Finally it's over As dinnertime approached, all I wanted to do was to eat. A lot. At Little Part 1 Cafe I ordered calamari (DEEP FRIED) and a comforting bowl of kitsune soba. Then I insisted we go to Island Creamery where I gobbled down a butterscotch pie. There's also a tub of ice cream sitting in the fridge and I might just finish it later. I'm so relieved the whole thing is finally over. I just want to let go, relax and indulge myself!I'll worry about the weight tomorrow. Sleeping on the job And the boss gave his permission.I'm dealing with a migraine that started mild in the morning and grew progressively worse as we headed out for lunch just now. I was growing nauseated in the car and by the time we reached the restaurant I was ready to throw up. I had some of the more appetising dishes, but had to decline carbo stuff like rice and dessert (which was a pity because I love Thai food and Thai desserts!!!) Being seated across the top guy from the other company made it slightly awkward for me to rest between courses; fortunately the company was familiar so I could close my eyes and rest from time to time.As we had a paper to submit, I had to go back to the office and wait on for the boss. I told him I was going to crawl under the table for a nap, and that he should look for me half an hour later.He let me sleep for an hour.Yesterday I was drinking on the job and today I'm sleeping on it. Hur hur.===========Side note - A comment on Sarah Palin's speech (which I have not read in full yet)"This was the orgasm. The STD always arrives a few days later."I love how she uses her son as a prop on stage. I'm too sexist for my shirt The Republican racket is now attacking any questions of Palin's credentials as "sexist".So if I were a guy, it's okay to ask about my credentials but if I were a woman, cannot ask?And this is NOT sexist?I am sooooo going to love the show. The sad thing is there are people who are actually going to swallow the shit GOP is handing out. And many of them are women. Bleddy hell. Assorted ramblings 1) One mooncake 1,000 calories. One mooncake 1,000 calories. One mooncake 1,000 calories. *repeat ad infinitum*2) I finished half a bottle of Nutella yesterday. I plead PMS.3) I tried using nutritional yeast as a flavouring for my pasta the other day. It actually tasted not too bad! Still can't do without cheese though.4) I wore wrong shoes today. Black shoes with beige suit = disaster. I was half asleep lah.5) Speaking of suits, I had to don formal wear for the entire week some time ago. It threw me in a kind of panic as I have exactly four suits (Monday to Thursday; Friday casual). So I had to dig out a skirt suit I've not worn for years to wear. My colleagues were like "I've never seen you in a skirt before!!!"6) So I'm very predictable in my dressing. You can tell which day it is by the colour of my suit. Well except for this week, I jumbled up the suit order. That explains the mis-matched shoes (changed the suit but not the shoes!!!)7) I got a thermal pot from my mom. Hmm I wonder if I can cook risotto in it.8) I'm drinking on the job! *hic!* So charitable How nice of the Republican supporters to rally behind Sarah Palin.If the same had happened to Biden or Obama, I'm sure they wouldn't be as charitable. They would probably tear the candidate/s to shreds for their liberal attitudes, not teaching the right values to their children, etc.Eight years of Bush and the US is in disarray. Enough said. Oh shit I bought a bottle of Nutella.I'm done for. Vegan Hundred There's an Omnivore's Hundred meme going around. I could do that one, but since I'm trying to do as much vegetarian as possible, I'll do the Vegan's Hundred instead. Found on Hannah Kaminsky's blog.BTW, I WANT HER BOOK!!! *hint hint*Here's what Hannah says about her Vegan Hundred meme:News travels pretty fast in the blogosphere, and the latest craze that’s been showing up on food blogs far and wide has been The Omnivore’s Hundred, a list of 100 foods that all omnivores should eat at some point in their lives. Well, I like the idea, but obviously that sort of thing just doesn’t fly with me. Instead, I present to you my revised list, The Vegan’s Hundred instead! Everything here is either naturally free of animal products or can be veganized, and just like the original, these foods vary from the every day to extraordinary, delectable and disgusting. They’re simply all of the things that, in my opinion, any vegan foodie should definitely sink their teeth into at least once.Your mission, should you choose to accept it:1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.5) Pass it on!1. Natto 2. Green Smoothie3. Tofu Scramble 4. Haggis5. Mangosteen6. Creme brulee7. Fondue8. Marmite/Vegemite 9. Borscht10. Baba ghanoush11. Nachos12. Authentic soba noodles13. PB&J sandwich14. Aloo gobi15. Taco from a street cart16. Boba Tea 17. Black truffle18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes19. Gyoza20. Vanilla ice cream21. Heirloom tomatoes22. Fresh wild berries23. Ceviche24. Rice and beans25. Knish26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper27. Dulce de leche28. Caviar29. Baklava30. Pate31. Wasabi peas 32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl33. Mango lassi34. Sauerkraut35. Root beer float36. Mulled cider37. Scones with buttery spread and jam38. Vodka jelly39. Gumbo40. Fast food french fries41. Raw Brownies42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans43. Dahl44. Homemade Soymilk45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more46. Stroopwafle47. Samosas48. Vegetable Sushi49. Glazed doughnut50. Seaweed51. Prickly pear52. Umeboshi53. Tofurkey54. Sheese55. Cotton candy56. Gnocchi57. Piña colada58. Birch beer59. Scrapple60. Carob chips61. S’mores62. Soy curls63. Chickpea cutlets64. Curry65. Durian 66. Homemade Sausages67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake68. Smoked tofu69. Fried plantain70. Mochi71. Gazpacho72. Warm chocolate chip cookies73. Absinthe74. Corn on the cob75. Whipped cream, straight from the can76. Pomegranate77. Fauxstess Cupcake78. Mashed potatoes with gravy79. Jerky80. Croissants81. French onion soup82. Savory crepes83. Tings84. A meal at Candle 7985. Moussaka86. Sprouted grains or seeds87. Macaroni and “cheese”88. Flowers 89. Matzoh ball soup90. White chocolate91. Seitan92. Kimchi93. Butterscotch chips94. Yellow watermelon95. Chili with chocolate96. Bagel and Tofutti97. Potato milk98. Polenta99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee100. Raw cookie dough More photos from Paw Pledge at Blessing Home We went to Paw Pledge at Blessing Home and I had the chance to take some photos.Click on "i" if you wish to read the description alongside the photo. I have assumed the cats to be female for now.As you can see, all the cats there have a lovely environment to live in. All of them have lovely temperaments and would make a good pet. There will be volunteers to help you choose a suitable pet for life.The cattery open house continues today (any other time, you have to make an appointment before heading down). Ambush Angel Angel doing an under-the-blanket ambush.She's taken to sleeping under the blanket these days. Blessing Home pictures "Stolen" from Paw Pledge's flickr account. Some of the cats are rescue cats, thus they may show signs of injury or illness.Phyllis is a very cheerful auntie who, despite the difficulty she has with maintaining the cattery (she earns no income and relies on donations), maintains a very pragmatic and optimistic outlook with regard to the cattery.Pls consider adopting from Blessing Home if you're thinking of adopting a cat. She keeps a tight rein on her operation (even turning away cats) and although the cattery may appear chaotic to outsiders, the cats are well taken care of.Date: 30 & 31 August, 11am to 5.30pmAddress: 210D Punggol 17th Ave Spore 829692Directions: (by car) TPE towards Changi/Tampines, exit Punggol RoadMore Adoption Drive details here Cat adoption drive and mini bazaar this weekend A word from Phyllis:Dear Animal Friends,As a result of many enblocked cases in many areas, a lot of the community cats become homeless. Their home are gone due to enblock and the cat feeders feeding the area are unable to bring them along to the new area. Cat feeders faces a lot of problem when their areas are being enblocked. The cats that they are feeding are so used to their own area/home and tend to go back to the area when the feeders relocate them. Also new estates these days do not seem to welcome a lot of community cats. Complains also tend to increase causing the new cats at the new estate to be in danger as the Town Council might be at work. Also, Cat abusers at the new area may strike anytime.Due to these enblock cases, Blessing Home had rescued a lot of community cats from all over S’pore. Within a week, Blessing Home had about 25 new members. These cats that are rescued due to enblock issues are currently not being funded by anyone when they stay at Blessing Home. Read more at the blog itself.The adoption drive will be held at Blessing Home, the cattery Phyllis is working with.  The details are:Date: 30 & 31 August, 11am to 5.30pm Address:  210D Punggol 17th Ave Spore 829692Directions: (by car) TPE towards Changi/Tampines, exit Punggol RoadAlso, refer to public transport map here. Emigration - a more realistic picture Referring to this post, where Mr I Let Mas Selamat Limp Out Of Whitley Wong Kan Seng said that 1,000 Singaporeans give up their citizenship each year.Thanks to Mr Siew Kum Hong, we now know that more than 12,000 citizens apply for the CNCC each year. 68% of such application, or more than 8,000, relate to emigration to another country.Bear in mind that even though the remaining 32% applied for the CNCC for other reasons (such as studies), these applicants may also subsequently apply for PR without applying for another CNCC.This information was posted to Asiaone last night. However, it was removed from the page by this morning. The article is still available though, here.As for the Straights Times, well there was a brief mention, subsumed under the title "Parliament Briefs"Well, 12,000 versus 1,000, quite a big difference you know.Here's the table: Going back home UPDATE - Yes, I used to stay at Commonwealth Crescent and the church kindergarten I attended was at Queenstown Lutheran Church!!! Will find time to go there this weekend. =========== I'm a Queenstown girl at heart. I was born at Alexandra Hospital (mom was proud of the fact that I was born in a hospital with an auspicious-sounding name) and grew up at Commonwealth (if I'm not wrong Commonwealth Crescent). Home was a 2-room flat with no telephone; when a call came we had to go downstairs to our neighbour's flat to take it.I went to a church kindergarten nearby. I can't remember the name anymore but I do remember the fun times we had. Learning was fun and there were lots of other activities. There was an indoor playground with see-saws and everything, and we got free milk in that triangular Tetrapak every week.Then, we moved to AMK. I started attending a PAP kindergarten. It was damn boring.I had some time yesterday so I made a trip to the Queenstown library. It was a pretty small library with a distinctive facade. I remember going there when I was still small; thus it was with a great sense of nostalgia when I walked through the entrance again. The interior has changed, of course, but the homeliness was still felt strongly. I remember loving each visit; for a young girl every trip out of your residential neighbourhood was some adventure.The neighbourhood has changed much. Many old flats around the library have been torn down. There was one lone block opposite the library and its days are also probably numbered. In a distance, two converted cinemas (used by churches) were the only hubs of activities. And the food centre, of course. As it had started raining heavily, I headed for the food centre, mainly for some lunch but also to visit what must be one of the oldest, unrenovated hawker centres in Singapore-Margaret Drive Food Centre.I've not visited this hawker centre ever, I think; maybe I was too young to remember. As it was Sunday, I wasn't expecting many stalls to be open. Despite the rain and the slow business, there were still enough food choices to make me walk around the food centre a few times. I settled on the Queenstown Popiah - supposed to be famous but to me quite disappointing. I had a barley drink and contemplated ordering a char kway teow just to watch the old uncle fry up a plate. Turns out there was a more famous stall at the other side of the food centre.I saw a number of people walking by with ham chin peng in their hands. Suitably curious, I walked out to be rewarded by the sight of an old school you tiao stall! The yau char kway was freshly fried, and super popular. The 20 minutes I was there, people were coming in and buying up the you tiao for tea.I bought a butterfly bun instead, and watched ah peks and ah mms from the churches nearby come in for their afternoon tea. The usual way of eating you tiao was to have it with kopi; the nearby kopi stall was thus doing a roaring business, thanks to the you tiao stall!It was a languid afternoon that I've not had for a long time. The environment, the food, and the fact that I was back at my old haunt, gave me a lump in my throat. The glitzy images of Uniquely Singapore was not home; this, to me, with the old school stalls, old school seats, and old school food, was home.I was stuck there due to the rain, but in truth I didn't want to leave. This neighbourhood is in my blood, and despite being proud of my Ang Mo Kio heritage (Cheng San okay!), I was, afterall, born and bred in Queenstown first, and Queenstown will always occupy a special place in my heart. Scholarships for the rich I'm not sure lah. I consider myself coming from a poor family. Somehow, unlike my peers who were aiming for Ivy League universities, I told myself "NUS can liao." And that was what I aimed for. Thus the atrocious A Level results I think.Even if I had aimed for one of the Ivies, I would need a scholarship and if you came from a JC full of potential scholars, you would realise your chances of getting one was very slim. For me, I psychologically lost the battle before even starting it.I've always felt somewhat lacking when standing next to my richer, more savvy schoolmates. Every time there was some special school program (overseas field trips etc), I mentally excluded myself because I knew I couldn't afford it. June and December holidays was for vacation work.Anyway, I am not making excuses for my lousy results. I fully deserved the non-As. I just wondered if I had aimed higher, whether it would actually spur me to put in more effort into my studies.Endnote:BTW I did get an offer from one of those "New Ivies" university (applied at a whim). My SAT scores were not bad okay! Too bad I was too poor to go. Fairly indifferent I'm glad gahmen now recognises that marriage and babies are personal choices. So I guess we won't be hearing stupid nonsense from the likes of Ong Seh Hong ("bounden duty"; "irresponsible")But gahmen also very smart. It's now asking the PARENTS of potential economic works unit producers parents to "pressure" them. Pui. Everybody knows how irritating these "reminders" can get.Never mind. At least my own mom is not so stupid to try those on me. She's very cool. And honest. She tells me having children is no fucking big deal. Want to have, have. Don't want to have, also no big loss.In fact, she said better not to have children! Too much suffering entailed (hahahaha).So I'm fairly indifferent to the whole slew of baby-friendly measures. If it will help wannabe parents, so be it. I only ask that they be responsible parents, and don't just have a kid and then leave it to the maid or overindulgent grandparents to bring it up. I'm only a bit tulan because:a) I have to pay more taxes to support these measures;b) I may have to cover the job of my pregnant colleagues now that maternity leave is extended to 16 weeks;c) Still nothing for those of us who choose to care for our elderly parents on behalf of the State (I'm not holding my breath because elderly=not economically active).Anyway, I don't think these measures will work. Those who don't want will not be induced by these bribes (plus nausea-inducing happy parenting stories in the papers) and those who want kids will have them anyway. There might be a marginal increase but that's about it.I've been brought up to regard myself as an economic works unit and thus I also make my decisions on economic basis. Children=not worth it. Serve the gahmen right for treating us this way; now it gets back what it's been dumping on its citizen for decades. Vacation I need to think about vacation. I haven't had a proper vacation for ages (proper meaning take a few days in a stretch and go somewhere, that kind). I'll be going to Macau, but that's for work so it's not counted. I surprise myself by saying this but this time, I'm at a loss as to where to go!!!Bangkok is too boring. Don't want to go Vietnam. Hong Kong is too far (don't want to fly too far). Bintan is too Singaporean. Bali is too touristy. Australia is too expensive (and far). Europe is out of the question. I'm thinking of somewhere in Malaysia. But I dowan to go there by road. I just want a place to lay about and stone. Okok I can do that at home for free, but staying at home makes me feel like doing HOUSEWORK! Yes, I'm a sad, repressed housewife. I'm too tired to plan the trip so I don't want to have to read like 10 travel guides just to find my way around. I guess that means going back to old places (ugh, Bangkok, Bali and Hong Kong). Or I can do something totally brainless like go on a cruise to nowhere.Or maybe just fly to some beach resort at south Thailand and stone there. Sigh! Want to go for holiday also so kang kor! Tastebuds - dead I knew there were bits of the fake parmesan cheese (the Kraft brand type) on the pasta. But all I could taste was salty bits.I had a small piece of chocolate fudge on Sunday and I couldn't taste the chocolate. I bought a Daim cake at Ikea and watched K finish the entire slice, with absolutely no desire to eat even a little bit.This thing is doing wonders for my figure but I would rather be able to eat properly, dammit.And one of my colleagues said I needed to take a brain pill. I have been very forgetful these two days (maybe suffering from brain damage from all the fever!!!) Man down! Man down! High fever for two days straight.Fucking throbbing headache that won't go away.I'll see the doctor again if it doesn't improve tomorrow. This time, if she gives me an MC again, I'll take it!Let the boss figure out how to work without me for once. Arsenal Update-the dam has burst. It's now developed into a full-blown floo. Unfortunately, I'll have to rely of medicine this time instead of relying on rest to recover.-----------------1) Yomeishu-for keeping energy levels up (and to zap sore throat bacteria on the way down)2) Forticold-for keeping colds and sore throats at bay3) Salt-for gargling4) Redoxon 1,000 mg Vit C effervescent tablets-for megadosing (Linus Pauling here we come)5) Probiotics-for better gut flora6) Spirulina-for overall immunity booster7) Ginger tea-for sneezy moments8) Chrysenthemun tea-for heaty coldsEvery morning I go through my arsenal of herbal remedies and supplements before I step out of the door. I'm drinking 4.5 litres of water in the office. I'm falling sick. My support staff are also falling sick. We greet one another with watery eyes and red noses every morning. We're just hanging on until the whole thing is over. You mean Chinese cannot ah? I am very impressed by the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Notwithstanding the glossing over of China's human rights record etc, the show in itself was really great (at least those segments that I caught). I really liked the taichi segment as well as the Li Ning part. Wow very impressive!Anyway, as everybody was gushing over the show, some guy interviewed (an ang moh girl from a Scandinavian country I think) said, "oh I didn't know the Chinese can put up a show like this!"I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. I think I mostly laughed at her ignorance. The revamped (again!) Straits Times So the editors at the Straights Times finally realised that people still won't pay for their crap paper, despite restricting the number of free articles on their website, issit?I was sniggering to myself as I looked through the whole lot of articles on their website. They even have this virtual broadsheet that you can "flip"!Frankly, all these revamps are super irritating. You have to relearn how to navigate the site. What's more, the crappy content is still there (behold the latest article by Chua LH!)I think ST is thinking along the same line as the PAP: every five years, must have revamp. They truly are of one mind. I can't find the ST Online Forum; the link brings one to their forum postings. I hope the ST editors are not withholding this section from the website just to get people to buy the printed version. It's just about the only section in the entire paper worth paying for. Now I'm stressed 3 am and I still can't sleep!I'm now officially super stressed. (Hope I survive one more week...) Partisan videos WARNING! The videos mentioned in this post are anti-PAP videos. If you are a PAP supporter, please do not watch and then come complaining that you've been offended.I've been watching "wendyneo's" YouTube videos. Well depending on your ilk, such "anti-PAP" videos may not be to your taste. However, I found one or two that came close to the heart:Non propagandaistic "National Day song". Some rather pointless use of images (Ministers taking a shut-eye) but the overall message is there. Watch out for some video clips at the end."Dignity of employment" - I love Davinder Singh's definition!This user likes to use Chinese and Cantonese songs :D You may recognise them as theme songs to old Hong Kong TV serials. (Yes I remember the Qin Shi Huang one!) Seems that "some people" have been flagging "wendyneo's" videos as "unsuitable for minors" (LOL!) Wonder if they're the minions from PAP trolling the Internet. Patriotism on display Note:  I can confirm that the flags hung along the common corridors are placed there by (most probably) RC members.The residents living in this block are so patriotic!!!Every single unit accessible by the common corridor has a flag hung outside! What's more, all of them are brand new (even came with identical fold lines). Okay, not all the corner units were hanging the flags, but I would say about 95% of the units were!Note-There's also an RC (Residents' Committee aka Grassroots Organisation[TM] ) at the ground floor.This block a short walk away, tsk tsk, needs to improve:I think the RC around here needs to buck up! Need to send more people to hang up flags along the common corridor give away free flags sell flags and persuade residents to hang them up!=============My mom is staying at one of those corner units. And our flat faces the main road. In the past, around this time, the RC people would come knocking on doors asking the us to hang out the flags. I think they even gave us a free flag! I must ask my mom if the RC people are still so "on". Love languages Thanks auntyadele for the link!However, ahem, I still expect a birthday present!!!I feel loved when...The Five Love Languages My Primary Love Language is Physical TouchMy Detailed Results:Physical Touch: 10Words of Affirmation: 9Quality Time: 7Receiving Gifts: 4Acts of Service: 0About this quiz Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.Take the Quiz!Check out the Book Singapore gahmen kena suan by Al Jazeera Source herePeople's Action Party - PUI!!! Mutual angkat - reply from NTUC This is also very hilarious. My original enquiry is this:I refer to your press release, "NTUC FairPrice Foundation Contributes S$1.5 million to Help Needy Cope with Rising Cost of Living"It is stated that "The NTUC FairPrice vouchers will be distributed to the poor and needy mainly through the advisers of the grassroots organisations (GROs)".May I know if these GROs are the same PAP-affiliated organisations such as the CCMC and the RC.Also, will any of the vouchers be distributed to Opposition Party grassroots organisations?Thank you. And here's NTUC reply: Dear [my name], We refer to your enquiry below. NTUC FairPrice Foundation has recently announced that it will contribute $1.5 million in food vouchers to help the needy cope with rising cost of living. The vouchers will be distributed through the advisers of the Grassroots Organisations. You may approach your nearby Community Centres/Clubs after 1 August 2008 on the application procedures. Please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Relations Officers at 1800 - 552 2722 or email at general.feedback@fairprice.com.sg if we could assist you in any other way. with best regards,Sheris HengCustomer Relations OfficerNTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd Anybody can tell me whether NTUC answered my questions or not?!??? Hilarious mutual angkat bola The nation's largest gahmen-affiliated union (heck, which union in Singapore isn't gahmen-affiliated?!??) is soooo generous, it is distributing $1.5 million worth of food vouchers... via PAP-affiliated grassroots organisations only.This mutual apple-polishing PR exercise is too good to pass up:To mark the occasion, NTUC FairPrice Chairman Mr Ng Ser Miang, [yes, will be TOO OBVIOUS if you have some PAP guy like NTUC Sec-Gen Lim Swee Say handing the voucher to LHL right?] who is also Chairman of NTUC FairPrice Foundation, presented a cheque representing S$1.5 million worth of FairPrice vouchers to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong [aka Sec-Gen of PAP] at the Racial Harmony Fiesta@Jalan Kayu. Prime Minister Lee was present to grace the event as the Guest-of-Honour .[snip!]The NTUC FairPrice vouchers will be distributed to the poor and needy mainly through the advisers of the grassroots organisations (GROs) [i.e. PAP-affiliated only: to be verified], with some vouchers being set aside for selected welfare organisations. Mr Wee Siew Kim, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, was the first to receive S$12,000 worth of NTUC FairPrice vouchers for distribution to the needy in the Jalan Kayu community. [Will the vouchers also be handed out to Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong, as the MP of their constituencies???]Since I'm so bo-liao, I dropped this impromptu note at Fairprice's website.(BTW, need to give IC number when submitting an enquiry you know!)I refer to your press release, "NTUC FairPrice Foundation Contributes S$1.5 million to Help Needy Cope with Rising Cost of Living"It is stated that "The NTUC FairPrice vouchers will be distributed to the poor and needy mainly through the advisers of the grassroots organisations (GROs)".May I know if these GROs are the same PAP-affiliated organisations such as the CCMC and the RC.Also, will any of the vouchers be distributed to Opposition Party grassroots organisations?Thank you. Hougang does have a WP-run grassroots organisation you know, the Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC). I'm sure the SPP has something on the ground too. So NTUC cannot say Opposition parties don't have their own GROs.But we all know lah, NTUC and PAP feed on each other.  So they must also mutually support each other lor.So touching to see the worker's union and the PAP gahmen enjoying such close relationship!Time to vomit: NTUC & PAP: Benefits from symbiotic ties Missing the point Gahmen trying to hoodwink people again.1,000 S'poreans give up citizenship each yearAN AVERAGE of about 1,000 Singapore gave up their citizenship each year in the last three years, said Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Monday.The reasons they renounced their Singapore citizenship ranged from marriage to foreigners to yearning for a different environment, he said in his written reply to a question from from Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim, who wanted to know how many Singaporeans had emigrated in the last three years.Most of them took up new citizenship in countries in Southeast-Asia, the United States of America and Australia.Mr Wong said Singaporeans who emigrate generally do not declare this to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) when they leave.The only available data which gives an indication of the number of emigrants from Singapore is the number of Singaporeans who have given up their citizenship and left Singapore.PUI! Before a new country accepts your citizenship application, you have to show a Certificate of No Conviction. Every person who has applied for PR (often a precursor to foreign citizenship) knows this. Below is an extract of the CNCC:Mr Wong Kan Seng, rather than trying to skirt the issue, let's have the MHA reveal the data you actually DO HAVE. And please stop hiding - let us all know how many applied for this form every year. Not everybody is as stupid or ignorant as you think.What you dare not say reveals much more than what you do. Lazy weekend I was supposed to do a late night on Friday, but a change of plans meant I got Friday night off but had to return to work on Sunday instead. Never mind, just meant I had more time to myself. It's another lazy weekend again (no sewing class), and we were booked for The Dark Knight on Saturday!!!Or so we thought. We were barely settled into the seat when a family approached us. It turned out they had tickets for the same seats as ours. We were scratching our heads before I realised my tickets were for FRIDAY. Ack! So we beat a hasty retreat, me with my tail between my legs. Seemed that when I was choosing the seats, the date got reset to the date of booking (i.e. Friday). When I collected the tickets on Saturday, the counter lady also didn't draw it to my attention. We got through the ushers, and I guess we could have just found some unoccupied seats somewhere. Anyway, it was my carelessness so bo pian, go back and rebook tickets for Sunday. That's why I "paid double" for the tickets. The movie was not bad. The plot was not as tight as Batman Begins but to Nolan's credit it was quite good considering the amount of ground he had to cover. The music sounded less pirate-y this time (I was wondering how come there was pirate music in Batman Begins before I realised Hans Zimmer wrote the score!) Much had been written about Heath Ledger's performance, and he was good. Overall the casting was pretty well-done but some of the characterisation needs further convincing (for instance the crooks). I would give it 4 stars, slightly under 4.5 stars I gave for Batman Begins (in FB) for the slightly looser plot and characterisation, but that would still make TDK a very good movie to catch. Other than this little adventure, the whole weekend was a real lazy one. Finished another tub of ice cream (eek!) and got some hardware installed. I have to set aside budget for a major purchase soon... Pok kai...Think I didn't sleep enough! Very sleepy!!!