flags and foreigners First it was the Amit Nagpal saga which caused much hoo haa in the local blogsphere which I shall not comment on. Go read the link if you want to know exactly what happened. Now there’s another letter published by the Straits Times that made me fume during work this morning. I REFER to the letter, ‘Lack of patriotism’ (Aug 9), where Mr Chua Sheng Yang rightly pointed out the absence of flags displayed in the Housing Board estates compared to past years. This has been noticed by many of my friends and colleagues as well. Let me, however, assure Mr Chua that the absence of the flags is not due to the influx of foreign talent. First, not many foreign talent live in HDB estates. Most of them live in private condominiums. And, you may be surprised to note that more flags were seen in condominiums than in the past. I’m a permanent resident, proud to live here and I have been proudly displaying the national flag for the past two years. In contrast, I know of a few Singaporean friends who have stopped displaying the flags, and tell me, ‘why bother’? My feeling is that Singaporeans are taking things for granted. People of today’s generation have no idea what it takes to survive in other countries as they have grown up with the basic amenities in place. They are becoming materialistic and self-centred. An example can be seen in the ensuing debate of raising a child and the perks required to start a family. The way things are going, it will not be a surprise if young, newly-wed couples ask for Government perks before having sex. Starting a family is not only a personal decision, but also a matter of love and caring, sharing of affection and warmth. It is not about the financial package given by the Government. If that were the case, the world population would decline. Governments of countries with large populations, which are largely poor, do not need to hand out financial packages to encourage their citizens to start a family. Last but not the least, if the nation is facing a grave problem, then the citizens, who are stakeholders, should come to the rescue. Isn’t it time for Singaporeans to stand up and be counted, and at least have children for the sake of the nation? Or perhaps, they want the foreign talent to do it for them. If Singaporeans have enough children, they will surely be the best of talents. Manish Grover From ST Forum He starts of his wonderful letter by claiming that most “foreign talents” stay in condominiums instead of public housing. First, not many foreign talent live in HDB estates. Most of them live in private condominiums. And, you may be surprised to note that more flags were seen in condominiums than in the past. Ok, so what is he trying to imply? That we locals are the peasants staying in HDB flats while the “foreign talents” are the rich and elite staying at condominiums? They are becoming materialistic and self-centred. An example can be seen in the ensuing debate of raising a child and the perks required to start a family. Than he starts criticising us of being materialistic and self-centered, wanting perks to start a family. The way things are going, it will not be a surprise if young, newly-wed couples ask for Government perks before having sex. Than he starts with the sarcastic comments. Starting a family is not only a personal decision, but also a matter of love and caring, sharing of affection and warmth. It is not about the financial package given by the Government. As much as I would like to get married and have 3 kids, but is it practical? How much can a young working couple bring home? If you minus off the money needed for the basic necessities like housing, food, utility bills and the money given to your aged parents, how much can one possibly have? And considering the fact that in Singapore, both husband and wife are normally slogging it out in the working world, who will take care of the kids? Put them in a child care? Trust me, the rates aren’t cheap. Hire a maid? Can the maid be trusted with kids alone at home? And I’m not including the time and effort needed to “train” the maid. Let our parents take care of them? That’s the best option I guess, but provided that your parents are still around and are fit enough to take care of mischievous kids. If that were the case, the world population would decline. Governments of countries with large populations, which are largely poor, do not need to hand out financial packages to encourage their citizens to start a family. Back then, when we were still a “poor country”, the birth rate was sky high until the government had to step in to curb the birth rate. How can you compare the birth rates of “poor countries” and “rich countries”? Generally, kids are seen as assets in “poor countries” and liabilities in “rich countries”. Correct me if I’m wrong. Or perhaps, they want the foreign talent to do it for them. If Singaporeans have enough children, they will surely be the best of talents. Isn’t that what our country is already doing? Perhaps, he should try putting himself in the shoes of the locals. Let’s use an average male polytechnic graduate as an example. Steps in tertiary education at the age of 17 with the school fees paid by their parents hard earn CPF money. Enlist into National Service at the age of 20, ORD at the age of 22. By then, most of his knowledge that he learned in polytechnic has been long forgotten and he steps into the working world with no proper working experience and 2 years behind his female counterparts. Assuming that he gets his first job with a starting pay of $1800. 20% goes to CPF, so his take home pay is around $1440. $100 goes to his transport allowance. $400 to both his parents to help out with the household bills. $10 per day for 2 meals, which will work out to around $300 a month. $200 a month for the other expenses. So he’s left with $440. Oh ya, not to forget that he’s already in debt with his tertiary education fees.  Another $100 a month gone to repay the loans. So he can only save a measly $340 a month.  The savings will probably be for his wedding expenses and housing downpayment a couple of years down the road. Assuming that he’s earning $3000 by the age of 30 and happily married with 2 kids, how much can he seriously save? Higher income = higher CPF contributions = higher income taxes = higher monthly contributions to his parents. So both couples work their ass off, spending little time with their kids. As a result, their kids become deprived of attention and might possibly walk the wrong path while growing up, causing more pain and concern to his already tired parents. Not everyone is well off like the “foreign talents” and since he’s so patriotic, perhaps he would like to spend 2 years of his life in the army. After which he’ll need to commit at least 2 weeks each year for the next 10 years for reservist training. Not including the RT sessions after one fails his IPPT. Seriously, how many NSmen can pass their IPPT without any problems when they are out in the workforce? cash is king For the first time in my life, I actually look forward to work now. The power of money is amazing. Each night as I lay on my bed, I keep thinking to myself, how much have I collected? Did I meet the targets? Did anyone break their promise? When I wake up in the morning, no matter how tired I am and how tempted I am to take MC/urgent leave, I drag myself out my bed all in the name of checking my results for yesterday. I arrive in the office, turn on my computer which takes 10 minutes to boot up, clear my bladder at the toilet, get myself a cup of coffee at the pantry to perk myself up, fill up my water bottle, feed my guppies before I log into my account. The results for yesterday magically appear as I type in the commands. Although its not always a positive result, I always console myself by telling myself that its only my first month. For the next 4 hours, I sit right in front of my computer and work non-stop. Ok, not exactly non-stop as I’m surfing the internet 80% of the time while waiting for the other party to respond. As a result, I’m permanently stuck on the infamous EDMW forums while tabbing between soccenet.com, channelnewsasia.com, straitstimes.com, singaporedaily.com, onemanga.com, clubsnap.com and explosm.net. Though I get so bored at times that I resort to reading STOMP. For the next 4 hours, even my toilet breaks are kept to a bare minimal. 2 minutes at the most. After which, 1 hour would be spent on lunch , followed by another repeated cycle for the next 4 hours. At the end of the day, I would look forward to the scoresheet being passed around like a little kid waiting for his report book. Though I’ve not met the target yet, one day I will. Till then. And no, I’m not working for some MLM firm. Sporting Singapore, many years ago and today Look at the Essien-like tenacity of Malek Awab, how he split the Kedah defence open with just a long pass to Abbas Saad and how Abbas Saad made a first time cross towards Fandi Ahmad for him to head the ball home. And look at this bicycle kick by Sundramoothy. Absolutely flawless. I don’t understand why I still get goosebumps when I watch this goals over and over again and I don’t feel anything when Singapore wins a silver medal in the Olympics. Don’t start with the FT issue, back then we had FTs in the form of Abbas Saad and Alistair Edwards. I still remember my uncle bringing me to the National Stadium to watch the Malaysian Cup when I was young, how wonderful that atmosphere was. Dazzling wingers like Steven Tan and Lee Man Hon, towering centre backs like Lim Tong Hai, solid goalkeepers like David Lee and not forgetting the twin terror strike force of Fandi Ahmad and Abbas Saad. Where has all the pride and passion gone to? the link between Hitler and ERPs “Its ok, I’ll cancel my McHappy Meal tonight.” I almost died laughing. Happy National Day! Happy National Day! I love my country, but my country doesnt seem to love me anymore crocodiles, shit and radioactive waters on our shores From CNN WASHINGTON (CNN) — A U.S. Navy submarine leaked trace amounts of radioactive water for two years as it made port calls in Japan and other Asian nations, the Navy said Thursday. … Officials also have told the governments of Malaysia and Singapore that the sub made port calls to those countries while leaking the radioactive water, Navy officials said. The Houston also made stops in Guam and Hawaii First it was shit bacteria in Pasir Ris beach, than it was a crocodile at Pasir Ris again, now we have American subs leaking radioactive water on our shores. What’s next? Godzilla or mutant fishes? tgif  Tomorrow I’ll say TGIF. Before I know it, I’ll be suffering from Monday blues again. Slog for 5 days, and the process repeats itself. The only plus point is payday. Haa. 3 weeks in the working world and I’m already sick of it. Where is my 3 days work week? I should have extended my ORD by another 6 months. Financial freedom, where are you? In all, about 470,000 people aged 50 and older are holding jobs, according to latest official figures released yesterday. This means 47.8 per cent of residents in this age group are employed. Straits Times Have I ever said that my heart sinks whenever I order MacDonald’s from an auntie in her 60s and yet still  polite to a young punk like me? Or when I go to the petrol kiosk, the uncle old enough to be my grandfather calls me Sir and offers to wipe my windscreen for me? Maybe one day I’ll be like them, working till I can no longer walk. Getting scolded by unreasonable customers half my age. Maybe. why so serious? Highlights from Channelnewsasia.com SINGAPORE: Under-utilisation of land and buildings, resulting in losses from possible rental revenues; “generous” interpretation of government instruction manuals by the various agencies to support management action or omissions; statutory boards taking longer than the recommended timeframe to present their annual reports and financial statements to Parliament. These were the three areas of concerns highlighted by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) in its annual report, which was presented to Parliament last week.  .. An engineering specialist firm was allowed to serve as a sub-contractor for a project managed by the Ministry of Defence’s procurement agent, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), even though it had been debarred by the Government.  .. For example, at 12 ministries and four organs of state, 359 users — who had either resigned, retired or been transferred or had their duties changed — did not have their existing access rights promptly removed.  .. The AGO’s checks on some of these properties revealed five cases of long delay — ranging from one to six years — in repossessing premises after tenants had defaulted on the rental payments. As of Aug 31 last year, the rental arrears were $4.14 million. In one case, after the tenancy agreement lapsed, the tenant continued to occupy the premises for about six years, defaulting on its rental payments in the last year of occupation.  .. The AGO report singled out several state-owned buildings that were left vacant for several years, resulting in foregone rental revenue running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, Capitol Building was allocated to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for use as a performing arts venue. However, after spending $1.51 million over seven years on feasibility studies, maintenance and reinstatement works, the Singapore Tourism Board found that it was not a viable project. The building was returned to the SLA last year — resulting in over $280,000 loss in possible rental revenue each year. In another instance, the former Catholic High School building was handed over to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts in September 2000 for development as an art gallery for local artists. However, the plan did not materialise and the building was eventually returned to the SLA in March this year. Some $420,000 in possible rental revenue annually had been forgone as a result of leaving the building vacant for over seven years.   .. In December 1979, the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office (IPTO) was appointed to handle the liquidation of a co-operative society. Twenty-eight years on, the process had yet to be completed.  .. Between April 2002 and January 2006, the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) awarded 14 contracts worth $15 million to a certain contractor and another company with the same executive director-cum-major shareholder.  As the Joker would say, :”Why so serious?” Only $4+ million worth of arrears. Only 7 years and $1 million plus for a failed project. Only 28 years to settle an issue. Why so serious? Quotes from our million dollar ministers. It was an honest mistake, it never should have happened, lets move on. This was a lapse, what to do? It has happened. work work Even it means degrading myself, being polite to scumbags that don’t deserve any respect at all, getting screwed upside down by unreasonable people. Its all in the name of money. greedisgood The money is good and all I need to do is let everything enter from one ear and come out through the other. Sounds easy, but I haven’ gotten used to it yet. Perhaps I will, one day. Sometimes, I’m so tempted to shout back:”KNN! NO MONEY DON’T BUY SUCH A BIG CAR LAH!” or “HAHA! YOU BLOODY LOSER, CAN’T EVEN PAY UP A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS. DON’T GIVE BIRTH TO SO MANY KIDS LAH!” cute puppies Stumbled upon this super cute website. years down the road Far far away, in the imaginary island of Country X 05/03/2008 -  Commuters find it hard to get taxis, government reacts by increasing taxi fares 12/06/2008  - Country X hits population of 4 million, with 1 million of the being foreigners 08/07/2008 -  More road gantries constructed due to an overpopulation of cars, peasants turn to public transport as a result of the gantries 14/07/2008 -  Peasants are overcrowding the public transport system, government increases transport fares 08/09/2008 - Survey shows that 80% of foreigners think that Country X is a part of China 29/11/2008 -  Government reviews ministers’ salary, increasing in by at least 500 thousand dollars 18/01/2009 -  Local newspapers applauds government for increasing handouts to needy citizens by 10 dollars 09/06/2009 - Country X fails to qualify for 2010 World Cup, entire football team sacked and replaced with foreign talents 24/08/2009 - Survey shows that 90 percent of tourists  think that Country X is a part of China 28/02/2010 - Mandarin becomes the National language of Country X due to the overwhelming number of Chinese nationals 04/02/2010 - Public transport overwhelmed by foreigners, locals turn to private transport 09/04/2010 - Too many cars flooding up the roads, more gantries are installed to smoothen traffic flow 16/06/2010 - Locals turn to taxis as a form of transport, due to rising costs of driving and public transport 07/08/2010 -  Shortage of taxis islandwide, government increases taxi fares 22/10/2010 - Locals no longer have a economic form of transport, they turn to bicycles instead 30/12/2010 - Too many bicycles on the road, says government. Transport authority to install tax and toll booth system for cyclists 01/02/2010 - Bicycles become to expensive to ride, locals forced to walk to work 19/05/2010 - Recent studies shows that 70 percent of local talents leave the country for greener pastures overseas 29/08/2011 - Country X hits target population of 6 million, with 1 out of 3 people being foreigners 05/06/2012 - Olympic council criticises Country X for sending an entire team of foreigners to the Olympics 17/09/2012 - Country X aims to qualify for 2014 World Cup, critics laugh the idea off, asking them to qualify for the Asian Cup first 16/11/2012 - Public transport overwhelmed due to the influx of foreigners, travel becomes impossible 15/12/2012 - Country X goes into riots, with locals facing off against the foreigners 09/08/2013 - Riots finally come to an end, Country X becomes a part of China the never ending rat race Its amazing how this movie reflects the sentiments of us, the peasants. I wonder if the ERP strike will actually occur in the future, lol. What an awesome time to release this movie, in the midst of this crazy inflation going on. Money, money, money. I love money and I’ll be entering the rat race for it next week. How much is enough? When you finally earn enough to buy a Toyota Corolla, you’ll be aiming for that BMW 3 series. After you get your 3 series, you’ll be aiming for the 5 series, followed by the 7 series. Then you’ll start dreaming about the high end sports cars and sedans like the Ferraris and Bentleys. For me, I dream to be that young executive driving around in a Volvo C30(Go google it if you don’t know what car I’m talking about. Its the sickest hatchback available in the market for now), staying in a city apartment at the age of 30. Happily retired at the age of 40, fishing for prawns in my backyard daily and staying at some big house at the outskirts of the city down under. Although I don’t come from a wealthy family, I’ve been lucky enough to lead a comfortable life. A decent, cosy 4 room flat, an off peak Japanese sedan for me to drive. I remember a scene from the first installment of Money No Enough, where they were talking about how to get rich. Its all about meeting your benefactor at the right time and right place. My family has been lucky enough to meet 2 amazing benefactors, without them, I seriously don’t know where I’ll be now. So when will I get to meet my benefactor? ya ya ya SINGAPORE : Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has warned that Singapore could face another round of inflation if companies increase wages to help workers cope with the higher cost of living today. He said this will also affect Singapore’s competitiveness and the ability to create jobs. Mr Tharman was speaking to some 500 workers at the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union dinner on Wednesday evening. Higher rice and oil prices have led some Singaporeans to call on the government to set the tone by raising wages. But Mr Tharman said such short—term measures are not prudent. Instead, he said the government has provided assistance to help Singaporeans deal with the higher cost of living. These include S$500 million in GST Credits — to help citizens cope with the increased Goods and Services Tax — and special bonuses for senior citizens. ….. Mr Tharman said the lasting solution to inflation is to continue with efforts to help workers upgrade their skills and earn better wages. Adapted from Yahoo! Ya, ya, ya. Its the peasant’s fault for inflation, our wages are way too high. Only elites up there should draw high wages and increase their wages every now and then without the consent of the tax payers to prevent inflation. We should attract more foreigners to add colour and spice into our cosmopolitan society. At the same time, they are willing to draw lesser wages and work longer hours compared to locals. So all we need to do is to attract more foreigners to prevent inflation. Furthermore, our elite’s skills are already up there! So they do not have to upgrade their skills to earn better wages. Only the peasants need to constantly upgrade themselves in order to earn better wages. I feel so enlightened after reading such an inspiring report. More good years to come. into the world of photography I’ve always wanted to get a DSLR but I’m too poor to do so. So I’ve decided to use a cheaper alternative, my cheapo point and shoot Nikon L4, my mum’s Polaroid Impulse and a 3 lens camera that I bought from South Korea. Went to Kampong Lorong Buangkok 2 weeks ago to take a couple of shots for the facebook polaroid competition. Home to Singapore’s last Kampong. Its amazing how I didn’t realise of the kampong’s existence despite the close proximity to my place until Neil Humphrey wrote about it in his book. The best part is that Neil Humphrey isn’t even local. Used this as my entry for the competition. Was supposed to go closer and take a better shot of the little girl, but she backed off as she saw me approaching with a camera. Old school letter box. Cyclops! After which, we went to the Japanese Cemetery Park. It was located somewhere near Phillips Avenue which is also very near my place. I’ve always wanted to visit that place but I had no valid reason to do so. The tap and the temple. The walkway. Landscape. Flowers. Nanyang Hui something something. Tombs. Headless. For the full set of photos, visit here. the first step After a grueling week of job hunting, I’ve finally taken up a job offer. For some reason, the job offer keeps getting better and better, but I’ve finally decided to settle for an American financial firm. No personal transport for me, but the at least the pay is decent and I’ll be working with people of my age, not people old enough to be my father. The past 2 days haven’t been easy, juggling between problems and incessant phone calls from recruitment agencies. And I think I’ve mastered the art of trying to sound like I’m awake when I’ve just been disrupted from my beauty sleep. My first step into the working world. My first step to a better future. Goodbye afternoon naps, late night suppers and late brunches. Hello 9-6 office hours, breakfasts and peak hour office rush on the MRT. for reasons unknown I pack my case. I check my face. I look a little bit older. I look a little bit colder. With one deep breath, and one big step, I move a little bit closer. I move a little bit closer. For reasons unknown. Probably the biggest decision I’ve made in my life. All in the name of a better future. A big risk, a big investment, a big step forward, I hope. Maybe one day I’ll come back, just maybe. When the other 66.6 of the population wakes up. For myself, for my family, for my GF, for my future sons, I’ll try. the indian uncle selling bread on a bicycle Hello everyone, I’m looking for the Indian uncle who rides a bicycle around while selling bread from this box located at the back of his bicycle. If you guys happen to see him around your neighbourhood, please inform me. Thank you! hello to all G’day mate. No, I’m not dead. I was just having a holiday at Australia. And I’m too lazy to blog about it. We’ll let the pictures do the talking on facebook. Adelaide Melbourne Perth tortise sex Who says tortoises can’t masturbate? P.S This video is EXTREMELY disturbing. prawning Brought my gf to bottle tree park during her birthday for our first prawning session. For more pics info, read her entry on it. Even though we caught only 1 prawn in 1 hour, I got so addicted to it that I went again at night with my friends, but to the pond at Sin Ming this time. We caught a total of 9 prawns in 3 hours this time, but the prawns there were way smaller than the ones at bottle tree park, the catch rate was obviously lower too. The worse part was that we had to even start our own fire to BBQ the prawns. But a group of ah bengs gave us their catch, and after BBQing it, we started feasting on them. And I still don’t dare to skewer the prawns with my bare hands. Yes I know, its damn cruel to stick something up a prawn’s ass all the way through its head and place it above hot burning charcoal. ORD 2 years ago, on this very day, it was the darkest day of my life. The day I lost my I/C, my freedom, my hair, my happiness. I was thrown into Pulau Tekong. “How bad could it be?” I asked myself. After all the shitty tekan sessions that I endured during my time in Scouts, I thought that army would be a breeze for me, I was even tempted to sign on as a regular when I was still in Poly. But I was wrong. The physical part was easy, it was the mental torture that hurt the most. All those “WTF!?” moments, the funny decisions by those up there, the irritating platoonmates, the 0530 revelie. (Please take note that I was used to sleeping at 0530 before I enlisted, not getting up at 0530) I became so paranoid about waking up late or being turned out, I kept waking up in the middle of the night to check the time, even during weekends. After dragging myself out of bed from my very first night there, I remembered asking myself “Is this going to go on for the next 2 years of my life? If it is, I think I’ll just drop dead and die” After a couple of weeks, I got used to life there. Made good friends, had a good balance of working out of resting. The only negative part was the depressing booking in on Sunday evenings, outfield sessions and the food. Time flew, and before we knew it, 15 weeks had passed. Our time in Tekong was up at it was time to get posted out. At that point of time, I was bent on getting into command school after all that brainwashing. But all thanks to my inability to jump, I failed my IPPT and was posted out as a Combat Medic. I went WTF when I found out about my posting. I received the most feared vocation amongst all recruits. Our commanders kept on warning us about being a combat medic, the weekly IV infusion sessions, the long route marches and outfield sessions with the insanely heavy stretcher and medical equipment on top of your own rifle. Besides that, I had a huge phobia of needles. I sms-ed my platoon sergeant and asked him how, lan lan suck thumb he told me. Just sound of to my officer about my fear of needles on the very first day there. 9 weeks of combat medic training. The worst point of my life in NS. Unlike those horror stories that I heard, there was hardly any physical or outfield training sessions. Just plenty of lectures, practicals and tests. It was virtually impossible for me to stay awake for lectures after waking up at 5+ in the morning. I was marked because of this. I hated my platoon mates too, well, not all but most of them. After 9 weeks of hell, I successfully passed out as a combat medic and was posted to XX battalion. Life was relatively good. Worked with all sorts of people, had my own responsibilities,  had plenty of fun. Life was a breeze and before I even knew it, it was time for me to ORD. Collected my I/C last Friday, went around the battalion, said my last goodbyes to my officers and Enciks, went back to the medical centre, hanged around with my colleagues before having my last meal at the canteen with my favourite Uncle Chan’s Hokkien Mee. After stepping out of camp, “ORD lo!” I told myself. Life begins here. Just like what the old birds say, ORD is overrated. Yes, I agree. Without the monthly income and the “workload” at the office daily, I felt lost, after being so dependent on an organisation for 2 years of my life. ah tiong gets beaten up http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,165992,00.html? A PHONE conversation with his mother triggered off a series of events which landed Mr Liu Tie in the A&E with a swollen eye and scratches on his neck.   He was accused of talking too loudly by a fellow bus passenger who then beat him up. Mr Liu, a China national working as a waiter at the Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant in OCBC Centre, had made the call to his mother in Jilin, China, after he finished work on Sunday night. Said Mr Liu, 22, in Mandarin: ‘I was talking to my mum when I boarded bus number 145 from Boat Quay.’ He said the bus had about 20 people in it.   Soon after he sat down, he claimed that a man sitting some rows behind him told him aggressively to keep his voice down. ‘I was still talking to my mother. So I lowered my voice. She kept asking me what was happening. I didn’t want to worry her, so I told her it was all right,’ he said. After he finished the conversation with his mother, he turned to look at the man. ‘He was still scolding me, gesturing with his hands and feet. He made his hand into the shape of a gun and pointed at me. Then he kicked his legs about, in a threatening manner,’ said Mr Liu. He claimed the man then rushed over and started beating him up. ‘He just came at me, held my neck and rained blows down the right side of my face,’ he said. No one on the bus stepped forward to help, he claimed. When the bus stopped at a bus-stop along Victoria Street, the man was still hitting him. ‘My attacker was holding my neck, and banging my head against the bus seats,’ said Mr Liu. He shouted for help and for someone to call the police. ‘A woman in the crowd at the bus-stop shouted back that she had called 999,’ said Mr Liu. That was when Mr Liu’s assailant tried to get away. ‘He ran towards the opened door at the back of the bus. But I didn’t want him to get away. So I ran after him and grabbed his arm,’ said Mr Liu. Three young men boarded the bus to help Mr Liu. ‘After I told them what happened, one of them said to the man who beat me, ‘The sign in the bus says no smoking, no eating, no littering, but where does it say no talking on the phone?’ said Mr Liu. Another man also boarded the bus to help Mr Liu apprehend his attacker until the police arrived. ‘An ambulance arrived first and while the paramedics were tending to me, the police arrived,’ said Mr Liu. He was sent to the A&E at Singapore General Hospital. ATTACKED AGAIN AT HOSPITAL ‘At the hospital, I saw my assailant. He also came to the hospital because he said his arm hurt. When he saw me, he made a lunge for me again, in front of all seven or eight policemen,’ said Mr Liu. The police managed to restrain him. Why am I not surprised that an ah tiong has been beaten up for talking to loudly on the phone? With the sudden influx of cheap foreign workers with third world country habits who snatch the rice bowls of the locals, I’m not surprised that locals are feeling more and more frustrated with their foreign counterparts. P.S I’m not trying to imply that the attacker was right for beating somebody who talks to loudly on the phone. Anyway, this is only 1 side of the story. What kind of admin boy are you? The hardworking CFC Every boss’ favourite pet. Always does his work on time. Never goes for canteen breaks, eats only at the cookhouse. Willingly stays back till the wee hours of the night to get his work done. Even comes back on his off/leave days to help out with work. The smart CPL A tactical snake eater in disguise of a hardworking person. Acts like an angel in front of his boss but pulls off all sorts of stunts behind his back but never gets caught. Always act busy in front of the computer when he is actually surfing forums. The lazy LCP Normally a stupid guy who doesn’t know when to eat snake. Always gets caught sleeping by the boss. Goes for 2 hour canteen breaks and 20 minute smoking breaks 10 times a day. The only reason why they are well liked by their colleagues is because they virtually “ta” all the weekend duties by signing extras on a regular basis. The condemned PTE Destined to ORD as a PTE. Extras, SOL, DB, he’s been through it all. Pulls off lots of stunts but is always stupid enough to get caught. Enough said. amazing I’ve watched this video a dozen times and I’m still amazed by it. Ps. Having a hot lip sync-er helps too! TTS! I am fucking pissed because I stepped on ta tio sai (step on shit) with my beloved Pedro shoes. And I was on this private bus last week. The driver was from China, this was how the conversation went.  Part 1 ST: ni hui qu Fort Road ma? (Do you know how to go to Fort Road) Driver: huh!? se me shi Fort Road? (Huh!? What is Fort Road) ST: err.. east coast park na bian (Somewhere near East Coast Park) Driver: huh!? se me shi East Coast Park? (Huh!? What is East Coast Park?) ST: err.. dong hai an (err.. East Coast Park) Part 2 Driver: zou na yi tiao lu qu ah? (Which route should I take?) ST: zou PIE (Go by PIE) Driver: huh!? se me shi PIE!? (Huh!? What is PIE?) This conversation might not be 100% accurate as I plugged on my sound insulating earphones the minute I heard the driver’s accent. All the info gathered was from the post bus ride bitching session. Even ah tiongs who can’t speak or read English are driving buses now. Even Topshop hires them as sales personnel. There is no hope for Singaporeans anymore. 40% there Day becomes night, night becomes day. Just when I thought that my body was accustomed to it, day becomes day again and night becomes night again. Fuck. To make things worse, we are made to sleep in a dusty hell hole with horrible toilets and commando mosquitoes thanks to some smart ass. I’ve reached the point where it doesn’t matter whether its Friday or its Monday anymore, it all feels the same to me. To make things worse, I’ve been on a bad luck spree. First, I fell off the chair after dozing off and kicked something into the sea in the process. Second, my water bottle fell into the sea. Third, my finger got bitten by a rat. Yes, a rat. Even the doctor was laughing at me. The only plus point are the tanned female sailors with thunder thighs and the occasional couple making out at the benches in the wee hours of the morning. 1 more week to endure. Till then. i wear kids size I was shopping at vivo with my love today when we stepped into Zara. She pulled me into Zara kids and ranted about buying clothes from there. I was skeptical about it initially but I was surprised when I started browsing through their clothes. I went “Fwah! I think I can fit into the age 13-14 size leh!” I went to the fitting room to try it and it fitted perfectly, but that wasn’t the best part, the best part was that the t-shirt only costs $9.90! I was sibei dulan, cause I bought 2 plain tees from Topman for 29 bucks while a plain tee at Zara kids costs only $9.90. In the end, my love and I left Zara as very happy people with me getting a tee and a jacket and her getting 3 tops. The end. dogs and tiongs I tahan-ed my sai for 1 entire day thanks to a pack of dogs. Knn, when I was walking towards the toilet, I saw 2 stray dogs lurking around the toilet area. I decided to play safe by looking for some object to protect myself just in case I get chased by dogs again.  Found a water hose on the ground and I picked it up. Barely 100 metres from the toilet, the 2 dogs start barking at me and all of a sudden, a pack of 6 dogs start running towards me. Die la, I thought. But I tried to act zai and started backing off from the dogs while swinging the water hose around like a Spartan swinging his spear around. They started backing off after a while. Close shave. And an ah tiong asked me an extremely stunning question today. (In Chinese) “I ask you ah, if I got toothache, what should I do to stop the pain? Bite on ice ah?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and I replied “I don’t know” and walked off. mc An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But I hate apples. Because I love MCs! But seriously, try lao sai-ing for 2 days in a row. Sorry to sound so crude, but my asshole is literally burning now. One would wish that he was constipated during times like this, I’m even afraid of farting when my stomach condition is so bad. Please let me recover by this Saturday or I’ll just drop dead. one more life saved! This post was dated last tues  I saved 1 more life as a civilian today! Ok, they weren’t exactly dying but there were like 4 adults + 1 baby stuck on the escalator. Don’t ask me how they got stuck, I have no idea too. It all started when I was on my way home, happily drinking my bubble tea and eating my Old Chang Kee curry puff. I walked past the escalator outside Hougang Mall’s McDonald’s and I saw a bunch of people trying to push their way out of the escalator and there were more people staring at the commotion. Being a typical Singaporean, I went to see see look look and I saw 4 adults together with 1 baby on a pram stuck on a moving escalator. An “artist” impression of the scenario So I decided to act hero. I placed my bubble tea and curry puff on the floor, went to the escalator opposite and stretched over to pick the baby out from the pram. After placing the baby on the floor, I went back and tried to get the pram out as it was blocking the way of the 3 people behind. Together with another helpful auntie, we managed to pull the pram out of the escalator, after which all 4 of them fell down like dominoes but they managed to escape safely without any injuries. Their shoes were all strewn around and a piece of the mother’s Sari was ripped off. Judging from the aftermath, I believed that the mother’s Sari got stuck in the escalator and she got stuck with the pram that she was pushing, causing those 3 behind to get caught in the “human jam”. And the best part was, everyone was just watching except for me and the auntie, I didn’t hear anyone calling the security guard for help or attempting to push the emergency stop button. Well, at least there were more helpful Singaporeans in my previous incident. I was driving back from my gf’s place. As I was passing the junction of Hougang Ave 2 and Hougang Ave 8, I saw this guy lying motionless in the middle of the road. The first thing that went pass my head was “WTFBBQ, I think he’s dead.” I immediately stopped my car by the side of the road and called for the ambulance. After speaking with the not-so-friendly call operator, I rushed over to the scene. At least, there were a couple of people there helping to divert traffic and helping him out. As I was rushing there, I kept revising through all the standard protocols for treating a casualty, for the first time in my life, my medical skills were put to use from a civilian context. When I reached there, I was relieved to find out that he was still alive and breathing. Ok, good. What next? He had a dislocated elbow and I had no form of first aid equipment with me. Just wait for the ambulance loh. Apparently, no one saw the accident, probably a hit and run case. But I believe that the casualty was drunk as he totally reeked of alcohol. After we shifted him to the pavement, he regained consciousness and started blabbering rubbish in Chinese with a China accent along with some unknown dialect. Ok, drunk ah tiong pwned by irresponsible driver spotted. Soon,  the ambulance and police arrived. Paramedics treat him, police question him. End of story. Surprisingly, the police did not ask us for any statement or anything. Wow.