My 15 seconds of fame, his 30 minute rule, 4 days to liftoff

tomorrow.sg has seen fit to highlight one of my posts. And just like that my visitor log has gone tits up after having the visitor counter jump by 100%. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the exposure but I really didn't expect it so soon after I just started the blog. I would have wanted a little more meat on the table before I opened for business. There's a metaphor in there somewhere, go fish. Anyways, wow, I is famous now, for my next trick, I TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD

Thank you gentle folk for dropping by, yes, all 5 of you. Kindly drop me an email or a line in any of the comments section so I know who bothers to read the crap I generate or simply to rag me on anything you think needs improvement. I don't own any cows hence nothing is sacred. I await your comments with bated breath. Pander to the nihilist in me why don't you?

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Mr. Robert Yeo, 84, cannot remember when was the last time he took a bus, let alone a car ride.

The sprightly man, who has been caring for his 82-year-old wfe Yeo Mui Neo since she lost her eye-sight to glaucoma 10 years ago, lives by a "30-minute rule".

He will only go to places - usually coffeeshops where all their meals come from - which are within a 30-minute walking distance from their one-room Toa Payoh flat.

"I can't leave her alone," he says.

He is her her eyes, hands and legs. "He does everything for me. He's a very good husband." says Mrs Yeo, who is bedridden because of weak legs.

When she has to use the toilet, he has to life and carry her from the bed to the wheelchair and back again.

"He's a one-man show. He never complains. The minute she calls 'Bert', he'll be there next to her." - relative Mrs Molly Seow, 71.

Mr. Yeo has declined suggestions to place his wife in a nursing home, opting instead for regular visits by health professionals from Touch Home Care.

Asked if he ever feels burnt out or worries about the future, he says: "My greatest joy is taking care of her. I don't worry about tomorrow. We'll just take everything in our stride."
- The Straits Times, life! (April 27, 2005)

Words fail me, it's a wonder people like him still walk among us in times like these, there is hope yet for the human race. You da man Mr. Yeo, I want to be like you when I grow up. I had wanted to post something this up sooner but something else got in the way, seeing I've hit my monthly quota of raging against the machine I thought I'd do my sanity a favour and focus on what's good in this world.

In other news everything goes smooth for our Tuesday blastoff, the pad's been booked, Mission Control briefed and prepped, the mothership is ready in all respects, the payload is rattling about like she just don't care and me, well, heck, I got the easy part, don't look, don't faint. Night all.

How could you?

"Racism is inherent in our nature, because of the need for self-preservation.
The danger is only when racism in thought is carried out in a provocative, senseless and insensitive manner.
Such as Hitler's 'Final Solution' and the 1964 racial riots. These should be condemned.
However, I do agree that racial purity should be maintained so that bloodlines, remain untainted and undiluted.
I would not marry someone of another race. Nor would I allow my children to.
If we allow our races' bloodlines to be mixed, we will lose our distinctive features and cultures. Same race marriage should be encouraged to maintain racial purity.
Racism is alive whether we like it or not, and it's harmless as long as it's controlled.
- Loi Chin Wee Desmond (The Straits Times, April 23, 2005)



Moved by the understanding that purity of the German Blood is the essential condition for the continued existence of the German people, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure the existence of the German Nation for all time, the Reichstag has unanimously adopted the following Law, which is promulgated herewith:

Article 1.

1) Marriages between Jews and subjects of the state of German or related blood are forbidden. Marriages nevertheless concluded are invalid, even if concluded abroad to circumvent this law.
- The Nuremberg Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor, September 15, 1935



There is much left to do in this world of ours without people like you making everyone take a step backwards with your way of thinking. Haslinda and Baljeet bring up issues which desperately need looking into, but by your choice of words like 'racial purity', and of 'bloodlines' remaining 'untainted' and 'undiluted', you drag us back in the time. Do you even realise how hauntingly similiar your words echo the ghosts of history? You just don't say things like "same race marriage should be encouraged to maintain racial purity" and not expect people to react.

Cracking race jokes among friends, especially with friends from other races, are to me, signs of a pretty strong friendship, of which I am privileged to have quite a few. But scratch the surface of things and you'll start hearing stories not unlike Haslinda's. I suppose it's hard for the majority of the Chinese population that makes up the majority of this country to be treated to the often subtle, sometimes outright discrimination that our friends in the minority races face.

But really, that's a lame excuse. Anyone who's stayed abroad for an extended period of time would have encountered at least one unpleasant episode of outright racism. Failing that, anyone who's got a ounce of empathy in their blood would instinctively know if they were in a situation which made their friends of other races uncomfortable. I can't remember the number of times I've heard the most racist of comments come out from people I considered friends, I'm ashamed to say I always let it slide, after today, not anymore.

The often brought up examples of racial discrimination in the job ads are often discussed but it never seems like anyone does anything about it. What's it to you if I'm Malay/Indian/Others? You want Mandarin speakers, I can speak Mandarin, I fulfilled every requirement you asked for, why you still tell me you looking for Chinese only? There is something desperately wrong with the system, we need to fix it, like now, yesterday.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
— Unknown

Racism and Too Bad Stupidity Isn't Painful #01

racism
• noun 1 the belief that there are characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to each race. 2 discrimination against or antagonism towards other races.

The Straits Times (March 25, 2005)
NTU student brings the art of being a moron to new heights when he asks Dr. Vivian Balakrishan, (mixed parentage and married a Chinese to boot) Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and concurrently Second Minister for Trade and Industry (phew, try saying that in one go) on his take on mixed marriages.

phelan has more on this.

The Straits Times (April 9, 2005)
As a followup to the previous "incident", ST does an article on whether racism was indeed alive and kicking on our little red dot.

The Straits Times (April 23, 2005)
Some reader responses to article of April 9.

"Are Singaporeans racist? Yes.
I once applied for a position in a statutory board. Interviewing me were three Chinese women, including a head of department.
The department head said: 'I am very reluctant to employ you, as you are a Malay. We try not to employ Malays and Indians, as they are trouble-makers.'
That was a very sad day.
It's even more dangerous if educators are not stopped from making racist remarks, corrupting their students.
One day, my eight-year-old son, who studies in a Special Assistance Plan school, told me that his teachers said: 'Malays and Indians have kutu (Malay for lice).'
This is not an isolated case. We must stop this trend."
- Haslinda Shamsudin

"A true racist is one who despises people of another race.
Racist jokes are, to me, harmless. Some stereotyping is factual but retold creatively. Whether one is racist depends on one's intention.
If we cannot even laugh at ourselves, we risk becoming a society without a soul. Singaporeans have built up strong racial ties though the years and do not mind harmless fun.
It's no more than a good pillow fight."
- Joseph Wong

"Singaporeans are racist, but it's not entirely their doing. The Government has continually played on fears - fears of tension, of riots, anything reminiscent of the 1960s.
This makes young Singaporeans more aware of their racial differences and they become more sensitive and defensive."
- Ho Chi Sam

"Racism is inherent in our nature, because of the need for self-preservation.
The danger is only when racism in thought is carried out in a provocative, senseless and insensitive manner.
Such as Hitler's 'Final Solution' and the 1964 racial riots. These should be condemned.
However, I do agree that racial purity should be maintained so that bloodlines, remain untainted and undiluted.
I would not marry someone of another race. Nor would I allow my children to.
If we allow our races' bloodlines to be mixed, we will lose our distinctive features and cultures. Same race marriage should be encouraged to maintain racial purity.
Racism is alive whether we like it or not, and it's harmless as long as it's controlled.
- Loi Chin Wee Desmond

"I complete disagree with the viewpoint of Minster of State for Foreign Affairs Zainal Abidin Rasheed that Singaporeans are now more enlightened.
Racism has become worse, post-9/11. Malays are looked at in a different light. Post-9/11, Chinese and Indians started assuming that their Malay neighbour was a Muslim fundamentalist, hence a terrorist.
Those who think there is no racism here should travel abroad. Only where you are in minority can you understand how it feels."
- Anup Kumar

"Singapore should adopt an equal-opportunity policy like in Britain and impose race and sex discrimination laws. Only then would the ethnic minorities in Singapore be given a fair chance."
- Baljeet Kaur

Erm, Desmond? Sorry to disturb ah but newsflash, you sound a lot like someone I know from around 60 years back and the last time I checked that fella caused a world of hurt and tens of millions to perish, so I'd suggest you take some time to google/wiki the words "Hitler", "Jim Crow", "racism" and "Final Solution" to see how much you sound like a parrot before you make yourself the poster boy for "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"

Homeworlds

That first intake of air into your tiny lungs, the cool air of the OT rushing headlong into every nook and cranny of your lungs as you take your first breath (and using it to make known your displeasure at being yanked out of Mummy's womb in the only way you know how). Opening your mucus covered eyes to the harsh spotlights that illuminate the stage that is your Act 1, Scene 1. The strange sensations you hear and feel as pairs of hands first cradle, clean and finally wrap you up so you're snug and warm. A pair of hands that you instinctively know to be your Mother's reaches out and holds her to you, her body warming yours as you lie snuggled in her arms, the sound of her voice soothing you even as you can't understand a single word she says. You're Home. And then some annoying blob you can't discern (because your eyesight has yet to fully develop) starts firing bright strobes in your face. Hi Daddy.

Things are happening so fast I haven't really had the time to sit down and think about what's going to happen in a week's time. I'm going to be a father, I've thought it about it from time to time in the years before today but never really dwelt on it because the thought seemed so abstract, did I tell you how I felt when I first saw you on the ultrasound machine screen? I couldn't stop this big shit-eating grin from appearing on my face even as your mum and I watched you fidget while the sonographer tried to get good data on you. You're a frisky one you are, all through these 38 weeks you've been inside Mummy you've never let a day go by without running a marathon inside her womb. Kicks, punches, somersaults, especially before and during mealtimes.

I can't wait for you to be out so I can hold you. I'll try to give you the freedom to try anything once but I'll step in if I think there's something you shouldn't be doing. I won't tell you what to do but rather let you know where the chips lie and let you make your own decisions. I'll try not to talk down to you, I'll treat you with the respect you deserve as a human being but always remembering that you're a growing child I'll be there to correct whatever behaviour is inappropriate. You'll always have a loving home and a warm bed to come home to no matter what you do or how old you are. I pray that I'll know how to recognise that someday when you'll know more about something than I do and to trust you in your decision making when that day comes. I pray I know when to hold on and when to let go. I hope you never speak to me with fear in your heart, I hope you never speak to me with disrespect. I hope that you'll grow up with the fear and knowledge of God by your side. I have hopes and dreams for you but they're not the sort that involves medicine or law school for there are far greater things to strive for on this Earth. We'll get to that in due time.

By the way, I finally found something on how they used a ultrasound machine to check you for developmental defects (medspeak for is you a normal baby), it's called Nuchal Translucency and I'm still in awe of they do it.

I was listening to a couple of old records yesterday, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings came up, I remembering hearing the choral version, Agnus Dei, the first time on Homeworld, a computer game I was crazy about way back then. It was background music to an intro to a scene in which the player was in a desperate race to save these 6 barges full of cryogenically frozen Hiigarans from being blasted into oblivion as they set out on their epic journey to find their Homeworld. First off, Homeworld was already mind blowing in it's conception and execution in the first place, here it was, a space game which truly felt like a space opera. The voicework, the scale of the game, the backstories, they all just came together so perfectly you just knew you were playing a piece of gaming history.

Enter Adagio for Strings, it just blew me away man, blew me away, it was the saddest piece of music I had ever heard, juxtaposed against the backstory, it was all I could do to blink back the tears. You just have to buy the game and play it to experience it. Samuel Barber was a freaking genius, notwithstanding his "one hit wonder". The many ways in which this piece of music was used is a testament to the raw emotion it invokes in anyone who listens to it.

54 people died and 440 were injured when a passenger train derailed in Japan yesterday. The 23 year old train driver had apparently overshot the platform at an earlier stop and was behind schedule because he had to back the train up. There is speculation that he was speeding to make up for lost time and didn't slow down at a bend in the tracks causing 4 of 7 carriages to jump the tracks and pile up against an apartment block scant metres from the railway tracks.

In the midst of impending new life death works overtime.

The German Shepherd and baby E.J.

It's been quite a week, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, head of the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the key figures in Pope John Paul's inner circle, is now Pope Bendict XVIthe 265th direct descendent of St. Pete. A man who has been described as the Catholic Church's leading conservative was elected in one of the swiftest elections ever, just 3 ballots over 2 days. It's still early days but it doesn't seem he's as naturally warm as his predecessor, still it's not fair to judge him right out from the gate. Of course the fact he turned 78 last Saturday has not helped in the murmurings about the Conclave's choice. That said, The Lord works in mysterious ways so we'll just have to wait and see.

E.J. is scheduled for touchdown on the morning of 3 May, it's going to have to be a Caesarean cos E.J. has a head that's a little bigger than average and she's been putting on a bit o weight, 3168 grams as of 2 weeks ago. The confinement lady's been given the heads up, everyone who's anyone to us is getting all excited about seeing E.J, the baby bag is packed, mummy is good to go and daddy is praying he won't collapse in an embarassing heap in the OT.

You see, Mrs Egg has elected for an epidural, aka local anasthesia, aka you're-conscious-while-they-cut-you-up. Mummy wants to do this so she can breastfeed E.J. as soon as E.J. comes roaring out the gate. Personally, I think Mummy is psycho but you didn't hear that from me. What this all means is that I'm going to be in there with her as they're doing the cutting, pulling and sewing. I get to bring the camera along so I can capture the procedure in all it's full blood and gore, so yeah, if I have to suffer, all yous is coming along with me.

I R Casino

Dear E.J,

Today our PM decided that Singapore would have not 1, but 2 casinos. The culmination of a year's worth of debate ended in a result that surprised hardly anyone. Well, most people weren't expecting 2 for the price of 1 but what the hay, since we going for it might as well go the whole hog.

The casinos are of course part of a larger picture we like to call the IR or Integrated Resort, the IR located on Sentosa will be family focused whereas the other one on Marina Bay will focus on the super high roller types. So basically, we're gonna get a 2 one-stop entertainment centres which just happen to have casinos in them.

The benefits of having these 2 IRs include S$5,000,000,000 in investments, 35,000 new jobs and a S$1,500,000,000 yearly contribution to the country's bottom line. Hotel complexes with rooms in the thousands, entertainment facilities up the wazoo, restaurants, eateries, the works. As you can see, it's not some small fart casino IR, no sir, we're talking The Bellagio or The Atlantis here, to paraphrase Trade and Industry Minster Lim Hng Kiang, "...people will actually regret it if they cannot make it to Singapore".

Now, you might imagine there's been a lot of negative energy directed towards this whole IR thingy since we are afterall an Asian country with a strong asian value system. To tell you the truth Daddy is against the whole idea too, you know, the whole gambling is a sin, no such thing as easy money, gambling destroys homes argument. Besides, some Singaporeans have a knack of hurting themselves even if you were to put them in a padded room.

And then there was the fact that we were Johnny come lately to the whole casino IR party anyways, in the region Macau, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Oz, that-country-next-to-Oz, Myanmar, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Philippines, Laos, Vietnam and lousy Tinian (tiny island in the Pacific which had shit bombed out of it in WWII) have or are in the process of operating casinos. Holy one armed bandits Batman, Tinian has a casino??!??

Add to that we don't exactly have a shining record of originality when it comes to tourist attractions, the Singapore Flyer (*cough London Eye cough*) and F1 Powerboat racing (like who the hell follows this sport?) being some of the more recent items on the Things-to-do list.

But, over the past few days as today approached, I found reason to question if my stand against the casino was more emotion than logic. The well-orchestrated release of the survey on how much the average Singaporean spends on gambling, smoking and alcohol threw up some pretty interesting numbers. Gambling $83 smoking $109 alcohol $103. Eh, why no one make any noise about smoking and alcohol? Smoking has a proven statistical chance of killing you, it also kills the innocent twats who happened to be standing next to you when you exhaled. Alcohol can kill too, and in a variety of ways, liver failure (you die, painfully, it's not a question of if but when) and drink driving to name a few. And then there's the spousal and child abuse cos you're too blasted to notice you're beating the shit out of your wife and kids. This last one is more insidious and widespread than you might think because of the social stigma in airing your dirty laundry in public.

Ok, if 2% of Singaporeans are at risk of becoming gambling addicts, what's the numbers on alcoholics and chronic smokers? Why no one complain eh? Where's the noise? Where's the online petition? Got FACT (Families Against The Casino Threat), why not FAST (Smoker Threat)and FAAT (Alcohol Threat)? How much we spending on health care to take care of smokers and alcoholics when we could spend that on education and geratric patient care? How many people die of alcoholism and smoking compared to gambling?

There's going to be fallout from this decision, 2% the experts say, 2% who are at risk of being chronic gamblers, 2% who will sell their mothers and daughters so they can get just that little more cash for that one more never ending round. We'll come back to visit this as the situation develops, for now, I hope the decision that was made on your behalf today doesn't become a millstone around your neck tomorrow.

Love,
Daddy

Do you feel me?

PM Lee said, "Whatever the decision is, we have to close ranks and move ahead so that means the decision is the beginning of the work because there will be more work to be done."

SM Goh said: "The world has changed, Singaporeans have changed. Would our values be eroded just because there is a casino, totally eroded? I don't think so. That there will be incremental social costs, I concede. But will the whole society collapse because of a casino? I don't think so.

MM said even if we don't build one, everyone else will have one anyway.

DPM Tan said the Cabinet has made a difficult decision on a complicated issue and that it was up to everyone to give ideas on how to make the decision work.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has also seen it fit to release a 13-page report on the issue by Mr. Chia "I-took-S$117,000,000-from-right-under-APB's-fucking-noses" Teck Leng. Riight, you want me to take trust what this man says? And by the way Mr. Chia, please lah, who are you to suggest a S$10,000 entry fee for Singaporeans, we mature enough to have a casino, we sure as hell mature enough to handle the consequences. That's the only thing that really stinks if we were to have a casino, this entry fee condition for Singaporeans. Either you totally ban us or you don't.

I had a great week, seeing 2 pandas doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel is something else, man, I love DC.

Other notable highlights of the week included seeing a girl who could not have been more than 25 pry open a box of grapes at the local supermart to get at one so she could sample it. This country is destined for great things.

And then there's the one about this goondu who got off the train and then proceeded to go up a downward moving escalator. This would not have been so funny (since saya is guilty of it several times, also cos I could see out of the corner of my eye goondu's doomed approach towards the offending escalator) if not for the fact said goondu was moving so fast and surely that goondu clattered on the steps of the escalator with an almighty cacophony of sounds. Said sounds made the Eggs lose it and it took a strenous effort on the part of both Eggs to maintain a semblance of decorum while goondu meekly took the stairs with everyone else, decorum was promptly lost when goondu was out of earshot. To the people who were present at NE12 this morning, we are sorry for looking and sounding like a pair of deranged hyenas.

Sith Happens

There are few things that I know that I can use to benchmark how much my life has changed in the time I've been here on this pale blue dot. This franchise is one of them. The 1st, nay, the 4th episode was shown sometime around the time when I was still trying to figure out the whole shit-goes-in-the-potty-not-the-floor business, the Revenge of the Sith is scheduled to come out several days after my baby girl who I someday have to teach the whole-shit-goes-in-the-potty-not-the-floor business comes out. Someone up there has a twisted sense of humour.

I have to say I'm not looking forward to this last of the first, Hayden Christensen spent far too much time scowling into the camera and the massacre of that entire tribe of Sand People didn't really jive with my childhood memories of Luke and Leia. In this latest instalment, the turn to the Dark Side is complete and mucho scowling and mayhem is in store for all. I hate it when the good guys get whacked by inside jobs, there's something reprehensible about being taken out by people you trust man. And I especially hate inside jobs that take out Samuel L Jackson and Yoda. Sheeeet, the coolest dude and short fark ever to wield lightsabers done in by some punk just like that.

Spoof of the cinematic trailer, l33t yo.

Been there, done that

Had the family car for the day on Saturday so we thought we might take a jaunt up to one of the more erm, ulu areas of Singapore.

First stop was Aero-Green Aeroponics Farm, an unfortunate name if there ever was one. Butterhead lettuce for a dollar a head, very green, very bargain, wait, cost of petrol expended, time taken to drive there...erm. They have a nice little herb garden as well, apart from that, nothing really much to look at, it is afterall a commercial concern, not some tourist attraction.

The same can't be said for it's neighbour directly across the road. We didn't have enough time to do the place justice so we'll probably keep this for the next time round.

Next stop would have been Hay Diaries but arrrgh, we got there around 1630 only to discover Business Hours: 0900-1600hrs daily. The screaming could have been heard all the way in Choa Chu Kang New Town.

Last stop of the day was something I've been wanting to do for quite some time.....

Why

I'm going to be a Daddy in 5 weeks and I want E.J. and however many siblings that follow to have a record of the times that were while they were too young to want to know.

Mrs. Egg and I are expecting a 01 x girl, baby in about 5 weeks times, thus far the pregancy seems to be going along smoothly, Mrs Egg has not slowed down noticeably in the physical or mental department (although frequency of random ditzy statements and behaviour have increased slightly, as per pregnancy specs), E.J. was slightly over 2kg the last time she was ultrasounded, her head's a little bigger than average, "not pathological" according to the gynae, whatever that means. Said head size also just about rules out the natural birth we've been hoping for. Dang it.

P.S. ultrasound machines are just wonderpul leetle pluckers, yeah they can do measurements of thigh bones, head diameters, show you the baby's sex, what the little devil is up to during the scan (usually getting pissed at the poking and prodding), but get this loh, they've got software that can measure the thickness of the skin on the back of the baby's neck to check for Down's, like, from the techincal standpoint, how the fark you guys do that?

I also wanted to write again, I used to be very good at it back in school. I liked writing especially if others read it, it was nice to get compliments on my essays every so often, that and it’s good practice for night school. I’ll need a little time to find my voice and stride so bear with me anyone out there reading this.

Pope John Paul II died earlier this week, his funeral was today. The only spiritual representative of St. Peter that I've known in my lifetime has returned to HQ to report. I hope Pete's got a warm seat ready for him. His legacy of being part of bringing down the Iron Curtain, preaching peace, forgiveness and tolerance in addition to his stands on contraception, gays and his flying in the face of Vatican II make for enough material to write a thesis and I'm just too lazy to do that. I prefer to remember him as someone the world could use a few more of, send us some more Lord, the human race might just make something of itself yet.

Courage! Men may yet defeat the politicians - Alistair Cooke

The Balloon Goes Up

Radio Check.
Hello? Is this thing on?
Testing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Brown Dog.
All stations report manned and ready.

And so it begins.