Even Maids Get a Pay Rise Now

Maid also get pay rise now, when is it going to be my turn?? Wait a minute, HK$650 = S$107, TW NT800 = S$35. How come is pay raise then?

SINGAPORE : The salaries of new Indonesian foreign domestic workers will soon rise.

17 major employment agencies in Singapore will increase the monthly salaries for the workers from S$380 to S$450. The increment will take effect by this week, they said.

Over the years, the supply of Indonesian maids in Singapore has been dwindling.

Employment agencies indicated that the shortage was due largely to demand from places such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The agencies recently met maid suppliers from Indonesia to try and resolve the issue. One solution is to provide better salaries.

Desmond Chin, group director, Nation Employment, said: "All the suppliers, they're facing difficult conditions to recruit. They are requesting us to match the maid's salary to HK$650, to match the salary to T$800, which is right now impossible.

"Maybe, we can do it step by step. So right now, we have agreed with the Indonesian supplier for the salary of S$450."

Many employment agencies in Singapore support the move.

The higher salary will not benefit the agencies or the suppliers, as there will be no change in the foreign placement fee.

Employment agencies said the change can help remove unhealthy practices among the agencies.

Tay Khoon Beng, director, Best Home Employment Agency, said: "If we don't have enough supply to applicants in the first place, eventually more and more agencies will poach one another's maids and offer 10 and 20 dollars increase in salary and transfer these helpers among Singaporean employers and this is even a worse scenario for us."

Employment agencies said it is up to employers to increase the salary of existing maids. They are also wary of the possibility of a small group of maids who may try to terminate their contracts so that they can be re-employed with the better salary.

Some employers feel any salary increase has to be gradual.

Samuel Teo, an employer of an Indonesian maid, said: "The other thing is that I also feel that, of course, when you pay more, you're expecting a very high quality from the maid. Will the maid be able to deliver?"

More than 70 per cent of maids working in Singapore are Indonesians and employment agencies said demand for these maids is still strong.

With the proposed salary increase for Indonesian maids, employment agencies also hope to increase the retention rate, giving them the incentive to work longer in Singapore.

Makeup Act

I am still trying to understand why some women like to put out their makeup when they are on the public transport, be it train, bus or cab. holding a sharp eyebrow marker so close to the eye in one hand with the other hand holding a shaking mirror is not considered a safe act if to me. Other than the risk of blinding yourself, there is also the chance of drawing a big fat clown lips when the bus suddenly brakes (surprisingly I have not see that happen yet).

Don't understand the logic here. Why can't they put on their makeup at home, make sure everything is ok before stepping out. Are they in such a rush or late for an appointment? If it is, they should prepare earlier (oops, I forgot they spent all those time selecting the dress that does not make them fat). Hiaz, they are right the men and women are really from different planets.

P.S. At least I'm not the only one who felt this way.

Katy Perry - Firework

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin
Like a house of cards, then blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you?
'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "ah, ah, ah!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "ah, ah, ah!",
You're gonna leave 'em all in down-awe-awe

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane, comes a rainbow

Maybe the reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time you know

You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "ah, ah, ah!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
You're gonna leave 'em falling down-awe-awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time you let it through-ooh-ooh

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "ah, ah, ah!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
You're gonna leave 'em all in down-awe-awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Dylan Learning To Walk @ 8 Months

Don't ask me, I have no idea what is he saying. ^_^

A Quote to Remember

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Japan's Santa Claus

Amid all the selfishness and cruelty we seen lately, it's heart warming to know that there is still kindness and compassion in this world.

TOKYO - Japan has been enthralled by the mysterious comeback of a 1960s manga comic book hero that has sparked a nationwide wave of gift-giving by anonymous donors to underprivileged children.

The spate of donations started on Christmas Day, when presents were left at a children's welfare centre near Tokyo, with a note saying they came from "Naoto Date", the alter ego of professional wrestling character "Tiger Mask".

The widely reported gift struck a chord with Japanese who fondly remember Tiger Mask -- an orphan-turned-fighter who helped other parentless children -- and has sparked more than 30 copycat acts of generosity since, Kyodo News said.

Bags with presents, ranging from the initial leather school bags to stationery, toys, robot models, cash and food, have been quietly left by anonymous people at shelters, orphanages and centres for the disabled.

In one case, an envelope with 100,000 yen was left at a shop selling school supplies, with a note saying: "I'm a copycat. I think Tiger Masks are everywhere across the country. Please use this for children."

Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Ritsuo Hosokawa declared himself "deeply moved" Tuesday by the snowballing acts of kindness, as TV stations and newspapers kept close tabs on the latest appearances of Tiger Mask.

In the original cartoon story -- a manga book series in the late 1960s, followed by a TV anime show -- Naoto Date himself grew up in an orphanage and was initially recruited by an evil syndicate of villain wrestlers.

In the story Date however decides to help other orphans instead, dons a mask of a tiger -- still a staple of popular pro-wrestling matches in Japan -- and fights the villains to donate his prize money to the children.

Yoichi Miyata, 38, a manager at the Iwate prefecture shop that received the 100,000 yen cash gift, said: "Naoto Date is an iconic children's hero. He takes many of us back to our childhood, including myself."

Blabbing Blatter

Biggest proof that you don't need brains to be head of a big organization. Any idiot can sit in that position.

The Year In Review: 2010

Wooh! And I thought 2009 pass by fast, 2010 was even faster. So fast that it just zooms right pass without me even noticing. It's seems like only a few weeks ago when I reflect on 2009. Now I am doing it for 2010.

Ha, 2010. It will forever be a memorable year for us. Angie says it was a fulfilling year for us. To me, it is a big eventful year for us. It hails the arrival of the two important persons in our lives. Our lives are taken away now. ;) No longer have we had to think of ourselves. All efforts now are focused on the two of them. Though they sometimes drive us mad, their little smiles and laughter will dose off any fire in our eyes.

Never a firm believer of new year resolution cause I always believe no matter how well I plan it, shit happens to me, I am going to make some now for the sake of my sons. Hope I achieve them or at least one around this time next year.

1. Shake off the lazy bones
2. Be more patient with boys
3. Try not to scratch when eczema itch
4. Find a better paying job
5. Be more careful & less screw-ups. At least not to boil someone's blood too often. Hehehe :D

P.S. Unlike last year, I spend the early hours of the new year woken up by Dylan's cries for milk and getting frustrated with him for not finishing it. Hiaz...

眯眯眼

"I close my eyes when I get too sad
I think thoughts that I know are bad
Close my eyes and I count to ten
Hope it's over when I open them"
Wonderful - Everclear

English Clubs Owners Gone Mad

"Half the problems that people get into is the fact that they get rid of managers too soon. We would not make that mistake." Sir Bobby Charlton

Nowadays, doing well at managing an English football club does not guarantee ones' job safety. The past few weeks have saw the managers of Newcastle and Blackburn kenna the "fried cuttlefish" even though the clubs are performing well. The clubs are not even close to the relegation zone but yet they still get the boot. Seems like the club owners have pick up the "sack your manager" disease from their Italian or Spanish counterparts. These owners are a fucking disgrace. For all their excuse of getting rid of the current manager for a better option, they end up employing one that is no better than the last one. These owners are too impatient and want to see results immediately. Must have played too much Football Manager.

If they want proof of the good in sticking to a good manager, just take a good look at Sir Alex Ferguson in Manchester United. The man just became the longest serving manager in Manchester United's history. 24 years at the helm and look at the numbers of trophies he has helped the club won. He did not start well in his job, yet the club stand by him and are reaping the rewards now. This was shown in the interview with Sir Bobby Charlton on possibility of Sir Alex during the bad spell early in his career.

Maybe football has changed, too much money is involved and the stakes are too high. There are too much at risk to gamble on loyalty in the world of football. today Anyway, here's a salute to the great Manchester United manager.

Merry Christmas

To all my loved ones and friends, Merry Christmas from the boys!

2 Fast 2 Furious

Yep, that's how the current COE raise can be described. So much that it is scary. COE now cost even more than my car + COE combined, which is less than two years ago. FORTY SIX WTF OMFG K!! In my opinion, the COE and ERP are epic failed in controlling the number of cars on the road. They don't realise that no matter how high the cost is, people will still fork out the money because they need the car it simply can afford it.

What the government should do is limit the number of cars per family or person. COE is given out based a person or family needs. If you have own a car, the chances of you obtaining a COE for that new shiny second red Ferrari you wanted is much lower than a person who wanted a family car. So many COE are wasted on those who own many cars. How many arms do they have? They can only drive one at a time only.

They can also make people getting a second car to pay more for their COE compare to first time buyers. Second car for the missus? Pay double for the COE lor, else fuck off and send your wife to work instead. That should really free up the COE quota for those who really need it and ease the road congestion.

P.S. For those who want to say that one should not buy a car if they don't have the cash, they should keep their bloody mouth shut. As a father now, I realize the importance of having a family car. Trying to sending your kid to the emergency ward in the middle of the night with no taxi in sight is no laughing matter. Having a car also allows you to bring your kids to various places. And these are just two examples.

Splashing Good Times

Zidane Is A Pimp

No doubt that he is a great footballer during his playing days, I used to admire him when he was playing for Juventus. Then all changed when he moved to Real Madrid and that infamous head butt during the World Cup finals. Now Zinedine Zidane is just a pimp, going around pimping Real Madrid to upcoming football players, telling them how great it is to play for them.

What does he knows about playing for Real Madrid? As a established world superstar, yes you will get to start everything game. As a young up and coming player, you are just another squad player. You are considered lucky to even sit on the bench. With all the big stars over there, there are hardly any opportunities to play. This is not healthy environment for a young player to develop and improve in. Look at Sergio Canales. He was the darling of Spanish football last year and he move to Real over the summer. Look at what happen to him now? Rotting in the squad, playing in meaningless matches here and there.

Now our dear Mr. Zidane is pimping another talented youngster, Eden Hazard, to join Real. Dear Mr. fucking Zidane, please fucking shut the fuck up. You are only ruining a player's career with your pimping.

Found At My Block

Looks like Barney did not survive a 12th storey fall. ;P

I Don't Like Christmas

Frankly speaking, I don't like Christmas. I hate racking my brains on what type of gifts to get especially for those gift exchange parties. I hate getting bombarded by endless X'mas carols and songs played over the airways and in shopping centre. In fact, I mainly don't like this period of time because most of projects deadline usually are after this holiday season. Which means I have to work long hours to rush deadline and not get to enjoy it

Are We Sex Deprived?

You know you can't trust anyone anymore when even a primary school teacher and a public serviced awarded PAP volunteer can do such things. By the way, what the hell is going on in Singapore? Is it the stress or the recent unpredictable weather? The news are full of reports of perverts arrest or people walking around nude.

Teacher jailed for lewd SMSes
Man fined for sex act in toilet
Naked aunty boards bus at Bedok
Nude man in Queenstown
More people going nude

Refunds Made Easier

First they say their machines does not have the capability to handle the refund, to get a refund for the bus overcharges will go through confusing process. After the Straits Times did a report on it, now they have a machine to do it. You can also go to any TransitLink Ticket office to get your refund. What does this means? They can do it but choose not to. Damn lazy people...

What's the Rush?

Saw a funny incident at a traffic junction on my way to work today. This lady driver wanted to make a right turn but she is not able to drive into the right turning lane because a cab blocking the way and it is red lights at that time. Instead of waiting for the cab to move off, she tries to squeeze her vehicle through a tiny gap between the cab and the curb so much so that her entire right side of her car mounted the curb. After all the troubles, she is still stuck at the junction because when the lights turn green the oncoming traffic prevents her from turning. And the cab that was blocking her in the first place move passes her. -_-“ I thought to myself what the hell is she in a rush for? After risking damages to others and her car, she still ends up the same place as where she started. For all her stunts, she ends up where she started. Ha...

This brings about to the typical behavior of Singaporeans. Selfish and impatient. I often see Singaporeans push, rush, squeeze, speed and cut their way to wherever they are going and often they end up the same or slower than the ones lagging behind. How much time can you save in the first place? At most is 5 minutes. 5 minutes for so much effort, even risking of their lives at times?

We often complain that our frequency of our public transport during peak hours is slow. Sometimes I feel it is not the fault of the drivers. Take a look at the way our fellow countrymen behave during the peak hours. All the jostling, pushing and elbowing (ok, that’s too far fetch) to get aboard of the trains and bus when it is so bloody obvious that it is pack like sardines. The next bus/train is only 3 mins away and they die die want to take this one. It's not like you reach your destination late by an hour if you miss this one. Where is the logic???

And let's not forgot those selfish people inside the buses and trains. If they could just stop and think for a minute, by moving to the back or away from the door, then there won't be so much time wasted with the boarding ritual. Frequency of the buses and trains will be much improved if everyone is to work together, but nooo.... everyone must fulfill their own selfish agenda. So everyone gets drag down by the delaying. Hiaz....

The Return of Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is back. This is the mother of all bloody games. When this games first appear, there was a lot of hooha due to it's violent nature of slashing and ripping out your opponents spine out. Comparing to the stuff we see in the games today, this is child's play. After more than 10 years, they decided to reboot the franchise. Popular characters like Scorpion and Sub-zero are back. I remember playing it on one of the computer used at my polytechnic final year project exhibition. Let the kombat begin once again.

Spot The Difference

No awards for guessing correctly. ;)

How Aiden Learn to Stand

Signs that he is figuring out how to do it

Does it while holding on to my hands.

He figure it out liao. And so came the next phase of our journey in parenthood

iPhone App Helps to Arrest of Thief

I am installing and activating Find My Phone app as we speak. Link

Updated: Find My Phone only works on iPhone 4. -_-"

Police have arrested a serial snatch thief following a crucial lead provided by an iPhone application.

The thief had snatched a 36-year-old woman's iPhone in the early hours of Sunday morning along Lim Liak Street, in the Tiong Bahru area.

Police was able to trace the stolen phone via an iPhone application called "Find My iPhone". The application allowed the missing iPhone to be located on a map.

With this important lead, officers were able to establish the identity of the suspect and he was arrested on Monday in Outram Road.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is also believed to be responsible for several other snatch theft cases in the Tiong Bahru and Kim Tian estates.

Police said the suspect, an 18-year-old Malaysian man, will be charged in court on Wednesday.

If convicted he could be jailed for up to 7 years and caned.

Police said a Court Order will be sought to remand him for further investigations

Seen or Heard

"If the car is only 1 litre capacity, then you have to top up petrol more often lor" from a colleague of mine. -_-"

On the First Day of X'mas, My True Gave To Me...

Frozen sausages as iPhone stylus? The weather is so cold in Korea that you can't use your iPhone without without freezing your fingers. The solution? Frozen sausages! Beat the toothpick stylus hands down.

Home Is Where The War Is

With the current tense situation across the Korea peninsula, the back story of this game is too real and too close for comfort. The Kim Jung Un in the video is way more good looking than his real life counterpart. :P

Things I Learn Today: Import Blog to Facebook

New blog post will be share to my Facebook account now. ^_^

Yah, I know I am slow....

Things I Learn Today: Melted Chocolate & Soft Stools

Eating melted chocolate from wrappers is as irritating as shitting soft stool. Both are damn difficult to clean...

Only For The True Apple Fans

Only the true blue Apple fan will buy this figurine. And according to the the website, there are 300 of them since only 300 are made and all of them have been sold out! Talk about Apple worshipper.

What's the Logic?

My new software principal engineer just report to work on Monday, yet he does not have a computer. A request have been put up to purchase a new computer for him but the process will take a few weeks. The guy brought his own laptop just in case but he is not able to connect to our company network because IT administration does not allow unauthorized computer to be connected. So the poor guy have no PC and no internet access, which pretty much limits the work he can do. This brings up the question, why bring him on-board when everything is not ready yet?

I Want To Walk Like Them

Trivial 1: The singer is Genki Sudo, who is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist and a kickboxer. Don't play play

Trivial 2: The suits and the robotic movement is a representation of everyday salary man (9-5 office worker), who has become a dissatisfied mechanical man.

A Matter of Endurance

They were interviewing the winner of the Subaru Challenge, Aloysius Lim, on the radio and he claims that though his Asian competitors are fitter, the Singaporeans have better endurance. So facing all the bullshit we see in our daily lives has made us better in a certain way than our Asian counterparts. That's comforting to know. We definitely can tolerate more crap thrown at us and move on in our lives.

Seriously, like at my workplace, a couple of new "foreign talent" colleagues came in. But they left after a few days when they realize the job or the environment does not suit them. On the other hand, the locals will normally bite the bullet and carry out to see if things get better with time. Is this type of character good or bad? Why endure through it when you are unhappy or uncomfortable about it? On the contrary, should we be giving up so easily just because of some minor setbacks?

Carrying On The Family Legacy

What is the reasons among the Chinese older generations preference to boys over girls? Angie's grandma favors Dylan and Aiden for than her great grand-daughters. The elderly people we meet outside are very happy when they realize that I have a pair of boy twins.

Why boys are better? Is it because they can continue the bloodlines? This can't be true since girls have the same blood running in their veins as their parents. Keeping the surname going? But many people have the same surname as mine, I am sure there isn't any problems maintaining it. I believe on top of the above reasons, it is the need to carry on your family legacy. The need to remember the family history, to hand down the heirloom and achievements from our pervious generations and to continue what is uniquely belong to the family.

Sure the girls can do this too but their children will not have the same surname as their mother and that's where the lineage is broken. That could be the reason why the Chinese oldies always prefer boys as it is the only way to ensure the running of the family legacy is uninterrupted.

The Story So Far

Another Match, Another Draw

What's wrong with United these days? Just when you thought they are starting to improve and winning games, closing the gap on Chelsea to 2 points, they sank back to where they are, drawing games again. 2 draws within a week and with Chelsea to play Sunderland tomorrow, the gap will extend to 6 points. Berbatov who was scoring goals earlier in the season has gone back to his regressive mode again. If it is too easy, he will not score. He will do it for those difficult chances.

And we really lack of a creative playmaker in the centre of midfield that can make those killer passes to open up defenses. We have Scholes but the man is 35, and his legs can hold much longer. The last two matches are there for the taking and we just can't find the killer instinct to kill the opposition off. The players should also just shut the fuck up talking about how they should improve their performance and start do the talking on the field. Not use keep talking about it when you don't have the result to show for.

Correction: Chelsea did not win against Sunderland but got thrashed instead. Lucky United or another miss opportunity to close the gap?

Hiding From Monsters?

Angie woke up 5 am this morning and found little Aiden sleeping underneath our bed with his head peeking out. Give us the shock of our lives. I was very certain that he is sleeping on his mattress after I fed him and before I turn in @ 12am. Why and how did he roll there from his mattress? Hiding from monsters in his nightmares?

And the silly little tiger just slept there and whine softly. Aiyo, our heart felt so painful. By hock or crockhook or crook must go get a play pen for him to sleep at night.

The Irony of Life

Life can be so ironic sometimes. News reported that a Philippine actor, while playing an armed masked man in a documentary about vigilante killing in the country. The killer turns out to be the village watchman, who is not authorized to carry firearms. In other words, a vigilante. This is terrible...

Boston Dynamics Big Dog

Shared by Seck Tien on Facebook, the Big Dog from Boston Dynamics. Moves exactly like a real animal. Scary...

Tiger Cubs @ Week 25

Dylan Starts to Crawl (at amazing speed too ^_^)


Dylan snatching Aiden's toy.

One This or That

I just found that One Raffles Place is actually the former UOB centre (yes, I am THAT sua koo). This clears up my query of where is this place. I kept seeing it mention in the media. Why the name change I am still unsure, but there is a lot of place that name with One or Raffles lately. A check on the map shows there is a One Raffles Quay nearby and to add to the confusion there is One Fullerton and One Marina Boulevard in the same area. On top of this, you have the Raffles Place MRT. Can't these people have a little more creativity in naming their buildings?

Just like the street names at my place in Punggol. There is EdgeField Plains, Edgefield Walk, Punggol Fields, Punggol Walk and Punggol Drive. Even some taxi uncle are unsure the area. Same situation in Sengkang with the Anchorvales and Compassvales. I can relate the need for fancy, classy street/building names but using the same word repeatively will only confuse people. But then again, maybe the problem lies with me.

P.S. Just realize that there is a restaurant call 1-Altitude and it is situated on top of One Raffles Place. Wheww... what a mouthful....

Things I Learn Today: Disconnect to Connect

This video (thanks to MrBrown) hold so true. The popularity of the smartphones especially the iPhone made us lose our human touch. I saw it first hand during a department lunch with my colleagues. Everyone is just staring at their iPhone. Time to put that phone down. You may realize there is a person beside you.

P.S. Does not apply when you are attending to super duper boring meetings ;P

ParkAlert on iPhone

I just love iPhone apps. Not the games, but more of the useful utilities that helps to make my life easier or lazier, depending on how you see it. The latest one I have (announced on iMerlion) is something I believe every Singaporean drivers will like.

ParkAlert is a simple app that alert drivers on their iPhones when other users report seeing a parking warden in the area. But this does not mean that you can take advantage of the app and park without any coupons. Got money to buy car yet not willing to spend 50 cents for one coupon? (though I behave like this sometimes, one of those I Can You Cannot situation ^_^).

ParkAlert is free for now. So hurry, grab it now

Dylan Eating Cereal

Cebu Pacific New Flight Safety Demostration

Now the flight safety demo won't be so boring...

No R-21 Films In Your Neighbourhood

Oh come on... they really need to upgrade their thinking. Between girls posting their semi-nude photos on Facebook to people posting their sex videos on the net plus pornography that is readily available online, who still want to spend $8 to go to the cinema to catch a R-21 film? Youngsters nowadays are getting more daring and open as before. Restricting the general media is no longer an effective way to control them anymore.

Another Victim to Hollywood Remakes

Why can't Hollywood just leave a brilliant movie alone? Every nice movies that is not out from Hollywood will be remake by them, often soup up with bigger budgets, bigger effects and over the top actions. And ever so often it failed to recreate the magic from the original due to the remaking. We have Ring from Japan, Infernal Affairs from Hong Kong (otherwise known as The Departed) and Funny Games from Austria. Of the three mentioned, only The Departed made it winning the Oscar for Best Picture.

Well, the latest victim of Hollywood remakes is Swedish movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is a film adaptation of the award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. I have the liberty to watch the Swedish version of the film and I say it is a really compelling movie. So when I found out in the news that Mr Hollywood is going to remake it, with current Mr Bond, Daniel Criag, as Mikael Blomkivst, I was quite annoyed. Another good movie ruined by Hollywood.

Luckily, the original movie was shown in the theatres here last month. So I guess the audience can compare the two styles. I wonder who will play Lisbeth Salander in the Hollywood remake as Noomi Rapace gave a powerful performance in the original.

P.S. I just found out that Rooney Mara would play the role of Lisbeth Salander. Yeah, I have the same reaction as you. Rooney who? The only Rooney I know is playing football for Manchester United. :P

P.S.2: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, like the book, is part of a trilogy. The second and third films, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, are out and I have yet to find time to watch them.

I Can You Cannot

I realize that we set one set of rules for us and another for others. How many times we often criticize people for their actions, yet when the situation is turned the other way, we will find a lot of excuses to justify it.

Take example, when we see people run after the bus, we will question the reason for it since the next bus should be 10 mins behind. Yet, we did it ourselves when faced with the same situation, with excuses like late for appointment or rushing for time lah.

This is just one of many situations where we so called I can you cannot principle. This makes me think, does this makes us some sort of hypocrite.

Laugh Out Loud Dylan

For 1min & 12 sec, all my worries and frustration seems to disappear

Toothpick Stylus

Saw an uncle using an iPhone on my way back to office after lunch. Nothing special except that he is using a toothpick to tab on his phone.

Though I am impressed by the uncle innovation in using a toothpick as a stylus, but don't he know that the iPhone is capacitive touchscreen? You don't need a stylus to use it. Maybe he have difficulty in touching the buttons, but I sure hope he is not using an used toothpick. Eww...

Journey of Parenthood: Yours Or Mine

The boys are coming to five months old and every day we see sides of them that relate to us. Whenever they show some behavior, Angie and I will start pointing fingers at the other, happily accusing the behavior came from the other party.

Dylan likes to whine and cry like mommy. Aiden is like Pa-Pa, a shy boy and likes to play by himself. Dylan snores loudly like Pa-Pa while Aiden is a sleepy head, like Mummy, sleeps all over his bed at night.

It's a way to relate them to us, to prove that they are our own. Till now, we still have a hard time believing these two cute buns (we just name them Fishball n Sotong Ball, guess why? :p) are our sons. They brought us so much joy with equal amount of tiredness, but all those tiredness seems to fade away whenever you call them out and they smile at you. We will continue to observe those little silly signs that relate them to us, "yours or mine" they will nevertheless be our precious sons.

IOS 4.1: Runs Faster For iPhone 3G

It's about time Apple look into their IOS 4 software that cause my iPhone 3G performance to slow down to a snail pace. I hope the upcoming IOS4.1 to be released on 8 Sept will meet what they claims. Was contemplating whether to factory default my phone in hope that it will resolve the lagging problem. Now I will just bare with it for a few more days.

Updated (13 Sept 2010): Just restore and update my iPhone 3G to IOS4.1. No hair pulling incidents occur. Still did not fix the black patch over some of my camera taken photos. Performance seems to be smoother & faster. Maybe it is just my imagination. Will keep monitoring.

Aiden Chatting With Mummy

Didi just love to chat with his Mummy ^_^

The Problem With United Transfer Policy.

Though i still support the club very much, i am a bit disappointed with the transfer policy lately the club is employing. What's with the value in the market thing? Buying only players below age 25? They totally redefine the meaning in value in the market. What's the point of buying young players to develop when they hardly help to support a title charge? Are we really going to play Scholes and Giggs till they are 40?

We spent 10 mil on Smalling, who struggle even to play in our reserves, yet not willing to pay the same amount for established players. My colleagues claim that maybe the salary is the issue between paying the same amount for an established player versus for a young one whose salary cost much lesser. But we really need to improve the quality of the backup players in our squad, more importantly the creativity. The whole transfer policy makes me wonder, do we really have money to buy big players?

Finally, when you thought of last season, though we lost out by a point but it partially due to Chelsea cock up at critical moments (7 losses doesn't consider to be a strong title charge) and Rooney having a fantastic season. If Chelsea pull their socks up or Roony not playing as well as last season, we can forget about kicking Liverpool off the f*&king perch this season.

Hope I will be proven wrong comes May.

Aiden Learning to Flip

Dylan has started flipping over by himself and his neck is getting stronger. As for Aiden, he is still lagging behind, so we are a bit concern about his development. But man how wrong he has proven to us. Angie went to NTUC and I play with Aiden while the maid looks after Dylan.

The little boy kept trying to flip over himself. He tried 4 to 5 times without any success, every time rolling back to his back. All these time, he did not cry nor throw tantrums. He just kept going and going with me beside him encouraging him. It's like as if my encouragement gave him strength. When he finally succeeded, you can see the sense of joy on his face. I am so touch and proud of him.

Oh, now that he found the trick to flipping, he has been doing it nonstop. We have to have someone to jaga Him and Dylan to make sure they dun hurt themselves.

Boiled Ginger Coke

First heard of this strange concoction while reading Sheylara's Changpin trip, where you contracted a terrible flu. Did a research and found that it is a common remedy used in Hong Kong to treat the common flu. Will sure try this next time I had a flu attack.

Distance / Time = Speed

"the Public Transport Council (PTC) revealed on Thursday that travelling time - and not just distance - is also used to charge train commuters under Singapore's distance-based fares system."

Huh? So is it a distance based fare or time based fare? Why call it distance based fare when time factor is taken into consideration? So I expect the petrol or maintenance part of the equation will take effect at a later date lah. Hmmm... probably after the elections.

Interview Woes

For me, going for a job interview is a frightening experience and it is even worse when it a job interview with a knowledge test. I don't know is it my low confidence or a previous bad experience, I am scared that I will screw up and get reprimand by the interviewer.

I just went for an interview recently and was put through a 45 mins technical test follow by another one and a half hour of "interrogation" where I was ask to explain how the I2C protocol works. This is the 21st century and I don't understand why people still uses technical test during an interview. Information is readily available on the net, so what if I know what a linked list is or cab recite I2C protocol. I believe that a person working experience, character and attitude is more important.

And don't they know there is a thing call the Smartphone? I can search for the answers for the questions using my iPhone. (Yes I did that), which make the whole test process redundant. This is one reason why I don't quite like to go for interviews especially the ones which involved technical test.

Seen Or Heard

You will never read or heard this on Channel News Asia or Straits Times. All these are in the net where the government has no way to censure it

1. Flood News Blackout
So flooding is considered a norm in Singapore so much so that CNA or ST dun even bother to report them. Maybe they just want to cover all negative news before the YOG. Rather than feeling moody about the flood at Jalan Besar, this guy took the opportunity to kayak around. Sure save the trip to the beach. To add further insult, the PUB chairman is awarded the National Day award of the Distinguished Service Order, for solving Singapore’s perennial flood problems! The committee that decide the awards must be living in a hole for the past few months.


2. The Army Serve Better Food Than This
Wah! And I thought the food they serve during my national service was bad. This is the food, provided by official caterer Singapore Food Industries (SFI), for the YOG volunteers in return for the volunteering work they provided. If it wasn't for the massive outcry in cyberspace, SFI will not even bother about it and the poor volunteers will still be eating this (Not as if there is much improvement after that). No sauce, no chilly, I spend $2.70 to buy their own mixed vegetable rice also better than this. Not that we are choosy, but at least show some respect to these volunteers who sacrifice their time to help out. On the contrary, athletes and officials were given three daily buffet meals befitting of a king by SFI. As the Cantonese says, really bor dou chu mean.

Dylan Snoring In His Sleep

Turn up the volume to listen. Like father, like son... :P

I Hate YOG

The recent Youth Olympic Games (YOG or "why orgy" as chillycraps puts it) is making me sick. Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn to, I am flush with YOG news, banners and images. The way the government is going out its way to make it a success is a little too much. All the things they do to accommodate the athletes at the expense of inconvenience to the Singaporeans are pissing us off. And they still question the lack of support for YOG. All the things the MIW did to please the foreigners only will make us hate YOG more and boycott it. In fact, there is a "I Hate YOG" Facebook group, that is growing. Goes to show how much we hated it.

When they exceed the initial budget of $105 million for the YOG, did anyone in government raise any issues? No! They just continue to spend and spend until it hits $387 million, then tell us that they are "a bit naive with our initial estimates" WTF!

I feel that we are just being made used by the IOC to find out if a Youth Olympic is feasible. The truth is as long as the Singapore government tries to organize any big events at the expense of its people, it can never be as successful as it can be without the support of its people. No matter how they want to put it, the YOG is considered a failure before it has even begin. Everyone in the world knows it, just that no one in the government wants to admit it.

Updated: By the way, someone found this news article. According to PM Lee in 2007, he has stated that our nation "may not be ready in 2010 because we're just building the Sports Hub. There will be time and opportunities later." In other words, he feel that Singapore is not ready to host such the YOG. Why the turn around along the way and end up with this mess?

Going For A Dip

The boys try out their new swimming pool for the first time ^_^.

Click on photo below for more photos

Is This All A Dream?

Send my car for servicing over the weekend and went to catch the movie Inception rather than waiting aimlessly.

Man, the movie is really incredible. It's a breath of fresh air from all the sequels, remakes and slasher movies that populate the cinemas these days.

I will not dwell into talking what is the story about, as google will do that. Christopher Nolan truly defines himself as THE great director of recent times. There was never a bored moment in the film and explanations are clear and well integrated in the storyline, exploring the realm of sub-conscious manipulation.

The whole experience will be even better if I have not went to read the spoiler for the movie earlier. It kinda reduces the gloss, as I knew what is going to happen next :( Nevertheless, I believe Inception will have the same impact like how The Matrix did minus the cheem theories and philosophies.

The "Increase Price" Solution Again

Once again, our first world government solved problems by increasing the cost and passing that cost to us. Is that the best they can do? Can't they be more creative? No enough parking lots for residents with season parking tickets? Increase the price of overnight parking coupons. Roads too congested? Increase ERP.

They still don't get it, people will still pay for it and the problem will still persist. It makes no difference. Only thing that changes are the wallets of the government will get bigger and our burden will become heavier.

My Heart Sunk When I Saw This

This link at the end of the post will show some disturbing pictures especially if you are a dog lover. The relating of the poor animal's plight to that of Singaporeans' is of little importance.

My heart is filled with sadness and rage when I read the news below. I cannot comprehend what drive a man to do such sick and evil acts to perform such brutality on an innocent being. The only comforting thought from the story is that the poor dog, Xi-Xi, at least has passed away peacefully and found comfort in the heavens and no longer has to go through the pain he is suffering. As for the bastard or bastards who inflict the pain on the poor dog, I hope what you did to Xi-Xi is bestowed on to you when you reach hell on the 18th level. For retribution will come, it's just a matter of time, be it to you or your loved ones.

There was a little dog in Foshan [Guangdong province] named Xi Xi whose fate (of being brutally abused) have caused the strongest and meanest character of men to buckle and weep.

When I first saw Xi Xi, his two eyes were gouged out, his genitals were cut off, and his body was covered with holes cut with knives. Yet Xi Xi still tenaciously / tediously supported his seriously injured body roaming around the neighborhood for food. No one knew who tortured the poor Xi Xi nor did anyone gave food to him.

A kind volunteer called the city’s officials and Xi Xi was sent to an Animal Hospital for treatment. While Xi Xi was being taken to the Animal Hospital, he desperately bit at the rope that tied him, probably because Xi Xi was afraid of being hurt again. This goes to prove how strong Xi Xi’s will to live is.

After examination by the Vets, Xi Xi suffered external injuries all over his body from knifing abuse, and because he did not receive immediate medical attention, his wounds were infected and leukemia developed, causing white blood tumors in his body.

Further observation by the vet found that it is very exerting and painful for Xi Xi to urinate and defecate, leading to a part of his intestines being expelled during passing motion.

Apart from that, Xi Xi keeps retreating to dark corners. Those who have raised pets and have some experience will know that this is what dogs (and other animals) do when they know they are about to die and want to find a peaceful place to leave the world, and leave Xi Xi eventually did after 2 days at the Animal Hospital. Many of our hearts died with Xi Xi that fateful day.

Link

No More Freak Flood III

I mention a while ago that 50 years on our country still remains socially even though the outlook looks different. This is even more so today as proven by the flooding in recent weeks. The following comment is seen on Temasek Review.

Anyone has PM Lee’s national day rally speech or video in 2008 or 2009? He showed some pictures of a kid playing in the flood back in the 50s or 60s in Singapore and he was saying how lucky we are to be living nowadays without any flooding. What this shows is that Singapore has gotten worst.

Here is the video with the flood picture at 11 mins 30s. The more we change, the more we stay the same.

Seen Or Heard

1. So much for being vigilant. Commuters are still wondering how the hell this lady managed to push a NTUC shopping cart into the MRT station and onto the train. It's a fucking damn trolley, not some shopping bag. The thing is so fucking big. Where are all the MRT security and staff? Can catch you drinking water on the train but not a lady with a big trolley. Where's the logic?

2. Saw someone post this comment @ Temasek Review.
"Singapore should employ a team of 100 Paul the Sotongs to replace the 82 Goondus and the 500 Perm Secs of ministries, CEOs & MDs of stat boards and GLCs. Instead of wasting $1 Billion of tax-payers monies & National Reserves every year to pay those jokers, we just need to buy a few ikan bilis and see-hums for the sotongs.

I’m very sure the team of sotongs can provide better answers to questions like:
1) Should we invest our blood national reserve $$$ into Bank of Americam, Merril Lynch, Barclays and UBS?
2) Should we allow more than 100,000 foreginers into S’pore in 2010?
3) Should we ban foreigners from buying HDB?
4) Should we impose minimum salary across the board, applying to both foreigners and citizens?
5) Should foreigners pay “national service” tax that pays as extra bonuses to NSF and reservists?
6) Is the Marina Barrage a major contributing factor to recent floodings?"

YOG = IMF 2010

Today reported that Singaporeans need to be more supportive for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG). After wasting so much of the taxpayers' money and implementing stupid rules like the YOG lane, they expected us to just turn up and show our fucking "Four Million Smiles"? The entire YOG smells of IMF Part II to me.

Why the government must do so many unnecessary things? All these are so 虚伪, just to "por" the visiting athletics and give a false impression how wonderful they are. The Give Way sign in CAPS on the YOG vehicle just scream of "Get Out of the Fucking Way!". For starters, they should at least add a PLEASE in front of the "Give Way" sign to show some basic courtesy.

FYI, some Singaporeans are praying for flood to jam up the YOG vehicles. ROFL

It's Friday!

Both the boys woke up quite early today and look very cheerful especially Aiden. Must be be because it is Friday

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dog Beating Owner Given Stern Warnings

I glad that the AVA went to check on the dog in the video below and issue a stern warning to the owners. Yes, the dog misbehaves and bites the cushion and need to be discipline. But do you have to hit it so hard and so many times on its head? What if you miss and damage its eyes? The way she discipline the dog is equivalent to giving someone the cane punishment for littering. I say serve the owners right. As I commented on a friend’s Facebook who posted this video, not only the lady should be slapped. The one taking the video should be too for standing there and not stopping the lady inflicts so much pain on the poor dog.

Memory Loss Due to iPhone

Overhead on the radio the other day that a reason that our memory is getting poorer due to our over-reliance on technology. I have to agree especially as I am finding my memory is getting poorer and poorer. I have been storing a lot of info in my phone and as my memory gets poorer. With my memory degrading, I relied more of my phone and computer to keep track of the things I need to remember. The situation has worsened when I got the iPhone. Hence, the more forgetful I becomes, the more I store on my phone, which makes me even more forgetful. I believe this does not apply to me only and with the rising popularity of the smart phones, more people will end up like me. Think I will become senile before I hit 60.

No More Freak Floods II

So they finally admit it. After three floods within a month or two of them happen in Orchard Road, they have decided to improve the drainage in major canals and drains at flood-prone areas only. So our dear Minister of Environment and Water Resources have changed his explanation from freak flood in 50 years to flash floods is a challenge faced by cities around the world. As usual, it's so and so country has floods too, so don't expect that we don't have.

Actually, they shouldn't just limit it to flood prone areas. Nobody expect Orchard to be flooded initially and look what happen. We can't just patch the cracks only when they appear. They should review the entire island drainage system.

Bedtime Chitchat With Aiden

No More Freak Floods

From it's no more freak flood that occurs every 50 years to don't expected there is no flood in Singapore. What a quick turnaround in giving excuses. The drains should be cleared of all obstructions. Why flooding still occur? Like I said, problem is our drainage system no longer can handle the increase in rain fall due to the change in weather condition.
By the way, it's no longer nice to stay in condo or private properties as you may find your car become a submarine when you wake up in the morning. Well at least the flood manages to solve the rat problem. Hehehe

Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype

Hats off to Honda for their innovation and ingenuity, but this will only make us lazier. Sooner or later, we will be like those people in the movie, Wall-E

Still Stuck In Office

10 years in the workforce and my first time force to work overnight to make up lost time. This I have to thank

- The idiot who plan such tight schedule to build a prototype for customer review with so many requirements with the deadline being this coming Monday.
- The idiot who choose the hardware with outdated codes and incorrect info.
- The idiot who assigned only 2 software engineers, me included, for such complex project.
- The idiot who then let one of the software engineers to go on leave for 3 days this week, leaving one software engineer (aka me) to hold the fort during this critical period.

And to think that we are repeating the same mistakes after having gone through 2 previous projects, which have shown this kind of mistakes. The irony of it all is we even have a "Lesson Learnt" documents for both of the previous projects. Higher management failing to read the documents? *faint* As they say, history is written to prove that the same mistakes can be repeated again.

Looking forward to having my weekend burned... Weeee....

Things I Learn Today: The Singapore $1 Coin

Came across this interesting post on the myths on the Singapore $1 coin. Though I heard the first story of making everyone carry a 八卦 because of the MRT lines damaging the country FengShui, the second story is much more interesting. Well, we learn something new everyday.

Together At Last

Just saw the news that the widow of bridegroom Vernon Leong, who mysteriously fell to his death from the Hilton Hotel on his wedding night last November, committed suicide yesterday. Though this is a sad news, deep down we are glad that Kerin no longer have to go through the pain of losing her husband and the couple are finally together at last. May the both of them Rest In Peace.

More photos here

Argentina Lost But So Do Paraguay

Phew.... thank god Argentina fail to win the World Cup when they lost to the Germans. We are all spared the sight of seeing Maradona naked :)

But then again, we will miss the chance of seeing Miss Larissa Riquelme naked too as Paraguay was knocked out of the World Cup. :(

Aiden Playing With His New Toy

Angie rented some toys from Rent That Toy! for the boys. This is a good way to stimulate their little brain.

Aiden attempt to push the paddle after being shown once by the maid while Dylan will stare curiously at the spinning lights from the toys.

I Am Paraguay Supporter Now.

According to some, this should be the correct way to hold the new iPhone 4, to solve the signal loss issue. Some even claim this position BOOST the signal.

FYI, The lady is Lingerie model Larissa Riquelme, who pledged to run naked through the streets “with my body painted with the colors of Paraguay” if Paraguay wins the World Cup. I am a Paraguay fan now. ;)

Similarities Between Football & Wrestling

I love to watch football, but sometimes, especially for this World Cup, I find is no difference than the silly wrestling match play out by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Reason being:

1. Having eye sight problem is a requirement to being a referee in both sports. Just like how the WWE referee miss all the foul plays and cheats in a wrestling match, how the hell did the ref and his linesman miss the England’s equalizer and that Argentina score their opening goal against Mexico in an offside position is a mystery.

2. The play acting (diving, pretending to get hurt) by the players are more convincing than those acted out by the wrestlers, wincing in pain when receiving a fake punch.

3. Both sports governing body are run by an joker cum idiot - Sepp Blatter (FIFA in real life) and Vince McMahon (WWE in reel life).

Oh, I support the introduction of technology, not only goal-line technology but video technology, to the most popular sport in the world. We have seen too many unjust being made in football. Goals unjustly awarded or rejected, players unjustly send off and too many cases of play acting to gain the upper hand. As Scott the Red put it rightly, "as if arguing the toss over decisions is justification to see the wrong team knocked out of the cup, win the league or get relegated!"

Dylan Playing With His Father

Did You Wake Up Last Night To Watch Football?

Another Remake Of XCom

Just read in Digital Life today that game makers are creating another XCom game. I still remember playing the original XCom game when I was serving my national service, rushing home after booking out to play it. The magic in it is the constant need to research and development better weapons and technology and base building to combat the alien threat. Its squad control turn based game play allow me to apply what I learn in the army to good effect

Sadly since then, game developers have been trying to renew the franchise by making it real-timed based and first person shooter (FPS). The magic is no longer there and goes without saying; these iterations did not do well. For the latest XCom, I read that they will add back the R&D element back into the game, but somehow I doubt it will capture the same magic as the original version. The latest version is yet another 3D shooter due to the popularity of FPS. Why every game must be graphic intensive I duno. I feel game play is more important. All the fancy eye candies are only temporary. Once we completed the game, there is no desire to play it again.

By the way, I still do keep the old copies of XCom and XCom2: Terror From the Deep and I know how to make them run on today’s machine. Looking through all the old XCom screen capture bring an itch to dig them out and play again ;)