What is happening to "prices" in our daily life?

my expensive night

"Prices of live chicken rise by 20%" "Flour in short supply, so bread prices may be hit."

Both are headlines at page 2 of Straits Times today.

Now eating a $3-lunch is no longer filling to the stomach. To avoid raising the price, the hawkers and restauranters will just reduce the serving portion.

Your salary must increase by AT LEAST 7% this year. For otherwise, your real income would definitely be lower than last year...

P/S - refer to letters in the Forum page today

- Maybe that is why taxi drivers are taking the risk of being caught for touting... drivn to desperation to make a living ma...

- Maybe that is why the sales posters, stickers, flyers etc etc can be found all over the place with no regard to law... again driven to desperation to make a living ma...

- Maybe that is why karung guni men are so much noise in Clementi area... again driven to desperation to make a living maaaaaa............

farewell dinners

a gift i appreciate
a meal i will always rem
a team i have worked with

Attended a few farewell dinners on edgar recently hosted by his ex-colleagues. It is truly farewell dinners indeed. Sob sob...

I do notice people don't really catch up with ex-colleagues after leaving a company. So the farewell meals are thus really really meaningful. I actually said "pow chuung" as in "take care" to my some of my staff who are older than me.

I was so blessed with the good staff that I have the pleasure to have served with over the years. I will miss oei and all of you. I sincerely wish you all my bests. Good health, in particular.

As for me, I will embark on my next phase of my life.

See life clearer

I was duly introduced to this clinic specialising in lasik surgery by my brother and sister yesterday. It was buzzzing with so many people and activities on a saturday afternoon. The clinic really impressed me with many interesting features.

The clinic has firstly an interesting punchline - "see life clearer". Well for me, should we live our life trying to see things so clearly, philosophically speaking?

Secondly, the very pleasant looking ladies on duty today were all wearing hot pants in a clinic that does not look like a medical facility at all!! If I call the piece of clothing correctly.

Thirdly, I was shown that you are able to get lasik surgery done in just a few hours ie. from the moment you decide to go for lasik. You don't to wait for a surgery appointment over weeks.

Fourthly, my brother and sister regained complete use of their eyes after a good night sleep after surgery.

Fifthly, you would be chaperoned by a very pleasant looking lady after surgery from the clinic at 15th floor (I think) to the taxi stand at ground floor. This is definitely service!

Lastly, the clinic performs 30 surgeries on a quiet day. At $2,400 per surgery for both eyes, the clinic is generating a sales turnover of $72,000 a day or about $1.44mio for 20-working-day month. WOOOOW!!!!

auntie n uncle shopping approach

Auntie's char siew story

An auntie wanted to buy ony $2 of char siew to do her fried rice at home. The stall owner said a minimum of $3 is required. After some bargaining, the auntie won. Before she left the stall, she also asked for a few packets of chilli sauce.


Uncle's ABC stout

An uncle ordered a can of ABC stout to go with his peanuts. Coffee shop assistant delivered and asked for payment of $3.80. The uncle exclaimed that it is so expensive and swore never to return. After he paid grudgingly, he turned to other patrons and earnestly reported on the prices of the same can of Stout sold at NTUC Fairprice for $3.20 and at nearby hawker centre for $3.40.


Moral of the story

Our young ones should too learn the value of money. We need to appreciate our own hard earned money and not to give them away so easily.

We have to make a fuss over paying too much for something, yes even if it is over 10cts. Unless of course, you can afford it.

Stick no Bills - Is it still a law?

need instant cash?

the leftover stain after removing a heavily glued poster

my electricity meter

Dear Town Councillors,

Reference to my email to you dated 21 May 2007. As the problem still persists and as some of you said you could not see the above pictures, I have now placed in this blog for easy reference.

What have been done to date? For my estate, I do notice the cleaners are working extra hard in clearing the posters, stickers from the walls. But is it effectively and efficiently solving the problem?

I don't think so.

Can you suggest a solution? The offenders are blatantly placing their contact numbers for your necessary actions.

I do believe that there is light at the end of tunnel (before we got pasted out!!!!)

one family unbroken

up and on

my school n the moon

the water that flows thru' the village

On Saturday night last, I attended the old boys' (yes, old) dinner at my alma mater.

We were all there to celebrate our boyhood lost forever. At least, I was. Some were as old as the school.. Some are very famous, or prominent, or rich, or still young etc etc. I think one came in his taxi.. For me, I guess I am pretty much in between everything. I am neither rich, famous, poor, old nor young.

One of us even came with the old school books. We were looking at the goondoo pictures of ourselves and teachers; and reminiscing about our stupid pranks, detention class, yellowed school shoes etc etc.

The most cherished moment of the nite was when my friend, of more than 20 years, related this story to me.

"My younger brother scolded my mum." he said. "Huh?" said I.

"He said my mum sent him to the wrong school, RI. She should have sent him to St. Andrew's too." he said. "Why?" said I.

His younger brother envies him for the many friends that his elder brother still have around him despite the years.

Peace overwhelmed me. Amen.

Bus fare hike, inflation and you

What is the headline in Straits Times today? What is the topic discussed on 93.8FM this morning?

Bus fare hike, my friends. But it is only 1-2 cents increase next month, you may say. Why is Edgar making a big fuss out of this 2-cent issue?

Assuming a Jane is paying $1 bus fare today, with another 30 years to retirement and that bus fare increase at 2 cents per annum, you would be paying $1.60 for the same trip in 30 years' time.

You would be drawing down on your savings to pay for your daily expenses.

Inflation is a disease that all should be very concerned with.

P/S - China equities experienced their biggest one-day drop in over 2 months yesterday in reaction to news that China's inflation rate surged to a 10-year high last month.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

"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.

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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

"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?