SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

The news of the Singapore Land Authority officials in the $11.8 million dollar fraud is indeed shocking!

I cannot understand why people like to play politics as I really believe the fair and mean way of getting a promotion and earning a higher income is to prove one’s worth. However, in life, it is not easy. From my experiences, colleagues play office politics, bosses are hardly capable and treat employees with bias and preferences.

I have thought that millionaire tutors only exist in Taiwan, but I was wrong. Recently, there were some articles in the Straits Times which mentioned many tutors in Singapore earning lots of good bucks giving tuition. An insider in the tuition industry was quoted in the same article that he knew at least 5 tutors in Singapore earning up to $1 million annually! There was a famous Physics tutor by the name of Phang Yu Hon, who earn close to $60,000 or more monthly!

Just spend $30 at Changi airport and you will be able to ride on Singapore’s tallest slide for free !

Though I am always been reminded countless times to seize the present, and not to let the past take hostage of my present, it is easier said than done. Often at times, I will recall my past and how I have come so far in life. I dwell on lost opportunities, some sad incidents of life, some regrets, some hard days, and definitely good moments.

It has been sometime since I last jogged. Working long hours in Singapore; whatever remaining hours left on a weekday are very precious to a working adult. However, it is really inevitable that many of the working adults return home after a long and busy day at work, totally lethargic.

A week ago, while I was in NTUC supermarket buying some drinks, I was angered by an old uncle service staff banging some drink products on the shelve. I thought he was quite rude.

The past few weeks, while using the SMRT train, I feel that all the other passengers and I are like small kids, with the SMRT jingle buzzing around upon the arrival of every train, urging all to queue up. The SMRT jingle should not be too unfamiliar to you, it goes like this: “Train is coming, train is coming, train is coming.. Please Start Queuing, Love your rides”.

I was shopping for some items today. There were quite a number of stalls selling the same items at the shopping place I was in, so I went around comparing prices.

On weekday morning and evening rush-hours, you would not want to be at Tanjong Pagar MRT station else you would be 'drowned' by the deafening chorus of thousands of shoes and heels of working executives coming to and rushing from work. However on weekends, you would be surprised to discover the opposite. Last Sunday, when I exited the station, the MRT station was bare of people at all. It was quiet and scary and all the shops in the underground were closed too.

I have been to nearly all the museums in Singapore, hence it came as a surprise to me when I discovered that there was actually a Singapore Coffee Musuem behind the Old Nanyang Coffee cafe at Smith Road I was in.

Just a few days ago, I was walking past the Ministry of National Development when I saw a beggar in front of the building.

I was at Paya Lebar today, walking from Paya Lebar MRT station into Tanjong Katong complex and the vicinity on a Sunday. I have long known that come Sundays and public holidays, Paya Lebar will be transformed into an enclave for Indonesian maids and other foreign workers as reported in our local newspapers, but I never expect to see the scene that greeted me entering into this enclave on this day of the week.

Today is the Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2010. At this time in writing, the run is close to its ending. I have always participated in this run as it feels great to run and pay homage to the good old Sheares Bridge and partaking in the splendid city view while enjoying the rare chance of running around Singapore's CBD.

Today marked the 9th year aniversary of the one event which changed the modern world... 911!

Headlines for today's The Straits Times: "Ministry to probe free bus rides to Resort Worlds Singapore" in which the government is investigating whether the free bus rides to the two integrated resorts are actually encouraging gambling.

Currently, I am very busy with my personal endeavours, however, I am still making some time to post this blog post because I really want to put on record my extreme displeasure, utter shock and disbelief at a sodomy scene shown on tonight's (7 Sep 10) episode of Mediacorp "The Family Court" drama (which screens week-nightly from 9pm to 10 pm).

Dear Singapore Short Stories Readers, These few days, or should I say weeks, I am very very busy with my own personal committments, hence may not be posting as regularly as before. I would like to express my apologies to all of you!

A group of SIA crew was warned for divulging information of their company’s operation on Facebook. I believe netizens should restrict divulging too much of their company-related information on the internet via any of the online social networking platforms. They may treat their online postings as private to themselves or their exclusive group of friends. But as long as their online content can be ‘google-able” or viewed by other netizens, their private trival lamenting or sharing become public content!

The latest census reveals the fact that Singapore’s population has reached 5 million. Of the 5 million, one third is foreigners. Prior to the release of this census results, the signs are everywhere that our population has increased tremendously: congested trains at any time of the day, overcrowded shopping malls, restaurants and public facilities.