Yet another public service post to the readers…

You know when you’re about to go out, you look at the sky and think that it’s not raining in Jurong, for example when u’re in Bedok by looking at the western sky. So you dun bring ur brolly and end up being a drenched chicken @ jurong. Riders always have this problem, I would look at the eastern sky for example to gauge if it’s raining in town or not.

You can always look at this NEA site, which gives u a rain location map, updated every 15-20 mins

If you explore the site abit u can find more useful info, like the breakdown of the current weather at various locations islandwide. The direction of the wind and the air pressure readings can help you to gauge where the rain would be headed to, heh…

i cringed at the indoor stadium when jonathan leong slaughtered my fav local grp’s songs, and one that held meaning to me some time back.. Should I Stay, sang by Dreamz FM. Man it was terrible, you should never sing a song that’s meant for ppl who can reach the high notes naturally or with falsetto by happily singing it with a baritone.

For ppl who have never heard the original version and think that the version u just heard was damn good cringes, click below… 100downloads for next wk..

Link

Friday’s copy of Today had 2 vouchers for a book from Borders at 30% off. Die die must buy! So I went down after Sin Ming bak kut teh with the guys and bought 2 books on leadership and teamwork. Time to join the 纸上谈兵 club in sch..

Everyone who works with people is realizing that the old autocratic method of leadership simply doesn’t work. The way to win is to build a great team.

John C. Maxwell has been teaching the benefits of leadership and team building for years. Now he tackles the importance of teamwork head on, writing about teamwork being necessary for every kind of leader, and showing how team building can improve every area of your life.

Written in the style of the bestseller The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, this new book not only contains laws that you can count on when it comes to getting people to work together, but it tells them in such a way that you can start applying them to your own life today. And it’s illustrated with great stories of team leaders-and team breakers-from history, business, the church, and sports.

A Barnes & Noble exclusive: a specially priced one-volume collection of all four books in John Maxwell’s 101 series, this is the “what-you-need-to-know” guide for everyone who wants to make the most of their leadership opportunities.

Pulling together John Maxwell’s bestselling guides Relationships 101, Equipping 101, Attitude 101, and Leadership 101, REAL Leadership offers powerful inspiration in Maxwell’s trademark style. Focusing on the essential and time-tested qualities necessary for true leadership—influence, integrity, attitude, vision, problem solving, relationships, team building, and self-discipline—this book delivers practical steps for new and seasoned managers to develop true leadership in their lives and the lives of others.

There can never be progress w/o constructive criticism. However I believe that some things should never be spoken about publicly, especially on matters like this…

Off Bernama

September 23, 2006 20:09 PM
Abdullah Wants Kuan Yew To Clarify On Malaysian Chinese Issue

SEPANG, Sept 23 (Bernama) — Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Saturday he will write to Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, to ask for clarification on his statement concerning the Chinese community in Malaysia.

The Prime Minister said he wished to know the reasons why Lee had made such a statement.

“I will write to him to seek clarification why he had said it,” Abdullah told reporters upon arrival from a working visit abroad at the Bunga Raya Kompleks, KL International Airport.

Lee was reported to have said that Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s attitude towards Singapore was formed by the way they treated the ethnic Chinese minority in their respective countries.

Lee had claimed that Malaysia and Indonesia had problems with their respective Chinese communities because they were successful and worked hard and thus they were systematically marginalised.

Abdullah said he failed to see any justification for Lee to make such a statement.

“I concur with the statement made by (Deputy Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak). It is a mischievous statement and can instigate the Malaysian Chinese,” he said.

Abdullah, who pointed out that such a statement should not have been made by a neighbouring country, said Singapore would also be affected if there was instability in Malaysia.

Furthermore, he said, Singapore too was facing internal problems with regard to its communities.

“We know that they too have problems, it’s not 100 per cent smooth sailing,” the Prime Minister said.

On Thursday, the Deputy Prime Minister had also commented on the matter, describing Lee’s statement as mischievous.

— BERNAMA

Cigarette Manners
Originally uploaded by Aaron Olaf.

Booklet on responsible smoking in japan..heh

Other than spending money on shows, i found another good way to spend money..oops.. But this one should be worth it, buying books, hehe.. dropped by Times yesterday and found some gems of a book on 20% off, shiok!

I went to catch Singapore Dreaming with some of my colleagues after work on wednesday. Being a wednesday afternoon, the cinema was totally deserted, and it gave me the chance to whip out my camera and take some interesting shots. I’m like hooked to the effects of long exposure photography. Note: all the shots were taken without a tripod, the cam was resting on various platforms. mostly seat cushions.. Hence the slight shake..

You will never find a cinema so empty, this was how we sat throughout the show..

My lonely cup of coke..

I was flipping thru the TV channels when i chanced upon this show on channel 8 about chinese idioms, a game contest where they had a few kids to answer qns. This p5 boy answered one of the qns correctly, and the hosts mentioned that he had interesting dream careers.

P1: Ice cream man, cos he loves to eat ice cream P2-3: Provisions shop boss P4: TV Host P5: Super rich big boss

As we grow older, our expectations and dreams change. I never thought that i would end up as a teacher as a kid, I wanted to be a erm..policeman/soldier/fireman..never a teacher.. See wat i’m doing now?

For all the effort and money that the govt throws into getting ppl to speak proper english, so that we can better present ourselves to the world, and all it takes is some govt organisation to screw it up by doing something like this:

Off the SCDF site

Proper text:

13 Sep 2006 / 10 : 00 am Public Warning System Sounding of islandwide Public Warning System (PWS) sirens on Civil Defence Day on 15 Sep 2005 at 12.05pm. Public is advised not to be alarm.

上梁不整，下梁歪

I havn’t seen such powerful shots for a very long time…
Check them out here

School Teacher Arrested on Terrorism Charges

NEW YORK — A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. “Al-gebra is a problem for us,” Gonzales said.

“They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns’, but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, ‘There are 3 sides to every triangle’.”

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes.”

White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the president.

I admit that I never had much respect for Chee Soon Juan, but this time he really caught the police with their pants down.

Govt harassment begins: Police steal flyers from activists
9 Sep 06


A bunch of police officers tried to intimidate activists who were handing out leaflets to alert the public to the Empower Singaporeans Rally and March on 16 September 2006.

Three officers approached Ms Chee Siok Chin and Mr Charles Tan at Raffles City Shopping Mall and warned the two that they were committing an offence.

When asked what offence was being committed, the police could only say that it was a “seizable offence.” Pressed to be more specific, one officer said that his superior would inform them.

The officers also said that they would have to seize the flyers and quickly grabbed the bag of leaflets sitting on the ground.

When Dr Chee Soon Juan appeared another bunch of police officers told him that he had to stop distributing the flyers.

“Under what section of the law is it an offence?” Dr Chee queried.

“It is a seizable offence,” came the exasperating reply.

“You haven’t answered my question. What Act says that it is an offence to distribute leaflets? If you cannot tell me which specific law I am breaking, how can you tell me to stop doing what I am doing?” Dr Chee continued.

Quickly changing the subject, the officer said, “I have to take the flyers.” He reached out to grab the leaflets which Dr Chee was holding.

“If you want to seize the flyers then take me as well. We go together,” Dr Chee suggested.

The police officer retracted his hand.

At this point there were at least six police cameras lurking in the various corners recording the encounter.

“I can come with you right now if you want me to. Where is your car?” Dr Chee offered again. “If you say I am committing an offence, then let’s go to the police station. Otherwise please move aside as you are blocking my way.”

The bunch withdrew into the crowd and hung around the shops, looking from afar.

The activists continued distributing whatever pamphlets they had left. When they ran out, they approached the police officers to ask them to give back the flyers they had stolen.

But as soon as the activists got close to the officers who were all in civilian wear, they dispersed in different directions like suspects fleeing the scene of the crime.

One, Senior Staff Sergeant Lee Hong Chee, who pretended to be a shopper looking at a window display whilst sipping on an ice-blended coffee, was not quick enough. When asked where his colleagues were he said, “I don’t know.”

“Do you know it was wrong to take our pamphlets when you haven’t told us what offence we had committed?” Dr Chee asked.

Sgt Lee searched for an answer but could only play back the pre-recorded message, “I don’t know.”

“Where are the flyers?” Dr Chee asked again.

“They are with my colleagues.”

“Where are your colleagues?”

“I don’t know…”

“You’re not a very competent officer, are you?” Dr Chee continued.

“I don’t know…Thank you,” the sergeant stammered, and quickly walked away.

Seeing two more officers sitting in the distance, the activists sought their assistance. As before the two quickly scuttled away. But Dr Chee called them back and after asking them to produce their warrant cards, one was Senior Staff Sgt Zaihir Shan s/o Syed and the other was Sgt Andrew Ong, he asked them for the confiscated pamphlets.

Almost simultaneously the two officers’ cellphones rang and they both pretended to be engaged in deep conversation while quickly walking away.

These officers were not behaving the way our men-in-blue should – with dignity and professionalism. Instead, when asked they could not cite the law they were supposed to enforce and they behaved like a group of suspects who quickly dispersed when confronted.

First World Government? Yeah, right.

The World Bank has requested that the Singapore govt to kindly allow approved civil society groups stage outdoor protests during the IMF meeting. However the Singapore Police has said no, that it’s against the law in Singapore.

Much as I wanna see a real protest in sg, instead of nus students wearing black tee or mr brown’s fans wearing brown tee to stage a silent protest, (heck! i oso wanna see our riot police in action for once) I think it’s not good to make an exception for this since ppl like chee soon juan will start to complain about double standards. FYI, he made an application to stage a protest but it will be oh so surprising if that’s approved.

Anyway I thought of a few alternatives for the outdoor protestors

1. Protest indoors in a building with a sky roof, pseudo outdoor
2. Put them all at St John’s Island, the former lepers’ colony, then live-webcast the protest scenes to suntec to be broadcast on giant multiple plasma screens
3. Let them protest on TV over a few mths, macam Singapore Idol. Let the viewers decide who stay on. Protest Idol finals to be held @ changi prison.

All in all, i’m quite sure that this is the 1st and last time that IMF/WB will come to sg, but no worries, i’m sure we can find more wayang opportunities next time

Or rather, we are no longer the No.1 most kiasu ppl in the world. I’m quite sure the PRCs aka 中国佬 have beaten us hands down. From jumping queues at HK Disneyland to even soccer, we are no fight, compared to the PRCs.

Did i say soccer? Yes, soccer! Singapore played China in an Asian Cup qualifier 2 weeks ago, and before the match, the Chinese coach was still yaya, saying that China can beat Thailand 4-0, and hence beating Singapore by the same score wasn’t a problem. China eventually won by an injury time penalty.

Now the 2nd match would be played later in Singapore, he is still yaya papaya-ing away, saying that it’s sure win. But being the most kiasu ppl in the world, that’s not good enough. Like how Singaporeans queue overnite for Hello Kitty, they must make sure, they must guarantee.

Off today’s Today

Zhu, a former international goalkeeper who took over the coaching reins from Dutchman Arie Haan last year, has been keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of tonight’s clash.

He even refused to hand the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) a recording of the qualifier in Tianjin and insisted that it was his prerogative not to do so.

China have been training behind closed doors since their arrival here and all Zhu would say yesterday was, “We respect everybody and we just hope that everybody respects our wishes”.

Singapore really lose liaoz…

I remember when i first watched Animal Planet about 5-6 years ago, I had the impression that it’s all about Planet’s Funniest Animals and those pets’ shows. I was never a big fan of wild animals documentaries, and that hasn’t changed till now. One show however bucked the trend, that was Crocodile Hunter hosted by this crazy (putting it mildly)Aussie chap called Steve Irwin..

Now Steve is like all wildlife documentaries hosts, he goes into nature to bring to the viewers a closeup look of wild animals in their natural environment. The similarities stop here, he is no David Attenborough, who only narrates from far off and approaches only docile animals. Steve relishes approaching any animal, be it docile or incredibly wild and dangerous. You can expect him to creep up onto a monitor lizard and pounce on it! He will then proceed to show u more about the lizard, before letting it go while saying something like “You go gal”, to sorta of encourage the creature. You would expect him to leap on a saltwater croc with the rest of his zookeepers and haul it up a truck.

He makes good TV that’s for sure. Who doesn’t want to see real action on TV, in times when the googlebox is filled with special effects and computer manipulation to bring u “action”. Steve is so real, so in-your-face, that sometimes we question is he for real… I loved his series, but not so much the later spinoffs where i felt that they were targeted towards a younger and meeker audience. Not so many chances of seeing Steve in action, but his affable nature on TV makes it very ez for viewers and myself to identify with him.

He had his own share of crazy stunts, like while baiting a crocodile with one hand and carrying his little baby on the other.

There was a big hoohaa over this, but he claimed that he was in complete control over the situation. I believe him. This is the very same man who taught his young daughter to handle small snakes and crocs since she was very young. To him, it’s as important a skill as say, swimming.

On 4th Sep 2006, Steve was filming a documentary while diving at the Great Barrier Reef. While taking a break from filming for his own docu, he took time to capture clips for his daughter’s own docu. In the process he and his cameraman inadvertedly agitated a stingray which reacted by swinging its barbed tail. Unluckily, the barbed tail hit Steve directly on his chest and penetrated all the way through to his heart. When brought back onto the boat n later the shore, medical workers tried to revive him but to no avail. He was 44 yrs old.

Steve left this world doing something that he enjoyed the most, getting close up with wild animals. It is through mavericks like him when we really get a closer understanding of wild animals. It is through his antics and actions that attract so many ppl to watch his shows and learn more about wild animals.

Rest in peace, Steve Irwin.

I contributed a letter to Today a day after the National Day Rally..

The National Day Rally is an annual speech by the Prime Minister, serving as a report card of the progress of our young country. It also serves as a rallying call to Singaporeans to prepare us for the greater challenges of the following year. Hence it is true to say that the NDR is a very important event.

However, is it absolutely necessary to broadcast the NDR simultaneously on all terrestrial channels? I can understand the need to have it translated into the 4 main languages, but surely Channel NewsAsia and Channel 5 would end up duplicating each other, and the same goes for Channel 8 and Channel U for the Mandarin channels?

I could not help but compare this to the paltry coverage of local sports on the terrestrial channels. It is saddening to see that the idea of local sports broadcast is live screenings of SLeague matches only once or twice a week, and the idea of sports on terrestrial TV is wrestling, the occasional golf tournament, and a few European soccer matches. I remember that about 10 years ago, we used to screen highlights of inter-school basketball finals on Channel 5. To make worse an already bad situation, the recent soccer match between Singapore and China was not screened at all.

I think it is high time that we start to place a little more emphasis on covering our local sports. We do have events of international standing that take place in Singapore throughout the year, for example the StanChart Singapore Marathon. Perhaps Mediacorp can consider opening up a channel that is only active during the time of the sports event. The remaining time can be utilized for public or educational broadcast.

The channel of course would hardly generate any advertising revenue or profit, but it is high time that we look beyond the profit motive and concentrate on the broadcast of a good mixture of local sporting events or overseas events where our national athletes are competing. Let us invest back some of the profits from the media industry, or the funds collected from TV licenses into this project. The Singapore Sports Council can consider collaborating with the media companies to bid for and screen the events, funded by a pool of money contributed by the media companies and the government. Let us realize that it is not just rallies by leaders of our country that are important in developing a strong social fabric in Singapore.

Now Today has a habit of publishing letters within 2-3 days if it’s worthy, or they get a reporter to contact you if they think your letter has the potential for it to become a proper story. However when ur letter is too lengthy, or PERHAPS doesnt match Today’s interest to be a paper that fosters nation-building, you get a canned reply like this:

From: xxx < @mediacorp.com.sg> Mailed-By: mediacorp.com.sg
To:
Date: Aug 31, 2006 5:53 PM
Subject: RE: TODAY VOICES CONTRIBUTION - NATIONAL DAY RALLY SPEECH
Thank you for your contribution to our VOICES section, but I’m afraid we aren’t able to use your letter.

Please however continue to send your views to TODAY. We try to use as many letters as possible, space permitting.

Once again, thank you for your interest in TODAY.

Best Regards,

xxx
Editorial Assistant
MediaCorp Press Ltd