Transcab to Lift Taxi Diesel Surcharge on Nov. 11 That’s a very applaudable move made by one of the small taxi companies in Singapore. It sends the message that not all newly implemented charges are permanent. The move laughs at the government and say, “No! Things aren’t how the way it supposed to be, permanently!” If this could be done for the extra diesel surcharge, imagine what can also be done in other areas of business that involves government-linked and independently-owned companies? Like for Telecomsr? Press? Erm… none that I can think of… Transcab to Lift Taxi Diesel Surcharge on Nov. 11 That’s a very applaudable move made by one of the small taxi companies in Singapore. It sends the message that not all newly implemented charges are permanent. The move laughs at the government and say, “No! Things aren’t how the way it supposed to be, permanently!” If this could be done for the extra diesel surcharge, imagine what can also be done in other areas of business that involves government-linked and independently-owned companies? Like for Telecomsr? Press? Erm… none that I can think of… Transcab to Lift Taxi Diesel Surcharge on Nov. 11 That’s a very applaudable move made by one of the small taxi companies in Singapore. It sends the message that not all newly implemented charges are permanent. The move laughs at the government and say, “No! Things aren’t how the way it supposed to be, permanently!” If this could be done for the extra diesel surcharge, imagine what can also be done in other areas of business that involves government-linked and independently-owned companies? Like for Telecomsr? Press? Erm… none that I can think of… Agnes Lin debunks the “Ignorant Rich Girl” News Story The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin Thanks to a comment from my post on Agnes Lin, I managed to check out her blog. This is especially useful after she made her Facebook profile private, to avoid unwanted attention. Likely to avoid predominatly male strangers from sending zillions of friend requests to her Facebook account. As per her Facebook status message, Agnes is standing by her being-misquoted stance. If she could afford it - contrary to what the ST portrays her to be - she could sue SPH for defamation! Deal with it like the PAP! In the meantime, I hope Agnes wouldn’t shut herself out from the internet, like how Singaporeans in dire media situations would normally do… Agnes Lin debunks the “Ignorant Rich Girl” News Story The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin Thanks to a comment from my post on Agnes Lin, I managed to check out her blog. This is especially useful after she made her Facebook profile private, to avoid unwanted attention. Likely to avoid predominatly male strangers from sending zillions of friend requests to her Facebook account. As per her Facebook status message, Agnes is standing by her being-misquoted stance. If she could afford it - contrary to what the ST portrays her to be - she could sue SPH for defamation! Deal with it like the PAP! In the meantime, I hope Agnes wouldn’t shut herself out from the internet, like how Singaporeans in dire media situations would normally do… Agnes Lin debunks the “Ignorant Rich Girl” News Story The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin Thanks to a comment from my post on Agnes Lin, I managed to check out her blog. This is especially useful after she made her Facebook profile private, to avoid unwanted attention. Likely to avoid predominatly male strangers from sending zillions of friend requests to her Facebook account. As per her Facebook status message, Agnes is standing by her being-misquoted stance. If she could afford it - contrary to what the ST portrays her to be - she could sue SPH for defamation! Deal with it like the PAP! In the meantime, I hope Agnes wouldn’t shut herself out from the internet, like how Singaporeans in dire media situations would normally do… Agnes Lin debunks the “Ignorant Rich Girl” News Story The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin Thanks to a comment from my post on Agnes Lin, I managed to check out her blog. This is especially useful after she made her Facebook profile private, to avoid unwanted attention. Likely to avoid predominatly male strangers from sending zillions of friend requests to her Facebook account. As per her Facebook status message, Agnes is standing by her being-misquoted stance. If she could afford it - contrary to what the ST portrays her to be - she could sue SPH for defamation! Deal with it like the PAP! In the meantime, I hope Agnes wouldn’t shut herself out from the internet, like how Singaporeans in dire media situations would normally do… MARS Day: Xslimmer Intro. Every Monday will be MARS Day - short for Mac App ReviewS Day. In this series, I’ll be touching on the OSX apps that I am currently using. Some apps may not be new to long-time Mac users. For rookies, you may encounter new OSX apps which will enhance your OSX experience. The first OSX app I’ll be reviewing is Xslimmer. In a nutshell, Xslimmer is an OSX app slimmer (duh!). This is especially for the Universal Binary OSX apps, and apps that come packaged with multiple language translations. Let’s say you use an Intel Mac, would you still need the PowerPC part of the app? And would you need the translations when you’re predominantly working on your OSX in the English language? Xslimmer makes your apps start faster by eliminating the unecessary Processor and language code. Xslimmer comes with some neat features. Like the ‘Genie’ function, which retrieves all your apps from your mac and determines whether that app requires slimming. Which brings me to the next cool feature which I shall call - social blacklisting. Based on a public feedback system on apps that don’t work after being slimmed, Xslimmer would blacklist these apps so that you won’t create apps chaos on your machine. And if you’re still worried that your apps would turn awry after slimming, there’s a backup function as a failsafe for your mission-critical apps. The interesting thing about this app is that it slim apps that are active. What’s more, Xslimmer even slims itself! So you ask, ultimately, is there any significant performance difference after the Mac apps have been slimmed down? Yes, I find they take about half the time to start as compared to being a bloated Universal app. And No, you wouldn’t notice that apparent boost after a while - because your apps still take a few bounces on the dock before starting up. Still, it’s an improvement over running a Universal app. Xslimmer is demoware, free for the the first 50MB you strip off your apps. After that, it’s at an affordable US$12.95 for the entire strip show! MARS Day: Xslimmer Intro. Every Monday will be MARS Day - short for Mac App ReviewS Day. In this series, I’ll be touching on the OSX apps that I am currently using. Some apps may not be new to long-time Mac users. For rookies, you may encounter new OSX apps which will enhance your OSX experience. The first OSX app I’ll be reviewing is Xslimmer. In a nutshell, Xslimmer is an OSX app slimmer (duh!). This is especially for the Universal Binary OSX apps, and apps that come packaged with multiple language translations. Let’s say you use an Intel Mac, would you still need the PowerPC part of the app? And would you need the translations when you’re predominantly working on your OSX in the English language? Xslimmer makes your apps start faster by eliminating the unecessary Processor and language code. Xslimmer comes with some neat features. Like the ‘Genie’ function, which retrieves all your apps from your mac and determines whether that app requires slimming. Which brings me to the next cool feature which I shall call - social blacklisting. Based on a public feedback system on apps that don’t work after being slimmed, Xslimmer would blacklist these apps so that you won’t create apps chaos on your machine. And if you’re still worried that your apps would turn awry after slimming, there’s a backup function as a failsafe for your mission-critical apps. The interesting thing about this app is that it slim apps that are active. What’s more, Xslimmer even slims itself! So you ask, ultimately, is there any significant performance difference after the Mac apps have been slimmed down? Yes, I find they take about half the time to start as compared to being a bloated Universal app. And No, you wouldn’t notice that apparent boost after a while - because your apps still take a few bounces on the dock before starting up. Still, it’s an improvement over running a Universal app. Xslimmer is demoware, free for the the first 50MB you strip off your apps. After that, it’s at an affordable US$12.95 for the entire strip show! MARS Day: Xslimmer Intro. Every Monday will be MARS Day - short for Mac App ReviewS Day. In this series, I’ll be touching on the OSX apps that I am currently using. Some apps may not be new to long-time Mac users. For rookies, you may encounter new OSX apps which will enhance your OSX experience. The first OSX app I’ll be reviewing is Xslimmer. In a nutshell, Xslimmer is an OSX app slimmer (duh!). This is especially for the Universal Binary OSX apps, and apps that come packaged with multiple language translations. Let’s say you use an Intel Mac, would you still need the PowerPC part of the app? And would you need the translations when you’re predominantly working on your OSX in the English language? Xslimmer makes your apps start faster by eliminating the unecessary Processor and language code. Xslimmer comes with some neat features. Like the ‘Genie’ function, which retrieves all your apps from your mac and determines whether that app requires slimming. Which brings me to the next cool feature which I shall call - social blacklisting. Based on a public feedback system on apps that don’t work after being slimmed, Xslimmer would blacklist these apps so that you won’t create apps chaos on your machine. And if you’re still worried that your apps would turn awry after slimming, there’s a backup function as a failsafe for your mission-critical apps. The interesting thing about this app is that it slim apps that are active. What’s more, Xslimmer even slims itself! So you ask, ultimately, is there any significant performance difference after the Mac apps have been slimmed down? Yes, I find they take about half the time to start as compared to being a bloated Universal app. And No, you wouldn’t notice that apparent boost after a while - because your apps still take a few bounces on the dock before starting up. Still, it’s an improvement over running a Universal app. Xslimmer is demoware, free for the the first 50MB you strip off your apps. After that, it’s at an affordable US$12.95 for the entire strip show! MARS Day: Xslimmer Intro. Every Monday will be MARS Day - short for Mac App ReviewS Day. In this series, I’ll be touching on the OSX apps that I am currently using. Some apps may not be new to long-time Mac users. For rookies, you may encounter new OSX apps which will enhance your OSX experience. The first OSX app I’ll be reviewing is Xslimmer. In a nutshell, Xslimmer is an OSX app slimmer (duh!). This is especially for the Universal Binary OSX apps, and apps that come packaged with multiple language translations. Let’s say you use an Intel Mac, would you still need the PowerPC part of the app? And would you need the translations when you’re predominantly working on your OSX in the English language? Xslimmer makes your apps start faster by eliminating the unecessary Processor and language code. Xslimmer comes with some neat features. Like the ‘Genie’ function, which retrieves all your apps from your mac and determines whether that app requires slimming. Which brings me to the next cool feature which I shall call - social blacklisting. Based on a public feedback system on apps that don’t work after being slimmed, Xslimmer would blacklist these apps so that you won’t create apps chaos on your machine. And if you’re still worried that your apps would turn awry after slimming, there’s a backup function as a failsafe for your mission-critical apps. The interesting thing about this app is that it slim apps that are active. What’s more, Xslimmer even slims itself! So you ask, ultimately, is there any significant performance difference after the Mac apps have been slimmed down? Yes, I find they take about half the time to start as compared to being a bloated Universal app. And No, you wouldn’t notice that apparent boost after a while - because your apps still take a few bounces on the dock before starting up. Still, it’s an improvement over running a Universal app. Xslimmer is demoware, free for the the first 50MB you strip off your apps. After that, it’s at an affordable US$12.95 for the entire strip show! Agnes Lin - Unaffected by the Recession? As always, ever since we’re in a technical recession, the Straits Times (otherwise known as the Sunday Times on err… Sunday) is actively in the act of panic mongering. This time, they feature Agnes Lin, a Nanyang Technological University grad who apparently care-less about the economic freefall. The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin For those who don’t subscribe to The Straits Times/couldn’t read/couldn’t careless, here’s the original ST article (which is part of a bigger ST feature), word-for-word: Miss Lin says she has never once run out of spending money. By Nur Dianah Suhaim For 20-year-old undergraduate Agnes Lin, the recession could just be academic. The Nanyang Technological University first-year student has never been in need: She carries a $2,000 Louis Vuitton handbag to school and uses only Shiseido cosmetic and skincare products. She carries around the latest mobile phone and goes on overseas vacations with her friends where she would bust $1,000 on shopping alone. Twice monthly, she shops at her favourite stores - Topshop, Zara and Forever21. Mum, a private tutor, and Dad, a businessman selling polythene bags, pay for her expenses. Miss Lin is aware that Singapore faces a recession but the news does not bother her. She said: ‘I think it is okay for me to maintain my current lifestyle. I may be spending a little bit more than my friends but I don’t think I’m overspending.’ At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700. Although her mother has said ‘no’ to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it. ‘I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!’ she said with a giggle. She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks. Since she was 16, her monthly pocket money has been $500. She has an older brother, also an undergraduate. The family live in a four-room flat in Marine Parade. She thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash. ‘I don’t understand why she cannot just ask her parents for money,’ sighed Miss Lin. She will enter the working world only after three years but she is already planning ahead. With her first pay packet, she will buy a $4,000 Chanel bag. ‘After that, I will probably get more bags and watches,’ she added. Before buying the story by our mainstream media, I headed straight to the source - Ms Lin’s Facebook profile. That was on Sunday afternoon, when she has yet to raise to wall of privacy around her profile. At that time, I manage to get a screenshot of what she has to say about the damning article. Apparently, the reporter misquoted her... Super expensive handbag aside, if she did not say that she found her friend silly for working part time, and she’s not the spoilt type as portrayed by the ST reporter, then the reporter must be overhyping the ignorance of young Singaporeans! If you’re a Singaporean, sit back and do the math. You spend about $1000 in your holiday shopping spree, and a PDA camera mobile phone sets you back about $700. What’s more, Agnes shops at her favourite shop twice a month - not every other day of the month. The way the reporter is putting it - I think she’s making it sound like it’s not normal to spent that kind of cash here in Singapore. When in reality - that’s the way things are - that’s the cost of living! Well, I guess that’s the whole purpose of the mainstream media - to make us believe that we’re living in a Shity Time. As expected, Bloggers Who Bought The Sunday Times Story®: ETHVREN.LIVEJOURNAL.COM says: Clearly, Agnes just doesn’t understand that her family is one of the more well to do families in society and that not everyone is as priviledged as her. Maybe it isn’t her fault that she is spoilt, maybe she has been sheltered all her life. It isn’t wrong being rich, but questioning why people aren’t able to ask their parents for money is just plain bimbotic and superficial. Personally I’m not comfortable asking my parents for money. My mum had once given me money for school and then I found out from my sister later that my mum had ate nothing for lunch that day because times are hard and that she had given her lunch money to me. I was so upset when I found out, I felt damn guilty. I’m not poor, my family is the typical average middle class family but the middle class families are one of those groups of people badly hit by rising prices of food, and oil especially…so naturally about 70% of Singaporeans are affected by the recession. Agnes just doesn’t understand that when a child does not want to ask her parents for money, she doesn’t want to burden them. She obviously hasn’t been put in a position of responsibility before, hence her shallow understanding of the world. And while her parents obviously do not share their economic views with her, I’m sure they are one way or another affected by the crisis. But Even without the crisis, how she feels about the world is incredibly shallow, I really really need to slap her. PFFF says: … i too don’t understand, how she can be so insensitive, that is. does she not understand the notion of being self-sufficient, or that not everyone is as blessed financially as she is? and why on earth does she need “the latest phone”? does it KILL YOU not to have it? a new one enters the market every so often, and it makes so much more sense to just hang on to one till you need to replace it, instead of buying a new one as they come out. … Agnes Lin - Unaffected by the Recession? As always, ever since we’re in a technical recession, the Straits Times (otherwise known as the Sunday Times on err… Sunday) is actively in the act of panic mongering. This time, they feature Agnes Lin, a Nanyang Technological University grad who apparently care-less about the economic freefall. The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin For those who don’t subscribe to The Straits Times/couldn’t read/couldn’t careless, here’s the original ST article (which is part of a bigger ST feature), word-for-word: Miss Lin says she has never once run out of spending money. By Nur Dianah Suhaim For 20-year-old undergraduate Agnes Lin, the recession could just be academic. The Nanyang Technological University first-year student has never been in need: She carries a $2,000 Louis Vuitton handbag to school and uses only Shiseido cosmetic and skincare products. She carries around the latest mobile phone and goes on overseas vacations with her friends where she would bust $1,000 on shopping alone. Twice monthly, she shops at her favourite stores - Topshop, Zara and Forever21. Mum, a private tutor, and Dad, a businessman selling polythene bags, pay for her expenses. Miss Lin is aware that Singapore faces a recession but the news does not bother her. She said: ‘I think it is okay for me to maintain my current lifestyle. I may be spending a little bit more than my friends but I don’t think I’m overspending.’ At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700. Although her mother has said ‘no’ to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it. ‘I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!’ she said with a giggle. She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks. Since she was 16, her monthly pocket money has been $500. She has an older brother, also an undergraduate. The family live in a four-room flat in Marine Parade. She thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash. ‘I don’t understand why she cannot just ask her parents for money,’ sighed Miss Lin. She will enter the working world only after three years but she is already planning ahead. With her first pay packet, she will buy a $4,000 Chanel bag. ‘After that, I will probably get more bags and watches,’ she added. Before buying the story by our mainstream media, I headed straight to the source - Ms Lin’s Facebook profile. That was on Sunday afternoon, when she has yet to raise to wall of privacy around her profile. At that time, I manage to get a screenshot of what she has to say about the damning article. Apparently, the reporter misquoted her... Super expensive handbag aside, if she did not say that she found her friend silly for working part time, and she’s not the spoilt type as portrayed by the ST reporter, then the reporter must be overhyping the ignorance of young Singaporeans! If you’re a Singaporean, sit back and do the math. You spend about $1000 in your holiday shopping spree, and a PDA camera mobile phone sets you back about $700. What’s more, Agnes shops at her favourite shop twice a month - not every other day of the month. The way the reporter is putting it - I think she’s making it sound like it’s not normal to spent that kind of cash here in Singapore. When in reality - that’s the way things are - that’s the cost of living! Well, I guess that’s the whole purpose of the mainstream media - to make us believe that we’re living in a Shity Time. As expected, Bloggers Who Bought The Sunday Times Story®: ETHVREN.LIVEJOURNAL.COM says: Clearly, Agnes just doesn’t understand that her family is one of the more well to do families in society and that not everyone is as priviledged as her. Maybe it isn’t her fault that she is spoilt, maybe she has been sheltered all her life. It isn’t wrong being rich, but questioning why people aren’t able to ask their parents for money is just plain bimbotic and superficial. Personally I’m not comfortable asking my parents for money. My mum had once given me money for school and then I found out from my sister later that my mum had ate nothing for lunch that day because times are hard and that she had given her lunch money to me. I was so upset when I found out, I felt damn guilty. I’m not poor, my family is the typical average middle class family but the middle class families are one of those groups of people badly hit by rising prices of food, and oil especially…so naturally about 70% of Singaporeans are affected by the recession. Agnes just doesn’t understand that when a child does not want to ask her parents for money, she doesn’t want to burden them. She obviously hasn’t been put in a position of responsibility before, hence her shallow understanding of the world. And while her parents obviously do not share their economic views with her, I’m sure they are one way or another affected by the crisis. But Even without the crisis, how she feels about the world is incredibly shallow, I really really need to slap her. PFFF says: … i too don’t understand, how she can be so insensitive, that is. does she not understand the notion of being self-sufficient, or that not everyone is as blessed financially as she is? and why on earth does she need “the latest phone”? does it KILL YOU not to have it? a new one enters the market every so often, and it makes so much more sense to just hang on to one till you need to replace it, instead of buying a new one as they come out. … Agnes Lin - Unaffected by the Recession? As always, ever since we’re in a technical recession, the Straits Times (otherwise known as the Sunday Times on err… Sunday) is actively in the act of panic mongering. This time, they feature Agnes Lin, a Nanyang Technological University grad who apparently care-less about the economic freefall. The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin For those who don’t subscribe to The Straits Times/couldn’t read/couldn’t careless, here’s the original ST article (which is part of a bigger ST feature), word-for-word: Miss Lin says she has never once run out of spending money. By Nur Dianah Suhaim For 20-year-old undergraduate Agnes Lin, the recession could just be academic. The Nanyang Technological University first-year student has never been in need: She carries a $2,000 Louis Vuitton handbag to school and uses only Shiseido cosmetic and skincare products. She carries around the latest mobile phone and goes on overseas vacations with her friends where she would bust $1,000 on shopping alone. Twice monthly, she shops at her favourite stores - Topshop, Zara and Forever21. Mum, a private tutor, and Dad, a businessman selling polythene bags, pay for her expenses. Miss Lin is aware that Singapore faces a recession but the news does not bother her. She said: ‘I think it is okay for me to maintain my current lifestyle. I may be spending a little bit more than my friends but I don’t think I’m overspending.’ At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700. Although her mother has said ‘no’ to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it. ‘I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!’ she said with a giggle. She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks. Since she was 16, her monthly pocket money has been $500. She has an older brother, also an undergraduate. The family live in a four-room flat in Marine Parade. She thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash. ‘I don’t understand why she cannot just ask her parents for money,’ sighed Miss Lin. She will enter the working world only after three years but she is already planning ahead. With her first pay packet, she will buy a $4,000 Chanel bag. ‘After that, I will probably get more bags and watches,’ she added. Before buying the story by our mainstream media, I headed straight to the source - Ms Lin’s Facebook profile. That was on Sunday afternoon, when she has yet to raise to wall of privacy around her profile. At that time, I manage to get a screenshot of what she has to say about the damning article. Apparently, the reporter misquoted her... Super expensive handbag aside, if she did not say that she found her friend silly for working part time, and she’s not the spoilt type as portrayed by the ST reporter, then the reporter must be overhyping the ignorance of young Singaporeans! If you’re a Singaporean, sit back and do the math. You spend about $1000 in your holiday shopping spree, and a PDA camera mobile phone sets you back about $700. What’s more, Agnes shops at her favourite shop twice a month - not every other day of the month. The way the reporter is putting it - I think she’s making it sound like it’s not normal to spent that kind of cash here in Singapore. When in reality - that’s the way things are - that’s the cost of living! Well, I guess that’s the whole purpose of the mainstream media - to make us believe that we’re living in a Shity Time. As expected, Bloggers Who Bought The Sunday Times Story®: ETHVREN.LIVEJOURNAL.COM says: Clearly, Agnes just doesn’t understand that her family is one of the more well to do families in society and that not everyone is as priviledged as her. Maybe it isn’t her fault that she is spoilt, maybe she has been sheltered all her life. It isn’t wrong being rich, but questioning why people aren’t able to ask their parents for money is just plain bimbotic and superficial. Personally I’m not comfortable asking my parents for money. My mum had once given me money for school and then I found out from my sister later that my mum had ate nothing for lunch that day because times are hard and that she had given her lunch money to me. I was so upset when I found out, I felt damn guilty. I’m not poor, my family is the typical average middle class family but the middle class families are one of those groups of people badly hit by rising prices of food, and oil especially…so naturally about 70% of Singaporeans are affected by the recession. Agnes just doesn’t understand that when a child does not want to ask her parents for money, she doesn’t want to burden them. She obviously hasn’t been put in a position of responsibility before, hence her shallow understanding of the world. And while her parents obviously do not share their economic views with her, I’m sure they are one way or another affected by the crisis. But Even without the crisis, how she feels about the world is incredibly shallow, I really really need to slap her. PFFF says: … i too don’t understand, how she can be so insensitive, that is. does she not understand the notion of being self-sufficient, or that not everyone is as blessed financially as she is? and why on earth does she need “the latest phone”? does it KILL YOU not to have it? a new one enters the market every so often, and it makes so much more sense to just hang on to one till you need to replace it, instead of buying a new one as they come out. … Agnes Lin - Unaffected by the Recession? As always, ever since we’re in a technical recession, the Straits Times (otherwise known as the Sunday Times on err… Sunday) is actively in the act of panic mongering. This time, they feature Agnes Lin, a Nanyang Technological University grad who apparently care-less about the economic freefall. The Sunday Times pic of Agnes Lin For those who don’t subscribe to The Straits Times/couldn’t read/couldn’t careless, here’s the original ST article (which is part of a bigger ST feature), word-for-word: Miss Lin says she has never once run out of spending money. By Nur Dianah Suhaim For 20-year-old undergraduate Agnes Lin, the recession could just be academic. The Nanyang Technological University first-year student has never been in need: She carries a $2,000 Louis Vuitton handbag to school and uses only Shiseido cosmetic and skincare products. She carries around the latest mobile phone and goes on overseas vacations with her friends where she would bust $1,000 on shopping alone. Twice monthly, she shops at her favourite stores - Topshop, Zara and Forever21. Mum, a private tutor, and Dad, a businessman selling polythene bags, pay for her expenses. Miss Lin is aware that Singapore faces a recession but the news does not bother her. She said: ‘I think it is okay for me to maintain my current lifestyle. I may be spending a little bit more than my friends but I don’t think I’m overspending.’ At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700. Although her mother has said ‘no’ to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it. ‘I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!’ she said with a giggle. She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks. Since she was 16, her monthly pocket money has been $500. She has an older brother, also an undergraduate. The family live in a four-room flat in Marine Parade. She thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash. ‘I don’t understand why she cannot just ask her parents for money,’ sighed Miss Lin. She will enter the working world only after three years but she is already planning ahead. With her first pay packet, she will buy a $4,000 Chanel bag. ‘After that, I will probably get more bags and watches,’ she added. Before buying the story by our mainstream media, I headed straight to the source - Ms Lin’s Facebook profile. That was on Sunday afternoon, when she has yet to raise to wall of privacy around her profile. At that time, I manage to get a screenshot of what she has to say about the damning article. Apparently, the reporter misquoted her... Super expensive handbag aside, if she did not say that she found her friend silly for working part time, and she’s not the spoilt type as portrayed by the ST reporter, then the reporter must be overhyping the ignorance of young Singaporeans! If you’re a Singaporean, sit back and do the math. You spend about $1000 in your holiday shopping spree, and a PDA camera mobile phone sets you back about $700. What’s more, Agnes shops at her favourite shop twice a month - not every other day of the month. The way the reporter is putting it - I think she’s making it sound like it’s not normal to spent that kind of cash here in Singapore. When in reality - that’s the way things are - that’s the cost of living! Well, I guess that’s the whole purpose of the mainstream media - to make us believe that we’re living in a Shity Time. As expected, Bloggers Who Bought The Sunday Times Story®: ETHVREN.LIVEJOURNAL.COM says: Clearly, Agnes just doesn’t understand that her family is one of the more well to do families in society and that not everyone is as priviledged as her. Maybe it isn’t her fault that she is spoilt, maybe she has been sheltered all her life. It isn’t wrong being rich, but questioning why people aren’t able to ask their parents for money is just plain bimbotic and superficial. Personally I’m not comfortable asking my parents for money. My mum had once given me money for school and then I found out from my sister later that my mum had ate nothing for lunch that day because times are hard and that she had given her lunch money to me. I was so upset when I found out, I felt damn guilty. I’m not poor, my family is the typical average middle class family but the middle class families are one of those groups of people badly hit by rising prices of food, and oil especially…so naturally about 70% of Singaporeans are affected by the recession. Agnes just doesn’t understand that when a child does not want to ask her parents for money, she doesn’t want to burden them. She obviously hasn’t been put in a position of responsibility before, hence her shallow understanding of the world. And while her parents obviously do not share their economic views with her, I’m sure they are one way or another affected by the crisis. But Even without the crisis, how she feels about the world is incredibly shallow, I really really need to slap her. PFFF says: … i too don’t understand, how she can be so insensitive, that is. does she not understand the notion of being self-sufficient, or that not everyone is as blessed financially as she is? and why on earth does she need “the latest phone”? does it KILL YOU not to have it? a new one enters the market every so often, and it makes so much more sense to just hang on to one till you need to replace it, instead of buying a new one as they come out. … Gwen, the Singapore Teacher in Mini Bikini I was on the train the other day when I saw a picture of a lady in green skimpy bikini plastered on the front page of a Chinese evening newspaper (Lianhe Wanbao, I think?). Finally enlightened after checking out Ping.sg, I learned that this whole fiasco surrounds this lady named Gwen. Gwen is a primary school teacher. How should I put it? The ‘hip’ primary school teacher. For that itchy bitsy teeny weeny greeny little scanty bikini, she can have my most ardous respect as a model classroom teacher… anytime! How it all Happened It all began with the forum thread - Willing vs. Unwilling Exposure, a thread which I commented on last Sunday. This, of course, attracted the attention of our scandal-deprived local media, where they followed on by digging into her social network profile and blog (http://lurvegwen.multiply.com - now defunct) with the help of a local trash ‘tabloid’ blogger. It is her blog post which the media use to create an unsatisfactory image of what a model MOE teacher should be. Quote: Teacher Gwen will turn to face the whiteboard and start wiping the whiteboard clean (because she thinks this will help her calm down). Then she will start calling the whiteboard a ‘f***ing idiot‘, stressing on the word ‘f***’. Once she’s done, she will turn around and say, ‘Where did I stop just now? And like many Scandal-Struck Singaporean Ladies (like the most recent Sun Tan), they shut themselves from the Internet. Apparently - which I’m NOT going to believe - Gwen is under MOE investigation for this itsy bitsy teeny weeny greeny scanty bikini scandal. That’s ludacris and (what I deem as) plain speculation. Because the Ministry of Education’s purpose is to mould students, not punish investigate teachers. Wait - she’s just posing in a bikini. What’s the moral implication of a scantily-clad teacher? The overly-concerned parents would go ballistic, the primary school boys would learn what’s an erection and the primary school girls would aspire to have a dead gorgeous body like hers. Is she even Ah Lian to begin with? If you read the Asiaone article, you 100% thought she was. The local media placed emphasis on her being a wild grrrrrrl with a side job as a government-funded teacher. Note that there were lots of reports in recent years of teachers being overworked, and the teaching career is greatly under-appreciated. YES, under-appreciated like the PAP MPs who do everything in their power to make us happy. Picture links to Photo Gallery Well, now the MOE now has a pin-up girl (like FHM/Sports Illustrated/Maxim) for their next advertising campaign - to show how rewarding it is to be a teacher. Like always, there are always avenues to look for her pictures, no matter how you try to do a media blackout. Gwen, the Singapore Teacher in Mini Bikini I was on the train the other day when I saw a picture of a lady in green skimpy bikini plastered on the front page of a Chinese evening newspaper (Lianhe Wanbao, I think?). Finally enlightened after checking out Ping.sg, I learned that this whole fiasco surrounds this lady named Gwen. Gwen is a primary school teacher. How should I put it? The ‘hip’ primary school teacher. For that itchy bitsy teeny weeny greeny little scanty bikini, she can have my most ardous respect as a model classroom teacher… anytime! How it all Happened It all began with the forum thread - Willing vs. Unwilling Exposure, a thread which I commented on last Sunday. This, of course, attracted the attention of our scandal-deprived local media, where they followed on by digging into her social network profile and blog (http://lurvegwen.multiply.com - now defunct) with the help of a local trash ‘tabloid’ blogger. It is her blog post which the media use to create an unsatisfactory image of what a model MOE teacher should be. Quote: Teacher Gwen will turn to face the whiteboard and start wiping the whiteboard clean (because she thinks this will help her calm down). Then she will start calling the whiteboard a ‘f***ing idiot‘, stressing on the word ‘f***’. Once she’s done, she will turn around and say, ‘Where did I stop just now? And like many Scandal-Struck Singaporean Ladies (like the most recent Sun Tan), they shut themselves from the Internet. Apparently - which I’m NOT going to believe - Gwen is under MOE investigation for this itsy bitsy teeny weeny greeny scanty bikini scandal. That’s ludacris and (what I deem as) plain speculation. Because the Ministry of Education’s purpose is to mould students, not punish investigate teachers. Wait - she’s just posing in a bikini. What’s the moral implication of a scantily-clad teacher? The overly-concerned parents would go ballistic, the primary school boys would learn what’s an erection and the primary school girls would aspire to have a dead gorgeous body like hers. Is she even Ah Lian to begin with? If you read the Asiaone article, you 100% thought she was. The local media placed emphasis on her being a wild grrrrrrl with a side job as a government-funded teacher. Note that there were lots of reports in recent years of teachers being overworked, and the teaching career is greatly under-appreciated. YES, under-appreciated like the PAP MPs who do everything in their power to make us happy. Picture links to Photo Gallery Well, now the MOE now has a pin-up girl (like FHM/Sports Illustrated/Maxim) for their next advertising campaign - to show how rewarding it is to be a teacher. Like always, there are always avenues to look for her pictures, no matter how you try to do a media blackout. Gwen, the Singapore Teacher in Mini Bikini I was on the train the other day when I saw a picture of a lady in green skimpy bikini plastered on the front page of a Chinese evening newspaper (Lianhe Wanbao, I think?). Finally enlightened after checking out Ping.sg, I learned that this whole fiasco surrounds this lady named Gwen. Gwen is a primary school teacher. How should I put it? The ‘hip’ primary school teacher. For that itchy bitsy teeny weeny greeny little scanty bikini, she can have my most ardous respect as a model classroom teacher… anytime! How it all Happened It all began with the forum thread - Willing vs. Unwilling Exposure, a thread which I commented on last Sunday. This, of course, attracted the attention of our scandal-deprived local media, where they followed on by digging into her social network profile and blog (http://lurvegwen.multiply.com - now defunct) with the help of a local trash ‘tabloid’ blogger. It is her blog post which the media use to create an unsatisfactory image of what a model MOE teacher should be. Quote: Teacher Gwen will turn to face the whiteboard and start wiping the whiteboard clean (because she thinks this will help her calm down). Then she will start calling the whiteboard a ‘f***ing idiot‘, stressing on the word ‘f***’. Once she’s done, she will turn around and say, ‘Where did I stop just now? And like many Scandal-Struck Singaporean Ladies (like the most recent Sun Tan), they shut themselves from the Internet. Apparently - which I’m NOT going to believe - Gwen is under MOE investigation for this itsy bitsy teeny weeny greeny scanty bikini scandal. That’s ludacris and (what I deem as) plain speculation. Because the Ministry of Education’s purpose is to mould students, not punish investigate teachers. Wait - she’s just posing in a bikini. What’s the moral implication of a scantily-clad teacher? The overly-concerned parents would go ballistic, the primary school boys would learn what’s an erection and the primary school girls would aspire to have a dead gorgeous body like hers. Is she even Ah Lian to begin with? If you read the Asiaone article, you 100% thought she was. The local media placed emphasis on her being a wild grrrrrrl with a side job as a government-funded teacher. Note that there were lots of reports in recent years of teachers being overworked, and the teaching career is greatly under-appreciated. YES, under-appreciated like the PAP MPs who do everything in their power to make us happy. Picture links to Photo Gallery Well, now the MOE now has a pin-up girl (like FHM/Sports Illustrated/Maxim) for their next advertising campaign - to show how rewarding it is to be a teacher. Like always, there are always avenues to look for her pictures, no matter how you try to do a media blackout. Gwen, the Singapore Teacher in Mini Bikini I was on the train the other day when I saw a picture of a lady in green skimpy bikini plastered on the front page of a Chinese evening newspaper (Lianhe Wanbao, I think?). Finally enlightened after checking out Ping.sg, I learned that this whole fiasco surrounds this lady named Gwen. Gwen is a primary school teacher. How should I put it? The ‘hip’ primary school teacher. For that itchy bitsy teeny weeny greeny little scanty bikini, she can have my most ardous respect as a model classroom teacher… anytime! How it all Happened It all began with the forum thread - Willing vs. Unwilling Exposure, a thread which I commented on last Sunday. This, of course, attracted the attention of our scandal-deprived local media, where they followed on by digging into her social network profile and blog (http://lurvegwen.multiply.com - now defunct) with the help of a local trash ‘tabloid’ blogger. It is her blog post which the media use to create an unsatisfactory image of what a model MOE teacher should be. Quote: Teacher Gwen will turn to face the whiteboard and start wiping the whiteboard clean (because she thinks this will help her calm down). Then she will start calling the whiteboard a ‘f***ing idiot‘, stressing on the word ‘f***’. Once she’s done, she will turn around and say, ‘Where did I stop just now? And like many Scandal-Struck Singaporean Ladies (like the most recent Sun Tan), they shut themselves from the Internet. Apparently - which I’m NOT going to believe - Gwen is under MOE investigation for this itsy bitsy teeny weeny greeny scanty bikini scandal. That’s ludacris and (what I deem as) plain speculation. Because the Ministry of Education’s purpose is to mould students, not punish investigate teachers. Wait - she’s just posing in a bikini. What’s the moral implication of a scantily-clad teacher? The overly-concerned parents would go ballistic, the primary school boys would learn what’s an erection and the primary school girls would aspire to have a dead gorgeous body like hers. Is she even Ah Lian to begin with? If you read the Asiaone article, you 100% thought she was. The local media placed emphasis on her being a wild grrrrrrl with a side job as a government-funded teacher. Note that there were lots of reports in recent years of teachers being overworked, and the teaching career is greatly under-appreciated. YES, under-appreciated like the PAP MPs who do everything in their power to make us happy. Picture links to Photo Gallery Well, now the MOE now has a pin-up girl (like FHM/Sports Illustrated/Maxim) for their next advertising campaign - to show how rewarding it is to be a teacher. Like always, there are always avenues to look for her pictures, no matter how you try to do a media blackout. Level 42 - Something About You (Live) Click here to view the embedded video. I like the funky basslines of Level 42’s Something About You. Very refreshing live performance of their 80s’ hit. Level 42 - Something About You (Live) Click here to view the embedded video. I like the funky basslines of Level 42’s Something About You. Very refreshing live performance of their 80s’ hit. Level 42 - Something About You (Live) Click here to view the embedded video. I like the funky basslines of Level 42’s Something About You. Very refreshing live performance of their 80s’ hit. Level 42 - Something About You (Live) Click here to view the embedded video. I like the funky basslines of Level 42’s Something About You. Very refreshing live performance of their 80s’ hit. Current Video Addiction: Angry Video Game Nerd! Click here to view the embedded video. He’s gonna’ bring you back to the past To play the shitty game that sucks ass… I kinda’ like his farcist’s take on retro video games that kinda’ suck by today’s standard. It was a time when video games do not have serious development muscle. This turned any gaming platform - fantastic at that age - to utter trash. Thanks to these horrible video game beginnings, our video games are less awful than it used to be. Current Video Addiction: Angry Video Game Nerd! Click here to view the embedded video. He’s gonna’ bring you back to the past To play the shitty game that sucks ass… I kinda’ like his farcist’s take on retro video games that kinda’ suck by today’s standard. It was a time when video games do not have serious development muscle. This turned any gaming platform - fantastic at that age - to utter trash. Thanks to these horrible video game beginnings, our video games are less awful than it used to be. Current Video Addiction: Angry Video Game Nerd! Click here to view the embedded video. He’s gonna’ bring you back to the past To play the shitty game that sucks ass… I kinda’ like his farcist’s take on retro video games that kinda’ suck by today’s standard. It was a time when video games do not have serious development muscle. This turned any gaming platform - fantastic at that age - to utter trash. Thanks to these horrible video game beginnings, our video games are less awful than it used to be. Current Video Addiction: Angry Video Game Nerd! Click here to view the embedded video. He’s gonna’ bring you back to the past To play the shitty game that sucks ass… I kinda’ like his farcist’s take on retro video games that kinda’ suck by today’s standard. It was a time when video games do not have serious development muscle. This turned any gaming platform - fantastic at that age - to utter trash. Thanks to these horrible video game beginnings, our video games are less awful than it used to be. Leopard on an iMac G4: Introduction iMac G4 on Leopard Over the weekend, I managed to install Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) on a second-hand iMac G4, which belonged to a friend who just moved house. Its stock system was the Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), which is miserable by today’s standards - who needs OS9 backward compatibility? The Misconception In the beginning, I thought I would have to remaster my Leopard Dual-Layer Installation DVD specially for the PowerPC 800Mhz machine - since Leopard requires a minimum processor speed of 867Mhz. Besides stripping the redundant packages (extra languages, extra fonts, etc.), I thought I would have to hack some installer code and trick it to recognize a lower processor speed. After all the hassle and three wasted blank DVDs later, I discovered that I could stick to my original installation DVD (since the iMac G4 has a Superdrive, thus read DVDs). Instead of hacking around with code, all I had to do was to trick the iMac G4 into thinking it was running a 867Mhz, thus allowing the installation to run without a hitch on the iMac G4. In my later articles, I’ll be documenting how I installed and optimized Leopard for the iMac G4. If you can’t wait for my documentation, go ahead and Google for the steps that are required. Until next weekend, when I book out from camp, be patient! Leopard on an iMac G4: Introduction iMac G4 on Leopard Over the weekend, I managed to install Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) on a second-hand iMac G4, which belonged to a friend who just moved house. Its stock system was the Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), which is miserable by today’s standards - who needs OS9 backward compatibility? The Misconception In the beginning, I thought I would have to remaster my Leopard Dual-Layer Installation DVD specially for the PowerPC 800Mhz machine - since Leopard requires a minimum processor speed of 867Mhz. Besides stripping the redundant packages (extra languages, extra fonts, etc.), I thought I would have to hack some installer code and trick it to recognize a lower processor speed. After all the hassle and three wasted blank DVDs later, I discovered that I could stick to my original installation DVD (since the iMac G4 has a Superdrive, thus read DVDs). Instead of hacking around with code, all I had to do was to trick the iMac G4 into thinking it was running a 867Mhz, thus allowing the installation to run without a hitch on the iMac G4. In my later articles, I’ll be documenting how I installed and optimized Leopard for the iMac G4. If you can’t wait for my documentation, go ahead and Google for the steps that are required. Until next weekend, when I book out from camp, be patient! Hot Singaporean Forum Topics #1 Minibonds Demonstration, Singapore INTRO. Being a minute nation in the face of the earth, we have a surprisingly staggering amount of internet forums that serves to air our grievances, curse the Lee government and promote apparent freedom of speech. Apparent Freedom of Speech - you heard that right! For a specified duration, we keep yanking and yakking about the burning trivial issues that has no social significance - except to waste away the time we spend before our work desk somewhere in Shenton Way/Raffles Place/Suntec City. To save the office workers of the oncoming mutiny of the economic recession, I shall represent the voices of the people and reply to the Singapore-based internet forum topics that are basically the same across the other local internet forums. Taking STOMP’s Talkback as a reference… 32-year-old teacher who had sex with 15-year-old boy: Should her photo be shown? (Link) The photo of the 32 year-old teacher should be unveiled to public to see what mesmerized the kid to screw his teacher, mentor and lover. There could be a high probability that he mistook her age for 23, and has a fetish for MILFs. Which is a good, because he can be highly financially independent by relying on a Sugar Mummy. Girls who dirty-dances with strangers in clubs (Link) There’s absolutely nothing wrong with girls (especially Sarong Party Girls) dirty-dancing with strangers in clubs. Because we’re living in a liberal society which leans towards conservative thinking, dirty dancing doesn’t equate to the girl shagging the guys (or even the girls) in clubs. Even if they do, the girl might be high on liquor (drugs are impossible and punishable by death), and thus screw the living daylights after dirty-dancing with strangers. Willing vs Unwilling Exposure (Link) It is about Singaporeans girls dressing. Like, one moment they expose their cleavage. Then, they complain about guys molesting them with their eyes. It all boils down to practicality. In future, if girls have to go naked because of the unfathomable heat due to global warming, they would just go Full Monty! However, the guys, with their National Service training, are used to long, sleeved dressing, no matter how hot the weather may be. How I wish I have a rich father (Link) For ladies, that’s the best method to escape tough times. It’s like saying, “Dad, you’re the best, but I can find some rich bloke who could be way better than you.” Like Anna Nicole Smith, who married a millionaire in his dying days, having a rich father is THE silver lining in the gloomy skies… What if your boyfriend licks your armpit? (Link) If your boyfriend licks your armpit, it means that you have a clean shaven armpit topped with whipped cream (whether you’re a boy, or a girl). Or you haven’t washed your armpits for a long time, and your boyfriend is one sick fuck who likes licking filthy, sweaty armpits.