Saving Gaia & NDP...

saw on the news last night that the winners of the Saving Gaia competition won for themselves an air-conditioner and a fridge, among other things...
should not they be given more Gaia-friendly items such as one year supply or organic bread, brown rice, etc??

applied for the NDP tickets...
was not successful...
second year in a row...
will try again next year...

Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009...

woke up in the morning to the terrible news that Michael Jackson has died...
due to a cardiac arrest or heart attack...
was hoping for his comeback some time soon...
as he was to start his UK tour this year...
a tour that was sold out within hours...

fell in love with Thriller when it came out back in the 80s...
and then continued to follow his music...
my all-time favourite album of his has to be Bad...
a string of number 1 hits from there...

then came all the legal tussle he was charged with...
but they did not change the fact that MJ is a legend...
he will always be the King of Pop...

Next...

assuming today is Wednesday...
what does next Monday mean to you??
the coming Monday or the Monday after that??
i would think it is the latter...
to avoid confusion, please include the date...

Where Is Safer??

now that community spread of the H1N1 has started in Singapore...
is it safer overseas or in Singapore??
i think it would be equally safe (or unsafe)...
depending on whether you like your glass to be half full or half empty...
so it is time to plan my holidays...

Holes...

realised that there are holes in my socks...
time for some retail therapy...
maybe take MC on Friday to go shopping...

0524...

24 May...
was about to give up this number after one month...
luckily kept it...
starter prize of S$250 in the bag...
just in time for Father's Day dinner @ Parkroyal Kitchener Road...
lolz...

Father’s Day...

did not plan for any Father’s Day dinner this year...
cos the kids are sponsoring my parents’ Malacca trip next week...
but last minute mum called in the morning to say we are heading to Parkroyal at Kitchener Road for dinner...
price went up by $5 compared to other days...
but a lot more food, including oysters, wan ton mee and many others...
UOB had a 20% discount promotion...
value-for-money...

Rochester Park...

celebrated Ming’s birthday at North Border, 2 Rochester Park...
been a while since i last went to Rochester Park...
it was much quieter now...
on a Saturday night...
wonder how they survive...

so far i have been to 4 of the 8 restaurants there...
maybe it is time to complete them all before they are gone...
*evil grin*

Foreign Talents...

another 2 H1N1 cases...
both foreigners: one German and one Indonesian...
German is a researcher who had flu symptoms when he was in the US...
went on his daily activities for close to a week before being diagnosed...
even attended a concert on 14 June...
wonder what concert was that...

the Indonesian went shopping before going to TTSH emergency department...

how can anyone be so irresponsible??
especially when they are adults who should know what is best for them and for the people around them...
so much for foreign talents...
talents in spreading virus in Singapore...
KNNBCCB...

----------------------------------------

excerpt from Channelnewsasia:

The Ministry noted that unlike the earlier imported cases, a number of recent cases had engaged in extensive community activities such as working, shopping and participating in mass activities since their arrival in Singapore.

Some even travelled here, even though they were unwell prior to departure.

The 48th case is a 56-year-old German man who works in Singapore as a researcher at the Biopolis. He had gone to Philadelphia, USA on May 28 to attend a conference. He developed symptoms on June 4 while he was there. He returned from Philadelphia on SQ15 via Seoul on June 8. He came in contact with several people before he was quarantined a week later.

He was seated at row 52. He was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as he did not have a fever then. He took a taxi home from the airport, and stayed at home for the rest of the day.

He went to work from June 9 to 12. On the evening of June 11, he went to a function at the French Ambassador's Residence attended by about 70 persons. On June 13, he went to a shopping mall and had social activities at Clarke Quay. On June 14, he attended a concert and did more shopping. On June 15, he did not go to work in the morning and called a 993 ambulance to send him to CDC2 around noon time. Laboratory results confirmed his infection at 2140 hours on June 15.

The 49th case is a 26-year-old Indonesian man who works in Singapore.

He returned from Melbourne on SQ228 on June 14.

He was seated at row 61, and was on the same flight as the 43rd, 44th and 45th cases who were seated at row 43. He was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as he did not have a fever then.

He and his friend took a taxi home from the airport. On the morning of June 15, he sought medical attention at a GP clinic, and was given two days of medical leave.

Before he took a taxi to TTSH ED, he did some shopping first. Laboratory results confirmed his infection at 2140 hours on June 15.

Graciousness & Social Responsibility...

there has been a lot of discussion lately on being gracious and socially responsible in Singapore...
from “Reserved Seats” on the MRTs to using tissue paper to “chope seats” to standing on your left on escalators to H1N1...
we can argue until the cows (or pigs in the case of H1N1) come home without a solution...
but all we can do is to start with ourselves to make that change...
do we blame the person standing on the right for blocking our paths or should we blame the one directly behind the person for not educating the person in front??

the problem with Singaporeans, in my opinion, is that we do not speak up when we are faced with an issue...
instead we will let it pass and then complain like nobody’s business about the issue...
but complaining does not solve the problem, does it??

if we really need the seats on the MRT, is it so difficult to ask the person sitting on the “Reserved Seating” to give up the seats to us??
but instead, we expect everyone around us to give in to us...
of course there is also the embarrassment when the recipient does not accept your kindness...
and then what do we do?? plonk our asses back on the seats?? or “ungraciously” walk away??

with the recent increased in H1N1 cases in Singapore, many of which were imported from countries like the US and Australia...
people are still travelling to these places for their holidays...
they do not stop to think for a moment about the health and safety of their families...
maybe we should blame the Government for this...
on the one hand, advisories were issued for travelling to these countries...
on the other hand, the Government is asking us to go on with our lives...
so being typical Singaporeans who listen to the Government all, if not most, of the time...
we continued with our travelling...
hoping and praying that we will not be the unfortunate ones to return with the virus...
the “it will not happen to me” mentality could prove to be fatal...
the worst is when one returns from an infected country, they pretended nothing has happened and continued with their lives...
not knowing that the virus is developing inside them...
risking the health of others whom they come into contact with...
where is the social responsibility in us??

just like in any situation, it takes two hands to clap...
the giver and the taker have to do play their roles...
and maybe the Government should take the lead too...
but i still believe each and everyone of us has to play our part...
to be the giver at times... and the taker at other times...

What’s Going On??

decided to take a break from facebook...
not posted anything, except for a Note about my ex-student’s visit recently...
maybe i need some privacy... some time to myself...

so what has happened over the last two months??
an excellent two months, i must say...
life has been wonderful... and colourful...

from the surprisingly lacklustre musical Cats to If There’re Seasons (天冷就回来) to 4 Arts Festival events (one fusion concert of jazz and classical music and 3 theatre plays)...
from Star Trek to Angels & Demons to Terminator Salvation...
3 summer blockbuster movies within a month...
looking forward to Transformers and Up...

attended the opening ceremony of the Arts Festival at the Marina Barrage...
my first time there...
quite a nice place to sit around, enjoy the breeze and soak in the sun...

celebrated Pat’s birthday at Charcoal (the Shatec-run restaurant at The Treasury)...
as well as Shaun & Thyetus’ birthdays at Paulaner Brauhaus...
met up with friends for lunches and dinners...
from Manpuku Tampines 1 to Boat Quay’s Big Bowl Porridge (大碗粥) to Old Airport Road...
put on a few kilos along the way...

completed the team event at the Sundown Marathon...
it was a challenge running in the evening...
more so after a drizzle when the air is humid...
managed a less than satisfactory 70 minutes for the 10.5km run...
gotta start running again very soon...
or the upcoming 21km Singapore Bay Run in August will be another terrible 3-hour event...

was thrilled that my ex-student, Wei Jung, still remembered to contact me when he was in Singapore for his summer holiday...
glad that he is surviving in Chicago... even more glad that he is planning on moving to California!!
we had lunch at Swensen’s Bugis Junction...
he gave me a limited edition 2008 Beijing Olympics memorabilia...
had a great catch-up session with him...

decided recently to quit social smoking...
time to spend time with myself...
and time to take care of my health...
although i have been very healthy in the past year...
since i left my previous employment...
concluded that my health problems back then was stress-induced...
now less job responsibilities in this new company...
and my health is superb...

July and August will be very arty farty...
have booked tickets to the following:
• Agapella’s 8th birthday concert
• Theatre Practice’s 4.48 Psychosis
• Wild Rice’s Own Time Own Target (missed it last year)
• Mus’Art Wind Orchestra’s Decade
• The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
• Dream Academy’s Sing Dollar: The Musical Comedy About Money

have also advance booked tickets to November’s Victor / Victoria, starring Laura Fygi...
my ticket is Kerry’s birthday gift to me...
cos the show will be 2 days before my 37th birthday...

planning on attending The Kangxi Emperor: Treasures from the Forbidden City exhibition at the Asian Civilisation Museum next week just before it ends its run...
will also be visiting the Da Vinci The Genius (www.davincithegenius.com) exhibition at the Singapore Science Centre in July...
there will also be the Singapore River Festival (www.singaporeriverfestival.com) over the next two weeks...

anybody dares to look me in the face and say that Singapore is boring??
lolz...

Run Baby Run...

left office at 5:45pm cos my boss was on leave...
decided to go for a run...
my first in months...
took a different route this time...
and was lost in the concrete jungles of Hougang, Buangkok and nearly Sengkang...
stopped to ask for directions...
got more lost after that...
ran for 33 minutes in total...
covered around 4.5km...

all this because i am taking part in the J.P. Morgan run this Thursday...
at least get those legs going...
lolz...

Goodbye, Brian...

received an email from John, my ex-NTU classmate whom i met for dinner on April Fool’s Day...
informing me that Brian, our common ex-NTU classmate, has passed away this morning...
Brian was involved in a car accident in China on Friday 13...
while he was there for business...
and has been in a coma since then...
John did not break this news to me over dinner the other day...
thinking and praying that Brian will survive and wake up some day...
the Lord has other plans for Brian, afterall...
may he rest in peace...

Busy Saturday...

woke up at 8:30am...
washed up and headed to Bedok for breakfast...
my favourite mee siam, lontong and mee soto...

Expo was next...
for the Courts Megatech fair...
was tempted to buy the portable 320G hard disk and the DVD writer for my AspireOne...
eventually decided to pass and wait for the next IT Fair...
then we were off to the Times book warehouse sale...
only bought 4 books cos it was really touch searching for books in such a huge place...
finally we went to the John Little sale...
Sonny bought Oral B toothbrushes...

we next drove to Tampines One, the newly opened shopping mall...
the queue outside Uniqlo was horrendous...
gave it a miss and had lunch at Tampines Mall instead...
drove back home and it started to pour...

picked Shaun up for dinner at Chomp Chomp...
luckily we were early and could find a parking lot...
three of us had mutton soup, carrot cake, rojak and tau pok, BBQ stingray, chicken wings, fried kway teow and fried Hokkien prawn mee...
and we each had a super sized sugar cane...

received the 4D results via SMS...
struck Starter prize...
6272 – S$250 in the pockets...

Good Friday Qing Ming...

my family chose today for our annual Qing Ming pilgrimage...
an annual family affair for my uncles, aunties and cousins...
24 of us turned up for the event...
not our full force but big enough to warrant the rental of a bus...

miraculously, the rain behaved itself during our 6-hour pilgrimage...
the weather was super hot at our first stop, Lim Chu Kang cemetery...
then as we hit Kopi Hill, dark clouds were looming...
it poured just when we were all on the bus heading to our last stop, Tze Toh Ann...
the sun came out while we were doing our prayers...
and it rained on our way home...
must be our ancestors blessing us with the good fortunes...

may we continue to receive good blessings from our ancestors...
in terms of peace, harmony, good health and wealth...

Bonifacio...

there was an article on restaurants opened by celebrities on last week’s Sunday Times...
Bonifacio was also featured because one of the bosses was Picasso Tan, an ex-Wushu champion...
Sonny was the one who designed the entire restaurant for them cos the other partner was his friend...
Jason decided that we should visit the place for dinner...
and so we went...
we were not impressed by the food...
maybe they were of an acquired Filipino taste that we were not used to...
but the San Miguel Light beer was very nice...
after the fish was FOC with an additional 20% discount, the final bill came up to S$140...
we all agreed that we shall not return...

The Importance Of Being Earnest...

met up with Eugene for dinner before the play...
walked from Bugis to the newly-opened Iluma...
the incredibly ugly bacteria-looking building across the road...
realised that it was not fully operational...
walked to Beach Road for ayam penyet instead...

bought tickets to the show without knowing what it was all about...
and it was a pleasant surprise after all...
the story was funny and hilarious...
the actors were good, especially Ivan Heng...
and T’ang Quartet was flawless in delivering the music for the show...

the play created quite a lot of controversy...
when Wild Rice decided to cast an all male ensemble...
the female roles were played by males dressed in suits...
the sheer thought of it already brings grins to our faces...

Elder Brother’s Birthday...

today is my elder brother’s birthday...
he is 39 this year...
hitting the big four O soon...
dinner was at M Hotel’s steamboat buffet...
it has been years since we last came...
and coincidentally, we were given the same seating area as the last time...
i had a total of four bowls of durian puree...
simply irresistible...

Happy Birthday, brother Bobby...

April Fool’s Dinner With Ex-NTU Classmate...

today is April Fool’s Day...
had dinner with an ex-NTU class of ‘96 classmate...
we had lost touch for years...
we met each other at Marina Square’s MOF restaurant last Saturday before watching Kumar...
and decided to meet up for dinner...
it was good to catch up with old friends...
filling each other up with our latest...
good to hear that John has been attached with his boyfriend for the last 8 years...
further strengthens my belief that gay relationships do last...

John commented that i have changed...
mellowed down a lot and all for the better...
different from the Dave he used to know during our Uni days...
i smiled when i heard that...
i could not agree more...

we promised each other to stay in touch...
and to meet up often in the future...

Daddy’s Birthday...

dinner was at the usual Parkroyal Hotel in Beach Road...
my family’s favourite buffet venue...
fresh sashimi and oysters...
pratas of different flavours such as durian, banana, chocolate and sardines...
drunken prawns...
cockle-full laksa...
and the coffee machine that produces fragrant espresso and cappuccino...

dad is turning 59 tomorrow...
and his age does show in his everyday life...
from walking to talking to sleeping...
i would seriously want to spend more time with him from now on...
something that i have been talking about over the last couple of years...
must remind myself to make it a point to do it...
life is too unpredictable nowadays...

Happy Birthday, daddy...

Kenneth’s Birthday...

the original Ugly Dolls (Wage, Tray & Babo) met up for tea at the Island Café in Tangs...
our first trip there...
the food was quite tasty...

it was a gathering to sort of celebrate Kenneth’s birthday...
a good catching up session on the latest happenings in our lives...

JJ Lin Concert...

bought our tickets months ago under the Keppel Nights Subsidy Scheme...
paid $57 for the $108 tickets (50% off)...
very cheap... and if not for the discount, we would not have watched a wonderful concert...

JJ’s vocals were surprisingly good and powerful...
although there are times when his voice was drowned by the even louder music...
there were many songs from his latest album which i have not bought or listened to...
and there were also many hits from his earlier albums which i was more familiar with...

he did a segment of personifying other singers...
in particular Jacky Cheung and Michael Jackson...
i thought he should have sung “Heal The World” instead of “You Are Not Alone” and “Beat It” since it was Earth Hour Day...
when the concert started, the stadium observed a minute without the lights and appliances...
only the screaming from the fans... lolz...

the most touching part of the concert was when his family surprised him by joining him on stage to perform...
dad played the erhu, mum played the pipa and brother played the piano...
at one point, JJ was unable to continue singing and his dad took over...
what a musically-gifted family they were...

the show ended around 11:30pm...
a solid 3 hours worth...

Busy Like A Bee...

thank you very much to all those who have expressed concerns about my well-being...
i am doing ok...
still alive and kicking...

just did not have the inspiration and time to blog in the past one month...
been busy in the office...
partly due to the KL business trip...
we have a new Regional IA Head based in HK...
changes to current procedures...
which are necessary changes, if you ask me...

here are some of the highlights that have happened...

a 31 year-old Singapore Madonna fan and fellow blogger has suddenly passed on a couple of weeks back...
missed the obituary page cos i was in KL then...
we never had the opportunity to meet up...
despite numerous past occasions when we were in Zouk at the same time...
a lot of speculations on what happened...
some said it was an accident...
others said it was suicide...
whatever it is, my dear fellow Madonna fan, rest in peace...

celebrated Sonny’s 47th birthday...
he cooked for a party of 8 on a Saturday evening...
good food, good wine, good choya and above all, good company...
but marred by a visit by the police after his neighbour complained about the dragging of chairs...
nevertheless, wishing Sonny the best of health and may his wishes come true...

went to watch Kumar at the Esplanade...
glad to see the mixed crowd...
gays, straights, young, old, couples, singles...
Kumar is indeed the drag Queen of Singapore...

been watching a lot of movies on my iTouch...
from The Reader to Quantum of Solace...
from The Wrestler to Eagle Eye...
from Gran Torino to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...
from Burn After Reading to Frost / Nixon...
my personal favourites were Frost / Nixon and Gran Torino...
The Wrestler is very touching too...
Burn After Reading was confusing and vulgar...
still wondering why Kate Winslet won Best Actress for The Reader...

have i told you that i put on close to 3kg lately...
due to lack of exercise...
and reduction in my Herbalife intake...
gotta get back in shape...
for the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge run in April (5.6km)...
and the Sundown Marathon team event (10km)...

bought tickets to 4 events of Singapore Arts Festival
3 theatres and 1 music...
ticket prices have gone down across the board...
and i also took up the early bird discount of 30% off for 4 shows...
very good deals...

am watching JJ Lin’s concert this Saturday...
followed by The Importance of Being Earnest the week after...
Cats in April too...

decided to give the Singapore International Film Festival a miss this year...
mainly due to my upcoming KL trip in April which we have not firmed up the dates...
partly due to the venues with limited seating capacities cos Prince & Lido were no more...

that’s all the updates for now...
will try to blog more regularly...

Oscars 2009...

it is the time of the year when the best in the motion picture industry are honoured...
the Oscars will be handed out on Monday morning Singapore time...
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire leads the pack with 13 and 10 nominations respectively...
will it be a year of surprises where the most-nominated movie is sidelined...

Slumdog has won nearly every major award there is...
including the BAFTA and Golden Globes...
so the prediction is for it to continue its run into the Oscars...
Best Picture and Best Director it shall collect...

as for Benjamin Button, it will be the biggest winner in terms of the other technical categories...

for the acting categories...
my heart goes out to Meryl Streep although i think it is time that Kate Winslet pick up her first Oscar...
Sean Penn failed to impress me with his portrayal of Harvey Milk...
so my bet is going to Mickey Rourke for his performance in The Wrestler...

Best Supporting Actress is a tie between Viola Davis in Doubt and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona...
personally i have not seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona...
but judging from the support she has garnered so far...
it seems that the award is hers for certain...

interestingly, Wall-E and The Dark Knight received quite a considerable amount of nominations...
Wall-E is in for Best Animated Feature Film, Original Song, Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Original Screenplay...
while The Dark Knight was nominated in nearly every technical category...
for Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects...
my prediction is for Wall-E to win Best Animated Feature and Best Song...
while The Dark Knight is set to pick up Best Supporting Actor for the late Heath Ledger...

Facebook “Chain Mail”...

never expected the phenomenon to hit Facebook, but it did...
i was too lazy to spend time going through the 25 things about myself and the 16 one-word answers beginning with my initial “D”...
the incident prompted two (out of three) articles on the Sunday Times’ Lifestyle section...
unbelievable...

Glenn Ong – Jamie Yeo...

so the news was broadcast on the air on the fateful Friday the 13th...
and it was not a prank from the ever-playful Glenn Ong...
five years after the fairy tale marriage...
another confirmation that nothing lasts forever...
enjoy the process... the time spent together...
but the outcome was the same...

saw a badge on a girl’s school bag on the bus on Valentine’s Day...
it read “Eat Healthy, Keep Fit, Die Anyway”
it could not be more true...
be contented with what we have...
and believe that we are all here for a reason / purpose...

CARPE DIEM...

First GST Credits Payout On Mar 1...

more money to spend...
or probably save up for rainy days...

----------
From Asiaone:

Singaporeans will receive double the amount of GST credits and bonuses this year.

In order to help households cope with their needs in the downturn, the Singapore government announced in the recent Budget that Singaporeans will receive double the amount of GST credits and bonuses for senior citizens, which will be paid out on March 1 this year.

Singaporeans who have signed up for their GST Credits in previous years will automatically receive theirs for 2009.

From Feb 13, a letter from the CPF Board will be sent to all who are eligible for the Credits, informing them of the total amount they will receive this year.

For those who have signed up for their GST Credits in 2007 or 2008, they are not required to sign up again to receive their 2009 payouts and will automatically receive the following:
- First payout of GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus: 1 Mar 2009.
- Second payout of GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus: 1 July 2009.

Those who did not sign up for their GST Credits in previous years or who only qualify for it recently, can sign up for the payouts from Feb 15 onwards at the GST offset website (www.gstoffset.gov.sg) or via hardcopy forms which are available at all Community Centres, Community Development Council offices and CPF Service Centres.

Payments will be made on the dates above for those who sign up before Feb 20. Otherwise, GST Credits can still be received as long as the deadline is not exceeded - the last day to sign up for GST Credits is Dec 31.

Singaporeans who wish to donate their payments can do so at the website from Feb 15.

The additional GST Credits and bonus will cost the government $580 million, which is on top of the amount which will be paid out again in July this year.

On top of the additional GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus, eligible Singaporean households will also receive other benefits this year, including U-Save, Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) and rental rebates, property tax and personal income tax rebates, Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), including the WIS Special Payment, and top-ups to Post Secondary Education Accounts (PSEA).

For more information regarding the GST payouts, visit www.gstoffset.gov.sg or www.mof.gov.sg or call 1800-2222-888.

Happy Valentine’s Day...

received the article from a friend this morning...
touched my heart totally after reading it...
very appropriate for a time when love is in the air...
got some free Meiji chocolates at Raffles Place just now...

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone who is reading this...
incidentally today is Friday 13th...

------------------------------
By Lee Wei Ling

In 2007, in an end-of-year message to the staff of the National Neuroscience Institute, I wrote: 'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time. Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.'

Slump time has arrived with a bang.

While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life. Decades of the good life have made us soft. The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Singapore, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities.

Mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order. A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.

The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.

The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption. Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse. I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to?

I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'

My family is not poor, but we have been brought up to be frugal. My parents and I live in the same house that my paternal grandparents and their children moved into after World War II in 1945. It is a big house by today's standards, but it is simple - in fact, almost to the point of being shabby.

Those who see it for the first time are astonished that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's home is so humble. But it is a comfortable house, a home we have got used to. Though it does look shabby compared to the new mansions on our street, we are not bothered by the comparison.

Most of the world and much of Singapore will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Singaporeans, especially those born after 1970 who have never lived through difficult times.

No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food. Nobody starves in Singapore. Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing $20,000 a bottle to $10,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy. Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously.

But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering. After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to?

Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.

When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?

We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice.

In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.

To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute.

Change Of 2009 Deepavali Date...

In a press statement on public holidays for 2009 released on 21 February 2008, the Ministry of Manpower announced that Deepavali would fall on 15 November 2009 (Sunday), subject to confirmation when the Indian Almanac becomes available.

The Deepavali date for 2009 has now been confirmed. The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) has advised that Deepavali will fall on 17 October 2009 (Saturday) instead of 15 November 2009 (Sunday). The variation in date was due to the rare occurrence of two “no moon” days (amavasai) between mid October and mid November 2009. The earlier tentative Deepavali date of 15 November 2009 was based on the second “no moon” day. The Almanac has now affirmed that Deepavali will fall on the day of the first "no moon" day on 17 October 2009.

Since Deepavali is no longer on 15 November 2009 (Sunday), 16 November 2009 (Monday) will not be a public holiday. Instead, 17 October 2009 will be gazetted as a public holiday.

Saturday Off...

the toilet cleaning auntie told me that she has to work full days on Saturdays as well...
i wonder why...
especially now that most companies are on five-day work weeks...
how dirty can the toilet be for half a Saturday??

元宵节...

today is the last day of the 15-day Lunar New Year period...
elder brother returned to Singapore from visiting his wife and kid in The Philippines...
mum prepared dinner with plenty of dishes...
also had 4 dumplings... sort of like a tradition...
let’s hope the world is a better place in the Year of the Ox...

Long Time No Blog...

time flies and February is here...
it’s been close to two weeks that i have not updated my blog since end-January...

busy with lou hei lunches and dinners with friends, ex-colleagues and family...
a total of 9 lou heis this year...
cannot remember if it is a personal record for me... lolz...

watched The Ghost Whisperer on TV...
started to get a little complicated now that Sam is back in another person’s body...

fell asleep while watching Australia on my notebook...
i would have to watch it during my journeys to and from work now...
saw Milk the previous week and was not too impressed by it...
Sean Penn was a little too stiff and reserved for me...

Friday night the results of the S$10 Million Hongbao ToTo draw were out...
we did not win... not even the S$20 prize...
life goes on then...

Saturday went for my facial at Bella Marina Square...
my first in 3 months...
was busy with birthday, Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year celebrations before that...
they let me try their new Vit C treatment...
and tried to sell the package to me...
told them times are bad and did not take up the offer...
tho Jason did comment that i looked radiant after the facial...

met the Dolls for dinner at Café Vic Carlton Hotel...
the place was deserted like a ghost town...
there were less than 8 tables of guests...
wonder why... was the recession that bad??

after dinner, had my first karaoke session in months...
Kerry & i cannot even remember the last time we met for karaoke...
supper at Coffee Club after that...
reached home around 3:30am...
totally drained out...

had a terrible day on Sunday after the late night...
age is indeed catching up...
it takes much longer to recuperate nowadays...
wanted to go for a long overdue run...
but laziness and tiredness took over me...
slept and rested in the afternoon...
had an early dinner and caught up with my reading and internet...

so many things, so little time...
Reader’s Digest, Time, novels, The Edge, Straits Times, Sunday Times, etc...
will have to set a schedule for them to make sure i finish every issue...

Four Lucky Spots To Buy ToTo Tickets...

got this from AsiaOne website:

--------------------

Singapore Pools will be holding its $10 million Toto Hongbao Draw 2009 on 6 February this year. The public can start purchasing tickets for the draw beginning 6.10pm tomorrow (29 January) evening.

Shin Min daily news consulted several feng shui experts for advice on the four lucky spots to purchase Toto tickets this festive season:

Lucky Spot 1 - Betting stations near wet markets

Feng shui expert Master Peng Zhong Hua said that places where animals are killed for food will be more auspicious this year. Since the wet market is where such activities usually take place, betting stations near wet markets will be especially lucky this year.

Lucky Spot 2 - Yishun

Another expert, Mr Tan Wei Liang, said that the Yishun area boasts very fertile soil and abundant marine life, which increases luck.

Lucky Spot 3 - Betting stations in the east

Several feng shui experts agreed that betting stations in the east and south-east will be especially lucky this year.

Some areas they mentioned were People's Park Complex, area near Clifford Pier, Woodlands, Sengkang, Punggol, Sembawang, Yishun, Wodlands, Marine Parade, Bishan and Toa Payoh.

Lucky Spot 4 - Betting stations next to places where metal artifacts are sold or repaired

Feng shui expert Master Peng said that items made of metal (such as consumer electronics or bicycles) will bring one luck this year. Thus, betting stations situated next to shops selling or offering repair services of such items will be especially lucky.

Youthfullness, I Have...

continued with my ang pao harvesting from my distant relatives...
visited my grandmother’s sister (and her family of four generations)...
as i was wearing a red t-shirt from KL, my distant cousin asked if i were still schooling...
and was shocked to find out that i am already 38 years old (by the lunar calendar standard)...
no matter what her intentions were, i took that as a compliment at my youthfulness...

also visited my father’s god-brother and his family...
his youngest son looked the same as last year...
mum was surprised to know that he is in Primary 6 this year...
cos he looks more like a Primary 3 kid...

went back to the chalet to catch some much-needed rest...
played mahjong until around 9+pm...
took my younger brother’s car home to rest...
while mum and dad continued with their mahjong...

despite being drained out by the two days... i had a good time...
it is back to the office tomorrow...
despite the forecast that it is an average day for those born in the year of the Mouse to start work...

Huat Ah...

this year, our family rented a chalet at Changi Aloha to celebrate the new year...
so that we do not have to spend days after days at each other’s houses...
a good idea, no doubt, but poorly executed...
cos the place was empty at night since most of us still preferred our own beds...
despite having 5 bedrooms equipped with attached bathrooms...
a swimming pool and the beach... also the barbecue pit...
maybe next year i should use my experience in event-organising for the Ugly Dolls to plan everything... lolz...
no matter what, kudos to my 4th uncle and his family for the effort...

lost S$52 in mahjong...
but struck ToTo with 4 numbers: 3, 14, 41 & 44...
won S$90 cos my winning ticket was a System 7...
a good start to the new Year of the Ox (or Cow or Bull)...
发 ah!!

Lunar New Year’s Eve...

had our steamboat reunion dinner in the evening...
and continued with the Australian Open after that...
while waiting to leave for Chinatown to meet Jason and Camiel...

the objective to visit Chinatown was to soak up the “人气” for the new year...
Chinatown was not as packed as it used to be...
we were still able to check out the stalls...
after receiving enough “人气”, we proceeded to Marina Bay for the River Hongbao...
we stopped for beer at Harry’s Bar in The Esplanade...
by the time we finished our beer, the River Hongbao was closed for the day... lolz...

i have no idea how our conversations were on quite heavy topics for a Lunar New Year eve...
from double standards of how Caucasians are treated more fairly in the service industry to how Singaporeans tend to stay with their families and losing their freedom (when compared to the Caucasians)...
with our cultural, political and social differences, such comparisons are inevitably unfair...
but we each have our own values and as long as we do not impose our own standards on others, we will be fine...