November 2011 | SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Janice Koh applies to be a Nominated Member of Parliament

I read that Janice Koh has express interest to be a nominated member of Parliament. I only get to know Janice Koh when she appeared in the "Mind your Money" programme in Channel Newasia. I read that Janice was an Assistant Director in the Singapore Heritage Board before becoming an artiste. I find Janice Koh to be quite vocal and I hope that she can champion a better life for all Singaporeans.

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Supplementary Retirement Scheme

The Sunday Times carried an article on Supplementary Retirement Scheme, which as the article may have rightfully pointed out, is not well-known among Singaporeans. I am among one of those Singaporeans who are not familiar with the scheme and hence reading the article enlightens me as to how this scheme-more commonly called SRS- works. Here is a short write-up of how it works:

Focusing on one’s goals

Focus: the word is simple but yet Focus is hard to be achieved in today’s modern world when we are inundated with new technology, more and more distractions and the need for instant gratification.

Why there is no improvement in Singapore MRT network?

Despites the millions of dollars pumped into increasing the railways of our MRT network, I think there is no improvement at all in the system as the increased coverage still fails to meet the huge travelling demand of passengers.

Bought Norton Internet Security 2012 at SITEX

I went to SITEX fair again today to purchase Norton Internet Security 2012 at a good price of $29.90. I went to Challenger later on and found that the same software is being sold at $49.90, hence I saved $20 today.

Canon Powershot S95 camera at Sitex

I went to Canon booth at the Sitex exhibition yesterday for enquiry on Canon Powershot S95 camera. Canon S95 camera gives the best night photo among all the Canon camera models. However I was not too happy that the price was not lower-it was still $599! However there were freebies tossed into the deal-3 memory cards and a $60 Robinson vouchers.

Passing IPPT and be Fit for Life!

I woke up at 6am today after turning in early yesterday night. You may ask me why did I wake up so early on a non-working day. Well, the reason is simple, I needed to attend my IPPT session at 7.30 am sharp!

NEA, HPB launch e-poll on smoking prohibition

NEA and HPB launch a e-poll on smoking prohibition. I think this e-poll is long overdue.

Singapore Short Stories does not discriminate against smokers. Singapore Short Stories, being a non-smoker would just suggest smokers to smoke responsibily as non-smokers like me have right to clean air.

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Happy New Year 2012

I know the title of this blog post comes quite early as we are still about a month to a brand new year. It is that time of the year, yet again! That time of the year when we slow down our pace of life a little, taking stock of what we have done and achieved in year 2011. That time of the year when colleagues start to take their leave, leaving fewer colleagues in the office. That time of the year when it is widely recognized as a holiday and a relaxing period, though I am not sure whether it is a good excuse to slow down in work-for this answer maybe you can ask your boss?

The value of a book

When we purchase a book, we pay a price for the book, this is the selling value of the book. The knowledge that is contained in the book is what I call its intrinsic value. A book can be of zero intrinsic value if it does not contain any useful information at all. On the other hand, for very good books, the intrinsic value of these books can be many times more than the selling value of the book.

Christian Eliab Ratnam: media should not have shown his photo

Today's Straits Time reported that a full-time National Serviceman, Christian Eliab Ratnam has posted a photo criticizing Islam. A police report was lodged to investigate this matter. Christian Eliab Ratnam's case came right after the case of ex-YPAP member Jason Neo.

NTUC FairPrice Self-Packing Station misused

After completing my purchase of groceries at the NTUC Fairprice supermarket this morning, I proceeded to the self-packing station located just outside the supermarket to check through all items. To my surprise, the self-packing station was used like a bench where aunties, uncles and a Chinese foreign worker were sitting relaxedly.

Service Staff should be given a choice to wear Santa Claus Caps

I was at the NTUC this morning when I saw the cashiers at the counters donning Santa Claus Caps. Though the caps will serve to raise the Chirstmas spirit to one notch, I feel that the wearing of such Santa Claus caps should be made optional as not all people loves wearing such caps, some may find it silly to be wearing such caps.

SMRT should use Technology to solve refusal to give up reserved seats in MRT trains: my Suggestion

It is quite common today to witness passengers who hog the reserved seats on the MRT trains-these seats are meant for passengers who need a seat more-obliviously even if those passengers who need these seats stand in front of them! These hoggers are also oblivious to those passengers who stare at them with disapprovingly looks.

A Song to Remember

Mediacorp’s latest blockbuster drama of the Year “A Song to Remember” is a good genre to experiment. No doubt I have an interest to watch it, the advertisements and trailers about this drama seem to suggest that this drama is another stereotypical version of its Hong Kong counterparts.

Adventures with Chris Lee: Thank You MediaCorp

Yesterday, like what I have been doing for a few Thursday nights now, I tuned into Channel U at 8pm to catch the 1-hour reality show featuring Chris Lee’s adventures in our regional countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The show featured Chris’s roughing out in the forests and primitive jungles of these countries, living the rugged lives of the local tribes, working like them and experiencing their lives and so on. But I was very impressed at yesterday’s show with Chris Lee braving the immense dangers and comforts of a sulphur miner in a village in Indonesia.

Jack Neo and now Jason Neo!

Last time it was Jack Neo and now it was Jason Neo!

Both Jack and Jason made potentially racially sensitive remarks!

Jason Neo made the remarks while he was still a member of the Young PAP.
Again, another member of the Young PAP who found themselves in controvery.

There were quite a few whom I remembered who found themselves in controversy:

a) Sear Hock Rong
b) Danny Soo Ee Hock

One Easy Way for Health Promotion Board to combat increasing myopia among young children

I understand that Health Promotion Board (HPB) is targeting to combat increasing myopia among our young children. I applaud the initiative. Similarly HPB should target the increasing smoking phenomenon among Singaporeans (no offence to smokers, but smoking has some inherent health risks), address the increasing stressed up and depressed number of Singaporeans who may not cope well with the fast pace of life in Singapore (not sure whether Bedok Reservoir incident is related to stressed and depressed Singaporeans) and ensure infrastructure in Singapore is friendly to Senior Citizens (I find new escalators are riding up or down at increasing speeds).

The Building of North-South Expressway & bringing the soul of the Singapore City back

Early this week, Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that it will acquire quite a number of sites for its construction of the North-South Expressway. Some of the buildings which will be affected are the blocks of flats at Waterloo streets which are familiar to Singaporeans as they stand out in their iconic stripes of colours. The few shops around these flats consisting mainly of shops selling religious artefacts will have to shift too.

Time wasting activities

I find that there are many time-wasting activities all around us and I am guilty of committing to a few of them. Even when one reads books, it will be a waste of time if one spend hours reading the books but does not apply the knowledge gleaned from the books.

Will installing CCTVs at Void Decks lead to Void Decks being completely Void?

I read that the police is embarking on the measure to install CCTVs at void decks to prevent and deter crimes in the heartlands. While I applaud the move, I find that the installation of CCTVs will lead to a redefinition of void decks.

Web Hosting

In this internet era, it is no longer sufficient for businesses to have just a brick-and-mortar presence. With the prevalent use of the Internet today, customers usually turn to the internet to find out more about the products and services of interest to them via an online search. To business, an online presence is no longer an option, it is a necessity. Business turn to web hosting to set up a website dedicated to their businesses and it is important for business to find out the different kinds of plans offered by search engines such as help on SEO, maintenance of server and others before signing up for a web-hosting plan.
Setting up a website is just the first step to an online business for businesses, the next step is the more important one, that of attracting traffic to the website.

Changi City Point: Vivocity of the East

Following my thoughts on Changi City Point, Singapore's newest mall in the East next to Expo, my family and I visited the new shopping mall this evening. I was surprised that Changi City Point is bigger than what I thought though it has only 1 basement level and 3 storeys. Changi City Point is a shopping mall under Fraser Centrepoint Trust which is the company behind all the "points" shopping mall such as Bedok Point, North Point and so on.

Tan Chuan Jin: Singapore Heroic Minister-of-State

It was reported in the news today that our Minister-of-State Tan Chuan-Jin led checks on workers' dormitories himself. From the way it was reported, Minister Tan reminded me of Russia President Putin whose heroic antics like hunting, wrestling with a rifle were widely reported in the press.

I believe many Singaporeans and I would think likewise that Tan Chuan-Jin is Singapore's heroic Minister of State for the following reasons:

Stray cats of Singapore and Singapore Cats

Recently there are calls to do more for our stray cats of Singapore; a constituency in the North has already built a shelter to house these stray cats.

My thinking is to let the stray cats be what they are: strays. If we build a shelter and care for them and feed them so that they need not hunt, they are no longer called strays.

We will be eroding that sense of survival instinct in these stray cats if we convert them from stray cats to domesticated pets. These strays will not be any more different from pets.

I know that there are some cat perverts here in Singapore, torturing these cats at times but let this be no reason for these cats not to roam our streets. We need to give these stray cats the freedom to explore the different estates in Singapore by their walking on the streets at 4km a days visiting Pasir Ris in the East to Marina Bays Sands in the Centre.

GoogleCorrection? Bloggers beware of new hacking techniques!

I would like to share this experience with all bloggers and all readers who have friends who blog. As blogger, we all know that we are able to see which traffic sources send us traffic. These few days, I have been receiving hundreds of traffic from strange website like Googletraffic.com, and all other sites with a .tk extension.

Revamping the ministries in Singapore

Not too long ago, a writer to the Straits Time Forum proposed to have, as a separate entity, a Ministry of Sports in order for Singapore to concentrate on building its sport capability. Currently sports are under the Ministry of Community Development, Youths and Sports (MCYS). While I neither agree or disagree with the writer’s suggestion, I have some personal suggestions as to revamp certain ministries and “parking” of statutory boards in Singapore.

Foreign workers gawking at sunbathing women on Sentosa beach

A lady, by the name of Cheryl, caught a group of people, who seemed to be foreign workers “gawking” at bikini-clad foreign women sunbathing on Sentosa beach. She took a photo and posted it on STOMP and her sharing became instant news recently!

Of Learning for life, of IT gadgets, hobbies and diary

I read and learnt somewhere but not sure where it originated from and I reproduced it here: in life, there are 4 main aims: to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy.

Mr Chan Chun Sing vs MG Chan Chun Sing

In my earlier post on how the government can connect better with Singaporeans, I have urged media to consider not using the title "MG"and "BG" to address the two rising political stars, Chan Chun Sing and Tan Chuan Jin as they were no longer Generals but serving the people, hence we should just address them as "Mr.": this is more connecting to the people.

Regret harms health, be happy in life

Recently, I read an article which reported that regretting is a kind of action which wrecks harmful effect on one’s health. Even without reading this article, I already know that unhappiness will cause one’s body to breakdown and illness to emerge. It is not that uncommon to learn of stressed people contracting diseases. Unhappiness also leads to people getting sick as it lowers one’s immunity level. Hence I find it not worthwhile if a person earns millions of dollars per day only to trade sleep, health and family time for 20 or more working hours daily just to earn that amount of monies, feeling stressed and having his health compromised.

Bedok Reservoir bodies incident: Media should have also interviewed Low Thia Khiang

Headlines of Today's Straits Times reported that ex-foreign minister George Yeo held a prayer session for the 5 bodies found at Bedok Reservoir.Uncannily, a sixth body was found in Bedok Reservoir an hour before the prayer session.

Changi City Point: Singapore's newest mall

Changi City Point was opened recently. This is Singapore's newest shopping mall. I have high hopes of this shopping mall as it bears the name "Changi" which is an international icon. Though I have not been to Changi City Point, I believe it would be better than Ngee Ann City and will bring in millions of tourists: local and overseas to this shopping mall.

Read my verdict on Changi City Point!

6th body found at Bedok Reservoir

This morning, yet another body (the 6th so far) of a Chinese man was found in Bedok Reservoir. Like what I have blogged before, this kind of news could not be really publicised via national media else it may spark more copycat acts.

Action of Life

I have learnt that in life, there are certain things like aging we cannot control. What we need to do is to cherish and be contented with what we have now and also to have dreams and goals to strive towards to and we must ACT to fulfill all our dreams and goals set forth.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Finding the time to blog and reflecting on my life in year 2011

I have not been blogging for some days already. The reason is that I have been quite busy lately at work which leads to me getting rather tried when I reached home these few days. I am beginning to get some-what people call “burnout effect” at work as I have been working non-stop at many projects for months without any rest.

Using Handphone to top up EZ-link card?

Two weeks ago, IDA announced a new initiative whereby consumers will be able to purchase their groceries by zapping images of products displayed in advertisements plastered on walls in MRT stations using their smart phones.

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