Thursday, August 30, 2007

Legal definitions or legal loopholes?

** The following may be deemed not suitable for children. Please read on at your own risk.**

  • It was reported in Singapore's newspapers recently that a man was caught outraging the modesty of a woman when he grabbed a woman's breasts from behind. He tried to defend himself in Court, through his lawyer, against the charge by saying that a woman's breasts are NOT private parts.
  • A senator (I think) in US was charged with disorderly act in the toilet. The media's use of words to describe the act is very interesting. "He was caught in the act as what most people would generally deemed as asking for sex." (something like that la. can't remember exact quote.)
  • Remember the Clinton-Lewinski saga. The government spent hours after hours debating whether to impeach Clinton on the issues of whether there was sex and secondly, define oral sex.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Punggol Paradise

a paradise?

We have been given a glimpse of staying in the paradise of Punggol where a river flows through with water activities in the 2 reservoirs, chilli crab dining, lush green parks etc etc etc

A few days later, we are given the nightmare of staying in Punggol.

What nightmare?

So NOW if you are going from North to town, you will get at least 4 gantries to reach office in Shenton Way. And on your way home in the evenings, you will soon have a gantry waiting for you till 10.30pm.

So by the time the Punggol Paradise is fully up in a few years' time, perhaps we may have to pass through 15 gantries!!!!

No worry Edgar, I don't drive, as you may say. You MRT type? Imagine this.

At least an hour long journey, standing in a crowded compartment all the way to office and all the way back in the evenings!

Bottomline - We need a solution.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Tit-for-tat?

waiting for fireworks


The fake milk powder.

The fake medicine.

Sale of pigs died of diseases.

The char siew pau made of grounded cardboard.

The slaves in the brick factory.



Fake Rabit sweet.

A worldwide recall of some toys produced in China for reason of toxidity in the paint used.

China has conducted tests on soya beans imported from US. China found some contaminants in the imports and has asked US to look into it.

Are the above incidents related? Are they started by some other issues?

US has been asking China to float its currency, to open its market and toughen its anti-priracy acts.

Are the toy company and the boss who hung himself in Hong Kong part of the big picture? Or am I too imaginative?

What do you think?

Monday, August 20, 2007

Now we have "No Sugar Added"

So now you are telling me that there is "No Sugar Added" to the FRESH juice that I am drinking.

So how about in the past when you are telling me that I am buying real fresh juice?

Have you been "poisoning" me with sugar all these years? Are you raising my addiction to sweet things with your intense concoction of sugar water?

We have been drinking these concentrated sugar-added liquid. So can I blame my obesity on you?

So friends, we really need to be aware of what you are putting into your mouth and down your throat.

P/S - I dilute my juice drink ie. half a glass of juice is diluted with another half a glass of water.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Some news bites still in my mind

a brightly-lit signboard at a dark public carpark

The following are some interesting news I read and whatever remained of them in my head.

The first two are very sad indeed and I do hope we will spare a moment and pray for them. One was really stupid and confusing. And one was just plain bloody. And I end with one star story in a condescending tone.

  • Bus accident story - Rescuers found a 3-year boy alive held tightly in the bosom of his dead mother. Her head was broken and twisted all the way to the back.

  • In the same bus story - The 8-month foetus was ripped off from her mother's womb.

  • The Dalvey story - A father came home. Saw the 20-something-year-old boyfriend of his 30-something-year-old daughter, coming out of his daughter's room, wearing ONLY an underwear. The young man (I think) started stabbing the father and the maid... Haiz...

  • In a matter of a few weeks, the stock markets of the world went into a tailspin. About 700 points disappeared from Singapore's Straits Times Index together with billions of dollars (some of them, mine).

  • To the many new "bird" investors out there, you can now placed a "STAR" on your shoulder and say, "I have experienced one stock market crash, hereby named the Sub-prime thingy."

Good night, my beloved friends and take care.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

"forwent" - a new word accepted by Straits Times?


In the Forum page recently, I was thoroughly surprised to see the word "forwent" used in "He forwent fares to help stranger.".

What is that?

My goodness, it is the past tense of "forgo" as in "I will forgo my trip to Japan to study for my coming exam". Or "I have forgone the opportunity to get promoted when we decided to have a baby."

Or maybe on second thought, my English is not too powderful... oops powerful.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori...

As I sat alone, thinking about the past, watching love, death and human brutality of "Troy" on TV, my mind suddenly went in search of some poetic lines but alas literature and poems are not my strength...

But this one line has stayed in my head over the years.. We were forced to memorise the lines in my secondary school days. Thus it wasn't a pleasure.

What is the meaning of the line? Well it is not something nice and thus don't go looking for the meaning.

Good night, my...

Sunday, August 05, 2007

What happened to "Till death do us part"?

The answer - "The vow was applicable when people only live to the age of 35"


Now that our mortality rate are in the average 70 plus, is marriage to anyone too long?


Can we do a trial or term marriage thingy?

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Should pregnanted Zoe be suspended without pay?

Definitely yes.


Based on my surface level understanding of her situation, she is basically a contract staff engaged to perform certain services for her client, Mediacorp.

So if you are unable to perform those services as per contract, you should not be paid. Luckily she never kena sued instead.

So if she is engaged to be "Queen of Caldecott Hill" for her image and personality, can she effectively performed that tasks given her physical state?

So it is fair to have the contract suspended (and not heartlessly cancelled) due to her pregnancy.

But if her contract provides for her to be pregnant and still get paid, and that she is not getting paid, then she should talk with the management or seek legal advice.

Similarly if the company has engaged an English teacher to brush up the English lanaguage of TV8 artistes and subsequently the teacher got "baby inside", should the company continue to pay when the teacher could not perform her duties.

My conclusion would be different if Zoe is a true blue staff of her company and that she is entitled to all staff benefits. In which case, she may wish to seek assistance from relevant government bodies.

So this is not an issue of sex discrimination. For all you know, it was just a cheeky comment from her that turned the media world upside down.

Friday, August 03, 2007

My encounter with a computer virus

My recent episode with a computer virus, that sends itself to people I am connected to by MSN, has given a few "thinkers".
  • My existing anti virus from Trend Micro that is paid for, could not arrest the problem.
  • The virus was finally eliminated by AVG, a FREE anti-virus software, that I downloaded from Download.com.
  • Some friends, who are online but have not talked to for some time, were stirred into a conversation with me. I got to thank the virus for that.
  • I will be even MORE earnest in doing my backups after this incident.

buses with camera




I heard somewhere that buses plying the CBD area will have camera installed to catch vehicles straying into the bus lane during restricted hours.

I would really applaud the move. Not just for the single reason above.

It would be a double-edged sword for the bus drivers where you can now have evidence that buses maybe beating red lights at Eu Tong Sen road, buses sitting in the middle of yellow box and blocking the world from rotating and buses straying out of bus lane toO.

Another use for these cameras would be to provide evidence on accidents related or not related to the buses. So take down the registration numbers of buses passing by the accident area if you need pictures of it.

Is the camera-in-bus story I heard, a REALITY? I really hope so.

If not, I still have to continue taking pictures of buses breaking traffic rules like the above.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

A date with Tad Hamilton

I watched this last Saturday Home Movie... This particular line just pounced on me when the bartender was trying to persuade the male lead actor to go after his love instead of resigning to losing his love of his life to Tad Hamilton, his competition.

"How big a love are you losing?"

"If it is a small love, you will get over it in a few weeks. If it is a big love, probably a couple of years. But if it is a huge huge love, it may take forever."

Just want to share the lines with you.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

"Thank you for waiting...


... your call is important to us. It will be answered by the first available officer."

The same recorded message was repeated so many times till I felt like puking. I am repeatedly told that I am very important and yet I have to wait for service.

Looking at the elapsed time of the call on my handphone ie. about 10 mins, I was finally attended to by a sweet sounding girl apologising with the same standard answer ie. "We are experiencing a very high call in rate."

My response to the poor girl, "I have been given the same reason so many times. It is quite sad that DBS Bank is not capable of solving this problem."

P/S - If you were a DBS Bank officer and wish to do something about this, I called 1800-111-1111 at 12.28pm on 28 July 2007.

I nearly forget why I called in the first place. Oh yes.. I wanted to know why I cannot transfer my money from my saving account to my Cashline account.

"Mr Wong, you can do so under BILL PAYMENT. Let me walk you through."

"Huh?" I exclaimed weakly.

Cashline is not given the official status of being an "account of the customer". Now I know.

P/S - Dear DBS Bank, can you explain why I cannot make IPO application from Cashline account?