What I heard yesterday...

helen in town

Remember the book "In Search of Excellence". The authors profiled 32 companies. And the rest of the world is supposed to learn from these elite 32. Today, 16 of 32 have already disappeared for various reasons.

Illusion of control - is the point of yesterday's lunch. In simple English, we think we know and that we are in control. The truth is that we don't know what we don't know.

The speaker cited another example. The increase in life expectancy of many developed countries is not due to improvement in medication, science nor annual medical check up. The fact is that the improvement is due to simple improvement in hygiene.

Keep it simple is the solution.

20-litre cap on fuel sales

mobile broadband the Malaysian way

The Malaysian rules say;
The cap is applicable to foreign-registered vehicles within a radius of 50km of Malaysian's borders effective December 28, 2009. But vehicles from Singapore are exempted. Shell V Power is excluded from the above rule as it is not a subsidised product.

After so many years of working experience, human should have learned that too many rules and regulations, things are open for abuse.

An article in Malaysia tabloid suggested various ways to beat the system:-

• pump 20 litres first, drive around the petrol station and pump again;
• pay with credit card for first 20 litres and pay cash for the remaining;
• pump at Shell and then go to Petronas (vice versa or etc etc)
• any other brilliant idea?

Even Malaysians are asking the Authority to think through before implementing anything...

Who can enter Singapore casinos?

a casino taking shape

THE National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) yesterday announced the launch of Third-Party Casino Exclusion Act.

The Act bars undischarged bankrupts as well as members of households that are receiving public assistance from entering casinos.

According to NCPG, it will bar 28,661 persons covered by the Act automatically from the casinos.

Taking away people who are underaged, people who will never gamble, perhaps civil servants, bank officers, teachers, accountants, doctors.. perhaps we won't have many Singaporeans or Singapore permanent residents left who can enter the casinos here.

Renewing Malaysian passport in Singapore

Yesterday, I spent half and hour recceing the place. Well the Malaysian Embassy is still at Jervois Road. There seems to be some changes. Noted that the notice that December is a busy month with a limit of 160 passports to be issued per day. Hmm.. I guess I go to be early to queue up... 6am? Sigh

The next day, ie. today, raining heavily, in slippers and bermuda, I arrived at 7.45am.. At the Security Counter, I exchanged my expired driving licence for a security pass to enter the premises. Got scanned by a metal detector before proceeding earnestly to the hall. Where to get the forms? A lady told me that I have to get it from the security counter.

@%$#%@ as I walked into the rain again to collect a form from the same security counter. After completing the form, photocopied my expiring passport and identity card (@30cts per page), I joined the queue to get a queue number to submit the application. I was expecting to pay an exorbitant amount for photocoping. 30cts is definitely acceptable. I joined the queue at 8.35am and reached the counter at 10.15am. The officer rejected my two photos on the ground that it is the same as per existing passport issued 5 years ago. I said I still look the same. Officer said no again and issue queue number "1067". I trooped over the photo taking machine and got another queue number. Paid $6 (still acceptable) for 4 instant photographs.

"1067" flashed at 10.45am. I trooped over and handed over the docs. The lady at the counter asked for my Singapore I/C. I said I didn't bring. I am wondering why Malaysian Embassy wants to see another country's document. Perhaps Malaysian government now want to know how many Malaysians and who are actually working in Singapore. Paid $124 for a 32-page passport. By 11am, the submission process completed with minimum hassles. Malaysia has really improved since I was here 5 years ago!!! I was ready for a good lunch given the hard work I put in in the morning!!

At 3pm in the same afternoon, I was back at the Embassy. Got to security counter to do the exchange thingy again. Before entering the Hall, the notice board said the Security Pass number would be the queue number. My number was 123 and currently serving 90. Half an hour later, I got my new passport!! Kudos again to the Malaysian government.

Here are the pertinent details:-
Opening hours - 8am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 4.15pm on Monday to Friday.
$128 (adjusted to $124 as SGD appreciates) for 32-page - Adult.
$64 for children below 12 years old
130 queue numbers are issued everyday.

Documents needed:-
1. The form (download at www.imi.gov.my / security counter)
2. Two recent photographs with blue background (3.5cm by 5cm)
3. Malaysian I/C (original and photocopy x 1)
4. Expiring passport (original and photocopy x 1)
5. Singapore status documents
6. You must personally be there.

A big task done. Phew....

MCYS foster father

Question - Should MCYS apologise publicly to the 15-year old girl?

Here are the reasons for the apology:-

a) MCYS is essentially responsible for the appointment of the foster parents.
b) Four years after the incident, the girl is still traumatised and dogged by nightmares of the incident.


Here are the reasons against the apology:-
a) The quilty foster father has gone through training.
b) The foster family has been appointed since March 2003. The reported crime happened in 2005.
c) There is a due process by an independent assessment panel to approve the appointment.
d) He committed non-violence crimes (theft/attempted house breaking) more than 20 years ago.
e) The other five children cared for by the same family are unharmed. (Someone please go check with them.)
e) He is seen to be part of a healthy family of wife and 2 children.
f) In 2006, there was another similar case by another foster parent.
g) These are isolated incidents.

The current Prime Minister of Australia apologised publicly for the crimes committed against children in foster care in the last decade. While the situation may not be so prevalent in Singapore, it is a matter of basic human courtesy for someone in MCYS to take some responsibility to and for the girl.

Which country has the lowest birthrate in the world and in history?

Selamat Hari Ray Haji

Answer - Taiwan with a birth rate of 1.05 children per woman (7.04 in 1951).

It is so frightening obvious to a teacher in a middle school (I guess, secondary level).

Five years ago, she was teaching a class of 28 students. Now she is teaching a class of only 20.

The declining birth rate has caused some teachers to leave their job.

Moral of the story - Teaching profession is also no longer an iron rice bowl. Hmm.. Edgar now see a threat to his alternative profession of being an educator.

Source - Business Times, Nov 4, 2009

Dr Martin Huang

It was reported in Saturday's ST that a doctor by the name of Dr Martin Huang, who runs The Cosmetic Surgery Centre at Paragon, has been censured and fined for injecting sheep foetal cells into three of his patients.

For what? The sheep foetal cells is supposed to slow down ageing and to rejuvenate. The process is called cell therapy. He has also done the procedure on himself.

Perhaps a few years later, we could be reading another news article on an interview with Dr Huang and one of his patients.

Journalist - Both of you certainly look very youthful and radiant. But I notice you have a long streak of beautiful white fur like hair from your chin while Mary has some black hairs on her hands. How come?

Doctor - I feel great. I injected myself with the best foetal cells from New Zealand sheeps. As to Mary, she wanted cheap and good... so I gave her the Malaysian goat foetal cells instead..

After the interview, the doctor and Mary were heard to be arguing in the next room.
Click here to listen to their conversation .

Pump prices not affected by one factor

Loh Pin Chuan, Public Affairs Manager of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific attempted to reply to Mr Ryan Tung's query on the less than perfect correlation between pump prices and crude oil.

Loh Pin Chuan listed and explained the following factors affecting pump prices:-
a) internationally traded wholesale prices;
b) operating and capital costs;
c) taxes and duties;
d) currency exchange rates; and
e) market competition.

Essentially Pin Chuan's reply confirmed my usual understanding that there are many cost items affecting final retail price of their products or services.

But this explanation led me to the next question ie. do Shell, ExxonMobil, Caltex and SPC all have the same exact cost structures?

Apparently they do as they generally and largely (until recently) adjust their pump prices at about the same time and by the same amount.

Pin Chuan explained the "same-price" phenomenon - "Competition is keen in geographically small Singapore, and motorists are extremely price-sensitive ... no company will allow the others a price advantage at the retail pumps."

There is pro and con in this situation. Motorists are also at the mercy that at least one of the 4 operators make the first move to adjust prices down. If all 4 operators are "lazy" in adjusting down, who is to tell them to adjust?

Banks try to siam left right and centre?

the beginning of "bridge"

Weeks ago, there were outburst about banks, quietly removing the liability cap from the terms and conditions and the way they handle fraudulent transactions done with stolen/lost cards. Some banks (I think they are Citibank and MayBank) have since chosen to take "honourable road" by re-instating the liability cap.

Today I read about the Law Society president questioning banks' practice of excluding themselves from liability (yes again) for losses suffered by accountholders for forged cheques.

Under the Bills of Exchange Act, your bank is supposed to honour your cheque ie. pay in accordance to written instruction with legitimate approval. The law does not protect the banks from liability from errorneously debiting customer's account without legitimate approval.

Until this unilaterally created confusion is cleared up, you better hang on tighter to your cheque books.

Good bye Singnet from home!

Today is 29th September 2009 ie. 29092009.

My home Singnet broadband account has finally been terminated after more than 10 years. vpacific@singnet.com.sg has been my email address since day one when internet was first introduced.

I remembered the day when Singnet asked for a "name". I didn't know what it was referring to then and I had suggested "apple". Of course I got turned down.

My next step is to terminate my home line and moving to Starhub for my free unlimited digital line. I would save me another $50 per quarter!

Thank you and good bye, Singnet.