这是我们说好的

September 29th, 2007 by oldham

"How’s life? Been a long time isn’t it"

"Yup, never been better, how are you?"

"Fine of course"

"Gotta go now, take care ok"

"You too"

It was a summer long forgotten by others. They talked of the future, the plans, and the dreams upon graduation. Like any sweet nothings that can’t get any less corny, They’ll agreed to hold their hands and face all obstacles together. The sweet tunes of the piano accompanied by he on the side, humming to the rhythms played to the mood of the moment. Off key, wrong note, bad singing, weren’t the making of great pianist and singer in progress but was a sweet moment that wasn’t meant to last.

Like a tv serial, barriers would arise and proved too much for them to faced. The hands were never held. You’re too young, get some hair on your legs first, show me your career, demanded the sinister parents, like a fly swanking by the angry mob, he was brushed aside without much of a chance. She was sent off to the unknown lands to further studies on the promised future, never to be heard of again.

Or so it seems, Just as Fate would twist, it was many summers later where they would crossed paths again. She’s someone else’s her and him someone else’s he. Unforgotten charms, familiar thoughts trickling in or could be the tunes of the old piano, she held the hands of the promised and hope never need to let go again. Alas there’s no sweet ever after ending in a modern world, he was no longer the he she once thought. Fighting the corporate war and social battle was no longer the priorities. Continued search for the once loss feelings, the outcome no longer matters compared to the process. There’s hair on the legs now, so it seems, ain’t no important what’s another outcome waiting to happen. Like the hapless fly, the fire to protect their rights was never in existence and would never be existing now. The hands were never offered from him then, it will not be now, the once meek is still a meek. Or maybe life has just moved on for the better, or so he thought. It’ll bring her more strength to face the unknown future, no longer the girl he was always worrying about.

The eyes met briefly this time. There’s no familiar tunes from the piano, there’ll be no hands offered. Fate once again dealt him with the crashing thoughts, filled him with realism, once thought life has moved on for the better, has just remained a fly that has never recovered from the merciless swank. She moved ahead and he watched from behind, time has freezes since that forgotten summer and only him hasn’t moved at all. Looking at the piano, this is where he may have found himself again, he hoped. She has moved past the two summers, words were forgotten, for the better.

There’ll be no happily ever after too. After all, these words spoken were not from a great writer, these were just words from a blogger at the forgotten summer.

Lor-Ar-Mee cost $0.30 more

July 2nd, 2007 by oldham

Was lunching with my dear at a kopi tiam las Saturday, ordered lor-ar-mee (Duck Mee). Well, it was one of the stall we patronised frequently and we gotten a rude surprise when the runner took our $2.50. "Er boss, $0.30 more, $2.80 liao, GST up". Needless to say in typical kuai kuai Singapore fashion, we responded with a loud "WHAT??? before throwing $0.30 at him without much of a protest….

I bought my usual pack of cigarettes and the auntie told me "Ah Di, now $0.40 more, still want?" It hit me suddenly that last Saturday was the last day before GST increment and it seems our much talked about promised "Progression" by our Gahmen leaders is very much UP and running. Also our GSS $$$ is ready for withdrawal, that explains and perhaps to some, justified the price increase.

We were also shopping for a car for sometime now and the COE seems like our shares index, only goes up n up. Ya ya, it dropped a little in the last round but it’s still a record high for past 1.5yr I guess. Looks like the car is gonna be off our mind for a while more.

Electricity prices up, public transport up, whatever can up is up…. Except our salary and bonuses in fact. I pity my ex-colleagues in Sing Investments, who were cheated earlier this year when the management ‘forgotten’ to pay out variable bonuses. At this rate, I really I would be able to leave Singapore for good someday as it’s really getting a bit too ‘progressive’ for my liking. Till then I’ll surely sing along… 拿了我的给我送回来, 吃了我的给我吐出来…. 欠了我的给我补回来, 偷了我的给我交出来……….

Sooner or later, it might cost you money just to step out of your home, as the wonders of our CashCard are not fully exploited yet. Stay tuned for more ways to collect taxes by our creative and thinking leaders

Testing

April 9th, 2007 by oldham

Recently, I noticed that there’s too many contact in my mobile phonebook and not many I still keep in touch often with. I decided to run a test and see who still remembers me and who has not……….. I named this the "Easter Greetings Test".

I surf around the Net for the best Easter greetings to SMS but after several minutes, I gave up….. Seems like other than eggs, not much people actually bother to send Easter greetings. I began looking around for the best quotes on remembering your friends… Hee… Saw a lovely one….. The best way to remember your spouse’s birthday is to forget it once……

Nw, to add on to move it more appropriate, I simply add on "The best way to remember a friend is to call him at 4am for fun". Once and fun, sound kinda rhythm isn’t it? anyway, chin chye la…. it’s only testing… so i send out the Easter greetings sms to those ‘long lost friends’. Haiz…. Disappointing results… looks like i have to work on my networking and reflect on my human relationship….

I received several standard replies like "who are you?", "you are", etc etc etc, i was panicking… Am i really so insignificant in life? Hey, I thought I was actually BIG enough (literally, in terms of size) to be noticed….

Haiz, worst of the lot is my best friend since pri school days whom i hardly call nowadays, he was laughing n say he lost his hp and thot i was a babe….. well, tats my best friend for you…. Well, I simply delete a handful of contacts off without even replying….

Luckily, the "who are you" replies stands about 7, not a lot in terms of percentage, phew…. people actually remember me! Hey the remaining 7 heartless people, I’m so hurt you know :P

My Humble Short Christmas Wishlist

December 14th, 2006 by oldham

1. I pray for World Peace, cars are meant to be driven, not to use as bombs

2. I hope no more fare increase, my progress package no more left liao

3. I hope Santa didn’t forget his cashcard before he comes Singapore… Lotsa ERP gantries u know…..

4. I heard from someone a few months ago he ordered Mee Siam mai Hum… i hope all mee siam no hum cos i really don’t like hum… darn…

5. I hope no one jump track at Tampines MRT, esp morning rush hours, cab fare si bei expensive….. In fact, 4 cases this year liao…

6. I wish COE remain low so that can buy car…. what? you mean insurance, petrol, maintenance, parking all up again???

7. I wish everyone healthy, medical fee are up up too

8. I pray my new flat unit number open 4D first prize soon…. 0772…. 0772…. 0772…. Huat Ah!!!

9.  I hope no more wedding invitation this year, kena all time record high of average 2-3 pink bombs a month….

10. One turn eye, going to be 2007 soon. Wish all of you 4D Toto zhun zhun, Big Sweep huat  huat, walk on road see money, fall down see gold ring, everyday got loti, think money got money, no need see Mr Wee (doctor), no need waste money call cab, want wind get wind, want rain get rain…… yawnzzzz still gotta work tomorrow…

Get the Joke???

July 25th, 2006 by oldham

A woman was shopping at her local supermarket where she selected:

A Litre of 2% milk,
A carton of eggs,
A Litre of orange juice,
A head of lettuce,
A can of coffee,
And one pack of bacon.

As she was unloading her items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind her watched as she placed the items in front of the cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up her purchases, the drunk calmly stated,"You must be single."
The woman was a bit startled by this proclamation, but she was intrigued by the derelict’s intuition, since she was indeed single.
She looked at her six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about her selections that could have tipped off the drunk to her marital status.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she said "Well, you know what, you’re absolutely correct. But how on earth did you know that?"

The drunk replied, "’Cause you’re ugly. "

(Laugh…. it’s supposed to be funny)

On a passenger flight, the pilot comes over the public address system as usual to greet the passengers. He tells them at what altitude they’ll be flying, the expected arrival time, a bit about the weather, and advises them to relax and have a good flight. Then, forgetting to turn off the microphone, he says to his co-pilot, "What would relax me right now is a cup of coffee and a blowjob." All the passengers hear it. As a stewardess immediately begins to run toward the cockpit to tell the pilot of his slip-up, one of the passengers stops her and says, "Don’t forget the coffee!

(Not good enough?)

SMRT Corporation is planning to raise fares for its bus, MRT and LRT services.

It will apply for a fare adjustment by the August 1 deadline set by the Public Transport Council.

The SMRT Corporation says its total operating costs have ballooned by 20% this year because of the increase in diesel prices.

The fare hike will follow the PTC’s formula of a maximum increase of 1.7%, which translates to a rise of one or two cents, if approved.

SMRT President and CEO Saw Phaik Hwa says that its proposed fare hike will not be sufficient to mitigate rising diesel costs.

It however supports the government’s call for smaller and regular fare increases

(Hahahaha……. supports the government’s call for smaller and regular fare increases…… proposed fare hike will not be sufficient to mitigate rising diesel costs……….. What a joke!!!……….. On behalf of fellow Singaporeans, I apologise to you SMRT, we’re so sorry that we that we have not paid you enough over the years and did not help you to overcome your 20% costs increase…….. Please Forgive Us Can? Kiss U)

And the best joke goes to something wriiten by someone, who I think associate his name with some funny colour, brown, if I didn’t remember wrongly…

S’poreans are fed, up with progress!

THINGS are certainly looking up for Singapore again. Up, up, and away.

Household incomes are up, I read. Sure, the bottom third of our country is actually seeing their incomes (or as one newspaper called it, "wages") shrink, but the rest of us purportedly are making more money.

Okay, if you say so.

As sure as Superman Returns, our cost of living is also on the up. Except we are not able to leap over high costs in a single bound.

Cost of watching World Cup is up. Price of electricity is up. Comfort’s taxi fares are going up. Oh, sorry, it was called "being revised". Even the prata man at my coffeeshop just raised the price of his prata by 10 cents. He was also revising his prata prices.

So Singaporeans need to try to "up" their incomes, I am sure, in the light of our rising costs. Have you upped yours?

We are very thankful for the timing of all this good news, of course. Just after the elections, for instance. By that I mean that getting the important event out of the way means we can now concentrate on trying to pay our bills.

It would have been too taxing on the brain if those price increases were announced during the election period, thereby affecting our ability to choose wisely.

The other reason I am glad with the timing of the cost of living increases and wages going down, is that we can now deploy our Progress Package to pay for some of these bills.

Wait, what? You spent it all on that fancy pair of shoes on the day you saw your money in your account? Too bad for you then.

As I break into my Progress Package reserves to see if it is enough to pay the bills, I feel an overwhelming sense of progress. I feel like I am really staying together with my fellow Singaporeans and moving forward.

There is even talk of future roads like underground expressways being outsourced to private sector companies to build, so that they, in turn, levy a toll on those of us who use these roads.

I understand the cost of building these roads is high, and the Government is relooking the financing of these big road projects.

Silly me, I thought my road tax and COE was enough to pay for public roads.

Maybe we can start financing all kinds of expensive projects this way in future. We could build upgraded lifts for older HDB blocks, and charge tolls on a per use basis.

You walk into your new lift on the first floor, and the scanner reads the contactless cashcard chip embedded in your forehead. This chip would be part of the recently-announced Intelligent Nation 2015 plan, you know, that initiative to make us a smart nation?

So you, the smart contactless-cashcard-chip-enhanced Singaporean would go into your lift, and when you get off at your floor, the lift would deduct the toll from your chip, and you would hear a beep.

The higher you live, the more expensive the lift toll.

Now you know why I started climbing stairs for exercise, as I mentioned in my last column. I plan to prepare for that day when I have to pay to use my lift. God help you if some kid presses all the lift buttons in the lift, as kids are wont to do. You will be beeping all the way to your flat.

The same chip could be used to pay for supermarket items. You just carry your bags of rice and groceries past the cashierless cashier counter, and the total will be deducted from your contactless cashcard automatically.

You will not even know you just got poorer. And if your contactless cashcard runs out of funds (making it a contactless CASHLESS cashcard), you just cannot use paid services.

The door of the lift won’t close, the bus won’t stop for you, taxis will automatically display "On Call" when their chip scanners detect you’re broke.

Sure, paying bills that only seem to go up is painful, but by Jove, we are going to make sure it is at least convenient.

No more opening your wallet and fiddling with dirty notes and coins. Just stand there and hear your income beeped away. No fuss, no muss! I cannot wait to be a Smart e-Singaporean.

I also found out recently that my first-born daughter’s special school fees were going up. This is because of this thing called "Means Testing", where they test your means, then if you are not poor enough, you lose some or all of the subsidy you’ve been getting for your special child’s therapy.

I think I am looking at about a $100 increase, which is a more than a 100 per cent increase, but who’s counting, right? We can afford it, but we do know many families who cannot, even those that are making more money than we are, on paper.

But don’t worry. Most of you don’t have this problem. Your normal kids can go to regular school for very low fees, and I am sure they will not introduce means testing for your cases.

We need your gifted and talented kids to help our country do well economically, so that our kids with special needs can get a little more therapy to help them to walk and talk. And hey, maybe if the country does really well, the special-needs kids will get a little more subsidy.

Like I said, progress.

High-definition televisions, a high-speed broadband wireless network, underground expressways, and contactless cashcard system — all our signs of progress.

I am happy for progress, of course but I would be just as happy to make ends meet and to see my autistic first-born grow up able to talk and fend for herself in this society when I am gone.

That is something my wife and I will pay all we can pay to see in our lifetimes.

(Too bad some gahmen people don’t see the fun side of it and choose to use the whip, again, on commoners….. Good Day!)

Nice MTV

July 8th, 2006 by oldham

http://media.bmgonline.com/rcarecords.com/kelly_clarkson/video/breakaway_300.ram

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I’d just stare out my window
Dreamin’ of what could be
And if I’d end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed I could breakaway

[chorus]
I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly
I’ll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won’t forget all the ones that I love
I’ll take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jetplane, far away
And breakaway

[chorus]
I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly
I’ll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
I won’t forget all the ones that I love
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

[Bridge:]
Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging round revolving doors
Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me
But, gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly
Though it’s not easy to tell you goodbye, gotta
Take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won’t forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Breakaway
Breakaway

Election Topic - A Foreign View on Singapore

May 4th, 2006 by oldham

Saw this post on the youngpap website, feel it’s good to share as I don’t think our local Straits Times will print anything close to this.

Straits under strain: why inequality is centre stage in Singapore’s election

By JOHN BURTON
4 May 2006
Financial Times

Singapore prides itself on a predictability born of efficiency. Elections are no exception. The long-ruling People’s Action party, which holds all but two of the 84 parliamentary seats, will be returned with another thumping majority when the city-state goes to the polls on Saturday.

But there will be tension in the outcome nevertheless. The near-certainty of PAP victories has turned general elections into something more akin to plebiscites gauging the public mood - and, this time, there is a new starkness to several social fault-lines that cleave Singaporean society.

Much of the PAP’s success rests on five decades of economic achievement, which have made Singapore a model for aspiring Asian countries, not least China. But the current election campaign demonstrates that the island, which embraced free trade principles from its founding in 1819 by the East India Company, is grappling with the consequences of globalisation.

Although the economy is expected to grow by a vigorous 6 per cent this year, the gap is widening visibly between rich and poor. The nation’s youth express either apathy or cynicism about a political system that is founded on rigid social control but is increasingly breached by technology: much unofficial public discourse now takes place via internet news groups and chatrooms.

Sensing chinks in the PAP armour, the three main opposition parties are contesting more seats than they have in nearly 20 years. They are fielding candidates in more than half the constituencies, up from barely one-third last time.

"There is a wind of change across Singapore that makes the PAP’s margin of win unpredictable. It is coming from an emerging number of voters who are not impressed, and may even be resentful, of the way Singapore is being run," says Seah Chiang Nee, a former newspaper editor.

Although unemployment is low at 3.4 per cent of the 3.6m citizenry, the rate is nearly double for those aged over 40 with little education. A recent government survey showed that the income of the poorest 20 per cent of households fell nearly 15 per cent in nominal terms between 1998 and 2003 to an average SDollars 795 (USDollars 505, Pounds 275, Euros 400) a month.

The government has traditionally been sceptical about welfare spending. The Central Provident Fund, the mandatory savings programme it adopted from British rule and to which workers contribute one-fifth of their wages, is used to cover retirement, healthcare and mortgages. But the CPF has proved to have weaknesses.

Many Singaporeans are asset-rich but cash-poor, since much of their CPF savings are tied up in housing. Although Singaporeans have one of the world’s highest home ownership rates, at more than 90 per cent, house prices have fallen by 30 per cent since the mid-1990s, meaning many are sitting on paper losses. And as those now elderly were paid low salaries when they contributed in the 1960s and 1970s, their CPF payments have failed to keep up with the cost of living.

Grandmothers rather then teenagers are a common sight staffing the counters at fast-food outlets. "Our elderly continue to have to work cleaning tables, washing toilets and selling tissue paper until they die," says Chee Siok Chin, of the opposition Singapore Democratic party.

Income inequality has become a dominant issue. Households in the top 20 per cent earned about 21 times as much as those in the lowest 20 per cent in 2000, a government survey shows. In 2004 Singapore had the world’s sharpest rise in the number of millionaires at 22 per cent, according to the latest World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch and CapGemini.

The PAP is clearly worried. In recent weeks, the government has announced programmes to help the poor, including offering cheaper healthcare. Days before the polls, it distributed SDollars 2.6bn in special "Progress Package" cash payments to Singaporeans, with a focus on the needy.

Lee Kuan Yew, who as prime minister in 1959-90 eradicated large pockets of poverty and developed the economy by attracting foreign manufacturers at a time when they were less welcome elsewhere in Asia, points out that Hong Kong and the US, which per capita are richer than Singapore, have wider income disparities. But he acknowledges that the income gap "is a very serious challenge to us", adding that the country has to "find a solution that doesn’t go the European way" in terms of lavish social security.

Singapore could not afford to do so because it was a "price taker, not a price maker" in the global economy, says Mr Lee, 82, who is still highly influential in his cabinet post as "minister mentor". "If we can find a balance between not too divisive a society because of the disparity, but still stay competitive and not too highly taxed, and people keep trying to accumulate wealth and create jobs, then I think we’ll be all right. If we can’t strike a compromise between those two conflicting forces, we would be in trouble."

The rise of China and India threatens Singapore’s competitive advantages. The island’s businessmen meanwhile complain that the economy is ever more dominated by multinationals and state enterprises that marginalise smaller private-sector ventures, hindering efforts to develop an entrepreneurial culture and innovation. The city-state is focusing on high-value manufacturing including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, oil rigs and, lately, biotechnology. But officials acknowledge that Singapore remains too dependent on foreign investment for growth and they want to develop innovative domestic industries.

The next goal is to transform Singapore into a global city that "will have the buzz of New York or London", Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Lee’s eldest son and prime minister since 2004, said in his national day speech last year. It plans to achieve this by marrying culture with mammon. It recently constructed a big arts centre, called The Esplanade, and a casino-based "integrated resort" will open nearby in 2009.

But there is scepticism over whether Singapore can shake off its nanny-state image. The authorities are prudish and culturally conservative. Critics say too much government coddling has created an environment that discourages alternative ideas and personal initiative.

Officials complain that the young have become too complacent and apathetic. That is an unintended consequence of policies the elder Mr Lee set down in the 1960s to create a "rugged society" that would encourage Singaporeans to push themselves to greater heights. A believer in social discipline and national cohesion, Mr Lee dismantled much of Singapore’s civil society. "The government began with the trade unions and media and later moved on to non-governmental organisations and religious groups," says Cherian George, a lecturer at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

But there are signs of growing activism and dissent. A ban on political comments on podcasts and blogs in the current campaign has not gone down well and internet chatrooms are filled with angry postings about the government and the Lee family.

The PAP’s hardball election tactics threaten to alienate young voters, who are known as "the post-65 generation" for having been born after Singapore’s 1965 independence. Many are well-educated and grew up in relative affluence.

Extensive criticism by the state-guided media of the opposition’s young candidates does not appear to have blunted the appeal of the Workers’ party, seen as the strongest opposition group. Led by Sylvia Lim, 40, a former police officer turned university lecturer, the party has attracted large crowds at its rallies. While newspapers have largely ignored their size, pictures of the crowds have been circulated on the internet to drum up support.
Opposition parties say they face many obstacles, from limited media access to a gerrymandering of election districts and threats of defamation suits. Perhaps the biggest remains Singapore’s first-past-the-post electoral system: opposition parties have attracted 25-40 per cent of the votes in the last 25 years, indicating more public disenchantment than the allocation of parliamentary seats suggests.

In a rare televised confrontation, a group of young journalists recently told the elder Mr Lee that the PAP had become "arrogant" and "power-crazy". Mr Lee, who graduated with a law degree from Cambridge University, dismissed them as "English-educated radicals", meaning they were imbued with liberal democratic values rather than Confucian ones. "They don’t represent more than 20 or 30 per cent of our youth," he insisted.

Other young professionals seem to have grown tired of the government’s exhortations to work hard instead of enjoying the good life. Surveys have found that local white-collar workers are unhappy and stressed. That has been cited as a main reason for Singapore’s falling birth rate - among the world’s lowest.

Such complaints are unlikely to translate into political opposition. "The middle class has done well out of the status quo," says Garry Rohan, head of the Asia Research Centre at Australia’s Murdoch University, who has written extensively on Singapore politics. But he adds: "The opposition has done well when questions of rising costs and income disparity have dominated election campaigns."

The government has tried to create a perpetual sense of crisis, pointing to economic competition from China and India, to motivate the nation’s youth. But they appear reluctant to take risks. Most would prefer to find secure, well-paid jobs in the public sector or with multinationals. There are few entrepreneurs because "Singaporeans are very spoiled" and "are not hungry enough", says Olivia Lum, whose water treatment company, Hyflux, is one of the few successful start-ups.

Instead, Singapore’s most dynamic companies are those owned by Temasek Holdings, the state investment agency, which is aggressively investing overseas under the stewardship of Ho Ching, chief executive and wife of the prime minister.

The elder Mr Lee, who started his political career as a Fabian socialist, long ago abandoned ideas of social egalitarianism. An examinations-based meritocracy came to be adopted in its place. Singapore’s elite may claim income inequalityprovides incentives for economic renewal.

But in a small, multi-ethnic country it also carries risks of social tensions. The PAP may still win the election easily - but that triumph may not be enough to hide the widening cracks in the Singapore model.

Give and Take Singapore II

March 27th, 2006 by oldham

Ok, so we can confirm the Election is coming after May this year cos we’re taking our ang bao from gahmen during this time. It’s supposed to be called Workfare bonus and dunno what else, to subsidse the miserable peanuts we’re earning now due to the budget surplus. Irony of the timing is that our gahmen always give this kind of ang bao just before election. I, however will not call it a gift but rather my tax refund, I pay a lot, like you all, on income tax and GST ok. Take oredi muz return isn’t it?

But being a typical Singapore, give of cos gahmen will take back again. Heard that our PAP want to take back Hougang and Potong Pasir, in fact they so kiasu that they even call lau Goh to go and pull strings. But kns, use threats one ok, read in Shitty Times (Straits Times, sorry) that lau Goh said, it would be in the residents’ interests to vote for a People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate at the next election if they want their estates to be get new lifts and improved shopping facilities. Kaoz, then no vote, no upgrade? You mean Potong Pasir & Hougang pple never pay tax? Then use tax money to upgrade their area so difficult? PAP why so scare, so many election area sure walkover and over, don’t need use same old thing to threaten people isn’t it?

Suddenly all the news in our papers is good news, employment up, tourism up, growth up, budget surplus up, everything also up. But I see my pay like so long never up. Even the kopi tiam uncle also tell me, "Economy up? Up where? Up yours la! economy where got up??? KNN more and more people selling tissue paper at MRT, gahmen still don’t let go, teh-gu come, get caught still must pay fine, up my a** la" *Sigh, even I apply job recently salary also don’t dare put too high, diploma holders like me, a bit more than $2.5k then don’t expect them to even finish reading your application. Compare that to the $11,000.00 allowance some MP are taking, on top of their sky high salary. Like so easy eng eng, 6 figure a year. Should have tried to por and make a career in politic instead of being in finance….. Wa, suddenly I felt Mrs Lau Goh is right, TT Durai is indeed UNDER-PAID with peanuts, just like the rest of us.

Recently our gahmen "link" company Temasek got themselves into trouble in Thailand by buying their Prime Minister Shin Corp telco company. Undstd a bit here & there (too bad, Singapore news too much censored, can’t know full story). It seems like this transaction was manipulated and after some back room discussion, da-da, no need pay tax. Almost the whole of Thailand asking Thaksin to step down and Singapore suddenly become ally of the now bad guy of Thai. Well, in fact Shin Corp shares dropped 25% immediately after this, can’t say is a good return for a $3billion investment. By the way, we all have a share in this $3billion cos Temasek is owned by Ministry of Finance, which is equal to gahmen, and gahmen funds is equal to the tax we pay. Also note that Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek is wife of Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance report to Prime Minister and the story goes on, get the full picture? Does a good degree equate to good business foresight? That’s why after so many mistakes, for example use our $250M to invest in a US cable operator Global Crossing only to lose $600M and the partially owned Chartered Semiconductor losing more than a billion since 1999, the CEO still gets her "performance" bonus. N.B, i want to smell one month bonus also so difficult. Anyway, if you’re going Bangkok soon, call yourself a Malaysian might be much safer.

Update

February 23rd, 2006 by oldham

Heard Microsoft going to have a new operating system called VISTA soon. Shit man, I just spend a few hundred bucks to upgrade to original XP, so fast gonna be outdated again? Waste my money, should have used pirated ones. I wonder why is there a need to create a new system since XP already working fine and B.Gate is so filthy rich, if they just need more money, just ask our Singapore’s Durai for a copy of his "How to earn Peanuts within a year for".

And I feel it’s really a lousy name, there’s a joke going around that VISTA stands for Virus, Intruder, Spyware, Trojan-horse, Adware. Hints of what to expect when you upgrade to VISTA? Hahaha, I think I stick to XP first.

There’s also hot news of a NYP couple gotten their cellphone stolen and the thief post their hanky panky and uhem…….. 3G video online for everyone to see, response to locate the video was so great that it topped several search engines. I admit I had saw the vid but it was nothing fanatastic really. Maybe Singaporean are all suay ku like me, never watch porno before, some more local Idol one, haha, sorry Tammy, just joking. What surprise me is Singaporeans are really money-minded and business oriented. Some idiots are posting the vid on ebay for sale for $3.99!! My God, no wonder the girl is so pissed off , even pirated porno professionals one disk also sell $10.00, knn, $3.99, that guy is really a b*stard.

Anyway, I won’t post the link to the vid so don’t bother looking for it around here.

Why I missed The Past

November 10th, 2005 by oldham

Because we sing along around a camp fire with only one guitar. Now we need to book a ktv room for a couple of hundreds a night.

Because we are happy for our friends to get hitched. Now we dread to give ang bao for the wedding banquet dinner.

Because Home was somewhere we stay with our loved ones, that’s all. Now its a liability which we spend 30yrs paying n on top of that, a $30k reno loan.

Because wanton mee was $1.20 when I was 5. Now well…….

Because keeping in touch meant sending christmas n new year cards to each other. Now, it is sending email n chk blog.

Because everyone watches the same channel on tv. Digital Cable anyone?

Because foreigners is = tourists. Now it means someone who’s taking away our jobs.

Because we compete with friends with our exam grades. Now we compete who gets more money. Maybe in future, we’ll compete who can afford to retire earlier.

Because all we need to say "I do" was by using our lips in a church. Now we check the bank acct and job title first.

Because Peace was a symbol that looks like a plane stuck in a circle. Now it means no terrorist attacks for one year.

But I’m do not fear it all. I’m only afraid losing the wonderful memories… and the continous rising price of cigarettes. Shit, gotta quit before price increase again in chinese new year