Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Who are we trying to convince? Ourselves?

Why are we repeating things to ourselves, as if they're true?
Does that make them happy?
Maybe yes; maybe no.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Childhood was...

doodling on the walls...
playing with real dough...
running around the neighbourhood...
playing hopscotch...
lying on the bed...
lying on the floor...
bouncing the ping pong ball against the wall...
going to the playground...
staring at the ceiling lights, till they get imprinted...
staring at the rain...
launching paper boats in the drain...
tapping into private radio channels...
turning the living room into a "snow-field"...
play out imaginary adventures with my toys...
construct a lego town and stare at it till dusk falls.  Set a torchlight behind it as night falls and stare at it some more...
read the entire collection of ladybird books at home (again)...
dream of a house filled with train tracks...

Friday, October 22, 2010

Ironman goes japan

http://www.animeseason.com/iron-man-episode-1/
prime universe, but movie storyline
Ironman goes japan

Friday, October 15, 2010

Eat, Pray, Love

*Warning: Mild spoilers alert*

Watched the show with ST last night.
Supposedly based on a true story, the movie contains some like-able and inspirational characters. It took its own sweet time to tell the story, which was fine with me.  Julia Roberts put up a good performance and the lines were pretty good, most of the time.
What didn't smell right was that despite the loving attention given to the preparation, cooking and eating of food; not a single bit appealed to me.  For all the mediation she had done; I don't feel her becoming more spiritual.  The love part? Eye contact; hug; sex.  Pfft.

Over the years, I've learned to be less of a critic and accept these kinda of movies as a weekday show.  The good performance by Julia Roberts and two old men made it passable.  A wonderful companion made the evening wonderful. =]

Monday, October 11, 2010

Scary dream

Had a scary dream.  Was back with my army mates, carrying stores and washing ourselves at a common bath-pool.  Foo was worried that the water I fed him was dirty, but I pointed out that he was in it anyway.  Then we were told that we're going to have keep the stores we've drawn, cos we're NSMen.
Woke up with a shiver.  That was scary; I didn't want to keep those stores.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Joe the doc

Joe got to serve X number of scheduled patients of day.
When he does his rounds, patients call to him, he has to attend them.
Sometimes their wounds fester, he has to attend them.
At the end of the day, he couldn't meet his target and resolved to work harder.
"I must serve X number of scheduled patients today"
But the same thing happens.
And again.
And again.
What is Joe to do?

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Saturday, October 02, 2010

This is called, wth?!

We signed our OTP with our agent on the evening of 28th Sep.  This was made known to the seller party.
They updated their unit for sales, presumably on the afternoon of 28th Sep.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Android 2.2 Froyo features

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29

On 20 May 2010 the 2.2 Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) SDK was released.Changes included:

* General Android OS speed, memory, and performance optimizations
* Additional application speed improvements courtesy of JIT implementation
* Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine into the Browser application

* Increased Microsoft Exchange support (security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization, remote wipe)
* Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications
* USB tethering and WiFi hotspot functionality
* Added an option to disable data access over mobile network
* Updated Market application with batch and automatic update features

* Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries

* Voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth
* Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
* Support for file upload fields in the Browser application

* Browser can now display animated GIFs (instead of just the first frame)
* Support for installing applications to the expandable memory
* Adobe Flash 10.1 support

A common enough tale

source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_582713.html
Someone had their BlackBerry stolen.  They message their own unit to appeal for a return.  All they got was a smiley before being deleted / blocked.
Why do people theive when their bread and butter is not at stake?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Kiasu?

Kiasu?
that's too broad a brush.

there's greed - to the point that they must have all the comforts their money paid for
there's selfish - no one else shall have it
there's rude - no one shall separate me from their heaven bestowed gift of a seat.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Almost secured

Hindsight will tell if we made the smart move, but nevertheless, I'm happy that things are going ahead.

Monday, September 13, 2010

One of the most sensible civil servant

Cheers to our CJ.

No jail for French m-cyclist
mr brown's article: http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2010/08/the-chief-justice-gets-it.html#more
original ST report: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_571605.html

Updates

It has started.
We've made our offer on our 3rd unit.  Keeping fingers crossed.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 update coming in September

read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s-android-2-2-update-coming-in-september-708120

Samsung has announced the Galaxy S will be upgraded to Android 2.2 next month (Sep), and will land on all networks.


This means we won't see a repeat of the staggered firmware release that is currently plaguing the HTC Desire update.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Sunday, September 05, 2010

"Let me think about it"

Then the day after, he sold the pancake we're interested in, to someone else at a higher price. =(

Saturday, September 04, 2010

WTFs/m

The measurement of a good code, with permission from Thom Holwerda.

Progress

I'm happy that things are finally moving.  Onwards!

Friday, September 03, 2010

Six degrees of separation

Clicking randomly among Chinese-looking friends of my friends, I found that many of them are linked to me in some way.  Either I have too many Facebook "friends"; or my friends have too many links; or Singapore is just too damn small.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Development charges to go up - a cooling measure?

Our press has always been supportive of our government; the news they publish will be in tune with our leaders' wish to improve the mood of the people, or to caution them against overspending.
In the recent flurry of feel-good reports, I noted a curious article.  It says that as a further move to curb spiraling prices, development charges will go out.  The article went on to say that as a result of the recent changes, developers will hold back new projects.

Come on.  Seriously?

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

On Ramly Burgers

wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramly_Burger
one Malaysian's opinion on Ramly burger: http://www.waisikkai.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=141&Itemid=52

more well known in SG: http://sg.88db.com/sg/HTML/en-us/indexmkt/iRecommend/ramly_burger.html
JW: On this, opinions vary.  Most seem to say, "Malaysia better".  That's beside the point.  We're talking about SG only.  If I'm in Tiong Bahru and let's say there seves the 2nd best Char Kway Tiao in SG, you don't come tell me, "Bedok's one best".  Sheesh; I'll just eat whatever's best in that spot, thank you.  Btw, I've no idea on where the best Char Kway Tiao is, nor what the ranking is.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

New moon

Tired, stressed, overworked, depressed and not meeting deadlines; I'm in such a mess.  So tempted to call it a stop.  Wondering when it'll end...

I hate chopsticks!

Grrr...

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Disheartened

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade_%28poem%29
~

Ellen Page (Inception)

Thought she looked familiar..

from Wiki:
She is also known for her starring roles in Hard Candy, Inception, Smart People and Whip It, and as Katherine "Kitty" Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand. In addition, Page received attention in Canada for award-winning roles in Pit Pony and Marion Bridge, as well as television shows Trailer Park Boys and ReGenesis.
image from: http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Page,_Ellen/gallery/CWP-001771/

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Pullouts

How much value is placed on a social date?  Is it irrevocable?  Does it warranty punctuality?  Can it be skipped in view of something more important?

When pulling out, do you consider your word?  Will the gathering or event still be able to function?  Are you letting down anyone?

Monday, August 09, 2010

COV showdown

image source: http://theonlinecitizen.com/


“It’s in the interest of buyers to have low COVs, but it’s in the interest of sellers who own the flats to have high COVs… So, between these two groups, we must let them fight it out… The Government prefers not to interfere.”

Mah Bow Tan, Today, 26 July 2010

Sunday, August 08, 2010

The culture of being defensive.

PUB has done it.  Apple has done it.

In recent events, both had came out strongly to say they were not at fault, only to have reports and actions proving otherwise later.  Is this what they teach top management?

[PUB / Ministers]
1. (Defensive) Jun 18. Blocked drain was the cause: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100618-222731.html
2. (Retraction) Jul 19. Capacity is wanting: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_555341.html

[Apple]
1. (Diversion) Jun 25. Don't hold it that way: http://newslite.tv/2010/06/25/apple-iphone-4-dont-hold-it-li.html
2. (Diversion) Jul 2. Apple claims that reception problem is due to error in calculation: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html
3. (Diversion) Jul 21. Competitor phones have antenna problems too: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/apple-reframes-touch-of-death-as-gorilla-grip-of-death/9004
4. (Retraction) Aug 2. Apple drops competitor antenna criticism: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/apple-drops-competitor-antenna-criticism-from-website/16857




Friday, August 06, 2010

A simplification that turned out to be an obfuscation

He was so resistant to hardcoding the mapping, that he developed a convolted method to simplify it. Then finding out its shortcomings, he started patching it.
Now how am I gonna clean up this mess?

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Why?..

..is work ever so demanding?

..do people think their flats valued at $300k, can command $55k COV?

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Hasegawa Valkyrie VF-1A/J/S Model Kit 1/72

For hardcore modelers.  Hasegawa, has added many fine details to the Vaklryie, producing a authentic looking model.  However, as realistic models go, it is not easy to assemble.

source: http://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/macross_robotech/hasegawa_valkyrie_vf_1a_j_s_model_kit_1_72

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Moody

Lost my handphone pouch.. =(

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Speaking up

Today, a family of 4 stole my allotment of the tables and I was too slow to speak up.

The manager made a mistake and the family happily took the chance.  I stood up but they were already inside.  The son stole a glance at us but said nothing.  On clarification, the manager admitted she made a mistake.

I was damn pissed off because it was a deliberate steal - there were only us and them.  Then the fact that I let them get away.

If we don't speak up, then the cycle continues and we are just blowing hot air.
~

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

30 months anniversary

30 months.  How time flies.

On Saturday, we went to a choir concert with ST, Ian and Henry.  I couldn't catch the words but the voices seemed good.  After the concert, we were joined by Ekee Ngee and a lady friend of theirs, and we had prata.

On Sunday, we had dinner with my family at Golden Mile Cinema.  The place was crowded, the place so-so and the price wasn't that worth it.  Still, whatever makes Father happy.
After dinner, ST and I went Bugis.  Out of curiousity, we stepped into the branded Chinese Herbal Shop - Eu Tong Seng or something, Baby bought me herbal jelly, for my heaty condition =]  Later, we caught "Toy Story 3", it was pretty hilarious.

On Monday, I picked ST up from work.  We went to Prego to have dinner, it was where we had our 1st year anniversary.  Didn't expect ourselves to watch a world cup match.  After dinner, we went to Intercontinental hotel to have drinks; nothing to fanciful, just mocktails and tea for us.

Happy 30 months anniversary, baby. <3

Nendoroid Mickey Mouse Previews

Nendoroid Mickey Mouse Previews.

source: http://wcloudxkumo.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/nendoroid-mickey-mouse-previews/

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Pineapple salad

Macross - Episode 18 "Pineapple Salad"

During a raid, Roy Fokker was critically wounded.  However, instead of seeking medical help, he went to his girlfriend - Claudia's apartment to have the pineapple salad he ordered earlier.  He played the guitar calmly when she was preparing and died there on the sofa.



When I first read the novelisation, I thought that it was a stupid way to die.  Why didn't he seek medical help?




Though these days I'm inclined to think, that might be a nice way to go.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tussils from baby

Sick today and had an itchy throat.  Baby bought me some Tussils.  Happy =]
~

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

New entry on blog-roll: Free Public Transit

Continuing the environmental slant; here's a blog I found informative - http://frepubtra.blogspot.com/
I've added it to my blog-roll.
~

Quantum Cryptography: Privacy Through Uncertainty

(Released October 2002)
by Salvatore Vittorio

source: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/crypt/overview.php

The purpose of cryptography is to transmit information in such a way that access to it is restricted entirely to the intended recipient, even if the transmission itself is received by others. This science is of increasing importance with the advent of broadcast and network communication, such as electronic transactions, the Internet, e-mail, and cell phones, where sensitive monetary, business, political, and personal communications are transmitted over public channels. 

1.5 days of madness left..

Counting down..
~

Monday, May 31, 2010

I keyed in my PIN but I can't get through the door..

..then suddenly realised it's daytime; just flashing my passcard will do.  What does that tell you?  Sheesh.. -.-"
~

Monday, May 24, 2010

Back...

..from Hong Kong.  Now for a last week of mad work. =)
~

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

12 hrs more..

..n I'll be on a cab to the airport w a lovely gal; can't wait.
For now, it's OT! Oooo, the smell of work! 8)
~

Friday, May 14, 2010

Schedule so tight...

... yet I'm expected to absorb new tasks that needs 1-2 days.
"I got no gap!"
"Find some gap", they say

That's easy to say, when I've already committed my weekends to my current task.  Sucks.
~

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Silviu Ionescu getting detained, also can be a whacking point

Amazing isn't it?  I think even if a leaf falls from the sky, people can say that's because the Government is so and so; and LKY did this and that; and it's all their fault.
Come'on.  Whack only when the topic is relevant!  Sheesh!
~

Monday, May 10, 2010

You're coughing at 3am in the morning...

and declares that Strepsils work better than Pi Pa Gao...
~

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Cats

17 things worth knowing about your cat: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_know

How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you: http://www.catswhothrowupgrass.com/kill.php

~

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Telecast rights and the end of the week

Enough about the World Cup!  Enough is enough!  Why are people thinking that because we're damn rich as a nation, it's a disgrace not to have telecast right?  Why is it a reason to vote for opposition? Stop.

Have been ot-ing on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  If work doesn't kill me, my baby will.  No later than 7.30 pm tonight...

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bad mood

Bad mood

If you believe in what you wish for

But wishing does not make things turn into reality la...
~

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Putting the best foot forward

After a month or two, of favouring my right knee whenever I navigate stairs, I could walk properly most of the time now.
The trick is, to walk "normally".

When I favour one side, I take to take a slow excruciating step with my left foot, then land heavily on right foot.  Pain will strike at random, despite the care I took.
Now, with some recovery and knowing the limits between acceptable discomfort and actual pain, I could try to walk without favouring one side.  By doing so, each step is kept quick and light.
So haste trumps caution, some of the time.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Blog Maintenance - FY10

+seen
+read
-commentary

JW: all my post are my comments, so why do I need a tag for commentary?
~

A mini food run

ST caught some video segments on razor, introducing food around Jalan Besar; so I proposed having it for tea-dinner.
link: http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/46714.html

1st stop - Vinegar Pork Knuckles
Street: Beatty Lane, or 24 Foch Road
Coffeeshop: ??
Stall: Cheng Mun Chee Kee Pig Organ Soup

JW: Vinegar was fragrant, meat was soft.  However, the taste didn't quite soak through yet.  Still, one of the better Vinegar Pork Knuckles commercially available (home-cooked is still the best).

2nd stop - Hakka Beef Ball Bee Hoon
Street: 45-48, Syed Alwi Road
Coffeeshop: San Lee Eating House
Stall: The Beef House

JW: Soup was surprising light and fragrant.  Much as I hate parsley, I had to admit that it contributed to much of the fragrance.  The other flavours in the soup seemed to be beef and salt.  The bee hoon soaked up the soup well.  However, the beef balls are tougher than the usual deal.  On closer examination, they taste more beefy than the rest, so it might be an acquired taste?
~

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Binge Drinking

Kinda dumb..
~

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Micro sleep

I was holding a bowl of soup in my hands and...
Time to go to sleep!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Non-Newtonian fluid

Maybe I'm stubborn, but perhaps if you just ask, or maybe just grumble, I would have have done it for you. Since you chose to do it the Singaporean way, then meet corn starch.

Tu na

ST brought me to a Chinese physician yesterday. My knee had pains after a gym injury a few months back, so she was a bit insistent on it. His skills were fine, but he could improve on his compassion for pain.
Eg:
"This leg where got painful? The right leg should hurt more"
Massages right leg, while someone howled in pain.
"Correct, right? That's cause the right leg had to take over the weight bearing. So it hurts more even though it's not the injured leg..."
~

The Pacific - Episode 3: Leckie-Stella romance

Sheesh, it isn't real...
In real life, Leckie never had a great romance with a Greek-Australian girl and her family (he mostly spent his time Down Under having affairs with a variety of women), and you can kind of tell. (I suspected it was fictionalized even before I started reading up on Leckie.) There's a difference between compressing events (or assigning moments one character had in real life to another character in the film) and inventing things out of whole cloth, and it sticks out in the middle of a production that's largely so committed to fidelity. 

source: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/03/the_pacific_part_three_medals.html
~

Saturday, April 17, 2010

The best laid plans..

..were dashed by a late call last evening.  It was a bug report and I spent the next 2.5 hours dealing with.  It looks set to upset my plans on Monday as well.
I have been hitting my targets for this week till this happened.  So... more buffer zones, doing "nothing" ?
~

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

(2007) Girl who blogged about fatigue and breathlessness, died 3 days later

This happened in 2007.  Kinda sad.  Then there are those people who think we can simply walk away from our worklist.  He rightly deserved to be flamed.
http://pinkmayflower.multiply.com/journal
~

Monday, April 12, 2010

Protest vote

The argument is sound, in fact.
"Let one MP fall, so that the ruling party shall know fear".

Most people who read the "alternative news" would probably agree with this.
Problem is, do you want *your* district to bite the bullet?  To vote in the jokers they call the opposition?
~

Anti-Social behaviour Part 1: Damaging books

Was sitting in Starbucks today with ST and I was reading Discovery Channel magazines.  I was interested in one of the feature articles and jumped directly to it. 

"Hmm.. it's at page 71".
Flip, Flip.
"Page 60.  A pinch of pages shall do it."
Pinch.
"Page 80?  Ok, I'll go back."
Pinch.
"Page 60?  What the?..."

On examination, I found out someone tore out pages 70-79.  Okay, so you like the article, but the magazine isn't yours!  Ownership issues aside, I wouldn't destroy a publication like that.

Over the years, I noted that browsers in bookstops tend to take very little care of books.  They flip the pages without care; they load another heavy book on top of the one they had just opened up to read.  Are these book lovers?

In libraries, books suffer from being deliberately dog-eared, highlighted, noted on, cut out, torn out.  It puzzles me; it upsets me.  Lack of morals?  Or a lack of appreciation of books?
~


What knowledge and skills are worthwhile learning? What are the goals of education? - An old teaching.
~

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Genuises

The minds of past genuises, like Maxwell and Pascal, are astonishing.
~

Fun with figures

How things can look rosier or gloomier with the manipulation of scales.
Pictures are stolen from.. elsewhere.

Govt figures:














1999 - things look good






















2000 - still ok..






















2001 - not so rosy






















2006 - things are turning for the worse
 

Thursday, April 08, 2010

July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike

On 12 July 2007,  2 US Apaches fired on a group that they claimed were insurgents, killing 2 Reuters reporters.  Later, Wikileaks posted a video online and caused international interests.

From the video, it looked that the US Army had mis-identified the cameras as weapons and opened fire.  The footage contains people being killed by the M230 Chain Gun.  If this discomforts you, please do not watch the video.

Site hosting the video: http://www.collateralmurder.org/
Wiki entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_12,_2007_Baghdad_airstrike
What is Wikileaks?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikileaks
What is a M230 Chain Gun?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M230_Chain_Gun

Doubts about the video: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/07/military-raises-questions-credibility-leaked-iraq-shooting-video/


~

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Unit testing

I lost it a little by sending a terse email to the vendors today.  Reason being they perform little or no zero unit testing.  Crap.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Another hit and run doctor..

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_506151.html

[excerpt]
ONE of two cyclists knocked down in Clementi on Sunday night by a suspected drink-driver died in hospital on Wednesday from head injuries.
Freelance writer Benjamin Mok Chee Kong, 35, never regained consciousness after the accident.
The 62-year-old suspect, a general practitioner, could be facing more trouble as he is under investigation for a hit-and-run offence.
[/excerpt]

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Emo. Targets slipped.

Why do I fail my deadlines?
I don't know. I just feel I have endless things to do.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Three kinds of lies

Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review

source: http://www.twainquotes.com/Statistics.html

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Replacement of camera

Time to replace my fujifilm f60fd(see old blog post)

I've more or less settled on Canon S90, based on this review - http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s90.htm


While the review was glowing, when compared to my f60fd, it doesn't seem that impressive.
Canon S90 spec
Fujifilm f60fd spec

It has a lower megapixel count (10 compared to 12) and a lower shutter speed (1/1600 compared to 1/2000).  It has a pop-up flash which I dislike.

However, I'm most likely to give it a try, on the merits of its control rings and a higher optical zoom.

Updates coming soon.






pictures from: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0908/09081906canons90handson.asp

Got a wrong number...

12:46am

[rings]
JW: "Hello"
Rude: "blah blah blah"
JW: "Hello?"
[pause]
[disconnect]
JW: (sms) "No manners to say sorry?"
JW: (sms) "Still no reply.. Guess you have no upbringing after all. Night.."


I'll probably get a lot of nuisance calls over the next few nights, but hitting back at these people is worth it

Friday, March 12, 2010

Usual blues

Feel unappreciated. haiz.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Summer Wars


JW: The colours were clean.  The scenes were detailed. The background was beautifully painted with pastel colours.  The fluid animation of the characters gave rise to realistic motion and a chatty body language.
Good use of story telling techniques with a good contrast, trying to tell 3 stories concurrently.  I felt that this was too ambitious; somehow, it managed to stay afloat.
Recommended.



Alternative news

I know that the mainstream papers are at best - too timid to write negative about the government; at worst, government bootlickers.  Still, I generally accept whatever statistics they throw out.
Till some logical fallacies challenged my faith in the accuracy of official propaganda.
1: HDB flats are affordable
2. Foreigners are not the cause of rising COV prices.

It appears that HDB reviewed the median salary range of applicants and found that the prices were affordable.  The fallacy is that those who apply, are the very people who can afford them.
HDB then threw out statistics to show that PRs pay the same COV as residents; so they were not to be blamed.  However, doesn't their participation increase demand?  Wouldn't citizens have to match the amount offered by PRs?

What kind of crap analysts do we have on the government payroll?  With that, I'm finally swayed to seek alternative news sources.  Take these with a huge pinch of salt though.  As a friend pointed out, these are non professionals, so their writings are far from desirable.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Love; Friendship.

Love is an emotion; it makes you say, "I'll love you forever".
Friendship is an attraction; it makes you say, "I'll be your friend forever".

Love is a pact; you expect that the other will love only you in return.
Friendship is an understanding, you expect the other will never betray you.

Love is a companionship; you say, "Let's go for a walk", and be happy at that.
Friendship is a companionship; you say, "Let's go for a beer", and be happy at that.

Opposition grows to gay sex ruling

Excerpt:
NEW DELHI - A LANDMARK court ruling that decriminalised gay sex between consenting adults in the Indian capital Delhi is facing fresh opposition with new groups joining religious leaders, a lawyer said on Sunday.
.
.
.
The July verdict led to a volley of protests from Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious leaders who jointly denounced gay and lesbian sex as 'against God and creation.

read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_493097.html

JW: I guess some age old taboos are more unifying than world peace...

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Monday, February 15, 2010

The wedding litany

1900: Cocktail party
1930: Guests invited to sit
2000: JW fumed at the lateness of the other guests
2015: Photos of the couple were shown
2025: Couple march in
2030: Food paraded in

First comes the cold dish.
Next comes shark fins' soup.
Third comes the fish.
Fourth the poultry.
Fifth comes the veg.
Next comes the prawns.
Seventh is the mee.
Last is the yam.

By the second dish, the couple disappears.
By the third dish, they reappear and the toasting ceremony begins.
By the fifth dish, they start photo taking.
By the seventh dish, guests start disappearing.

How dreary.

Winter Wonderfest 2010: Limited edition Macross and Mospeada items

http://www.collectiondx.com/news_item/02082010/winter_wonderfest_2010_t_rex

Sunday, February 14, 2010

It's time to say goodbye, after 13 long years.

It's time to say goodbye, after 13 long years, as all things must come to an end. Goodbye, my lecture notes. Goodbye, my textbooks. T_T

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Running debate: Bare or in shoes?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Study: Runners with shoes experience collision two to three times their body weight
  • The study has sparked buzz amongst runners -- both praise and skepticism
  • Podiatrist and scientist: Ease into barefoot running or risk injury
  • Another study suggest walking heel-to-toe is most efficient

read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/12/barefoot.running/index.html?hpt=C2