$1. How About It? The Temasek Review (03 Mar 2010) - Dr Chee Soon Juan Challenges Lee Kuan Yew To Write Off His Debts This has been going on for many years already. Dr Chee was sued by the Lees and was awarded a shitload of damages against him. As a result, Dr Chee had to declare bankruptcy, which effectively disqualify him from standing for future elections until he is discharge.Some may say that this is the ruling party' tactic to prevent Dr Chee from running against them but I was thinking that surely the court would not have ruled in favour of the Lees had the allegations of defamation been disproved?The court's decision to award damages of such magnitude may raise an eyebrow or two but the bottomline is that Dr Chee made some remarks that were found to be untrue and hence taken to task for it. No?So here's what I think. How about a merely token gesture of $1 and all legal fees?That way, the Lees will get what they wanted and that is the various allegations made by Dr Chee were untrue while on the flip side, Dr Chee will not be forced into bankruptcy and subsequently able to stand for election to challenge the polls fair and square.It is not as if Dr Chee is a sure winner just because he stands for election. I mean if the ruling party thinks that they have done well and have the hearts of the people, what are they afraid of? I do not believe a mere Dr Chee can inflict so much fear into the ruling party. Quite unthinkable. Really. I say do everything above board and challenge Dr Chee man to man. That way, when the ruling party wins, they would have won it fair and square and nobody can say otherwise.So how about it? $1 and we close the case. Given that the ministers are soooooooo highly paid, I am sure they don't want the money and especially money under such circumstances. - Voxeros Jelly Lost At 7-11    Awww.... did someone lose a Jelly? We found one at 7-11.Image Credit: TehC - Voxeros QQLand Revisited For those wondering where I have disappeared to, I headed back to QQLand. After a good couple of months of rest, it was decided that I should head back there where my skill sets and experience are actually worth some decent moolah. It great to be back to a place where people appreciates what I have to contribute. Gone are the days of working for idiot boss and moron colleagues (sans a few good ones). Welcome to the major league. I did try to find something back in Singapore in order to stay close to family and friends but alas doors weren't open or the offer just doesn't make cents at all. Worst is the asshole company that didn't even have the balls to tell me no. Cowards. So anyway, I have been here a few days already. Accommodation is settled. Had to arm twist the folks there into getting me a QQLand mobile sim card as well as wireless network on a borrowed laptop. I am working from a coffee table seated on a sofa. I don't have an office yet as I am slated to be based in another city which will happen sometime later half of this year. I guess my table and chair will show up when we move office in 2 weeks' time. I need a neck massage from all that awkward sitting posture. I am happy albeit missing everybody back home. - Voxeros The Fourth Door - Part 2  In case anyone is wondering about the suddenly silence of the blog over the last few days, I was in Ta1wan.Door #4. I have decided to step in. The meeting in Taiwan was to discuss terms as well as general work plan.Well, looks like there is a slight change in plans in both location and scope.Work-wise, I will handling a larger portfolio that will involve trade and marketing covering Asia-Pacific and the US, instead of just the two sides of the Ta1wan Strait. As a result, I will not be deployed beyond Mordor. Well, not this year at the very least.Instead it will be slightly nearer and much more metropolitan. Oh yes and less freezing too.I shared this news with a friend of mine this afternoon and her first reaction was to ask me to be wary of the women there."Aiyoh, I tell you ah. You better be careful. It doesn't matter if you are interested in them or not. But hor, if one of them set her eyes on you hor, you are finished lor!", unquote.*facepalm* I think she meant that in the negative sense.And that brings me to a joke about the ladies, told to me by a fellow expat many years ago.Q: What do you do, if you are looking at them (the ladies) and you inadvertently blinked? A: Check your wallet. I was able to laugh back then but now that it is going to be up close and personal, it somehow don't feel as funny anymore. To be honest, I was considering Door #1 initially but as the days passed, I started to feel that the people behind that door were not sincere about the offer and that the earlier meetings were just one big charade of patronisation.Screw them. So make a guess. Where am I heading?  Trackback:JayWalk (24 Dec 2009) - 3 DoorsJayWalk (11 Jan 2010) - The Fourth Door  Image Credit: http://www.gbgm-umc.org- Voxeros Comfort Food   I am sure everyone has a comfort food or sorts. Some yearn for chocolate, others go for ice cream. Even a couple of girls I know *wink wink* craves the pearly white splendour of the steaming white rice.Me? Well, my is a little unusual and may even make a few of you roll your eyes.So what is it?It's fried rice with curry gravy. Not just fried rice but fried rice with curry gravy.I discovered this "dish" way back in 1981 where I was in Primary Four. I studied in Catholic High School (Primary School Section 小学部) back then and Primary Four was the only year for me where my classes are held in the Secondary School section (中学部) across the opposite side of Queen Street where The Church of St Peter & St Paul stood (and still standing till this very day).It was recess time and everyone headed to the tuckshop (we don't call it canteen or cafeteria back in the day then. We ish old skool.)So there was this stall run by the rice stall auntie selling char siew rice and fried rice. Then next to the counter there is this pot of curry gravy for us to pour curry gravy to our purchases.I was intrigued by the fact that the other boys were all greedily scooping and pouring the curry gravy on anything. Yes, curry gravy even on char siew rice.My curiosity got the better of me as I helped myself to the ladle and scooped two ladle-full of the curry goodness. Why 2 ladle-full and not 1 nor 3? I have no idea, I saw the other kids scooped two ladles of it and I just followed lor. What do I know? I was only 10 years old!The taste was just heavenly and I was hooked ever since.Fast forward to my National Service days and the year was 1990. I just finished 3 miserable months of Basic Military Service (BMT) and was posted to my new unit. Food back on Pulau Tekong was terrible. Rice were burned, and the kangkong vegetables were so salty, it was as if they washed their vegetables in sea water in order to conserve fresh water and seasoning.Fortunately, our meal times were so short, that nobody from my Company actually have time to even sit down to eat. We swallow our food as we walked from the serving station to the washing area. Yes, it was that rushed. We didn't need to sit down as we were eating so fast that by the time, we reached the washing area, we would have already gobbled up every morsel of food in our pathetic steel trays. 3 months later and I was posted to my active unit where I served out the rest of my NS days.I remembered very clearly my first day. I didn't know anyone there as I was the lone private posted to that particular unit. It was utterly sianz to the max. The only joy I received was to know that eating in the cookhouse was optional as we are free to head over to the canteen for our meals, which I was more than glad to pay as opposed to the free cookhouse food catered for every soldier. I ate fried rice with curry gravy for 5 consecutive days of lunch AND dinner.The rest of the camp who were also checking me, the new guy out, thought I was some weirdo! So what is your comfort food? p.s. I tried looking for pictures of Fried Rice in Curry Gravy to put up in this entry but to no avail. I guess I was right in the sense that this recipe was tad too bizarre for most.  Image Credits: http://www.copykat.com; http://mw2.google.com - Voxeros Happy Lunar New Year  From the hive of scum and villany, the CowBoyBar wishes one and all a very happy Lunar New Year.HUAT AH! - Voxeros The Temasek Review Of Mark Chow  The Temasek Review (10 Feb 2010) - YPAP Member Mark Chow Flip-flops On Being Gay For those who are unfamiliar with Mark Chow's molest case, read the related article below.The way I see it, he is not gay but just saying that to lessen the damage as a result of his molestation of his staff.I supposed if one is gay then any attacks will be perceived as less sexual predatory and hence be viewed as a lesser charge?Nice try but if I were the judge, I won't buy it. I would strike that off as a lame attempt to worm himself out of what he has done.Ok. Enough of that. The point of this entry is not about the case but rather about the headline deployed by The Temasek Review."YPAP Member". Is there a need to mention his membership affiliation? Seriously, what has his YPAP membership has to do with his molestation case? If nothing, then why bring this up?I smell a smear. It is ironic that in their "About Us" page, they claimed "...balanced and unbiased coverage..." and yet they come up with content like this.Can't say much about quality there, now can we? There are a lot of PAP bashing articles in this website (which is fine because we are all free to express our views), riding on emotions at a time when the people are quite unhappy with the current PAP gahmen. But seriously, is the current PAP gahmen really so bad?You and I both know that they are not perfect and even further from that in recent years but certainly not to the extent to warrant crucifixion. So what's with all the polar sentiments? So. The $raits Times vs The Temasek Review. I'd still read both but with equal measure of salt pinch as I feel the element of bullshit is about 6 ounces on one side and 170 grams on the other. Related Article:The $traits Times (11 Dec 2009) - Mark Chow In More Trouble  Image Credit: http://www.straitstimes.com- Voxeros Vote Out PAP? I Don't Think So. The above is a Youtube clip posted and possibly created by a certain Wendy Neo, urging Singaporeans to vote out the People's Action Party in the coming Singapore General Elections.First and foremost, I DO NOT endorse nor approve this message.It is my wish to vote in more opposition to have a more balance voice in Parliament but to vote out PAP is a tad too knee-jerk drastic. On the report card, the PAP has not exactly failed us but I want something above a mere C- grade. Hence a total overhaul of the Singapore Gahmen 未免动作太大了一点? We want evolution. Not revolution. I want the people of the nation to get rid of the freeloading useless under performing MPs who snuck into Parliament under the cloak of the GRC. In their place, we welcome good capable men and women to step forward, work hard and earn their seat in the Gahmen the rightful way. Then and only then will they appreciate the value of their position and remember the folks who had supported and put them there.Think about it, do we even know if the new opposition is good enough to take over the entire Gahmen? Yes, we currently have a few good people in the opposing camp like Chiam See Tong, Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim and perhaps Kenneth Jeyaratnam as well but certainly not enough in numbers to take over the Gahmen.We have to be careful when we bring in alternative candidates. We cannot happy happy just bring in people for the sake of filling up the numbers.I said time and again (read below),  Never Vote The Village Idiot Just To Spite The Arrogant Incumbent.  I am staunchly against the unfairness of the GRC concept to the extent to which I felt is downright cheating. Untested candidates sliding in on the coat tails of strong incumbents is cowardly. I repeat. It's cowardly. Do we want cowards to lead us? I apply the same yardstick to the opposition too. No one is to enter via the backdoor. Absolutely no one. Let's bring back the 1-to-1 fights of the good old days. Let's bring back the Single-Seat Wards. Let them undergo the baptism of fire and not hide away like cowards. I believe this is the only way that we can be assured that the victor is one who is worthy to serve the interest of the people before self.Even if it is an uncontested ward, let's put in a referendum and let people give their blessings to the walkover candidate. This my friends, is democracy in its true spirit.  JayWalk (14 Apr 2006) - Elections By Jaywalk JayWalk (26 Oct 2006) - Dumbass Of The Week V JayWalk (27 Mar 2008) - Lessons From The Elections - Part 4 of 5JayWalk (28 Mar 2008) - Lessons From The Elections - Part 5 of 5 - Voxeros Happy 6th Birthday!  This blog is 6 years old today at Blog-City!Actually, it should date back to even further but I am just going to count the entries here.For those who have just arrived here not long ago, here's a history of JayWalk, previously known as Voxeros. JayWalk (27 Mar 2005) - Me, My Blog & I - The Road Up To Now* This is Part 1 of a 3-parter series. Links to Parts 2 & 3 are at the bottom of Part 1. Enjoy. Anyway, a word of thanks for walking along with me on this journal path of chronology and especially to those who have been with me since the start of my journals here at Blog-City. Thank you. Image Credit: http://images0.cafepress.com - Voxeros Chinatown Heritage Centre & Singapore City Gallery  http://www.plurk.com/p/3mu0d6  Had a meeting in the morning at China Square and thought since I was already out an in the area, why not check out the Chinatown Heritage Centre then the Red Dot Museum?It was a short walk two streets away and not difficult to locate as they were prominent signs around.If you are local, do ask for the relevant discounts. Otherwise, the entrance fee is SGD 10.00 and do not expect them to make the effort to ask. It's a nice place to step in especially when you are in the heart of noisy Chinatown. It was very refreshing to step into the suddenly quietness and not to mention away from the sweltering heat into air-conditioned bliss.Slightly unfortunately for me, I was right behind a Primary school tour and the serenity was shattered by a hoard of excitable school kids with the teacher trying without much success to restore order among the children.The place is quite enclosed as it was built within an existing old shop house. Overtaking them would not be an option as I would missed quite a chunk of the exhibits.Then suddenly, all was quiet as though the whole group of teachers and students vanished into thin air.I continued to walk on before I realised why. http://www.plurk.com/p/3muj3m  Looks like the teachers herded the kids along rather hurriedly. LOL! Well, let's just say I got the peace and quiet that I want for the rest of the tour. :) CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE 48 Pagoda Street Singapore 059207Website: http://www.chinatownheritagecentre.sg/ Opening Hours: 9am to 8pm daily (last admission at 7pm)  http://www.plurk.com/p/3mvkur  Next on, I kept walking towards Maxwell Road towards Red Dot Museum when I remembered en route there is the URA Singapore City Gallery and decided to make a pit stop. An excellent decision, if I may proudly add.    It has a 3D map of Singapore detailing every single building currently standing on the island. Way cool.I have to resist my utmost urge to want to climb onto the models and pretend to Godzilla and stomp my way through CBD. Haha.Then I recalled a friend telling me to act like Ultraman and fight monsters but then hor, I think it would be too painful when I land my butt on these wooden model buildings.Better to just stick to Godzilla lah. :P  SINGAPORE CITY GALLERY45 Maxwell Road, The URA Centre, Singapore 069118Website: http://www.ura.gov.sg/galleryOpening hours: Mondays to Saturdays 9.00am to 5.00pmClosed on Sundays and public holidays. http://www.plurk.com/p/3mvmir Last stop, Red Dot Museum but unfortunately the place was closed.Till the next visit before I blog about it then. Sorry! :(  Image Credit: http://lh5.ggpht.com- Voxeros David Saul Marshall  I stopped by the section dedicated to Singapore's First Chief Minister, David Saul Marshall (12 Mar 1908 ~ 31 Dec 1995) and it was here where I spent the most time during my earlier visit to the National Museum.Ask any Singaporean kid who were the founding fathers of modern Singapore and don't be surprised if their answers cannot go beyond Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Sadly, kids these days are under the impression that Singapore was built up single-handedly by our current Minister Mentor.Prominent names like Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee, Rajaratnam and even Kandasamy, just to named a few were unjustly cast into the shadows.Then we also have those that were not from the ruling party PAP. Names like Devan Nair and Lim Chin Siong, just to name a few as well fared worse as they shared even lesser of the Singapore history spotlight. And then, there was David Marshall, who later moved on to set up the Worker's Party of today. Granted that challengers from the opposition parties have different philosophies, they nevertheless also approached policies in the interest of Singapore, albeit via a different perspective that is not agreeable to the PAP. In short, they were patriots too.(Click To Enlarge) The above picture shows a pamplet urging constituents to vote for David Marshall.Take clues from the pamphlet, I am guessing this is either for the 1959 General Elections where he lost in Cairnhill or the 1961 By-Elections where he won in Anson.Anyway, I studied what they "stood for" as printed in the pamphlet and three words caught my eye. Arrogance of Authority Strangely how something that was drafted almost 50 years ago resonated in my heart half a century later over these 3 words.I believe I am not the only one out there feeling this.You know how sometimes you are able to smell the air to know that there is going to a drastic change in the weather?Well, I am starting to smell it.Are you too?  Afterthought: The elections are just around the corner and more and more people are getting jaded with the current gahmen and may be seeking alternatives to resolve that.Granted that PAP has done a great job for the country since day 1. From the days of being an abandoned child to that of a leading beacon in the region. Credit must not be taken away from them for all the work they have done. Still, the next vote that you cast should not be a token of appreciation for all that has been done. I can think of 3 million reasons too many, that we have already thanked them more than enough.The next vote is not for the past. It is for the future, based on what we see in the present.Problem is that I don't like what I am seeing right now.PAP should still return to power at the end of the day but the people will be introducing more opposition to trim away the unwanted fats and dead weights that has dragged the gahmen down over the years. It is time to clean up the house.Trackback: JayWalk (02 Feb 2010) - National Museum Of Singapore  - Voxeros Singapore Goes Gay For Malaysia Day     The year 1963 was an era of a more innocent time where the world "gay" means happy, gleeful and jovial.Fast forward to the modern day of the year two thousand and ten and it is a whole different meaning which led me to snicker uncontrollably, much to the displeasure of the people within earshot, who too know what I was thinking. To make matters worse, I had to part them like Moses parted the Red Sea to take a picture of this poster. They were not too amused.For the uninitiated, here's a quick low-down on Malaysia Day and what's so gay about it. *snicker* We know 1959 and we know 1965. The former was Singapore being granted full internal self-government status by the British Empire. The latter was Singapore's gaining independence as a republic.So what happened in 1963?It must be noted that without Malaysia Day, Singapore cannot complete the jigsaw puzzle and account how we jumped from self government in 1959 to independence in 1965. So it is quite baffling why this particular historical event was left out of our lower secondary history books?16 Sep 1963 was the day that Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah?), Sarawak and Singapore formed the Malaysian Federation or simply put, Malaysia.We sometimes refer our Malaysian neighbours as 联邦人. 联邦 in English means FederationSo now you know how that came about. Trackback: JayWalk (02 Feb 2010) - National Museum Of Singapore- Voxeros Singapore 25-Dollar Note   I remember telling people in the past that there was such a thing as a legal tender note of 25 Singapore dollars.Nobody believed me.Well, I found this at the National Museum. So there. Trackback: JayWalk (02 Feb 2010) - National Museum Of Singapore - Voxeros National Museum Of Singapore   I went down to the National Museum again yesterday as I wasn't able to complete the visit during my last trip. Yeah, there were THAT MANY things to see in there and I, for one, am the type who like to take my own sweet time to soak in everything.It's kinda fun to get lost inside all on your own. I guess that's part of my Quiet Me Time. For a moment, just step out of the hectic hustle-bustle, and for a while, just fall off the radar, disappearing into the abyss of silent serenity.During this second visit, I only visited the Singapore History Gallery where I was only done halfway when they had to close at 6pm during my last visit. I took 2-1/2 hours to complete the remaining portion of the gallery which kinda tell you how much time you need to allocate if you want to complete the National Museum visit.Mind you, there is more than one gallery in that building. There is also the Singapore Living Galleries in addition to several ad-hoc exhibitions held from time to time.The National Museum visit has always been an item on my Bucket List and it is embarrassing to admit that I took THAT LONG to check it out when I travel past it almost every other week.Even more embarrassing is the fact that I ish National Museum virgin. Well, not anymore now! Being an avid story teller, I always love a good story. So what better than one that is about the very piece of earth that you are standing on? I have learnt a lot and possibly some of the best hours of my life that I've spent. Here's one of what I have learnt.We all know Sir Stamford Raffles founded the city of Singapore back in 1819. However, what people don't know was that it was Major William Farquhar who did most, if not all the work of transforming Singapore. The former was possibly a mere figurehead who perhaps is needed for his signature on papers.Then we also know that Farquhar was later on fired as he deviated from Raffles' city master plan due to lack of funds. A conflict ensued and the East India Company took the side of Sir Stamford Raffles and subsequently influenced the historians to archive in favour of Raffles.So here's the thing. We have schools, golf club, hospitals, hotel, beer and even a airline cabin class named after Raffles today. Imagine, if the EIC hadn't kelonged the historians, none of these would have existed.Farquhar Junior College, anyone? More little snippets of what caught my eye at the Museum in the next few days. Stay tuned.  Related Links:JayWalk (03 Feb 2010) - Singapore 25-Dollar NoteJayWalk (04 Feb 2010) - Singapore Goes Gay For Malaysia DayJayWalk (05 Feb 2010) - David Saul Marshall - Voxeros RunForFunds Update Jan 2010  A little update from Adrian as we haven't heard from him for quite sometime. His update also covered the Maximise Your Potential Award ceremony held last year in August.  This time, there will be no race updates. For the first time since 2002, I didn't take part in the StanChart Marathon because of a back injury, L5-S1 nerve impingement.So the average finishing time in 2009 was reduced significantly, with one significant plodder out of the way(Recently, there was an impassioned Straits Times discussion on whether to allow slow runners, plodders, to participate in the Singapore Marathon)With physiotherapy and chiropractic sessions, I'm recovering well from my degenerative disc condition.I put on my running shoes again in mid Dec 09 and have started my training for the Adidas Sundown Marathon in May 2010.For starters, I'm taking slow, steady steps with 5-7km runs @ 10km/hr pace, 5 times a week. Below are RunForFunds updates since Aug 2009.  2009 is a year of change for RunForFunds and its partners. Read on and find out more.  Thanks for your continued concern and support of the RunForFunds movement.  Cheers, aL         Maximize Your Potential (MYP) award ceremony @ Geylang Methodist School (Primary)    This year, I'm proud to announce that RunForFunds is giving out a record number of MYP awards @ Geylang Methodist School (Primary), GMSP 20 students of which 11 are new recipients and for one recipient, it is his 3rd award: 7 Primary Three 6 Primary Four 5 Primary Five 2 Primary SixThe award ceremony, hosted by teachers Jessie Soh and Theresa Thong, was held on 29th August. It was attended by the parents of the students as well as supporters of RunForFunds. This year's ceremony adopted a different format. Instead of me speaking to the students and their parents (which should be as interesting as watching paint dry), I had 2 guest speakers.  The aim was twofold. To inspire the kids andTo educate their parents of potential financial pitfalls that could affect their quality of life. RunForFunds supporter Sheena Ho shared how she overcame financial challenges at home to pursue her tertiary education.  Message to the students:  Don't give up even when the going gets tough.    RunForFunds SuperFriend (ie. day one supporter) Jason Chen related real-life stories to the students' parents how he tried to help people break free from the abyss of gambling entrapments and how bad debts (with loan sharks) destroy lives. Message to the students' parents:  Do not seek easy solutions to their financial hardships and land up in deeper ditches.    The personal sharings were well received by the parents and the students who later told me that these were timely reminders as the current economic crisis posed greater challenges to their already strained financial situations. It helped them realize there is no "easy money" and that a good education is probably the best way of breaking the poverty cycle.  Below is a pic of the thank-you cards prepared by the students for RunForFunds supporters.(I am safekeeping them for you... haha !)Note: I apologize for not posting pics of the event. They were blur because I brought a camera that people didn't know how to use properly (neither do I actually… haha !). My fault. (JW: I managed to take some photos of the event. --> Click Here.)  New Principal @ GMSP  Miss Mabel Wee retired as principal of GMSP earlier this year.  Taking over the helm of the school administration is Ms Rina Yap (Mrs Liang).  In my interactions with Rina, I find her to be a principal "with a caring heart" who is committed to evoke positive changes in the lives of her students.  She is extremely supportive of the RunForFunds movement and in the coming months, we'll be discussing how RunForFunds can better assist underprivileged students. An example is the some MYP students were enrolled in a school enrichment program. It is an experiential learning session: Sand castle building.  The students were taught that it takes hard work to build a castle and that a firm foundation is critical.  Rina invited me to speak to the students after that session and my impression was that they learnt an experiential lesson that was hard to forget.   In my discussions with Rina, I expressed my desire to provide continued support for MYP kids who have graduated from GMSP.  For those who moved on to GMSS (Secondary, which is just opposite the primary school), we will work out a way to extend the MYP.  For your info, GMSS also changed its school principal in 2009.  As for those who have gone to other schools, we'll have to figure out how to provide support in a meaningful and sustainable way.        D'Joy Children's Centre   D'Joy continues to serve the children and parents in the Jalan Besar area.  In its 2009 annual report, RunForFunds was mentioned.  RunForFunds provided study aids and equipment + defraying costs for medical bills of a student @ D'Joy.  Bovis Lend Lease, led by Jerry O' Sullivan (BLL, my previous company, has several RunForFunds supporters) also provided cyclical maintenance on a pro-bono basis with RunForFunds sponsoring part of the bill.  D'Joy also has a change in management in 2009.  Janet Leong is now the principal of D'Joy.  I will be liaising with Janet on ways to extend the partnership that RunForFunds has with D'Joy.  This year, I also plan to engage BLL early in the year to see if they are prepared to chip in as well.   Work at D'Joy is a labour of love as it changes the lives of children from challenging family backgrounds.  Dinah and I were invited to the graduation ceremony of the kindergarten kids.  They put up a heartwarming performance for parents and teachers.  Hopefully, the lessons that they've learnt @ D'Joy will serve as firm foundations as they grow up.  Attached are some pics. Looking ahead   In 2010, RunForFunds will be looking to leverage the success at GMSP and extending it to GMSS through partnerships with both principals in one committee.  We will also assess the feasibility of RunForFunds supporters mentoring some of these kids.  As for D'Joy, it will continue to be an area of focus for RunForFunds.  We will plug gaps where the government can't, hopefully with corporate sponsorships.  So if your company wants to give back to society, please let me know.     Have a blessed year ahead.    Cheers, aL- Voxeros  CasiNo? CasiYes? - Revisited   JayWalk (25 Apr 2005) - CasiNo? CasiYes? A trip down memory lane. 25 Apr 2005 to be exact when I pointed out the Gahmen's lame attempt to play down the word "casino" and replaced it with "integrated resort". Fast forward to almost 5 years later. Oh guess what is the word at the top of the entrance? FAIL. Image Credit: http://sheylara.com/ - Voxeros Dumbass XIII Aftermath  Reuters via The Temasek Review (22 Jan 2010) - McDonald’s Says SorryI am glad the people at McDoDo finally woke up their bladdy ideas and realised just how stupid they were.I guess they were afraid of offending the Hindus as well, when they omitted the sacred cow from their cow senses. No?Kudos for taking up the big ad of apology (click image on right to enlarge) in the $traits Times dated 22 Jan 2010. Please feel free the dock the wages of the PR department to pay for the big ad.Still, I wasn't 100% satisfied with the apology as they made it sound the unforeseen problem came out of the blue and they responded promptly to resolve it. Hence, a well-deserved pat on their own backs for "being closely connected with the local market". Yeah right. Bruff who? Let's face it, the problem was there like an elephant in the room the moment the idea to omit the piggy plush was mooted. It was there from day 00, so don't give me the crap that nobody saw it then. We have celebrated countless number of Years of the Zodiac Pig in Singapore and it is only in 2010 (about 7,000 years since the beginning of the Chinese civilisation) when some Einstein woke up to the epiphany one day that a piggy plush toy (technically, it was a robot cat in a piggy suit) may offend our Muslim brothers and sisters? Seriously, if the ad line had been "We're sorry. We were stupid.", I would have gone straight out of the house to the nearest McDonalds and order a full Big Mac meal with upsize, just to show my appreciation. Yeah. Even if they are my least favourite burger joint. - Voxeros China's Population Mystery Solved  The LA Times (21 Jan 2010) - China's Latest Scandal Is Counterfeit Condoms Got this in the email from my cousin Nick today.As we all know, everything these days is made in China. Unfortunately, it also meant counterfeit stuff.I guess I am still tolerant to fake Duracell batteries, LV handbags, Gucci shoes and of course, all the bootleg DVDs.But I draw the line where these factories risked the lives of people for the sake of money.From fake milk laced with melamine to boost the protein count, to the pickled white asparagus made from disposable chopsticks, to roast pigeon made from alley rat meat with the help of food colouring and flavouring. These folks should be rounded up and shot. And now, we have fake condoms without proper quality control as well as hygiene standards. Vegetable oil as lubricant??! WTF?? These folks should be rounded up and shot. In the mean time, we now know why China is the most populous country in the world, other than the fact that their TV programs suck monkey balls. (Ok, that was a joke, in case you didn't realise that.) Image Credit: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com- Voxeros Money Grubbing FIFA The Temasek Review (16 Jan 2010) - FIFA Now Asking For Higher Price After SingTel-Starhub Bidding War Over EPL The $traits Times (16 Jan 2010) - Fifa Asking For Too Much The $traits Times (20 Jan 2010) - Fans May Miss All Matches The $traits Times (22 Jan 2010) - Govt Won't Fund World Cup FIFA asking price for broadcast rights of the 2010 $outh Africa FIFA World Cup is $100 million (currency?). That is a whopping increase of $85 million from the last 2006 World Cup!I say FIFA can take their world cup and shove it up their asses. We will not be held hostage.Yes, football may be the most popular game on Earth but the planet will not stop revolving just because it isn't available. If you tell me that it is $5 or 10 million more than the last one, I would still say the increase is reasonable. But a jump of several multiples is just plain daylight robbery.I say we stand our ground and not give in. We were stupid the first time flashing all that money with the EPL bidding war and triggering FIFA's greed. Nope. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.Let's face it. If we give in this time, how much do you think they are going to rob us again in 4 years' time?The buck stops here.It was the most beautiful game in the world. It is ugly now. - Voxeros How Can We Help? Sassyjan (20 Jan 2010) - Desperate Call For Help: Loanshark…TodayOnline (21 Jan 2010) - Victim Blogs About Her Ordeal This photo was taken at 7am, 20 Jan 2010. That's front door of my friend, Sassyjan's place, courtesy of the loan sharks kicking it down. This, a week after they came by to splash paint on the front door as you can see in the picture, which the family has yet to clean up. They were after her dad, whom by the way, passed away end of October last year. It's been more than two months since and they are still harrassing the family. I mean, come on! The man is dead. You harrass the family for what? Then the strange thing was that when the IOU was requested for verification, the loan sharks weren't able to produce it. So tell me, perhaps this is a scam? Naturally, police report was lodged a long long time ago but I am concerned about the lack of action taken by the police thus far. My rationale was that until last week, there was no real crime committed since it was just verbal threats over the phone. I would even excuse the police for not taking more action on the paint splash as that can be simply classified as an act of mischief. But surely the destroying of somebody's front door is enough case for the police to take this more seriously? Unfortunately, attempts to contact the Investigation Office In-Charge proved futile. The fella no sound no picture as of the time this is written. 17 hours since the door was destroyed. This reminds me of a conversation with a taxi driver and this was his very memorable quote many years back...: "唉呀.  法律是用来保护有钱人而已的啦! 哪里有我们这些老百姓的份?" Back then, I just laughed it off and was amused at his cynicism. But now, thinking back.... Is it possible that he was actually telling me something that I was oblivious to all these years as a Singaporean citizen? Do you supposed he was right all this while? I can't help but felt my confidence in "The System" waver. I also wonder how many other people are in the same plight as Sassyjan who are suffering in silence. Silence, not because she cannot cry for help. Silence, because the people who have taken the oath to uphold the law, the very same people who we had faith that they will protect us and our propeties, are not listening? Please tell me I am wrong. My fellow Barflies, plurk friends, twitter friends, facebook friends and/or blogger friends as well as my dear readers, I call for everyone to chip in and help out. Spread the word and create awareness. Let's do it everywhere. Blog, facebook, twitter, plurk. Everywhere. Let everyone know that we will not bow down to thuggery. Let the gutsy Sassyjan know that she is not fighting this alone. She still has our support even if the majority of us can only support in spirit.My fellow Singaporeans, Is it me or has our Ministry Of Home Affairs been handing in sub-par report cards of late? I may be absolutely wrong here but somehow my heart felt otherwise. Why? Some say it's because the current police force is already stretched to the limits but I say bollocks, you tell me this for what? If you know the problem, what is stopping you from taking steps to resolve it? Perhaps it is time for a change in the Ministry's leadership is due. The next general elections is just around the corner. If the gahmen don't change it, then perhaps the power of the people will do it for them. Let's hear the people speak. Soon. Image Credit: sassyjan - Voxeros Association Of Bloggers (Singapore) - FAIL    I wondered if anyone still remember the Association of Bloggers (Singapore)?Well, today marks the first anniversary of the association's formation. I wonder if it is not already dead.Let's see what they have achieved over the year.6 entries on their official blog.2 committee members left..... is it just 1?Nothing. Happy Anniversary AOBS!! *yay* *throw confetti* p.s. Hmm... is it me of does Association of Bull Shit also share the same acronym. Coincidence? You decide! p.p.s. For a good laugh from the past, go to http://blog.dk.sg/2009/01/19/association-of-bloggers-singapore/ . Image Credit: - scooters61- Voxeros Dumbass Of The Week XIII Hey! What d'ya know? No Es!! CNNGO (12 Jan 2010) - McDonald's In Singapore: The Pig Toy Fiasco Major faux pas on the part of McDonald's Singapore marketing department that certain deserve the firing of every single one of them in that office.So the Chinese New Year just around the corner that they are pushing a Doraemon plush toy promotion (Happy Meal?) where the cute robot kitty is dressed up in the costume of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.Well 11 to be exact as they yanked the robot cat in pig costume to take Muslim sensitivity into consideration.Here's what gotten my nut sack all twisted and knotted.From a commercial point of view, how is selling an incomplete set going to work?Seriously, it is like selling a Scrabble set but the E letters are missing. (You can still spell other words what? Like cats, work, mortician what. No need the E lah! The robot cat in pig costume was taken out so as not to offend the Muslims but have they considered the feelings of the Chinese by offering an incomplete set?If this country is "regardless of race, language or religion", then why is one bending over to make way for another?On this token, we may as well ban beef on their menus since many Buddhist and all Hindus do not take beef.I seriously don't get this paranoid overreaction. It is after all just a plush toy. A ROBOT CAT IN A PIG COSTUME!! How on earth is that going to be offensive to our Muslim brothers??!!Are we to ban celebration of Chinese New Year every 12 years just because it's the year of the robot cat in pig costume?We are in a country where we live together in harmony but surely as much as we respect the Muslim faith, our Muslim brothers would just as happy to respect our Chinese beliefs?ARE WE NOT ON A TWO-WAY STREET HERE? Image Credit: http://www.cnngo.com- Voxeros Just For Laughs Gags Asia - Not Funny  If anyone recalls the lame prank the MediaCorpse pulled luring working actors to a bogus audition only to play Gotcha!,Read Here -->  My Reelity (26 May 2009) - No Laughing Matter.The trailers of the program are all over the airwaves and its impending launch is just round the corner.Given how lousy and lame-assed it's going to be, I'd be sure to make an effort NOT to watch it.I rather read Bandung Vader's blog than watch this crappy show. Really. Not funny. Not funny at all. Image Credit: http://img4.sidereel.com- Voxeros The Fourth Door   For those who have been following, I spoke about the Three Doors currently presented to me albeit all three of them has yet to open.As at the time of this entry, Door #2 has officially been dead bolted which leaves me with #1 and #3. Problem is that it's been more than a couple of weeks already and I have yet to hear even a squeak.The glimmer of hope diminishes with each passing day.I need to find something soon as money is a finite number and will run out one day if I do not reverse the cashflow.Here's the thing that I didn't mention earlier. There is a Fourth Door.It has been opened for me way back as early as 2006. I have always held it back as it is one of those decisions that once you make it, there is no turning back.As bountiful as the rewards at the other side of the door awaits, the price of the sacrifice to pay over on this side is not small either.Like Doraemon's 任意门, this door opens to another part of the world. Throw a stone in each direction and you will hit a Spitlander, a Russian, a Mongolian & a N0rth Korean. Yes, this place is going to be more ulu than Mordor that the people of Mordor will refuse to come coz they'd be complaining that it's too far. Oh and did I mention it's -7 degrees Celsius there right now?Anyway, I gave myself till end of January to make a decision to walk through that door if no other door open for me. 20 more days to go. Will any of the current door open or perhaps even a Sixth Door? Image Credit: http://fashion.cqnews.net - Voxeros Sunday Night Chill    Sunday night. Blogging. That's ruok's blog on the screen as I can taking some reference off it for my next entry.Amaretto in hand with the TV tuned to OKTO. Gone Shopping, a local production starring Adrian Pang & Kym Ng, is screening at the moment.According to ruok, the film tanked at the local box office which is a real shame. It's not too bad what!It seems that our local folks still aren't appreciating local films sans the commercial Jack Neo fare. Sure, I have had my fare share of local crap (Sorry Sheylara!), but Gone Shopping as it is still screening as I blog still not bad.I have been a avid supporter of the local arts in the area of Theatre and Film. Looks like I will be staying home tuned to OKTO on Sunday nights from now on. - Voxeros 12 Days Of Ris-mas I got this from KingMeng's plurk (Thanks dude!) and my gawd, it was funny as hell.Yeah I know Christmas is over for quite sometime already but this deserves an honourable plug on my blog.Enjoy and have a barrel of laughs everybody! Well done, STAGES and kudos to you Sir, Mr Jonathan Lim!HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Trackback: 03 Oct 2009 - How Low Can You Go? Ris Low! - Voxeros Sian XMM Series Episode XVIII  Hi folks, it's been more than a year since we had a Sian XMM episode. Today special guest star is none other than our Goddess Of Ten Thousand Shots (GOTTS)!!Below is the MSN conversation. Enjoy. .Session Start : Thu Jan 07 19:46:12 2010 (8:28 PM) GOTTS: hmmmm are you trying to trade for for my boddington *hides the cans* hahahah(8:29 PM) JayWalk: eh.... your 2 cans still haven't drink yet???!! (8:30 PM) GOTTS: ya somehow (8:30 PM) JayWalk: i think spoil liao (8:30 PM) GOTTS: but they look very pweety (8:30 PM) JayWalk: drink liao keep the can lor. (8:30 PM) JayWalk: or open top small small then stick straw in. (8:30 PM) GOTTS: will spoil one meh? (8:30 PM) JayWalk: you got check the expiry date underneath bor? (8:31 PM) GOTTS: neber (8:31 PM) JayWalk: go check now. sekali expire liao (8:31 PM) GOTTS: choy! (8:31 PM) JayWalk: go check now. go go! (8:32 PM) GOTTS: one may10 one jul10 la (8:32 PM) JayWalk: BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! (8:33 PM) JayWalk: 你很好骗 leh!!! (8:33 PM) GOTTS: (8:34 PM) JayWalk: ngek ngek ngek ngek.....Session Close : Thu Jan 07 21:25:10 2010 .  Image Credit: http://cottinghamtaiwan.com; http://www.alizafar.net- Voxeros 2010 First Wala Wala   We were shuttling from one end of the island to the other as we had 2 birthday bashes to attend.Wala Wala was the second one which had a Cross-Dressing theme. Jeff's gang were simply hilarious! Apparently there was another themed party going on that night but I think we cowered them into a heap with our Singapore Girl, Britney Spears, Charlie Chaplin & Co. It was a relatively big turnout and everybody had a blast!Great party!Happy New Year, y'all! - Voxeros First Morning Of 2010  It's morning of a new dawn, a new year and a new decade.2009 pretty much sucked for everybody and here's wishing one and all a better year ahead. - Voxeros Happy New Year 2010 password protected entry