I believe the public outcry of news of the upcoming GST hike must have reach the government's ears. Now they are doing damage limitations by giving all types of idiotic excuses. Latest one being the promise by Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam that government fee will not increases after the proposed GST hike for one year. My first response is what a nice thing to say, but if the Minister have a poor memory, let me remind him that government fees have been raised long before the GST hike news came out. Of course he can say this. Secondly, read the phrase carefully. He says G..O..V..E..R..N..M..E..N..T fees. The key word here is government. So it does not apply to private companies. So if you suddenly find that your chicken rice cost more or the amount of chicken meat is lesser, you'll know why.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Code Breaker
Lesson learnt today. Never ever forget your combination lock number. Taking out my luggage from the storeroom and I realise that I have forgotten the combination lock number. I ended up running through all the possible combinations starting from 000. Turns out the code is 911. Took me almost 1 hour to get there and I even have to stop at 500 to give my poor fingers a break. :( Should have started at the other end. On a brighter side, at least it is not a 4 digits combination lock. :p
Not More Free Internet
Ever since the arrest of the teen who illegally tap into his neighbour's wireless broadband network, a number of my friends have been calling me asking me the price of broadband service. I never approve my friends of commiting such acts. Yes, it is the owner's fault/stupidity for not securing his wireless network (typical Singaporean excuse), but the owner is the one paying for the network not you. What rights do you have to use what people paid for without asking their permission? Surfing internet and charging your phones/MP3 players in office is still ok cause your company is loaded ;) But HELLO! We are talking about your neighbours here, people you know and staying just next door to you. Folks who paid for the broadband with their hardearned money. It is soooo morally wrong.
Well I am glad the incident educated a lot of wireless network owners and lock up their networks. Hence no more free broadband, people are starting to suffer from broadband withdrawal. They LPPL have to sign up for broadband subscriptions. Coupled with the SITEX 2006 happening this week, I see a lot of new sign up accounts for the next few weeks.
P.S. A conspiracy theory from me, I think the teen is used as a scapegoat. The plan is to educated existing owners to lock their network and scared the illegal users to subscribe their own network access.
Well I am glad the incident educated a lot of wireless network owners and lock up their networks. Hence no more free broadband, people are starting to suffer from broadband withdrawal. They LPPL have to sign up for broadband subscriptions. Coupled with the SITEX 2006 happening this week, I see a lot of new sign up accounts for the next few weeks.
P.S. A conspiracy theory from me, I think the teen is used as a scapegoat. The plan is to educated existing owners to lock their network and scared the illegal users to subscribe their own network access.
Just Follow Law
Finally a movie to take a whack on our inefficient civil services. Taken from A Nutshell Review, this is one movie I will watch out for next year. I like the part where Gurmit Singh complains the need to apply for a permit in everything we do. Very true...
P.S. Frankly, I dun think our civil service will be any better after this movie is out.
P.S. Frankly, I dun think our civil service will be any better after this movie is out.
Friday, November 24, 2006
ByeBye Moto!
The title is a funny take on the Motorola slogan - HelloMoto!. Well today is my last day at Motorola. I will definitely miss my friends over there. It is never easy to leave familiar surroundings and the people you knew so well and start everything all over again elsewhere. I feel really blissed to know this bunch of friends, and I am really shock at the number of colleagues that attended my farewell teabreak yesterday. I do hope we will continue to be good friends and maybe one day work together again. You never know...
Thursday, November 16, 2006
More Stupid Reasonings For GST Hike
An update on the upcoming GST hike. Our Minister, Teo Chee Hean, pointing that the upcoming GST hike will not affect us as quote "the expected wages for middle and upper-income groups should offset the two-percentage-point increase." Ha! What a big joke. When did our wage increases? I think he meant HIS wages is increasing...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Kiwi
This is a heart warming but tragic video. Although it is just a 3D animation, it really warms my heart. A show of the sacriface one will take to achieve a dream.
p.s. For those who can't understand the video: Kiwis can't fly. By nailing the tree to the cliff and jumping off it, it fulfills its dream of flying even though it will cost its life (signal by the "thud" sound at the end of the video)
p.s. For those who can't understand the video: Kiwis can't fly. By nailing the tree to the cliff and jumping off it, it fulfills its dream of flying even though it will cost its life (signal by the "thud" sound at the end of the video)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Cute Dogs on YouTube
This is how I sound when my wife tries to wake me up on a weekends ^_^
This cute little baby is having a dream
This cute little baby is having a dream
Monday, November 13, 2006
The Final Nail
So finally, the government decides to hammer in the last coffin nail. After raising the price on the ERPs, utilities bills, public transport service, it is obvious the last thing left is the the Good, Service Tax (GST) raising it from 5% to 7%. And what a joke of an excuse the Prime Minister made when he announce the plans to raise the GST in the upcoming February budget review. As usual the government paints another nice picture in an attempt to con us into believing how important the raise is for "our survival". Well, we are tired of all the same old excuse. Why every solution to a problem is to raise the cost? Dun they have anything new? When we complain, the government says we only know how to complain without providing solutions (then I want the government for fark?!). And when we provide solutions, they criticize that our solutions is not viable or naive. Like that they win lor... Forums now are speculating that the GST will push up to 9% or even 10% in the upcoming years. Started with 3%, then 5% and now 7%, thus it is natural the next increment will be 9% mah. Odd Numbers 3, 5, 7, 9!
This is what I have to say on the news report.
Safety nets? Where? If it is there, the poor chap won't have jump onto the tracks of the MRT train. Even if it's there, do you know there is so much requirements to meet that the net is as good as not tied above ground but laid there on the floor. SMACK!
Ya right. Building resources for them or for the people? As if the medical fees will be cheaper for the poor when the GST goes up. Tilt the playing field? The only way to tilt the field is to reduce the damn MPs salaries. Wasting money on useless pricks like a certain Wee.
Can somebody explain to me how does raise the tax benefits the lower income group? For the rich, all they have to do is eat fewer abalones and buy one less LV bag but for the poor, we dun have any luxuries to save on and bloody hell we are getting charged more for our basic needs! Playing around with numbers again. I say it is a 40% increment, 2% increase over 5% equals to 0.4. Yes sir, you have my support... Plus my 2 middle fingers.
Increase because economy is doing well?!! Then how come our CPF cut is still not restore since economy is doing well?!! How come price is not decrease when economy is NOT doing well? *sigh* Whether economy is doing well or dying, price and tax will still increase in this damn country!
All in all, GST can be benefical to the lower income family but only provided other taxes are reduced as stated in here. But I think the way our government is implementing is very wrong. So much for a world class government.
This is what I have to say on the news report.
Mr Lee explained that the hike was necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group...
Safety nets? Where? If it is there, the poor chap won't have jump onto the tracks of the MRT train. Even if it's there, do you know there is so much requirements to meet that the net is as good as not tied above ground but laid there on the floor. SMACK!
...as medical technology improves, people age and more will go to hospitals to get more treatment, so spending is bound to go up. As we tilt the playing field across the board, the lower income will be getting another boost, not just once in a while. Therefore its better to start building resources now so that when we spend more, we have the means to do so," said Mr Lee.
Ya right. Building resources for them or for the people? As if the medical fees will be cheaper for the poor when the GST goes up. Tilt the playing field? The only way to tilt the field is to reduce the damn MPs salaries. Wasting money on useless pricks like a certain Wee.
It is a whole set of measures which we are taking in order to tilt the playing field in favor of the lower income group, which is what we have to add and tally in the balance, and my purpose is to help the lower income group. For the middle income, it will be generally about ok; for the higher income, I think the higher income should end up paying more overall. ...but I have to make the adjustments of 2% which I think is fair and I think Singaporeans will support," added Mr Lee.
Can somebody explain to me how does raise the tax benefits the lower income group? For the rich, all they have to do is eat fewer abalones and buy one less LV bag but for the poor, we dun have any luxuries to save on and bloody hell we are getting charged more for our basic needs! Playing around with numbers again. I say it is a 40% increment, 2% increase over 5% equals to 0.4. Yes sir, you have my support... Plus my 2 middle fingers.
He explained that it is better to do the increase now when the economy is doing well, rather than wait till later.
Increase because economy is doing well?!! Then how come our CPF cut is still not restore since economy is doing well?!! How come price is not decrease when economy is NOT doing well? *sigh* Whether economy is doing well or dying, price and tax will still increase in this damn country!
All in all, GST can be benefical to the lower income family but only provided other taxes are reduced as stated in here. But I think the way our government is implementing is very wrong. So much for a world class government.
Many critics have argued that the GST is similar to a regressive tax, which has a more pronounced effect on lower income earners, meaning that the tax consumes a higher proportion of their income, compared to those earning large incomes. However, these claims are somewhat mitigated due to the corresponding reductions in personal income taxes, state stamp duties, federal wholesales tax and some fuel taxes that were implemented when the GST was introduced. Thus, according to the Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, people were effectively paying no extra tax
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Goat Farm
Today we went to visit the Hay Dairies Goat Farm with my family after paying our respect to my Mum. It's a what I call a little family outing since I rented the car for the day. The place is quite deep inside Lim Chu Kang but we managed to find it thanks to my navigator, Angie, and the clear directions from the road signs.
The place quite crowded where people comes in to buy goat milk, which is said to be good for the skin ;) as well as families bringing their kids here for a family trip. Why not? The dragon fruit farm is just next door some more.
Grass are sold to allow visitors to feed the goats. My wife, whose been here for her school's expedition, told me there are more than 1000 goats here.
For all the goats being kept here, the place hardly have any smell. Kudos to the farm owners for keeping the place clean and odourless :D. In conclusion, it was a very nice outing. Only regret it was very short as my Dad wants to rush off for his weekly Sunday mahjong session. Spoilt-sport....
The place quite crowded where people comes in to buy goat milk, which is said to be good for the skin ;) as well as families bringing their kids here for a family trip. Why not? The dragon fruit farm is just next door some more.
Grass are sold to allow visitors to feed the goats. My wife, whose been here for her school's expedition, told me there are more than 1000 goats here.
For all the goats being kept here, the place hardly have any smell. Kudos to the farm owners for keeping the place clean and odourless :D. In conclusion, it was a very nice outing. Only regret it was very short as my Dad wants to rush off for his weekly Sunday mahjong session. Spoilt-sport....People Watching
Saw this funny scene at the market at my place in Jurong. Now who says only human likes to people watch?
Friday, November 10, 2006
The Truth About Slimming Ads
Insanepoly did a post to reveal reveals how slimming centre may be doing their ads. For all my female friends out there, this may be the reason why Olinda looks so slim in the ad
Is photoshop her secret to slimming?Thursday, November 09, 2006
My Links Update
Update the website listed in My Links as I notice some of the sites have become stagnant or I have seldom visit them liao.
1. Updated Moongster's blog to the new one
2. Shifted Talk Rocks blog to bottom of list since he seems to stop talking :p
3. Shifted Michael's homepage since it is still remain unchanged all these while. Sorry Michael :p
4. Added Insanepoly and Simple is the Reason of My Heart as well as Mr Brown Show in the list.
5. Added a blog about local food plus another blog showcasting rude/incosiderate Singaporeans. *sigh*
1. Updated Moongster's blog to the new one
2. Shifted Talk Rocks blog to bottom of list since he seems to stop talking :p
3. Shifted Michael's homepage since it is still remain unchanged all these while. Sorry Michael :p
4. Added Insanepoly and Simple is the Reason of My Heart as well as Mr Brown Show in the list.
5. Added a blog about local food plus another blog showcasting rude/incosiderate Singaporeans. *sigh*
My Take On The Wee Shu-Min Affair
I haven't been posting any blogs lately as i am busy with both work and personal matters. Finally some time to post this.
I guess by now everybody is have heard about the big hoo-hah from the comments made by Wee Shu-Min (she closed her blog, full article of her reply can be found here) to Derek Wee's blog post. I am not gonna comment on this. I leave that the all the piss off bloggers out there. What I want to say is from this incident, we can see that the gap between the rich and the rest of Singapore are widening. So much so that the self-proclaimed "elites" are starting to look down on ordinary folks like us. To the extend of 狗眼看人低. The problem is caused by a society that drums the thought that only results and performance matters. Every time we scored a first or No.1 on the world scene, our news media will boast about it, while censoring any negative domestic reports or news that may embarrass the Singapore's image. How come I never see reports of our media's world ranking? BTW, It's 147th out of 167 countries if you dun happen to know, just slightly better than Iraq and Libya. Hence, people become proud and develop the paper chase attitude. We become self-centered and start to reject those that could not meet the standards. You may see it cause you have close one eye to it. When taking lifts, people can walk into the lift, press the button of floor they want and proceed to the back of the lift without thinking of holding the door for those behind. Even if they do, how many times have you heard them ask the floor you're going? I bet our fast food restaurants are the only ones which employ cleaners to clear the tables. In countries like America, Taiwan and Korea, customers clear their tables once they are done. The worst of the lot is a scene my wife spotted. In a pharmacy, someone accidentally toppled some items onto the floor. Rather than picking it up, the person just walk away. The best part is other shoppers will detour or route around the items rather than pick them up. WTF! Their thought is why they should pick them up when they are not the ones who created the mess in the first place. This is the job of the sales assistants. Is this the attitude we want to teach our next generation? I won't expect much change from our government. After all, they are the one who started all this.
So people like Wee Shu Min may one day become a minister due to their qualification. By hanging on the coat tails of a high-level minister in a GRC, just like her dad did. For those who are interested, the entire Wee Shu-Min Affair can be found here. This incident has cause so much rumble in the local internet scene, that someone has started a comic strip for our Miss Elite
And I find the article written here to be very true.
I guess by now everybody is have heard about the big hoo-hah from the comments made by Wee Shu-Min (she closed her blog, full article of her reply can be found here) to Derek Wee's blog post. I am not gonna comment on this. I leave that the all the piss off bloggers out there. What I want to say is from this incident, we can see that the gap between the rich and the rest of Singapore are widening. So much so that the self-proclaimed "elites" are starting to look down on ordinary folks like us. To the extend of 狗眼看人低. The problem is caused by a society that drums the thought that only results and performance matters. Every time we scored a first or No.1 on the world scene, our news media will boast about it, while censoring any negative domestic reports or news that may embarrass the Singapore's image. How come I never see reports of our media's world ranking? BTW, It's 147th out of 167 countries if you dun happen to know, just slightly better than Iraq and Libya. Hence, people become proud and develop the paper chase attitude. We become self-centered and start to reject those that could not meet the standards. You may see it cause you have close one eye to it. When taking lifts, people can walk into the lift, press the button of floor they want and proceed to the back of the lift without thinking of holding the door for those behind. Even if they do, how many times have you heard them ask the floor you're going? I bet our fast food restaurants are the only ones which employ cleaners to clear the tables. In countries like America, Taiwan and Korea, customers clear their tables once they are done. The worst of the lot is a scene my wife spotted. In a pharmacy, someone accidentally toppled some items onto the floor. Rather than picking it up, the person just walk away. The best part is other shoppers will detour or route around the items rather than pick them up. WTF! Their thought is why they should pick them up when they are not the ones who created the mess in the first place. This is the job of the sales assistants. Is this the attitude we want to teach our next generation? I won't expect much change from our government. After all, they are the one who started all this.
So people like Wee Shu Min may one day become a minister due to their qualification. By hanging on the coat tails of a high-level minister in a GRC, just like her dad did. For those who are interested, the entire Wee Shu-Min Affair can be found here. This incident has cause so much rumble in the local internet scene, that someone has started a comic strip for our Miss Elite
And I find the article written here to be very true.
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