Comment on Maybe Singapore should ban this as well… by victim Beware of Project Media P L. Comment on Are you “naughty by nature”-d? by Diana Dear Members, I’ve already lodge a police report against Naughty by Nature (NbyN) and the Police are still investigating this matter. I was told if I wanna proceed to do a claim under SCT, I may do so.. if not I can wait till the IO update me on any latest updates. Any members who lodge a police report too? Comment on Are you “naughty by nature”-d? by Ling reading these comments “please update me” if anybody doing anything makes me sick. Singaporeans are so cash rich and complacent.. sit there and wait. Wait lor ,wait some more your money surely won’t come back. I was a victim myself too, the most basic thing you can do for yourself is go to Small Claims Tribunal. You will sure get some amount of money back if not full. Don’t do anything sit infront of computer, justice will not drop from the sky. nobody do anything, wait for somebody do some legal action, nothing will happen. the more cases go to Tribunal, the better. And yet you people just choose to write here and wait for someone to do something. No wonder such scams can happen in singapore. singaporeans…. ai…. Comment on Maybe Singapore should ban this as well… by Darren I am a victim from a timeshare company club emperor and then transferred by them to universal privilege many years back. i serviced all my payment until the point whereby they were supposed to honor me with my first cash-back. Of course they didn’t pay me and in return, I did not pay anymore maintenance fee. Many years have past, would they be in any position to ask for arrears from me? They failed to honor the contract first before I breech any statement from it. Comment on Are you “naughty by nature”-d? by Mindy Lee I am also a victim. I took up a package in Mar 07 and paid S$4k for it, I have yet to utilise the package and collect any photo albums. I would also like to be included in the group to take legal action against NBYN. Please contact me at mindy.leemy@gmail.com. Comment on Mobile Broadband: Starhub vs. M1 (the low-down aka where to park your money’s worth) by HAMEED bad.worst.defective.faulty.wrong.incorrect.forged.high risk.regretful.risky.sorry.spoiled.unfit.unworthy.atrocious.trapped.cornered.bitter.slow.deadly.dim.dull.boring.slack.sluggish.ALL ABOUT MY M1 MOBILE BROADBAND CONNECTION.STILL SEARCHING FOR MORE WORDS.WILL BE BACK WITH NEW,,,,, Comment on Are you “naughty by nature”-d? by Ashish Seksaria I am also a victim, I had bought package for 3.5k. 2 years back & never had any photo taken. If anyone is forming a joint group to fight legal case againt NBN then I will be willing to join. pls mail me on my id – seksaria.ashish@gmail.com Comment on Orchard Road Floods by Unknown The girl who took that dumb video, why u say Starbucks ? What if people say something about ur shop if you have a shop like what you did to Starbucks? ” Look at starbucks , tsktsktsk ” Comment on Orchard Road Floods by Michelle Tan Omg omg omg. I never thought that Orchard Road would flood~ Comment on Are you “naughty by nature”-d? by Evelyn Wu I am a victim too. Took up package in Jan 2009 cos i was pregnant then and wanted to start on yearly family pix. They did send someone down for daughter’s first month in Sept 2009 and i went for one makeover in december 2009. To make matters worse, I am a victim of Wax In The City as well. Truly faint. Pls update me if anything. Thanks. Evelyn Wu evedawu@gmail.com 96810543 Orchard Road Floods It was almost unimaginable, but… who would have thought that Orchard Road would flood? Flood at the junction of Scotts Road and Orchard Road. Photo credit to Vin Go. Heavy rains in Singapore started since yesterday, but it was only this morning that the flood gates were, well, literally opened. Searches for the term “Orchard Road Flood” would have gained you many more photographs. Fresh in the minds of almost every Singaporean would have been the “freak” flood that happened last year in December at Bukit Timah – resulting in millions worth of cars being sent for repairs or scrapped and tens of students, if not hundreds, being stranded at bus stops. Well, it seems like the freakiness happened again – just that it spread all over Paterson Road, Scotts Road, Orchard Road, (Upper?) Thomson Road and their vicinity. And oh, I heard that the (yet-to-be-opened?) Wendy’s at Liat Towers is flooded, along with the neighbouring shopping centers; and I thought my friend was kidding when he told me that the cars seemed like they were floating along the AYE; but when I saw the flood of pictures (pun intended) coming in, I was just so glad that I didn’t have to go out today. Of course, this probably means that I will not be having my regular espresso at the Liat Towers Starbucks anytime soon. The Starbucks at Liat Towers flooded till the stairs. Worse is Wendy's next to it, which I think hasn't opened yet. Photo credit unknown - please notify the editors if the owner is known And… I hope you are not a Hermes fan too… More videos after the break. Hermes at Liat Towers flooded till the stairs. Photo credit unknown - please notify the editors if the owner is known Editor: I was told this is “水货” redefined. Lol. More videos Football: The hype over 20-odd people running after a ball? As a child, I remember my dad sitting in front of the television with his eyes glued to the screen, watching what I vividly recall, 20-odd people chasing after a ball – with my dad giving the occasional euphoria when a ball enters a net. Of course, I couldn’t understand why he didn’t always seem excited whenever a ball goes into a net, but all I remembered was my dad’s appointments with the television gave me the license to stay up late into the night. Needless to say, I grew up not enjoying what I subsequently learnt was football – or soccer, depending on which part of the world you are at. Alas, when I was in varsity, the football craze came about and there was nothing much I could do except to join in the late nights with my friends. Gee… even my female counterparts got glued to the telly, which I suspected was the works of their boyfriends. Eventually, I succumbed to the evil side my peers and decided to watch the game seriously for once. Seriously – because instead of watching 22 people or so, running after a ball, I decided to learn more about the sport. Frankly, I didn’t get to retain much of what I learnt. “Off-side”, “throw-in” and “penalties” are probably all that I can remember now, and frankly, I can’t really remember what an “off-side” is, although I am sure I know what a “sunny-side up” is However, as recent as a couple of years back, my dad lost interest in watching football. I remembered calling up Starhub to purchase what would have been the remaining few telecasts of the matches ‘live’, before I headed off out of the town for a short trip – amidst all the late nights that my friends would have engaged. I figured that it’d have been better for me to spend some late nights elsewhere shopping Just as I thought this would have been a good idea, I found out to my dismay that… English is no longer the language of the world – at least not during football season. What in fact is, is the language of football! Pubs, night markets and even 24-hour convenience stores all seemed to have that little telly broadcasting ‘live’ matches of the omniscient sport. *palm faced* Fast-forwarding to today… soccer – which I clearly remember was quite affordable in the last decade, somehow became a multi-billion dollar industry. Well, perhaps it had always been this way, but I guess it was only when news broke between Singtel, Starhub and Fifa + World Cup that I was introduced to the capitalism behind it. The thought of consumers having to fork out potentially up to a hundred bucks for ‘live’ matches almost irks me… although the reality today is that it’s probably going to be a lot more cheaper. What people will not be looking forward to – I suspect, are the late nights that are going to happen during ‘live’ matches: people – probably ah beks, gathering at coffee shops with glasses of Tiger beer and peanut shells spread all over the table, people who have probably never eaten McDonald’s burgers for their entire lives glueing their eyes on the LCD TV inside 24-hours McDonald’s restaurants, or perhaps pubs filled to the brim with yuppies who drive flashy BMWs. Of course, I am just generalizing. There is however, one thing that I can’t refute… and that is the pseudo-sense of euphoria that you get whenever the entire neighbourhood screams in ecstasy when their favourite team scores a goal. “And it’s a gooooooooooooooooooooal !!!! What a beautiful pass that was….. !” Oh yeah… going to be hearing that soon ICMED’10: Shanghai, China: Day 0 Just barely after I recovered from an overseas conference, another conference came knocking. This time, it’s to Shanghai, China – where it’s Great Firewall of China can be seen by the whole world without the need of a satellite image. Packing the luggage was a simple repetition of what I did for the Taiwan trip. However, this time round, I decided to be a little more kiasu. I decided to bring my heavy trench coat along just in case a freak cold front happens at Shanghai again. Of course, my physics revision thought me that since it’s winter, the sea releases more heat for every degree drop in temperature and if the wind blows landwards, I should be getting some nice warm sea breeze. Of course, I am not taking any chance and the coat comes with me. The luggage ended up being just a little over 10kg, while my day pack was just a little under that. Heh. I think I get enough training every day from all the carrying around. Anyway, I digress. My trip to Shanghai is on Singapore Airlines and I somehow wonder if I will meet anyone familiar on board. Hmm.. oh well. 12:50pm: Argh! I am late. Got hijacked by my land lady to have her mmmmmm.. nice Chicken Rice. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the car was out of petrol and I had to top it up at the nearby petrol kiosk. The rain didn’t help much at all, but I am glad I got to my parents’ place at just 20 minutes to 2pm. 3:25pm: Got to the airport on time. Heh. I did an e-check-in earlier and decided to join WY and LS for lunch. I took the duck of my duck rice and passed the rice to LS – who had a rather small portion of rice for her mixed rice. Well, I guess food is either expensive at airport, or cheap but little in serving. We were contemplating Popeye’s, but I think LS preferred the foodcourt, WY, being the least fussy amongst us, went along with whatever choice we made One thing I dislike about traveling to a conference is the need to carry in my poster on board. Today, I decided to just check it in – and it got through! Yay! No more fumbling of poster holders in the cabin! Woohoo! 5:25pm: Found out that I forgot to pass LS the ticket stub to be mailed back to Japan! Argh! Needless to say, I had to go through the procedures of getting out of the restricted area if I wanted to go out, which will almost certainly mean that I miss my flight! Thank goodness there was a postal-on-wheels in the transit area and I got my stub sent to Japan. Hopefully it gets there in 1 piece It’s been a while since I was last on an SQ flight. Ah… brings back memories. The seats do seem more crammed than China Airlines’ and Qantas for some strange reason. I always thought that SQ had one of the more comfortable seating arrangements… but perhaps I “thought” wrongly. The familiar chattering of the cabin crew makes the entire cabin livelier, although some people might start to mistake it for a fish market. Then again, perhaps my ears were a little sensitive today. 7:30pm: Saw my Prof on the same flight! I kinda thought he would be on this flight and if I have chosen the front seats, I would have been seated just 1 seat in front of him! Anyway, he was rushing through his grant application while I was rushing through my exam revision. Time flies when you are having fun regardless if you are having fun or not and my exams are just barely a month away! Oh dear! And oh, you know what? Remember that SQ used to have one of the better KrisWorld Entertainment System on board? Well, their Video-On-Demand just became a pseudo-VOD! It seems that despite you going through their Interactive menu, the system still brings you back to the movie that is playing half way! Oh, what a bummer. 10:30pm: The plane finally landed after a 5 hour flight. I spent the remaining hours on flight doing my revision since there wasn’t much of a movie to talk about. I chatted with a cabin crew who would have been my junior. Heh. She was supposed to be on stand-by and had been called up to do a turn. Apparently, she had been doing so many turns that if she did a couple more, it would have been turn-turn-turn-turn (ok, old internal joke here). The small talk was quite nice and I ended up being almost the last one to leave the plane. That chat really made the flight pleasant. 11:30pm: The airport is a pretty new one and there’s no special clearance for diplomats. Oh well, at least the clearance was fast! I got my luggage without much of a hassle. There was apparently a diplomat channel *after* the immigration clearance, but no way am I going to go through that. I saw my Prof and quickly got out of the restricted area. There was someone waiting for him and I got a lift to the hotel too. Along the way, my Prof asked if I could speak Mandarin and he was surprised when I said I could The trip to the airport took a little over 40 minutes along what seemed like a newly built expressway with lots of speed cameras built into it. In fact, the speed cameras kept flashing and I wondered if the taxi driver actually bothered with it. Apparently, it’s very hard to get a taxi from the airport and according to my Prof, the queue could take up to an hour to clear and if you are unlucky, you’d end up being one of the last few to leave the airport. Also, there are apparently taxi drivers/touts who would promise you cheaper fares to the city centre, but that’s allegedly a sham. After hearing this, I was quite pretty glad that I met my Prof on the same flight. 1:30pm: Shanghai turned out to be rather warm. It actually is! I got to the nearby 24-hour convenience store with nothing more than just my polo shirt, jeans and the school jacket! The winds were a little too much though, but nothing that a school jacket can’t handle I got a couple of flavours of cup noodles and a row of Yakult-like stuff. I didn’t get the original Yakult because I remembered not liking terrible. After I got all my stuff and made myself more satisfied from pacifying my tummy, I got on to investigating how I could make the network work for me. As with Murphy’s Law, the brand new RJ-45 Cat 5e cable from Challenger turned out to be a fluke. It didn’t work at all and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure out if my Mac was having some problem. Shame on Challenger! They should have at least tested the connectivity of their cable! To add to that, the mobile router didn’t work as well! Argh! Seems like I have to get some other ways of getting the wireless up. The Mac can probably run wired, but the iPhone is giving a little headache. Damn. I will just have to make do with the wired connection for now. 2:10am: Heh. I experienced first hand the effects of the Great Firewall of China. Facebook – banned. Twitter – banned. Google groups – banned. Plurk – banned. Oh wait, why in the world would they want to ban Plurk?!?! Thank goodness MSN is still alive Apparently many people have found various ways to jump over the Firewall, but most of them just end up falling flat on their faces. Now, the Firewall comes with barbed wire The only thing that is left to do is to get myself registered tomorrow. Let’s hope things go on well. Argh. Exams… Entering the 4th Dimension It’s been a long while since I last been overseas. Last Sunday, I had a chance to go overseas. Well, quite literally over the waters. I went to Sentosa. In the last year that I hadn’t been there, many things have indeed changed – starting from the monorail station, to the stations on the sunny island that’s set in the… sea, to the landscape at Sentosa. I remembered going there frequently with a friend, and his friends for games of beach volleyball. However, he has since married and I guess that’s when the ball stops to. Oh well… Thankfully, I am going over to Sentosa for more fun things last Sunday! As everyone knows… the latest attraction at Sentosa is… The Resort World The Universal Studios… Well, actually, both the Resort World and the Universal Studios are probably the newest attractions at Sentosa. The only thing is – I don’t gamble and the rides are not ready. At least not till… when? July? Nonetheless, despite me not getting squashed in the queue just to get a view of the Studios for 10 bucks, and not knowing that I can now use my EZ-Link card for the monorail ride; and not knowing that I do not have to keep the card for re-entry into each of the stations on the sunny island, I did get to try out an attraction that was new to me! It’s the Sentosa 4D magix, thing of a magic (or thingymajiggy). Of course, this is not to be confused with Singnet’s Singtel Magix, which is all about having at least 512kbps direct ATM connection straight to your doorstep without you having to share your bandwidth with 138,034 other people in the estate that you stay in – or 1,231,928 other people near where you are staying! Sorry, I digressed. So, while we were all on the monorail to Imbiah Station, we caught a glimpse of Resort World Sentosa (RWS) and all the construction work around it. We met Mr. Merlion after we got off, and after crossing a river and climbing 2 hills, we reached what I thought was Sentosa’s 4D Magix after a short walk. I didn’t read what Sentosa 4D Magix was all about because I thought that it would spoil all the fun. After all, there’s always the famous circular statement of “expecting the unexpected”, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to put myself in such a situation. I somehow suspect that my attitude towards this has something to do with how mundane Singapore has been; but after looking at Chile and Haiti, Bangkok and Indonesia, I think mundane is good (speaking of which, I really hope that the victims can get the help that they need and it’s really be an unfortunate event ). Nonetheless, it turned out that there were going to be 3 shows instead of just the 4D Magix. There were the Desperados, which was a shooting game and the Extreme Log Ride (”Himalaya-Amazon”?). If you have joined a Wii Party before, Desperados is just like one helluva Wii Party + Ride, where 21 people, seated in a dark room on a 20-cent kiddy horse back, tries to shoot targets with a Wii gun. The horse back actually moved! And while I was expecting a Rodeo-style ride, thank goodness it didn’t do more than just shaking vigourously Not claiming marksmanship, I came in 2nd for the 2 games in Desperados. Heh. The second ride was a “log ride”. There were about 9 “cabins”, each seating 6 people in a cinema-like threatre, where each cabin is one of those machines which probably has the ability to propel you onto the screen if you didn’t have t0 fasten your seat belt. Heh. I took no chances and kept my precioussssssss Nikon close to me. The thing about this log ride is that it’s 3D and if you immerse yourself into the ride, it really feels like you are on a roller coaster – minus the fear. Of course, when the 2nd ride was over, I was almost screaming for more. While I am almost tempted to blurt out what to expect, I think this will really spoil the fun. I mean, we all know that there are 3D movies and they are not as novel as they used to be – despite still having absolutely fabulous effects; have you ever wondered what 4D is all about? For a good whole week before the trip, I was wondering what dimenions there are. We have visual and sounds already, then dimensionality for the 3D effects. Smell? Time travel? Space travel? While I will prefer not to blurt it out (although I kinda suspect that some 1,349 people have already talked about it in their blogs), I am going to give a teaser. If you have watched Avatar in 3D and if you remember the part where you were supposed to be flying in 3D… well, what is 3D without the elements of the surrounding? What if you could… feel the wind… smell the smell and taste the water? Or what if you could feel *pain* when the person in the movie is being hit? Sounds scary eh? *ouch* Spilling a little more… I was pretty afraid when insects and nocturnal creatures started appearing in front of me in a menacing manner. It felt as if I was going to be stung by it – and it’s not just about the sheer size of the insects on the screen, but the feeling of them being right next to you! So without spoiling the fun, perhaps it’s a good time to check out the place before the Universal Studio opens and the entire island gets packed with people. And while you are checking out, bring along a jacket, a cap and wear long pants or jeans if you are easily crept out. Special thanks go out to 24seven for organizing this outing, and to Kris who had to burn his weekend attending to us and making sure that we were well fed and giving ample warnings that the best place for our cameras during the show… is the bag Another pregnant man. Again. Suddenly spikes in blog hits usually tell you something that you may not know at your side of the world – and that was what happened here at Simply Jean today. While half the world is trying to make sense of iPad, Maxi Pads and the likes, another storm, albeit not technological, is brewing at another part of the world. A pregnant man. Or rather, another pregnant man. Again. Quite obviously, this isn’t the first time that an event like this had happened. In the not too distant past, Thomas Beatie, became the headlines when he declared to the whole world that he was expecting because his wife allegedly could not conceive. Biologically female, and not having undergone hysterectomy, it is of little surprise that he is able to conceive; since all he needed was just a donor sperm. Of course, there were public objections when Thomas and his wife broke the news on TV but many others seem to be more vocal about Scott Moore and his partner Thomas (not to be confused with the earlier Thomas Beatie) this time round, at least according to the number of comments objecting to their being. However, the stories are a little different. While Thomas Beatie of the first couple, was the husband and the pregnant man; here, Thomas of Scott Moore, who is also the husband, is not the pregnant one. Instead, his lawfully married wife, Scott Moore, is the one who is expecting – which seems to be logical and conforming to expectations of society. Only thing is, Scott Moore (male sounding name but female legally), born Jessica, spots short hair and a beard. Almost within a week, news of this spread like wild-fire and ugly comments could be read everywhere. If such an event, that happened in California – where it is supposedly one of the most gay-friendly places in the world, could spread all the way to Singapore – more than 18 hours by flight on the other side of the world, it’s really got to be a huge thing there. So, how would the reactions be like should such a thing happen in Singapore? Firstly, I’d think that it’s going to be a hush-hush event – seemingly upholding a long-held policy in many organizations – don’t ask, don’t tell. But, should any couple be even as adventurous to let the media get wind of it… well, we probably had a taste of it not too long ago. Remember the AWARE incident? It was just a lot of talk, without any forms of manifestation, but it got Singaporeans into a frenzy. Bring in the churches and it nearly became a riot in the making. Inevitably, a pastor got a little carried away and was accused of getting the church to rally behind the father-mother-family model, which was seemingly harmless, but hinted that he was beginning to mix religion and secular activities. In the midst of the gunfire, a Nominated Member of Parliament, Siew Kum Hong, was accused of taking sides (with the supposedly pro-lesbianism stand) and was subsequently not renewed for another term in Parliament; although this event purportedly did not contribute to his non-renewal. On the contrary, Singaporeans are generally mindful of their own businesses, especially in times when people are more concerned with getting hold of the next condominium or government HDB flats at low affordable prices and hoping to sell it for a 200% profit. No double, news of pregnant men may disturb the tranquility for a while – perhaps getting a shot from pro- and anti-same genetic sex marriage camps (a female in Singapore can be considered legally male if she has met certain criteria in her transition), most people should probably get back to getting about their own businesses in no time. After all, kaypoh* news do have very short shelf-lives compared to blunders made by prominent persons. Unless the pregnant man happens to involve a prominent figure, it will probably be whisked under the carpet before you can say “Majulah Singapura”. Photo of Scott Moore and Thomas are copyrights of its respective owners. Obtained from website on 30 January 2010. * kaypoh – colloquial for “nosey” iPad, do you… ? Before I could even complete my sentence, I was interrupted with a curt “no”. Well, it can’t be blamed that the latest iPhone-MacBook intermediate had a pretty unfortunate name of being called the iPad, resulting in many jokes coming out from it. In fact, there were so many jokes about it, I am just going to create some of my “variations” of iPad that I can probably envisage in the not-too-long term: 1. iPad Maxi – comes with additional firewall to ensure that your data remains safe in your iPad. You can leave your worries behind when you carry your iPad with you, without ever brooding over whether your data will be leaked. 2. iPad Overnight – need that extra boost to help you tide through the night? Get that iPad overnight that will ensure that you have enough power to last you through the night (12 hours for regular consumption, power may drain faster for larger consumption) 3. iPad Wings – ever wonder if your iPad will slip off? Worry no more with iPad Wings to give you that extra grip whenever you need it, wherever you go. Ultra grip means that you get your iPad in regular size with that extra hold that ensures that you’ll never have to worry giving it the slip! 4. iPad UltraSlim (thanks @Winterfirz) – the slimmer version of the same, fabulous iPad! Rumored to be launched soon after they have conducted enough Blue Test – a secret measurement of the reliability of the iPad. It’s so slim, you won’t even feel it when you bring it around in your bag (it’s been also rumored that it could be called the iPad-Air). Yes, I can see the iPad being avoided like the plague by male punters. After all, they still have their iPhones to give them their 4D/Toto updates in Hokkien The journey of a SYOGOC 2010 volunteer starts here! Well, actually it started some time last year… can’t really remember when though; although I vaguely remembered it was a whole morning wait to get into the Singapore Expo for some Volunteers’ Day However, such memories were jotted back into me when I had to go for a Service Excellence training at Singapore Polytechnic, School of Business, Level 2, MLT9. I was a little late because I couldn’t find the signs leading to the venue, and consequently, violated one of the attributes of service excellence – respect. Apparently, and quite rightfully so, being late is being disrepectful of the other person’s time – food for thought eh? I got to know quite a number of people during the 4-hour lecture, which was so full of activities! There was barely a moment where I was doing nothing – it was either copying notes, or discussing with my partner on some role acting, or being involved in 1 group activity or another; kinda not what I was expecting for a training session. Definitely not boring! The “trainer” was great and to some extend, fun-loving, but some of the committee members do look quite “no-nonsense” – so that sort of keep things in check. Surprisingly, I am looking forward to the next training, but definitely not liking how the varsity is making us go back for another weekend just so that they can confirm who is committed. Erm, how “un-committed” can we be if we had been doing our e-learnings, going for trainings and accepted a position? Hmm… Fancy having a computer display in your eye? I was going through my daily doses of tech information when I came across this. If you have dreamt of having bodily vital stats displayed like a Heads-Up Display (HUD) in front of you without a monitor (too much Transformers?) or still being able to work on a PC with your eyes closed, then this might be the future for you. Apparently, a “semi-transparent array, including an LED” has been embedded into a contact lens. What this means is that displays, or computer images, can be sent wirelessly to the contact lens, which will then appear in your vision (and making you feel like a cyborg, which could really be a cool thing). This miniature device, which requires about 330 microwatts, can apparently be powered wirelessly from a nearby RF transmitter. Of course, there is no mention of a power-surge protector. The only thing that is missing from all these, besides connection from a GPS and perhaps your mobile phone, is a motorized pair of shoes that allows you to travel at 90km per hour (any faster and you might get a ticket for speeding violations in Singapore). And oh, a rocket-pack would be good too. [via SlashGear] Giveaway: 5 pairs of tickets to “Your Canvas, Your Life” event at Supperclub Singapore! No, I don’t “chiong”. But I would really love to invite you to an exclusive World AIDS Day Singapore event that is happening on 5th December 2009 at the Supperclub Singapore. Actually I don’t really know where it is or how it is like, but I think it’s perhaps some cool place where people gather and chat and eat . As with all other 1,236,309 contests there are, there’s always a “deadline” and a “quiz”. So, here’s the deal. I’d need you to tell me if you would use this (and why, if possible): Go on and click on it Of course, watch your back first… It’s not NSFW, but still… You can either comment in this post, or click here if you do not wish to let others know what your answer is And how long more will this giveaway last? Well, it’s about this number of days more: Which is actually the number of days left to World AIDS Day! So, do send in your answers quick so that I can give away all 5 pairs of tickets to an awesome event to commemorate World AIDS Day, to be aware of what HIV/AIDS is and to to support people living with HIV. World AIDS Day Singapore – Know more about AIDS today! Is a cure for AIDS a good thing? Someone asked recently. It almost seems like a rhetoric question and that as long as no cure or vaccine has been found, it will always be a feared disease. Whenever the topic of HIV/AIDS is brought up, it’s often hushed away because most people think that it is a taboo and should not even be discussed in the open. Sadly, that’s how misconceptions are formed and this begets fear which in turn begets discrimination. So, what really is HIV? And what is AIDS? Most people have a tendency to think that HIV = AIDS. This can’t be further from the truth. In layman’s term, HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the particle that gets transmitted into your body typically through direct open (wound) contact with blood of an infected person. This means HIV can be transmitted through the sharing of needles, direct transfusion of blood from an infected person, or through sexual contact, which sometimes result in minute tissue tears which becomes the entrance for the viral particles. AIDS, on the other hand, is the consequence where the person’s immune system gets compromised and is unable to defend the body of other infections. HIV, which affects the immunity of the infected person, often results in AIDS, but it is possible that an HIV-infected person may never get full-blown AIDS if he keeps his body in check. Therefore, it can still be possible for an HIV-infected person to still lead a normal life like everyone else. While reported cases of AIDS or HIV infection arose from sexual contact, there are also various means of acquiring the disease, such as through open wound contact with blood of an infected person. Although there had been very little reports on incidences of HIV due to the latter, this can be a very real risk in countries where the level of hygiene isn’t very high. As a result, people end up getting HIV infection through reuse or sharing of needles, which is not just limited to drug abusers, but also to patients who had to receive blood transfusion. This is indeed very sad. While there is very little that we can do to change the perception of others, we can take a first step by understanding the causes and spread of HIV ourselves. So with this, I am going to burst the first myth of the day (which was in part made popular because of the recent Section 377A brouhaha): HIV and AIDS affects only gay men and drug users The truth is, it affects everyone, including you and me; which means that anyone can get HIV as long as any of their sexual partners have HIV. Sadly, many people still throw caution in the air when faced with temptations; thinking that “it can never happen to me since I have never struck 4D or Toto* in my life”. Thankfully, some people are working towards the spread of such awareness that we are ultimately responsible for our lives. At the same time, there’s also been more spread of love (and forgiveness) towards people who have unfortunately acquired the disease. This year’s theme is hence aptly named “Your life, your canvas”. If you would like to show your support for this cause, please join in the Twibbon Campaign and add a red ribbon to your Twitter Pic And oh, when you support the campaign, do click on “Allow” instead of pressing the [ENTER] key because the default is “Deny” Argh. The ribbon is choking me… *cough cough* Kidding. But seriously, please, do show your support for the campaign, because it’s not only about showing your commitment to awareness, but also showing your support for people who have unfortunately acquired the disease and for them to move on bravely. And meanwhile… have I told you what we have installed for commemorating World AIDS Day in Singapore? More coming up after the break… This is a pro bono article for the awareness of AIDS, which is supported by the Health Promotion Board. Go on and show your support by just adding that cute little twittibon on your profile pic! * 4D and Toto are lotteries that are conducted by the Singapore Pools on a twice/thrice weekly basis respectively Straitstimes Interactive Ads?! *gasp* I am not sure why the supposed “ad” didn’t load, but hey, don’t tell me this is going to be a new series of “click-the-next-10-ads-before-we-let-you-get-your-daily-dose-of-news”. It might just backfire and I will never have to click another ad. Ever. Again. Support for Mac Safari for purchase of e-coupon? I thought I’d just purchase a single OPC just to try out the system and be familiar with it. It turned out to be a little tougher than I expected. Actually, locating the link to purchase the OPC e-coupon was a little bit of a hassle. Googling for “opc e-coupon” resulted in some forum links that spoke of how drivers can now be additionally “owned” if they think that no one is spying on them from a distance. There was even a pseudo-advertisement for recruitment of people to “catch” off-peak cars not paying for the e-coupon: NEW JOB OFFERING catch as many off-peak cars not paying for the e-coupon and get $50 for every car caught requirements: good eyesight in fast changing environment, must be able to see the colour red and be able to “not appear like someone who is noting down number plate” Oops! Sorry, I digressed. So, yes, I tried searching for links to purchase the OPC e-coupon and after a long, long while, I finally found the link. Embedded in a collapsed side-bar. Well, I was thinking that, for such an important (how important? probably worth S$10,000) link, it should at least be made readily clickable on the main page, even if they don’t want to make a huge banner for it. To be fair, they did make a banner for mobilep@y, but it’s of little consolation if I didn’t have my mobile phone with me. Or maybe I am just blind. So, eventually I found the link, which was embedded under LTA e-Services; under the section of “Maintain A Vehicle”. Sure, it was classified correctly and most people would have lamented that I am just being lazy. Well, one thing I am sure, my dad will probably be calling me up when he realises that there’s “no link” for him to click on when all the only URL that was given to purchase the e-coupon is “http://www.onemotoring.com.sg”. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the entire debacle. LTA apparently asks for quite a fair bit of information (which I figure was probably for “security purposes”), and comparing this to the past when I could conveniently ask someone who happens to be going to the post office to help me get a paper coupon from SingPost, I now can’t ask someone to help me with the purchase of an e-coupon without giving him or her the full glory of my details should I, for some reasons, forget to get an e-coupon (e.g. rushing to the airport and realised that I forgot to purchase an e-coupon – only thing is probably that I am on my way on a 26-hour journey to New York and there’s no guarantee of Internet access at a stopover airport). What I do appreciate, however, was that the entire process of purchasing the e-coupon, up to the point of payment, allowed me to change my mind and cancel the transaction, without fumbling and worrying it it had somehow magically deducted from my account without me know. Yes, some people may think this is funny, but many of the older folks, who have their income tax “deducted magically” from their accounts, or have “government surpluses” depositing back into the same account, will probably think that somehow, LTA can get hold of their $20 even if they are just half-way into the transaction. Moreover, I also believe that when I grow too old to catch up with technology, I will live with the delusion that I am constantly monitored 24/7… but that’s another story for another day. Now, if you have not realised by now, payment for the OPC e-coupon can only be done if you have Internet banking services with either DBS, UOB or Citibank (TGFC!). Following the instructions, you can click on “Confirm Payment” and hope to pay for it smoothly; which was what I did. However, lo and behold, I was greeted with a new blank window, and a Citibank page that took some time to load, but stated “Please Proceed With Your Transactions”. The words weren’t clickable, so it would not bring me to another page to “proceed with my transactions”, nor where there other links and windows opened. So, this sort of ended my experience with purchasing OPC e-coupon for my OPC. In the end, I called a cab, which I thought would be safer, since I am not sure that even if the transaction did apparently went through, would there have been another “Confirm” or “Proceed” button that I would have missed. At the end of the day, I am suspecting that the use of Mac Safari must have had something to do with it. Apparently, one of the pages gave some information about added “Allowed Sites” into Internet Explorer; and while the one.motoring website mentioned that the pages are “best viewed with Internet Explorer”, it should really be “Can only be used with Internet Explorer”. Today marks a special day… Today marks a special day. Today is the day that the authorities have heard you. Today is the day that they understand how much trouble you have to go through to get hold of those coupons. Today is also the day that they relieve you of the problem of having to fumble with the coupons and not being able to drive out without them… Today is the first day of OPC e-coupon. So, do remember to get your e-coupons at http://www.onemotoring.com.sg after you have used your OPC. And oh, if you have been getting around places in town, “catching” you can be as easy as… SELECT car_registration_numbers from ERP_Gantries_Cars A LEFT JOIN Cars B ON A.car_registration_numbers = B.car_registration_numbers WHERE B.OPC_Status = ‘on’ and A.date_registered = ‘2009/11/23′; Heh heh. Don’t “pray pray”… Plastic surgery: A changing time? In the past, the topic of plastic surgery has always been spoken in secret because it had not been well received. One of the not too recent debacle of an instance of this topic was when people started speculating if Dawn Yang has had plastic surgery when some rather malicious guy posted pictures of her in her JC times, depicting her as an ugly duckling, or at least tried very hard to. Some people are of the view that a person should just admit that they have undergone plastic surgery, while others thing that it’s sometime that should not be done at all (and I will leave the moral ethics of it for another post). However, what is unchangeable is that plastic surgery has been getting popular locally, especially those with minimal downtime. Of course, the mere mention of plastic surgery and everyone will think of having bruises on their heads or worrying that their nose might drop off in a botched job. However, most people have it much easier nowadays. I had the opportunity to speak to representatives from The Sloane Clinic, Q-MED and Navi Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul. The Sloane Clinic had just had its 4th branch opened at Novena Medical Centre and is working hand-in-hand with Q-MED, which was promoting Restylane – a non-animal-based filler that is assimilated with the body’s natural cells and collagen; while Dr. Moon Hyoung-Jin is in town to give his experience of using Restylane on his patients. Restylane is this jelly-looking clear substance that acts as a filler – a collagen substitute, that could maintain its massaged form for up to 24 months after it has been administered. The good thing about it is that it is not animal-based and apparently helps to simulate growth of collagen, which declines after we get older. Also, there are different “grades” of Restylane that could be used, depending on the problem area. The Sloane Clinic sounded rather familiar to me, even though I couldn’t recall how or when I came across the name. What was impressive though, was the layout and the skills of the doctor when a live demo was given during the visit. The doctor used Restylane, the filler that could maintain its form up to 24 months after it is administered. Nonetheless, while the doctor was administering Restylane on the patient, most of the people in the room cringed while the doctor injected almost effortlessly and the patient looked as if she was never in pain. Me, being the doctor-to-be wannabe, just continued taking photos of the entire process. Following the demonstration, I had a chance to speak to Dr. Moon, who is based in Seoul, but travels to Shenzhen about twice a month to manage his clinic over there. Speaking of which, if you ever get to go to South Korea, you should take some time to observe the ladies (and perhaps gentlemen) around you. Most of them look terrific, and it’s of little wonder because there is probably a strong emphasis of looking good in a country that is so highly competitive. Anyway, Dr. Moon commented that most people like to go for aesthetic procedures that are less permanent nowadays because there is apparently a trend that is happening. So, while having a “high” nose may be the in-thing this year, it could be having a plumper lower lip the following year. Having said that, most people will not mind going for something that lasts for only 2 years and “renewing” it every other year following that. Most importantly, he mentioned, is the fact that the use of fillers, like Restylane, reduces downtime to as little as a few hours over lunch time, or up to 5 days should bruising occur. I guess that’s how “lunch-time procedure” gets its name from. While I didn’t get the opportunity to take “before” and “after” photos, I have in my hands some photos provided by the clinic. Various aspects of the person’s face was given, but the results were so obvious that by just looking at the person upfront, you can probably tell the difference:   The photo on the left is the “before” photo, which shows the person having sunken cheeks and “eye bags”. The photo on the right, which is the “after” photo, shows a more oval face with a sharper chin and fuller cheeks. In fact, the jawline probably looks rounder and better after the procedure. From the other perspectives, the person probably had fillers on her cheeks and “eye bags”, which gives her a rejuvenated look. Of course, the girl looks best when she’s smiling Don’t you think she looks like Cyndi Wang? Hmm… Certainly, I am not advocating that everyone should start looking into the mirror to see what they can “patch up”. Just as Dr. Low Chai Ling of The Sloane Clinic had mentioned, not everyone has the same needs, just like how everyone is different. Some may be suitable for such a short and simple procedure, while others may need a different approach to achieve what they desire. Of course, there will be the occasional few who are born with it. Such lucky people! Nonetheless, it’s important that everyone should be happy with how they look. Of course, if they are unhappy with their looks, then it is probably important that they should seek professional advice. Plastic surgeons and dermatologists, just like any other doctors, are guided by code of ethics and as long as they confide in their doctors their problems, these should and can be solved. The editors attended the event under the invitation of OMY.SG. No monetary compensation was received, though the editors were given a nice (but rather tough) sandwich dinner and door gifts of mirrors. And no, Simply Jean does not advocate going for plastic surgery and thinks that anyone thinking of doing so should seek at least a second opinion. If this doesn’t make sense to you, think of Michael Jackson, whose songs I really like, by the way. Happy birthday to me!!! :) Even though it’s just the last few hours… well, actually it depends on which time zone you follow Heh heh. Every year, the day just passes by like any other day. Oh well. I was hoping for a hundred wishes. Seems like I won’t get it this year Anyway, happy birthday to me The “boomz” that nearly cost me $300 Yes, it was related to the IELTS that I had taken recently. You know? It’s sometimes better to be really serious about what you do, especially if *it’s got to do with your exams*? Well, this was what happened… I registered for the IELTS exam to determine my proficiency of English; and the test entails 4 components – Listening, Reading, Writing and Reading. The first 3 can probably be done on your own whereas the last one is quite awkward to do it alone. Trust me. I spent a week talking to myself at Starbucks. Thankfully, I record my own speech to evaluate on my own after answering the oral questions, which in a way, does not look like I am talking to The Invisible Man. Nonetheless, self-criticism is really bad for me because I devalue my own ability – but that’s another story for another day. So eventually, I got a friend – let’s just call my friend FO, to help me. Now, FO teaches English and will definitely be the best critic of my spoken English. There’s this part in the oral component that required me to prepare a 2 minute speech on the spot, but it’s usually relating to personal experiences. This wasn’t that scary. What’s most frightening, however, is the change in topics in the section that followed it. It’s what they call, a “discussion”. Meaning, the examiner asks me a question, and we engaging in a free flowing conversation. It could be anything like: 1. Where do you usually like to eat? 2. What kind of food do you usually enjoy? 3. Do you think attire plays a big part in determining where you are doing to eat? Or… 1. How do you celebrate your birthday? 2. Do you receive gifts on your birthday? 3. Have you received clothes for your birthday before? And what kind of clothes do you like? So, really, the direction of the “discussion” could really go anywhere. And here’s where I played the fool. Every time there was a practice question on clothes or shopping, I would never fail to talk about: 1. Being a fashionista 2. Liking safari “preens” 3. Liking leopard “preens” and zebra stripes 4. Liking the color “rad” and anything that shouts “boomz” And then I will go on a rendition of Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas – this was such a bad move! And to top it all off, I did this for no less than 6 times for variants of the discussions that FO and I engaged. Then the oral exam came. Everything came and went smoothly. I was asked about birthday parties, food and my favourite restaurants. Then the examiner went, “Alright. Now we are going to talk about something different. We are going to talk about clothes…” You could imagine how my jaw nearly dropped! More importantly, I didn’t burst out laughing because that will almost immediately get me sent out with a failing result. In the end, I just spoke about shopping for casual and working attires, and how I shop only 4 times a year during sales (at G2000); unless my pants got wet (from the rain) and that I needed to get a new pair. No “preens”. No “rad”. And definitely no “boomz”. That was a close shave. I certainly don’t look forward to spending another $300 on it. Heh. Too bad the results are only valid for 2 years; but till then, “boomz”! Did you miss out on the INQ promotion? It’s not too late yet! It rained and stormed over Saturday (and hence hindering my Halloween plans), but it didn’t stop the INQ event from going on… … well, because it was held indoors Seriously, I thought it would be held outside, under the huge tent where it’s really hot and humid in the day. As it turns out, there was an event there about breasts. Breast cancer to be exact. Anyway, I was down at Plaza Singapura and caught the event there. They invited people from the crowd to participate in games and most of them (if not all) walked away with great prizes! And it was just a simple memory game where they had to piece a picture together – very much like a jigsaw puzzle with a twist. However, I didn’t get to catch the stars who were supposed to be there in the evening. Sigh. So, did you manage to go down and catch the event? Yeah, the contest games were open for everyone and even though they were distributing pamphlets, it was nothing like the one that was given out here last week. And if you missed it, but still want to get one, have no worries! Because… Click on it to print out the full-size voucher Tada! The promotions have been extended. Now, you do not even have to go down to the event location because this can be redeemed at all Hello! Singtel shops! So yeah, don’t miss the fantastic opportunity to get your hands on one of the most connected (and in my opinion, value for money) phones; especially if you are a techie like me. But you have to hurry soon though, cos the promotion ends 30 November 2009 And oh, do send me a tweet/plurk when you get yours! Some new stuff going on here… Actually, there’s only one new stuff that has happened. If you had noticed, the blog is hosted on http://blog.simplyjean.com/. Well, actually the root (which is http://www.simplyjean.com/) has been in “alpha” state for quite a while. And there had been happenings on “other parts” of the website. So today, it will move out of “alpha” state and probably be in “beta” state for a while. Don’t know what I mean? Jump on to http://www.simplyjean.com/ to find out! Heh heh… it’s nothing much, but I thought it will be good to bring things together. Namely: 1. Added the other social media bits 2. Added in the link to the almost defunct photo gallery that had been running for a while 3. Allow subscription by email Well, yes, that’s about it for now; and I can only do this because I was “accidentally free”. Erm, long story, but you can check out my other social media bits and you’ll probably see why And the winner for the INQ Mini 3G contest is… Yes! Do you remember this contest? We have a winner here!!! Congratulations to … Mango Tan! We will be emailing you shortly for the collection of prize! If you are not the winner for the previous contests, don’t despair because we still have some vouchers for you. Click on it to print out the full-size voucher Actually, when I first saw the voucher, I took a double-take because I thought there was an error. I mean, $0 phones are common nowadays, but I wasn’t expecting the INQ Mini 3G to be free?! Okay, perhaps you’d need to sign up with Singtel to get it free, but hey, it’s pretty cheap for a convenient phone! Even if you’d want to have it as a 2nd data-based phone (just like how some people have 2 phones nowadays – one for voice and the other for data/email). However, you’d have to be at Plaza Singapura this Saturday or Sunday between 11am till about 1pm at Level 1 to enjoy the free battery covers worth $34.95 and waiver of registration fee and SIM card charge worth $42.80 during the INQ Mini 3G Roadshow! In addition, you can also get to catch Mediacorp artistes Dai Yang Tian on 31 Oct and Elvin Ng on 1 Nov at 8pm. Last but not least, there will be a lucky draw for anyone who purchase the INQ Mini 3G during the roadshow, and 1 winner each day will walk away with a year’s worth of subscription! So, even if you didn’t get the prize for the last contest, don’t despair because there are still lots of good things waiting for you at the road show. Till our next contest, see ya! This is a sponsored advertorial by 24seven for INQ Mini 3G. Top 10 signs that you had been studying for too long at Starbucks In preparation for my English tests this weekend and next Tuesday, I spent almost every evening in the last one month preparing for the test. Yes, I know – it’s an English test and how wrong can you go with it? Well, the truth (self-proclaimed truth, at least) is that English is not a subject that we can fail but neither is it a test that we can score distinctions in. Very much thanks to the multi-cultural, multi-lingual society that we are in, Singlish has became extremely prevalent and it’s easy to get lost when you are already struggling with an evolving language. Evolving? Yes, English is still evolving 10. You know the opening hours of the outlet that you frequent. For that matter, you probably know the opening hours of every outlet that you may frequent. 9. You are the first to get the latest time-limited edition of the bearista bear. 8. The barista knows your order of Tazo Chai Tea Latte, half water, half foam no milk. As a corollary, you probably end up ordering it as “For here, tall, 5 pumps Chai, half water, half foam, no milk Tazo Chai Tea Latte”. 7. You know the exact locations of the power points and zoom in to the tables next to them when you enter the store. 6. You know the sequence of songs that will be played. 5. The people next table waves to you when you arrive. 4. Instead of asking you to help them look after their bags while they are away, they smile at you while you nod. 3. The barista offers to let you sample some of the food in the fridge display. 2. Your drink comes as soon as you sit down, even before you order it. And the number one sign… 1. The barista asks you “Why so late today?” (Colloquial for “Why are you so late today?”) Alright. It’s time for me to go back to my mugging books.