Blogging for Myself

New WD hard disc at IT Show

2012-03-11T13:33:00.004+08:00

About time to replace my 500 GB WD Elements portable hard disc with a new WD Essential one ($159).

I have been keeping my data on a portable drive. This way if my machine goes down, my data is protected. As a rule I do not use a hard disc in this manner beyond two years. After this service period it becomes an archive disc.

The most important data are family and friends photos. They are irreplaceable if lost.

Wifey got herself one for one these retractable ear phones at IT Show today. I also got the Notebook vendor to replace my cooling pad as the fan wasn't working. The experience didn't inspire confidence. Two new cooling pads he tested also didn't work. Then he disappeared into the room for a very long time and finally showed me one that works. I imagine he must have avoided embarrassment by testing several pads beyond our sight.

Japan disasters a year later

2012-03-10T13:11:00.000+08:00

Even as she tries to be cheerful, I cannot but feel her pain and lost. This is a good photo. Great messages are like that. Her words represent her determination and courage, but her facial expression speaks of her grief. I have seen published Natgeo photographers with such shots. It is great story telling that invites the viewer to empathize with the subject. Great shot Joyce Fang.

Has it been one year already? The cable is full of new programming for that disaster.

Acer after sales service

2012-03-10T12:59:00.002+08:00

I have always had very positive experience with Acer after sales and technical services. I have used them countless times.

Late last night I emailed them. This is a weekend and their email response came the next day :-)

I was working very quickly. In times like this the mind tend to focus very narrowly and I had confused product registration with product warranty. I quickly shot them a service request. Later I figured out where I went wrong. Their response showed that my thoughts were correct. I didn't have time to look at it earlier. We had to be present at our girl's school.

Good that I am using an Acer again.

Enigma Page on Facebook

2012-03-10T07:07:00.003+08:00

I have been so busy over the last few days to keep up with current affairs. There is some buzz over the PAP and WP in parliament. Issues of plagiarism by WP MPs...

I found Enigma on Facebook this morning. Very communicative but of course must be careful as they tend to oversimplify.

Good mental placeholder for me to come back and read up later or has the train left the station?

I notice a lot of politicians have 'like' this page.

New Acer Notebook from IT Show

2012-03-09T18:59:00.002+08:00

Bought this Core i7-2670QM Notebook by Acer at the IT Show yesterday. Spent practically the whole day there.
Compare the CPU benchmark performance of this new speed demon versus my four year old desktop. A world of difference.

i7-2670QM @ 2.20GHz at 6797 marks

vs

E4600 @ 2.40GHz at 1374 marks. That is almost five times faster.

I surprised myself how quickly I got this machine customized for my needs. Faster than migrating from one smart phone to another. It helped that the desktop PC is still limping. This allows me to move stuff between them.

Closure of McDonalds @ East Coast Park

2012-03-09T18:48:00.000+08:00

This is the first entry I am writing with my new Notebook PC.

Yes, I know they have been here for the last thirty years. I remember taking my first gf in the drive through. They were the first in Singapore.

I took the kids here after school to have one last meal before they are gone. The store assistant manager told me the government want to take the land back. I kinda of remember reading the same in the ST sometime too.

Kindle with Adverts is nicer

2012-03-06T14:36:00.001+08:00

I am glad that with the Kindle Touch, I bought the advert sponsored version. Not only was it cheaper, but the advertisements are often beautifully done. The author portraits of my Kindle 3 were downright ugly.

I had my Kindle 3 for about fourteen months before giving it away to my daughter for the Touch. I wonder how long this one would last. They change and improve so quickly. The key learning point is not to pay too much for any of these devices.

Chinese Language Tuition

2012-03-06T09:55:00.000+08:00

This is the only subject the kids have tuition.

Received a call from the tutor yesterday that she needed to urgently return to China. Her father is gravely ill. She might be away for as long as a month, and had used this occasion to give me a fuller update of my daughter's progress or lack of. Her elder sister had done well under her mentorship, but this younger girl is just unmotivated to work at it. The tutor believes there will be a moment of turning for the better. I agree. What we do not know is when. Many parents would be worried that it comes too late, but like incubating an egg you can't hurry these things. It is very hard to make it better and very easy to make it worse.

Growing up is about letting go and letting God. And letting go entails more work than engaging it actively. It is one of life's paradoxes.

I am clear where my circle of competence and responsibility lies. Faith triumphs.

The Diff between a Smartphone and a PC

2012-03-03T21:05:00.001+08:00

Spent so much of today figuring up and setting up my new smartphone. Really reminded me of moving from an old to a new PC. Should have known. The OS now are almost as complex as those of earlier PCs not that long ago. At this rate users would eventually become less enthusiastic about upgrading, just like I had my copy of Windows 8 Consumer Preview but hasn't install it yet. The amount of work on the system just puts me off.

We discovered that one of the phones data packet service wasn't working. Would have to take it to Samsung at Plaza Sing tomorrow to get it fixed.

LOL, Windows 8 Preview

2012-03-03T08:07:00.001+08:00

LOL, at the moment this is the furthest I have got to installing Windows 8 Consumer Preview. I was just trying to get some feel of this thing beyond just looking at the DVD I had prepared with the iso image I downloaded from Microsoft.

Gotta back up the system first. Too much of a bother. I want to hear the experience of others first before going ahead.

Bought three Samsung Galaxy W

2012-03-03T07:49:00.000+08:00

Have not eaten here in years: Hans @ Far East Plaza. We were here last night for dinner. Afterward we hopped across the alley to WhyMobile and picked up three Samsung Galaxy Ws. For the first time in our family all of us are using the same model.

We traded in our X10 and Ace for $180 each. I got my Ace a year ago for $198 since I just missed the IT Show offer then of $148.

The Galaxy W was selling for $390. This is more than a hundred bucks less than the street price elsewhere.

Perhaps I shall trade in my Galaxy W to the telco later this year for $200 and top up for the Galaxy S2. With the advent of the S3, I hope to get a very competitive price for it. WhyMobile is asking for $705 now.

So much optimization. I love stretching the dollar. These are small money but it is reinforcing the good habit that matters. We had overpaid $68 when we bought our first Galaxy W a couple of weeks ago. She needed the phone soonest possible then.

Linksys network adapter (PCMCIA)

2012-03-03T07:24:00.000+08:00

Wonder why I kept this for so long. The notebook meant to be used with this PCMCIA card had been traded in for a newer notebook long ago!

It is now in the trash. Not sure how to recycle this thing.

Niece's excellent A levels results

2012-03-02T16:24:00.000+08:00

Just heard a phone recording my brother sent me via Whatsapp that niece has got her 4As. She was so happy that I can hear her tears. No problem for her losing $600 to her younger brother betting she wouldn't achieve such results.

I had thought of inserting the recording here but decided against it. It is now part of family history. Where should I keep it without losing it?

Psychopaths aplenty on Wall Street

2012-03-01T06:22:00.001+08:00

One Out Of Every Ten Wall Street Employees Is A Psychopath, Say Researchers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28...

Maybe Patrick Bateman wasn't such an outlier. One out of every 10 Wall Street employees is likely a clinical psychopath, writes journalist Sherree DeCovny in an upcoming issue of trade magazine CFA Magazine (subscription required).

Not surprised having been with a big Wall Street firm before. Now people like to write about and remind some of us over and over again.

Of course the afflicted are blind to their condition.

And we have brought many of them to our financial district in the last ten years...if you ever wonder why it is less friendly here now.

Avoiding willful blindness in government

2012-02-28T18:32:00.001+08:00

Amazon.com: Willful Blindness eBook: Margaret Heffernan: Kindle Store

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OA62JU/ref=...

Amazon.com: Willful Blindness eBook: Margaret Heffernan: Kindle Store

If you still aren't sure why we need credible opposition in parliament, this book will remove all your doubts. It is based on solid evidence. In fact it over succeeds at stating its case. We are simply wired to be willfully blind. The PAP claim that it can check itself is pure nonsense. It is almost saying they are not human.

I just read Chen Show Mao's speech in parliament today. He had successfully reinserted some of the intangibles of our values into his speech. He took to task the government for viewing the care of our no longer economically as attractive citizens as a challenge.

Just as economists suffered from Physics envy, this government is blighted with private sector envy. Singapore is more than an Inc., it is still struggling to be a nation and they reduce it to a corporate wearing that badge proudly. Good grief, businesses have some of the shortest lives as organizations in the history of civilization. What a terrible paradigm. It is so shallow, it doesn't even qualify.

Sure investors love us because we flatter them by being like them. Did it ever occur to them to realize this? How can a country be reduced to a corporation? Anything that is not corporately is a challenge and distraction. They have been willfully blind.

We need a good opposition to tell them that the emperor is not wearing clothes because they look themselves in the mirror and cannot see. It is a human limitation to only see what you want to see. Every credible psychologist can explain this.

Topping Science

2012-02-28T09:51:00.000+08:00

If I am not wrong, half of the prizes are bagged by her classmates and her. Well it is an achievement for these girls but I hope they are not over rating it. During my time my parents couldn't understand, now among parents we understand too much and try too hard for them.

Prizes are nice but like I am starting to tell my elder girl, they are no big deal. Such competition for honors are endless. There is always another bigger and tougher arena and what do they bring you except perishable laurels. Seek wisdom, it is much better. And what's that? I am not saying here, they read this blog regularly. It will pop up here and there. Every learning point has its time and place.

Now to our younger child, congrats! Enjoy it for its brief moment and imagine how you are actually able to FAR SURPASS this if only you bother to discard the small pearls for better ones. However along the way, I hope you find that ONE BIG PEARL. This cannot be arranged by man.

If there is one thing the Christians can learn from the Muslims, it is submission to God.

Jan Berenstain has passed away

2012-02-28T09:19:00.000+08:00

Good bye Jan Berenstain. Thanks very much for your books. Our children grew up with them. Even our dyslexic one memorized them all and I thought she could read. Most important all your books were filled with good old fashioned values. They were so well done, like it was hidden in the milk.

Response to my nephew...

2012-02-27T22:58:00.002+08:00

My nephew wrote on FB:

i can imagine myself in the future, no house no car no money. wonders if it is a good or bad thing

My response:

Sounds like you will find something better and I don't mean just emotionally or spiritually. If you stay strong and grounded you would probably have luck on your side. You can't and must never plan it. Head in the right direction but think less of the destination. That place is not something you arrive, but along the way recognize.

Now I have to wait many years for the faith to bear fruit. The wait will likely be longer than this present incarnation of blogger isn't it?

Before my daughter went to bed, I asked if she can identify the source of what I had said to her cousin? If you can't completely rewrite them in your own way and words, you have not learned it well enough to live it.

Public Transport: We have been done in

2012-02-27T13:01:00.003+08:00

S$1.1b spent on buses to include addressing operational cost issu...

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1185374/1/.html

The government's plans to spend S$1.1 billion on increasing bus capacity is not just for buying buses, but also address operational cost issues.

Quote:

Richard Kong, who is a second year student at Nanyang Technological University, asked whether the S$1.1 billion spent on the purchasing of buses will result in an increase in transport fare over the next few years."

Mr Iswaran replied: "We're increasing the bus fleet by 20 per cent - ask yourself, do you think our ridership will go up by 20 per cent? If our ridership doesn't go up by 20 per cent, what it means is the buses would be less utilised, and there's a financial challenge there.

"When you buy a bus, the cost is not just buying the bus. It is also about operating. If you have 800 buses, you need at least 1,600 more drivers. And probably you need more because you need to plan for medical and other kinds of friction. If you want to bring in 1,600 to 2,000 more drivers, there's going to be other costs associated with it as well. So part of this funding is also designed to address some of the operating cost implications over the next 10 years.

"So it's not just about money to buy buses. It's also about how to address some of the operating cost issues over the next 10 years. The primary focus here is to ensure that by doing this, we're able to get a much higher quality of bus service for all Singaporeans. That is the objective of the exercise."

We are screwed. We helped pay for the buses then now we will soon pay for the higher running cost. We pay for everything extra. That's easy isn't it? If we don't pay, who pays? It can get very complicated but in the end the buck stops with us.

But we also pay the shareholders of the listed transport entities. What have they contributed to deserve the dividends? Have they helped us saved more than the profits that is going to them? Of course not. How could it be when management was maximizing annual returns but we are paying the long term consequences?

Privatization was a mistake the government isn't willing to admit. We should either nationalize it or lease it to the private sector. Whatever, we should own it so that we have control and the lease to tug on to get the behavior and services we want.

I am not complaining that we will have to pay more. I am only asking the government to explain how all these is value for money. As it is, it has made more sense for me 9 out of 10 to drive than use public transport, i.e., the fares are too high adjusted for time and quality. Anecdotally something is not right here.

Now we can expect in time to have the most expensive transport systems in the world regardless public or private. The government will have to bump up private transport or at this rate public transport will become more expensive than the more comfortable, convenient and even prestigious alternative. The first step in this direction is COEs inflating in a hurry. The government is always in a hurry. So when you see something changing quickly in this society, I bet you can trace it back to them.

There is one more train of thought I want to record but I am running out of time: the work culture of these transport firms. I am worried that the only trick the government know is to bump up pay. They need to work on their culture or we are paying for their under performance.

Closer to 2016, I shall refer to this and many other posts to help me decide who I should support. This line has the keywords since I am not willing to spend more than the minimum time to blog. Tagging is too time consuming.

Unimpressed with our OpenLectures.sg

2012-02-27T11:20:00.001+08:00

I just made a quick visit to openlectures.sg. I had emailed my daughter about this promising site earlier after reading it in today's papers.

To be fair to them, I only have time to look at three lectures. The first two videos on Economics, and the first lecture of their Chemistry series.

One word: Unimpressed. They can't even speak properly. Very distracting. Completely unfamiliar with effective communications 101, much less teaching. Perhaps they can take a leaf from Khan Academy, the closest and more established site I can compare them to.

Many of our school teachers can do much better. Why don't we get the best of them to grace these sessions instead? These talented young people can set up and market them better than the school teachers as they are more familiar with the target audience.

Update:
I have discovered their YouTube channel and found a guy who is quite good after going through several less sterling ones. Unfortunately I am denied the courtesy of crediting him with his name. Comms 101, you are on video, the audience may not be familiar with you; it would be a good idea to always write your name on the board before you continue.

At this point, I think the quality of the site is patchy. Some of the clips I have seen and I wouldn't like to highlight them here, I think you are better off just reading your text or reference books.

Suggestion: Rope in some of the media guys from the polytechnics. You will be surprised what tremendous value they can bring to the effort, otherwise keep it simple like Sal Khan.

A Traffic Jam to remember

2012-02-27T11:03:00.006+08:00

Bad traffic this morning. Heavy rain causing flooding at Ulu Pandan (We missed that). Traffic jam, the cause we discovered later was due to an over turned vehicle. Afterward it was a smooth drive :-)

Saw others putting up similar pics on facebook. They were certainly not amused and also not that patient.

Tai Chi on MS Kinect

2012-02-26T17:26:00.001+08:00

Tai Chi on the Kinect as shown in my Kindle Fire running the YouTube app.

Wifey wants to buy the Kinect but her research has shown that we have a space problem. Too much clutter and the LED TV is placed wrongly for it. We have the Nintendo Wii for more than four years now. Hardly used and I am afraid the Kinect might also turn out to be another white elephant.

Games are fun but where's the time for them? Well at least for me. I wouldn't even blog anything that takes too long to write!

A Christian Shark Symbol?

2012-02-25T10:12:00.000+08:00

I don't know what to make of this 'fish symbol'. Looks like a Christian Shark or Orca to me. It is probably anti-Christian like the Nazi Swastika was by making a travesty of the Cross.

Here are some "Jesus Fish" I found with Google.

I wonder if the driver of this beemer would not end up causing offence to Christians and bringing unnecessary trouble to himself or herself.

To me Christians should wear their cross with their lives and not their fashion or decorations. Since we have too much pride and leave no room for the Christ, we rather display him on or outside ourselves than emanating from from our inside. Religion is the ultimate substitute for God, the greatest menace to civilization.

Second McDonald's at East Coast Park

2012-02-24T15:30:00.002+08:00

There is a new McDonalds located in the seafood center compound. We had a quick bite here this afternoon.

I wonder if this is their response to the impending closure to their first outlet which the SLA is taking back to redevelop. This outlet is much smaller.

We should go like doctors

2012-02-24T11:02:00.000+08:00

This article was reproduced from a blog: www.zocalopublicsquare.org

The macro and policy consequence on healthcare costs would be huge if many people choose to go like doctors.

At the micro level, how each family deals with death probably reveals more about them than anything else. I have had to face this up close too soon and too many times. My children no longer have any grand parents. It is a blessing that in Singapore we have far less over treatment than in America.

I had decided against reading a book I found very intriguing: How We Age. I took my copy from our public libraries, read a little and returned it thinking that I would get the kindle version instead. As old age is still too far away and there are so many unread books, I had let it be. Yet another issue had rekindled my interest in that book: it has become a GP or PW (I can't remember) topic for my JC girl. I haven't told her the book could prove to be very insightful. She will learn about it from reading it here. That book could have another use for her: helping her enter another world which her disability makes it very tough. I hesitate as I thought old age is almost always wasted on youth. Therefore I had not mentioned it to her before.

If you love something....

2012-02-23T22:34:00.000+08:00

I never expect to see this on a poster. These words meant a lot to me but the one I got was slightly different. I was only nineteen when someone shared it with me.

A few years later I came across the Serenity Prayer and I will always remember it.

WhyMobile prices

2012-02-23T22:29:00.000+08:00

I discovered on the Web WhyMobile.com offer great prices especially for Samsung smart phones. Unfortunately I was early. They open from 2pm to 9pm.

I would like to see for myself if there is any catch. The price differential is simply to big.

Social Work: The last calling

2012-02-22T09:26:00.002+08:00

My thoughts on this morning Talkback.

Social work is the last frontier to the called. Teaching, nursing, doctoring and politics have all become professional.

We don't have enough social workers. That's what happened if it remains a calling. Once you pay up and professionalized the service it cease being a calling. Sure, some are still heeding the call but they will be lost among many professionals.

The end of the good old days. It has to be.

Mixed up shoes

2012-02-22T09:14:00.002+08:00

It happened again to my old friend this morning. Fortunately he discovered the mistake before it was too late and could go home to set it right!

Unless there is a huge color contrast, I think most people wouldn't have noticed.

Jumbo Jet Nostalgia

2012-02-21T12:25:00.001+08:00

Our happiest flights were on the Boeing 747B jumbo jet. The first time wifey flew in her life, it was a 747B. We were going Down Under for our honeymoon. When we took my mom to Floriade, it was this plane. Some of our most memorable holidays the 747 took us there.

We are going to miss this plane.

Took this shot from SIAJourneys.com

I agree that this is a beautiful aeroplane.

Educators damaged reputation

2012-02-21T09:23:00.000+08:00

Our educators reputation is being chipped away faster than it can be repaired given the frequency their errant members have been uncovered.

How many rats are still in hiding? How many are confident that they would not be caught? And how many are unfortunate cases that need more help than punishment.

Sexual predators go to where they can find easy and abundant targets. Where else but schools?

I think we need a more holistic appraisal and solution to this problem. Clearly ad hoc response isn't working.

I have this uncomfortable hunch that we have become an over sexed society. Now at the tipping point, the situation has become patently clear. We have debased the sexual and lost its beauty. As typical of us we had foolishly traded our precious intangibles for the silly superficial and transient.

Man is addicted to destroying everything that God has made beautiful.

Budget 2012

2012-02-21T08:51:00.002+08:00

For several days now a feature of this Budget has graced the front page.

The PAP government has finally began to listen to the voice of the people. They listened to nothing but votes. This is bad. This is brinkmanship.

Since the world has no new thinking in the political economy, there cannot be novel strategies. We just simply take out what was rejected earlier, give it a polish and deploy it as I suggested in, "PAP and Riding the Tiger of Globalization to ruin" in April last year.

I think they should either overhaul and make the feedback the REACH channel independent or just get rid of it. MPs should be collecting feedback, but as part timers how able are they?

I don't care how and what you do but if you lose touch with the ground, you run the risk of becoming history even if you have the protection of a GRC.

Hibiscus at the Healing Garden

2012-02-19T21:16:00.003+08:00

Pretty hibiscus spotted at the Healing Garden this morning.

Moving Computers

2012-02-19T21:12:00.001+08:00

This Acer Aspire AS3810TG I got almost two years ago will now be my work horse. Will now use the faster desktop sparingly.

Invested in a powered USB hub ($35.90) to make the transition practical. The Notebook PC has only 3 USB ports.

When I buy the next machine, I would like a USB 3.0 for faster hard disc access

Economics of Good and Evil

2012-02-18T06:59:00.000+08:00

Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street.

Another best book I am reading. Can tell from the blue dots I am about one third into the book.

The book explores the moral and philosophical foundations of our present economic system. I wouldn't be surprised that the author is critical of the pragmatic approach to Economics at the end of the book.

Sure as Keynes is fond of being quoted that in the long run we are all dead, but does it justify creating a situation where problems become too hard to solve. What is too hard to overcome will depend on the cultural and social reserves of a society. Without the balance that Raja and Toh Chin Chye could have brought to LKY excess, we are pawning our intangibles, i.e., our cultural and social reserves.

I bet when a reader is done with this book, he/she will vote against the casinos.

JC life

2012-02-18T06:35:00.000+08:00

My daughter is absolutely peeved that school days will only end at 6pm for the whole of next week. I have heard older parents complaining to me that they lose their kids to JC for piling them with so much work and activities. My children would hate this as they love to come home. They are always in a hurry to get home from school.

Do we lament that family ties are weakening when we are torn away from each other by duties and responsibilities. This is a society that wants it all but not wise enough to know that there is no such thing. In the end many people get home late and tired. Few people have the knowledge and self confidence to make the trade offs resulting in them trying to have it all. The failure rate could rise as the ALL in having it all gets larger all the time. They had always look to the government; a by product of how we had gained independence and gotten here on what is the smartest thing to do. Very bad idea.

Like the years before I realized I need to help her navigate school independently. I was hoping she could cope on her own. She is making steady progress but it is inevitable that we often need to measure progress by testing how far we can stretch a rubber band until is breaks. Very challenging for a special needs child who does not learn like others. It is a marvel that despite all the handicaps she had done so well.

I hope she gets her exemption from CL. The free periods would be very helpful.

All our disabilities and weakness are opportunities for display the Lord's grace.

First Visit to Bedok Point

2012-02-17T21:31:00.001+08:00

We visited Bedok Point after picking up our girl from her JC near by this evening. First time here. Not a very big place but I think almost half of the space are occupied by food outlets. Many familiar names.

We had dinner at Paradise Inn.

Discovered a Challenger store in the basement and bought a new micro SD card for our girl's Galaxy W phone and a powered USB Beikin hub for my transition to a Notebook.

We eat like bird, so three dishes were good enough. eggs/prawns, Eggplant and beef.

Spam from Far East Organization

2012-02-17T15:14:00.001+08:00

Not appreciated especially when Far East Organization keep sending this. I am leaving it on my shoe rack for a while. They also twice inserted this on my car windshield. Once I didn't realize it was there and drove away with it. So inconvenient when you need to use the wiper.

Altogether I have had four copies of this spam. One more and I am going to pick up the phone to tell them off.

Educated about Tan Jee Say

2012-02-17T13:12:00.002+08:00

We are lucky again, thank God.

Today we receive a good education in electoral politics: the character of ambitious men. You thought he was tested and proven many years by the PAP as a senior admin officer. No problem in the character and motivation department. Not true. He is more in love with his economic plans, feeding his ego than seeking the welfare of Singapore.

I am glad that Singaporeans are fast learners. The social media are now filled with diatribes against Tan Jee Say. As for Frankie Low, he is not worth mentioning. Voters are familiar with his kind.

When I get the time, I must look back and my earlier postings about Mr. Tan and see what lessons I must draw for myself.

Assessing people's character and motivation is the hardest job in the world. The track record everywhere especially in times of prosperity and success, including the history of civilization is bad.

Arc Keyboard Batteries

2012-02-16T14:04:00.000+08:00

The first set of batteries (2xAAA) lasted seven months, which came with the device. The second set (Energizer type) were good for nine months.

How long would these fresh batteries I just put in last?

Warren Buffett: The Speculative Bubble in Gold

2012-02-16T12:34:00.000+08:00

Warren Buffet warns gold price bubble is being driven by fear and could burst like tech stocks

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/investi...

Buffett dismissed latecomers to gold investment. 'The old proverb is confirmed once again', he said, 'what the wise man does in the beginning, the fool does in the end'.

As usual the Sage of Omaha Warren Buffett is a great teacher (Everyone is dsylexic about spelling his name!)

The way Buffett explain the Gold Bubble is perfectly explained in a NaviMap. Can't believe that it has been so many years since I worked on this stuff.

Here reproduced from a presentation I gave to the now defunct Swiss startup ThinkTools. It is normative for a counterbalancing loop to form between Box 2 and Box 3, but in the presence of Box 1, a reinforcing loop is created....

Remembering Uncle Jimmy Chew

2012-02-16T12:18:00.001+08:00

A letter to the Forum in this morning papers. This is indeed a gift for the family, a wonderful way to remember a good husband and father who had lived an extraordinary life in the service of others at every turn. And to think that there are others like him is most heartening.

Out of the crucible of war, heroes are born.

WP expelled Yaw Shin Leong

2012-02-15T23:00:00.001+08:00

WP bit the hard bullet to expel Yaw Shin Leong. They had done the right and courageous thing. Yaw could have kept his job if he was willing to be transparent and accountable about his alleged wrong doing. Unlike America who do not mind allowing the skeletons in the closet to fall out and even polish them, people here cannot survive the massive loss of face from such confessions. There is no room for grace. Meanwhile the WP has regained their moral high ground again.

The school principal's hypocrisy

2012-02-15T22:54:00.001+08:00

This principal never imagined that he could be found out and had to resign.

My thoughts on him goes way back to the former CAD chief Glenn Knight. It took agonizing long years, but he made a comeback. Will this principal be able to after he had suffered?

Drug traffickers are never given a second chance. We should learn and try to do better. Everyone deserves a second chance even if they have to suffered and earn it.

Samsung Galaxy W for my daughter

2012-02-15T22:48:00.002+08:00

Bought the Samsung Galaxy W for my daughter today. 3 Mobile was selling it for $468. Two other shops were asking for $498. On the Web you can get it from a shop in Far East Plaza for as low as $405 but I am suspicious. There had been too many bad stories.

Right now we are conditioning the battery. It should be ready early tomorrow morning for her to take to school.

The roses one day after

2012-02-15T22:41:00.003+08:00

How lovely the roses are one day after I bought them!

Love in Action

2012-02-14T11:19:00.000+08:00

他向她求婚時，只說了三個字：相信我
她為他生下第一個女兒的時候，他對她說：辛苦了
女兒出嫁那天，他摟著她的肩說：還有我
他到她病危的那天，重複的對她說：我在這
她要走的那一刻，他親吻她的額頭輕聲說：你等我

這一生、他沒有對他說過一次“我愛你”，但愛....從未離開過。

Or in English:

When he proposed to her, he only said three words: Please trust me,
When she gave birth to a daughter, he said to her: you have suffered (thank you so much),
On the day their daughter got married, he put his arm around her shoulder and said: I am still here,
When she was very ill, he repeated to her : I am here,
Moments before her departure, he kissed her forehead softly said: Wait for me,

In this life, he has never said the words "I love you". But "love" has never left.

Valentine's Roses

2012-02-14T09:29:00.001+08:00

Some of the roses for wifey before they are prep. $3 per stalk and you are your own to make something out of it.

This day has become a money making scam. There is even one gift of roses, ok so many that you despair counting at Far East Flora which is priced at $5,000. This is definitely a show off gift. The smallest bouquets (no baskets here) mostly start at $100.

They are really running ahead of themselves. Up to a point Singaporeans become practical. Beyond that you are sending the wrong message suggesting that you are a spendthrift with the wrong money values. Translated it reads that you are bad spousal material.

Pricing eBooks

2012-02-13T10:38:00.000+08:00

The Halo Effect

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NY128M/ref=...

Much of our business thinking is shaped by delusions -- errors of logic and flawed judgments that distort our understanding of the real reasons for a company's performance. In a brilliant and unconventional book, Phil Rosenzweig unmasks the delusions that are commonly found in the corporate world...

1 of 1Choose a thumbnail

No thumbnail

This book at Amazon.com is going for $12.99. It's paperback version costs $10.99. To me it is priced to lose. Good luck to you Simon and Schuster. Amazon just can't resist pointing out that the pricing was yours.

This book isn't expensive, but I am not going to fork out $13 when I am only interested in not more than 30% of the book. I will take a copy from the library, read the parts I want and return it. The publisher and distributor make zero from me and others who are similarly interested.

Come on, how many books are so good that you read it thoroughly from cover to cover? The assumption that we value the book as much as they do is a myth. Had they price it better, e.g., never above $9.99 and much less if they understand how most readers might use the book they would have made a lot more money.

Song: For Those Tears I Died

2012-02-12T22:10:00.002+08:00

Facebook brings surprises far more often than I had expected. "For those tears I died", I first heard it sung by the trio Esther, Lily and Nancy so many years ago in church. Now that building has be completely torn down and from the debris a larger and more imposing building will arise. Ah memories!

Don't discriminate or stereotype

2012-02-12T21:35:00.000+08:00

Early today I was reading an article, "Sports and Asian Americans". It tells a story how Asian men were derogatorily stereotype. Coincidentally a few hours later a friend sent me this. How fitting!

It is human nature to stereotype others based on our ignorance and prejudice. Only the open minded and big hearted people have any chance of not committing this grave injustice to others. There is just too little respect for those who aren't like us.

AN AUSTRALIAN SUPERMARKET

CRUDE, BUT IT COULD BE TRUE!!!

This is hilarious -- but meaningful discrimination!!

A Chinaman goes to Woolworth's in Australia .

He finds cat food at special prices. He picks a dozen cans of cat food and goes to check out.

The Manager gets suspicious. He thinks that this guy might not have a cat and will probably feed cat food to his kids.

He asks the Chinaman to show him his cat before he could let him have cat food.

The Chinaman goes home and returns with a cat and gets to buy the cat food.

Next week the Chinaman finds dog food at special prices. He picks a dozen cans of dog food and goes to check out.

The Manager again gets suspicious. He thinks that this guy may have a cat but he cannot have a dog and he will
probably feed dog food to his kids.

He asks the Chinaman to bring and show him the dog before he can let him have dog food.

The Chinaman goes home and returns with a dog. He gets to buy the dog food.

The following week the Chinaman comes to Woolworth's with a bag.

He asks the manager to put his hand in the bag.

The Manager puts his hand in the bag, feels some thing slimy and immediately pulls it out.

He shouts at the Chinaman, "What the hell ! This is shit, you idiot !"

The Chinaman calmly replies, "Yes, now may I buy some toilet paper?"

MORAL OF THE STORY : DON'T MESS AROUND WITH A CHINAMAN !!

PC acting up more often now

2012-02-11T20:53:00.002+08:00

I hope this is the final PC incident of the day. As expected it has been acting up more often. Earlier today, it had restarted itself after messing the display with lines thrice.

I have started shopping for a replacement. Should I stick with Acer? Has Dell gotten back its mojo. My last Dell was a lemon. Is Asus any good? I was disappointed with theirs and Lenovo's SG site. They were still touting Windows Vista!

Wonder when Windows 8 would be released.

Healing Garden @ Botanic Gardens

2012-02-11T20:48:00.002+08:00

Took this pic at the Healing Gardens of our Botanic Gardens this morning.

Usually we are too early and it was still too dark to notice small flowers like these. Curiously pretty.

Terminating my WSJ subscription

2012-02-10T15:45:00.000+08:00

Today my WSJ subscription runs out. I have decided against renewing. The newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch News Corp isn't the paper it was before. It has become less professional and too keen to promote the ideology and agenda of Murdoch.

Returning to Golden Shoe Food Centre

2012-02-10T11:52:00.001+08:00

I haven't been to the Golden Shoe hawker centre in years. Used to be a regular lunch haunt. I can recognize many of the stall holders. Looking at how age had caught up with them, many of them are should be retiring when CapitaLand decide to tear down the building and rebuild. What a waste to see yet another place existing only in our memories.

Vehicular traffic in the city was really bad. Really makes one stupid to want to drive here.

Get Together at TCC

2012-02-10T11:46:00.001+08:00

Afternoon tea yesterday with some old friends I got to know from my kids' primary school. We haven't met up for a while.

TCC at Shaw House. They are trying to promote their Valentine's set.

I had to leave early, no such luxury like the rest.

Six Screen Protectors for our Nokia X3-02

2012-02-09T09:59:00.001+08:00

Six pieces of screen guard for our Nokia X3-02. I can't buy even one in any retail outlets here but I can have six for about $2.50 from Hong Kong. Beat that!

Caught in Traffic over Thaipusam

2012-02-08T11:50:00.000+08:00

Was caught during peak hour on the way to the office yesterday. Auxiliary Police had blocked the traffic creating a jam. Then I saw the procession cross the street ahead of us. It was Thaipusam.

Later in the evening I heard that carrying the Kavadis were done in honor of Lord Muruga. I thought I had learnt it was Lord Subramaniam in Lower Secondary History?

SQ Jumbo Farewell

2012-02-08T10:11:00.000+08:00

Sorry to see this plane model exits SQ service. I had always preferred to fly the Jumbo. Was quite happy when we traveled on holidays recently with China Airlines, they offered the 747B

I still don't feel comfortable about the A380. Perhaps we have watched too much NatGeo Air Crash Investigations.

MP Yaw resigns as WP's Treasurer

2012-02-08T06:17:00.003+08:00

This may be perhaps as close as we will get to his "No Comments" over the alleged adultery with a WP woman member.

To err is human. That is not the problem. The real problem is what follows. Will he behaved like King Saul had? Will he eventually decide King David was the better example, which is what Bill Clinton had done.

We ought to respect others privacy. Going public is not for our sake. It is for his sake. King David had to publicly confess because he was king. Ditto Bill Clinton because he was President. If you keep it in the dark it remains shameful and Satan will always retain the right to accuse and destroy you. If you confess and accepts the Lord's grace, you will go free. Then he will realize that nobody has the right to cast a stone at him.

He is a Christian right? The offer of the Lord's gracious love is always available as long as he lives. The ball is in his court. It was never in the public's side. We can only react as appropriate.

First Cockroach of the Year

2012-02-07T06:07:00.001+08:00

First cockraoch I smashed in the new year. The last one was in August last year.

There were at total of four incidents last year. This is the second time since last year one was spotted in the same bathroom.

Exemption from Mother Tongue

2012-02-06T21:22:00.001+08:00

I just completed filling up the application to MOE for exemption MTL for my daughter. In return I suggested that she does not get extra time for exams any more. This will be helpful for her to adapt and function like a normal student.

Some people, even her sister envied her extra time but these ignorant kids don't understand the struggle. On the other hand disabilities are opportunities to forge strong character.

I am encouraged that unlike previously, this school is so responsive and quick. This is a very good start. I am encouraged.

Half Time in America

2012-02-06T10:47:00.001+08:00

A truly inspiring message from Clint Eastwood for America. That's optimism! That's spirit. Go make it happen!

Toh Chin Chye vs Lee Kuan Yew

2012-02-04T21:07:00.000+08:00

Quoting LKY,

"I will confine myself to my recollection of him as a man of strong character. He was a redoubtable fighter for equality for all peoples, regardless of race, language or religion," Mr Lee said, sending his condolences to his son-in-law, Johnny Ng.

Stingy old man, so ungracious. Members of the Old Guard brought balance to the excess of LKY with Dr. Toh as a heavy weight. (An example of the balance from Dr. Toh)

He disagreed too much with LKY and so he dropped him from Cabinet isn't it? If you disagree with LKY too much, he thinks you are wrong and dumb. What conceit.

Toh Chin Chye would have helped to create an Athens out of us, but LKY has made this place into a Sparta and is forever getting us to "eat bitterness". He did it again yesterday as a broken record over the need to accept immigrants.

Toh Chin Chye and Rajaratnam were pragmatic idealists; a difficult balance only achieved by those with deep insight. LKY was a cynical realist who would only be imaginative when his back is against the wall, otherwise he always feared and act on those fears from materializing, creating a kiasu Singapore culture. All that mattered to him is the economy and defence; all material and nothing spiritual. The others, including Goh Keng Swee had a more holistic view of life.

The passing of Dr. Toh is a good time to remember what was left out in the development of Singapore and how we might make a better mix with better regard that man does not live by bread alone. At minimum there would be more humanity and compassion.

Fortunately, Lee Hsien Loong was far more humble, gracious and generous than his pugnacious father.

Quoting from the PM's letter to Dr. Toh's family:

During the Budget debate in 1985, Dr Toh made a passionate speech criticising the Central Provident Fund contribution, then 50 per cent of wages, as a heavy imposition on employers. I had just entered politics, and as a minister of state in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, I stood up and rebutted him vigorously. But as it turned out, Dr Toh was right. The economy soon went into a steep recession, and by the end of the year, the Government had concluded the CPF rates were too high and indeed needed to be cut.

See also: Dr. Toh Chin Chye: He fought his own party

Dr. Toh Chin Chye dies

2012-02-03T12:59:00.003+08:00

Yet another founding father of modern Singapore has left us. Raja, Lim Kim San, EW Barker and Goh Keng Swee are all gone now.

The report said Dr. Toh died early this morning.

Uncle Jimmy left too soon.

2012-02-03T12:53:00.002+08:00

One of the most remarkable fellow I know personally. I knew him through his son for more than three decades.

He might be nearly 88 but in this instance he had left too soon.

I watched the throng of visitors who had come. Many were elderly and emotional too.

I had helped his sons keep the vigil for the past two nights by popping up at the moments when I think was the hardest. If I am up to it, will try to do so until the day of cremation.

Note that they had not forgotten Evelyn. I haven't come across an orbit like this.

Uncle James had left too soon because Aunty Mary needs him badly.

Compromised Email Account

2012-02-03T12:37:00.000+08:00

Had read this first off my mobile early this morning but found the way the story was crafted highly suspicious. I do not know how I can contact Nelson about this. This has been my only way of reaching him over the years.

When I opened it on my PC, Gmailed flagged warning which wasn't present on my mobile. So my hunch was right.

Temasek JC Bear

2012-02-02T19:49:00.000+08:00

A cute inclusion in the Temasek JC orientation pack my daughter brought back today.

You can't go wrong with teddy bears

Selecting a case for the Kindle Touch

2012-02-02T19:47:00.002+08:00

Got this case which I brought with me during our SF trip to pick up and hold the Kindle Touch. Bad choice as the Kindle can fall out if you are not careful.

Received this new case yesterday which fold over the top of the Kindle ($15.99). Now the Kindle won't fall out accidentally.

Preparing soft inside egg

2012-02-02T19:40:00.000+08:00

8 to 9 mins in our steamer to get this the way the girl likes it.

He has no heart beat

2012-02-01T09:14:00.000+08:00

First thing I did this morning was to check my phone and this was the message I got. Uncle James is gone :-(

An exemplary and outstanding husband, father and patriot. On and off he had appeared on TV and our papers.

And what my old friend left these words for his dad as he held his hands.

牵着你手送你上路是我生命最痛心的事
黑夜折磨你的皮囊、
原黎明引你回主怀抱
爸、天堂之路走好
儿永远感恩

Going Home

Going home, going home,
I'm just going home.
Quiet-like, slip away-
I'll be going home.
It's not far, just close by;
Jesus is the Door;
Work all done, laid aside,
Fear and grief no more.
Friends are there, waiting now.
He is waiting, too.
See His smile! See His hand!
He will lead me through.
Morning Star lights the way;
Restless dream all done;
Shadows gone, break of day,
Life has just begun.
Every tear wiped away,
Pain and sickness gone;
Wide awake there with Him!
Peace goes on and on!
Going home, going home,
I'll be going home.
See the Light! See the Sun!
I'm just going home.

Making a desperate move

2012-02-01T08:50:00.002+08:00

Driven to make an unthinkable and desperate move last night. As I waited for enough time to pass for the action to be taken, I looked from the park bench and took this shot. So many of them have moved in already. It was a wonderfully pleasant evening with a light breeze. I would have like to tarry here but there are many things to get to. I replied to an important sms and rushed home. It's the children bed time soon.

Half the time I wondered if I had done the right thing, but I am bereft of ideas. I was quite shocked and frightened by Cai Ling's book. Never so afraid before over something that exist only between pages! All digital these days.

Blue Screen of Death returns

2012-01-31T09:49:00.004+08:00

A most unwelcome blue screen of death just a month away from the anniversary it started acting up.

Then I was dogged by such problems until I had the motherboard and hard disc replaced under Acer's extended warranty.

The warranty has since expired. If this PC kaput again, will have to pay up for a replacement. No regrets. It has provided a good service for almost four years.

Breakfast at Suntec City Food Court

2012-01-31T09:43:00.001+08:00

Simple breakfast at Suntec City food court this morning after we had fetched the girls to different schools.

Hasn't had rice cakes in years (80 cts each or three for $2). I had two pieces. Not bad.

JC1 cohort composition at Temasek JC

2012-01-30T12:28:00.001+08:00

Make some calculations to estimate the character of JC1 at TJC

Expect a pretty supportive culture in addition to what I have learned about the JC history.

School	Pupils
Chung Cheng	71	9.4%
Anglican High	69	9.2%
TKGS	58	7.7%
Cedar Girls'	46	6.1%
Victoria	39	5.2%
Temasek Sec	38	5.0%
TKSS	36	4.8%
Maris Stella	31	4.1%
St. Nicholas	29	3.8%
MGS	28	3.7%
Ngee Ann	27	3.6%
Zhonghua	23	3.1%
Xinmin	21	2.8%
Crescent Girls'	12	1.6%
total	528	70.0%
Cohort total	754

Posted to Temasek JC

2012-01-30T09:48:00.001+08:00

SMS alerts arrive earlier than the JAE site at MOE (8am). She got her first choice.

TJC would be the best fit for her. The culture is the most supportive among the top JCs given her needs.

I have no practical idea how well her cohort had done until you see so many of them getting into TJC and VJC. They were the best in six years.

iOS out; Android in

2012-01-29T10:30:00.002+08:00

At leisure, at a snail pace, I have finally succeeded at putting aside my iPod Touch and rely completely on my Android phone. A milestone in digital personal device use for me.

Applestore still have much better apps overall but I hate the control freak architecture of their platform. With my tech background, I often want the flexibility of doing things my own way. Android allows that. This is especially true when I am managing files between systems.

The pocket feel so much lighter and emptier now.

Where is Hougang MP Yaw?

2012-01-28T10:43:00.001+08:00

I don't know where MP Yaw had gone missing, but I can't help recalling an unforgettable story told us when I was a kid. Here is a small bit of it from Genesis in the Bible.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Do you need the truth from the horse's mouth? Actions speak louder than words.

The church is filled with both wheat and weeds, you can't tell them apart. That's life.

Meanwhile I feel that ST is trying too hard not to appear to be on the PAP side.

Hougang residents interviewed said Mr Yaw should come forward to clear the air on the allegations. However, most of the seven interviewed expressed support for their MP, saying his personal life does not matter as long as he continues to perform well as an MP.

The MP is famed for having a good feel of the ground. There is no need to be scarce when your constituents are still supporting you. Read between the lines. I wouldn't bet on this but it is quite good material for learning how to evaluate sources for Social Studies in our Secondary schools.

Yaw Shin Leong how long do you want to hide? You and your party which I was supporting look awful now. The longer the wait the worse you look. Voters are lucky to see you and the party getting tested with a scandal so soon.

From the time a young Lee Kuan Yew jumped off the back of a truck carrying the rest to their deaths, Singapore has been unusually fortunate.

Trying homelessness

2012-01-28T05:11:00.001+08:00

Just learned from my nephew's facebook photo album that father and son had tried living like the homeless here. I didn't think they were serious when one if them talked about it during lunch recently. I think it is very good experience for the boy.

When what others think of you don't matter, you will start to discover who you are. Few have the courage. Takes time.

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The final moment approaches

2012-01-27T21:11:00.001+08:00

Just been informed that the final moment isn't far away. I pray that they will have a special moment with him good for now and eternity.

No one escapes death. What is important is how we leave here. One of the best endings recorded in the Bible was when the person beside the Lord asked him, "Please remember me when you enter into Paradise". I am asking for no less.

Commute to TJC

2012-01-27T09:31:00.002+08:00

Took a drive early this morning to TJC and stopped by at the East Coast Park. Driving to that JC will be a daily affair if she gets accepted to that school. From our research that JC will fit her the best.

I wonder what time school starts at the JC. When I passed there at 6:40 the place was totally dark.

A "Bad Apple" in WP basket?

2012-01-26T16:29:00.001+08:00

Just got an email from my friend telling me that the newspapers will have a field day on WP Yaw Shin Leong tomorrow. However I discovered that TNP has already grabbed and run away with a story of his rumored affair with a married woman. Since I don't subscribe or buy TNP, I am not privy to the lurid details. Actually I find the occasional free articles from TNP in AsiaOne are often aggravating.

My friend in his email pointed me to TRE which had published it as far back as Jan 20. Now if these allegations turned out to be true, then MP for Hougang should step down. He hasn't done anything illegal to be forced out but this is a grave moral trespass. There will be by elections and the WP will likely lose this seat to the PAP.

If he refused to go, I hope Hougang residents would not accord him the respect of an MP, i.e., he becomes a lame duck. Alternatively I feel the WP should sack him.

Sorry Mr. Low, you have to do better then keeping mum all this while or I believe Singaporeans will not support your party. In fact, the longer you keep mum the worse your party look. The party need to respond now. Remember Steve Tan who had dropped out of standing in Tampines GRC. That is the high standard to uphold.

Doc said only two weeks to live

2012-01-26T13:31:00.000+08:00

Last night I got an sms from my old friend that his dad will not last more than two weeks. That's what the palliative doc said to them. The last few times I saw Uncle James was in hospital. The silver cord could be severed sooner :-( May be even before the week runs out.

The presentation is similar. I have been here many times already.

The family is severely stressed, but I think they will hold up and eventually stand together.

I have never gotten so many bad news in such a short span of time over the CNY. I think half of them are caused by an ageing population after discounting a friend viciously mugged up north and her young sister in law fighting terminal cancer.

Remembering an old classmate's mom

2012-01-25T09:15:00.000+08:00

The last and only time I met Auntie Anna was more than 30 years ago. She passed away about two years ago. Mark and I were classmates in JC.

She was a generous lady. She brought us for beef noodles at Cuppage Centre. I am trying to remember how we got there. It just wouldn't come back. We must have rode in her car or may be we took the bus and met her there. Supposedly she had worked near by.

This is a pic of her last Christmas Day party on 25th December 2010.

Replacing desktop clock battery

2012-01-24T13:19:00.000+08:00

The display of this very old desk clock had been fading rapidly over the last week or so. This morning it completely faded away.

Battery: CR2025. Got the Sony one and the shopkeeper warned me that there are imitation Maxell types in the market. They work but do not last.

Full display contrast achieved with new the new battery.

Question: How long would it last. When will I be back here to check?

Warm day with aircon off.

Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk

2012-01-24T10:08:00.000+08:00

Took a walk this morning at the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk.

The weather was wonderful because the sun was behind the clouds and there was a gentle breeze.

On the other hand the place wasn't giving out the vibes I like. Reminded me too much of Dubai especially when we had to walk around the marina. Much of the view had Bukom refinery, which I dislike visiting when I was with Shell. It just spoils the view.

When you don't see the refinery, we have the RWS to fill the view. Again, I didn't like that. On the third face, is the vulgar looking Reflections condo complex by Keppel. I think the joy is in looking at the small things, especially the botanical delights and the cleaner parts of the shoreline.

The architects were clever to place the info display facing Sentosa, avoiding RWS, Bukom and the Reflections.

Too many bicycles and no bike lanes. In fact I think cycling is forbidden. A menace.

CNY visits

2012-01-23T15:14:00.000+08:00

Not too sweet, just nice. The gingkos were also perfect. I get this once a year when we visit wifey's eldest brother.

I google this before deciding to blog about it. I was told you can't get it here. It can be purchased in Taiwan. There is a famous street where they sell all the pets stuff. Their eldest son had gotten it for them.

After a break of two years, we finally were able to visit my grand uncle, grand aunt and aunt. Sadly the two elderly relations could no longer recognize us. Dementia had taken a heavy toll on them. Just as well they were spared the pain of the knowledge of my dad's passing.

In normal times, especially when I visited them as a kid years back, I would be happy to get these humongous ang pows from them. They were never so big. Could it be a sign that they are fading fast? The amounts were downright embarrassing.

Hong Paos

2012-01-23T09:22:00.000+08:00

Stuffed so many hong paos this morning making it a point to use those printed with dragons as they would be inappropriate next year.

And the ones for the girls because they like the cherry blossoms.

Reunion Lunch at NUSS Kent Ridge

2012-01-21T16:39:00.000+08:00

Reunion lunch today at NUSS Kent Ridge. As expected it was a godsend opportunity to grow revenue with Yusheng. A mid size plate is more than $50. I think the one at Ichiban Sushi is very much better value.

Chinese New Year Reunion meal

Once again we are together
Seated around our reunion table
Far we have travelled over the year
But once again family draws us here

Jokes pass around in delightful swells
Many stories we have to tell
Many a news we have to say
Which together would last many days

A bounteous feast is spread across the table
But without family we would not be able
To laugh and have fun as much as we did
Because it is they that provide it

Reunion meals are not about the food
Though judging by the price it ought to be good
But rather it is the family
And the time together with you and me

That makes it a special time of year
When our bonds grow ever near
It is the time right now right here
That truly is our festive cheer

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! And Enjoy your time with Your Family!

Copyright © 2012 by May Kwek

Dr. Goh first wife passes away

2012-01-21T10:09:00.000+08:00

Bound to forget unless it is also entered here. Let's not just remember her as Mrs.Goh. She has a name: Alice Woon.

Fatigue over the Pay Debate

2012-01-21T09:40:00.002+08:00

Exactly my sentiments. Overall I feel the debate over ministerial pay has been technical and tiresome. So much heat and little light.

To the man in the street, it is very simple. Pay for performance but with some extreme consequences. If you do well, no pay is too much. If you do badly, even $1 is too much, i.e., you deserve the boot and some might even add punishment. It seems to me ancient military law is wished here because it often has huge consequences on the people.

Indranee Rajah comment on the spirit of paying ministers was most apt. Taken over the long term, I still bought WP's position. As for the PAP, they are bullies as usual. They might be able to keep their supporters but they are not winning the ones they have lost. To do that, you need the opposition to shoot themselves in their foot. There is no other way other than giving them rope to hang themselves.

I see the ST being arm twisted to write their columns in favor of the PAP this morning. Look, you can bluff some people all the time, but not everyone all the time. I can see through their spin easily.

Voters want to see gentlemen and ladies in politics. To be realistic this is impossible, but we want to see politicians keep trying to raise the standards of behavior first followed by debate.

Replacement Explorer Touch Mouse arrives

2012-01-20T11:51:00.001+08:00

The replacement Explorer Touch Mouse Microsoft promised to send has arrived. Took them less than the promised 21 days.

And it's working well :-)

One last look at the old mouse before it goes into the trash.

Owe Money, Pay Money O$P$

2012-01-20T09:46:00.000+08:00

Got a rude shock early this morning when the doors to the elevator opened. In loud red, "O$P$ 12-277". I haven't seen this in the many years we were living here. We were used to them marking walls when we were living in a 3-room flat after we got married. My immediate neighbor had attracted a lot of such unsavory attention, but they were never violent like setting the door on fire or even targeting innocent neighbors.

In these bad new era, I wonder where this will lead to. I have taken a picture of the graffiti and plan to inform the Police about this. I am afraid this might only be the beginning. The household had quickly dispatched their maid to rub off all the O$P$. My guess is that they are too embarrassed to take this up with the authorities. I will have to discreetly show the picture to some of my neighbors. We must be proactive here.

Update: A very unfortunate case of mistaken identity. Was given to understand that such mistakes are becoming quite common.

Stuffing Ang Pows

2012-01-20T09:40:00.002+08:00

Rediscover this again while trying to stuff some hong paos for the CNY.

With this blog entry, hope no more surprise next year. We want to keep these notes forever. Can't remember how we came to have and keep them. I guessed must be from hong paos from many years passed.

This year wifey brought back a whole bag of red packets to use. That's what happen when you have relationships with so many banks.

Thanks for the memories Kodak

2012-01-20T09:13:00.000+08:00

I never forgot Kodak advertisement featuring this song by Paul Anka when I was a kid. Absolutely on the mark when I look at the films and photos of all our significant moments. Even when we have moved on to digital cameras with Canon, "Delighting You Always" we still tell each other that this is a "Kodak Moment".

Well Kodak has entered Chapter 11 but memories live forever.

Memory: Dusit Thani Dubai

2012-01-19T16:45:00.001+08:00

A friend we got to know while we were living in Dubai recently went up the Burj Khalifa and took this pic. It shows the Dusit Thani. We occupied a suite in that hotel on our first visit to Dubai. Its surroundings is still as desolate looking as before.

I don't care for the place. It is people that mattered.

Bad time for home visits Mr. MP

2012-01-18T14:45:00.000+08:00

Timing untimely visits must be a hallmark of this MP.

I was buying nasi lemak when I noticed this and snapped a photo. According to my former classmate a grassroots volunteer, this chap often choose the strangest times to visit his constituents at their homes. Again I bet he cannot get his Chinese volunteers to come along. Chinese families busy with preparing for CNY would certainly also prefer him to have picked another day.

Being insensitive, so typical of many MPs. If counselors were like them, they would have lost their jobs long ago. Of course, I was thinking of the MPS.

Velvet glove punch in the face for the govt

2012-01-17T18:26:00.001+08:00

Everyone ought to read this excellent speech given by Ho Kwon Ping at the IPS seminar yesterday.

It reads like a velvet glove punch in the face of the failure of this 'extraordinarily able' government. Actually it doesn't so much reflect the government capabilities are where their heart is and the embarrassing value system they were hiding. That's why their speeches and pronouncements often sound so hollow and hypocritical. Many can sense it even if they can't articulate it.

Mr. Ho concluded as follows:

Most articulated visions of Singapore deal with things like education, the arts, or even political governance. They usually do not deal with work relations, which actually are at the heart of a society's ethos and culture because work relations define how we treat each other. At the core of Japanese society are its unique values regarding self-reliance and respect towards work. Similar values, although manifested differently, also are at the core of Scandinavian or German culture.

In Singapore there is no such consensus. The supposed social compact between the Government and its people must be underpinned by a consensus about the nature of Singapore society itself.

What is the benefit of more participatory politics if we have a society so hypocritical that citizens complain of poor service and how young Singaporeans are too soft to work in service industries, but in the same breath complain if costs rise because of higher wages? Or a society where a private housing estate raises a huge ruckus because a foreign workers' dormitory will be built in the same neighbourhood, as if it were a leper colony?

Any paradigm shift towards a more egalitarian and self-reliant society as in Japan and Scandinavia will require a paradigm shift. And this can happen only if there is a collective consensus which is at the heart of political exchange. And in that exchange, informed debate will be necessary, or else xenophobia and other crude and emotionally charged issues will obscure rationality.

Political Salaries

2012-01-17T10:15:00.002+08:00

There is too much to read on the ongoing debate on Ministers' Pay.

If doctors, lawyers, accountants etc., the highly skilled class of professionals were badly paid we wouldn't have enough of them for our needs.

We like to idealized doctors, teachers and religious leaders, but often we are taken back to reality when they fail and not that infrequently these days.

Our ideals keep us alive and assure our tomorrow; but to get there we need to get real too. We cannot have enough competent leaders. It is a problem even for the nations with abundant talent. In fact, we might even have to bring on board less than honest ones because of their special gifts. Once in the team, more senior leaders have to protect and ring fenced these weak but gifted members from temptation.

Over time, I hope to see political salaries fall. Also private sector pay for top executives is a historical anomaly. That phase will pass.

If we cannot broaden our bench of talent then our educational policies have failed us abysmally.

Today pay is an important factor for attracting and retaining leaders. We are sorely lacking in idealism when political leaders must be motivated with huge performance bonuses. I am sure this will return to haunt them just as a bonus calculated on GDP growth had created a lopsided and unhappy situation of our people.

Every society need some myths to keep it alive. We mustn't get too real or we become no better off than the animal kingdom. It is our idealism and holy grails that drives our evolution to adapt and become better. If we and we have been failing to invest in these, we shall disappear quite soon. Why condemn ourselves to Darwinian terms? You can't get more myopic than that. I remember LKY considered the SSO a waste of money but GKS had pushed hard for it.

Personally I prefer the WP approach to paying ministers. The PAP one is deeply flawed and a danger to the survival of our society even beyond the medium term. It is cynical about the human resource we can produce and a slap in the face of what we have been doing in our school system. Today it is the thousands of good families in Singapore that is defending our old fashioned values against a mercantile and fretful government.

If we have to bribe people to serve then we don't deserve to last. We must not throw overboard our values so easily in a storm, like siting two casinos here. Get rich quick schemes and quick fixes (think going overboard with FTs) don't last and minsters' bonuses tied to annual KPIs are simply being hypocritical about working for the long term.

You can pay the ministers anyway you want but if they are perceived to enjoy the upside and never the downside, this whole compact will fall apart. So for the sake of our future, I hope this would not be the last pay review exercise.

Leaving Heartprints with YouTube

2012-01-16T18:02:00.000+08:00

So many video views? I must be sleeping. to not know about it. I haven't look at this since I created this YouTube channel for my converted flash movies into short clips. Such analytics weren't even available back then.

I hope it is helpful to visitors. The mission of the site is to help people leave heartprints on each other.