Friday, April 28, 2006
Election fever?With the elections looming, this blog's gonna turn political over the next 10 days.
Wa, not scared government catch ah?
Haha, when the MDA or whatever internet-policing association sees the readership level of my blog, they gonna laugh and say, "Let him be. Nobody reads it anyway!"
So, I've no concern over that. I trust that the government is not paranoid to that level, as owners of more prominent political blogs like singaporegovt.blogspot.com, littlespeck.com and commentarysingapore.blogspot.com are not even asked to register their blogs.
Following Nomination Day on 27th May, it was finally clear where which parties are going to contest in.
With my house situated in East Coast GRC (four-man Bedok GRC was conveniently absorbed into it after the PAP won a 'fantastic' 60.25 % of the votes), it was the first time this place has seen an election since 1991.
As a keen observer about the news of the upcoming elections, it's good to see a contest here.
The posters came out in full force.
right in the middle of bedok central
reminds me of my kindergarden days =P
u can't possibly miss me when u cross the road, I'm on top of the button! (see unde poster)
sign of things to come.. or foul play?
the campaigning is never complete without a postcard delivered right to ur doorstep
And Junwei and I saw the WP candidates (all 5 of them) at bedok mrt at 8.30am this morning!
They were out in their signature blue (in case you don't know, it's the WP's official shirt colour this time round) shirts, the colour not unlike the one you see on this blog.
We can already see WP pamplets in the hands of some people at the hawker centre.
They're hardworking.
But will the hardwork translate into votes?
Let's see.
More to follow.
lowtide blogged @
8:08 pm
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
My first pay!
It's really hard to blog as I'm mentally tired when I reach home after work every night, and physically tired when my eyes are aching from the constant staring at the laptop, looking carefully to avoid making mistakes. 696 can appear to be 969 when you don't look carefully.
Finally I got my first pay yesterday! (tues)
It's my pay for my first week of work, and although it's not a huge sum, but I'm proud of myself finally earning some $ in the outside world.
To put the $$ into perspective, the first week of work (and only FOUR DAYS due to Good Friday), is almost HALF of what I earn PER MONTH in the bloody SAF!
To repeat what I've said for umpteen times, ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN THE ARMY.
Wa lao ORD liao still complain about army!!
Yes, I am that bitter about it.
With OT last week and this week, the pay-cheque for the next fortnight promises to be even fatter than my first week's!
$_$
*Laffs at the losers who have yet to get a job*
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I'm mad.
lowtide blogged @
8:43 pm
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Triple whammyOne more kick down the balls.
I lost my handphone.
Rrgh.
(Luckily I had backed-up my SIM card in a SIM card backup device and thanks genghui for lending me the phone!)(But the phone didn't work. Damn.)(It worked again!.. But the batt seems abit ki-siao haha)
lowtide blogged @
12:04 am
Saturday, April 22, 2006
End of the 2nd weekTime flies.. It's the end of the 2nd week at work!
Finally it's saturday, and I can go do my leisure activities and wake up a little later (hmm is it? what's the time now?)
The past 2 days have been slack, so slack until I can't remember working OT on tues and playing soccer on weds after work.
Work is made easy when you have good shows to watch at night, namely the Mi Yun 20 days and Da Chang Jin.. it gave me something to look forward to at night.
Tada! Another week gone! Another $*** in the bag!
And the good news came yesterday from Jennifer..
"BingDe, do you have a date on Sunday?"
Na, she's not asking me out for a date.
She's maybe 10years older than me :P
OT on sun! 2times pay!!!!
For a desperate-for-$ like me, it was a godsend.
Another $*** in the bag!
Oops did I just mention that it was a 3-figure amount?
lowtide blogged @
7:32 am
I remembered watching this with you.
I'm not sad, I just remembered.
Eww.
lowtide blogged @
7:30 am
Thursday, April 20, 2006
yeah blackburn rovers lost to mighty birmingham "we're a big club" city
yeah fourth place is gone
yeah rovers got 2pts from 4matches at such a crucial stage of the season.
yeah newcastle and wigan are just 3pts behind.
yeah.
talk about a double whammy.
huo bu dan xing.
lightning striking twice.
it's like being kicked in the balls.
it struck and gave a short, sharp pain, followed by a subtle but continuous lingering pain.
you feel the pain go down and you're recovering.
BUT BUT BUT,when you thought that the pain is slowly subsiding, another kick comes in.
OUCH.
double whammy.
huai shi cheng shuang.
two bolts of lightning down your balls.
What a way to start a day.
ouch.
lowtide blogged @
9:49 am
Finally did my first OT on tuesday.. FOUR HOURS!
The company's system is going through some upgrade, and work had to be rushed before the old system shuts down.
I'm amazed by my stamina at work.
Back then in HQ coy, waking up at 0730 was a chore, and even walking one storey down to my office, I felt like a zombie.
Now, I could wake up at 0715 everyday, don my working attire and make my way through the bustling crowd, still feeling fresh at every start of the day.
And with this new-found stamina, I managed to work until 10pm on tuesday, and still watch Da Chang Jin and the 11pm channel u news.
Army has trained me well. I don't mean directly, but it provided the constrast to make me feel that anything is better.
The notion of being able to go home everyday and face the world outside rather than trapped in some stupid, enclosed and isolated perimeter with stupid, bossy, cold, 'uncaring' old men has constantly made me treasure what I have, despite any physical or mental fatigue I may feel.
Today the cycle starts again, and mentally I'm still not tired.
It's really amazing.
I kept myself feeling positive this period.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a roller-coaster ride.
Care - made me feel good.
Next day, everything came down.
I know something is going on all this while.. but when it becomes blatantly obvious..
I actually felt sad.
Yes, sad.
This is a feeling I hadn't
allowed myself to feel for a long time.
I tried to be positive, I learnt to cherish every little thing I have in life, I tried to live my life to the fullest with whatever limited resources I could make do with.
I want to be happy and I tried to be happy.
I am happy but how long can I sustain it?
I know what I want.
But I never knew how to achieve it.
Maybe, deep down, I always am that emotional little boy.
Maturity led me to think that I'm happy.
But am I really really happy?
I'm not.
Once the seeds are planted into the soils of your heart, roots grow.
Once the roots grow, it is impossible to remove them.
You can only bury them in tons and tons of soil called time, and you hope you would never see them again.
But sometimes, earthquakes do happen and the soil will break, and these roots are exposed to you again.
Try with all your might, the roots will never be uphended.
So you just try to bury them in soil again.
Earthquakes come and the cycle repeats.
This root isn't old, isn't new and I'm already sad.
Damn. I'm too emotional.
lowtide blogged @
12:18 am
Saturday, April 15, 2006
First week at workWell, my first week of work was only a 4-day week, due to the Good Friday holiday.
It's always not easy to step into a new environment, especially when I have no really substantial previous working experience.
Dylan was the first to bring me in to the office. Although he is 27, he is an easy-going person, which makes it easy to talk and feel comfortable with him. With him leading me in to my desk, I made awkard-yet-trying-to-be-sincere-and-friendly handshakes with all my colleagues in my cubicle. They all seemed very friendly people, all with nice and sincere smiles.
The person sitting beside me is Michelle. She is a friendly girl, who was the first to teach me things about what I was going to do, about what kind of data entry I will be doing, and what are the steps of doing them. Referring to a piece of data that made totally no sense to me, Michelle tried to teach me the steps of editing the data in the system. Not really knowing what was in front of me, I copied down the steps in my book blindly.
Then KK, a 23-year-old guy, just ORDed last Oct (the same batch as my sergeants and my brother) came along.. with his 'secret manual' and thought me more on the data entry as Michelle was doing the demo. Yes again, I knew nuts what he was talking about, and I copied them down blindly. But KK is really a patient guy.. He taught me new things patiently, despite me not really understanding.. I am really grateful for that.
And after talking to Dylan, I realised Michelle and Qingyun were from TJ! It's great knowing that there were from the same school as me, and are going to be in the same university batch as me.. I feel a sense of alumniship.
We chatted on things about TJ, and it was another coincidence.. they were Yeelin's students when she was relief-teaching at TJ!
The world is small indeed.. it's a pleasant surprise =)
Then I proceed on my first hands-on. Facing 'alienic' data in front of me, I tired to recall what was taught to me by KK and Michelle, and the first few times I did it, I was just blindly copying the steps. What PO la, then overview la, then SO la..
After a few times, I finally got the hang of it and everything seemed easier from then on.
2nd day..there were more things to learn! Yup and I was grateful to Qingyun too, whom taught me patiently about the more troublesome data entry, RMA. Despite me not really getting it and again copying stuff down blindly, she always maintained that great smile of hers and never once showed impatience in teaching me.
Of course, as usual, the first few times I was doing I kept asking her about the subsequent steps, and I feel I'm kinda annoying.. But hey! Everyone in this cubicle of mine is super helpful and friendly, and I gotta say I like my cubicle.
Too bad Tuesday was the last day of work for Michelle, and there willl be noone beside my desk when I wanna chat while doing work.. but glad to know her anyway =)
Weds and Thurs were really busy as I got work to do from start to finish.. But I like it this way. Time seems to pass faster when you have things to do, and you will not find yourself trying to act busy at the computer, and yet scared of being caught MSN-ing or net-surfing.
In army, whenever there's more things to do, I will see it as an 'arrow' and complain about it visciously. But now, when there's more data to process, I'm actually happy to do it. First, I felt that I was making myself useful, and secondly, I do not like to idle in front of the computer.. time passes damn slow!
And furthermore, my manager and team-leader don't really come and bother us as long as we get our job done on time. No nanny-supervising and I like that.. At least we're respected and trusted like responsible adults, not like some always-wanna-chaokeng scums.
That's a mindset change for sure.. Everything seems more positive when you compare it to the army!
Work is not exciting, and it's quite mundane and repetitive. But that's the way I like it! Now I'm familiar with the procedure, work is now quite a breeze and I can just sit down there entering data without anyone disturbing me.
I gotta say I love my job! Being a computer-addict, facing the computer 8hrs a day isn't much of a problem.
Can online/msn all the time, nice people, nice office, easy job, very good pay, and the workplace is near to my house.
AND NO BLOODY SUPERIORS TO KAOPEH EVERY LITTLE THING YOU DO!
What more can I ask?
Thanks to the big guy up there for his help... lihui is right, it is a blessing in disguise!
that is, until I get sick of the job two months later.. haha
but until then, let me keep these positive thoughts =)
lowtide blogged @
12:54 pm
Friday, April 07, 2006
The Past Month!HAHA i'm gonna start work on monday!
SO THIS IS THE LAST WEEKDAY I'LL BE FREE!! (can't hide my relief-cum-excitement)
Though a bit worried to step back into the standard 5-day work rountine after SO LONG of loh-boh-ing, I'm damn happy la.
Yah I've typed this over a hundred times in MSN, so this is where/what/who/how I am going to work.
What:Admin assistant
Who:Lenovo - The PC division of
IBM (prestigious ok)
Where: Changi Business Park (opp Expo MRT)
How: Through Adecco
International Plaza branch (must emphasise IP cos Adecco Tampines sucks!)
How much: Pay is quite high, very very satisfied. Haha can't reveal openly la, just ask me privately. Must protect company's interest (sound so Lenovoic already haha)
In this euphoric mood, it's time for some photo whoring!
Days to ORD11/03/06
Yvonne's 21st birthday party!!
Yvonne's birthday actually falls on the 16th, but due to it being on a weekday, she held it on the 11th, which is a saturday.
It was at the Changi Beach Club. The place smells of nostalgia as it was the place of her 15th birthday party (2000). Memories of the 6 years ago (so long!) flashed back in my mind.
It was great seeing some people from AHS I haven't see for a long time, despite me being not really close to them. Yvonne, the guides (including Shufen from 08/02 and Lilian, my schoolmate for 12 years!) , johan, zhanwei, the boy scouts, alex etc
It was the best 21st birthday party I've went so far, with actually a theme and a programme to let the guests gather and have fun. Kudos to her Girl Guides sisters who reall put in a lot of effort to decorate the place and plan the programme.
There was a 'Q&A about Yvonne' session, a 'catwalk' session and a 'best dance' competition, which Serene won an i-pod sponsored by Yvonne's daddy! It was so kind of him.
And speaking of her parents, her mum remembers my name! I got quite shocked when she says, 'you're... bingde?, and this is... dunno" *pointing to johan* hahaha
And according to Yvonne, her dad still remembers me as 'Peter Pan' =p
See? I'm such an adorable boy that they still remember me. (6 years leh, think easy ah?)
It was also the smallest 21st party I've been to, with her inviting not too many friends. So, despite not really in contact with her for many years, I felt honoured to be in the guest list =)
We had fun after the cake cutting, when we played the drinking game with the jugs of Carlsberg beer. It was fun, and memories came back as I see those familiar faces of AHS. They knew me and I know them, but did we ever play togther?
ahsThose sweet days of AHS.. How i miss those times *sobz*
12/03/06
Maggie's 21st Birthday Party!
This time, it is on the actual day of Maggie's birthday. It was at Paris Ris Ave, chalet no. 38.
When I saw this no, I laughed. I felt that it was so befitting of Maggie, as she is part of their SAN BA gang.. what a coincidence!
I went alone. Frankly speaking, I was
very, very disappointed of 4dees' attendance, or rather the almost-inexistence of it. Everybody was either busy or not interested. Haiz.
Once again, memories of AHS came as I saw people I have not seen for a long time. The day before, it was the E-lit classes people. This day, it is the mostly C-lit people! People from chinese drama, plus few of the 38s. Again, although I am not very close with them, I know them rather well and it was great seeing them again.
In total contrast to von's birthday party, Maggie invited a lot of people! Relatives from both paternal and maternal sides, cousins, friends from TPJC and AHS, got NUS mah? I don't remember leh.
And she was the more typical one you'll see.. different groups hanging around, talking and having fun among themselves, and gathering only for the cake-cutting.
But it was still good! Very erm, family-feeling.
=)
Life after ORD16/03/06
First day of civilian life!
Woke to the the army's Reville timing of 0545, for soccer in the morning! Match report at mcluckyfc.blogspot.com - see link on right (affiliations)
And evening time I went to Kelly Poon's concert in NUS!
Thanks to Cuihua, who took the trouble to help me collect the tix prior to the concert.
All credit to her!
loser.. not blackburn fan wear blackburn top ;P
However, when I reached there, we saw Limin! She knew people who were the organisers, and we got to sit in the VIP area! Haha it felt great sitting at the second row.
And Kelly appears!
check out the pants and the shoes!
As you can see, although, she is very pretty, she chose to wear something so auntie! Check out the 3/4 pants and the high heels! A fashion disaster I think.. so wasted. A cute girl become so messed up with her hair and clothes.
Erm her 'live' singing skills was good, very stable. Erm but sadly, that's all - stable. She sang Love Me Again, You Xie Ai, Mo Li, and Ai Wu Li. As good as you hear on the album itself. Nothing flashy, no different renditions.
(Watching too much David Tao ups your expectations, so don't blame me on that!)
But we made a great discovery! Jiahui, a new DJ from 933, is actually very cute and pretty! Great eye feast for the hot-blooded young men there. ( okok i'm one of them i admit =p )
cute jiahui (right) =P
We should have expected this, but we felt a bit 'saded' when it only lasted for ard 20+minutes. Travel for 2hours to catch her for 20mins! But it was still enjoyable though, so not bad la =)
the audience
Not wanting to waste the night, we met up with Xinhong and Beetin, for a round of karaoke at our favourite TEO HENG KARAOKE MUSIC CENTRE.
Second day of Civilian life!
It was back to my school-to-be NUS as I watch the VOICES concert. (with rayner and junwei again haha)
Well, under the invitation of Joann when we went to the NUS open house, I watched it as I wanted to join the VOICES cca when I'll be in NUS, and I wanted to see for myself how good they are.
Initially I thought it was at the UCC, so it must be quite a grand event. However, I was quite disappointed when Joann told me it was at a LT in the arts fac.
But never mind! A good performance was all it matters. So i thought.
So it started.
It was a something like a conceptual musical, with songs fitted into the story at intervals to depict the feelings of the characters involved. The story was about two persons, a guy and a girl, communicating through letters in letterbox. The catch is the guy is in 2004 while the girl is in 2006. The letterbox is the only medium which they could communicate with one another.
First up were the songs Ye Zi and Hao Xiang Xi.
hao xiang ni --> hao xiang tu
Eh well... witiout being too critical, the two songs somehow sets up the tone of the whole show - mediocrity.
The concept of the plot is good, but the way the story unfolded and the liking for the use of lame humour to end scenes don't really agur well for me. And it was really hard to link the plot to the songs smoothly, as the songs sounds rather commercial in comparison to the 'artistic' concept of the plot.
I woulnd't say the singing was really bad, but it erred under the line called 'average'. They were barely hitting the notes, and it wasn't really performance standard.. Not that I'm expecting too much, but really I've heard better from my friends in my KTV sessions.
There were redeeming factors though. The keyboardist was excellent, stroking his keys confidently and with a swagger. ( I love live bands!)
The girl who sang Wo Hen Wo Ai Ni (Ah-mei), Zhu Rong, was certainly the best singer of the night. Her voice gave me the goosebumps when she hit the high notes.. that's what I call a good performance! Ke Xi Bu Shi Ni (fish leong) was nice, as the singer did touch me with her serious, solemn and sad rendition of the song.
(Ni Gan Dong Dao Wo, Ni Jiu Ying Le lol)
Wo Zhen De Shou Shang Le (jacky cheung), I believe (van fan) and Xing Fu De Wei Xiao ( evonne hsu) were good too.
Xing Fu De Wei Xiao
The worst of the lot is Suo Yi (sly), Hen Xiang Ni (z-chen), Feng (jay) , and JIU SHI AI NI (david tao) (!)
Sorry, but I hate it when people spoils song by my idol. And the above-mentioned singers are singers I like! So it made it worse.
"You have to go through auditions to join this cca."
Having witness the standard ourselves, we can't help but ponder: "HEN NAN MEH?!?!?!?"
=)
29/03/06
Went to this concert with Ching Chui on wednesday night at the Victoria Concert Hall.
It was brought to us by the NUS Conservatory of Music, and I thought it will be good to catch this concert as I still have a deep liking for percussions, and I haven't went to listen to 'live' music for a long time. And all those job-hunting were killing me! I needed to chill out.
I haven't been to the city hall area for a very very long time! Oh man, I love this place. I love the Esplanade, the outside of the Esplanade, the area surrouding it e.g the merlion, the bridge leading to the merlion, and of course, the exterior and interior of the Fullerton Hotel.
The whole place, with the Singapore River running underneath just gives me a very peaceful feeling. It is especially so during dusk, when the whole place will go into a taint of blue, and the wind will blow against me, breathing peace into my heart.
In that moment, you'll feel like extending your arms outwards and just let the wind blow against you.. the feeling is just.. heavenly.
I have fond memories of this place, and I'm sure you have them too.
Ching Chui took some pictures of the area, and I'm glad she likes the area too. And we saw a couple taking their wedding photo at the road divider in front of Fullerton Hotel! Coupled (pun absolutely intended) with the romantic feel of the place, it sure feels sweet for the couple.
And on the way to VCH, we walked on the Anderson Bridge. I like the 'colonial' feel of the bridge too. It sure gives the place a sense of history, and that fusion of modern architecture and old buidlings adds that little bit more class to the place.
Victoria Concert Hall! A place of memory too, with my 2 SYF performances with HO and the 'percussion fiesta' concert (guys still rem?) we watched during our sec 2 days.
The concert started with a Violin soloist from China, Miss Qian Zhou, playing her solo piece to the accompaniment of percussion instruments like tea cups, Milo Tins and snare drums.
The 2 pieces sounds 'hysterical' and mysterious, and I frowned when listening to them.. not that she's not good, but to the contrary, she was excellent! I'm not sure of the techicalities involved in violin, but the way she plays the violin is darn impressive.. She was like a possessed madwoman with her long hair unkempt, and the pure cocentration and indulgence in which she played her piece truly brought out the feeling of the pieces. The audiences' emotions were certainly swayed by her as she moved her 'possessed' body to and fro and played her piece quickly and seamlessly, while changing the tempo at points to suit the prevailing mood.
And Ching Chui said she was damn good when she played the high notes at a quick pace, so I better believe her as she is a MEP student!
The second part was your typical strings ensemble, completed with your percussion accompaniment. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the ensemble, which is quite large. They played a medley of pieces, mainly made up of classical songs. I like to listen to an ensemble, which the different sections play different parts and complement one another nicely to produce the whole piece of music.
I was most impressed by the Cello section, which seemed to enjoy the process of music making, making the view more enjoyable. And of course the percussion, which emphasised the emotions of the songs at different points. It reminded me of my HO days.
outiside the esplandade after the concert
After all the music listening, it sure felt good as I really needed a breather from all the job hunting and rotting at home. It was nice catching up with with Ching Chui, and listening to her involvement in music and her music-making circle of friends who are passionate about music (aiyo so many 'music's) brought refreshing thoughts into my mind. I'm so jealous and admire people who could take the time off their mundane schedules and be involved in things they're passionate about. It's sure be something I'll be following up on.
Woo... what a long post!
Disclaimer: This is not a post to haolian how 'happening' my life is. It is just for myself to keep a record of what has gone on in my life.. So drop the cynicism will you?
Smile =)
lowtide blogged @
4:53 pm
Thursday, April 06, 2006
FINALLY AH!!!!!*ter-de-dng!*
the all too familar msn prompt.
"bing de!
knock knock
Chris got good news for u"
"yes?
pls tell me!"
"she is going to call u soon!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*phone vibrates*
" hello! "
' hello, bing de! I'm Chris~!"
"Yes?"
" The company has short-listed you to work for them. The manager's currently on leave, but latest can start work by next monday.. blablabla"
"So confirm got the job le?"
"Yes yes, I will get back to you.."
"Thanks!"
"ok, thanks! byebye~!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
YES LA!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
SO SICK AND TIRED --> SO HAPPY AND EXCITED
(so happy that it even rhymes!)
Thanks LeeNa, if i'm not your friend dun tink i would ever get the priority!
happy marriage next month!
David Tao fans rule! hahahahahha
我喜欢这样的感觉
我只想要简单的快乐
希望和你一起拥有
轻轻松松的享受
尝尝欢笑我的老朋友
YES LA
lowtide blogged @
11:00 am
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Here
We’re so Brad you called in
By David Higgerson
CONDOLEEZZA Rice visited Ewood Park and did get to watch a football match after all!
And she used the visit to deliver a keynote speech on foreign policy.
Her tour guide, Blackburn MP Jack Straw, desperately wanted to take the US Secretary of State to see his beloved Rovers during her two-day tour of the town, after she took him to see an American Football match during his visit to her home in Birmingham, Alabama, last year.
But his plans were thrown into disarray when this weekend's Blackburn Rovers versus Wigan tie was moved to Monday night for Sky Sports coverage.
Being a proud Rover, Mr Straw still took Dr Rice to Ewood Park this lunchtime to show off his favourite sporting arena, albeit an empty one.
Traffic on the M65 came to a standstill as the motorcade carrying the VIP visitor whisked her to the ground from Pleckgate High School.
Rovers boss Mark Hughes, captain Andy Todd and Dr Rice's fellow American, goalkeeper Brad Friedel were on hand to give Dr Rice the lowdown on football.
She was presented with a Rovers shirt, which had the number 10 and the name Rice written on the back of it.
She was also given a pair of goalkeeping gloves.
As they chatted near the players' tunnel, junior teams from the club's academy staged a game on the pitch to show Dr Rice what the fuss was all about.
After enjoying lunch in the President's Lounge, Dr Rice and Mr Straw gave their lectures at a special event organised by the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Dr Rice gave the inaugural speech in a series of Chatham House lectures to be broadcast on the radio.
lowtide blogged @
10:48 am
Monday, April 03, 2006
" very scary. u sound so angry, so critical on your blog
...
so unlike you. "
yah hor.
haiz why..?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
sorry, dun mean to.
but sometimes I just need ppl to think in my shoes.
just like the way i supported you in your decisions.
we're both wrong.
lowtide blogged @
10:50 am
Sunday, April 02, 2006
"haiz i dunno wat u mean by acknowledging wat u say la ...."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Me:
"yah i noe it cud be a blessing in disguise
until if i got the job on monday
i still will feel bu shuang de"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instead of:
"dunno wat to say to u la
i mean .... lor
den u down here
keep saying u very bu shuang n all
....."
"i just feel dat there is no need to feel bu shuang abt it"
straight-faced dimissal.
You could say:
"
yah, i understand.. u cud feel unfair or wat, cos
u feel u've performed but ... but
maybe u dun nid to feel bushang abt it? cos in temp jobs... blablabla"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS IS acknowledgement.
simple.
a few words changes the tone completely.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
When people ain't feeling good, u don't FORCE logic down their throats.
You start off by conceding some ground - acknowledging that what he/she says make sense.
Then, u go by highlighting what is perhaps wrong with the flaws in the logic he/she provided.
You don't go, "No. I don't see the point.. I just feel there is no need to.. You shouldn't.. " IN THE BLOODY FIRST SENTENCE!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
why am I such a geh kao person?
i dunno.
that's juz me.
lowtide blogged @
3:11 pm
A read on
soonbing's blog triggerred my memory on 5 years ago.
The memory was rather vague.
It was election year. Facing the popular Hougang MP Low Thia Kiang, some PAP MP fired a shot at the management at Hougang SMC.
"I've heard the rubbish there are stacked high like mountains and the old paints of the flats are peeling off."
For another contestant wanting to unseat a veteran opposition MP, it was the same-old election trick.
"For blocks that 95% of the voters vote for us, they will get an UPGRADE."
Yes, that magical word, UPGRADE.
"I've heard the rubbish there are stacked high like mountains and the old paints of the flats are peeling off."
-- A dig at the opposition's inability to run a ward well.
It led to me thinking. What's the reason behind this?
Is it a lack of ability..? Or more possibly, is it a lack of funds?
I've concluded it is the latter.
I despise that smug on that MP's face went he said that. To me, it seems that he's saying,
"heh heh, we purposely don't give you funds to run your ward. see how long can you tong? The people will be FORCED to vote for us sooner or later. Heh heh heh."
"For blocks that 95% of the voters vote for us, they will get an UPGRADE."
-- a promise of rewards to blocks who vote for the PAP
Fast-forward to 2006.
"I do not want the two constituencies to be left behind, especially Potong Pasir, an old estate. Five years down the road, assuming Chiam do win, there will be no upgrading," Goh was quoted as saying on state broadcaster Channel NewsAsia's Web site.
First point.
WTF?
You mean you can manoveur funds in whichever way u like?
U mean the MPs in the opposition wards don't get to decide how are they going to spend funds in their wards?
You mean the Town Councils in the opposition wards do not get as much money to provide facilities for their people?
You mean the government, in deciding which precincts get the upgrades first, first consider their political preferences before comparing their needs on the ground?
Second point.
Since they can know whether did each block vote 95% for the PAP, it means that
THEY KNOW FOR WHICH PARTY EVERY FREAKING VOTER VOTED FOR!!
" Voting is scared. Voting is confidential "
Confidential my ass!!
I've always supported the PAP as the ruling party for the government. The country, under its rule, rose from a third-world la sup place until the first-world standings it has today. The government today also showed signs that it could change with the times, formulating policies to combat the pressures of the globalised economy, like tying links with up-and-coming economies such as Russia, India, the Middle East etc. It seek to continually improve Singapore, through the constant improving of the city area by building more attractive structures and revamping orchard area in the future, and the encouragement of developing the arts in Singapore, evident in the building of the Esplanade and introducing more appreciation of the arts. It also has a good record of handling crisis like the SARS outbreak, and the arrest of JI terrorists before they could execute plans to bomb the Yishun MRT station or sabotage the water supplies in Singapore.
It should be confident of its ability, acheivements, and track record.
Then why do they engage in petty politics then?
When the WP raised up its 4-point Party Manifesto, the PAP government is fast to slam it down, using strong words like 'time-bombs'.
It could have shown the grace of a big brother by explaining to the people why the WP's policies wouldn't work, and thus scoring a point by both highlighting the WP's naivety and emerging as the more graceful party.
But it didn't.
I'm right, you're wrong. Full stop.
In
soonbing's entry on the GE, he said something I couldn't have put it better myself.
"Upgrading an estate should be based upon objective criterias made by professional engineers whom are non-politically affiliated parties, who plan the upgrades for the betterment of the people, and not be dangled like a carrot in front of voters during elections by PAP politicians, just because they control the budget with their majority in the parliament. It demeans the voters, treating them like dogs by rewarding ones who obediently follow the commands of the PAP, and depriving voters whom choose the opposition."
Can you imagine that picture of treating the citizens in Potong Pasir and Hougang like dogs, by dangling the UPGRADING carrot in front of them to exchange for their votes?
It worked last time because, with all due respect, people were uneducated and did what they think it's best to suit their practical needs.
Give me money? I vote you.
If PAP rules my ward, then my ward will have more $ to upgrade? I vote you.
Now it is different. People start questioning.
" How are the funds for upgrading the estates allocated? "
" Is it correct to deprive the people of the opposition wards of better facilites just because of their political preferences? I thought they pay the same taxes as well? "
" Can the PAP just use the funds as and where it likes? "
" Is this corruption? "
" Are they being fair to the opposition MPs who work equally hard for their people? "
" Is this a democracy at all if the opposition are put to a total disadvantage? "
" Is this a democracy at all if all disargeeing voices are being clamped down without mercy? "
" Are the people treated like fools when they're threatened to vote for the ruling party? "
I hate it when the PAP use this upgrading crap to threaten people in the opposition wards to vote for them. It's really like treating them like some dumbass.
" Either you vote for me, or your estate will be like shit. "
It's not as if the upgrading money is the PAP's. It's the government's money, it's OUR money!
ISN'T THIS OUTRIGHT BRIBERY AND BLACKMAIL?!??!?!
And as what many observers has said, it is of no doubt that if were to happen in other democracies, it would have been deemed illegal.
I admire the residents in the opposition wards for having the balls to continue voting for the opposition despite those threats issued to them.
And I despise those who succumb to the bribery and threats, and abandon their MPs who worked so hard for them against all odds.
People will get sick of being threatened. Especially by a thing they don't really care -- upgrade.
People want better jobs. People want better lives. If you continually duck these really important issues and focus on some stupid issues people don't give a hoot about, you're not in sync with your people anymore.
The feeling of high-handedness will come in.
Then, people start to sympathise with the opposition.
Then, people with prove it with their votes.
But too bad, believe me or not, it's not gonna happen in this election.
The older generation, who still forms the majority of the voters, are still staunch PAP supporters. They care more about bread-and-butter issues than Singapore having opposing voices to check on the monopoly. To them, PAP = good government.
I got a job means good government.
The young however, after studying all the history craps, and seeing the democracies of other countries in action, are more inclined to ideals. They understand the need for an opposition. They understand the effects of unchecked monopolistic powers.
And the opposition, sadly, still lacks the promising candidates the public needs to see before having faith in them.
But the opposition can only get better though. Now we see more and more qualified young people wanting to be in the opposition to improve the democratic process in Singapore.
Given time, around two more elections, we'll see a change in the political scene in Singapore.
Me too, would like to see more opposition in the parliament.
However, I do not want to see a situation whereby Singapore will be like Taiwan, having no majority party and no policies could be passed through due to political clashes.
To me, an ideal proportion would be ard 70% ruling to 30% opposing, where there is sufficient power to the ruling party to execute polices, and yet insufficient power for the ruling party to amend the constitution without the consent of the opposition.
But will it ever happen? We'll see.
On april fools' day, I managed to see Hougang SMC (single-member constituency) twice.
First in the morning, when I took 87 back to Bedok from Hougang after soccer.
As bus 87 circled around the Hougang SMC, one word came to my mind - "slum".
Yes, this was the exact word the then-PM said, when he told voters that those wards which elected an opposition candidate would be the last in line for upgrading and risked becoming “slums”.
From the outside, the blocks looked old.
Old blocks designs, where the blocks show bricks on the outside instead of your usual well-furbished cement. The buildings look like they have not been painted for at least 20 years.
Night time, after the 2A class outing, I thought we were going to play mahjong at rayner's house, so I took bus 72 and wanted to change bus at Hougang. The bus-stop for the bus change with right in front of block 1 of the Hougang SMC.
A look at the opposite show another part of Hougang under the Aljunied GRC. It has bright lights, newly-furbished flats, and beautiful plants planted among the blocks of flats.
Unable to get rayner through his phone and attracted by the old blocks behind me, I walked deep into the election hot-spot - the Hougang SMC under the Workers' Party.
Immediately what struck me is the contrast. The neighbourhood was dark. Street lights were further apart, and the place is not as well-lit as what I saw opposite. The blocks looked like it was stuck in time (the 80's), except for some really nice-looking lift lobbies and letter boxes which stood out like a sore thumb.
It seem like only these parts of the estate moved together with time while the others still find themselves stuck in some timezone.
So I walked further in.
Immediately what I saw was the basketball and badminton courts. Granted, it was already around 11pm, but the darkness of the courts really struck me.
Yes, it was near a block of flats, but one just can't help feeling unsafe when walking alone here.
The worn-out floors with partially erased lines on the courts, along with the rusty and '0ld-design' goal posts and boards, make it seem like it has not been refurbished since the mid-nineties - it reminded of the court I used to play in my primary school.
Further in, it was the hawker centre. Again, the 'primary school' feeling came. The hawker centre is old, 80's-looking and it reminded me of the hawker centre along the bus 14 route (think it's called East Coast Food Centre or something) BEFORE THE RECENT RENOVATION.
The residents seemed like a contented bunch though, chilling out and talking in big groups at the kopitiams.
The shops at the first floor of the shophouses had a nostalgic feel to it too. Rusty doors, old signboards, and corridors fiiled with pot-holes make the whole place seem so backward.
You really have to visit this place for yourself to see how run-down it is.
A plus point is that somehow, I feel an old charm surrounding this place. It doesn't have that elegance of bugis, or that colonial feel of the city hall area. But the old surroundings gave me that sense of history and that feeling of a friendly, warm and united neighbourhood (like the old blocks we had at AHS), something you could never feel or find in new estates like Punggol or Sengkang.
Upon touring this estate, two words came into my mind - gek sim.
I wondered.. Why are the residents in this estate treated to this 'slum' living conditions simply due to their political preference?
If the government can launch multi-million upgrading projects in the PAP-controlled wards and build needless state-of-the-art offices and 'touristic' structures, why can't they just provide some decent mantainence and improvement to the opposition wards?
Are those people living in those estates Singaporeans as well? Aren't they the ones who pay taxes as well? Aren't they the ones who serve NS as well?
The discrimination against them is totally unjustified, especially after what I see first-hand.
If Mr Eric Low really care for the people who live in this estate, he will lobby for more funds to improve this place instead of first waiting to be the MP before doing anything.
Frankly, I don't think anyone will like to shift into this estate, and the house owners will have a damn hard time selling their houses. The values of the houses must have dropped so much as compared to the other estates.
Facing this dangling carrot (the promise of the PAP to upgrade their estates), will the residents of Hougang and Potong Pasir succumb to the bribes and threats and betray their MPs who have long slogged hard for their cause?
It would be tough choice for the residents there.
But if Singaporeans really forsake their principles to cater to their practical needs, GE 2006 would be a sad day for Singapore's political history.
Will we, Singaporeans, show support to those idealists who want to keep democracy in Singapore alive, or will we be a practical bunch and leave the monopolistic powers unchecked?
Only GE 2006 will tell.
Some websites if you're interested
1.
Singapore Review2.
Sammyboy's Coffee Shop Talk3.
Petition - Upgrading should be a separate issue from the General Election
lowtide blogged @
11:29 am
Very happy to have our first 2A gathering after sUUUcccHHHH a long time.
First outing in like... 6 years?!??!?
A 2A outing has been on the back of my mind for a long long time, but I never thought it was possible.
So kudos to Ziyang for organising this outing!!
Went to Sakura restaurant at Tampines Safra to eat.
Never knew that there was such a restaurant there!!
When we went in, think me, and some of the others, were pleasantly surprised.
The ambience, I felt, was great.. the food was good, but the price was a bit erm.. steep. ($23.40/pax after discount for Safra membership)
Very happy to see some people I've not seen for such a loooooooooong time.
Weijian and Yihao were their usual chatty selves, Guoyuan, Xiao Yang, Chee Ching, Ziyang and I engaged in talking about those childish stuff we did in class then.. those hilarious childhood memories came back, so funny hahahahaa. I've been talking on msn to Yingwei all along, but I'm happy to see her in person. Despite not really talking a lot, it's great to see Kenneth and Ben Tan after sO long.. And a nice chat with Liwen at the pool centre felt good as I got updated about her life as well.
Although basically we just sat down, ate and chatted about our lives (mostly army stuff for guys), it felt good. It felt as if we've just left 2A yesterday, not 6 years ago!
This is the kind of friendship many people desire. You may not see them often, but once you see them, you feel as if the friendship has never faded. You just chat along, and feel no distance whatsoever.
That's what exactly I felt! Everybody leads a different life now, but everyone seemed not to have changed so much... it was great knowing that =)
love ya guys
No wonder they say childhood friends are often best friends..
Here's to many many more outings!!
lowtide blogged @
12:15 am
