哭有时，笑有时；悲伤有时，欢乐有时 早上如常带儿子上学，在楼下碰见邻居。邻居告诉我，她儿子的好友刚刚失去了父亲。四十岁，身体最近才经过检查，并无大恙。不料一天在工作上忽然晕倒，一倒不起，原来是心脏病发作。 虽然我本身并不认识死者，但也勾起了自己的一些回忆：两年前楼下的家庭医生和我们一家人都非常熟悉，因为大儿子当时常常生病。有一天听到医生骤死的新闻，我们也有点不知所措。 可想而知，这些死者的家人，听到亲人的死讯时，应该会更加振撼。 最近追看香港电视连续剧《溏心风暴》，剧中也有亲人去世的情节。去世了的大妈，安排了一封在死后三个月才交给家人的信，里面写了非常有意义的一句： 哭有时，笑有时；悲伤有时，欢乐有时 吩咐家人：可以为我的死去而悲伤，但三个月后，悲伤的时候也该过去，应该继续有意义，有目标的活下去了。 很简单的一句话，但我在看到这一段时，眼眶也盈满泪水。 自己常常也会想，人生无常，什么事情都可能发生，说不定现在好好坐在这里写博客，一会儿上街因为某种原因去了。也因为这样，自己选择的道路和许多人不同，着重于珍惜现在，而不是希望年轻时猛拼，老来才享受天伦。 只不过万一真的不幸死去，希望我的亲人们也会记得这一句：哭有时，笑有时；悲伤有时，欢乐有时，在悲伤一段短时间后继续坚强的走下去。 WP Celebrates National Day Had you always wondered what meaningful thing you can do on National Day?  Why not volunteer your time for a few hours to join in with Workers’ Party’s activity to celebrate our National Day? Send an email to organising@wp.sg for more details. Hope to see you. Your profile has broken rules of use Was surfing the web this morning and came across this New Paper article Your profile has broken rules of use.  So it is confirmed that the change in Reach Singapore’s Facebook presence was prompted by my earlier post. Just would like to say this is good because it closes a loop: Government does something wrong (although not a big crime in this case, but still something that is not right) Someone points out (acts as a check) Government takes action based on evaluation of feedback The right thing is done This might be a small thing, but it truly reflects that kind of Singapore I would like to live in.  Some comments in my earlier blog postings accuse me of nit-picking on small things.  However, if we don’t even feedback and check on the small things, what happens when something really big goes wrong?  There is definitely a need for checks and balances in our system, from the smallest thing like a Facebook profile, to the “big things” like government policies. There was others who says I am criticizing from a moral high ground instead of feeding back to Reach on this.  I say this is what the Internet is about: someone says something, if it is complete nonsense, it will be forgotten and left to rot on its on; if it makes sense, someone else will pick it up and more people will read about it.  In this case, I am grateful that someone thought my original posting was worthy enough and recommended it to Tomorrow.sg (although a few days after I first posted it), and the editors of Tomorrow.sg decided to publish it, and from there the attention grew.  Eventually enough people got to know about this, and eventually the right people made the corrections. Isn’t this a wonderful closure of loop that many would like to see in so many of our other suggestions in day-to-day life? Definitely, the Internet is not an arena where ‘more heat than light is generated’. Reach Singapore, Facebook and privacy I blogged about Reach Singapore’s Facebook profile a few days ago.  Today, it was picked up by tomorrow.sg and I saw quite a number of visitors to my blog.  There is also a small debate at tomorrow.sg about this. There was a blog that accused me of being rigid and quoted a number of other organisations with Facebook presence, like UNICEF Youth Voice.  Someone responded that the blogger too did not understand, that there is a difference between a User Account (which Reach Singapore’s was), Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages.  Rightfully said, because the violation I mentioned was with the use of a User Account to represent an organisation.  None of the other quoted groups/organisations used a User Account. Going back to Facebook again to check out Reach Singapore’s profile, I realised that the User Reach Singapore also created a Reach Singapore Facebook Group today.  I was thinking to myself, at least they are pretty fast in responding to feedback, even when the feedback originated from elsewhere on the net. However, when I refreshed the Reach Singapore User Account profile, I was confused.  The name of the profile was no longer “Reach Singapore”.  It has now become “Ho Chee Har”. Now there is a small problem here.  What this means is, if you are one of the 300+ people who added “Reach Singapore” as a “friend”, you suddenly have someone you don’t know in your friends’ list.  If you chose the default settings when adding friends, your personal information in Facebook that you shared with your friends will now be available to Ho Chee Har. This is a small problem because you can always remove Ho Chee Har from your friend’s list.  But it goes back to my original premise: if the platform was understood and the correct tools (Page or Group) were used in the first place, no such problem would have occurred in the first place. 有趣但凝重的一段文字 翻查维基百科，看到以下对全球暖化的形容： 全球暖化者，天地日暖也。蓋百年以來，其勢日明，其害日顯，此固由人為也。工業日進，污染日甚，溫室氣體日濃，熱無以去，遂俳佪於天地間。萬物因而易，異象因而生。海面日漲、氣候突變、水旱交侵，致使農業廢失、物種亡絕、病蟲日增。萬民見害，苦之久矣。諸國遂盟，訂《京都議定書》，力減溫室氣體之釋，以緩此變。惟其成功與否，尚未可知。 有趣有趣，但文中的内容却叫人不寒而栗。 Reach Singapore violates Facebook Terms of Use Reach Singapore spent some money to stage an event at Toa Payoh Hub yesterday — to launch a Facebook profile, something that anyone with an email address can set up within minutes at their own home computer. Attempting to engage the thousands of net savvy Singaporeans already on Facebook is a commendable effort, but before one understands the platform, it is usually not advisable to blow one’s trumpet about it. If the person who signed up the Facebook profile has actually spent enough time in the Facebook community to understand what Facebook really is and how it works, or if the person has taken the time to read the Terms of Use, it would be apparent that the Reach Singapore profile has violated the Facebook’s terms of use. Quoting from Facebook’s Terms of Use: In addition, you agree not to use the Service or the Site to: register for more than one User account, register for a User account on behalf of an individual other than yourself, or register for a User account on behalf of any group or entity; Think about the money spent and the media coverage on the new Reach Singapore profile, I wonder what happens when Facebook discover this violation and terminates the account. Update 2008-07-01: Tomorrow.sg link:http://tomorrow.sg/archives/2008/06/30/reach_singapore_violates_faceboo.html TED | Talks | Joshua Klein: The amazing intelligence of crows (video) TED | Talks | Joshua Klein: The amazing intelligence of crows (video) Amaze yourself with how adaptable crows are. Blogged with the Flock Browser Saving Gaia ad again So someone did complain to Mediacorp about this ad. (Wanbao article over the weekend) However, the response from Mediacorp (see insert at the bottom right corner) seems tell us that it is ok to have gory images on all other TV channels except for the kids’ channel. Is that the same position that MDA holds? What about TCS 8 and TCS 5? Blogged with the Flock Browser Grey skies? Its not the haze, says NEA Grey skies? Its not the haze, says NEA “Poor dispersion of particulate matter”? Dispersion from where?  Why not elaborate further to give the people a better idea of what is happening? In any case, even if it is not the haze, the particulate matter itself is still and air pollutant.  Does it mean that we only need to worry when it is the haze? Does it mean that NEA will only do something when it is the haze? Saving Gaia ad, but what’s the message? MediaCorp launched its green initiative this year with the Saving Gaia site and the corresponding TV advertisement. I applaud the effort to raise awareness, but questions the message behind the TV advertisement (see it on http://www.savinggaia.sg/). The ad started with an image of a toy boy figurine. Moments later, blood trickered down his face, followed by sawing of his head. The boy figurine faded away and give way to the image of a bright-eyed boy filled with sadness in his eyes. I searched my brain for a message behind all these, but after much thought I still cannot figure out what is being conveyed. The problem is such kinds of images are actually quite troubling to small kids. In previous instances where ads that similarly are disturbing to the young, there was swift action either by the authorities to curb it, or some disturbed parent will write to the papers. This time, aparently the ad has already been running for a few days, including during primetime slots of 8pm and 9pm, without any sign that it is stopping. I fear that with a “green message” out almost everyday from every angle, now that Global Warming seems to be a fashionable statement to be made by most, the message carried (or lack of message, as in this case) will continue to cloud and confuse people, so much so that the continual efforts to educate and create awarenesss is hindered. Hopefully. when people intend to raise awareness, they think through what they plan to do, and get the facts/messages/signals right first. TED: Ideas worth spreading TED: Ideas worth spreading Very rarely do you come across a website where there are so many diverse mind-blowing ideas, presented through videos that are less than 20 minutes (I think 18 min is the limit given to speakers). I am hooked onto the TED Talk videos, will you be too? TED: Ideas worth spreading TED: Ideas worth spreading Very rarely do you come across a website where there are so many diverse mind-blowing ideas, presented through videos that are less than 20 minutes (I think 18 min is the limit given to speakers). I am hooked onto the TED Talk videos, will you be too? Dr Gregory House Flame Walking Cane Dr Gregory House Flame Walking Cane - Walking Canes, Walking Sticks, and more at Fashionable Walking Canes I have a problem of gout. In my last attack, I told myself maybe I should get one of these. Today a mild attack come about again, not too painful, but walking is still quite a nuisance. This reminded me to do a search, and the Dr House walking cane is really on sale!. Blogged with the Flock Browser Dr Gregory House Flame Walking Cane Dr Gregory House Flame Walking Cane - Walking Canes, Walking Sticks, and more at Fashionable Walking Canes I have a problem of gout. In my last attack, I told myself maybe I should get one of these. Today a mild attack come about again, not too painful, but walking is still quite a nuisance. This reminded me to do a search, and the Dr House walking cane is really on sale!. Blogged with the Flock Browser The DPM and PM should answer questions instead of side-stepping them I attended the Parliamentary Sittings on 21 Apr and 22 Apr in the Public Gallery, hoping to be able to listen to the Ministerial Statements by DPM Wong Kan Seng and PM Lee Hsien Loong on the Mas Selemat Escape and the Government’s responsibilities in situations like this. The COI report did leave some questions to rest, but raised more questions because of the many coincidences and obvious laspes in the whole incident. More confusing, is the way some questions are answered. DPM Wong and PM Lee selectively avoided the crux of certain questions, and sometimes used rhetorical questions to side-step MPs’ questions. Did MHA conduct regular audits? One of the key lapses in the report was that the toilet window was without grilles. When asked on Monday “Did MHA conduct regular audits at the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC) prior to the escape of Mas Selemat”, I was expecting a simple “Yes” or “No”, followed by some elaboration of why yes and why no. Instead, the answer was a description of what procedures there were in the WRDC practiced by the ISD and the Gurkha Contingent and that the ratio of guards is more than that in the prison. After beating around the bush for a few minutes, DPM Wong finally admitted: “The only thing ought to have been done better is a regular system check and audit”. The way he presented the answer masks the fact that the big glaring mistake is the fact that MHA did not institutionalise regular security audit in WRDC. Dispelling ground speculation Later in the same session, Mr Low Thia Kiang asked the question “Is the DPM aware that there is speculation that Mas Selamat died inside WRDC?”. Granted that this is a speculation, but as it has been brewing in the ground since the escape in late February, it is definitely in the public’s interest to present some concrete evidence (the COI was given full access to WRDC and the necessary information, and CID has performed “extensive interview and forensic examination of the site”) to help dispel the speculation. Instead, what I observed was that DPM Wong was visibly agitated when rising to answer the question, and side-stepped the question by asking Mr Low if he believed that Mas Selamat is daed. Whether Mr Low believes Mas Selamat is dead should not change the fact that the DPM should, in the interest of the general public, dispel the speculation, if HE believes that Mas Selamat is not dead. Oversight role of MHA The first question to be asked in the 22 Apr 2008 session was from Ms Sylvia Lim: what in PM Lee’s view “is the oversight role of the MHA vis-a-vis the ISD”. PM Lee did not explain the kinds of responsibilities MHA has to take should there be any problem in ISD, neither did he specifically say it is a “hands-off” approach. He basically reiterated the duties of ISA and stated that it “reports to MHA and is accountable to MHA for its performance”. He continued to state that “MHA monitors ISD by tracking whether Singapore stays safe”. Nothing in the response answered the question of what is the MHA’s responsibility should anything go wrong with its subordinate department. Accountability and responsibility The most interesting rhetorical question comes when Mr Low again raised to ask a question, on how the PM could reconcile the fact that ministers’ salaries are pegged to the corporate world, whereas their accountability and responsibility when something goes wrong is not. From the Public Gallery, I saw the PM stood up and lightly slapped his notepad on to the lectern before saying “I thought that the member would eventually come to this question.” He went on to give reasons why DPM Wong should not resign, gave general statements like “Companies which change CEOs every two months or every two years do not prosper”. Of the list of reasons, I think the most absurd are arguments like “if any questions showed the DPM … told people not to grille up the window, …didn’t need so much fencing….”. He capped the descriptions with a question “let me ask the member (Mr Low) whether he thinks the DPM ought to quit because of this”. Mr Low did not answer, and I don’t think he needed to. PM Lee was again side-stepping the question of how to reconcile high wages with apparently no accountability, so why should Mr Low continue his thread of discussion? No firm stand? An article in ZaoBao (议员应该有坚定立场, zaobao 2008-04-23) criticized Mr Low for not having a firm stand. I think the reporter was confused by the many side-stepping and rhetorical questions. If the reporter had kept a clear mind and listened to the questions asked by both Mr Low and Ms Sylvia Lim, it would be very obvious (at least it was very obvious to me) that the firm stand is that there should be accountability and responsibility taken by the MHA (not necessarily the resignation of the Minister, but some form of accountability nevertheless) in this incident. Answering rhetorical question to fuel unnecessary debate (just consider the kinds of debates that will lead to if the rhetorical questions were answered) is not their role. The DPM and PM should answer questions instead of side-stepping them I attended the Parliamentary Sittings on 21 Apr and 22 Apr in the Public Gallery, hoping to be able to listen to the Ministerial Statements by DPM Wong Kan Seng and PM Lee Hsien Loong on the Mas Selemat Escape and the Government’s responsibilities in situations like this. The COI report did leave some questions to rest, but raised more questions because of the many coincidences and obvious laspes in the whole incident. More confusing, is the way some questions are answered. DPM Wong and PM Lee selectively avoided the crux of certain questions, and sometimes used rhetorical questions to side-step MPs’ questions. Did MHA conduct regular audits? One of the key lapses in the report was that the toilet window was without grilles. When asked on Monday “Did MHA conduct regular audits at the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC) prior to the escape of Mas Selemat”, I was expecting a simple “Yes” or “No”, followed by some elaboration of why yes and why no. Instead, the answer was a description of what procedures there were in the WRDC practiced by the ISD and the Gurkha Contingent and that the ratio of guards is more than that in the prison. After beating around the bush for a few minutes, DPM Wong finally admitted: “The only thing ought to have been done better is a regular system check and audit”. The way he presented the answer masks the fact that the big glaring mistake is the fact that MHA did not institutionalise regular security audit in WRDC. Dispelling ground speculation Later in the same session, Mr Low Thia Kiang asked the question “Is the DPM aware that there is speculation that Mas Selamat died inside WRDC?”. Granted that this is a speculation, but as it has been brewing in the ground since the escape in late February, it is definitely in the public’s interest to present some concrete evidence (the COI was given full access to WRDC and the necessary information, and CID has performed “extensive interview and forensic examination of the site”) to help dispel the speculation. Instead, what I observed was that DPM Wong was visibly agitated when rising to answer the question, and side-stepped the question by asking Mr Low if he believed that Mas Selamat is daed. Whether Mr Low believes Mas Selamat is dead should not change the fact that the DPM should, in the interest of the general public, dispel the speculation, if HE believes that Mas Selamat is not dead. Oversight role of MHA The first question to be asked in the 22 Apr 2008 session was from Ms Sylvia Lim: what in PM Lee’s view “is the oversight role of the MHA vis-a-vis the ISD”. PM Lee did not explain the kinds of responsibilities MHA has to take should there be any problem in ISD, neither did he specifically say it is a “hands-off” approach. He basically reiterated the duties of ISA and stated that it “reports to MHA and is accountable to MHA for its performance”. He continued to state that “MHA monitors ISD by tracking whether Singapore stays safe”. Nothing in the response answered the question of what is the MHA’s responsibility should anything go wrong with its subordinate department. Accountability and responsibility The most interesting rhetorical question comes when Mr Low again raised to ask a question, on how the PM could reconcile the fact that ministers’ salaries are pegged to the corporate world, whereas their accountability and responsibility when something goes wrong is not. From the Public Gallery, I saw the PM stood up and lightly slapped his notepad on to the lectern before saying “I thought that the member would eventually come to this question.” He went on to give reasons why DPM Wong should not resign, gave general statements like “Companies which change CEOs every two months or every two years do not prosper”. Of the list of reasons, I think the most absurd are arguments like “if any questions showed the DPM … told people not to grille up the window, …didn’t need so much fencing….”. He capped the descriptions with a question “let me ask the member (Mr Low) whether he thinks the DPM ought to quit because of this”. Mr Low did not answer, and I don’t think he needed to. PM Lee was again side-stepping the question of how to reconcile high wages with apparently no accountability, so why should Mr Low continue his thread of discussion? No firm stand? An article in ZaoBao (议员应该有坚定立场, zaobao 2008-04-23) criticized Mr Low for not having a firm stand. I think the reporter was confused by the many side-stepping and rhetorical questions. If the reporter had kept a clear mind and listened to the questions asked by both Mr Low and Ms Sylvia Lim, it would be very obvious (at least it was very obvious to me) that the firm stand is that there should be accountability and responsibility taken by the MHA (not necessarily the resignation of the Minister, but some form of accountability nevertheless) in this incident. Answering rhetorical question to fuel unnecessary debate (just consider the kinds of debates that will lead to if the rhetorical questions were answered) is not their role. Is land really scarce in Singapore? There are many occasions in which we hear from the Government that certain things cannot be done because we are in “land scarce” Singapore. Two recent pieces of news appearing on the same day (17 Apr 2008) led me to think again: NParks & SLA create more than 30ha of space for tree banks Pork from Malaysia? Not before 2011 (archived link here: http://www.clipclip.com/clips/detail/146358/pork-from-malaysia-not-before-2011) The first article proudly announces allocation of more than 30ha of land to “nurture young, high-value trees to meet future demands for landscaping in Singapore”. The second article mentioned a new 4.36 million sq feet newly built centralised pig farm in Malaysia. According to the article, this facility is a possible future source of pork for Singapore, but it is also quick to point out “while Sarawak might be close by, the rising cost of feeding pigs, and transporting them them might not make pork that much cheaper”. A quick google convert (just type “convert 30 hectares to sq feet” into your google search box) tells me that 30ha is 3.23 million sq feet, probably about 3/4 of the land needed for the centralised pig farm. (If it is one-storey high. However, I don’t see why a centralised pig farm cannot be multi-storey.) So the next question on my mind was that, if Singapore has enough land to grow trees for landscaping purposes, will Singapore have enough land to build itself a centralised pig farm? What best way to reduce transportation costs than to locally produce it? Will “land-scarce Singapore” be the retort to such a thought? There used to be pig farms in Singapore in Punggol, but due to the planned (but not materialized） Punggol 21 development, the farms were discontinued. I am not sure if the farmers were given a choice to relocate, or whether they chose to give up on farming. However, with the global climate of rising food prices and rising transportation costs, pork prices have also gone on a steady (but not as drastic rise as rice prices) increase over the years. AVA’s strategy so far to fight the world-wide food price inflation, is to diversify food sources by going to ever further countries to secure food supplies. Maybe it is time to develop and strengthen the local food supply, which for the past few years have only been producing less than 13 % of fish, 28% of eggs and 5% vegetables that we consume. Land is not scarce in Singapore if proper planning goes into each project, as the second page of the SLA annual report this year puts it: SPACE IS LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR IMAGINATION Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: land, food, singapore Is land really scarce in Singapore? There are many occasions in which we hear from the Government that certain things cannot be done because we are in “land scarce” Singapore. Two recent pieces of news appearing on the same day (17 Apr 2008) led me to think again: NParks & SLA create more than 30ha of space for tree banks Pork from Malaysia? Not before 2011 (archived link here: http://www.clipclip.com/clips/detail/146358/pork-from-malaysia-not-before-2011) The first article proudly announces allocation of more than 30ha of land to “nurture young, high-value trees to meet future demands for landscaping in Singapore”. The second article mentioned a new 4.36 million sq feet newly built centralised pig farm in Malaysia. According to the article, this facility is a possible future source of pork for Singapore, but it is also quick to point out “while Sarawak might be close by, the rising cost of feeding pigs, and transporting them them might not make pork that much cheaper”. A quick google convert (just type “convert 30 hectares to sq feet” into your google search box) tells me that 30ha is 3.23 million sq feet, probably about 3/4 of the land needed for the centralised pig farm. (If it is one-storey high. However, I don’t see why a centralised pig farm cannot be multi-storey.) So the next question on my mind was that, if Singapore has enough land to grow trees for landscaping purposes, will Singapore have enough land to build itself a centralised pig farm? What best way to reduce transportation costs than to locally produce it? Will “land-scarce Singapore” be the retort to such a thought? There used to be pig farms in Singapore in Punggol, but due to the planned (but not materialized） Punggol 21 development, the farms were discontinued. I am not sure if the farmers were given a choice to relocate, or whether they chose to give up on farming. However, with the global climate of rising food prices and rising transportation costs, pork prices have also gone on a steady (but not as drastic rise as rice prices) increase over the years. AVA’s strategy so far to fight the world-wide food price inflation, is to diversify food sources by going to ever further countries to secure food supplies. Maybe it is time to develop and strengthen the local food supply, which for the past few years have only been producing less than 13 % of fish, 28% of eggs and 5% vegetables that we consume. Land is not scarce in Singapore if proper planning goes into each project, as the second page of the SLA annual report this year puts it: SPACE IS LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR IMAGINATION Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: land, food, singapore The next SG PM I want the next SG PM to be a web2.0 junkie! | the(new)mediaslut As much as I am for the Web2.0 revolution, I don’t think our present PM understands it very well when he said that he needs to know who the audience is to be able to get to them to correct any mis-information. Interesting idea though, from the blog post linked above: Policies will be approved Digg style by the people, for the people, with the people. Doing things Digg style is definitely a lot more efficient and more reflective of the sentiments (amongst the net-savvy citizens). Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: singapore, pm, web2.0 The next SG PM I want the next SG PM to be a web2.0 junkie! | the(new)mediaslut As much as I am for the Web2.0 revolution, I don’t think our present PM understands it very well when he said that he needs to know who the audience is to be able to get to them to correct any mis-information. Interesting idea though, from the blog post linked above: Policies will be approved Digg style by the people, for the people, with the people. Doing things Digg style is definitely a lot more efficient and more reflective of the sentiments (amongst the net-savvy citizens). Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: singapore, pm, web2.0 Gout strike 2 This week I was really unfortunate. Gout attack 1 was on Monday, and the pain on my left ankle peaked on Monday night, making me hope for my heart to stop beating. The pain receded on Tuesday evening and was ok on Wednesday. Somehow, on Thursday afternoon, after making a client visit, a bone that I never knew was protruding at my left sole was very sensitive to touch. Luckily I was still about to sleep through last night, but this morning (which happens to be the day of my second son Kang Heng’s first month rituals), the pain in the left sole started to grow and now my mobility is again limited to how far I can walk using an umbrella as a walking stick. I took the pic above in the afternoon today, just to document how swollen my left foot is now. Was telling my wife maybe I should be getting a stylo-milo walking stick like that used by Dr House. Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: gout Gout strike 2 This week I was really unfortunate. Gout attack 1 was on Monday, and the pain on my left ankle peaked on Monday night, making me hope for my heart to stop beating. The pain receded on Tuesday evening and was ok on Wednesday. Somehow, on Thursday afternoon, after making a client visit, a bone that I never knew was protruding at my left sole was very sensitive to touch. Luckily I was still about to sleep through last night, but this morning (which happens to be the day of my second son Kang Heng’s first month rituals), the pain in the left sole started to grow and now my mobility is again limited to how far I can walk using an umbrella as a walking stick. I took the pic above in the afternoon today, just to document how swollen my left foot is now. Was telling my wife maybe I should be getting a stylo-milo walking stick like that used by Dr House. Blogged with the Flock Browser Tags: gout Hoping for my heart to stop beating Don’t worry, I am not going suicidal. This is just the thought that went through my mind when my gout attack was at its peak last night. Every beat of the pulse was like a 50-pound hammer striking my red-hot swollen left ankle. It is in times like these, I wish that my heart would stop beating, so that my ankle can get a moment of relief. Gout is the condition in which excess uric acid in the body crystallizes at joint (in a random pattern), resulting in the body immune system to send the white blood cells to “neutralize” the crystals, thereby inflaming the joint, causing extreme pain that is only second to kidney failure (as a disease). It started on 13 Oct 2000 morning (I remembered the date because it was Friday the 13th) when I had my first attack on my right knee . It began as a slight discomfort in the joint, which I usually dismiss with a quick jerk of the knee to release a “click”, which will do the trick. That day the “click” did not work, and the pain started to grow so intensely that by the end of the day I was not able to straighten my right knee. Being young and ignorant, I dismissed the problem and carried on with work. I forgot how torturous that evening was but I do remember going to the doctor the next day and ending up lying at home for the next 5 days, immobilized. The doctor did a blood test subsequently and found my uric acid at a very high level. A check with my mother shows that she suffers from high uric acid level, but Internet researches also told me that males are more susceptible to gout attacks than females. Strict diet follows: no bean products (tau-hu, tau-pok, tau-huay, tau-kua, all my favourites, not to mention peanut, groundnut, cashew nut); no red meat (beef is a big no no); no alcohol (good news for me, valid excuse to tell people I don’t drink - I don’t like to drink); no shell-fish (no loss to me, prawns, crab, mussels, not my liking). However, throughout the years, as I describe my condition to different people, more items that I supposedly cannot touch pops up: strawberry, spinach, mushrooms, salmon. I have to take these with a pinch of salt, because there are really too many suggestions but mostly are anecdotal. More recently, I even hear from someone telling me I cannot be eating potatoes and yams and sweet potatoes! However, no matter how I watch my diet, the attacks still come at the rate of about 2-3 times a year. Granted that there are certain times of the year when I am a little lax with myself (who can resist the food at Lunar New Years?), but I also eat with moderation. Some kind hearted friends suggested some traditional remedies: boiled pandan leaf water, detoxicating teas etc….but it was either the remedies did not work on me, or I was not patient enough to see if they are effective. The problem is that these remedies will not relief the pain when the attacks come, they will only prevent the attacks, and probably I did not continue with the remedies long enough to see if they really stopped the attack. There was once I seeked Traditional Chinese Medicine help. At the onset of an attack, I ask the sinseh to give me acupuncture to relief the pain. The result was that the pain was worst after the acupuncture, but until now I don’t know if it was the original effect of the attack, or it was the after effect of the acupuncture. So what I am doing about it now? The only thing left is to see my GP every time I get an attack and get the medicine to reduce the inflammation and relief the pain. Both Western medicine and TCM says that this condition is not curable, meaning that I will have to live with it as long as I am alive. My GP tells me I have to start exercising. Every time I get an attack, I promise myself to start exercising after the attack. When the attack is over, I am usually so overwhelmed with other things that exercising slide down the todo list into the section unofficially for tasks that I mean-to-do-but-will-almost-never-get-down-to-it. However, this time is a little different because it is the first time I blog extensively on this. Let me promise myself that I will pick up some form of exercising (I actually got an exercising machine at home after last year’s gout attack) and sustain it after I recover from this round of attack. Wish me luck. In the mean time, I am still trying to distract myself by doing something (like blogging) instead of thinking about the pain in my ankle (it has subsided to a numb soreness, but still aches when I try to move the ankle).. Hoping for my heart to stop beating Don’t worry, I am not going suicidal. This is just the thought that went through my mind when my gout attack was at its peak last night. Every beat of the pulse was like a 50-pound hammer striking my red-hot swollen left ankle. It is in times like these, I wish that my heart would stop beating, so that my ankle can get a moment of relief. Gout is the condition in which excess uric acid in the body crystallizes at joint (in a random pattern), resulting in the body immune system to send the white blood cells to “neutralize” the crystals, thereby inflaming the joint, causing extreme pain that is only second to kidney failure (as a disease). It started on 13 Oct 2000 morning (I remembered the date because it was Friday the 13th) when I had my first attack on my right knee . It began as a slight discomfort in the joint, which I usually dismiss with a quick jerk of the knee to release a “click”, which will do the trick. That day the “click” did not work, and the pain started to grow so intensely that by the end of the day I was not able to straighten my right knee. Being young and ignorant, I dismissed the problem and carried on with work. I forgot how torturous that evening was but I do remember going to the doctor the next day and ending up lying at home for the next 5 days, immobilized. The doctor did a blood test subsequently and found my uric acid at a very high level. A check with my mother shows that she suffers from high uric acid level, but Internet researches also told me that males are more susceptible to gout attacks than females. Strict diet follows: no bean products (tau-hu, tau-pok, tau-huay, tau-kua, all my favourites, not to mention peanut, groundnut, cashew nut); no red meat (beef is a big no no); no alcohol (good news for me, valid excuse to tell people I don’t drink - I don’t like to drink); no shell-fish (no loss to me, prawns, crab, mussels, not my liking). However, throughout the years, as I describe my condition to different people, more items that I supposedly cannot touch pops up: strawberry, spinach, mushrooms, salmon. I have to take these with a pinch of salt, because there are really too many suggestions but mostly are anecdotal. More recently, I even hear from someone telling me I cannot be eating potatoes and yams and sweet potatoes! However, no matter how I watch my diet, the attacks still come at the rate of about 2-3 times a year. Granted that there are certain times of the year when I am a little lax with myself (who can resist the food at Lunar New Years?), but I also eat with moderation. Some kind hearted friends suggested some traditional remedies: boiled pandan leaf water, detoxicating teas etc….but it was either the remedies did not work on me, or I was not patient enough to see if they are effective. The problem is that these remedies will not relief the pain when the attacks come, they will only prevent the attacks, and probably I did not continue with the remedies long enough to see if they really stopped the attack. There was once I seeked Traditional Chinese Medicine help. At the onset of an attack, I ask the sinseh to give me acupuncture to relief the pain. The result was that the pain was worst after the acupuncture, but until now I don’t know if it was the original effect of the attack, or it was the after effect of the acupuncture. So what I am doing about it now? The only thing left is to see my GP every time I get an attack and get the medicine to reduce the inflammation and relief the pain. Both Western medicine and TCM says that this condition is not curable, meaning that I will have to live with it as long as I am alive. My GP tells me I have to start exercising. Every time I get an attack, I promise myself to start exercising after the attack. When the attack is over, I am usually so overwhelmed with other things that exercising slide down the todo list into the section unofficially for tasks that I mean-to-do-but-will-almost-never-get-down-to-it. However, this time is a little different because it is the first time I blog extensively on this. Let me promise myself that I will pick up some form of exercising (I actually got an exercising machine at home after last year’s gout attack) and sustain it after I recover from this round of attack. Wish me luck. In the mean time, I am still trying to distract myself by doing something (like blogging) instead of thinking about the pain in my ankle (it has subsided to a numb soreness, but still aches when I try to move the ankle).. 选举是一时的，人民是永久的 昨天在家里观看台湾2008总统大选的直播。马英九在宣告成功获选为台湾第四届民选总统后向支持者致词，有一段话，令我印象深刻。他说：“选举是一时的，人民是永久的。”虽然马英九得票率是58%，但也有42%的选民没有投他。他说，并不会因为那五百多万人不投票给他，就不会照顾他们，他会照顾全部的台湾人民。 这样的胸襟，是领导者该有的风范。反观岛国却时不时出现领导者以“你们不投票给我，就是不支持我的政策”为理由来说明为什么在某些事上有分先后的做法，的确令人心酸。 选举是一时的，人民是永久的 昨天在家里观看台湾2008总统大选的直播。马英九在宣告成功获选为台湾第四届民选总统后向支持者致词，有一段话，令我印象深刻。他说：“选举是一时的，人民是永久的。”虽然马英九得票率是58%，但也有42%的选民没有投他。他说，并不会因为那五百多万人不投票给他，就不会照顾他们，他会照顾全部的台湾人民。 这样的胸襟，是领导者该有的风范。反观岛国却时不时出现领导者以“你们不投票给我，就是不支持我的政策”为理由来说明为什么在某些事上有分先后的做法，的确令人心酸。 Right to know The Workers’ Party of Singapore » Escape Of Mas Selamat The link above points to the latest press release by The Workers’ Party on the escape of Mas Selemat. Interestingly, although everyone knows that a committee of inquiry is convened to find out the details of the escape, it is not widely known that there are different ways to do it. Let’s hope that at the end of the day, the people of Singapore will be informed of the details of the inquiries, since this is something that affects each and every one of us, and we should have the right to know the truth. Right to know The Workers’ Party of Singapore » Escape Of Mas Selamat The link above points to the latest press release by The Workers’ Party on the escape of Mas Selemat. Interestingly, although everyone knows that a committee of inquiry is convened to find out the details of the escape, it is not widely known that there are different ways to do it. Let’s hope that at the end of the day, the people of Singapore will be informed of the details of the inquiries, since this is something that affects each and every one of us, and we should have the right to know the truth. Hyper-inflation : early warning signs Hyper-inflation : early warning signs http://www.post1.net/lowem/entry/hyper_inflation_early_warning_signs lowen, who wrote this article, has been spending a lot of time on tracking financial signals. This post shows that although the official CPI is high, it is not as high as the actual increases incurred by the man-on-the-street. Personally for one of my ‘necessity food’ also saw a marked increase over just the last few months. My favourite biscuit is the Kong Guan Lemon Puff, which I will munch during the wee hours when I work. For a long time it was priced at $1.40 - $1.50 (depending on which NTUC FairPrice you go). However, in my grocery shopping visit yesterday to the Hougang Point FairPrice, I saw that it is now selling at $2.20. Taking $1.50 as the original price, I still get a 46.66% price increase! Hyper-inflation : early warning signs Hyper-inflation : early warning signs http://www.post1.net/lowem/entry/hyper_inflation_early_warning_signs lowen, who wrote this article, has been spending a lot of time on tracking financial signals. This post shows that although the official CPI is high, it is not as high as the actual increases incurred by the man-on-the-street. Personally for one of my ‘necessity food’ also saw a marked increase over just the last few months. My favourite biscuit is the Kong Guan Lemon Puff, which I will munch during the wee hours when I work. For a long time it was priced at $1.40 - $1.50 (depending on which NTUC FairPrice you go). However, in my grocery shopping visit yesterday to the Hougang Point FairPrice, I saw that it is now selling at $2.20. Taking $1.50 as the original price, I still get a 46.66% price increase!