SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

Aditya Bhatia was the name of the teenager who has posted in his Facebook post a threat to bomb Marina Bay Integrated Resorts. I think Aditya Bhatia is really the last person to round up Singapore 2012 which is characterized by lots of SEX and careless online chatter and not Michael Palmer and Laura Ong. Hence I will put update my earlier post on Singapore 2012 top news makers with Aditya Bhatia. I hope that the authorities can send a clear signal to Singaporeans and foreigners that such a serious comment cannot be tolerated!

Year 2012 is full of happenings pertaining to sex and online careless remarks, just read my post here . Just as we thought we can close off year 2012 with Michael Palmer's saga, a police report was made against a boy who has threatened bombs on Marina Bay Sand. Report the report here . I hope the police can take a decisive and deterent action as such a comment is really very dangerous! With thousands of Singaporeans heading to Marina Bay tonight to usher in the New Year, the boy's  remarks are really offensive!

It has been raining for hours this afternoon, I wonder whether the Marina Bay 2013 countdown will have to be scaled down due to the incessant rain. I am not sure whether the rain will continue till midnight 2013, but I am pretty much sure that the rain is a wet blanket for the thousands of Singaporeans who have planned to usher in the New Year with loved ones at Marina Bay.

Today is the last day of year 2012.Yes it is 31 Dec 2012 and humanity has survived the so-called Mayan 12 Dec 2012. Like a cliché, every time, when it comes to the last day of a year, many people will start to reflect on what they have done for the year: their achievements, the areas in which they could have done better; then they will go setting new resolutions for the coming year.

We will be ushering in year 2013 in just 2 days. This year, if there is one word to describe Singapore's top news, this word will be: Deviant as: a) there are so many prominent personalities such as civil servants, prinicipals and even MPs involving in "not proper" relationship with the opposite sex b) there are offensive comments coming from people like Sun Xu and Amy Cheong c) and last but not least, some SMRT bus drivers even orchestrated an "illegal strike" not seen here in decades! Let us review the top news of Singapore in year 2012:

The verbal exchange between AIM and the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council has continued, with each side giving their take. The whole issue of the exchange centres on a particular piece of software used for financial transaction of the town councils here in Singapore.

My family and I tucked into the rich and savourly chocolate offerings at ninethirty in Joo Chiat after a sumptious meal of Laksa at Katong yesterday night. To be honest, a chocolate tart at $6 was not cheap but the taste is really awfully chocolate.

With just a few days to a brand new year, it is natural for many to turn reflective, reflecting on what they have achieved in year 2012. It is also natural for people to start crafting New Year resolutions for year 2013. I would think that crafting New Year resolutions is more like a custom.

In the past, whenever I walked past the fare gates of the MRT stations, I would see security staff donning “SMRT” uniforms on standby to check on commuters. I would lament on how these security staff would just check on luggages (at least on the occasions I saw them in action) tugged along by commuters as though in today’s world, those intending to do damage to our society would have still have large devices to perpetuate their acts.

In today's Straits Times, the lineup of Desmond Kuek's (SMRT's CEO) key management team was revealed. There were a few former colonels in the lineup which sparked some netizens and Singaporeans wondering whether military management style will govern SMRT next.

Today is Christmas Day! Merry Christmas to all of you! Today feels like snowing Christmas today as it is very very cold today, the coldest ever I think in recent months. A check with the NEA Weather website says that today's the maximum temperature is 29 degree celsius with the minimum temperature at 24 degree celsius!

I was very surprised that tonight was Christmas eve, Mediacorp still showed the movie "Rush Hour" on Channel 5. This movie was shown so many times on our Channel 5 and to think that on Christmas eve, instead of showing some new Christmas-centric movies, we still have "Rush Hour" as the movie for Christmas!

Aleksandar Duric hoped that Singaporeans will remember him as one who has given everything to Singapore as the Lions returned home today in a victory parade. Unknown to many Singaporeans, Aleksandar Duric is the best striker in the world according to this report .

Yesterday, my family and I went to Orchard Road to experience Christmas in Singapore. Orchard Road was already very crowded when we were there yesterday. The sights and sounds there reminds Singaporeans that Christmas is coming to town!

In a Gallup survey, Singaporeans are found to be the Unhappiest people in the world. I am not surprised by the survey. I believe Singaporeans are the unhappiest people in the world due to THREE reasons.

After Orchard Road shopping centres and Ang Mo Kio Hub, rats are reported being seen at Golden Miles Shopping Centre. Now with not one but at least three shopping centres being found to have rats, I believe the problem may be a symptom of a larger problem (i.e. the overall rat population in Singapore may have increased).

Steven Koh Yong Chiah, the principal of River Valley High School has been redeployed to Ministry of Education HQ to undertake a position of Principal (Special Project) while he assists CPIB in its investigation. Again, another case of civil servant who is involved in CPIB investigations. This year is really a record year for errant civil servants who were found guilty of sex offences or corruptions.

At least 126 couples here in Singapore will marry on 21 Dec 12 according to the ROM website . If we write this date, this date is written as 21.12.12. However, 21 Dec 12 definitely has another more popular meaning to you and I. Yes, on this date, maybe you and I as well as the almost 7 Billion people on our planet will vanish together for 21 Dec 12, the end of the Mayan calendar (and some say time) is widely speculated to be the date when human civilisation ends.

Laura Ong's saga which commenced last Wednesday has left many Singaporeans and netizens talking. Many blogs, posts have sprung up in the internet, carrying comments and photos of Laura Ong. I agree with Yam Ah Mee that we should give Laura Ong a space now to move forwards in her own life.

Though Michael Palmer has resigned over an affair with Laura Ong, I believe the good works done by the hardworking MP as reported in the Straits Times will still be felt by the residents of Punggol East. Michael Palmer also grooved to the beat, doing Hip-Hop dance with fellow P65 MPs some years back.

Laura Ong and Michael Palmer sex saga seems to be over all in just 3 days. This whole Laura Ong and Michael Palmer saga started on Wednesday 12 Dec 12 when Michael Palmer held a press confereence to announce the "grave mistake" he had committed. On the same day, Laura Ong was identified as the person whom Michael Palmer had an extra-martial affair and her photos were splashed on media, online and offline.

ANDY LIM is the name of the man who was reported to be in a relationship with Laura Ong while Laura Ong was seeing Michael Palmer.

According to a news, someone set up a Laura Ong Blog showcasing the photos of Laura Ong. I also came to read that Laura is just 33 years old and not 37 years old which I have read earlier. At just 33 years old, Laura Ong is already a Director!

Laura Ong, the constituency director at Pasir Ris West Constituency Office is reportedly to be the lady whom Michael Palmer has an affair with. Laura Ong seems young to me. At such a young age, she has already becomes a constituency director, hence I wonder whether she is a scholar? However, from this website with many of her photos, it is said she is 37 years old . Read more here .

21 Dec 12 is the end of the Mayan calendar and it is the date which many believe to be the end of the world. If the end of the world is already just 10 days ahead of us, and you subscribe to this belief, you would not have spent a minute of your (and my) very very very precious remaining 10 days of our lives reading this post of mine. You would probably be spending all your monies in all possible ways that makes you happy or very very happy.

It was reported that bus fares will increase next year so that the salaries of bus drivers can be raised. I am very disappointed that commuters have to bear the responsibilities of paying drivers more. I really believe public transport operators SBS and SMRT should foot that increase in their employees' salaries rather than passing that increase to commuters.

Yesterday, my family and I went to watch “Breaking Dawn Part 2”. This is the final instalment of Twilight and its saga. Twilight was first shown in year 2008 which was followed by New Moon (2009), Eclipse (2010), Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) and Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012). We watched almost every instalment of Twilight and its saga!

I am shocked to read that Chen Wen Cong, a MediaCorp artiste has passed on due to illness. This demonstrates to me that life is short, we must take good care of our health and do our Best in our daily lives!

These few days, it has been raining in the evenings. I believe it has to do with the fact that Christmas is coming. However even though Christmas is upon us, this year, I believe it is more rainy than last year's. Climate change, many people attribute almost everything unpleasant to the environment with this generic theme.

After Lim Sin Pang, Ng Boon Gay, Cecilia Sue, Amy Cheong, Alvin Tan Jye Yee, now Singaporeans are hotly discussing the SMRT bus drivers "no show" saga. I humbly offer my 5-cents worth of opinion on what SMRT can do to solve this saga.

There is now a new social commentary called New Nation which offers a refreshing take on current affairs. I have read a few articles of New Nation and found these articles to be quite interesting.

I was surprised and taken aback that 102 SMRT bus drivers, from China refused to work today (26 Nov 12) due to unhappiness cited over their pay. From what I could recall, this incident is really one of the very very such cases that could happen here in law-abiding Singapore in decades. I deem such “AWOL” for work by the bus drivers tantamount to the drivers going on a strike. SMRT bus services being public service providers should take a very serious view of this incident.

As MOE kept a tight rein on the naming of this year's top PSLE student who scored an aggregate of 285 in this year's PSLE, many netizens are reported busily searching online frantically in order to get the identity of the top scorer who was not named in the mass media.

I went to SITEX Expo this afternoon. To say that Expo was jam-packed with people when I visited Expo was an understatement. Before my bus could turn into Expo, scenes of queues and queues of cars jamming up the various roads leading to Expo greeted me; they were waiting in line to enter the various carparks around Expo- which were already packed. This was madness, I thought to myself. Anyway, I got into SITEX Expo hassle-free.

My family and I were just back from our Changi Airport outing. Similar to last year, Changi Airport brought the Angry Birds in to celebrate Christmas. Hmm, this year, I thought the giant Red Angry Bird display at Changi Airport Terminal 3 was made with less impressive or "Solid" material.

I am a regular viewer of Channel 8 TV show "Love in Progress". This show is a match-making show where 3 single men and 3 single ladies come aboard together on the show. They then play some games and the show finally culminates in either 1 man or 1 lady choosing his or her potential soulmate.

Since Heng Swee Keat took over the helm of the Education Ministry last year, he has made many changes to our local education scene, let me share with you those I recall: a) Awarding students with cash for good conduct b) No more banding of Secondary Schools c) Scrapping away the Gold, Silver and Bronze medal for SYF competitions and replacing them with very general awards

Singapore most famous Huang Wen xxx are now each fighting for different things: a) Huang Wen Yi (Ng Boon Gay) is fighting to clear his name, his reputation and his charge. b) Huang Wen Yong (Singapore's veteran actor) is alleged to fight his health after he showed up on last Sunday TV award ceremony face shrunken. c) Huang Wen Hong (Singapore's radio DJ) is fighting for a cause after shaving his head.

The Sunday Times carried an article on 18 Nov 12 that the operators of Sky Dining are experiencing lacklustre business on weekdays as there are only a handful of customers for the restaurants on these days. I am not surprised that the business is not good for the restaurants as from my most recent trip at Gardens By The Bay, I do not see any restaurants around despite walking and navigating the Gardens quite thoroughly!

What is Honey Chipotle? Yesterday, my family and I ate a McDonalds Lunch and ordered the new BLT Chicken burger. There is no more Samurai burger and its famous sauce and hence the new BLT Chicken burger is to replace the Samurai burger as a new offering from McDonalds. My family and I upsized our set meal and for the upsized fries, we were given a packet of Honey Chipotle powder as favouring for the fries. This Honey Chipotle powder is new to us as we recalled the cheesy favouring for the Samurai Burger which was retired with the Samuari Burger. We placed the Honey Chipotle powder on a piece of serviette and dunked our fries inside before popping them to our mouth.

November is traditionally the month when Singapore launches the Clean & Green Singapore event and over the recent weekends, there has been a flurry of Clean & Green campaigns all over Singapore. This year, the theme of Clean & Green Singapore campaigns seem to be on discouraging littering in view of the persistent littering problem Singapore has despite years of education and reinforcement. In fact, littering has become all the more evident and pronounced in recent years. All Thanks to our armies of cleaners, Singapore is still able to present itself as a clean city to the world despite the phenomenal trend of littering here.

If you have read my earlier post, you would have read about my observation that Mondays seems to be the coolest days for Singapore. When I woke up today, I know my conjecture is accurate when I saw the grey clouds on the horizon and experienced the pattering of rain when I walked to the MRT station! Including today, it has rained for at least 3 consecutive Mondays! Such cool days are really good days for outings!

With life so hectic in Singapore, I believe it is really important for one to engage in an exercise, any form of exercise as long as one sweats it out, breathes in deep and work one’s body out for the benefits of mind, body and soul. An increasing number of Singaporeans is taking up non-conventional sports in Singapore in recent years. One of these non-conventional sports is muay thai . What is Muay Thai? Well, Muay Thai is a martial art sport from Thailand. I believe many Singaporeans are not really that familiar with Muay Thai, but if I give you an analogy that muay thai is to Thailand what Judo is to Japan and Taekwondo is to South Korea, you will probably understand what muay thai is all about better.

I went to my neighbourhood 7 11 store and asked the counter staff whether he has a copy of TODAY for me. His immediate reply was "12 pm". When I heard this, I wondered what he meant by his answer. Was it a codeword used like those we saw in the martial arts movies for which those armed warriors exchange secret code words?

Chen Show Mao, Singapore's most highly qualified Opposition Member-of-Parliament with pedigrees better than some of the Ministers has cut his hair. This is the Chen Show Mao that we normally know, and I was a bit surprised to see Chen Show Mao's newest hairdo! Meanwhile netizens are analysing Chen's particulars .

Today should be yet another hot day. The moment I wake up, the sun is blazing right above me. From what I have observed so far for the previous 2 weeks, Mondays seem to be the coolest for Singapore.

My family and I have just returned from Asia Pacific Food Expo 2012 held at the Singapore Expo. Despite being Friday and just the 2nd day of the Food Expo, it was jam-packed with people. We saw that there was very little free sampling (not that we are very interested in it) and not many particularly striking stalls selling ready-made food. Anyway, it was not that easy standing to eat as all the tables were taken. Dodo fishballs stall was not there though the usual shark-fin stalls and those selling mee-hoon, etc were there.

It was reported in a recent Straits Times article that more than 100,000 Singaporeans earn less than $1,000 per month. When I read this, I am quite surprised as it seems to many that Singapore is a prosperous and wealthy nation with approximately 400,000 Singaporeans having a net worth of US $1 million in liquidity excluding property.

Today is Deepavali holiday and the last day of my long weekend. Normally, I will go out with my family to city during weekends but it is a surprise that we do not go out to city on long weekends. I reckon it is due to the fact that we no longer like to go city for shopping as the shopping malls and trains are too over-crowded.

Alvin Tan's scholarship was terminated afterall, according to this article .Alvin Tan has shocked Singapore with his videos  and despite what he has done, NUS did not disclose the punishment it meted to Alvin where in fact it should . Nevertheless, I believe Alvin has given 5 lessons to Singaporeans.

Every Wednesdays and weekends, one can just take a look at the snaking crowds which form outside the Singapore Pools outlets and if you have the time, you can count the number of people in the queue. The lines form due to one simple reason which is simply the fact that Singaporeans want to hit the jackpot, the Toto and 4D and earn more money!

Is your current work a Passion which you wake up to everyday happily to embrace it or is your work something you dislike and you are only in it as a means to sustaining a living? I chanced upon a topic of basing your career on numerology and would like to share with you readers the following link .

From Boys to Men, another film from Jack Neo. I believe this film will be another roaring success though I personally have not watched the film. This film will definitely attract the thousands of NSFs to watch similar to the thousands of students who are attracted to watch "I am not Stupid".

THE TEMASEK TIMES is a popular online social commentary with thousands of readership daily. THE TEMASEK TIMES is always updated daily however for many days already, the most recent post carried by the website is as of 29 Oct 12, which was nearly a week back.

Say if we have the names of students in Column A of the excel spreadsheet and the description of their grades in Column B as follows: “Excellent”, “Pass” or “Fail”. You want the names of the students in Column A to appear “Yellow” if their grades are “Excellent”, “Green” as   “Pass” and “Red” as “Fail”. This is what you do: Open up Microsoft Excel 2007

Since news of a taxi driver who can earn up to $6,000 in monthly income was reported in the Sunday Times last week, there has been a flurry of comments both online and offline as to whether a taxi driver can really command that high income in a month- CONSISTENTLY! Yes, we mean CONSISTENTLY i.e. getting that $6,000 salary -which is approximate to the monthly salaries of many young Scholars- month after month.

By now, this name TAN JYE YEE should no longer be unfamiliar to Singaporeans. Though Tan Jye Yee has said that he hoped to become famous with the photos and videos he and his girlfriend made, in reality, I can sense that the ground sentiment about the videos, though disapproving was not really that great. I think it is because such videos are widely available in the internet (if one wants to watch them).

I chanced upon an article in Yahoo today. This article is about a video of Dr Richard Teo giving a speech to a group of medical personnel. But this video is not an ordinary video, it is about Dr Richard’s sharing of his life lesson with his audience.

These few days are extremely hot and humid. The Sun is really blazingly hot and I think it has really toasted Singapore till our island is hot and crunchy.

These are GANGNAM STYLE top 10 parodies I found on the internet: I found the below parody more interesting:

Today, I saw to my surprise large giant electronic signboards at the control station of a MRT station which indicate in simple descriptions whether the services on the various MRT lines are normal or not. Since today, there is not MRT breakdown, the words "Normal" in the signboards greeted me.

I read of this complaint against EMA attentioned to PM Lee.

Ministry of Family and Social Formation (MSF) will be one of the three new ministries set up in Singapore- along with MCI and MCCY- with effect from 1 Nov 2012. MSF will be helmed by Chan Chun Sing, one of the 3 rising stars in Singapore's politics (the other two are Lawrence Wong and Tan Chuan-Jin).

Alvin Tan Jye Yee whose photos and videos has rocked Singapore may be jailed for 3 years according to this report .

This afternoon, my friend and I met up with a lady who had just recovered from a 3rd stage Leukaemia. The lady appeared weak and her hair was thin, obviously from the many rounds of chemotherapy she has undergone.

I have heard of asbestos before but did not know that asbestos can cause health problems; all the more I did not know that our buildings (those which were built before 1989) probably contain asbestos till I read of a recent report that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is currently looking into safer ways to remove asbestos from buildings. After this report, I think I should stay away from old buildings undergoing renovation lest I contract some of the diseases related to asbestos.

Lim BaoYing, this is the name which caused a flurry of online comments among netizens after Alvin Tan Jye Yee and Amy Cheong.

OCBC has introduced PSLE Leave for its employees, this is a good step in a right direction but on the converse, the bank's move has sparked concerns among parents that such a leave will just reinforce stress in students taking the PSLE.

My family and I love Samurai Burger from McDonalds and we have Samurai Burger weekly since its launch. However, I seem to pay a different price each time we order the Samurai Burger set meals. It was only when I asked a counter staff today that the truth of the pricing of the Samurai Burger became known to me as follows:

Ngiam Tong Dow has opined that $70 million of tax-payers' hard earned monies spent on F1 is unnecessary. While I agree with Mr Ngiam, I also feel that the tax-payers' monies spent on Malaysian Alvin Tan Jye Yee's

Yesterday night, I ordered a set of Yong Tau Hoo from a famous franchise stall. When the food came, I was shocked: the portion of noodles was so small that I could devour it within one mouthful! This set actually cost me $3.50!

Alvin Tan Jye Yee has released yet another video after photos and videos of him having sex with his girlfriend were posted on his blog. Though his blog was deleted, the photos and videos may still available on the internet.

Whenever something like the incident of Alvin Tan Jye Yee rocks Singapore and Singaporeans both literally and figuratively, we will all feel sad, ashamed, angry and disappointed.

After Sun Xu, now we have Alvin Tan Jye Yee . Both Sun Xu and Alvin Tan Jye Yee are NUS Scholars. After what they have done, I believe NUS should have a more stringent criteria of selecting its scholars. We do not want people like them to be funded by tax-payers' hard-earned monies.

Alvin Tan Jye Yee, this person came on top of the online news I read on a blog after a hectic day at work for me. So after, Cecilia Sue, Amy Cheong, now we have ALVIN TAN JYE YEE! Read more details about the incident here .

I read with a tinge of sadness that a 31-year old man has been charged over stealing few tins of baby milk powder at a “Shop-N-Save” outlet in Sembawang. The man could face 7-years of imprisonment if found guilty.

Two days ago, after work, I ordered a packet of Nasi Bryani from a nearby foodstall. When it was time for payment, I was shocked: the price of the Nasi Bryani is now $5, 50 cents more than the original price of $4.50! This may seem insignificant for some rich folks, but if we use simple Maths: the increase translates to a 11.1% increase over the original price!

Courts Asia IPO’s application has closed at 12pm today and Courts Asia stock will commence trading on SGX next Monday. Did I apply for Courts Asia stock, the answer is No, though I think Court Asia’s stock price may rise on the first day of trading.

Dynasty Reit IPO is opening for application, to buy or not to buy? Dynasty Reit, a Reit by Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-Shing and a Reit denominated in Yuan or Renminbi (with a parallel counter in SGD), and a first for SGX. There is a lot of hype about Dynasty Reit IPO in view of the above, Yuan-denomination, big names like Li Ka-Shing, etc.

Soon, Singaporeans can jog or cycle from East Coast Park to Gardens By the Bay, Marina Bay via the network of park connectors. When this news was announced yesterday, I was not particularly surprised as most of the parks in our country have been connected and it is just a matter of time before Marina Bay is connected to East Coast Park.

In his National Day rally, there was a mention by Prime Minister that people in Singapore are getting less tolerant of one another. I feel PM’s point was validated in the “Amy Cheong saga” now gripping Singapore.

I was quite surprised to read that Amy Cheong is not a Singaporean at all. She was born in Malaysia, raised in Australian (she is an Australian citizen) and works in Singapore as a high-flying Assistant Director in NTUC's membership division.

Amy Cheong's saga may not end that fast as the online chatter will not subside so soon. In the coming days, there will still be viewpoints, opinions and comments made by the armies of netizens on cyberspace.

Lim Ming Yan has been appointed as Capitaland CEO and President, taking over the helm from Liew Mun Leong. Before this announcement, there has been some speculation that Ong Ye Kung will be appointed this role of CEO and President of Capitaland.

How far will you fight for a very coveted seat on our SMRT train? Will you fight your way for it like the two gentlemen here did till they were covered in blood? Lucky this incident occured in China and not Singapore!

I just stumbled upon a good website called Singapore News Online . With so many socio-political blogs, websites and commentaries related to Singapore scattered across the spectrum of the internet, it is really a hassle to keep track and read every single one of them. With this new Singapore News Online ， I believe it will save me time and effort to locating and reading all the insights, commentary and viewpoints from news providers and bloggers.

Last Friday, I watched an interview with South Korea’s newest female pop group: SKARF on Channel 8. I was quite surprised to learn that two of the female members (the two tallest ones) are Singaporeans with the two others Korean. As the Singaporean-leader of SKARF explained, they chose this name for their group as it is a play on the word “SCARF” with “SK” abbreviating “Singapore” and “Korea” respectively.

Today, I went to search for Psy Gangnam Style video on Youtube after millions of people around the world have watched or followed the video of Psy's dance and catapulted Psy to a superstar within weeks.

Yesterday, my family and I chanced upon a brand new food centre selling Malaysia fare at Jurong Point. This new food centre is called "Malaysia Boleh" and judging at the number of congratulatory flowers at the entrance of the restaurant, I surmised this food centre must have just opened.

NTUC calls for 2 weeks of paternity leave and I would like to applaud this proposal of NTUC! I really believe and from my own experience that the current 3 days of paternity leave is really not sufficient and in my own case, I have to take additional leave from my annual leave balance to augment that important stretch of leave to care for my family.

I really think that there are far too many shopping centres in Singapore. Though these shopping centres offer a reprieve from the sweltering heat and humidity for families and friends in the weekends, I wonder whether all the time spent shopping in these mega shopping malls will be productive use of Singaporeans' time at all.

Yesterday, I ordered a plate of Char Siew & Roasted Meat rice from a nearby cafe after lunch hours. When the food arrived, I was shocked! I asked the aunties whether this was the Char Siew & Roasted Meat rice I have ordered as I could not see any Roasted Meat at all! She said "Yes".

When I saw on TV news of a new pilot initiative called “Travel Smart” announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), I thought of some good new measures by LTA which will enable commuters to travel on public transport in a smart manner by leveraging on technology or innovation. Hence, I was quite disappointed to learn that this “Travel Smart” pilot programme is actually a travel demand management programme which places the onus to utilize public transport –so that our MRT trains and buses will not be overcrowded- on the commuters themselves!

As a man who values time, I really do not like to wait. But this afternoon, my family and I spent more than 30 minutes just to wait for the free shuttle bus to IKEA, Giants and Courts at Tampines, only to see in disappointment-together with the rest of the queue- that the bus pulled into the bus bay only to have the passengers alight and then it left!

While Singaporeans remain fixated at the case of Cecilia Sue and Ng Boon Gay, I think the world may be following this local high-profile case via Channel NewsAsia which broadcasts in many countries.

Today is 1st October, the first day of the 4th quarter of 2012. Time indeed flies. I thought that the New Year was just yesterday but now here we are, going to usher in Christmas and then a brand new year 2013!

Dear Readers, today is Mooncake Festival. I would like to wish all Readers a Happy Mooncake Festival. If you are pondering where to go to celebrate Mooncake Festival, I list 3 places where you should go to soak in the festivity of Mooncake Festival: a) Chinatown (alight at Outram Park MRT Station, walk along the main road to be greeted by hundreds of brightly-lit suspended lanterns in mid sky)

As the case involving CNB's ex-chief Ng Boon Gay and Cecilia Sue entered into its 4th day of legal proceedings, I think by now Singaporeans will learn of the very graphic, very explicit intricacies of the alleged misdeeds, chief of which centres around how Cecilia Sue described the alleged acts of Ng towards her.

As Mooncake Festival will be here in just two days' time, shopping centres are abuzz with stalls selling mooncakes and people patronizing these stalls to buy mooncakes for themselves, friends and relatives.

I went jogging this evening. I have not jogged for few months. I have not passed my IPPT. But passing IPPT is not the main goal why I took time off after work to jog. I need to maintain a healthy physique and I need doses of fresh air to invigorate my body. I need fresh air to clear my mind cluttered with career woes.

Singaporeans continued to learn of the very explicit details of what Cecilia Sue said in court regarding Ng Boon Gay's deeds. As the case is now before the court, I should not comment too much on the case.

Yesterday, I fell prey to non-positive thoughts. I tried hard not to be non-positive as my job is really not doing well. In work, I am positive, hardworking but due to a confluence of factors most of which stem from Poor Management and Office Politics, it is really very disappointing to me, an employee who gives his Best every day, only to be sidelined by those who lick the boots to make up for their incompetence at work.

Last weekends, my family and I visited Carrefour Singapore outlet at Suntec City. At this time of writing, I believe everyone in Singapore knows the fate of this French Hypermarket as it will bade Adieu to Singapore in a few weeks’ time. 

I am taking a review of this blog and will be making some changes to the editorial content of the blog. I have started this blog many years back, all the way in 2007 to document some of the good experiences of events, places and encounters of living in Singapore and hence looking back at the posts of the recent few years, I believe there is a need to have a total review of this blog so as to achieve its objective.

MPH will be having its clearance sales yet again at the Expo tomorrow. This is the sales that follows right after a similar MPH clearance sales in August, just last month. I wonder whether MPH is relocating out of Singapore too, like Borders Bookstore?

It is very important to have Positive thoughts and weed out Negative thinking. This is easier said than done but ultimately we should not let others or events affect our state of thinking or mind. If others are able to do that to us, we are weaker than them as we are influenced by their actions.

I would like to nominate my constituency for the most Patriotic ward in Singapore. Why is this so? Well, it has to do with the fact that despite the fact that it has been more than one month after the National Day, my ward is still decked in the National Day adornments and banners.

MediaCorp, has recently shown on Channel 5, street-racing themed movies like "Fast and Furious" and its sequels. I think it has to do with the F1 races coming to our shores very soon!

Prince William and Kate half-naked photos were published in a French magazine. As I surfed to understand more about the news, I came across a website which published all the photos taken of the Prince and his wife while they were holidaying in France.

Blog post

A foreign man was only fined and for only $10,000 for molesting 3 SIA stewardess in a SIA flight. I really think that this sentence is light considering that perpetuators of molest get a jail term in some instances. And we are now talking about the molestor molesting a higher QUANTITY (3 and not 1) and higher QUALITY (SIA air stewardess are known to be above average in looks, in general of course) in a single situation. Why is there only a $10,000 fine? I am not sure whether this case will spark off a debate in cyberspace similar to the Woffles Wu’s incident.

I bought a book about Success from the recent MPH expo sales at a mere $7! I feel so inspired by the teachings of the book that I will be planning to walk the talk by designing a daily log to aid me in my daily reflections of my every day; things like “What is something I feel satisfied about?” or “What are the things today that I can improve?”

As is reported, MOE will abolish the secondary school banding system which categorizes secondary schools into 9 different bands. The rationale of doing it is, I quote; to ensure that every school is a good school and reduce the administrative overheads.

Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate arrived in Singapore this afternoon! The royalty visited the Botanic Gardens and paid visits to Singapore's leaders. The British Royal couple is the second to visit Singapore this year after the Bhutan's Royal couple. I read that some Singaporeans take leave today for a look at the Royal couple in Singapore.

The idea of a Singapore Conversation has noble aims, that is to engage Singaporeans fully but actually, frankly speaking, I think the conversation may be one-sided if all those who are invited to take part in the conversation hail from the usual PAP grassroots bodies like the CCCs and RCs.

Our Singapore Conversation, an initiative helmed by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat finally announced its committee members yesterday and proceeds to do what it intents to do: engage Singaporeans on what they want for Singapore via a slew of platforms like a website, Facebook Page and more.  

I am not sure whether I coin the following phrases or I read them somewhere: Know what you know Know what you don’t know Don’t know what you know Don’t know what you don’t know

Pandas Jia Jia and Kai Kai will be arriving in Singapore tomorrow morning. These pandas will be cute, however the millions of dollars used for the construction of their habitat and upkeep could be channelled to help the lower rungs of the society.

Currently, there is a local serial drama showing on Channel 8 about teens and school life produced by Mediacorp. Also, a movie production house affiliated to Mediacorp has also in running, a movie on teens and violence. I feel that the movie and drama of such theme will only incite violence among impressionable teens.

Singapore National Games have commenced from 1 Sep 12 and last 9 days. While the games are really an exciting concept to engage Singaporeans in games and build bonds, I believe the event is really under-publicised.

Recently, it seems to me that MRT trains are getting noiser as they enter or exit overhead MRT train platforms. Overhead MRT train platforms were among the first batch of MRT train platforms constructed; subsequently new train stations like the Thomson MRT line are all hidden underground.

Law Minister proposed that a framework for neighbouring conduct should be instituted. His comments came a week after PM's National Day Rally in which PM spoke that Singaporeans seemed to be "getting less tolerant, less willing to compromise in order to get along".

This afternoon, I ordered a value meal from McDonalds, the Double Cheese Burger one and was shocked to learn that the meal now cost $5!

This afternoon was really hazy, the dirt and smog clouded the vision of the faraway. Wow, the PSI must be very high, I thought to myself. Curious, I opened up my internet browser and surfed the authorities’ website, only to read that the PSI was still in 20-30 plus range!

Teachers and Education Support Staff will get pay rise with effect 1 Sep 12! I congratulate teachers and education support staff for their pay rises! I noted since Education Minister Heng Swee Kiat came aboard to helm Ministry of Education, there have been many monetary incentives! I am not sure whether it is because he was Singapore’s central bank banker before as the former Managing Director of Monetary Authority of Singapore, that monetary-incentive rewards seem natural to him. Take for example, the monetary incentives to reward good behaviour among students which drew brickbats! This came from Mr Heng! And now teachers and education support staff will get pay rise too! While teachers and education support staff will receive increments in their salaries, we hear of so many cases of teachers involving in bad conduct and sex-related cases. The latest comes from a PCF Kindergarten teacher who shamed her female student by asking her to stand stark in front of her classmates!

Once Pearl Centre is pulled down to make way for Thomson MRT Line, Singapore will be 100% predictable with no unorthodox shopping centre offering a unique perspective of Singapore.

Many, as reported, hailed PM Lee’s National Day rally speech as one of the best ever. I also feel that PM Lee not only spoke well, he connected well with the audience. However, there was one point in the rally where I almost fell off my chair as I was suddenly shocked at what PM Lee said.

With the announced closing down of French’s Carrefour in Singapore, I believe beside discounts, Carrefour should do one thing before pulling down the shutters at Suntec City and Plaza Singapore. It is to teach Singaporeans to pronounce the word “Carrefour”. Since it set up its stores 15 years ago, I still hear people saying “Carrie Four”. The correct pronunciation is “Ka Fu” (in Chinese Hanyu Pin Yin).

I am disappointed to read that Carrefour will be closing down its Singapore outlets by the end of the year.

My family and I went to city hall for shopping today, only to see very little human traffic in the shopping centres or around the city areas as compared to the normal weekends. Why is that so? Well I reckon that it has to do with the NATAS travel fair that is ongoing at the Expo. Singaporeans are tour fanatics and I think it has to do with our small land mass.

Singapore's air quality last year was actually worse than in 2007 ( reference ). I think no doubt we have award-winning tourist attractions which serve more to attract tourists than serving locals, we really need to improve our air quality lest we become like Hong Kong.

Law Minister K Shanmugam and his wife experienced some reckless drivers while driving on public roads yesterday. Shanmugam posted their encounter on his Facebook page and within hours, his post has garnered many comments from netizens and his post made news on TV yesterday night.

ITE East is having a Great ITE Fiesta next Sunday. I am attracted very much at the free workshops! For more details of the ITE Fiesta .

Christopher Neo of NSP has passed on due to heart attack.   This is the second case in a row that heart attack has hit a prominent Singaporean. Only recently, Dennis Ng, a well-known financial personality passed on due to heart attack.

My job is getting more and more mundane with no job prospects, bad colleagues, poor management and many politics. Faced with these, it is really very disappointing hence I told myself I will just need to do more in other areas of life and excel in them; the fact that I am blogging at this time is a testament to my determination not to concede defeat though my career is at its nadir.