Saturday, 07/07/07, a unique date which has manifested itself 6 times already, each time in a slightly different form no less and which will appear 5 more times before we're rid of the damned phenomena came and went. Despite the best efforts of 770+ couples locally and 150 music acts playing to an estimated audience of 2 billion people worldwide the planet grinds ever so remorselessly on it's path to a drop in internal core temperature.
Saturday morning brought with it a good old fashioned tropical thunderstorm, lightning and all. I know this because I had to fetch the wife to work. I imagine it must have played havoc with quite a few schedules and nerves but alas to my disappointment the storm abated after a bit and the rest of the day was pleasantly cool. I had such glorious visions of absolute chaos at the ROM. Dang it. Sidebar article on frontpage of 6th July's edition of ST was a story on the 700 odd couples who would tie the knot the following day and the usual inane examples of how numbers play an altogether too significant part in some people's lives. As for me, I'd just like to give a big shout out and Hello! to Mr. Sparks Ng of SIA! Must not...oh hell, /roflmao. Anyhoo, grats to the 700 odd couples who tied the knot on this very special, very unique day ya? Just you, your special other and 1,400 other people. Sparkingly! Twas probably a good weekend for Durex I'm betting.
Live Earth was the other highlight of the day. Well, for 2 billion other people anyways. Heavily tax households who have more than 1 car, tax vehicles which have big engines, bigger rebates for hybrids, make cycling a safe and viable form of transportation, put out more recycling containers in HDB estates, drop your secondary school going kids outside of the all boys school gate and let them walk in, they'll make it to their classrooms just fine I promise, and that's just in Singapore. I don't need convincing that global warming is real, oil interests and countries like China and India do. The US? Yeah, probably but in a generation what China alone will put out will make the US look like Greenpeace if nothing changes. And on a personal note. Fuck, like wearing green and showing solidarity with other tree-huggers-for-one-day while watching acts who waltzed in courtesy of private jets and police escorted tour buses will change anything. You doing anything different today from last friday on the green front?
Showing posts with label Singapore snapshot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singapore snapshot. Show all posts
Monday, 9 July 2007
Monday, 25 July 2005
Nation Kena F***ed
Seeing I'm regurgitating from memory, my apologies if I've gotten anything wrong or misrepresented, always welcome to email me to set the record straight, please don't sue me.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), mightiest of the charities in Singapore
1. has $262,000,000 in reserves as of July 2005. Enough for anything from 5 to 30 years of operations depending on how you slice the cake. No, wait, NKF says that's only enough to last 3 years.
2. had a CEO, T.T. Durai, who worked as a volunteer for 21 years before becoming it's CEO in 1992 with a starting salary of $12,000, turning down the initial $20,000 he was offered. Mr. Durai's salary for last year was north of $500,000, his monthly basic of $25,000 and what really pissed people off, a 10-12 month bonus.
3. had a board which approved the above salary package.
4. misrepresented the number of patients under it's care. So is it 2,000 or 3,000 dudes?
5. had a board which included one Ms. Matilda I-can't-remember-the-surname, who was first an NKF employee, left the NKF, started a call centre business with abovementioned CEO and then proceeded to bid for and win a contract to run NKF's call centre.
6. had gold taps which cost $990 before discount installed in the CEO's bathroom before said CEO thought they might be a little too expensive and had them swapped for cheaper alternatives. $990, I could live on that for two months and still have change to buy a bag or two of peanuts.
7. had a patron, Mrs. Goh Chok Tong, wife of the SM, who probably got an earful from the husband when he found out she had justified T.T's salary by saying for someone who managed $262,000,000 his salary was peanuts. Engage brain before mouth Mrs. Goh, if you had just kept it zipped and smiled a sad smile for the cameras and walked away you could have come off smelling like roses but you just had to say something *throws hands in the air*
8. has a new board and Chairman/CEO, Mr. Gerard Ee, I hope he doesn't stop smiling after a couple of weeks of wading in the neck high shithole he's stepped into. Bravo on your decision to not take a cent for your post. Seeing as how the entire nation would have been terribly interested to know your salary you defused that potential bomb with aplomb.
It's 14 days to the day the defamation suit that kicked over this whole anthill started, heads have rolled and people in suits are poring over the nooks and crannys of the NKF. People power came to Singapore 2 weeks ago, it was the first solid expression of the power of the masses and what that power was capable of, gives me the tingles just thinking about it. Just imagine, apathetic Singapore has got a voice and we're not afraid to use it.
Well, not really. The NKF issue was one that united all because it was a victim of it's success. 2 out of 3 Singaporeans donated to it. It galvanised the people in such numbers precisely because so many people were affected by the revelations. Will we see such an awe insipring display of the power of the masses again?
The buck seems to have stopped at the resignation of T.T. and gang, people have gone back to their lives. Wait damnit, where you all going? It's not the end yet, is it?
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), mightiest of the charities in Singapore
1. has $262,000,000 in reserves as of July 2005. Enough for anything from 5 to 30 years of operations depending on how you slice the cake. No, wait, NKF says that's only enough to last 3 years.
2. had a CEO, T.T. Durai, who worked as a volunteer for 21 years before becoming it's CEO in 1992 with a starting salary of $12,000, turning down the initial $20,000 he was offered. Mr. Durai's salary for last year was north of $500,000, his monthly basic of $25,000 and what really pissed people off, a 10-12 month bonus.
3. had a board which approved the above salary package.
4. misrepresented the number of patients under it's care. So is it 2,000 or 3,000 dudes?
5. had a board which included one Ms. Matilda I-can't-remember-the-surname, who was first an NKF employee, left the NKF, started a call centre business with abovementioned CEO and then proceeded to bid for and win a contract to run NKF's call centre.
6. had gold taps which cost $990 before discount installed in the CEO's bathroom before said CEO thought they might be a little too expensive and had them swapped for cheaper alternatives. $990, I could live on that for two months and still have change to buy a bag or two of peanuts.
7. had a patron, Mrs. Goh Chok Tong, wife of the SM, who probably got an earful from the husband when he found out she had justified T.T's salary by saying for someone who managed $262,000,000 his salary was peanuts. Engage brain before mouth Mrs. Goh, if you had just kept it zipped and smiled a sad smile for the cameras and walked away you could have come off smelling like roses but you just had to say something *throws hands in the air*
8. has a new board and Chairman/CEO, Mr. Gerard Ee, I hope he doesn't stop smiling after a couple of weeks of wading in the neck high shithole he's stepped into. Bravo on your decision to not take a cent for your post. Seeing as how the entire nation would have been terribly interested to know your salary you defused that potential bomb with aplomb.
It's 14 days to the day the defamation suit that kicked over this whole anthill started, heads have rolled and people in suits are poring over the nooks and crannys of the NKF. People power came to Singapore 2 weeks ago, it was the first solid expression of the power of the masses and what that power was capable of, gives me the tingles just thinking about it. Just imagine, apathetic Singapore has got a voice and we're not afraid to use it.
Well, not really. The NKF issue was one that united all because it was a victim of it's success. 2 out of 3 Singaporeans donated to it. It galvanised the people in such numbers precisely because so many people were affected by the revelations. Will we see such an awe insipring display of the power of the masses again?
The buck seems to have stopped at the resignation of T.T. and gang, people have gone back to their lives. Wait damnit, where you all going? It's not the end yet, is it?
Tuesday, 14 June 2005
IR Idiots
So, the MacRitchie Treetop Walk has been classified as "not user friendly" by some of the people who have tried the route since it opened in November last year.
Oh for crying out loud, what were you people expecting? Just getting to the walk itself requires a 4.5/2.5km walk depending on where you start out from. I haven't walked it myself but I did a couple of hikes that skirted the area back when I was a Scout and it defintely ain't no walk in the park.
Just seeing the TV pictures of families carrying strollers and hearing of them not packing enough water or food brought tears to my eyes. Of course it's tough if you're lugging a stroller through the forest and hoping you won't pass out from lack of food. It's got to be this thing that Singaporeans have, the island is so devoid of any meaningful activity spots (shopping and eating can only get you so far) that everytime something new comes up, people just have to die die try it, jump right in without looking, witness the hordes that descended on Lim Chu Kang when the bunch of farmer wannabes there opened up their properties to the public.
Anyways, I wanted to rant more about this, but that was before I stumbled on Merv's take on this, took the words out of my mouth. Horses for courses, ya farktwats. It's a wonder CNA aired the stoopid segment in the first place, like the world needs to be reminded how soft and senseless Singaporeans are.
In other news, we got us a new MRT line, to be completed by 2012 at the cost of S$1,400,000,000, this line will have 5 stations and will be run by SMRT.
Starting with...
Millenia on the Circle Line
Bayfront, which serves IR No.1 and Botanical Gardens No.2 (which IMHO is just plain sited wrongly)
Landmark, near 1 Raffles Quay, the new business and financial centre
Cross Street
Chinatown on the Circle Line
I wonder what they'll call this line?
Money, money, money....Money! Line
IR Line
Integrated Line
Technorati MacRitchie Treetop Walk, Singapore
Oh for crying out loud, what were you people expecting? Just getting to the walk itself requires a 4.5/2.5km walk depending on where you start out from. I haven't walked it myself but I did a couple of hikes that skirted the area back when I was a Scout and it defintely ain't no walk in the park.
Just seeing the TV pictures of families carrying strollers and hearing of them not packing enough water or food brought tears to my eyes. Of course it's tough if you're lugging a stroller through the forest and hoping you won't pass out from lack of food. It's got to be this thing that Singaporeans have, the island is so devoid of any meaningful activity spots (shopping and eating can only get you so far) that everytime something new comes up, people just have to die die try it, jump right in without looking, witness the hordes that descended on Lim Chu Kang when the bunch of farmer wannabes there opened up their properties to the public.
Anyways, I wanted to rant more about this, but that was before I stumbled on Merv's take on this, took the words out of my mouth. Horses for courses, ya farktwats. It's a wonder CNA aired the stoopid segment in the first place, like the world needs to be reminded how soft and senseless Singaporeans are.
In other news, we got us a new MRT line, to be completed by 2012 at the cost of S$1,400,000,000, this line will have 5 stations and will be run by SMRT.
Starting with...
Millenia on the Circle Line
Bayfront, which serves IR No.1 and Botanical Gardens No.2 (which IMHO is just plain sited wrongly)
Landmark, near 1 Raffles Quay, the new business and financial centre
Cross Street
Chinatown on the Circle Line
I wonder what they'll call this line?
Money, money, money....Money! Line
IR Line
Integrated Line
Technorati MacRitchie Treetop Walk, Singapore
Friday, 20 May 2005
20.05.2005 How not to blog?
Truth be told I only realised today was the day when I was updating inventory records like I do at the end of each week. Holy crap! 20.05.2005! Never will a day like this appear again....until 20.06.2006. In the words of Neo, whoa!
116 couples are getting hitched today, the highest so far this year, surpassing the 107 couples who got married on 05.05.05. Yep, we Singaporeans always outdoing outselves when it comes to being number 1. But the record for largest number of weddings in a single day is still held by 14.02.1995. Apparently not only was it Velentine's Day, it was Yuan Xiao Jie, the Chinese Valentine's Day as well. A phenomenon only repeated every 20 years. Over 2,000 couples got married that fateful day. Anyone want to do a survey on how many of those couples are still couples 20 years from now? Must....be.....polite, no.....swearing.
But, much as I detest the kitschiness of it all, to each his/her own. Here's wishing the 232 of you blissful marriages, Trust is important but communication more so, because according to some survey from a few months back, most Singaporeans don't seem to be happy with their life partners. A staggering number, over 50% surveyed IIRC. There's something fundamentally scary about the implication that at least 1 of every 2 couples you meet on the street, among your friends and in your workplace are not happy with each other.
Of course, I could go on about the importance of communication in a relationship, I could say that the ability to engage your partner in conversation about anything without getting a "you want to break up with me/take a look at yourself in the mirror first" look is a sign of a healthy relationship and lah-dee-dah but that would just smack of being holier-than-thou right?
Anyways, EJ just blew past 2 weeks, she's
- exerting more control over where she wants the head, and consequently the eyes to go.
- staying awake for longer periods of time.
- letting her eyes roam around her view of vision when she is awake.
- showing signs of recognising her mummy and daddy. (debatable, but oh do we wish it were so)
- being more vocal, even though it's just short gasps of eh, uh, ehhhh.
- still kan cheong when it comes to feeding time, head just swaying all over the place when it's time to latch on, won't settle down on the nipple until she's satisfied there's nothing else around to latch on to.
- still a pretty good sleeper, wakes up at midnight and around 0400hrs for her feeds, like clockwork this one is. Fingers crossed it carries on.
- still gorgeous
Happy 20.05.2005 all!
116 couples are getting hitched today, the highest so far this year, surpassing the 107 couples who got married on 05.05.05. Yep, we Singaporeans always outdoing outselves when it comes to being number 1. But the record for largest number of weddings in a single day is still held by 14.02.1995. Apparently not only was it Velentine's Day, it was Yuan Xiao Jie, the Chinese Valentine's Day as well. A phenomenon only repeated every 20 years. Over 2,000 couples got married that fateful day. Anyone want to do a survey on how many of those couples are still couples 20 years from now? Must....be.....polite, no.....swearing.
But, much as I detest the kitschiness of it all, to each his/her own. Here's wishing the 232 of you blissful marriages, Trust is important but communication more so, because according to some survey from a few months back, most Singaporeans don't seem to be happy with their life partners. A staggering number, over 50% surveyed IIRC. There's something fundamentally scary about the implication that at least 1 of every 2 couples you meet on the street, among your friends and in your workplace are not happy with each other.
Of course, I could go on about the importance of communication in a relationship, I could say that the ability to engage your partner in conversation about anything without getting a "you want to break up with me/take a look at yourself in the mirror first" look is a sign of a healthy relationship and lah-dee-dah but that would just smack of being holier-than-thou right?
Anyways, EJ just blew past 2 weeks, she's
- exerting more control over where she wants the head, and consequently the eyes to go.
- staying awake for longer periods of time.
- letting her eyes roam around her view of vision when she is awake.
- showing signs of recognising her mummy and daddy. (debatable, but oh do we wish it were so)
- being more vocal, even though it's just short gasps of eh, uh, ehhhh.
- still kan cheong when it comes to feeding time, head just swaying all over the place when it's time to latch on, won't settle down on the nipple until she's satisfied there's nothing else around to latch on to.
- still a pretty good sleeper, wakes up at midnight and around 0400hrs for her feeds, like clockwork this one is. Fingers crossed it carries on.
- still gorgeous
Happy 20.05.2005 all!
Wednesday, 18 May 2005
$11,413
That you'll be growing in a world where cameras have no film inside them.
You can rack up utilities bills to the tune of $11,413 and that no one will bother to ask if you know, need a little bit of help? A 60-year-old burned to death in his flat because he was using candles for light and a charcoal fire to cook food because they didn't have the moolah to pay the utilities bills. I'm especially mad at SingPower, you'd think someone would have a red flag up or something once you hit a ridiculous amount like 11 grand. And if community workers were aware of their situation, how could they not know of the 11,413 reasons why the flat was shrouded in semi-darkness everytime they visited? WTF.
Revenge of the Sith script (Warning! To say it's a spoiler would make understatement seem like an understatement)
I still think Hayden Christensen is too gay to play Anakin damnit! How could they kill Samuel L. Jackson, the man is Shaft for Pete's sake....arrrgh.
Enough to make you weep.
So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause....
- Padme (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, 2005)
You can rack up utilities bills to the tune of $11,413 and that no one will bother to ask if you know, need a little bit of help? A 60-year-old burned to death in his flat because he was using candles for light and a charcoal fire to cook food because they didn't have the moolah to pay the utilities bills. I'm especially mad at SingPower, you'd think someone would have a red flag up or something once you hit a ridiculous amount like 11 grand. And if community workers were aware of their situation, how could they not know of the 11,413 reasons why the flat was shrouded in semi-darkness everytime they visited? WTF.
Revenge of the Sith script (Warning! To say it's a spoiler would make understatement seem like an understatement)
I still think Hayden Christensen is too gay to play Anakin damnit! How could they kill Samuel L. Jackson, the man is Shaft for Pete's sake....arrrgh.
Enough to make you weep.
So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause....
- Padme (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, 2005)
Thursday, 12 May 2005
The more things change
I don't know about how it will be like when EJ grows up but for as long as I can remember Singapore's skyline has always been changing. The price of progress, but what cost that progress?
Lzydata posted an interesting talk to be held at SAFTI Library, would have loved to attend but whaddya know, work calls.
Daryl posted a followup on one Wing commander Tan Kay Hai that piqued my interest and a little digging prompted by some helpful nudges from his post got me here, there, everywhere and back.
Well geez Louise, we got us a genuine combat vet here, not some poor sod with a shotgun from Dalforce facing the battle hardened vets of the 5th or 18th Infantry Divisions or one of the Malay Regiment lads who died on Pasir Panjang Ridge when all around them the white men were falling over themselves falling back and looting. Here we got somewhere we can be not pai seh to put on a pedestal cos he didn't suffer a fate as ignominious as his brothers in arms in Dalforce or Pasir Panjang Ridge. To be sure, I take nothing away from Force 136, Elizabeth Choy and company, their experiences are more than worthy of just a passing mention but this man was different.
He had been around the block, seen the elephant, smelt the cordite. He wasn't running around in the darkness doing hit and runs, he was part of the Allied war machine. I mean come on, when was the last time you read about a chinese guy in the RAF in WWII? Wing Commander to boot, not some wet-behind-the-ears FO. AND they awarded him a DFC some more. This kind of thing they dun anyhow give one, it's not like you can get one if you queue overnight for it.
Orchard Shopping Centre, Paragon, Wisma Atria, these shopping centres had mid-life facelifts, sheet man, if these damn things could be given facelifts, why the hell was the National Library at Stamford demolished? Has anyone seen the monstrosity that is coming up between Bras Basah Complex and Bugis Junction? I don't care if it's internet ready, packed to the gills with fancy crap and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, it's ugly, period.
The new National Library
The old National Library
This country of ours is 40 years old this year, that's about as old as EJ when you compare it with others, yet our economy is matured and counted among the First World. We've come so far in terms of material wealth yet we're still learning how to crawl when it comes to having a national identity.
The destruction of heritage buildings doesn't help us one bit, all around us the skyline keeps change every year. How does one stay rooted in a country that changes every year? Can you remember what the neighbourhood you grew up in looked like when you were a kid? 5, 10, 15, 20 years back? Things change so rapidly that there is no such thing as a familiar sight in Singapore anymore. I don't get that sense of revisiting a familiar old friend when I go back to my old neighbourhood, my primary school still exists but the building it occupies doesn't look anything like the old one, ditto for my secondary school. I'm lucky, some schools don't exist anywhere but in memories now.
Space is limited, that I can accept but there must be a way where the old can integrate with the new. Fewer friggin golf courses would be nice start, the ratio of land used vs number of users is atrocious, but then again, money talks pretty loudly here. Hawker centres become food courts, SERS. Heck, even Parliament House is brand new. The Supreme Courtnext change. How to anchor oneself when everything around you disappears after awhile?
There must be physical remainders like red-brick buildings and statues of Wing Commander Tan (somewhere on the grounds of SAFTI MI perhaps?) to remind us of where we come from, roots do not simply appear overnight, they have to have something to latch onto. The increasing globalization of the world we live in makes for very mobile citizens of the world. All cities tend to look alike if you live in them long enough. What incentive is there for Singaporeans to call Singapore home if we can't even recognise it?
Oh and in case you're reading this. Happy Birthday once again, words can't describe the place you have in my heart.
Lzydata posted an interesting talk to be held at SAFTI Library, would have loved to attend but whaddya know, work calls.
Daryl posted a followup on one Wing commander Tan Kay Hai that piqued my interest and a little digging prompted by some helpful nudges from his post got me here, there, everywhere and back.
Well geez Louise, we got us a genuine combat vet here, not some poor sod with a shotgun from Dalforce facing the battle hardened vets of the 5th or 18th Infantry Divisions or one of the Malay Regiment lads who died on Pasir Panjang Ridge when all around them the white men were falling over themselves falling back and looting. Here we got somewhere we can be not pai seh to put on a pedestal cos he didn't suffer a fate as ignominious as his brothers in arms in Dalforce or Pasir Panjang Ridge. To be sure, I take nothing away from Force 136, Elizabeth Choy and company, their experiences are more than worthy of just a passing mention but this man was different.
He had been around the block, seen the elephant, smelt the cordite. He wasn't running around in the darkness doing hit and runs, he was part of the Allied war machine. I mean come on, when was the last time you read about a chinese guy in the RAF in WWII? Wing Commander to boot, not some wet-behind-the-ears FO. AND they awarded him a DFC some more. This kind of thing they dun anyhow give one, it's not like you can get one if you queue overnight for it.
Orchard Shopping Centre, Paragon, Wisma Atria, these shopping centres had mid-life facelifts, sheet man, if these damn things could be given facelifts, why the hell was the National Library at Stamford demolished? Has anyone seen the monstrosity that is coming up between Bras Basah Complex and Bugis Junction? I don't care if it's internet ready, packed to the gills with fancy crap and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, it's ugly, period.
The new National Library
The old National Library
This country of ours is 40 years old this year, that's about as old as EJ when you compare it with others, yet our economy is matured and counted among the First World. We've come so far in terms of material wealth yet we're still learning how to crawl when it comes to having a national identity.
The destruction of heritage buildings doesn't help us one bit, all around us the skyline keeps change every year. How does one stay rooted in a country that changes every year? Can you remember what the neighbourhood you grew up in looked like when you were a kid? 5, 10, 15, 20 years back? Things change so rapidly that there is no such thing as a familiar sight in Singapore anymore. I don't get that sense of revisiting a familiar old friend when I go back to my old neighbourhood, my primary school still exists but the building it occupies doesn't look anything like the old one, ditto for my secondary school. I'm lucky, some schools don't exist anywhere but in memories now.
Space is limited, that I can accept but there must be a way where the old can integrate with the new. Fewer friggin golf courses would be nice start, the ratio of land used vs number of users is atrocious, but then again, money talks pretty loudly here. Hawker centres become food courts, SERS. Heck, even Parliament House is brand new. The Supreme Courtnext change. How to anchor oneself when everything around you disappears after awhile?
There must be physical remainders like red-brick buildings and statues of Wing Commander Tan (somewhere on the grounds of SAFTI MI perhaps?) to remind us of where we come from, roots do not simply appear overnight, they have to have something to latch onto. The increasing globalization of the world we live in makes for very mobile citizens of the world. All cities tend to look alike if you live in them long enough. What incentive is there for Singaporeans to call Singapore home if we can't even recognise it?
Oh and in case you're reading this. Happy Birthday once again, words can't describe the place you have in my heart.
Friday, 29 April 2005
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?
**********************************************************
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.
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?
**********************************************************
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
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
Thursday, 28 April 2005
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"
• 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"
Monday, 18 April 2005
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 fartcasino 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 wholecasino 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
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
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
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
Saturday, 16 April 2005
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.
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.
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