To read or not to read You know they always say men are from Mars and women are from Venus and all that. There are thousands of other analogies that could further highlight just how different the male species are compared to their female counterparts. I can't list them all but over the weekend I could have possibly added one more finding to the list. Of course, generally not all members of the male species would actually agree with me. Let's just say I'm probably speaking on behalf of a selected group of men. One I bet is larger than you know.In case you missed it, last weekend Borders had an amazing warehouse sale. One that made many happy bookworms skipped their way along the aisle of the thousands of books being offered. If you happen to be one of them, I'm the least surprised if you had actually resorted to such antics while browsing through the books on offer. With offers as low as $4 for each book, I'd be clicking my heels too, that is if I love to read. Mind you these books are not old collections or past bestsellers. In fact some of them are still retailing at your major bookstores for ten times the offered price. Crazy is an understatement. One notable title was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Yup, his novel was going at a steal. At four freaking dollars, it was selling like hotcakes. So you can imagine what a field day it was for the crowd that came.Anyhow back to my Mars and Venus inhabitants. I had a tough time figuring out how in the world the dear missus ended up with purchasing 40 odd novels over the weekend sale. Yea I know that it's a healthy habit to read and collect books. I'm aware that reading helps your vocabulary and all and improve your command of the language as a whole. But what I can't fathom is how in the world can anyone really purchase that huge amount of books all at one go? Mind you, I bet she wasn't the only one. I saw throngs of people in the queue with baskets full of books, enough to start a mini library even. So I had to find out. I was amused that Nadia even bought some novels that she have read. 'For collection sake, she insist. How would you know?', she would retort obviously peeved at the dumb question I was asking. Now why would anyone buy books that they have read? Aren't you supposed to like read and that's that. It's like watching a movie isn't it? You watch it once and that's it. Watching it the second time won't actually change the plot of the whole movie. Right? So why the need to keep the books when you know how the story ends? The thing is, in my opinion, most men buy what they need most. That's why we men take a short time while shopping. We hate window shopping as we'd probably end up with nothing and the time could have been used for other things like watching football, playing football or dreaming football. When we set out to shop we already know what we want. We don't usually but things to stock up for future usage. For instance if we need a new pair of pants, we'll probably head to the mall and grab ourselves a pair. Nothing more. If the shoes are worn out and needs a replacement, we'll head down and get a new pair. That's that. Checking with a male friend who was at the sale, he too agrees that he can never understand the craze over the books too. He was luckier though. Apparently his partner managed just about 20 odd books, that too was after a tedious selection process. So what was he doing all the while when his fiance was browsing through the books. He succumbed to the attraction of the DVDs on offer. Ahhh so now it's clear to me why Borders actually bothered to offer DVDs along with the books sale. While the female counterparts are busy browsing, the DVDs will definitely keep the men busy. Nice.Maybe it boils down simply to the obvious fact that I am not a bookworm. On a good note for the indulgence she had over the weekend, come end of the month she'll have to put up with mine. Hmm... heard from a source that there's a shop that's retailing past seasons replica Liverpool jerseys for a steal. Now where did I place the credit card? Here we go again... Oh the fanfare.Oh the carnival atmosphere.Scream at the top of your lungs. Wear red or white if you fancy.Hear the merry band.Sing along to the melodious tunes.Look up at the clear blue sky. Watch the jets zoom by.Stand up as the chinook fly past.Say your pledge proudly.Sing the anthem loudly.Celebrate with the whole nation. With the men proudly dressed in white.Waving to many waving back.Oh how patriotic.Oh how fun really.A day of pride.43 years of building.Best of all, one off day in lieu!Thank you Singapore for the extra off day.Oh how I love National Day. One extra public holiday.And that's that. Hi I have a blog, am I a blogger? Some time back, my office was on the lookout for designers to join our merry band of nomads. We did receive a list of applicants, though I have to admit some were quite bizarre. There's this one chap who claim to be a designer of 3 years, though more inclined towards multimedia. Hmm, interesting I thought. Here's someone who could help out with the mag and perhaps sprinkle some magic dust on our website too. Called him for an interview and a portfolio review. So he turned up, all smartly decked in a neat pair of well-ironed black pants coupled with a long-sleeved thin-striped shirt. To top it all off was a pretty, shimmering pink plain tie. Not very designer looking, but hey one shouldn't judge anyone by the way he dresses. He could well be the next design guru and I could be the one responsible for his moulding process. Oh so I thought.So the chap and I exchanged greetings as I whisked him to our lil' conference room for our short chat. He seemed very confident I have to admit, articulate and very eloquent. Quite ambitious too, as he did mention that in 5 years time he see himself as a creative director in a design setup. A thought he deemed sensible as 5 years later would entitle him to such a post with 8 years of experience in design and all. Wow! This chap is impressive alright. Bold, daring and highly ambitious. He could be the missing jigsaw we've all been looking for. Alas all good things must come to an end.The real shocker came when he was asked to show us his portfolio, which he had compiled and uploaded on his very, very new Macbook Air. I'd like to have one of that please. He started off with online advertising banners he created for his friends' companies, his friends' websites, his friends' organisations' websites. That's that. He started off with those banners advertisements, hordes of them and ended with banners of advertisements. Yup nothing else. None. Nil. Kosong. So here's the little supposed-protege with 3 years of design experience doing online banners, ONLY. That too without incorporating flashy animations or funky sounds. Just bunch after bunch of graphics in rectangular frames. Oh crap, I thought.So the real case was this chap don't even have a proper design background. He was an IT graduate, hoping to diversify and start put as a graphic designer. As much as I pitied him and credit him for his efforts and all, I can't help but felt a slight but insulted to be honest. The nerve someone like him actually have to falsely claim himself to be a designer yet not having any professional training whatsoever. I calmly mentioned to him that he's not exactly what we were looking for and that if he was really serious in becoming a designer perhaps he should take up some courses to gear himself up. That probably riled him up as he starts questioning me on how in the world was he not qualified enough. He's familiar with the softwares and he has experience so why was he not qualified enough. I calmly show him the door and thank him for sharing his stuff with us. Good riddance, in all honesty.Here's the deal. It's really laughable that there are so many of us out there who claim to be something we are not at times. I mean seriously. Have you come across people claiming they are photographers just because they own DSLRs? Just because they were able to take one beautiful shot of a sunset that easily qualifies them as a photographer. Or what about people who design their own blog headers and claim that they are designers? Gee, seriously people. Is it that easy? If so then all of you who cooks at home can one day apply to be chefs anywhere. Yes and you who decorated your home every festive occasion can qualify as an interior designer. Maybe we should all learn to give a bit more respect to these professionals. Trust me, I have a blog and I still don't think I qualify to be a blogger. Really. Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated As much as everyone of us love to make friends, inevitably we'll end up making some enemies along the way. Okay, maybe the word enemy seems a tad bit too harsh. Let's just say we tend to meet certain individuals we simply aren't able to see eye to eye on almost anything and everything. It could be someone you met in school, at work, or anywhere else. Even a relative or a family member. I know most times, most of us make sincere attempts to rid off the hatred we have in us of that someone, yet somehow most times we fail to hide it. In most cases, we can come across as so obvious, making an unpleasant spectacle of ourselves.Now what would you do if you were to bump into that someone that you've always wished you could plummet into a pulp, seal him into a carton box and courier out to Timbaktu on the next earliest flight? What if he or she acknowledge you before you could make the fastest exit and duck somewhere? Would you simply walk up, return the acknowledgment, indulge in some small talk, albeit meaningless, and part ways with a smile? That's probably what I would do. Seriously, what do you expect me to do? To literally pack him in a carton box? Give him a good dress down? Naaahh. That would be child's play for me. Let's face it, we are not kids anymore. Ok some of us are not. Yea I'm referring to you post-teenagers. I guess I have come to terms that as much as I have friends out there who'd probably put out a limb for me when necessary, I have a fair share of people who would jump on the opportunity to cut off my limbs instead. Hating people and being hated is nothing abnormal. It's just how we carry ourselves as we go about it. Here's one example. Last weekend, Nadia and I had a fantabulous evening with my parents, my sis and her 3 kids. We had a nice dinner at Lil' India, though it was so late it was as good as supper, then proceeding to Mustafa for window shopping. We don't usually go out as a family, but trust me we truly enjoyed moments like this when we are able to spend quality time with one another. It was certainly a nice evening spent chatting, joking and having fun. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Ours was spoilt simply by an imbecile who has so much hatred in her, the devil pale in comparison. It was rather unfortunate that after seeing my family off, Nadia and I returned to Mustafa only to bumped into this group of people. Nothing wrong with that really. Except that what was once an affectionate group was reduced to mere hi-byes, if you know what I mean. So we exchanged salaams and hellos and it was pretty swell. Only for the leader of the pack to start asking stupid senseless, insensitive questions along with ridiculously sarcastic remarks aimed at us. Totally uncalled for, if you ask me. How could you find it in you to harbour such hatred for us, when we barely did anything wrong? The nerve to blame us for your own shortcomings? That's just shallow. Worst still, this was coming from a mature member of the group. Yup. One whole I simply lost the respect for since God knows when. It's pretty simple you see. Respect should be earned, not demanded. If you simply think that for the fact that you are an elderly and somehow by some relation hierarchy, you are entitled to some form of respect from me and my missus. Oh and in case you might be reading this, of which I think you will at some point, I think you should know that you are not in my good books. Never have, never will be. Oh but trust me, the next time we bump into each other, watch and learn. Maybe you'll pick up a thing or two about respect. If all about you is about hatred, I wish you well and may you grow to be a better person in time. God willing. give me some time I was this close to throw in the towel. Very, very close indeed. But you know what they always say, endurance is the key, patience is the mother of all virtue, wait and you shall be rewarded and so on. Therefore I'll take it one at a time.On a good note, something good is brewing and I hope all will go well. When the time comes, I'll let you people in on the not-so-secret secret. Nothing fantastic but great enough to share with many. Oh and speaking of good stuff, did you know that our nation has been ranked the 5th most expensive city to live in Asia. Now that's fantastic news right? At a time when we are all scrimping and saving every penny possible, we found out that the living costs here is no much better than Hongkong or Seoul. Oh well. To top it all off, we are ranked the best city to live in according to expatriates surveyed. Putting us ahead of even UAE. Double wow. Correct me if I am wrong, we are one of the most expensive city to live in Asia yet the best city according to expatriates. Maybe, just maybe, it's telling us the city is expensive when it comes to locals' cost of living, but for expatriates, nahhhh... Well I could still be wrong.Anyhow, August will be a fantastic month no doubt. Stop worrying about your financial woes. Take cue from the people-people. They are throwing millions away on a national day parade that will make us all more patriotic somehow. Without the blink of an eye. They don't worry, why should you? take me down to paradise city I am trying so hard. Seriously.Just talking and ranting won't help. Why bother?I know that. I'm well aware. Really.Like who listens or reads anyway.I have so many thoughts in my head.Too many, in fact.So much anger and wrath, to be honest.Yet helplessness overwhelms me.Hands are tied, legs are bound.Can't do much, they say. Why bother?Do you feel what I'm feeling?Experiencing what I am, like many others.You keep telling yourself. Keep deluding yourself.Tomorrow will be brighter.The grass will be greener.The skies will go clearer.The sun will shine stronger.Blah blah blah.Alas.The weather seems to be a warning.Dark skies over us.All gloomy and moody.The greens bowing in the rain.As though in shame.Perhaps I am to blame. Should have been ignorant.Should have been left in the dark.What you never knew perhaps won't hurt.How long? Till when? How now?Life is short. Shorter than we all know.Look around. Look around!Do you feel belong?Do you want to belong?Maybe. Maybe not. in need of a revelation a new horizon to gaze over.a quiet place of solitude.the air so fresh the sun so bright.the rustling leaves and windy skies.against the sky so blue. take me away to another placewhere I may roam where my feet take mewhere I can seek what I want to findwhere I will speak when I need to saywhere I shall be silent and yet be heard  where nothing else matters, really Everything Reads Pay "At the end of it, we will have to decide whether our time (or) the quality of life is more important."- Snr Minister of State for TransportBrings a smile to your face, doesn't it? In any case of emergency, please do not panic I was heading back to my office a couple of hours ago when I stumbled on an emergency situation which I believed could have been salvaged if the person involved had reacted faster. It was around 2pm, I was walking pass Bali Lane when I notice a small crowd gather in front of one of the many shophouses lining the street. Curious as always, I approached the crowd to find out what's the commotion all about. I was kinda stumped for a moment to see a man lying on the floor, all motionless. He appeared to be unconscious. Without hesitation, I approached and offered assistance. I knelt and try to check if he was breathing, only to be disappointed that not only was there no breathing, there was no pulse and the body was already cold. Apparently someone had called for the ambulance and help is on the way. I am no doctor but one can really tell that the man could have been dead, and for some time too. It was sad that the man who was with he kept insisting that he is breathing even when I mentioned repeatedly that he's not. It was just baffling that I was told that he just collapsed after clutching his chest but the state and condition of the deceased definitely signals something else. Then again, I am no doctor to confirm. Apparently, he collapsed on the second floor and the other man who was with him carried him down to the first floor to the entrance of the shophouse.The police came, shortly followed by the paramedics. By this time a large crowd have gathered and the usually quiet street was packed with curious onlookers. As I watched the paramedics took over the situation I couldn't help think of what could have been avoided and the so many ifs.If only someone had the sense to run to the super nearby Raffles hospital to seek for help, if only someone had administer CPR way way earlier, if only the ambulance got there earlier, if only I stumbled upon the situation earlier, then again if only.I hope this could be a reminder to all. Please, please do not panic if you are in such a situation. Called for help first, apply CPR if you are qualified to. In cases where you are not qualified to perform CPF, please ask around. Many Singaporeans are qualified to do CPR and performing the procedure can help save a life. Do not stall and wait. It takes mere minutes for the body to stop functioning and taking away someone's life. So please please do not panic in emergency situations and seek proper help. Someone's life is in danger and you could be the only hope.Here's one of the many links to help. Quick CPR King of the world I may be a pauper without a cent to my name.Yet I am wealthy in every sense with you by my side.Happy birthday dear Nadia. I could never ask for more but the many wonderful birthdays ahead to spend with you.Indeed, I feel like the richest man alive. I am the king of the world. It's all blue, white and brown now I enjoy days when I don't have to report for work. That goes for holidays, weekends and days when I take leave from the office. Of course, then there's medical leave. The one where the management usually frowns when you take them, as not only they'll still pay you your salary, they even have to settle your medical bills. Well I was guilty of being on medical leave the past 2 days. Heh. Not really all fun and games really. I actually thought being at work would have been a better option really.It was on Tuesday night when it all started. Couldn't get myself to sleep no thanks to my constant coughing and the tightness in my chest. It was the bloody asthma attacks again. I realised that lately I've been rather dependent on the inhaler pretty much. Not a good sign really. As I thought as time goes by, my condition might improve and I could actually stop using it. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Bad enough I couldn''t sleep, I guess the incessant coughing must have kept Nadia and Garcia awake too. Heh... my bad.Off to the doctor the next day only to be referred top the polyclinic for an xray and scheduled for an appointment with the specialist on the 25th later this month. It was really tedious having to shuttle back and forth from home to the clinic so many times. The whole 2 days was spent waiting at the clinic and queueing for consultation, treatments and prescriptions. After all the consultation from 3 different doctors, I now end up with 3 different inhalers to help manage the problem. The blue, the brown and the white. Hah. Colourful indeed. I did have a thought though. If I am not mistaken, the condition only worsened since I quit smoking. I remember being fit as a fiddle even when I used to smoke a large pack of ciggies a day. Chet. Nevertheless, not an excuse to pick up the habit again. 3 years on and I am going strong. Let's just hope the condition will get better and I can get back to my normal habits. Else, I will need to advise Nadia on what I expect to be served when I pass. Yes, Roti Kirai with Chicken curry. Or Mutton will do. Ok maybe I am being paranoid for no reason. But I am dead serious about the food!! Be a happy camper like me. It took a journey back home from work to finally kick some sense into me and realise where I am and why I am here. From the moment I stepped out of the office building, the whole journey was nothing short of nightmarish. There was the rude cab-driver who incessantly honked at the pedestrians crossing even though the green man was flashing oh so clearly. Clearly, many didn't appreciate his gesture, as an old man took the liberty of hurling a lost list of profanities that made my command of vulgarities appear amateur. Oh well, what's new. A rude taxi driver meeting his match, a ruder pedestrian.As I came to the escalator at Chinatown station, I was left bemused when commuters insist on rushing down on both sides, pushing and shoving their way down amidst whispers of excuse me, which I swear sounded really insincere and perhaps it was better off not said at all. Always thought it was a practice to keep to the left unless overtaking. Guess now I may have to rush down too so as to avoid any form of collision. Oh well, what's new. Impatient commuters rushing down the escalator even though the screen clearly displayed that the next train will arrive in 6 minutes.6 minutes passed, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the train approaches. Like piranhas, they all rushed to the doors anticipating their grand entrance. Young and old, male and female. Within a matter of seconds they can skillfully manoeuvre their way to the front of the crowd. Never mind that we are encouraged to let others alight before boarding. Never mind that you will cause a big holdup by blocking the exit. Oh well, what's new. Every man for himself I guess.Onboard the train, it was a lil' more interesting. After rushing in to board, most of them literally camped at the door, perhaps not wanting to miss their station when they intend to alight. It's funny to see them rushing to get in and anticipating the rush to get out. As usual, the doors are packed with commuters leaving the middle of the cabin so empty you could re-enact a Pussycat Dolls music video with ease, much to the applause of the other commuters. Of course, there's a number of commuters who must've have been working so very hard, probably labourers or contractors who have been working for the past 24 hours (although they don't look the part in their smart office outfits), who are always dead asleep when the train is full. Not sure if our trains are that comfortable or it was merely an act to avoid having giving up their seats. Really you should observe how dead asleep they are only to amazingly get up at their station and alight with ease. Oh well, what's new. We all pay the same amount as fare, so we all have the equal right to the seats I guess, never mind some old folk or some pregnant lady may lose their balance and suffer.At Sengkang station as I alighted, I began noticing that there seem to be more and more commuting via the NEL line lately. Hmmm.. either there's more residents now or perhaps more have given up their own mode of transport, no thanks to the increase in practically everything. It's really bustling here in Sengkang, I thought. Though you tend to see more and more foreigners amongst the crowd (it seems Sengkang and Punggol is really popular with Filipinos, Indians, Chinese), it's encouraging to see more people here, hopefully urging the town council to build more facilities like cinemas, parks and more. I proceeded to the basement to the pet shop to purchase some supplies for our dear Garcia. It's time to restock on his canned food and I'm sure he'll be happy to know that I bought his favourite sets this time. Last trip I made, I bought a few new flavours to introduce to him and boy was he upset and went on a hunger strike instead. A bit fussy this furball, but we love him a lot anyway. Anyhow, I battled through the rushing crowd on the escalators again and managed to get the supplies before proceeding to the 2nd floor to purchase dinner for me and the missus.One annoying thing about staying in Sengkang is that when it comes to food, halal food that is, you don't really have much options. There's no coffeeshop anywhere near our residence and we depend on Banquet food court and the fast food restaurants on days we don't feel like cooking. As I made my way up, I decided to call the missus to check on what she felt like having for dinner. Alas, my phone went dead. It slipped my mind to charge the phone last night and as expected, the battery went dead on me. Oh crap. Now I've gotta search for a public phone. It was a nightmare really to find a decent public phone around here. When I did found one, it didn't accept coins but cards only. That's just plain daft really. It's not helping that I am lugging 30 cans of canned food with me all along. After exploring the entire mall, I finally managed to get to a phone and got through to Nadia. Got the order, bought the food. A little pricey but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Anything cheaper will be instant noodles with hot dogs. Things didn't get better as I made my way to the LRT platform. You must be aware that at most entrances you can find one with a larger gate for the handicapped, commuters with trolleys or prams, or simply for those who find it impossible to squeeze through the normal gates. And so as I approached the large gate hoping to squeeze through with the large bags that I was carrying, it so happens that it was the same time a train just arrived and hordes of commuters are rushing to exit the station. It didn't matter that there were two empty gates by the side, practically everyone wanted to utilise the one larger gate. Yes, every one of them. It didn't matter that I was waiting to enter as they exit. Stupid to have it operate both ways, I thought. It's just baffling that everyone insist that their ass too huge to squeeze through the normal gates. Oh well, what's new. Bigger is always better and us being us, we never settle for anything smaller or mediocre. Bigger and better or nothing at all. The same thing went on while waiting for the train, boarding and alighting it and while exiting the station. The exact scene keep playing on and on and on. Same attitude, different characters. Oh and there were those people talking loudly too, fortunately not causing any confrontation or whatsoever. It was only during the brief five minutes walk from the station to my home that I got a little bit of peace and quiet. Ahhh.. now it's all clear to me.You can write 2002 paragraphs on the attitude in the papers, online, in forums and may still not change anything. You can educate, trained and discipline them, but it may still not change anything. Okay so you fine and punish them, gee I think it may still not change anything or even if it did, not much at all. You see, this is who we are. This is who we will be. I see no point in changing the surroundings to fit me. It's either I try to fit in or ship out. Well since, leaving is not an option at the moment, though I welcome any opportunity, for the time being I'll attempt to fit in. They say if you can' t beat them, join them. No I am not gonna be among those inconsiderate, rude and incorrigible ones. Perhaps how I attempt to fit in is I'll adopt a nonchalant take on all that is happening. No use in me riling myself up, getting all frustrated. There is more to life than to be affected by such incidents. I'm hopeful that by doing so, I'll end up with a more fulfilling time here. Focus on pursuing my goals in life and as long as I don't trample on any toes along the way, I reckon I'll be a happy camper. So what say you, come join me and be a happy camper.Oh and for the record, the armchair critic has taken a backseat this time. For good. You Yak, I Whack!? Sometimes I feel that we complain too much. Sometimes I feel like we expect to much too. I don't wish to touch on other issues for now but just on the recent hoo-ha on commuters talking too loudly on the buses and trains. Apparently many are stepping forward claiming that too many people talk too loudly while commuting publicly. Too loud, too noisy, inconsiderate, shameless. The list to describe them goes on. Some are even suggesting new laws to curb irritating handphone users on the buses and trains. My god people!! Do we need to at more rules to our gazillion list of regulations??I totally share the view that it can be really irritating to have your whole journey trumpeted with an annoying SOB screaming incessantly on the phone or even to someone seated beside him. Annoying no doubt. One can't help but to have that Ally Mcbeal-moments where you'd take him by the scruff of the neck and swing him out of the bus door as soon as it opens to the wild cheers and applause of other commuters. Unfortunately that only happens in an ideal world. The one we are living in is forgivably not. So what exactly would you do when you find yourself in such a situation?Some morons think that violence is the answer. If they had their way, they'd probably stuff the whole phone down the throat of the loud commuter, silencing him completely at the same time warning others of the consequences they'd face for inconsiderate behaviour. Of course some go for the traditional move of stealing punch to the face, a tried and tested approach that usually works provided you punch in the right direction and face no retaliation. A cowardly act but effective. However since I am no promotion of violence whatsoever, please refrain from such acts when you encounter such problems. Violence is never an answer in fact it provides more problems than solution. From your mere 'harmless' confrontation, it could lead to fights, clashes, riots and so on. Thanks to you, the transport companies will have to engage marshalls on the trains and buses and have more excuses to raise the fares. Now that's won't be very nice.I know you had it up to there with these people yakking away loudly every now and then. Be it foreigners or the locals, though I must add the foreigners have a knack of talking loudly even when not on the phone. Nonetheless, we can't put the blame to a specific group of people can we. I'm not even sure if we can blame anyone at all. Ok so he speaks loudly but seriously so what. If you can't stand the noise than perhaps you should stay in a library. Or a mortuary. If you think he's a nuisance then plug in your earphones and blast your music to drown him. We can't simply put up rules every now and then when we feel like it. It's ridiculous that every moment we bring up some discomfort some moron will suggest some rules or law or campaign to combat it. I wish some of you fellas practise some tolerance. I have encountered such problems myself and trust me I almost went mad inside, but in the end I did nothing. I just endured throughout the whole journey and look forward to the peace at home. It's all about tolerance really. Some of you are just being plain difficult. Even TVMobile irritates the hell out of you. If we are to ban these loud people from travelling publicly (even though they pay no less than any other commuter) than I shudder to think what's next? Are we to ban crying babies and screaming toddlers? Are we to ban sweaty, stinky, commuters who failed to take their shower? It's termed PUBLIC transport for a reason. It's for the public. If you can't bloody take that then go bloody private. Take your own transport in your bloody own silence. You know what? We should ban intolerant people from going public. If you can't stand all this and can't afford your own transport, then I suggest you take walk. So what if you win? I can't fully understand what's the blardy big deal that the media is so into a certain court case that evolves around a defamation suit that involves certain characters that we are so so familiar with. It seems like a dejavu to me. One where perhaps we can already predict the outcome.I am a rebel myself no doubt. I can't help but smiled on the brave attempts by the accused in causing some bit of uproar, on events that lead up to the defamation suit and on their antics in court for the past few days. Then again, as much as I would love to applaud their 'heroic' actions I can't really agree that there are doing themselves any good. Let's just be straightforward here. No political mambo-jumbo nonsense. It's pretty damn clear and I think of all people, the accused should have been smart enough to realise that they are in a position where it could only get worse.What in the god damned world made you have this faintest idea that you have the powers in you to go against the mightiest man in modern Singapore; the father of our nation, the one who never loses, the Old Man, the he who shall not be named, hoping that you could actually topple his dominance and hopefully get the whole nation to back you up. To make things worse you had to include his son, who happens to be the other big player in town, further destroying any remote chances you possibly had in the first place. Dude, you gotta be shittin' me really. Now that the media have covered whatever angles they wished to and broadcasted to the whole nation on how stupid, immature and unprofessional you are, how in the blardy world are you gonna start your reformation now? Yes we need a messiah. To give the current people in charge a good run for their money. Yet oh how I wish you had a bit of a charisma, charm and intelligent wit to make them shiver and shudder in your presence. Instead you provided them with more ammunition to make yourself appear silly than ever. Oh crap!On a more serious note, I am actually sick of reading this irrelevant (to me) court case in the papers everyday. Seriously, in what way will it benefit me one bit. Honestly I wasn't aware about the allegations made until the court hearing. I am pretty darn sure I am not the only one. Thanks to the court case, perhaps from a small number of people who actually read the article, now the whole blardy nation is aware of the contents and the circulation should stand at er, 4 million maybe and counting. And who actually gives a damn about how much compensation you're getting? Like seriously. I would be more concern about how much compensation or whatever package you have to offer us in the future. Even if you are awarded say 10 million buckeroos in damages, how much difference will that actually make to your life? Unless it may result in a bigger package for us, then by all means. Then again, he's a blardy bankrupt so what can you squeeze out of him? At least he's prepared to offer a dollar.I don't actually understand this defamation shit. Whoever made the blardy rule must be one who was probably afraid of getting his dirty linen made public, thus cover his ass first by introducing the law. Gee I hope my brainless assumption will not land me in hot soup. Now we don't wanna hear another defamation suit do we? Time for students to wake up and smell the coffee too I chuckled to myself early today as I flipped to the 2nd page of The New Paper on the way to the office. With a huge front cover image of a poor girl in China reportedly needing to have her legs cut off to free her from being trapped amongst the rubble after the quake, I was anticipating the story as I flipped only to be surprised by a stupid article highlighting an even more stupid plight of a rather bright girl actually. In case you missed it, the report is on Mei (obviously not her real name, duh) a secondary 2 student is very upset on the level of competition she is facing in school in her pursuit of topping her cohort in the examinations. Having failed to do so in her first year in secondary school, this year she's even more determined to be the top student. How does she intend to improve? She complains to The New Paper. Pure genius stuff, I'm telling you.I'm not sure how smart exactly this Mei is (they didn't publish her academic achievements) , but from what I gathered, she can't be that much of genius. Like every other Singaporean, Mei is unhappy about the influx of foreign talent here. In her case, foreign students. As mentioned, these students are not only older, their brains are more developed and highly motivated to to do their families proud. Unfortunately, that motivation the foreign students have in them, scares the living daylights out of Mei in pushing hard to do well for her country.Now is it just me or is this tale just moronically laughable? Mei, Mei, Mei. For f***'s sake, it's only secondary 2!! It's not the end of the world yet. If you think you are falling behind, then roll up your socks and bloody play catch up. It's another 2 and a half years to your O levels where most likely you'll be fairly judged based on your results. So take a chill pill and gear up for the big test. You think the foreigners are taking all the opportunities away from you?? Wait till you hear what your parents have to say. It's happening everywhere. Haven't you heard? Foreigners are taking up higher paying jobs, any jobs, away from the locals. Foreigners are flooding the housing estates, at times making us locals feel like we are the actual foreigners. (In Sengkang, I see Mainland Chinese, Indians and Filipinos more often than Singaporeans on the trains, buses, malls and food courts.) Foreigners in Singapore is like the next BIG thing, in case you're still in the dark!!Then again you can't simply point you finger at them for all your shortcomings. They just like anyone in the world, are simply seeking better opportunities in having a better life. If given a chance, I would, like them foreigners, pack up and settle myself elsewhere away from my place of origin.It's amazing how you concede defeat simply blaming it on the motivation they have in succeeding. What about you? Don't you wanna do your parents proud too? Do you simply give up because the brains of others are more developed than yours?My advice to you and the other aspiring local students is, simply keep on improving on your part and have your own motivation to do better than others. Competition is inevitable be it now or later when you're working. The foreigners are here to stay. Like it or not, in no way are we capable of ousting them anytime. Let's face it, they are also contributing to the nation's growth as much as we hate to admit.So Mei, I wish you well in your studies and hope you get a lil' bit smarter after the news report. I hope that when the day come your brain gets more developed you will be able to top your school, well ahead of your foreign schoolmates, and grab every possible opportunity before them. I'm sure your parents will be very proud of you then. You are a good example of a good Singaporean. Really... Can't believe I missed it!!! I woke up today and got a bloody shock of my life. It was morning and the sun was shining brightly. Shit! That means it's way past morning! I screamed out a list of profanities as I stood by the window with the sun in my face. My loud incessant screaming not only woke Nadia up, Garcia jumped from his nap and hid under the drawer. I was fuming mad as I missed the game. It was the one game that will determine who will face ManU in Moscow on May 21st. And I had to miss it! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!Oi! What's wrong with you? The game is tonight la! We watched the ManU game last night. Tonight is when Liverpool play Chelsea. You crazy or what screaming nonsense so early in the morning??!! - claimed the missus, obviously pissed off by my stupid antics...On a good note, I had a bad dream and have not missed the game just yet as the are playing early tomorrow morning. On another note, the signs don't look too good what with all these nightmares and paranoia. Sheesh. It's times like these I wish I'm not a football fan. Yet come tonight, we shall sing our hearts out, scream our voice coarse and keep our fingers crossed for 90 minutes whole. Tonight, at Stamford Bridge, we shall attempt to create another historical chapter and seek our third Champions' League final in four years. Brace yourself, it'll be a hell of a game tonight....You'll Never Walk Alone... No more Mas Selamat nonsense for me! No more! That's it! I've had a little more than enough of Mas Selamat for now. Everyone's talking about him still. It seems like if you are not, you must have just landed from Mars or somewhere of the same distance away. Yes Mas Selamat is the flavour of the month still and it's been like 2 months and counting.Thus today, I declare that this shall be my last post on Mas Selamat Kastari, the suspected terrorist at large, who apparently escaped through a tiny window, with no trousers and jumped over fences with his willy flapping around. Kinda surprised that it didn't get caught on the wired fences. That would have given us a better clue on his escape.I think we have all spent quite enough time dwelling on the hundreds of queries we would like to throw to the ministers, MHA, ISD, the guards and so on. Let's face it. The questions will never get to them. You can speculate, question and even ridicule this whole saga. It won't matter one bit. I have been guilty of asking myself. Who was I kidding? WIll I get any answers really? None expected anyway.Life will have to go on. He may still be at large and probably planning some sort of revenge (if his escape is for real, that is), yet we still have other worries which may be more worrying than the escape. We will still be affected by the rising costs, we will still be struggling till our ripe old age and settle for retirement in our dreams. With or without Mas Selamat's escape, life here will be no less rosy than it already is. With or without him being captured, we will still be as we were, worried on anything and everything else. I am not suggesting that the escape is a matter that we should take lightly. Hell no. No doubt it is a major issue. All I am trying to say is that, it makes no difference actually what we deduce from the whole incident. He has escaped. They have pointed some fingers to some people and that's that. What more can you expect when that's about all you can get? You really think you'll get to identify the heads that are rolling? You really think there'll be more transparency than it already is?You can call for someone to resign, yes, but trust me, you can go on trying till the bloody cows come home. Nothing will happen. He has spoken and you shall listen. You shall not question and you'll get a question in return. How dare you even doubt the truth when it is the truth and nothing but the truth. Just withdraw the wonderful package credited to your account today and shut the hell up. I am oh so grateful that the 200 bloody bucks will be so very bloody helpful. So should you!:) That's all your findings?? Sure or not?? It so happens that some inmates at the detention centre has more privacy than an average Singaporean. They have the privilege of having two urinals in one cubicle with one door. Here we are having multiple urinals in rows in public toilets, some even able to expose us through the main toilet door. But not for inmates there. They have real privacy mind you. Sure or not? It so happens that in a urinal cubicle with doors they also have supply of toilet rolls. For you to wipe after you take your piss. Not one, not two, but seven rolls in all for your convenience to break your fall. Sheer luxury for a urinal cubicle. Sure or not? It so happens that the contractor could not agree to put up the grilles due to some disagreement thus the idea of sawing the handles to the windows was deemed best. But all you need is to push to open what? The handle is more to prevent people from opening from outside, right? Then again this is the best measure then. Sure or not? It so happens that to take a piss at the urinal one has to take off his pants and hang it over the door? I'm surprised they don;t have hooks in there after offering the luxury of doors and toilet rolls. In any case, since when MEN actually take off their pants to take a piss. Unless to take a dump, undoing the pants should suffice. But he did and no one gave any thought to it. Sure or not? It so happens that when a guard suspects something was amiss, he had to inform another who in turn inform another who in turn inform another who ended up kicking the door open to find him missing. Maybe the guard have no hands to knock. Maybe the guard is dumb and cannot open his mouth to ask and check. Maybe the guard have always been trained to have no initiative to do anything when he sense something is wrong, other than check with their superior. It takes multiple reporting before someone kick the bloody damn door. Sure or not? It so happens that a limp man could squeeze into the tiny window without making any noise at all. The windows must have been oiled regularly to not make any sound when opened. He must have oiled himself thoroughly too in having managed to squeeze through with much ease as we would have thought. The toilet rolls must have been super effective that he made no sound at all when he landed probably on his head. Sure or not? It so happens that the same limp man was able to climb over the staircase roof and jump over the fence into the forested area behind the centre. He must have spiderman climbing skills as, truth be told, I believe even a non-limping average man will have trouble climbing over the roof and the fence no matter how 'low' you insist it is. Of course he is not an average man, he is trained. He must have been carefully trained to climb roofs of staircase covered walkways and fences. Sure or not? It so happens that the cameras are not working on that fateful day due for some upgrading that has been in the pipeline for some time. Just like the CCTVs on MRTs, they are always not working when you expect them to. Maybe they could have installed a temporary camera system while upgrading the current one. But they are humans, they tend to get complacent and make mistakes. Sure or not? It so happens that now we know how one can escape from a detention centre without getting caught. You need 4 lousy personnel to accompany you, a urinal cubicle with doors, a tiny well-oiled ungrilled window, a well-oiled body perhaps, 7 rolls of tissue, a non-working surveillance camera system some spiderman climbing skills and an organisation which will not take full blame for their lapses and complacency.A high profile terrorist suspect escapes and after the COI, that is about all they can reveal about his escape. Hmmm... surely like me, now you smartass Singaporeans can't stop asking.. Sure or not???!! Silly mistakes says he who should be held responsible I'm surprised that there were quite a list of lapses that led to the suspect's escape. From the incompetent non-thinking guards to the non-recording CCTVs to the toilet windows that has no grills. For such a highly secretive security organisation with committed and dedicated officers, it is unimaginable how much the escape highlights how incompetent we are in handling such high profile suspects.I am shocked that they actually revealed pictures of the detention centre after all the secrecy and the cover ups though I have never seen a urinal that's in a cubicle and actually has doors. I could be wrong.I am speechless that when Low TK mentioned about the rumour bandied around that Mas Selamat is dead and the govt staged the escape, Wong KS merely questioned him in return whether he believed that rumour. Expectedly Low claimed he does not and that's that. Wong proceeds no further. Question answered?Ok can someone enlighten me why in the world do we need opposition MPs in the parliament when instead of demanding explanations and answers, they provide the answers to their own inquiries.Silly, silly, indeed. Being anonymous is at times, as good as being a coward Last Monday, I managed to catch The Arena, an emmy nominated programme, on Ch 5. Interestingly the debate was between a Madrasah and the Singapore American School. Interesting motion for the day and quite an engaging debate I must admit. One interesting point the proposition brought up was the harmfulness of anonymity in the internet. When given the access to be anonymous, many tend to use it negatively creating a false sense of identity in the worldwide web. That's one point I certainly couldn't disagree more.I am aware that anonymous identities in the worldwide web are there for different reasons. For instance when it comes to political blogs, some blog authors prefer to remain anonymous. Perhaps they have a knack of expressing their political views and for the fact that here in Singapore, we are more or less not encouraged to talk politics unless we are really really darn sure, thus most prefer to seek refuge behind that anonymous tag. That's fair I guess, although one should be aware that you are not that anonymous as you think you are as you can still be traced, if someone wants to. Or say someone wishes to see you in court.But the one that that irks me, and probably most of you out there share my sentiments, is to have an anonymous someone leaving undesirable comments on your blog for no rhyme or reason. If you are an anonymous author then by any means there's nothing much you can say to anonymous readers. It'll be somewhat like the pot calling the kettle black. But what about authors who leave their identity behind? Don't they deserve to at least have the right to know who reads their blogs and who left their thoughts or opinions in regard to his/her posts? Though I may not attract that many anonymous hate-taggers I do still welcome anonymous readers anytime. Being anonymous, to me, in some sense is like taking a cheap shot at someone. You can easily throw accusations, make false statements and merrily attempt to incite hatred towards that someone. And it's one habit that netizens can't seem to kick off. Trust me, it's still happening. How credible can your claim be when you don't even have the guts to leave your name behind? I know of many netizens who questions other bloggers yet have the decency to leave their name behind so as to engage in a discussion professionally and sincerely. Something I find very lacking amongst our community. Something that will never change, not now, not ever.Till then, guess we'll have to manage them ourselves. Some truth about marriage I was told that I will face drastic changes to my daily routine. No late nights, no football and no games.Yet I end up catching more midnight shows and late supper all around the island regularly. Football, playing or watching was never an issue and to top it all off I even got myself an Xbox game console.I was told that life will be all about dragging myself to work, earning my pay to make ends meet and having no life whatsoever.I do drag myself to work at times and work on making ends meet, yet I'm not doing it all by myself as I have someone to share it with me. No life? How can it be? Holidays are more fun and there's still loads of activities yet.I was even told that it is so so different from the period of dating. Everything seems so serious and there'll be no room for careless, insane behaviour.Now that's a load of crap!After 2 years of marriage and counting, I dare conclude that marriage life is not half as bad as what most of my mates made it out to be. Sharing your life with someone is indeed a beautiful someone. Forget about the stupid mushiness crap about waking up to that someone every morning and all. That's nowhere what it's all about. There's definitely more to it. The arguments, the quarrels, the never-ending bills, the future planning, the numerous the decisions, the daily adjustments, the shoutings, the cold treatments. Endless, really. Of course there's the laughter you share at the most nonsensical stuff, the tears of happiness and sad, the joy you find in every little thing and more.Hey. marriage is not that bad. In fact it's been a blast for me so far and I'm gearing up for more to come.Thank you Nadia for having been the one for me. Yes you are temperamental, stubborn and argumentative. At times you are nonsensically insane, annoying and irritating. So am I. And that makes me love you more!Happy 2nd Year Anniversary and here's to many more wonderful years to us, God willing.Thank you for the wonderful lovely date yesterday. Indeed, The fondue at Haagen Dazs is THE bomb! Fitna movie is merely what it is, a Fitna. This is a tad bit belated but just wanna share my thoughts on a moronic documentary highlighting Islam as a religion of terror. I chuckle at Wilder's latest attempt in further creating tension amongst the religious groups and further incite hatred towards Islam.The brief, poorly-done documentary is but a poor reflection of the religion as a whole and a futile attempt in truly portraying Islam as a religion of terror.Muslims should not react violently to this preposterous childish act. Heeding his desire for violent reactions from the Muslim community will simply stamp more credibility in his claims. Islam is not a religion of terror and Muslims are not terrorists. I'm not gonna call for his head to roll, but seriously, it's moronic acts like this that disrupts religious harmony and really need to be stopped. Acts condemning any faith be it Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam etc should not be tolerated.I know there'll be morons who'll appear and claim that what he did was merely a freedom of expression and all, but I urge you to put away that moronic sentiments of yours for a moment. I honestly don't believe freedom of expression at any time includes inciting religious or racial hatred.how people take him seriously is beyond me London Boys are falling down It was billed as a make or break game for the London boys. Having settled for a stalemate for 3 earlier meeting this season, many expect the same outcome in what was always a close encounter between the two sides. Liverpool's away goal as not much of an advantage, fact that a single goal from Arsenal would have put them in the driving seat and have the Reds having to look for a win. I wouldn't have encouraged anyone to place any bets on a Liverpool win as a draw was very likely. Then again, this is another European night and these kind of nights always bring something special to the Anfield lads. As the Arsenal boys found out...Even as a die-hard Liverpool fan, I have to admit Arsenal almost outplayed us. Keyword here is almost. They started the game in blistering pace knowing an early goal could kill the game and throw the Reds' plan in disarray. The passing was immaculate and they looked like scoring every moment they crossed the ball into Liverpool's penalty box. From the first whistle, you could sense that Arsenal was gonna throw the kitchen sink at the Reds. Their efforts was duly rewarded with an early goal, once again through their beautiful passing game, although unexpectedly scored by Diaby. At that stage, the game was, you have to admit this, Arsenal's to lose. Alas, they concede to a set-piece goal, a forte of their own actually. After dominating the first half-hour, Liverpool turned on their game and was rewarded with corner courtesy of a save off Almunia. Gerrard's swinging corner was met with a bullet header by Hyppia that rattled off the upright and sent the Anfield crowd going wild. Tied at 1-1 they left for halftime.Darn I hate these games. I love Liverpool to death but they have this knack of taking their fans on a rollercoaster ride. One moment we can be delirious and soon after left dejected. Guess the inconsistency in our emotions tie in very well with the team's inconsistent performances.Liverpool got off to a storming start in the second half, barraging Arsenal's half with waves of attacks, though none fruitful. The game looked like it was heading for injury time really as both teams seemed to take their foot off the pedal and seem settled to sit back. Then a moment of brilliance as a flick-on by Crouch found Torres who superbly turned Senderos inside out and slammed a magnificent shot into the top corner. Anfield broke into wild cheers again. Deafening! I couldn't help but ran around the coffee table a couple of times to join in the cheers. The missus couldn't help but sniggered. She hates the prospect of Liverpool advancing but she loved the fact that we might be dumping Arsenal out. Even after Torres scored, you could still sense that Arsenal was coming back. All they needed now was a solitary goal and Liverpool will be royally screwed. SOmehow I knew another Arsenal goal was inevitable. The injection of Van Persie and Walcott made sure they did. Damn I hate that Walcott guy. Even so, I can't see Arsene's reasons on not playing him regularly. Man, this chap is a threat to any defence. They way he glided through 3 or 4 defenders on the way to cross for Adebayor's equaliser was immense. Honestly, many would have expect Arsenal to hold their line especially after Ade's goal. But this is the Champions' League. This is the one competition, a Gooner fan, Arsene Wenger and the whole Arsenal team, should be well aware that Liverpool, by some magical means, always have that extra bit of fire in their belly. Barely 2 bloody minutes after the equaliser, Toure conceded a penalty off a soft collision with Babel at the corner of the penalty box. Injustice perhaps, as Arsenal had 2 blatant penalty calls ruled off in their recent games. Yet this is football and shit happens. Ask Mr Wenger, he should know better. The same chap who always fail to see fouls committed by his players now berates the referees for calls that go against his players. Karma Wenger, karma. Gerrard put away the penalty and you could tell that it was all over. Babel did put the icing on the cake and finished off a counter attack and ran Fabregas ragged before planting the ball at the bottom right corner of Almunia's goal. Final whistle, 4-2 to Liverpool, 5-3 on aggregate.I wouldn't say Liverpool deserved thoroughly to go through, but hey this is a cup game. Sometimes a bit of luck carry you through. And last night, there wasn't any for the boys from London. Sorry Fabregas, for a team you belittled and accuse of not playing beautiful attacking football, we slammed 4 goals against you. Sorry Mr Wenger, your mind games are not working anymore, not against Liverpool in Europe at least.We may not reach the final in Moscow, or we may let history repeat itself and dump Chelsea out again. Anyhow, thank you for a thrilling game and letting me savour the 2 hours sleep I had after the game. Yes I slept with a huge smile planted on my face. Let's not care about Chelsea just yet, let's just enjoy this while it last.Chins up, Gooners. At least you know you have a team capable of fighting on all fronts for many years to come. No bombs from Selamat (thank God), yet we see cracks all over I am pretty darn sure most of you guys are very much aware of what MR BIG MAN had said in the past few days in regards to the infamous terrorist suspect of all times known to Singaporeans, the one and only Mas Selamat Kasturi. I know everyone is pretty exhausted figuring out how he escaped under tight security, coming up with 1001 conspiracy theories and tell-tales that simply made a whole joke out of the whole event.The one obvious good thing that came out of the whole event, in my opinion, is the two young boys who managed to make a profit selling tees with Selamat's portrait on it. Great short-tern business plan. Other than that, I seriously see nothing positive out of the whole incident. It's ridiculous enough for us to accept the inquiry into the matter not made public and before we could fully react to that, MR BIG MAN had to come along and instead of blaming his ministry, he pointed his blame on us instead. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we, Singaporeans; Malay, Chinese, Indians and Others are responsible for the escape of Mas Selamat. We were complacent. We put in too much trust in the leaders of our nation especially when it comes to security matters. We are guilty of believing that they had everything under control and nothing could go wrong. I wonder how harsh a punishment will be meted out to us. This is no joke really. The whole population (excluding the guards, home affairs etc) is at fault. Our complacency is the downright cause of a suspected terrorist escaping from a detention centre in what is deemed as the longest toilet break ever and counting.Dear you people up there. I bet you are royally pissed at some of us, or perhaps most of us by now, who can't seem to stop asking you question after question. You must be sick and tired of us magnifying every single mistake and blowing every flaw of yours out of proportion. You must be seething in your seats when at times, it seems like we never agree with whatever you say or decide, even if you deemed it was for the best of the nation. So let it be known, that if you did really have your panties in a bunch, then you should know that you are the one to be blame. Not me, not the one beside or in front of me. But you and only you.You wanted us to have world class education, you gave us accessibility to higher knowledge. You wanted a world class nation, you produced world class citizens and insist on it being run by world class leaders with higher than world class salaries. Naturally, your world class citizens expect world class standards in every aspect. Thus when a world class leadership fails to deliver, expect world class questions to come firing at you expecting world class answers. You wanted us to be a thinking nation, there you have it, we thought, we pondered and we concluded. You are to blame and don't you dare throw it back at us. Boy oh boy oh boy. The worrying factor here is, no bombs have yet been planted by the suspected JI terrorist already I suspect something worse imploding. Worrying times ahead? I hope someone sensible steps up and rectify this cracks. Seriously. Woman request to ban smoking along corridors??!! You know, I really feel good having quit smoking for a good 3 years and counting. Having picked up the habit at a tender age of 11, I am glad that I no longer desire to have a puff every now and then as I used to back then. In addition, since I quit smoking, on top of a notable increase in my appetite, I manage to quite a fair sum what more with the ever increasing prices on tobacco products. However despite not being a smoker, I must say, I do feel for smokers at times...Ok everyone will insist that smoking harms their health, family and other passive smokers around them and so on. But hey, I'm not here to elaborate on the harmful effects of smoking. We've been doing that for years and years, and trust me, smokers are well aware of the danger they are in. Then again, they had options and they made a choice to smoke. So don't bother stopping them. It is best for smokers to quit when they want to, not when they are forced to. It's more likely to be successful that way.Anyhow, like I mentioned, this post is not about smoking being harmful and all. I picked up the bilingual MyPaper (for the English portion of it) over lunchtime earlier. Flipped through and came across several letters, readers wrote in to their My Say forum page. I couldn't help but snigger away as I read this one letter. A lady apparently is appealing for the authorities to look into extending the ban on smoking in public places. As we all know, smoking is already banned in bus-stops, taxi-stands, covered places and all. The list is quite a long one actually and at one stage I thought the authorities might just paint yellow boxes around the island dedicated for smokers, nothing more. Then here come a 'selfish' resident of an HDB apartment, who is appealing for the ban to be extended to HDB corridors. Now how amazing of an idea is that? Apparently, she leaves her window open and she can't tolerate the smell of lighted cigarettes coming through her opened windows. I'm not sure about you, but I think that's a ridiculous suggestion. I know most people have got this huge vendetta against smokers and their habits but hey, they are amongst us and just like you and me, they are pretty much human too. You can't go about putting up barriers after barriers driving them away. I have this no smoking policy in my home, so my guests are often courteous enough to step out of my home and hang around the corridor to puff away thus not offending the hosts. That, I truly appreciate. So, if the ban is extended to corridors, where are they supposed to go? Under the void deck? Or to an open space 2km away from my home? Ridiculous, ain't it?I think at times, we Singaporeans, appeal for ridiculous rules and regulations which results in our nation being the butt of the joke. To date, we already have a long list of ridiculous bans and I seriously think we should not add on to the never-ending list. Ma'am, if you seriously think that the smell is irritating you, I suggest you close the windows or you start lighting some scented candles to counter the smell. If the authorities were to listen to each and everyone's complaints on their reaction to certain smells and enforce these bans, then how will they react when one complain of the strong curry smell while the neighbour cooks? Or the musky smell no thanks to the clothes the neighbour put out to dry for 2 weeks? Or the stench from the piles of footwear nicely stacked by the door of the home opposite mine? So we are gonna ban cooking, drying out clothes and stinky shoes altogether. For goodness sake, WOMAN! Practice some tolerance can?! I bet some of your neighbours may not be comfortable with your habits too, but I'm sure banning you is not a solution either.ad courtesy of a adsoftheworld.com Will the real football fan please stand up??!! Stayed up till early morning to catch the Champions' League game on cable. Was secretly praying for an upset on the cards, alas ManUre triumphed in the capital of Italy thanks to goals from Rooney and Ronaldo. Geez, I guess there is no way anyone can stop that bloody speedy Portugese winger from scoring nowadays, legally that is. You wouldn't wanna break his legs but I think that's the only way to halt him. Hate to admit, but this boy sure deserves to be the world player of the year, no doubt!All attention now centers on tonight; the huge anticipated game of Arsenal versus Liverpool. An all-English quarter final that could lead to an all-English semifinal and final if the English clubs have it their way. I have a feeling tonight's encounter might turn out to be a boring affair, for the simple reason that when 2 clubs that knows each other too well meets, they tend to just sit back and be extra cautious. Look no further than the recent years' encounters with Chelsea in the Champions' League. Most of the time the odd goal makes the difference. However let's hope that no matter how boring the game, Liverpool may take the spoils and carry an advantage back to Anfield for the 2nd League.Speaking of the Champions League, I still can't get over the bloody fact that after the 2009 season, the games will no longer be available on Starhub cable, as we are all well aware. I just can't fathom why in the bloody world must SingTel play the partypooper and wrest the rights away from Starhub. Like for whatever reason? Purely business? Profit making? Then what about answering to the demands of the consumers? What about catering to the demands of the football fans? In my opinion, whatever the reasons are, it's just plain selfish really. Typically of a bully too. We jolly well know that in the case of a bidding war over broadcasting rights, how in the world can anyone outbid SingTel. Seriously, how in the bloody world? I have no statistics to back me up (cos I really couldn't be bothered to further anger myself finding out the millions of profit they make year after year), however I am in the knowledge that SingTel definitely is a bigger powerhouse as compared to other Telco companies in Singapore. Naturally towering over Starhub as well.Over the weekend we found out that what's worse is MioTV is only available for residential properties. So you people, like me, with our smart ideas of running off to a coffeeshop or a pub nearby to catch a game will be disappointed with this revelation. Yes people, you wanna catch a Champions League match, either you subscribe to MioTV or hope and pray your neighbour does and promise to clean the corridor for him and he may well allow you to share his living room for the game.In a nutshell, whoever who came up with this idea is a total nutcase. One who has no intention of catering to the consumers' needs one bit. In fact this is outright bullying. Fans alike are simply thrust to a corner and have no right to even make or influence a decision. It's more like take it or leave it. I think that's just preposterous. But wait, what's even more absurd is, believe me, at the end of the day SingTel will still triumph as stupid Singaporeans, like you and me, without a choice will still subscribe to MioTV. That will be our decision, based on 'force', just like some other decisions we have made before. I wonder what will happen if all of us actually boycott the bloody idea and for once make ourselves heard? Eh wait a minute, am I suggesting this to Singaporeans here?? Will never happen la. Never!Sigh. This post offers no support one bit! I could go on and on about this whole argument and further portray the unlikely accusations that I support and actually encourage terrorism. Truth be told, I would truly welcome the idea of making terrorists disappear from the face of the earth. Whatever racial or religious background, no matter. Terrorists are really a pain in the ass, what with the time wasted with the stricter checks and the inconvenience caused while even crossing the causeway.I could publish the comments and get myself embroiled in a deeper argument (or deeper shit, as you guys would claim), but all for nothing I believe. Perhaps practising a bit of religious tolerance will help on my part. I am not going to claim that I am right nor am I starting a list on anyone that has a problem with mine.Call me a coward, a pussy or what have yous. I simply believe that as much as we hate the acts of terror and the terrorists, we should also do our part and not encourage this son-of-bitches and give them a reason or excuse to carry out their acts. If that is a problem to you, then I shall rest my case. happy birthday. me. There were plenty of actions I wish I could have avoided being responsible for when I did.There were way too many decisions made where I wish I could have taken a bit more time before deciding.There were a lot of events and happenings I would have desired not be a part when they took place.Then again, as I look back, perhaps it's not that bad after all. Here I am, 29 years later, with that bit much of life experience, yearning for more as I grow that tad bit older. Would I ever, ever, given the miraculous opportunity, change my past into something I would have so desired. Naaahh. Not a chance. I couldn't be happier where I am now really. With a loving wife, family and endearing friends. What more can I ask for? Ok maybe a better income, debt-free life, a democratic society, world peace but that's just secondary for now...A year from now and I'll hit 30 and truth be told, I can't wait to see what's in store for me in the future. All merely part of a brief journey... So what if all of us TAK BOLEH TAHAN anymore? You can go around the blogsphere and I assure you that amongst the local bloggers, quite a handful are authors of blogs that highlight the difficult issues and the miserable plight of Singaporeans. They rant on the rising in costs, petrol, taxes and increasing ERP gantries. They rave on the harsh pace of working life, the low salary and the poor treatment they received a their workplace. Some touch on the poor conditions of their homes, the plight of their families and the struggles to make their ends meet. Interesting stuff to read no doubt. To be honest, I even find some of the reads here pretty intelligent and opinionated. Guess it is unfortunately true that Singaporeans, like me and you, are indeed well-known to complain about everything and anything.So the past few days, we have a few people writing in to the New Paper on the never-ending saga of racial discrimination while seeking employment. These chaps are complaining (again) that second language, in this case Mandarin, should not be a requirement for job seekers. They really semeed disturbed by the whole matter. No matter these employers put it; be it 'Mandarin speaking preferred', 'Command of Mandarin is an advantage', 'Mandarin essential to handle clients from China'. These people are writing in to contest such practices. My advice to these chaps; you can quit complaining already!Let's face it! Nothing will be done to change that at all. The authorities have, some time back, made efforts to deter such things from happening but I guess as we are well aware, nothing much has changed. At the end of the day with or without the requirement being published along with the recruitment ad, the employer, still have the right to choose his or her staff, the way he or she wants them to be. Ok so one fine day, a law may be passed to ensure no such requirements will be set in the future when it comes to employment. Do you honestly think employers will not exercise their right in choosing their employees, no matter their qualifications or the language they speak. If I prefer a Chinese in my office then I will hire one even if you are a non-Chinese and you are better qualified. It's my company and I will do as I like. Same goes if I am a Malay boss and I would rather have Malay employees in my ranks.Yet, honestly, I think these chaps have got not much options but to simply rant via the forums or through newsletters. Perhaps in the hope that some here might rise from the rubbles and offer some justice finally. Guess they are no different than you or me. Ranting endlessly through our blogs and all. Then again, in all seriousness, are these issues that we raised ever gonna be highlighted to the relevant authorities. Are there actually anyone that is taking note of what we think, we feel and desire? I honestly doubt it. You can rant and scream all you want and air your displeasure to your heart's content. Yet no one listens. It's like talking to yourself. Oh you are such a cock-teaser! You promised to deliver.You claim to be able to put a dent in their title hopes.You fooled us with your great run of victories leading to this game.You boast of world-class performers amongst your ranks.You have the 2nd highest top scorer and a ruthless midfielder in your lineup.You were supposed to stop them in their march to title no 17.You made us have faith that the poor run against the scum was to end here.Yes the ref was a dickhead.Yes the ref probably had an orgasm flashing the red as Masch.Yes it was not easy playing with 10 man against the scums, away at that.Yet how we hung on to that slim hope, with every bit of naivety.Oh how stupid we felt, thank you very much.Simply a cock teaser! 3 nil and we now look like a bunch of cocks!Thank you Liverpool Football Club!Poor Mash had to walk alone.____________________________________Speaking of cocks, I hate to say this, but the news release on Mio TV claiming the rights to screen the Champions' League games with effect from 2009 is one hell of a cock story. Like what in the f***ing hell really!! First you made us pay more for live football screening on Starhub cable. Without much options, we still did. And now bloody SingTel, obviously for competition's sake, comes in and take away the broadcasting rights and slip it into their network instead. Now how much of a cock idea is that?!!I wonder if the chap behind the idea is by any means, a football fan in the first place. I seriously doubt it. In simple logic, how in the world do you expect every football fan to subscribe to 2 sets of cable network to catch their favourite teams in action. Ok so 1 network for EPL. Another network for Champions' League. So what's in it in the future? Another separate network for FA Cup, League Cup, Italian League, La Liga??!!! What a bloody cock of an idea?Totally sums up a weekend of cock football and everything related to the game. There should be just one network for football, period. This is what happens when we have a smart ass who never knew what the fans wanted but acted on our behalf. Best of all, no one can do anything about it because as we all know, we are simply powerless and the decision is final. All in favour, raise your middle finger!