais aimé que mon chagrin,
ne dure qu’un instant.
et tu le sais j’espère au moins,
que tu m’entends.

c’est dur de briser le silence,
même dans les cris, même dans la fête,
c’est dur de combattre l’absence,
car cette conne n’en fait qu’à sa tête.

et personne ne peut comprendre,
on a chacun sa propre histoire.
on m'a dit qu’il fallait attendre,
que la peine devienne dérisoire.

je voulais te dire que j’étais fier,
d’avoir été au moins un jour,
un peu ton ami et ton frère,
même si la vie a ses détours.

j'aurais aimé tenir ta main,
un peu plus longtemps..
j'aurais aimé tenir ta main,
un peu plus longtemps..
j'aurais aimé que mon chagrin,
ne dure qu’un instant.
et tu le sais j’espère au moins,
que tu m’entends.

is it even worth it?

2011-05-29T18:17:00.003+02:00

actually i think not.

greenhouse cabinet

2011-05-18T17:45:00.011+02:00

so the new cabinet has been announced. and going by the look of things, it seems that PM lee had taken quite the green approach when appointing his ministers!

don't believe me? well, take a look at some of his captain-planet-inspired decisions:

reduce
the total number of full-fledged ministers has decreased from 14 to 11, with the exodus of mah bow tan, raymond lim, wong kan seng and george yeo, and with the appointment of heng swee keat as the new education minister.

reuse
shanmugam is now law minister AND foreign minister.
tharman is now DPM, finance minister, manpower minister AND also chairman of the MAS.
teo chee hean is now DPM, home affairs minister, co-ordinating minister for national security AND also in-charge of the public service division, the national population and talent division and the national climate change secretariat (see what i mean by going green?).
as for PM himself, in addition to his primary role, he is also the chairman of the GIC.

recycle
MM lee is now a senior advisor to the GIC.
SM goh is now also a senior advisor to the GIC, and also appointed as emeritus (???) senior minister.
ex-health minister khaw boon wan is now minister for national development.
ex-manpower minister gan kim yong is now health minister.
ex-minister for environment and water resources yaacob is now minister for information, communication and the arts.
ex-minister for information, communication and the arts lui tuck yew is now transport minister AND second minister for foreign affairs.
ex-community development, youth and sports minister vivian is now the new minister for environment and water resources.
ex-education minister ng eng hen is now defence minister.

maybe the PAP should change their logo to a green crop circle with a green lightning-shaped carrot as well to symbolise their new earth-friendly outlook.

sad days

2011-05-17T07:39:00.000+02:00

and no beer either! =(

utility

2011-05-03T19:08:00.002+02:00

"Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them." - Marquis de Flers Robert and Arman de Caillavet.

so says the ruling party.

housevisit

2011-05-03T19:01:00.001+02:00

how come i want and i wish and i beg and i pray and i still don't get to meet my SMC candidates despite the many times that they have come by my house (and my mom staunchly refuses to open the door to any of them) just because i am out working and contributing to the GDP to pay for my ministers?

i think i need to stay at home more often.

watershed

2011-05-02T18:45:00.002+02:00

oh my it seems like eons ago that i last updated my blog.

but its all for a good reason: elections. for something that rolls about only once in every five years, how can i miss it?

i remember attending rallies since i was 17, at the 2001 general elections. then, i was just a curious 17 year old traipsing rally onto rally without any particular ideology nor support for any party. all i knew then, was that chiam see tong and low thia khiang were the only opposition candidates. well, at least it still made for some exciting after-school excursions.

in 2006, i was more aware of my political leanings. i had not exactly been dormant for the past five years since 2001, having been to a couple of the WP youth wing meetings, but i guess laziness had gotten to me since i did not offer to volunteer nor attend those meetings regularly. but what the opposition (i much prefer the term alternative) had to offer/say struck a chord in me as an ordinary singaporean. but that was the year that social media started to influence the way election news were reported, and perceived by people. i remember being at the hougang rallies; 120,000 of us were cheering for the things WP had to say. the whole stadium was packed and it was difficult getting a parking lot even 2km away! i also remember being at chua chu kang stadium, when chee soon juan was still the sec-gen of the old SDP, people yelling "down with PAP". i remember old men crying after chiam see tong was done with his speech, just because he had really 讲出他们的心声.

this year, i'm sure many of you had already read all that you can read from the numerous blog posts, facebook updates, and online articles; i'm not going to add anymore noise into the cacophony. this GE, as you would have heard, is a watershed election for the opposition: win some, or lose it all. it is also a watershed election for me too, in some ways. for one, i had made it a point to attend all the opposition rallies. secondly, i had also spoken at length to the people around me, trying to convince them to make their vote count, and educating them that their vote is secret and that they should vote who they feel can best understand and represent them in cabinet. lastly, i also feel a lot more optimistic about the opposition cause. because they have managed to pull themselves together to contest at least 82 out of the 87 seats, because they are a lot more credible as compared to 5 or 10 years ago, but also mainly because they have stood up for us, spoken out for us, and also sacrificed themselves for us. even if you do not agree with what they say, i feel that, in singapore's context, that they should do at least deserve a round of applause for offering themselves to the public's cause.

your vote on 7 may will affect how we are governed for the next 5 years; vote wisely, and remember, your vote is SECRET. =)

lessons to learn from borders

2011-04-24T19:20:00.002+02:00

saw this on mrbrown.com and i thought that it was quite apt to my industry as well. this letter is an open letter to the CEO of Borders, before the company computers were turned off for good. this letter is an empty cry to all those sitting in upper management level, policy makers, and also company leaders: can you see what we are facing on the ground? and honestly, do you even care?

all i hope is that i do not have to write this in another 4 years time.

Today is my last day with the company. After 23 years I thought I would be sad but am in fact relieved. The Borders most of us loved closed down years ago and it was a slow death by a thousand cuts each time another great GM, DM or RD was forced out.
I am the last GM from Dion country in Florida. We were a tight group and were consistently the highest performing district in the company, developing many processes and procedures that were rolled out to the entire company. Sure we did question the status quo with questions like (7 years ago) "whats our plan to deal with digital music?" and were seriously told not to worry about it, it would never effect us. Some of us were let go for not being better lemmings… some of us stuck around in the hope that it would get better, some of us left with their actual dignity.

As each of our stores closed down this month we kept our staffs motivated with our own limited money. We bought pizza, had parties, bought fresh sharpies to follow your ridiculous procedure. Even though we would all soon be unemployed with no severance and living in a state with the highest unemployment rate and worst benefits. Our staff trusted us and did their best and deserved better than what the company was giving so yeah, we took up the slack that's what proper leaders do.

Every new regional VP insisted the economy was no excuse. We in the store were obviously failures in the company's eyes. In our eyes our leaders were failures. A cacophony of yes men that woudn't take a stand and fight for the things that could have saved us and were too proud to listen to anyone in the field.

You had great success with your plans this year: outsource customer care, pull bargain from the vestibules during the holiday season, not purchase school reading titles, cut hours and increase workload, roll out more functionality in atlas that barely functioned to begin with, discount excessively to buy loyalty, create an environment that managed to an audit at the expense of all else, and under-develop a web presence that demotivated the staff and frustrated the customers.

Yes, you and your team should be proud of all you have accomplished. Only a few more stores to go and you will reach your goal of total annihilation. For that and all you have done to degrade, torment, abuse and demoralize us please by all means keep my 23 years of severance and add it to your bonus. You deserve it. Be sure to keep two gold pieces for your ferry ride to hell.

Renee
Tampa, Florida

heartfelt

2011-04-17T17:48:00.001+02:00

saw this on a t-shirt today:

"i love the fucking army.
and the army loves fucking me."

♥

value system

2011-04-11T23:50:00.002+02:00

sometimes i wonder what matters at the end of the day.

we can be as big as our dreams, but sometimes our best just ain't good enough: then what do we do?

do we deny everything and run away? or do we dream bigger and fulfill our destinies? or do we just settle for second best and contend ourselves with the remaining spoils of war?

as we age, the phenomenon of life makes us realise that we are no longer as invincible as we thought we were, not the white horses we were supposed to be, not the chosen one certainly.

nope. you can jolly well get that sort of thoughts right out of your mind right now this minute, young man. this is life and life is unfair so just accept the rules; the sooner you reach a compromise, the better life is. no two ways about it.

on the road again

2011-04-09T20:08:00.003+02:00

after 20 odd hours of traveling, i find myself in yet another oh-so-familiar foreign hotel room. a place to rest my weary head and to stretch my cramped-in-cattle-class legs.

but well at least this hotel's nice. at the rate i'm (or rather, the taxpayers) paying, it had better be nice. no complains really.

even managed to catch the not-yet-released norwegian wood on the plane. singaporeair charges a lot, but at least they know what they are charging for.

there are restaurants here which open 365 days a year, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. amazing. i had myself the largest philly steak sandwich in one of those joints just now. as the restaurant was already full when i got there, i had no choice but to sit at the bar counter where the starkness of my aloneness stared back at me from the many bottles of alcohol lined up like prisoners on death row.

phrawrrrr!!!

2011-04-04T18:29:00.002+02:00

i swear i am going mad from all that work.

high flyer

2011-03-23T15:51:00.003+01:00

just sent my car in for 45k servicing yesterday, but the mileage was actually 49++k.

i was thinking, "wow my car was registered only on feb 09, so how was it possible that i had driven almost 50,000km in 2 years?" and mind you, out of those two years, i was overseas for at least four months! (japan, germany, egypt, germany)

so after doing a quick calculation [49000km / (30 days per month on average x 20 months)] = 81.67km = how the hell did i clock that much mileage on a country that measures just 42km by 24km?

by signing on, that's how. i mean, if your camp is in sungei gedong, then i mean its quite obvious already.

tr(ee)

2011-03-20T16:35:00.002+01:00

i was driving to camp the other day when i saw this huge tree along the tengah highway which had all its leaves and branches pruned. i had wanted to take a photo, but obviously i was unable to stop so abruptly and plus i did not have a camera with me. in any case the tree looked something like the one in this photo i found on the net.

what was unusual was that it seemed to be the only tree in the vicinity to have been pruned in such a "cruel" fashion. indeed, to me it hardly seemed like a tree anymore! so that got me thinking as well:

why do defining characteristics matter so much? and does that mean that a person/thing's worth is reduced when he/she/it no longer possess those characteristics?

2 be or not 2 be

2011-03-15T16:30:00.003+01:00

Show encrypted text

inflation blues

2011-03-12T17:38:00.001+01:00

you know that inflation has really hit the top in singapore when wala discontinues its since-time-immemorial 1-for-1 happy hour promo.

i was so shocked that the waiter had to inform me about it a few times before i could finally register the info.

me: "6 pints of tetleys, serve 2 now and hold 10"
waiter: "erm.. Sir we no longer have the 1-for-1 happy hour promo, just happy hour prices"
me: "serve 2 now and hold 10 please"
waiter: "but the 1-for-1 happy hour promo is no longer valid"
me: "what do you mean? i ordered 6 and its before 9 so i should get 12 beers"
waiter: "the 1-for-1 happy hour promo is no longer valid"
me: "but its before 9.. WHAT!!!"

food prices increase, i can eat less. petrol price increase, i can step lighter on the accelerator. but beer price increase?

i.am.so.seriously.fucked.now

beer addiction

2011-03-10T16:35:00.002+01:00

i swear its not my fault.

irreligious

2011-03-05T07:54:00.004+01:00

was browsing for innovation books in the library the other day, when i came across a book on religion. for the most part, it was about a conversation between an old man and a young man. what the book title is, and who the author is, is less interesting than the point that the fictional old man makes:

The old man leaned toward me, resting a blanketed elbow on the arm of his rocker.

“Four billion people say they believe in God, but few genuinely believe. If people believed in God, they would live every minute of their lives in support of that belief. Rich people would give their wealth to the needy. Everyone would be frantic to determine which religion was the true one. No one could be comfortable in the thought that they might have picked the wrong religion and blundered into eternal damnation, or bad reincarnation, or some other unthinkable consequence. People would dedicate their lives to converting others to their religions.

“A belief in God would demand one hundred percent obsessive devotion, influencing every waking moment of this brief life on earth. But your four billion so-called believers do not live their lives in that fashion, except for a few. The majority believe in the usefulness of their beliefs—an earthly and practical utility—but they do not believe in the underlying reality.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “If you asked them, they’d say they believe.”

“They say that they believe because pretending to believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell other people that they believe and they do believer-like things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true believer would have to do.

“If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck. If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starvation. When belief does not control your most important decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief in the usefulness of believing.”

“Are you saying God doesn’t exist?” I asked, trying to get to the point.

“I’m saying that people claim to believe in God, but most don’t literally believe. They only act as though they believe because there are earthly benefits in doing so. They create a delusion for themselves because it makes them happy.”

“So you think only the atheists believe their own belief?” I asked.

“No. Atheists also prefer delusions,” he said.

me right now

2011-03-02T16:10:00.001+01:00

nothing is working. fml.

streaming

2011-02-27T15:09:00.001+01:00

its never too early to choose: science or arts stream?

two of a kind

2011-02-26T18:05:00.004+01:00

so i caught the kids are all right, the movie that recently has all of singapore's conservatives up in arms because it supposedly promotes a homosexual lifestyle by portraying the central characters, a pair of lesbians, as being able to have happy, functional relationships.

it was serious enough that the censors only allowed a single print run for the movie, which meant that the movie was only allowed to be screened at one cinema. sheesh.

in any case, i was happy to see that the cinema was filled to the max. was it more of hype and commotion or cinephilic interest, i am not sure, but it sure is heartwarming and consoling to see that people are not as homophobic as the government.

the film was alright and the plot was ok, save for the part where the sperm donor paul decides to leave his hot african girlfriend for one of the lesbian mothers. i mean, seriously? you expect me to believe that? haha. and rather than seeing how potentially damaging homosexual relationships are (according to many christians and the government), i saw the beauty of long-term relationships, and also the challenges involved in maintaining one. how it is important not to take any one for granted, and to remember people for their good points, rather than their bad. i am also now more than ever convinced that everyone has a right, regardless of sexual orientation, to build and sustain meaningful family relationships.

sometimes i am ashamed, because these supposed "abominations of nature" can do so much better than the rest of us "normal" people. sigh.

me against the virus

2011-02-24T04:39:00.001+01:00

i need to get ready for mser tomorrow, you bitch.

reflection of myself

2011-02-21T16:32:00.005+01:00

thanks to jh, i am now hooked on ymfy as well.

amazingly enough, i found myself right on the first post. an excerpt:

"
In the beginning, everything about them will excite you. Their opinions on Woody Allen (GIVE ME MORE!), their upbringing, their aspirations: it will all be riveting. Study them like an archaeologist would study bones.

...

Two months go by. You go to work, you go to your lover, and you go to dinner with your friends to talk about your lover. “It just feels nice to have somebody, you know? Whatever we have, it’s normal. It’s refreshing.” Say these words over and over even if you don’t know what they exactly mean. [truncated]

And then things begin to dissolve into crumpled wrapping paper. You start to get annoyed at them for things that would’ve made you smile two months earlier. [...] Think about who your lover really is. Know every little detail of their life, about their strained relationship with their mother, about the time they cried in front of a convenience store. Know it all and begin to understand that it doesn’t mean shit.

(and) Their anger will turn you on and you’ll respond, “I’m not incapable of loving. I’m just incapable of loving you.”
"

indeed. its not even the beginning yet but i can already see the end coming.

bahget 2011

2011-02-20T16:15:00.005+01:00

so you have it. budget 2011. how was it for you? did it meet your expectations? could the government have done more? or have they done too much?

for me, the budget was the same as every other year. cold, calculated, and convenient.

the government had pledged to help low and middle income families with the rising costs of living. their solution? a one-time off $100 to $800 "grow and share" package. what? you mean after a bumper year of 14.5% (oft cited, but actual value needs to be further substantiated in another post) growth, a one-time shot in the arm is enough to help all singaporeans? logic will tell you that keeping costs low, and not disbursing financial assistance, will be more helpful to the everyday singaporean. simply because $800 today will be worth $700 tomorrow, and probably even less the year after given our crazy inflation rate nowadays. but cash in the bank is always good, especially with myopic singaporean and the elections round the corner.

as expected, most of the budget initiatives also came from cpf top-ups. how convenient! by doing this, the government can pass off the illusion of helping the people without actually having to draw on its coffers. because as we all know, cpf money is virtual money. you know, sort of like a walt disney cartoon: comforting to see that sum in your cpf bank account, but you know that you can never touch it until the day you die. i think the only person who has benefited from this portion of the budget is our dear cpf chairwoman herself, ms ho ching.

the only part of the budget which i agreed with was the abolition of the radio and television license fees. finally! this should give mediacorpse some wake-up call and hopefully kick them on their asses to produce some shows that can actually be watch-able.

so while you go out and celebrate and count your blessings, the larger question remains: is this the best that the government can do? i thought that they could have done more, especially when mr tharman announced that the government was putting $4b back into the reserves. cut back financial aid? curtail government spending? yes, if public spending is in deficit. but i guess we are so uniquely singaporean that we have to be "responsible and prudent" even in good times. certainly, i do not wish for us to be too extravagant, but a little bit more tangible reward would not break the bank either.

and lest you forget, you forgetful singaporeans, the public transport fare review exercise and gst increase are upcoming. you think you can get your money so easily? ha! wait long long.. =P

on why we need to keep housing prices low

2011-02-12T03:18:00.006+01:00

the friends around me are all starting to get married, so sometimes they talk about property. which had somewhat piqued my interest as well. in housing prices, not marriage. so anyway, i was horrified that it costs $562,000 nowadays to afford a NEW 5-room flat (120 sqm, dbss) in amk nowadays. 30 years ago, the same flat would cost like $70,000, $100,000 max.

well even taking into account inflation of about 3% a year since 1980, that is still like a 500% increase in hdb prices! but salaries have only at most, doubled in numerical value for the averageman since then.

for its part, honest hdb had changed its mission statement from aiming to provide low cost housing to "affordable" housing for the general populace. but what is affordable? in no way does a $500,000 30-year mortgage sound like affordable to me!

so now, there is a lot of talk about all the problems plaguing singapore, like our low TFR, foreign competition, rising cost of living, and i have figured that the most effective solution would be to tackle the root cause, which is to keep housing (and specifically public housing) prices low, because:

- young couples cannot afford to buy houses, how to get married?
- no marry no babies.
- no babies means more foreign talent.
- more foreign talent means artificially depressed wages.
- rich get richer, poor get poorer.

as a result, those who eventually settle down and have a family in singapore would find that they have extinguished their cpf savings paying for their mortgage by the time their children are of university-going age. so what happens now? their children probably would take a loan from the bank to finance their studies, get into debt even before they graduate, and then the entire cycle starts again.

you may say that i'm whining, just complaining but not suggesting any solutions to solve the problem. but hey i'm not a million-dollar paid minister, so don't expect me to do the thinking for you.

open transfer window

2011-02-08T17:01:00.006+01:00

time and space sure worked to the advantage of torres

feeling topsy and turvy this week. actually it started from last week, before cny. the incongruous sms from the pa enquiring if i would be free on the 7th for an interview was the first sign. i thought nothing much of it during the holidays - after all, this was the military and we all know what happens to rumoured postings right?

that's right, they stay as just that: rumours.

then i went for the interview and found out a bit more about the situation. i was still not hoping much for anything, because i had not heard anything firm yet from anyone. plus, i did not know how many other candidates were there for the post. were there other people vying for the post as well? was this just a weak attempt at "fair employment"? and, of all the people in the world, why in the world would they choose me?

but an email came, confirming that i had indeed been shortlisted (and possibly selected) for the post. with effect from XX 2011. yippee i thought, but i also wondered how in the world would i be able to make the move, especially with all the upcoming ops and with me being the only one around to see things through.

true enough, another email came swiftly enough, not to block but to postpone. well, ok its not that bad but now i think the post might go to someone else who can post in earlier because as a boss, how can you justify leaving a post vacant for several months while waiting for a particular chosen one to arrive? well, exceptions are possible if you are an overseas scholar, but i'm not and that's another story for another day.

sigh. i hate this time and space thing but it seems to be the reality everywhere.

hopping for good luck

2011-02-06T14:46:00.003+01:00

in the new wabbit year! gongxifacai, hongbaonalai!!!

wow so fast and its already 初四; end of the long cny holidays and time to head back to work tomorrow.

but oh well at least its been a super 4 days of feasting and drinking and tennis and cycling and meeting relatives and watching movies and banluck and more drinking and drinking. and more to look forward to next weekend! haha. its been a great start to the year, now to carry the momentum forward! =)

if it keeps on raining..

2011-01-31T17:08:00.003+01:00

.. i'm going to go out tomorrow to build an ark! who's with me?

unsung heroes

2011-01-29T17:04:00.004+01:00

clad in grey and brown
from left to right, they cry "out"
when green misses white

same same but different

2011-01-18T17:11:00.002+01:00

is it nice to be important,
or is is more important to be nice?

similarly.

is it important to love,
or is it more important to be loved?

lorem ipsum

2011-01-16T16:57:00.002+01:00

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maecenas consectetur pharetra ligula, ac ornare ligula euismod in. phasellus consequat, leo quis adipiscing molestie, risus dui viverra ipsum, ac elementum velit tortor eu lacus. nullam luctus mi vel velit lobortis porttitor. phasellus ullamcorper, tortor ac venenatis tempor, massa lorem consequat lectus, eu molestie ligula odio ut ante. nam vitae tortor leo, vel bibendum ipsum. vestibulum pretium varius velit venenatis ornare. aliquam tempus tincidunt consequat. fusce id justo in est eleifend ultrices. nullam auctor venenatis sagittis. aenean eget dolor sapien. donec blandit eros eget odio sodales non sagittis velit malesuada. aenean volutpat, est non tempus rutrum, metus ipsum congue eros, nec tempus augue mi vitae turpis. curabitur eget nisi neque.

morbi sagittis tempus leo et fringilla. nulla sed nunc velit. nam dapibus, lectus non aliquam luctus, est lorem auctor erat, quis ultrices neque ante ac nisl. sed ultricies tellus et tortor consectetur posuere. class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. sed a sapien eros. etiam i'd rather dance with you then talk with you. mauris eget eros non nisi bibendum auctor. morbi iaculis, magna in vestibulum lacinia, ante orci sodales mi, vel iaculis enim tortor sit amet augue. aliquam erat volutpat. curabitur quis leo mi, ac malesuada elit. sed quis sodales enim. integer molestie metus libero, quis adipiscing orci. vivamus vulputate felis eget nunc sodales eget scelerisque ligula aliquet. lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. donec vitae ipsum nec nisl consectetur pharetra. nullam imperdiet enim eu nunc luctus dignissim. quisque commodo augue dolor. praesent tempus nulla non justo porttitor ornare.

sed varius nulla vel ligula tristique vulputate. donec bibendum ultrices magna at interdum. nunc mi tellus, auctor quis auctor sed, commodo vitae enim. quisque convallis nibh at sapien bibendum sed lobortis eros faucibus. in suscipit euismod hendrerit. integer imperdiet, dui quis semper semper, tellus turpis lacinia ligula, eu ultrices ante turpis vitae quam. in a nunc lacus. curabitur pellentesque scelerisque dictum. mauris a eros lectus. nam accumsan ipsum turpis, ultricies consectetur tellus. aenean nisl velit, iaculis a semper in, rhoncus in lorem. in hac habitasse platea dictumst. nam tempus lobortis mauris in pulvinar. nam odio sapien, pretium ac suscipit bibendum, sollicitudin id elit. mauris commodo sagittis nulla vitae facilisis. proin porta iaculis leo ut ultrices. sed pharetra nisi libero. donec rhoncus velit vitae orci sollicitudin accumsan ultrices augue porttitor.

pellentesque sed massa ipsum. duis quam sem, posuere non euismod quis, lacinia sit amet ipsum. suspendisse dignissim nisi ac nisi dignissim vestibulum. duis auctor mi sit amet risus ullamcorper quis venenatis erat elementum. mauris et velit nec leo pulvinar lobortis sit amet at nulla. quisque in consequat eros. aenean varius elit eu orci luctus sollicitudin. nam congue tortor non libero placerat in lacinia justo mattis. proin euismod volutpat auctor. curabitur id tellus a est feugiat pretium. mauris ut sapien urna, volutpat mollis ipsum. praesent sed nisi lacus. aliquam elementum ultricies lectus at commodo. pellentesque vestibulum aliquet elementum. aliquam bibendum quam vitae ante egestas at fermentum metus eleifend. nulla porta sem sit amet orci mollis cursus.

matter of time

2011-01-08T03:39:00.004+01:00

one dead after lorry crashes into pair of cycling buddies

seriously, looking at the traffic conditions and driver behaviour after hitting the roads again today, i can only wonder when will it be my turn.

debate debacle

2011-01-03T17:23:00.004+01:00

click to enlarge

i was just thinking, that in the new year, that all of us atheists might need some help or reference to help us along with engaging our friends of a different (and blind) faith.

voilà: the dummies' guide to debating a christian. i hope it'll help you in your "discussions" this year. =)

010111

2011-01-01T12:39:00.002+01:00

pull your ear!

root cause

2010-12-30T11:55:00.000+01:00

the other day i went to hit a few green fuzzy balls again after an enforced break of 6 weeks.

same gear, same strokes, same player, same opponents but all i got were just disastrous results: weak forehand, tentative backhand and practically no serve. it was all too familiar yet all too foreign.

in my mind i was trying to recollect all the shots i had hit in the past, trying to remember how to approach different shots, and how to basically not suck. but it was futile, though things improved a bit at the end.

i think that when you stop doing something for some time, the brain connections for that particular activity also freeze; they might even regress if you completely stop for a too long period of time! you see, the brain builds knowledge by growing neural-connections. think of it as a tree root: the stronger the root, the deeper the knowledge. and the greater the cluster of roots, the wider the knowledge.

so i guess i need to start working on rebuilding up my tennis roots again, and probably swim bike and run as well if i want to start participating in races again in 2011.

the last supper

2010-12-22T21:27:00.009+01:00

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2010

2010-12-18T17:32:00.007+01:00

hey world what's up its only been 6 weeks but it feels as though its been years.

in a little over 1 week i hope to be back home to close out the year. i guess 2010 hasn't been that bad to me afterall: little setbacks here and there, but on the whole there has been more ups than downs. so i guess there's reason to celebrate afterall. =)

so before i get home and get lost in all the festivities, its time to take stock of the past year once again.

2010:
started out the year relatively calm, albeit busy at work. got a bit more serious in tennis and managed to make it into the SAFSA team. ran my fastest ever 2.4km, probably as a result of the crazy ARR training. discovered my love for thai discos and ktv; amazing, when you consider the level of my mandarin proficiency. picked up volleyball along the way and got to know S, who will always remain a fond memory. went to germany again and also visited the pyramids in egypt. came back and volunteered as a french announcer for the yog. met J, and the rest is history. went to bangkok again to see Nadal play, but didnt manage to speak to him. didn't manage to do any triathlons; in fact i only managed to run 2 half-marathons. went overseas again in nov, and probably will not report back to work until 2011.

what a great way to close out the year. bye 2010, shalom 2011.

final lap

2010-12-17T20:08:00.004+01:00

look at what just got in the post: snow grounds flights in germany

wow with just about 1 week to go before my flight, this has to happen. dear santa, i've been a good boy all year; please grant me my only wish and let me be home for christmas?

alphabet trip

2010-12-04T17:15:00.003+01:00

a is for athens

b is for bangkok

c is for cairo

d is for duisburg

e is for eilat

f is for frankfurt

g is for geneva

h is for hiroshima

i is for incheon

j is for johor

k is for khumbu

l is for london

m is for manchester

n is for nice

o is for osaka

p is for paris

q is for qiryat gat

r is for rajasthan

s is for sydney

t is fortaipei

u is for ulanbataar

v is for valence

w is for weimar

x is for xian

y is for yokohama

z is for zurich

wonder when can i compile another around the world list 2 with another 26 different cities.. =)

office politics

2010-11-27T17:12:00.005+01:00

disaster is bound to happen when you have so many people in the same place doing the same things for an extended period of time.

only three weeks, it seems that in-groups and out-groups are already forming. not suprising, when you consider that for one to go up, another has to be shot down. really, its a dog-eat-dog world out here.

its difficult to like everyone in the world, or worse, get everyone to like you. but i guess the least anyone should do is to separate their work and personal lives. work is already so difficult, why make it even harder?

countdown

2010-11-24T07:29:00.001+01:00

exactly one month to go!

OFIS

2010-11-20T19:48:00.006+01:00

oh wow its saturday night already. need to cherish what's left of the weekend and then its time to book in tomorrow morning.

frankly speaking things have gotten better after settling in and getting used to the system here. no more 18-hr workdays i hope!

other than the weather, everything's been great. even then, my only complaint is that it can get a bit too chilly at night. the sunny days are fantastic, the people are friendly, and the food is ok. and did i mention about the beach babes? haha.

---

went for an epic 18km run in the morning then went to suntan in the avro. didn't manage to play beach pong as planned but i don't think my legs were still up to it at that point in time. managed to catch harry potter today as well. luckily it wasn't in some foreign language! haha. but the movie sucked anyhow; too draggy and too much conversation. BUT overall it was still a good day! booking in tomorrow morning and looking forward to the weekend ahead! =)

poddycast

2010-11-13T08:14:00.004+01:00

wow over the weekend i must have stumbled upon the 2nd most important invention in the world (with the first being beer): podcasts!

woots woots didnt know that there was so much music available free online.. no need to buy albums already, especially when there are so many trance mixes online!!! then there are video podcasts of happy tree friends as well. amazing!

must thank my buddy for this, especially when life can get quite boring in camp. now at least i can get constant new updates of music or video during the weekends for weekday life. =)

back to bedlam

2010-11-10T11:07:00.003+01:00

d-day!

flying off tonight and will be back on christmas eve! dun forget to buy me gifts!!! =D

and its going to be a looong flight tonight so let's hope that there will be no snakes on the plane!

d-2

2010-11-08T04:30:00.003+01:00

and the countdown begins again..

mike sucks cock; call 99134529 for free sex

2010-11-02T17:29:00.001+01:00

011110

2010-11-01T16:54:00.003+01:00

happy binary palindrome day! 0 1 1 1 1 0 is read zero one one one one zero both forward and backwards!

yaay i survived dengue. the test results came out and yes indeed it was leukopenia. no wonder i felt so weak! but the worst's over now to concentrate on properly getting well quick and coming back twice as strong as before.

anyway wow its november already. where did the rest of the months go? another week and it'll almost be 2011 for me. time for the final countdown!

the death of me

2010-10-28T11:20:00.004+02:00

the only times i would wish for rain is during times like now. yes now - when i'm cooped up sick at home and unable to go for a run, tennis, whatever. if i can't have it you guys are not going to get it either!

being sick at home on a fabulous day is a bit like a child who has been left behind. the feeling of loss and loneliness as the outside world cruises along in the brilliant green.

surreal to be at home for 4 days now. still running a slight fever and blood test results are going to be out this evening.

like a sick chicken

2010-10-25T14:36:00.005+02:00

die. have not felt so sick for such a long time already. cough, sore throat, runny nose, tummyache, fever; you name it, i have it: all the symptoms of full-blown flu.

saw a doc yest and got 2 days of medical leave. but argh i still had to go back to work today. not that i'm complaining, but why did it have to be such a coincidence. the medication made my head so woozy that i sure hope i didn't screw up the presentation just now!

going to call in sick tomorrow at all cost. might not survive to see wednesday if i don't do so.

purify

2010-10-23T17:44:00.003+02:00

forget about F1, the IRs and biotech parks; 10km-wide gigantic air purifiers are just what we need now to save singapore

ms7

2010-10-17T05:45:00.005+02:00

after about a year of windows-ness computing, that dreaded fenêtre is making a re-appearance in my tech toy list again.

yes, i caved in to work pressure and got myself a aspire one netbook yesterday. i had wanted to get myself an ipad, but after learning about how useless it would be work-wise, i decided to get a netbook instead. indeed, it seems that windows/openoffice is a must for any good public servant.

specs:
1.5 ghz intel atom n550 cpu
ms windows 7 starter edition
1gb ram
250gb hdd @ 2500rpm
10.1" display screen
1.25kg

but oh well at least its a lot cheaper than the ipad and it would be less of a bitch typing-wise. and it boots on android as well, so at least there's still some hope.

*update on 181010*
damn i realised with a piece of shit i bought. the ms7 starter edition means that windows deliberately locked lots of features just to force people to upgrade to the ms7 home edition. never have i ever had to hack into the registry just to change my wallpaper! and what's up with all the trialware? thanks microsoft, for screwing yourselves up; with such retarded marketing practices, its no wonder apple is where they are today. end of rant.

survival of the fittest

2010-10-14T19:04:00.003+02:00

so i was driving home from the bowels of sungei gedong, along tengah airbase, when i saw those ubiquitous white blinking lights: it was a solitary biker on a tri bike zipping down the gedong highway. it was a sight all so familiar yet so foreign.

i tried to recall when was the last time i had cycled down the same route - maybe about 2008 perhaps?

then i realised that with the increasing workload and/or other commitments, i was or am probably the fittest that i will ever be already. as it was, i was driving home from a meeting at 2230hrs and not yet had dinner; i can't even recall when i last drove home in daylight! so tell me, how to have a proper training regime? nowadays, i just try to squeeze in an hour's gym at the end of the day whenever i can make it. and maybe tennis on the weekends.

i wonder when can i ironman again.

mission impossible

2010-10-09T17:56:00.002+02:00

il voudrait tellement que j'aille le rejoindre
mais je ne le puis même si je le voulais
qu'il n'aille pas s'imaginer qu'il est le moindre
sait-il seulement que bien loin je me trouvais

dans l'or du beau soleil de cet après-midi
j'ai le cœur brisé au plus profond de mon âme
de penser qu'il trouvera le temps infini
peut-être croit-il qu'à l'horizon, je me pâme

pourquoi pense-t-il que mon silence est cruel
car pour moi, parler n'est pas très habituel
mais il faudrait mesurer la température

le mystère peut permettre encore l'espoir
un jour se rencontrera-t-on dans la verdure
mon ombre ne va-t-elle pas le décevoir

金曜日

2010-10-08T16:42:00.007+02:00

_ ___Where's

_________________ _________________YOUR

_ hèad

________________________________________________________aT

____________ ?

excuse moi, mais où est la toilette?

2010-10-06T17:50:00.004+02:00

ok, so its official: i have the runs. what is it caused by? i dunno. could be gastric flu, food poisoning, or alcohol poisoning. or any permutation of the above.

the only thing i know that my sphincter muscles have not felt so loose in awhile now.. ahhh.. the feeling of anxiety in looking for a toilet then the relief thereafter. priceless.

we. ek end.

2010-10-05T18:48:00.006+02:00

and so i'm back already from my weekend bangkok trip. 4 days and its never enough anyway. always new things to discover, new experiences to be had and new friends to be made.

in a parallel alternate universe i wish i could be thai. hey, what's not to like about them? they are friendly, have an unique language of their own, have royalty, protests, a proper surface area for a country, great shopping, fantastic curries, cheap beer and alcohol in general, cute girls, exotic islands, and the list goes on.

สวัสดี!

was amazed though to find out that so many things had happened over the weekend as well, mrs lee kuan yew's death notwithstanding. oh well at least she's finally free from her locked-in state since 2008. i remember reading le sépulcre et le papillon, and i was both amazed by the author's determination to live on yet sad that he had to carry on with his life in his physical body prison for 2 years. my brother also was briefly locked-in during his illness, and i remember him tearing almost everyday from the frustration of being unable to move.

what would you do if you were locked-in? i think i would not even last a weekend because without movement, life would have lost all meaning for me.

en retard

2010-09-29T17:41:00.005+02:00

free f1 tickets arrive after alonso and gang had gone home

argh so that's what happened to my f1 race pass. fml and what a waste of money! no wonder the budget ballooned to thrice the original forecasted amount.

actually it would not have been so bad if they had not promised us the tickets. but i guess after USS and the heightened expectations of getting, many of course would naturally be disappointed if they did not get to go after all. and i heard some of my friends had actually cancelled/postponed other appointments or gatherings just so they could go for the f1.

well, for me i had the girl's dance party to go to anyway. but if i had the tickets i would have gone for the f1 AND the dance party. hell yeah.

accident

2010-09-28T18:35:00.001+02:00

and i,
gazing at stars,
stumbled over you,
______________________tripped
and
fell painfully in love,
couldn't get up
______________for ages.

spontaneous

2010-09-27T17:26:00.004+02:00

this would have made grumps proud.

defence of the dark arts

2010-09-25T11:32:00.006+02:00

voltaire had dips on the original quotation, but i love this one even more.

---

so finally f1 weekend is here - tgitw! didn't get the free yog-f1 tickets to catch the race tonight but i guess its not that important; i will just head to the same spot to invest in a couple of pints of beers and listen to the maddening din and smell burnt rubber at the same time.

looking forward to the next weekend as well! finally made the decision to head to bangkok for the thai open! cos i had read the newspaper the other day and it said that nadal, for once, had finally made it to bangkok. yaay!!! omgomg i can't wait!

pet peeve

2010-09-23T12:44:00.007+02:00

some people, you can instantly click with at first sight. and then there are some people who can irritate you just by virtue of their presence.

keep bumping into one such person in my camp lately. its amazing that he has this amazing innate ability to just piss me off through everything he does: from his speech to his actions; the way he breathes and maybe even the way his atoms vibrate about their fixed positions in order to still keep him intact as a sentient being capable of constantly irritating the shit out of me.

just can't believe how can someone be such an absolute jerk and not know about it. surely he must sense the antagonism from the people around him? anyway i am not the only person who feels the same way towards him.

grah and he is in a way, my superior as well. life is going to be so exciting from now on.

ah but well i think i annoy him as much as he annoys me anyway. so we are even.

210910

2010-09-21T19:40:00.001+02:00

i guess i had better file this somewhere for reference.

just in case. =P

calculation

2010-09-19T17:35:00.001+02:00

+$200
-$150
- 6 demerit points
------------------
$#%%^&%^*&*$@!

<-->

2010-09-13T09:13:00.003+02:00

sometimes the difficulty is not in the abundance of choices,
or the lack of them.
it is in the courage to make a decision,
then sticking by it come what may.

weeeeeekend

2010-09-12T10:13:00.008+02:00

fed out of the us open! yaays. well the final would be less epic but oh wells what matters is nadal winning the grand slam at the end of the day.

ahm! running into marina bay sands was not as nice as i expected and did not achieve another PB but at least i completed within my baseline aim, with my ankle issues and what not. not in the top 5 but let's wait and see for the official results to see if there is any improvement in the overall timing.

now time to head off to brewerz for some good ol' curry and beer! =)

blue//black

2010-09-11T09:57:00.004+02:00

i tried to do handstands for you
i tried to do handstands for you
every time i fell, i fell for you
now i'm permanently black and blue,
permanently blue for you

---

they say that if you are lucky in love, then your financial luck will suck.
and the reverse is true as well.
well, i am glad to say that the above rule doesn't apply to me! i don't see myself becoming a don juan anytime soon but yet:
1. wing mirror died on me yesterday. probably will have to get down to vcs on monday to resolve it.
2. bb midplate cracked. time for some minor repairs and maybe get another casing.
3. sharp ankle pain that suddenly developed from nothing on the eve of ahm. what gives?

i can choose to look at it negatively and say "fuck, life sucks", or choose to interpret it a bit more positively and think that "hey, maybe that means lady love is coming".

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

point of no return

2010-09-08T16:57:00.003+02:00

i wonder how some people can be so irresponsible. and how come there are so many random blardy fuckers around.

quite disappointed with certain people today. i mean, we are all mature adults already and why the fuck are you still playing random mind games with me? and why at this moment?

well, the tasks had already been delegated long ago and i had carried out my duties this far. i guess i had done the best i could and anything else is own personal responsibility and pride. you want to come and help out? yes, please come. you are not interested? well then, fuck you and fuck off.

circle of control > circle of influence > out-of-bounds area.

clearly, this is out-of-bounds zone for me already. i can try to facilitate and help you out but if you do not want to be helped, there is nothing much i can do already. just like i can bring the cow to the river but if the cow does not want to drink, it will not drink, no matter what.

its sickening to have to keep on begging people for something which should have already been settled. but i will persevere, and see this one out because i've come too far to let it fail. because it probably means that much more to me than it ever will to you.

because this is the point of no return.