Journey to the car (after the Class Reunion)

After the class reunion, Ramani was really nice to offer us a ride to the city. We were in the unknown (ulu) lands called Chinatown or Chin Swee Road. So we walked and walked. The car was so farking far. Lucikily I had nimale and a camera to entertain myself (no ... nothing dirty). Anyway, if you need a car to fetch the whole soccer team, Ramani is the MAN to call. His car is so freaking big and it even has a DVD player.

We walked ...

And walked ... oh look we are finally at the Singapore General hospital (where the car is parked) cos RA mum has staff parking (read FREE!)

And walked ...

Almost there ... see the lift sign on the top

The culprit :)

Ah ... the car finally. It just took us 10-15 mins to get to it.

Look how spacious it is

Jason was delirious from some joke. I can't remember what. See .. this is what you get from blogging so late after the event. My Bad!!

The LCD screen that is connected to the DVD player. EVERYONE say wuuuu ...

This was some random people that I took that were having a wedding photo session in the trishaw.

A closeup of the entourage ... I spy with my little eye ... some overly made-up bridesmaids. The photographer apparently spotted me taking a photo. Sadly we zoomed away

Class Reunion

After much procrastination, I am going to put up the photos that I took for the class reunions the previous saturday. First off, I am no fan of class reunions. How odd to meet people who knew you in your past, where you were someone else (unless you have remain stagnant/unchanged for the last 7 years). They remember you as you were, not as you are. Then there is a short intermission, where they reconcile the past and present you, and then comment how you have changed so much. Where in fact, you feel that you have not changed at all, maybe just a little but not as drastic as they say.

Anyway, my class had 30 pp and only about 12 pp came for the lunch. Thanks Poh Cheng for organising the class reunion, although I have to say that the food was nothing to rave about (cold fried tim sum and things with unidentifiable contents). Okay ... enough ... bring on the photos. Its basically taken from a round table so the angles will look horrible and the people are not exactly very cooperative. I will go in order from left to right.

Ramani and Lionel

Nimale - he came late

Jason Cheong and Qing Qiang

Poh Cheng and Wei How

Wei How and Gong Wei

Ming Qian, Andre and Alex (I like the waiter at the back)

Finally, Peter (and no .. he is not picking his nose) and Danica (he's shy).

So in the end, it was nice to know what everyone was doing. But again the high school groups emerged and those who were from the same social group sat together and chatted. There were the people who bridged these groups and were able to facilitate the conversation. But then it was always like that in 4A3 in SJI 1997. Au revior to the past... See you all in 2007 for the class of 1997 reunion.

Some humour Test

I am tired doing my readings for the Japanese studies so I decided to go blog visiting. I came across this test on Paul's blog and decided to take.. Who wouldn't.. haha! Well this is the result:

the Provacateur (66% dark, 34% spontaneous, 52% vulgar)

your humor style: VULGAR | COMPLEX | DARK You'll crack on anything, and you're often witty, even caustic, about it. Therefore, your sense of humor is polarizing. You're transgressive, and you've got a seriously sharp 'edge'--maybe too much for some folks. If they get you, people think you're one of the funniest (and smartest) people in the world. If they don't, they think you're an ass. Whatever, right? While some might question your judgement, your comic intellect is unquestionably respected. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Chris Rock - Lenny Bruce - George Carlin The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules - If you're interested, try my latest: The Terrorism Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 85% on darkness You scored higher than 18% on spontaneity You scored higher than 79% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

I am in job hunting Mode!!

After that catastrophe with the phone ambush by EDB. I have just applied for another position at citigroup. Heard that they don't pay well and they don't have a lot of welfare. So I am not really sure why I am applying for their management associate position. Oh well .. will see if I get the interview first.

Ambushed!!

I was ambushed by EDB on the way out of my class today. I got a call from EDB (because I applied for a position there in their International Policies Division). Then they asked if she can talk to me about some facts in my resume and asked some questions. So I thought why not?

So I boarded the bus cos I was having my media class at the LKY school of public policy and was going to the main campus area. Then she Embushed ME!! She started the interview - So why do you want to apply to the International Policies Division? What do you see yourself in the future and what are your plans? What are the challenges that you think EDB is facing right now? Argh ... and I did not have the poise or confidence to answer properly. But then somehow I manage to get through this round and she said that she will arrange the interview with the directors.

BUT .. since I interned there before, the expectations on me is HIGHER! Since I have done all these wonderful subjects like (Chinese Business studies, Japanese Business Systems, International Trade) I should be KNOWLEDGABLE of local and global issues. Oh yeah ... before she forgets, the Interviewers are the director and deputy director and they are very tough interviewers. So she tells me to get ready.

Thanks a lot ... I really hope that this is not going to be another MFA part two. Which by the way, I did not get. (Not too sure how to feel about that).

childish?

After typing that entry, I realise that it was quite cathartic and rather childish of me.

Anyway, I will blog about my class reunion (that went on last saturday) soon. I have photos too :P

What is with these people

There are two people that has been pissing me off for the past week. Let's call them L and S.

Well, L*** wanted to take the media class that I am in so she asked me about the class (how it is and stuff) and I was happy to oblige because I would have someone familiar in the class. Then the horror started. She keeps asking me for the textbooks and note to the class. And that is all she ever talks to me about. Walked by her this afternoon, L says immediately, "hi ... do you have the textbook for the media class?" That's all!! No hi, how are you?? And this is like the 3rd time she is asking me. I thought you are suppose to get it YOURSELF!! If you were nice to me I would have lent you my photocopied text (which by the way, has Infringed on almost all the copyright laws :).

And the most annoying thing is that she cannot pronounce me name properly. At first, I thought it was her short vietnamese lisp which prevented her from pronouncing my name properly. So my name came out "shaw" instead of 'Shawn'. Then I get an sms which started "hi Shaw..." Argh ...

Okay then S****, another girl in the class. She mentioned that I could borrow her readings and I just needed to sms her on the day to bring it. I smsed her to bring to class and no reply. I see her in class (without any files or big bags) on the same day and she did not approach me to say anything. So I assumed that she does not want to lend me. Fine ...

I organise a group to photocopy the readings today and while walking to the library, another friend mentions to S that we are going to photocopy the readings. S then says "hey I already have all the readings, why don't I lend you all the readings to photocopy?" OMG deja vu. But S turns to me and says, "Oh shawn knew that I had it and smsed me the other day. I BROUGHT the file but I did not talk to her so ..." How was I suppose to know that I was suppose to talk to you when you did not even reply. By the way, you LIAR, you did not bring a file that day. You brought one of those small bags that can only carry a wallet, pen and phone.

Argh ... people are so annoying. I want to move to the mountains and be a hermit.

The widget worked

Amazing ... :)

I LOVE my iBook!!!

Testing my new Blogging Widget

I just downloaded a new widget for my ibook. Hopefully it can link with the Blogger.com and appear on my website.

So the process is I type into an application on the dashboard (something like a second layer on top of the desktop for those windows pp). And the application (hopefully) links with the internet and publishes this post.

Here goes ...

trips

under construction

photos

under construction

Play with my pig

adopt your own virtual pet!

If you are bored

I am doing my readings now for comparative politics, and Mao sent me this link. Very entertaining. Look at it if you are bored or you are trying to indulge in a little escapism. Here is the link.

My life so far

I just realise that I have not been blogging for a while. After the euphoria of receiving the new ibook, I seem to forget that one od the main reasons for getting the ibook is so that I can access the internet from my room (which by implication would mean that I would be able to blog more). By the way, SORRY to the person that I am leaching bandwidth from ... well I am not that sorry *evil grin*.

So for the past week, I have been trying to settle my school timetable. YES!! I am in the final semester of my Masters program and will be completing in the next few months (after an exhuasting schedule of assignments and seminars). So for the really kay-poh pp, I will be doing:
- Media, Public Opinion and Public policy [this is held at the Lee Kuan Yew School of public policy and it is BEAUTIFUL! The number of donors they have ... amazing. And they have such a nice reception area and nice classrooms for the 100 odd students that they have. While the hoi polloi slum it out in the ASes]
- Economic Growth in East Asia [ I am assure by everyone that takes this module that it is soooo easy and an A is guaranteed. And more importantly, I don't have to do the readings.]
- Contemporary japanese social Issue {all the better to understand the Jap dramas .. harhar!! well not really but it does help in some way]
- Approaches to Comparative Politics [Kjiaw (pronounced Chor) - Burmese lecturer educated in Cornell ... very interesting teaching method and very interesting content. Enough Said)

So sadly my life so far is revolving around school and work. Not much of work though since ALL I do now is go into office and check the email (oh it's Col so and so ... does concern ME ... IGNORE). The most I do is to plan when I will be taking leave - usually on the days that I have morning classes.

Oh and my life on TV land is rather limited. Joan of Arcadia and Gilmore Girls on Sundays. Then followed by the Apprentice (yes I got sucked into the show - kill me Whydoncha!). And of course America's Next Top Model - no ... dont need to tell me. I already know Naima is the winner of this season 4. God ... TCS is a real slowpoke when it comes to acquiring foreign shows. (don't cha love it when they are televising Spiderman - the first installment - two years after the movie was released and they actually have the audacity to tag it with a line - "FIRST TIME ON TV"!! Of course it is the first time on TV cos you are so farking slow. And you are the only local English channel.)

My precious find tonight - with relation to the America's Next Top Model - it's the blog of the second runner up for the first season Ellyse Sewell. It is really her and she is in Hong Kong. Should read her blog if you want a good perspective on the model industry. Also a plus is that she can actually WRITE and she writes well.

I finally have my darling iBook

yes, I finally got my ibook. After collecting it at 1.30 pm yesterday. I had to drag it all around campus and attend two classes with the box (containing the ibook) and a large plastic bag (containing the ugly FREE laptop bad that they gave me - when is a free thing ever not ugly). And the worst thing I had to take public transport home with these two bags and my backpack filled with library books and papers. But it was worth it. Exploring the ibook is really rewarding and really makes me happy that I have made the switch to Apple. A note though - when I was carrying the box around campus, EVERYONE turned to look. And when the computer guy took it out to configure, people were looking and commenting about how pretty it looks. I guess it defnitely beats those ugly black IBMs and silver Fugitsus. So now is the beggining of the process of installing the different softwares to make this ibook usable. Its going to be a long process.

I did think of posting some photos of the ibook. But then ALL ibooks are the same and the only difference is the surroundings. Also I could take a photo of me holding the ibooks but then I am rather camera shy. So i guess if you want a picture of the ibook, you can just go to apple.com or any apple store to ogle at it.

My iBook is ready for collection

My ibook is finally ready for collection. I will be collecting it tom at 1.30 pm and then hurray ... the wait is finally over for me.

Then its up to Pdus to teach me the ways of Apple.

iBooks and Tau Suan

I think I am getting obsessed with getting my ibook. Maybe its just the excitement of owning something that I have wanted to get for the last few months. The end is near!!! So I am surfing around, looking at the things that I want to install in my new ibook. Yes ... i am going to get it SOON - probably in another week's time. NUS really has a good deal for the ibook - comes with free 512 mg RAM and extended 3 year warranty for only $1772. Well, it's not that cheap if you are not earning any or little money. BUT compared to other laptops, it really is a good deal. So I have worked out what I want to install and what internet browser I should use with the Mac (I think I will use Firefox). And then there is Scribe which is soooo essential if you are going to write an academic paper. It basically works like Citation for Windows - allows you to create bibliographic notes for your essay AND helps you create those beautiful bibliography at a click of a button. It's really essential!!


Okay another thing I am currently obsessed about is Tau Suan. I felt like eating it for the past few weeks but never really found a store that has good Tau Suan. Either too watery or too little Tau. So I decided to make my own tau suan. I looks really easy: just steam it and then make the startchy sweet soup base(?) and then add beans. How difficult can that be. The only problem I have is where can I find/buy the you tiao?

School is starting in 5 .. 4 .. 3 .. 2 ..

School is starting. The bulk of my classes will start next week but I have already attended a class last Thursday. Yawn ... On the one hand, I don't think I have sufficiently rested to being another semester. But on the other hand, I am really excited to start this new semester because:
- I realise that I have been bored these past few months. With no strucutred classes to motivate me to read stuff, I have basically done little reading except for the Shannara series by Terry Brooks and a few other non-fiction books - How globalisation works?, Everything bad is good for you (Really interesting and highly recommended ), some book I about brand marketing about using the five senses (which I can't remember the title and can't be bother to google to find it) and numerous other books about finding the right career for you (I still can't decide what colour my parachute is).
- this semester is my last one. I will be taking 5 subjects and then I will finish up my course. Yippee!!
- it coincides with the end of my indentured slavery under the National Consciption Act. Hurrah!!

So it really is a period pregnant with expectations. (I think I used that correctly) The only concern I have now is what to tae for my five subjects. I think I will taking:
- Media, public opinion and public policy (Attending the first class made me think how the subject was related to what Toby, Sam and CJ did in the West Wing - spinning the story and controlling the media. I guess only Nimale will understand what I am talking about.)
- Economic Growth and Development (usual developement economics stuff)
- Economic Growth in East Asia (Covering the East Asian Economic Success)
- Contemporary Japanese Social Issues (Interesting. Should be talking about the aging population, salarymen, disenfranchised youths, iron triangle ...)
- Approaches to Comparative Politics (No idea what this will be about but it's taught by some guy who is highly recommended by friends. He is also a Burmese expert so it should be interesting)

Goodness ... how dreary all these must sound. I guess the tone of the blog will be changing from this point on. It will be about academic trivia and essay deadlines. What joy!

Humilty and Pride

On Sunday, I watched this newish (on the local networks but not in the US ) show called Joan of Arcadia. I read that it was pretty interesting so I watched it. Actually, I was watching it cos I was waiting for Gilmore Girls to start (which btw, is getting a little too Dawson's Creek for me). So the premise of Joan is that the titular girl meets these different people who know intimate details about her and are actually one person - GOD! Yes God!! So the show is a little a la Joan d'Arc - modern day version with the high school angst and the internet. It's a rather interesting concept given that the other holy-moly show I can think of is "Touched by an Angel" which STINKS.

One interesting idea that GOD (which at that moment was a electrician fixing a street lamp) tells Joan is that you have to have Pride. So Joan (being the teenager) says, "what about all the stuff about Humility?".

Answer: You have to be good at what you do to be humble. Goodness, that sounded like a sunday school message ... brought to you by the letters G ... O .... D and the number 7.

I am going to order my ibook TODAY

For those who have been following my ibook saga (which I can tell isn't a lot), I will be getting my ibook for my University. I will be getting the 12" ibook and it comes with free 512 RAM and the warranty is extended to 3 years. :) So hopefully in about 2 weeks time, I will be blogging from my new ibook.

ibook is finally updated.

For the 12"

1.33GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @1.33GHz
512MB memory (DDR333 SDRAM)
12.1-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
ATI Mobility Radeon 9550
32MB DDR video memory
40GB Ultra ATA hard drive
Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Scrolling Trackpad
Sudden Motion Sensor

All gibberish to the non-initatied :D .. which includes me but when you have been waiting for the past two months for the update, it's all heavenly words.

Most importantly, there is an increase in memory, speed, hard drive, and built in Bluetooth. hahaha .. i am going to order mine tomorrow!!

Nice?

Okay ... so i started this last night while waiting for America's Next Top Model to start (which btw is rather too drama mama this season). And I thought I can easily complete in 10 mins and then post it on the blog but somehow, it seems to more difficult to paste a flash file in the blog entry.

So this has somehow turned into another adventure into the ugly world of html coding and the unfortunate exercise of trial and error (I am beginning to think that it is actually and exercise in Futility but anyway...). I think I have finally got the correct html codes to input the flash file in the entry. So here it is:



Nice??

Can it be?!?!?!

Its finally here ... (Handel's MESSIAH playing in the background!!!!)

Steve Jobs has finally decided to update the ibook (according to the rumor mills of the Apple community). To quote the report from thinksecret.com:

July 19, 2005 - Reliable sources have confirmed that Apple's consumer laptop will receive a long overdue refresh very soon, possibly as early as later today.

Details on the updated iBook are unknown, however, although multiple unconfirmed tips have indicated that a long-rumored widescreen iBook may finally come to light with the new iBook.

So Excited!!!!

Let's see in about 7 hours (US Tuesday Morning)
______________________

Edited - 22 July 2005

Okay. My Bad... The ibook was not updated this week. BUT... the signs point to an update next Tuesday. All the apple sites are buzzing with the rumors.

And the Apple Store for Singapore has changed their delivery time from "same business day" to 3-5 days. And, ahem, 3 days from today is ... (drum roll please ...) TUESDAY!! This day is significant as it (apparantly, according to the pp in the mac forums, Tuesdays are the day that Apple gives updates to their products.).

So fingers crossed!!

I think I bombed in my interview

I went for my interview at the MFA yesterday. The funny thing is that they put you in a room before meeting the panel. I think it was suppose to calm you cos there is a lot of plush sofas and books. But the annoying thing was the elevator music that was piped into the room. AND IT WAS ON REPEAT!! How is a person suppose to concentrate with the "Sounds of the Forest" rendition of Pachebel's Canon playing in the background. I am sure that it was not intentional but the music does add stress to the candidate. ("All the better to soften them up for the kill" ... hahaha).

So anyway, I think that I bombed. They were asking questions like:
- What is the challenge for Singapore and Malaysia's relationship, given the assumption of their interdependency?
- What are the challenges for Singapore and Malaysia and the policy response for Singapore?
- same for Indonesia and Singapore.
- Does the Doha Round have any relevance to Singapore?
- Is Singapore's strategy in bilateral trade agreement good?

These I fumbled along and gave answers that are generic and non-comittal. And somehow, I ended up mentioning "International Trade and Openness" in a lot of my answers. I sounded like some Free Trade Liberal activist.

And then the other generic questions:
- Why did you go o/s?
- Why did you do your masters?
- What boooks / journal do you read besides the Straits Times, CNA ...?

These I could handle. Basically, it was blah blah blah about exposure and wanting to learn more and "I read the Economist". But the last answer backfired when he (Director of SEA) asked "So what books do you read?". Blink Blink ... The most recent book I read was a compendium of the SWORD OF SHANNARA series. Definitely not the type of book that can help in Singapore's foreign policy. UNless, Singapore is under attack by the evil Warlock King and they are in need of the Sword of Shannara to SAVE THE DAY. But I doubt that.

So comes the crux: "Since you are only graduating in Dec, you cannot start now right?" RIGHT!! So when I graduate in Dec, then I will be considered again for the position vis-a-vis the future Dec batch of candidates. Ie. DON'T CALL US. WE'LL CALL YOU!!!

The good thing about the interview is that it was only 30 mins long. And I got to watch SIN CITY with Nimales after that and I had a Banana Spilt from Dome (I finished it all by myself :D He had a Nuts and Oats Sundae - the green tea ice cream was good too). The show is good. Every looks either menancing or hot or weird. Which is how the comic book was. And the cinematography was excellent. Very Interesting filming style. And I love the Black and White and some random colours to accentuate. Go and catch it. You definitely will not watch something like in a while. Escape from the lame and the mundane.

30 Minutes and counting

I have 30 more minutes till I leave the office and go for my interview. And then it will be a 30 minutes bus ride and another 5-10 minute walk into Minden Road and I will be sitting in front of the "Final Selection Panel". How intimidating. So freaked out!! And yet I told myself that I would not be nervous, I would not be freaked out. I told myself that even if I dont get this job, it's no biggie. I told myself that I may not even accept the job if I get it, so what's the big deal. But somehow it is not working. My heart is pounding and I am feeling dehydrated but I wanna go PEE!!!

I prepared for this interview:
- What is you greatest goal?
- What do you want to achieve in the future?
- Why did you want to join the ministry?
And on and on ... I just hope that I don't clam up during the interview. I also hope that they are not mean to me or don't employ the "I am mean to you so let's see how he respond" type of interview style.

I decided that I should blog about this and get it out. But it doesn't seem to be working. I am still feeling shitty.

The plus side is that I will be watching Sin City after the interview. So that will at least sustain me through the interview.

So ... 20 mins more till 3 pm. Then everything will be set in motion. The blocks will fall and there is nothing to stop it now.

Wish me Luck!!!

I got through to the Second Round

I got through to the second round of interviews for the MFA position.

When is it going to be updated?

About a month ago, I mentioned that I wanted to buy an iBook. I have not bought it yet. I still want to get it but it seems that the hardware is due for an update, according to this website. So I decided that since I have till August to get it (when the new school term starts).

It has been a few weeks now and the update is still not here yet. The various Apple conference has come and gone and the discount schemes (in the US) has been implemented and has eneded. Yet, the iBook is still not updated. WHY????????

Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel and just buy the damn laptop but what if the update happens just after I buy it. Murphy's law huh?!

So Come on Stevie ... update the damn bloody iBook. I am going insane here and August is coming in 21 days!!! TICK TOCK TICK TOCK ... (take a chance you stupid ho!!)

I Still Call Australia Home!!

I love this ad. I saw it for the first time in Melbourne in (i think) 2000. The version then was a little different but the concepts were similar (kids in white tops and black pants singing their hearts out to the tune of "I Still Call Australia Home"). This version was shown during the Sydney olympics 2004.

Interesting Fact about the ad:
- The finale, shot at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland, features 500 children in the shape of the Qantas kangaroo. Nearly half of these children came from local schools.
- It took five months to film, from late October 2003 until early March 2004.
- 169,561 kilometres travelled. That is 4.25 times around the globe!
- 112,370 feet or 280 rolls of film were used.
- 656 production crew from 9 countries.
- 245 hours of filming took place.
- Everything was shot on location.

If only Singaporean ads were this good!!

MFA replied

In the middle of June, I sent in an application for the Foreign Serivce Officer Position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And today, they replied. I know this may sound conceited, but I actually winged the application and gave pretty stupid answers to their question on "What do you think is the challenge for Singapore's Foreign Service?" and "Why do you want to be a Foreign Service Officer?". But they replied and they are asking me in for some tests. Actually its more like a multitude of tests:

"Stage 1 of the selection process consists of the following five
assessments:-

a) Analysis Test
b) Writing Skills Test
c) Reasoning Test
d) Situational Judgement Test
e) Personality Test"

So it seems I have gotten into the first round and hopefully I get pass these tests successfully next Tuesday (12th). So pray for me and wish me luck.

Hopefully they do not expose me for the fake that I am. :P

Also, how fortunate that these tests are happening on the day that the office is organising some LAME RECREATION DAY!! So with this excuse, I am escaping from lame activities like tug-of-war and Drunken Sailor.

What joy!! What luck!!

Poor little Nick Nick

Nicky got injured on saturday and his eyelids were scratched. It was basically his fault cos he started antagonising the other dog. And of all other dogs, he choose a Golden Retreiver who is obviously bigger than him. So now he has to wear that cone around his head so that he doesn't meddle with his eyes. So take care ...

___________

Another picture of Nicky when he did not have that ricidulous cone on him (which, by the way, has been scrapping his neck and causing his neck to be red and sore).

Anyway, I like this picture and it is also my MSN pix (for now).

Montage-a-Google

Red book Mao Zedong

I found this really fantastic tool for creating pictures that look professional and yet are so simple to use. Just look at the picture that I created just by typing "red book mao zedong" into the search field and then it searches google and creates a montage based on the pictures that was retreieved. The guy that created this tool (which I think is a flash-based application) is a genius.

You can access my new toy in the "Cool" section - 'Montage-a-Google'. Enjoy!

I have also plucked this code from this website, Madarin Design which teaches you (or let you steal) the codes to create these great looking text. So no more boring text ... now they can be aligned to the right or left. :P

Lousy Singaporean Propaganda

For the past couple of weeks, I have noticed the Total Defence ads on the publics buses in Singapore. They are an attempt by the government to create a 'nation' or (for those in the know, Ben Anderson's) 'imagined community'. They have economic, social, ... and others which I can't remember.

Anyway, I take offence at the Economics defence slogan - it sayd to "Read something Useful during your bus ride" (or something to that effect). This is so that we (the citizens of Singapore .. pledge ourselves as one united .... ahem .. got carried away) .. so that we can defend the economy of Singapore by being employable.

It got me thinking - WHY should I read something useful to defend the country? If I wanted to read something useful (and I do - my Economist), I read it so that I can know what is happening around the world without the "red and white" tinted glasses of the Straits Times. I DON'T do it for the sake of staying employable. And who is the government to tell me to read something useful... How irritating! But then isn't this the usual PATERNALISTIC method employed by the government.

(Too bad I could not get a picture of it. I was sitting too far away and the camera click of my k700 would have been too obvious.)

But I did take a photo of another ad on my side of the bus:



This, I find interesting. Sure I don't disagree with the whole concept of Social Defence - we have to have racial harmony to function. They have four names there and I guess that they are meant to represent the different races in Singapore - Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian (the order is based on the population composition). But the order of the names are reverse according to their composition. Also

Vjay = Indian
Yusuf = Malay
Chiew = Chinese (if you can believe the weird spelling. Question: why not TAN or even LEE?)

The big Question is what race is Jeff suppose to be?? I guess Eurasian. But isnt that kind of generic - it could be European, American, or even CHINESE!!

Another thing is when people inscribe "WE WERE HERE", it is usually behind the bus chair, on the toiler door or on a school desk. Does this ad subtly promote VANDELISM?

Okay, enough analysing. See what happens when you are in the bus without any reading materials (of course so that I can stay employable) or any friends to talk to (of course here I am refering to my multicultural friends. The Ceylonese-but usually mistaken as an INDIAN and my Chinese-but usually mistaken as MALAY).

Good God ... its Tampons!!!

Just read from the Economist that in this years Venice Bienale, there is a art installation by Joana Vasconcelos. She is an artist who loves to play with the idea of femininity, of the "womanly knowledge", and to put it on its head.

From far, the chandelier actually looks just like it is made of glass.



But if you click on the image, you will get a up close picture of the chandelier and you can sort of make out that it is actually made of TAMPONS. That's right ... tampons.

I want to go to Venice now to see for the Bienale. Even if it is just to see this TAMPON CHANDELIER.

Escapism?

Today I came across a mention about a scholarship for Singaporeans to study (of all things) Maritime Economics. Sounds interesting and you get to go to the Netherlands to get the MSc from the Erasmus University. (Yes Stef ... i have a fascination with Europe). Application is due end of next week though so I have only one week to consider.

I was thinking I should just go ahead and complete the forms and see how.. But would this be the ultimate escapism? From work ... From responsibilities ... From Life ...
____________________________

Update: 10 June 2005
After much vaccilation, I have decided that I will not apply for this scholarship. What am I to do with a masters in maritime economics and LOGISTICS? I can't even tell the difference between a ship and a ship (see, i can't even give you an example of the different ships). So I shall wait for my next opportunity which is in October when the new scholarhips under the EU Erasmus program are released. There is the Masters in Economics and Law ... and hopefully something else, maybe in the field of International Trade. I hope ...

In the meantime, I have started my resume and will start mailing it out soon.

I am thinking of buying ...

Currently looking at the prices and checking out the reviews for the 12" ibook. It seems like a really good buy. Also, my current laptop is dying - the battery do not work anymore but the computer still can function if you plug in the power source. But what use is a laptop without its battery - it becomes a desktop.

Anyway this ibook seems to pack in a lot of stuff - CDRW and DVD player and other techinical specifications that looks impressive :D

Anyway, I have not bought it yet. Still in the process of sourcing for finances. I am thinking of selling my laptop (that would get me about $200-300) and there is a stereo laying around at home (that would get me another $300). So all I need now is just another $1000+.

Care to sponsor the Odinzs iBook Foundation - where every dollar donated will put a poor child closer to owning his first iBook. Please leave your details in the comment box and I will contact you shortly for your kind donation.

Odinzs thanks you :P
________________________________________________

Update 7 June 2005:

Thanks to Cheryl Tan and Germaine (yes ... cheryl is my sister and that is her friend) for organising and providing me with the discount to my iBook. Even though it is not a donation per se, it is still consider (IMO) a considerable amount. The money saved will go towards more RAM and harddisk :P

Books i have finished last week

I have not been posting recently even though it is the holidays. I have promised myself that I will catch on my readings. So here is some review on the books that I have read in the last few weeks.

The New Spring by Robert Jordan

Quite boring. The whole book is like a prologue. It just fleets from one character to the next, with only 2-3 chapters focusing on each character. So there is no substantial development of the plot. As usual, most Wheel of Time fans will complain that Jordan has lost the plot. But I really hope that he get his act together and finish the series in the next few books. Seriously, it is already in book 10 and there is no end in sight.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

This is similar to Da Vinci's Code, or rather Da Vinci's Code is similar to this book. Similar plot devices, plot twists, and even the characters are the same. Could be a good thing if you liked Da Vinci's Code but you can sort of guess the 'bad' guy of the story. The interesting thing about Brown is how he uses history to create fiction.

Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom

Interesting thesis about how brands should utilise the five senses to capture customers. A lot of fascinating case studies, especially on Singapore Airlines, Apple, Disney and other Brands. (Aside: did you know that Kelloggs have patented the *crunch* sound of their cereal!) But you can gather all this information from the first few chapters of the book. The rest of it (I feel) is filler.

Why Globalisation Works? by Martin Wolf

I have been eager to read this book for some time. The Economist (My preferred magazine) have been raving about this book so I decided to I have to read this. I am cutrrently in the first few chapters of the book and I have to say, it really is a fantastic book on economic globalisation. I am a believer in the benefits of International Trade and further economic integration (no surprise there since my economics education based on a classical liberal perspective). Wolf is really a true-blue liberal and he presents his arguments in a clear and structured way.

One interesting quote he has is about the neo- type of people. It is by Mario Vagos Llosa: basically he says that there is no such thing as a neo-*. "Neo" just connotes someone who is half inside and outside of something.
"To say 'neoliberal' is the same as saying 'semiliberal' or 'pseudoliberal'. it is pure nonsense. Either one is in favour of liberty or against it, but one cannot be semi-infavour or psuedo-in-favour of liberty, just as one cannot be 'semipregnant', 'semiliving
, or 'semidead'." Hilarious!!

**more updates when I finish the book.

Hilarious Star Wars Spoof

In these few weeks of star wars frenzy, there are many clips floating around spoofing the movie. Here is another one. It is definitely more political and I still have not really formed a position on organic food. But who cares when there is Darth Tadar and Cuke Skywalker. Very clever and well done.

Jogging

I went jogging last night. I finally did it after mentioning that I was going to go jogging. The last time I jogged was in Dec 2004 so as expected, I am paying for it now. My legs are heavy and sore and my body is aching all over.

The Tyranny of TV Mobile and the Singapore Buses

Yesterday I took the bus home after dinner and I was grateful that, for once, I was able to have a peaceful bus ride. Even though I did not have my MP3 player, I was at least able to sit there and stone without the stupid TV in the bus blasting some stupid program that nobody is watching.

I have come to realise that I am utterly dependent on my MP3 player when I am in the bus. Singapore buses have a stupid TV that is installed at the front and the middle of the bus. According to TV Mobile's marketing, the TV are there so people can catch their favourite shows when they are on the bus (harlow American idol and survivor). BUT what they don't tell you is that among these gems of TV programs (it is of course debatable whether you think American Idol is a gem in the first place, but anyway .. ), there is a lot of CRAP that is being shown during the day. And the worst thing about it is that the same programs are repeated everyday AT THE SAME TIME.

So if you are taking the bus everyday at roughly the same time (which is everyone), then you would assualted by the same CRAPPY shows everyday. For example, I take the bus at 5.30 pm everyday, I will always have to go through the same episodes each week. The same program about how three kids go to a different country to study ... WOW ingenious!! And in this week's episode, the girl in Germany cooks for her friends and they go on a picnic BUT (boo-hoo) it is bloody raining so they eat in the hostel. And the girl in China shows you an eatery that sells Singaporean food and (lo and behold) they have a copy of the Singapore Chinese newspapers. And the Italian guy in Singapore discovers how to -wait for it - take public transport. (Frankly I am amazed that he did not comment on the TVs in the bus).

Yes, all this fabulous information gleaned because my MP3 player ran out of juice.

So I ask this question: if we have to pay for the public good to be supplied by someone (ie government). Should we have to pay SBS or TV mobile so they do not assualt us with this nonsense and crap on our daily bus rides?

I sincerely doubt paying TV mobile will produce better programming since they source these shows from the local TV channels (haha... take that crappy TCS!!). So I think I shall stick to my Coldplay album on my MP3 player. At least I get to control the programming of it. :D

PS: I just remember that in the begining of 2005, TV Mobile was promoting a package where you pay THEM about $500 to install the fabulous TV in your own car. So now you can give up the right to peace and quiet and pay them to irritate and annoy you with lousy local productions. Gee whiz ... sign me up!! Anyway, I have not seen the promotion any more. I wonder why ...

I finally installed Bluetooth on my laptop

I finally installed the bluetooth device on my laptop and can transfer the pictures that I took with my new phone (or rather relatively new phone - read previous entry about my new phone). Anyway these are some of the ridiculous but cute photoes that I took of my dogs.



--> Nicky (Male)







-->Cocoa (Female)






(She does not look particularly happy in this pix - wonder why??)

I have changed my blog template

If you are a regular, you would have noticed that the designs have changed. I have also added my pretty flash bit that I created from that website (read previous entry) at the top of the website. Nice??

This was my previous design. So do you think that there is an improvement? Acutally I think that it is completely different in terms of the colour scheme. But I have retained the nice mouseovers with the chinese charaters. I like them a lot and changed the colours of the pix to suit the design colour scheme.

For those people who know me - which is basically all those who are reading this website (i doubt any stranger will stumble on this blog) - I did not create this design from scratch. I modified it :P Like the essays that I write, I take the original, embellish with my own personal style and voila! The new design. This is the original design from a website francey.org, which has a lot of nice template designs. I feel so guilty about "borrowing" the template and so I am crediting the designer Francey.

So this is almost the end of my blog design journey. One more thing to do - find a way to include the flash intro that I created, which will also have the cityscape flash at the top of this blog.

My Flash Intros

I have been playing around with this flash intro builder from this website. I have come up with two flash intros

The first one is with the cityscape.

The second one is sort of with a revolving blueprint (don't ask me why it is revolving).

(Please bear with the loading speed. I have no idea why takes so long for some people. I am NOT a techie person at all :)

Anyway, the reason why it is so dark and greyish is because my new blog template is going to be this colour as well so i thought I choose this colour for the intro for some continuity. You should try the flash builder - it actually looks professional and it was eay to use as well. Although some of the images and graphics and sounds was a little amatuerish but then I am sure you can use your fantastic judgement.

I think i will be changing my new template design soon. Probably by tomorrow so watch this space.

Of course, I am actually assuming that I have a lot of readers. I remember chatting (MSN) with Dawn that blogging is like you screaming into the abyss, and waiting for an echo to return. The echo being the comments that someone makes. So far I hear very little echos.

After the Exams - an important 3 months

It is the end of the exams and I am back to my normal life again. The exams were okay. Both Comtemporary Asian Diplomacy and SEA Economies should be fine. It is the SEA Politics that is the problem: it was difficult and the lecturer set really tricky questions. But oh well it is over and done. I have three months holiday till the next semester starts. Time to slack around and catch up on all the books, games and DVDS. (PS: I just got some more books from the Times Books Sale over the Weekend. They were also selling Harry Potter for only $7 - CHEAP! but I already have it.)

But I don't intend to waste my holidays ... at least not all of it :P I will be

1. changing my blog designs - i am getting tired of the design and the whole 'whiteness' of it. I am currently playing around with a template that I copied but I will be modifying it - A lot. So in a way it is not plagarism. haha

2. apply and reasearch for jobs - basically i will be graduating this nov and i will be unemployed so i better apply for something. I am looking at banks (investment and private) and governement (MAS, IE, MTI, MFA ...) and international organisations (primariyl the World Bank). I am really interested in the World Bank position though - it combines development work with economics and research. And you get to travel (hopefully) and get to work on issues that actually help the planet (presumably, unless Wolfowitz takes over the World Bank and it becomes a department under the US State Dept. but that is another story).

3. finally, plan for my scholarship application. This is also something that I am interested in - the EU Scholarship for a Masters in Economics and Law. This will be a masters in the economic analysis of law - hmmm .. i have no idea what that means too. The attractive thing about this scholarship is there is NO Bond (unlike the stinking scholarhips / servitude system in Singapore). And I get to visit one university per semester - that is I get to study at one university for each semester based on the subjects that I want to take (countries include Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and UK). I am eyeing the Netherlands, Germany and UK.

So this three months are important. What I do in these three months will determine my future. SO as Stef would say "Gambette!!"

Essay Grade

So excited!! I got an A for my essay on trade policy for the Asian Diplomacy Class. hahaha ... spent so much time and effort on it and I got an A. Only 6 pp in the class got an A or A- grade so this is a GOOD thing. The lecturer said that my essay was professionally written. I even got a higher grade than pp who did political science in their undergrad. Who says an economist cannot do PS??

"My, what a big head you have!!"

Guess it is time to stop gloating.

Musings about my Future

I will be finishing my indenture soon. Then it is off to the real world. But then what to do, what to do? I know I should work but then where? I want to work in some fantastic and challenging job that deals with international issues and lets me jet around the world to see new things .. but how likely is that :D Maybe a bank, investment firm, a consulting firm, or even god forbid ... the government. The ministry of foreign affairs does seem to suit me rather well but I can't seem to get any information about the culture or work that they inside. That's very annoying!!

Also, am thinking of applying for a scholarship to go to Europe to study "economic analysis of law". This scholarship allows you to go to three different European cities to study for your masters. So I am eyeing Rotterdam, Netherlands; then off to Hamburg, Germany; then finish off in Manchester, UK. Then I will be able to work in UK after that? Not too sure about that or even about getting the scholarship. Seems that competition is tough and it is open to international applicants. Scary!!

So in the meantime, I have to struggle through another round of exams, then it is the holidays and then another semester of studying ... THEN i will be ___ B.com (Honours), M.Soc.Sci (International Studies) :P

Till then, the status quo is maintained.

Signed

Your ever faithful indentured servant.

Anti-Japanese Riots in China

How is it that in a communist country, where supposedly the restrictions on speech and assembly are cutailed, can riots be held so freely and blatently?

It is because it is government sponsored, hence condoned by the Chinese government? When the students protested in Tianenman, they were CRUSHED. Now students protest in Beijing, the chinese government "appealed for calm"?? Right ...

Well at least they get to do something and be heard ... unlike some other countries where you would need to apply for a permit to assemble and would need to remain within the OB Markers.

General Elections are coming to a neighbourhood near you ...

Just read in the online CNA that the Lee Jr has just gone to visit his constituency. This sparks off speculations that there will be a general election coming up. Hurrah!! This will be my first time voting in an election. My voice will be heard by the polity. My opinions will matter. I can do my part to help the opposition parties in Singapore. Unless...

There is a walkover in my area ... hahaha!!!

The peculiarity of Singapore politics is that there is just too little opposition so they tend to concentrate their resources on more shaky constituencies. Also, the government's idea to have a multi-racial party running for the constituency elections also disadvantage the opposition. (Yes - all this from the insightful book by Mutalib. Read the previous post ;)

So the General Elections are coming to a negihbourhood near you ... UNLESS yours is a walkover.

Blissfully Departed

Unless you have been living under a rock or in a cave, you should know that Pope John Paul II passed away on Sunday Morning 3 April 2005. The whole world seems to be in a sombre mood with the multitudes pouring out their condolences and sorrow at the loss of a great man. I am, however, slightly ambivalent about his death. His policies in the vatican and his staunch adherance to conservative values seems to divide me. Even though I am catholic and am obligated to follow the rules set out by the vatican, I can't help rile against the stance that the church has taken against abortion, against contraception, against women in the church... But then these positions may because of the growing catholic population in the developing countries who tend to be more conservative compared to those in the developed countries.

It would be interesting to see who will be the next pope but I suspect that he will be of the same conservative streak as the late pope. Due to his long reign, Pope John Paul did select ALL of the cardinals that are currently responsible for the election of the next pope. Also the issue of the developing countries would require a conservative candidate to take over the papacy.

One more note: When the media mention that he is the most travelled Pope in history, don't they also realise that he was the pope during a time when travelling was made easy with airplanes and there was a relative peace throughout the world that allowed him to travel so extensively.

Another essay ...

This time it is on whether Asian Foreign Policies are basically Trade Policies.

This essay took a lot of time cos I have to compile statistics and create tables and graphs to try to impress my lecturer. Hopefully I can stun him with the work I did and he would be more lenient in grading the paper :P

Sorry there is going to be another one more essay coming up. Sigh ... my life right now seems to be about writing essays rather than anything else. Sad really.

Here is my conclusion (edited for your viewing pleasure):

We can propose a general hypothesis about when a country’s foreign policies are dominated by trade policies. Trade policies would dominate when a country, without much resource, enters the development phase. The country would want to maintain a peaceful environment to pursue its development objectives. This would most often entail a neutral and bland foreign policy as the country would not be able to properly separate economic and political goals. Trade policies would supersede its foreign policies especially if the country subscribes to an export oriented industrial policy. International environment and external influences also affect a country’s use of trade policies. The general orthodoxy of economic liberalism, coupled with the trend towards economic regionalism and bilateralism, has created an environment where trade issues are becoming more important. The military support of the US and its support for economic liberalism during the Cold War have also contributed to the dominance of trade policies among Asian foreign policies.

Presumably, when it becomes developed, the country will proceed to ‘higher’ forms of politics. However, Singapore will not change its reliance on trade policy, as the domestic constraints will always be present. Conversely, there may be a reverse in the dominance of trade policies in Japanese foreign policies. Japan exhibit signs of decreasing their reliance on trade policy and increasing the role of their military force. However, Japan’s shift to other non-trade policies tools will be a slow process. Moreover, the trend towards economic regionalism and bilateralism will continue to place a great importance on trade policies. Although many countries hope to engage China in trade activities and make it more economically interdependent, trade policies will not dominate Chinese foreign policies. The military force will remain an important instrument to execute Chinese foreign affairs. Short of a drastic change in international system, Asian countries without any alternative tools will continue to use trade policies.

My Book Review

Been busy doing my assignments. Just completed a review on an interesting book about Singapore politics and the opposition parties.

The book is:

Mutalib, Hussin. (2003). PARTIES AND POLITICS: A Study of Opposition Parties and the PAP in Singapore. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.

Here is a sample of what I wrote:

Hussin Mutalib provides essential scholarly work on the opposition parties in Singapore. Prior to this book, little was written on the Singaporean opposition parties, even though since 1950 there are more than 18 registered opposition parties in Singapore. The next best works are the edited chapters by Rodan (1996a) and Yeo (2002). The lack of scholarly attention can be attributed to the general view that there is little value in investigating the opposition parties in Singapore since they only play a small role in the Singapore political system. Since the People’s Action Party (PAP) came into power in 1959, the party has dominated Singapore politics and has not hesitated to use their power to suppress the opposition...

Mutalib has been comprehensive in his presentation of Singapore politics and the opposition parties, but one wonders why he did not address two pertinent questions. First, given that the PAP controls the system and has won the majority of the popular votes in all elections, why is the PAP so desperate to obtain all the popular votes? The PAP has uses many tactics to ensure that the opposition gets as little votes as possible. Why not concede more ground to the opposition, up to the one quarter mark? Second, and more importantly, how does the opposition find the strength to continue their fights? The system places restrictions on their support; the PAP undermines their authority by implementing the NMP scheme; the public thinks that they cannot achieve much. Yet, they continue to contest in every election. One would wonder what will happen when the oppositions do tire of their campaigns. Would it even make a difference to Singapore politics?

The Library is coming to your neighbourhood!!

Finally, a library is being built in my neighbourhood. After so many years of waiting, it is going to be completed by May 2005.

I remember that I emailed the National Library Board to ask WHY there was no public library in my neighbourhood because this is a growing neighbourhood and there are many schools in it too. It would be beneficial to build a library there. They replied that they are looking into it.

Well, that was about 6 years ago. Nice to know that they have took their time to study the feasibility of building a library there. How efficient these librarians must be :D

The extent of my Boredom

I am reduced to doing 'cute' quizes instead of doing my work. Oh well, at least I have a somewhat balanced Brain.

Your Brain is 53.33% Female, 46.67% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

My New Phone

I just got a new phone :) Yes, I am giving in the middle class urges of upgrading my toys but it's not like I am riding the technology wave. This phone is at least one year old. Here is a pix:



At least now I can take photos of silly encounters. Now if only I can remove that stupid camera sound... Any ideas?

Singapore's Dilemma

The Singapore government has a few problems with its social policy.
First, it wants to increase the population by increasing the
birhtrates of Singapore women. It seems that the government is trying
to perform some sort of eugenics by 'encouraging' their university
graduates to get together and create even smarter kids. Also, they
have the agency called Social Development Unit (SDU), which trys to
match up (wait for it ...) local University graduates. I always
thought that it would be more aptly named as Singapore Dating Unit,
keep the acronym, change the words. But incidentally, it has the same
purpose :D

Secondly, there is a growing gay communnity in Singapore. The gay
community is making their presence felt. The government also wants to
encourage more a more gay-friendly society. Not because they are open
and inclusive, but rather becuase they believe (and have read some
reports) that the more cosmopolitan and financially successful cities
have an open queer culture. For example, New York, Sydney, London.
However, recently the government seem to change their policy towards
accepting them.

So what got me thinking was IF science found a way to allow men to be
pregant and have children, I am sure that the Singapore government
welcome the gay community with open arms. The government can:

1. increase their population by 'encouraging' gay graduates to
procreate. And the government can involve the SDU in this mission too.

2. make or create the impression that Singapore is a cosmopolitan city.

Also, would it be better if Singapore's bio medical industry was the
first to develop the technique to impregnate men.

Wouldn't LEE be happy!!! :P

GI Joe/Jane? How about Jone = Jo(e) + (Ja)ne?

I remember coming across an essay by a local writer, saying that it is funny how the government will send impressionable boys into the army for their national service. Boys who are exploring their sexuality and the government puts them into a place where there is noone but boys.

Well, I thought of this when I came across this hilarious poster on whitehouse.org. There are more on this page.

Santa's been real naughty last Christmas

I found the hilarious letter written by little johnny to Santa. Read on...

Engrish Website

Came across this website that has all these photos of Engrish in Japan. These are a sample:


Remarks: "Little too hot for my taste..."


Remarks: "Hell, I can get roguefarts at home...."

I have included the link in the 'cool' Section. Most are hilarious!

Enjoy!!

Singapore Inc.

Ever thought that the Singapore government is controlling a lot of the
companies in the private sector.

Well, I found this website to prove that point. It seems legitimate
although I believe that the author's name is a pseudonym.

Click here
to read the article. It is titled "Why it might be difficult for the
government to withdraw from business"

Bus Sleepers

Ever notice how people are willing to let go of their inhibitions when
they sleep on the bus. People don't notice that they look weird or do
things that they don't normally do. For example, a sleeping person
might allow her head to fall on your shoulder. In some cases, the
person might sleep-talk or snore. All this, in the company of the
hundreds of the people that go through the bus.

Why is it that people are so willing let their barriers down when they
are sleeping on the bus? And yet, they are embarassed when asked to do
other things. I think it is because they are asleep and so they don't
realise what they have done?

Well, you tell me .... zzzzz

Email to ST (Part 3)

My reply will be published in the local newspapers. Yayyee!!

The guy from the newspaper, Andrew Duffy?, called me on Friday to
confirm my details. I wonder if my reply is actually interesting or
rather, the newspaper is printing it because it serves their agenda?
Am I thinking to far ahead?

Anyway, I will update my blog when the article actually appears.

Hark!! Is that Fame knocking on my door? I don't think so :P

Email to ST (part 2)

I sent in the email to the papers. Wonder if they will print it :P

Email to ST - Fees Hike

I read this article in the local newspaper asking for replies to the recent fees hike in the local universities. I was inspired to write a reply. BUT I have not sent it in yet.

This is what I wrote:

I understand that the fee hike is required for the universities to
provide a better education for the students. However, the universities
should consider exempting all current students from the fees hike. By
increasing the fees of all students (current and prospective), the
current students might feel that they are being 'cheated'. The
university fees that the students accepted before entering the
university should remain unchanged throughout his education. The price
for the service was agreed upon at the beginning of the contract and
it should follow that the price should not increase midway in the
contract.

For example, a home owner decides to engage a contractor to renovate
his house. They agree upon a payment of $5650. However, after the
renovation is completed, the contractor decides to ask for a payment
increase. The contractor wants a 15 percent increase or a payment of
$6500. Wouldn't the home owner feel cheated? (This is the concept of
Loss Aversion, where the person would rather avoid losses than making
gains.)

The universities should only apply the fee increases to prospective
students. As they have not invested their time and effort in the
institution, they can choose whether they want to pay the higher
school fees. The current students do not have a choice as they have
already invested in the institution and cannot withdraw easily. The
local varsities should examine the fee policy of their Australian
counterpart, for example the University of Melbourne, where fee
increases only apply to new students.

I urge that the local universities to reconsider their fee policy.
__________

So any opinions or comments?

Classes start

Yesterday was the start of the school semester. Another semester of essays and readings. I am really looking forward to reading the International Political Economy course. My first class was Studies in Southeast Asian Politics. I thought that I would check out the class and decide on whether I want to take it.

So I arrive in school 1 1/2 hours early. I had my dinner and went to the library to borrow some books. Unexpectedly, I dwaddled and I only have 5 minutes to the start of class. I had to walk to the block and find the classroom. Reaching the block, I could not find the elevator so I had to climb up the SIX storey to reach the classroom.

BUT alas, I find the door and on it says "YOUR CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELED". Dissapointment! Irritation! Annoyance!

What a way to start the new semester.

Tsunami

The funny thing was that when it happened, I was completely oblivious. I remember waking up early to go have breakfast with the indian (Ceylonese) and the Malay (Chinese). Then spent the whole day in town. It was only when i watched the evening news that I realise that a disaster happened in the region.

So it happended. Great ...

Now, there is a tsunami of media coverage. Endless news articles about the celebrity who are contributing to the aid relief; the people that were/are missing; the death toll ... It gets a bit too much that I start to switch off and gloss over everytime I encounter a Tsunami-related article.

Also, why does the local media choose to dumb down their coverage by naming the disaster a "Tidal Wave" instead of the more technical term "Tsunami"? As everyone knows, tidal wave is the incorrect term for tsunami.

Haha ... just realise that by writing about the Tsunami, I am contributing to the articles that are discussing about the tsunami. I will stop now!

Striking Resemblance

Just a quick observation: have you noticed that the 'Dear Leader' of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea bears of a striking resemblance to the current Chief of Defence Force in Singapore?

Kim Jong Il


Ng Yat Chung