Some asked me why Thailand is doing so well in containing covid. There are many factors but my take on this is because most of the common folks are convinced the Junta gahment will not do a good job so they took initiative to protect themselves and their communities. Especially the poorer provinces, they know they can't afford an outbreak. The medical professionals in both private and public hospitals are also a key in engaging the public, informing them about the dangers of the virus without waiting for approval from the ghament. Especially so when their advice was fallen on deaf ears.
The Thai gahment indeed screws up in a lot of areas and policies in handling the pandemic. Slow in their initial response and a lot of u-turns in the beginning of the crisis confuses the public and their core civil servants. Even the economy stimulus payout they came up with is a big hoohaa.. apparently they underestimated the number of people who needed the financial aid and ran out of money. duh....
Initially too when the outbreak started, Thais are also nonchalant about the disease since the gahment is sending very mixed signals to the people. It was only when the chief of infection disease and doctors, begged and cried on national TV for people to stay at home and the people responded with overwhelming support.
The common folks understood the seriousness and rallied behind their health workers. You may say most Thais may not score high on their IQ test (due to their questionable education system) but you can never deny their empathy for others are outstandingly high. It's the people themselves that took up the mantle to protect each other. The Thai gahment didn't do much actually. It's really up to the people to do the right thing.
PS. Forgot to put down 1 other important thing. Thai people, like Taiwan, China and South Korea, believes in masks. Since day 1 even when there aren't enough stock. Thai people would find ways to cover their mouth or face. You don't need a genius to tell you otherwise.
What ifs? Part 2
To be fair to both spectrum.
Part 2 is to those having issues with how our gahment sucks and making a lot of noises recently.
To the general public.
What if we all be responsible adults and read up/research more about the virus instead of just relying on gahment to tell you what to do and blindly follow?
What if we all have some compassion and place more effort in helping others that are less off than us? Especially to the migrant workers that helped build our infrastructure.
What if we instead worry about them "dirtying" our schools or flats , have a sense of pride on how we as a great nation, have the graciousness to help them out in these trouble times?
To those still complain about the previliges given to essential workers. (Medical staff, enforcers, police, cleaners and etc)
What if we put our shoes in these workers, that has a high risk of getting his/her job done without getting sick?
What if we value cleaners and respect their work rather than looking down on them because of their so called "low skill" labour?
What if we simply listen to their advice and reasons on their actions before raising our voices and make a complain?
And finally to all those anti gahment for no apparent reasons.
What if we shut up for the moment and wait for the whole covid-19 crisis over liao then complain about it later can? (Unless its really a dire situation where you need to voice out your concerns then of course this does not applies, but I sincerely doubt you have one. :P)
Part 2 is to those having issues with how our gahment sucks and making a lot of noises recently.
To the general public.
What if we all be responsible adults and read up/research more about the virus instead of just relying on gahment to tell you what to do and blindly follow?
What if we all have some compassion and place more effort in helping others that are less off than us? Especially to the migrant workers that helped build our infrastructure.
What if we instead worry about them "dirtying" our schools or flats , have a sense of pride on how we as a great nation, have the graciousness to help them out in these trouble times?
To those still complain about the previliges given to essential workers. (Medical staff, enforcers, police, cleaners and etc)
What if we put our shoes in these workers, that has a high risk of getting his/her job done without getting sick?
What if we value cleaners and respect their work rather than looking down on them because of their so called "low skill" labour?
What if we simply listen to their advice and reasons on their actions before raising our voices and make a complain?
And finally to all those anti gahment for no apparent reasons.
What if we shut up for the moment and wait for the whole covid-19 crisis over liao then complain about it later can? (Unless its really a dire situation where you need to voice out your concerns then of course this does not applies, but I sincerely doubt you have one. :P)
What ifs.
There's this behaviour on online debates that likes to use appeal to ignorance (argumentum ad ignorantiam) . I personally do that all the time whenever I troll someone. Because it's cheap and manupilative and normally shut down the other troll or party.
So here's a troll piece just for fun. XD
Side note: By no means I am totally dissing our leaders here, I sincerely think they are doing all they can to alleviate the situation and I'm still grateful for that. However there are some serious oversight that we can learn and do better.
Side note: By no means I am totally dissing our leaders here, I sincerely think they are doing all they can to alleviate the situation and I'm still grateful for that. However there are some serious oversight that we can learn and do better.
What if our leaders(we) did not only listen to WHO but formulate their own defences against covid like Taiwan or South Korea?
What if we don't blindly follow WHO early advice that covid-19 is not a pandemic but treat it as one and issue a temporary ban on China visitors?
What if we don't blindly follow WHO early advice that covid-19 is not a pandemic but treat it as one and issue a temporary ban on China visitors?
What if we don't treat that ban as being xenophobic but as a precaution against spreading the disease?
What if we don't worry about the people hoarding surgical mask and even have a propaganda against wearing it?
What if we trust our people won't hoard the mask by explaining to them that our medical staff needs it as they might be a shortage if this continues on?
What if we quickly find ways to produce our own mask or source for them when China is starting to hoard them in Dec 2019?
What if we listened to NGOs early warnings to us in Jan about the workers dorms and do something about it?
What if we immediately have a shutdown or lockdown when we see huge crowds still gather at Mustafa or shopping centers?
What if we don't come up with a silly name like "Circuit Breaker" and just called is a partial lockdown to communicate to the masses on the dire situation?
What if we don't worry too much about losing too much in an election and plan to have one during the pandemic? (like we would lose like dat)
and finally,
What if we simply apologise and acknowledge our past mistakes instead of pushing all our responsibilities to WHO or even to the people? We are, of course the most well paid politicians in the whole world. ELITES leh. Tears in parliament are cheap, human lives are not.
P.S BTW. I actually plan to publish this AFTER the whole covid 19 incident is over but our leaders are simply just asking for it ... lol
Changi Jewel - A missed opportunity
I can't believe I'm writing again but this was on the subject on Changi Jewel which I find it's a big opportunity missed by our dear leaders again.
I sincerely love our Changi Airport. Not only because of it's efficiency and functionality but the symbology behind it. The control tower is an icon of Singapore. So when they say they wanted to refresh it I just shake my head. It's going to be bad. That was in my head when they say they are planning to revamp T1 and T2.
Then T1 and T2 re-open with some new art installations (Kinetic rain being one of them). And I was sincerely surprised that the revamp was actually good! A lot of new sculptures and art work. That's really cool. So maybe this Jewel thing might be a good thing. I was hopeful at that time.... Or so I thought until I heard it's going to be a shopping mall right in center of our airport.
And this is my point about Jewel. Why do we ever need that shopping mall? If they just removed all the fucking shopping center component of it and just have an art or museum instead. We don't need a huge fountain or a rooftop garden. We already have that in Suntec City and Garden by the bay. An art gallery or a museum can be smaller, less obtrusive and cheaper to maintain. Have more interactive or moving sculpture in it or even a museum about Singapore's growth into a city and I guarantee you it will make a hit worldwide.
It's just sad. Sad to hear words like " A symbol of bold dreams." uttered to depict a glorified shopping mall.
I sincerely love our Changi Airport. Not only because of it's efficiency and functionality but the symbology behind it. The control tower is an icon of Singapore. So when they say they wanted to refresh it I just shake my head. It's going to be bad. That was in my head when they say they are planning to revamp T1 and T2.
Then T1 and T2 re-open with some new art installations (Kinetic rain being one of them). And I was sincerely surprised that the revamp was actually good! A lot of new sculptures and art work. That's really cool. So maybe this Jewel thing might be a good thing. I was hopeful at that time.... Or so I thought until I heard it's going to be a shopping mall right in center of our airport.
And this is my point about Jewel. Why do we ever need that shopping mall? If they just removed all the fucking shopping center component of it and just have an art or museum instead. We don't need a huge fountain or a rooftop garden. We already have that in Suntec City and Garden by the bay. An art gallery or a museum can be smaller, less obtrusive and cheaper to maintain. Have more interactive or moving sculpture in it or even a museum about Singapore's growth into a city and I guarantee you it will make a hit worldwide.
It's just sad. Sad to hear words like " A symbol of bold dreams." uttered to depict a glorified shopping mall.
I owe it to the people who are still fighting.
I recently had a small chat on whatsapp with a Singaporean friend of mine who is currently residing overseas too like me. We chatted about the new POFMA law and the current states of affairs. He was amazed that I am still planning to go back to cast my vote in the upcoming election even though I already made my point I gave up on other Singaporeans eons ago.
Why?
Because I owe it to the other people who are still fighting the fight. People who don't have a choice to leave or still believe in real changes. Opposition parties or any other NGOs that are still on the ground, trying to do the impossible to change things around. I mean of course, some would say resistance is futile and so it's not worth the time and effort. One single vote doesn't matter. This is exactly what the current establishment wanted us to do. To be indifferent and apathetic. Just drop everything and let them win. Oh no, never in my book! Yes, they will win, but why let them off so easily? 😁 So yes, no worries to my friends who are still in Singapore and hoping. So long if there is an election . I will definitely exercise my duty as a citizen of Singapore, I will continue to vote. The outcome may be undesirable but I will have all the rights in the world to complain about the ghament that I never chose. hehehehe
Why?
Because I owe it to the other people who are still fighting the fight. People who don't have a choice to leave or still believe in real changes. Opposition parties or any other NGOs that are still on the ground, trying to do the impossible to change things around. I mean of course, some would say resistance is futile and so it's not worth the time and effort. One single vote doesn't matter. This is exactly what the current establishment wanted us to do. To be indifferent and apathetic. Just drop everything and let them win. Oh no, never in my book! Yes, they will win, but why let them off so easily? 😁 So yes, no worries to my friends who are still in Singapore and hoping. So long if there is an election . I will definitely exercise my duty as a citizen of Singapore, I will continue to vote. The outcome may be undesirable but I will have all the rights in the world to complain about the ghament that I never chose. hehehehe
Big 40
I just bought a new mechanical keyboard for my computer and so I decided to pop by my blog to write something. Wow, haven't wrote anything for more than a year. hahaha
I just turn 40 in August this year. Which means my NS liability is finally over. Didn't managed to get the final milestone but at least I can proudly say I had served my country. It's quite surreal actually. Most of the guys I know cleared their NS in their early 30s or even for the worst cast scenario, around 38. Just 2 years short from the cut off point. If not, they were just totally exempted from this whole spectacle. A bit of mixed feeling on my last day to report to camp. Exhilarated initially when I signed off for the very last time (the RP was staring at my laughing face when I returned my T-Pass, thinking I'm mad) but felt a bit sad too when I was taking the train home.
I have been staying most of my time in Maesai since my last update. Basically spending money from my stock dividends and so far I could say it's still quite comfortable. Have to be really careful on buying things but over here, expenses are getting more expensive over here too. I guess the everywhere is the same too.
My next adventure will be trying to get a PR in Thailand so I don't really need to go through the Visa runs every 3 months. I might document this over here if it helps but so far, I just went to BKK to ask around and it's a bit complicated. Will share once I have more time. Now back to painting and building more plastic models. :)
My next adventure will be trying to get a PR in Thailand so I don't really need to go through the Visa runs every 3 months. I might document this over here if it helps but so far, I just went to BKK to ask around and it's a bit complicated. Will share once I have more time. Now back to painting and building more plastic models. :)
We lost something today.
Disclaimer:
In no way this is to be treated as an academic historical paper or the absolute truth. It's just an opinion piece I penned one last time for my own leisure and of course, for our leader Lee Kuan Yew. There will some good and nasty things I will write about him so extreme LKY's worshipers (those who ignored his past deeds and want to whitewash him) and haters, please go away. We are not on the same channel. And for the rest, I believe you already have your own opinions on the old man but I hope you can read on. Click on some of the links I shared and form your own new opinions on the man. This posts will have some video links and also some historical facts that I know. Most of them are pulled from the Internet so it might not be correct as I need something to reference upon on, If readers do spot a mistake, please just drop me a comment and I will correct them.
History is important to me. It's a form of way to identify myself as a Singaporean Chinese. I enjoy reading Ancient Chinese history to lean more about my roots but I especially love reading Singapore's history as I am a true born 3rd generation Singaporean. I also love his-story as I am fascinated with people. People with powers that shape future generations to come.
Lee Kuan Yew is one such character.
I actually started to write about him again while he was critically ill in bed but I decided to stop when I saw the euphoria of some of his haters online. And indeed, those who adore him started to condemn those who are happy about his inevitable demise. People then started taking sides and posting irrational thoughts, provoking each others. Some called for unity. Some called for respect. Some ask others to go fuck themselves I'm of course, indifferent about the whole death issue as all men will die some day. But all these hate and love on one single person? Then followed by the mourning and the long queue to pay a last visit to an empty shell. Don't you want to know why leh? I want to know and I think I know. :P
People likes to simplify things. I tends to complicate them. So for this piece. I will just list out the good and bad things that people say about him that I agree with.
The good
1) He's charismatic, good looking and definitely an intellectual who posses some wisdom to guide our country. Just look around us now. Singapore as a country is successful and rich. There's no denying it that he helped to shape it into this. Of course he had help from others like Goh Keng Swee and Dr Albert Winsemius. But at least for those haters who say he's a dictator, he did listened to their suggestion and implemented them. And for those worshipers who are still reading or clueless. No. Singapore is not a "fishing" village when he took over.
2) He's a tough and strong willed leader who can bring the best out of people. "People, especially the ministers and senior government officials working under him literally fears him" one of his critics and ex ISD detainee Francis Seow said. Such fears normally will push oneself to excel. It's not the best way but I agree it's one of the ways to do it.
3) He's not corrupt. He's frugal in his expenses. I had heard rumours that he enjoyed expensive whiskey or wine but I think that's fine. All man have some sins. Same old shirt and briefcase for years..... I sincerely love the windbreaker he always wears to parliament sittings. This frugality also extended to his family members. I think Tin Pei Ling will faint if she is part of the family. Also not to forget he's not in this for the money. The CIA bribe scandal is also another good indication.
4) He's a loving, devoting father and husband. Although last time no instagram but there are enough pictures in his memoir and on the Internet to proof that :P I especially feel the love in this and this video on youtube.
5) He's hardworking and put Singapore 1st. Countless accounts of civil servants says he work hard everyday and when he speaks, is mostly about Singapore. There's no denying that.
6) He's a master orator. Period. ND rally and election speeches was so much more interesting during his era.
7) He's gentle, kind and approachable. Some of you might go HAR!!??? But sad to say this is genuine. I once had a very brief encounter with him. My friend and I went to Marina Barrage to shoot but we got ourselves right in the middle of a PAP convention . So we retreated and took a long walk towards the Marina Bay MRT station. Along the road, we saw the whole road empty with traffic. A limo stopped just beside the road and there he is, the old man was in the car heading towards the convention. I made eye contact with him, he smiled at me 1st and I smiled and waved back. He actually waved back and the car drove off. No high horse or attitude or a fake smile. A very genuine and sincere one I would say. There are, of course other countless people who have the chance to talk to him and find him the same way. I will explain why this is such a big contrast to what others says of him. This love of the people is like a Lord or a King loving his subjects. He is concern with our livelihood as he felt responsible for our well beings. Not exactly bad but I would not say it's exactly good too as his world view is that people are born with a difference. Some are more "elite" then others.
The bad
1) He's a bully, a gangster and power crazy. Especially to his political opponents or those with influences and opposes him. I think I can list a very long list of names. But some notables are during Operation Coldstore in 63 and 66. People like Chia Thye Poh (32) , Said Zahari (17), Lim Hock Siew(17), Dr Poh Soo Kai (19) and others. I named the 1st four because they were imprisoned without trial for the longest period of time. The brackets beside the name is not the age but the years spent in detention. The links are video interviews that was made but please don't treat them as the absolute truth. But it serves a good understanding on who LKY targets and how his opponents felt about him. Then in 1987. Operation Spectrum sees another wave of arrests. This could be the main gist of his flaw. He also stayed too long in power. From Senior Minister to Minister Mentor! What a title! The rest of the founding fathers have already retire from politics or not involved in cabinet meetings. But he stayed on till 2011!
2) He's ruthless and authoritative. Even Mr Dhanabalan who said it that he was ruthless to all who would undermine his authority. It's not easy to work for such a boss.
3) He's cunning,calculative and not trustworthy. In the declassified British documents The late Tunku Abdul Rahman and Lord Selkirk does not have good words for him.
4) He practices nepotism. Giving various high senior government position to his own people. This is not surprising as he needs to consolidate his power and control.
5) He's greedy and a hoarder of money. This seems to be contradictory to point that he's not corrupt. But being frugal and not accepting bribes does not mean he's not greedy. There are people who likes to see money in their bank grows indefinitely for no apparent reason. He may not spend it but he just loves to hoard it. How he acquires the money will be another room to debate for but the fact is that he acknowledges that ministers needs to be paid according to the highest income group shows he enjoys being wealthy.
6) He's egocentric, living in his own grandiose. I think the books, the state funeral of his wife and allowing all those ass lickers surrounding him is a good indication that he likes to hear people say great things about him.
7) He's a coward. Yup. He's scared. Scared of all the bad things that might happen if he loses power and all. His public persona is always a strong and fearless man but I believe underneath he is damn scared of those whom he finds are his equals. This is quite easy to spot as when faced with challenges to his authority. He uses backstabbing and underhanded methods to solve them rather than with the rule of law. Eg. like the ISA. and lawsuits . J. B. Jeyaretnam, Dr Chee and Mr Tang Liang Hong. He's also highly suspicious on people who would undermine his rule.
7 good points and 7 bad.
There are more like he's a racist towards our Malay brothers and sisters but I think he had no choice in that. He needs the Chinese voter base to consolidate his power. I sincerely don't think he is racist but I do apologise to my fellow Malay Singaporeans for the biased treatment under his rule. Those who knows me well knows I hate hypocrites and he's seems not. He did said in his books that he don't believe in western style democracy and so he didn't deny its all just a cover up. I'm still struggling with these 2 points so I left them out.
I believe majority of my fellow Singaporeans on both end of the spectrum agrees with my assessment and some of them in the middle ground like me still find it sad to see him go and have an unknown urge to pay him a last respect. It's perfectly normal and make sense because he did indeed became a part of our heritage. Majority of the Singaporeans did not even know our own Singapore history well. Which is to me quite sad and why I wrote this post. Most of our heritage are torn down for the sake of "progress". The only person we knew well together and closely tied to our history is Lee Kuan Yew himself. One of the founding father of modern Singapore. Whenever we go overseas, we'll be surprised to hear our foreign friends knew about a person called LKY. From young, we're educated sub-consciously that he is the embodiment of Singapore. Just look at the euphoria and joy every time when the old man shows up for NDP! So whenever one of our heritage or national identity are destroyed, we felt something is lost. And for the supporters and haters, we did lost something today.
So would I pay my last respect to him in person and mourn. Not really. I find that a lot of the current problems we face in Singapore is actually the legacy of the old man himself. Due to his authoritarian style of rule. Majority of the Singaporeans became too dependent on the government and thus, lost the ability to think critically and paints everything in just plain black or white/ true or false argument.
I also don't believe in wearing black or mourning together is a way to send him off. It creeps me off actually. I don't think he will like it either as he clearly stated he did not want to be worshiped after he's dead. He don't want to be embalmed and put in a display case like Chairman Mao. Instead, I'm actually glad he's finally out of the picture so we can reorganise ourselves as fellow Singaporeans and move on. This is so pragmatic Lee Kuan Yew style isn't it? :)
RIP LKY.
In no way this is to be treated as an academic historical paper or the absolute truth. It's just an opinion piece I penned one last time for my own leisure and of course, for our leader Lee Kuan Yew. There will some good and nasty things I will write about him so extreme LKY's worshipers (those who ignored his past deeds and want to whitewash him) and haters, please go away. We are not on the same channel. And for the rest, I believe you already have your own opinions on the old man but I hope you can read on. Click on some of the links I shared and form your own new opinions on the man. This posts will have some video links and also some historical facts that I know. Most of them are pulled from the Internet so it might not be correct as I need something to reference upon on, If readers do spot a mistake, please just drop me a comment and I will correct them.
History is important to me. It's a form of way to identify myself as a Singaporean Chinese. I enjoy reading Ancient Chinese history to lean more about my roots but I especially love reading Singapore's history as I am a true born 3rd generation Singaporean. I also love his-story as I am fascinated with people. People with powers that shape future generations to come.
Lee Kuan Yew is one such character.
I actually started to write about him again while he was critically ill in bed but I decided to stop when I saw the euphoria of some of his haters online. And indeed, those who adore him started to condemn those who are happy about his inevitable demise. People then started taking sides and posting irrational thoughts, provoking each others. Some called for unity. Some called for respect. Some ask others to go fuck themselves I'm of course, indifferent about the whole death issue as all men will die some day. But all these hate and love on one single person? Then followed by the mourning and the long queue to pay a last visit to an empty shell. Don't you want to know why leh? I want to know and I think I know. :P
People likes to simplify things. I tends to complicate them. So for this piece. I will just list out the good and bad things that people say about him that I agree with.
The good
1) He's charismatic, good looking and definitely an intellectual who posses some wisdom to guide our country. Just look around us now. Singapore as a country is successful and rich. There's no denying it that he helped to shape it into this. Of course he had help from others like Goh Keng Swee and Dr Albert Winsemius. But at least for those haters who say he's a dictator, he did listened to their suggestion and implemented them. And for those worshipers who are still reading or clueless. No. Singapore is not a "fishing" village when he took over.
2) He's a tough and strong willed leader who can bring the best out of people. "People, especially the ministers and senior government officials working under him literally fears him" one of his critics and ex ISD detainee Francis Seow said. Such fears normally will push oneself to excel. It's not the best way but I agree it's one of the ways to do it.
3) He's not corrupt. He's frugal in his expenses. I had heard rumours that he enjoyed expensive whiskey or wine but I think that's fine. All man have some sins. Same old shirt and briefcase for years..... I sincerely love the windbreaker he always wears to parliament sittings. This frugality also extended to his family members. I think Tin Pei Ling will faint if she is part of the family. Also not to forget he's not in this for the money. The CIA bribe scandal is also another good indication.
4) He's a loving, devoting father and husband. Although last time no instagram but there are enough pictures in his memoir and on the Internet to proof that :P I especially feel the love in this and this video on youtube.
5) He's hardworking and put Singapore 1st. Countless accounts of civil servants says he work hard everyday and when he speaks, is mostly about Singapore. There's no denying that.
6) He's a master orator. Period. ND rally and election speeches was so much more interesting during his era.
7) He's gentle, kind and approachable. Some of you might go HAR!!??? But sad to say this is genuine. I once had a very brief encounter with him. My friend and I went to Marina Barrage to shoot but we got ourselves right in the middle of a PAP convention . So we retreated and took a long walk towards the Marina Bay MRT station. Along the road, we saw the whole road empty with traffic. A limo stopped just beside the road and there he is, the old man was in the car heading towards the convention. I made eye contact with him, he smiled at me 1st and I smiled and waved back. He actually waved back and the car drove off. No high horse or attitude or a fake smile. A very genuine and sincere one I would say. There are, of course other countless people who have the chance to talk to him and find him the same way. I will explain why this is such a big contrast to what others says of him. This love of the people is like a Lord or a King loving his subjects. He is concern with our livelihood as he felt responsible for our well beings. Not exactly bad but I would not say it's exactly good too as his world view is that people are born with a difference. Some are more "elite" then others.
The bad
1) He's a bully, a gangster and power crazy. Especially to his political opponents or those with influences and opposes him. I think I can list a very long list of names. But some notables are during Operation Coldstore in 63 and 66. People like Chia Thye Poh (32) , Said Zahari (17), Lim Hock Siew(17), Dr Poh Soo Kai (19) and others. I named the 1st four because they were imprisoned without trial for the longest period of time. The brackets beside the name is not the age but the years spent in detention. The links are video interviews that was made but please don't treat them as the absolute truth. But it serves a good understanding on who LKY targets and how his opponents felt about him. Then in 1987. Operation Spectrum sees another wave of arrests. This could be the main gist of his flaw. He also stayed too long in power. From Senior Minister to Minister Mentor! What a title! The rest of the founding fathers have already retire from politics or not involved in cabinet meetings. But he stayed on till 2011!
2) He's ruthless and authoritative. Even Mr Dhanabalan who said it that he was ruthless to all who would undermine his authority. It's not easy to work for such a boss.
3) He's cunning,calculative and not trustworthy. In the declassified British documents The late Tunku Abdul Rahman and Lord Selkirk does not have good words for him.
4) He practices nepotism. Giving various high senior government position to his own people. This is not surprising as he needs to consolidate his power and control.
5) He's greedy and a hoarder of money. This seems to be contradictory to point that he's not corrupt. But being frugal and not accepting bribes does not mean he's not greedy. There are people who likes to see money in their bank grows indefinitely for no apparent reason. He may not spend it but he just loves to hoard it. How he acquires the money will be another room to debate for but the fact is that he acknowledges that ministers needs to be paid according to the highest income group shows he enjoys being wealthy.
6) He's egocentric, living in his own grandiose. I think the books, the state funeral of his wife and allowing all those ass lickers surrounding him is a good indication that he likes to hear people say great things about him.
7) He's a coward. Yup. He's scared. Scared of all the bad things that might happen if he loses power and all. His public persona is always a strong and fearless man but I believe underneath he is damn scared of those whom he finds are his equals. This is quite easy to spot as when faced with challenges to his authority. He uses backstabbing and underhanded methods to solve them rather than with the rule of law. Eg. like the ISA. and lawsuits . J. B. Jeyaretnam, Dr Chee and Mr Tang Liang Hong. He's also highly suspicious on people who would undermine his rule.
7 good points and 7 bad.
There are more like he's a racist towards our Malay brothers and sisters but I think he had no choice in that. He needs the Chinese voter base to consolidate his power. I sincerely don't think he is racist but I do apologise to my fellow Malay Singaporeans for the biased treatment under his rule. Those who knows me well knows I hate hypocrites and he's seems not. He did said in his books that he don't believe in western style democracy and so he didn't deny its all just a cover up. I'm still struggling with these 2 points so I left them out.
I believe majority of my fellow Singaporeans on both end of the spectrum agrees with my assessment and some of them in the middle ground like me still find it sad to see him go and have an unknown urge to pay him a last respect. It's perfectly normal and make sense because he did indeed became a part of our heritage. Majority of the Singaporeans did not even know our own Singapore history well. Which is to me quite sad and why I wrote this post. Most of our heritage are torn down for the sake of "progress". The only person we knew well together and closely tied to our history is Lee Kuan Yew himself. One of the founding father of modern Singapore. Whenever we go overseas, we'll be surprised to hear our foreign friends knew about a person called LKY. From young, we're educated sub-consciously that he is the embodiment of Singapore. Just look at the euphoria and joy every time when the old man shows up for NDP! So whenever one of our heritage or national identity are destroyed, we felt something is lost. And for the supporters and haters, we did lost something today.
So would I pay my last respect to him in person and mourn. Not really. I find that a lot of the current problems we face in Singapore is actually the legacy of the old man himself. Due to his authoritarian style of rule. Majority of the Singaporeans became too dependent on the government and thus, lost the ability to think critically and paints everything in just plain black or white/ true or false argument.
I also don't believe in wearing black or mourning together is a way to send him off. It creeps me off actually. I don't think he will like it either as he clearly stated he did not want to be worshiped after he's dead. He don't want to be embalmed and put in a display case like Chairman Mao. Instead, I'm actually glad he's finally out of the picture so we can reorganise ourselves as fellow Singaporeans and move on. This is so pragmatic Lee Kuan Yew style isn't it? :)
RIP LKY.
The Full Carl Sagan Series 1-9 HD
If you haven't heard of Carl Sagan then at least watch this series. Please don't give excuses like "no time". Just watch it like your latest soap opera drama or movie. It's an eye-opener.
Nespresso and mycoffeestar combo
I like drinking espresso coffee but I just dislike the mess of making one. A good press is also expensive and difficult to maintain if I don't drink enough. I had thoughts of getting a single serve Nespresso capsule machine while in Singapore but as I am currently staying in a 山龟 (rural) area in Thailand, it will be difficult for me to get the capsules readily if I ran out.
Yes, there are online shipping options but because Thailand taxes heavily on import coffee, it's crazy to even think of getting them overseas and shipped into the country without being slapped by a heavy penalty.Another thing that puts me off is the amount of waste it generates. Yes they do recycle their capsules in Singapore but not here in Thailand.
Those reasons above put me off of getting a machine until I discovered this refillable capsule from mycoffeestar. It's expensive but actually worth it in the long run. I get to choose locally produced Thai coffee which are pretty good. Especially those Arabica beans grown in the North. It's less wasteful and not so much of a hassle then a real coffee press machine. The small Nespresso machine does not leave a big footprint in my kitchen so it's a win win.
Making a cup with a refillable capsule is not that difficult. The only attention you need to be specific is the grind size of your coffee and you're set to go. Grind it fine but not too fine . My experience is about similar grind size like drip coffee.Of course, I still drink Nespresso capsules once in a blue moon or if I want a quick coffee fix or I want to splurge myself. But for my current morning routine. I can easily whipped up a double shot latte with this combo. And speaking of double shot, I bought one more set from coffeestar recently to make my double shots even easier. :P
I am still shooting.
My cameras are still with me and I still shoot but I am even more selective on the photos I wish to share on the Net. Not so much of privacy concerns but one of the reason is because of the sheer volume of photos on the Net. Selfies, groupies, food photos and even my wife is starting to dump photos into her facebook account. I know its a free space to share but can at least edit a bit anot? I see people dump over 200 photos of their travel photos with tons that are just out of focus and underexposed. I know it has been like that ever since facebook has an easier way to upload photos in batches but it's even more serious nowadays and I got a little bit fatigued in looking at a picture on my monitor. Which leads to the 2nd reason why I stop posting to facebook
.
My bloody printer. :P Ever since I got myself a serious photo printer, I printed most of my recent works on my Canon Pro 100 and they are just simply different . A physical piece of paper with my picture on it is 100x better then the same picture viewed on a computer monitor.
Ask those who prints their photos seriously and they will give you the same conclusion. If you really want to appreciate your own piece of work as a photographer then just print it out, print it large (at least 8x10), print it with a proper printer or lab, and you will know and understand why a printed photo is so awesome. :)
.
My bloody printer. :P Ever since I got myself a serious photo printer, I printed most of my recent works on my Canon Pro 100 and they are just simply different . A physical piece of paper with my picture on it is 100x better then the same picture viewed on a computer monitor.
Ask those who prints their photos seriously and they will give you the same conclusion. If you really want to appreciate your own piece of work as a photographer then just print it out, print it large (at least 8x10), print it with a proper printer or lab, and you will know and understand why a printed photo is so awesome. :)
My 3 month hiatus is over.
I have not disappeared or died in Thailand yet. :P I have not been writing anything because I just gave myself a self imposed 3 month hiatus from complaining and personal reason. It's surprisingly not that tough as I have not been writing a lot ever since I quit my job. There are tons of crazy things happened in both Singapore and Thailand during these 3 months that I wish I could write and blog them down for future reference but I was able to choose not to do it.
I even tried to impose myself to have limited access to facebook and twitter. This restricted access to the Net is not really working as I still frequent facebook on my phone to check on latest trends and news almost everyday while I waited at the school to pick up my kids.
So for the pass 3 months, I re-read some books, watched the latest Dr Who (which is pretty awesome), visited some tea and strawberry farms (see pic above), became a coffee addict by getting a Nespresso machine and manual coffee grinder, learnt to fly a small drone (Syma X5c), watched some old Chinese lectures on our ancient Chinese philosopher, self taught myself on rainbow loom charms, signed up with Ello and still waiting for their bloody reply and invite, and completed some home DIY projects.
I think I did more then the list but I guess you kinda guess I am enjoying myself over here in L.O.S.
Hiatus is over and I will try to write more but I guess nobody bothers to read blogs nowadays. Tweets and Facebook status updates are more trendy.
Public Transport in Singapore?
Decided to write a post after all the media hoo haa on this incident in ST.
Rugby: ACS(I) to charter five MRT trains for C Division rugby final at National Stadium
They are people out for blood for this incident. Their arguments are mainly the MRT rail is actually a public transport and why should public utilities be allowed to charter private events. Some silly defenders will say they are chartered buses what. How come got difference meh? Big difference. How so? If we charter a bus, the road that the bus is driving on still belongs to the public and other cars and buses could still drive on the same road. Rails? Not possible in Singapore right? This is because we only have single-way tracks and not multi tracks like other countries. So in short, this incident kinds of like ACS "chopp" a dedicated public road to National Stadium and not allowing other vehicles to use it at the same time. So that's why LTA have the right to be pissed.
But this opens to another observations I see on social media. Singaporeans still sincerely believes we have "public" transport. Sorry to say its all incorporated and privatised during Goh Chok Tong era. SMRT in 2000, SBS in 1997. So is our Electricity, Water and postal service.
So please don't be naive and think that these companies will serve in the best interest of the public. Their bottom line is to make more profits for the shareholders.
Rugby: ACS(I) to charter five MRT trains for C Division rugby final at National Stadium
They are people out for blood for this incident. Their arguments are mainly the MRT rail is actually a public transport and why should public utilities be allowed to charter private events. Some silly defenders will say they are chartered buses what. How come got difference meh? Big difference. How so? If we charter a bus, the road that the bus is driving on still belongs to the public and other cars and buses could still drive on the same road. Rails? Not possible in Singapore right? This is because we only have single-way tracks and not multi tracks like other countries. So in short, this incident kinds of like ACS "chopp" a dedicated public road to National Stadium and not allowing other vehicles to use it at the same time. So that's why LTA have the right to be pissed.
But this opens to another observations I see on social media. Singaporeans still sincerely believes we have "public" transport. Sorry to say its all incorporated and privatised during Goh Chok Tong era. SMRT in 2000, SBS in 1997. So is our Electricity, Water and postal service.
So please don't be naive and think that these companies will serve in the best interest of the public. Their bottom line is to make more profits for the shareholders.
It speaks volumes
when our gahment encourages its people to sell off their homes or houses so that they can downgrade and get some extra cash to survive in their twilight days. This post is about the 76 year old granny begging for her CPF to be returned to her. Instead of just providing a listening ear for her and STFU, the PAP IB or those cynical bastards starts hounding on where she is currently staying now. Why she never sell that house? She rich what.
I asked my wife that day after I read the news. "Dear, if one day we did become poor, should we sell our house and rent/buy a smaller house instead?" She says I'm mad and she would rather die then sell our current house. I asked why? She replied, "It's our 1st house together. I like the location and neigbourhood and moreover our children were born and raised in this house, it has sentimental values that cannot be matched by wealth. Nope, I would die and leave the house to my children rather than selling it!"
I smiled and nodded.
We were not buying a house. We bought a home.
There is no price for home. Period. And I sincerely think the old lady has great sentimental values on that house she currently resides in. If there is money in my CPF, I would rather use that then to sell my home.
I shall repeat again. It speaks volumes of our gahment if they want or encourage its people to sell their homes to stay alive. It speaks volumes.
I asked my wife that day after I read the news. "Dear, if one day we did become poor, should we sell our house and rent/buy a smaller house instead?" She says I'm mad and she would rather die then sell our current house. I asked why? She replied, "It's our 1st house together. I like the location and neigbourhood and moreover our children were born and raised in this house, it has sentimental values that cannot be matched by wealth. Nope, I would die and leave the house to my children rather than selling it!"
I smiled and nodded.
We were not buying a house. We bought a home.
There is no price for home. Period. And I sincerely think the old lady has great sentimental values on that house she currently resides in. If there is money in my CPF, I would rather use that then to sell my home.
I shall repeat again. It speaks volumes of our gahment if they want or encourage its people to sell their homes to stay alive. It speaks volumes.
May 2014. What an interesting month!
WARNING. Long post ahead with lotsa grammatical errors. :P
A brief summary. Besides being the month of my girl's birthday, there was a coup in Thailand that ended the political unrest. A blogger got sued by our PM Lee in Singapore and a big debate about constructive politics between our PM Lee and opposition chief Mr Low.
1st off. Thailand military staged it's 12th coup on the 22th May. Bringing the 6th month of madness in control (somehow forcefully). Although I don't really endorse the idea of such actions by the military but at least so far they have been quite fair in dealing with both parties. The only thing I want to complain is that there are too much censorship on the media. I guess they are worried that the anti-coup camp will stage more protests so they have these draconian laws of anti-coup messages deleted and court martials but I'm afraid this will most probably makes things worst. I'm not going to comment too much on this whole situation as the Thai always says "Please don't comment on Thai politics if you're a foreigner. It's complicated." I still want to stay in LOS so the better of me to STFU :)
Then at the Singapore end. We have a blogger Roy Ngerng being sued by our PM Lee. I was following this thread quite closely as it was damn entertaining. I have to say sincerely I didn't know about Roy (even though I am SO "political"and critical of our MIW gahment) before this whole incident. I did however, remembered that I read one of his articles that was shared by my friend in FB. I didn't dwell too much into it as it was a link from The Real Singapore. :P But at that time, my conclusion was it's just a rant. I do have some knowledge on how our CPF works and there are some good questions on certain aspects but most of them are just bit extreme on trying to get himself into trouble. And lo and behold. He got sued!
So the online mass kind of broke into 3 camps.
Pro MIW camp starts mocking him - this is usual and I forgive them.
Anti-gahment camp supports him totally - a usual response from them too as anything anti gahment must support mah!
Then the 3rd camp - so called pro liberals who always said that they don't take sides (but in fact they do but just do not have the guts to admit it) starts mocking him too - this is to me, a very disgusting attitude and the worst of all. Why? Because these are hypocrites and those who reads my blogs know I hated hypocrites.
Roy may not be factual I agree, he may not be smart or an intellect like you and I. He maybe did it for glory and fame. But at least he dares to speak up. Maybe he is insidious and out for blood against the FAMILEE. But ask this question. Besides getting sued by our most powerful person in the country. What other benefits will he get? He will be punished, condemned and maybe even lose his job and get bankrupt so do we really need to mock him any further? Real pro liberals should instead mock the other 2 camps, the pro MIW and anti-gahment ones. They should not be proclaiming to be pro-liberal and make fun of Roy like "He deserves it." "He's stupid!" "He just want to be famous!" but instead gives sound advice to Roy like "He should be more careful on how he writes. " " One can make his points across without name callings or getting emotional"
My take on the whole lawsuit is that this is one of the worst PR disaster for our PM Lee as if he had been gracious and dropped the case, Roy will not be made as a Martyr in the anti-gahment camp. It's sad actually as this whole debacle, all of us are losers. Our PM becomes a bully, Roy with get sued and punished for something he believes in. And if he is the bad guy like what other people says, he gets his limelight anyway. We, the commoners will not get a full disclosure on what's going on in our CPF.
The last incident was the constructive politics debate in Parliament between PM Lee and WP's chief Mr Low. I read the some of the comments in FB before watching it and people were laughing at Mr Low's Engrish... That's a bit low. For a Mandarin educated Mr Low, what he managed to pull off was formidable. It might be interesting to see how PM Lee debates in Mandarin or Tamil/Hindi. We should do that in parliament as I believe one day with our current intake of FTs, Singapore might really belongs to China/India. :P
A brief summary. Besides being the month of my girl's birthday, there was a coup in Thailand that ended the political unrest. A blogger got sued by our PM Lee in Singapore and a big debate about constructive politics between our PM Lee and opposition chief Mr Low.
1st off. Thailand military staged it's 12th coup on the 22th May. Bringing the 6th month of madness in control (somehow forcefully). Although I don't really endorse the idea of such actions by the military but at least so far they have been quite fair in dealing with both parties. The only thing I want to complain is that there are too much censorship on the media. I guess they are worried that the anti-coup camp will stage more protests so they have these draconian laws of anti-coup messages deleted and court martials but I'm afraid this will most probably makes things worst. I'm not going to comment too much on this whole situation as the Thai always says "Please don't comment on Thai politics if you're a foreigner. It's complicated." I still want to stay in LOS so the better of me to STFU :)
Then at the Singapore end. We have a blogger Roy Ngerng being sued by our PM Lee. I was following this thread quite closely as it was damn entertaining. I have to say sincerely I didn't know about Roy (even though I am SO "political"and critical of our MIW gahment) before this whole incident. I did however, remembered that I read one of his articles that was shared by my friend in FB. I didn't dwell too much into it as it was a link from The Real Singapore. :P But at that time, my conclusion was it's just a rant. I do have some knowledge on how our CPF works and there are some good questions on certain aspects but most of them are just bit extreme on trying to get himself into trouble. And lo and behold. He got sued!
So the online mass kind of broke into 3 camps.
Pro MIW camp starts mocking him - this is usual and I forgive them.
Anti-gahment camp supports him totally - a usual response from them too as anything anti gahment must support mah!
Then the 3rd camp - so called pro liberals who always said that they don't take sides (but in fact they do but just do not have the guts to admit it) starts mocking him too - this is to me, a very disgusting attitude and the worst of all. Why? Because these are hypocrites and those who reads my blogs know I hated hypocrites.
Roy may not be factual I agree, he may not be smart or an intellect like you and I. He maybe did it for glory and fame. But at least he dares to speak up. Maybe he is insidious and out for blood against the FAMILEE. But ask this question. Besides getting sued by our most powerful person in the country. What other benefits will he get? He will be punished, condemned and maybe even lose his job and get bankrupt so do we really need to mock him any further? Real pro liberals should instead mock the other 2 camps, the pro MIW and anti-gahment ones. They should not be proclaiming to be pro-liberal and make fun of Roy like "He deserves it." "He's stupid!" "He just want to be famous!" but instead gives sound advice to Roy like "He should be more careful on how he writes. " " One can make his points across without name callings or getting emotional"
My take on the whole lawsuit is that this is one of the worst PR disaster for our PM Lee as if he had been gracious and dropped the case, Roy will not be made as a Martyr in the anti-gahment camp. It's sad actually as this whole debacle, all of us are losers. Our PM becomes a bully, Roy with get sued and punished for something he believes in. And if he is the bad guy like what other people says, he gets his limelight anyway. We, the commoners will not get a full disclosure on what's going on in our CPF.
The last incident was the constructive politics debate in Parliament between PM Lee and WP's chief Mr Low. I read the some of the comments in FB before watching it and people were laughing at Mr Low's Engrish... That's a bit low. For a Mandarin educated Mr Low, what he managed to pull off was formidable. It might be interesting to see how PM Lee debates in Mandarin or Tamil/Hindi. We should do that in parliament as I believe one day with our current intake of FTs, Singapore might really belongs to China/India. :P
Slides from 2013
Some friends asked me that I have not been posting photos online for quite sometime and wondered I have stopped shooting. Well, definitely not! Photography is still my no.1 Hobby and I just bought a A7R didn't I? :)
I am shooting less often nowadays because mainly my subjects (the kids) are bored with my camera. Once they see I'm holding one, they would hide from me :P. And if I managed to get them to pose, they would make silly and funny expressions in front of it without any prompts from me. I wonder whom they learnt that from.... tehehehehe
Anyway, I did shot quite a lot of slides last year and only managed to send them to develop recently. Got them back yesterday and spent a day time to "copy" them to digital. You may view them over my flicker stream under landscape 2014.
I am shooting less often nowadays because mainly my subjects (the kids) are bored with my camera. Once they see I'm holding one, they would hide from me :P. And if I managed to get them to pose, they would make silly and funny expressions in front of it without any prompts from me. I wonder whom they learnt that from.... tehehehehe
Anyway, I did shot quite a lot of slides last year and only managed to send them to develop recently. Got them back yesterday and spent a day time to "copy" them to digital. You may view them over my flicker stream under landscape 2014.
A short review on Maige TV. IPTV box
That's where the discussion and research on how to get World Cup at a cheaper rate started. And I didn't found the cheapest option but an interesting one that allows us to watch various satellite and HBO cable channels over the Internet. This is known as IPTV (IP stands for Internet Protocol). What it is? It's basically something very similar to Mio TV by Singtel that uses an Internet connection to stream/broadcast a show.
There are various brands for such IPTVs and currently one of the most prominent one is by Maige TV. This box is a device dedicated to streaming video on demand and online. There is a local distributor for both Singapore and Thailand but I decided to be cheapo and ordered a unit via Alipexpress.
I placed an order on the 9th and only managed to receive my box on the 17th. Shipping was by DHL and was considered fast as there was a week break for the Songkran over here. Price I paid was $390SGD for the box, wifi adaptor and shipping in total. $50 cheaper then the local distributors but I would recommend those with non geeky friends to get it locally. I will get to that later.
Hardware wise. HDML cable was included but no batteries for the remote. The box and the remote feels cheap. Cheap like those China made Media TV boxes. Not necessary a bad thing but at this price point I was thinking it should be better. Let's say we deduct the subscription and shipping cost. The hardware will be around $200. So 200 for such hardware is a bit errrmmmm.
Video quality? Streaming was good on my fibre connection here in Maesai. Both Wired and Wifi - N tested. 1080p HD quality for most channels and some even have Ultraclear which I find streams very well. I have tested the device over various time and it does hangs once in a blue moon. Quite normal for IPTVs boxes. There is a refresh button on the remote so just hit that and it will resync again. Not occasionally but for certain channels do get it more often than others. Live streaming of soccer was good over here though but as usual like Mio TV, there will be a slight delay compare to real cable broadcast. The new box also provides 7 days playback functionality and Video on Demand which I find it to be very useful. Basically you can watch any shows you had missed within a 7 day period. Video on Demand library is pretty awesome. G.O.T, Battlestar and tons of Cantonese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese dramas are available. Movies are updated frequently. The kids watched a few cartoons on the box already. Frozen was one of them :P. The software interface is responsive and fast compared to bloody starhub cable box. It came default in Chinese though and even though you changed the interface language to English, mos of the show listings will be in their native language. Even for the titles in V.O.D are in Chinese for English drama. Like those found in latest media player, firmware can be upgraded so I guess there will be improvements coming up. The device also has an additional usb port for HDD so it can be used as a media player box too. I have not tried that portion as the online content is more important and comprehensive for me.
For a full channel list, check it out here. Last count was 366.
Installation was a breeze for wired connection. Just plug an Ethernet cable (provided too) to your router, HDMI to the TV and power adaptor you're ready to go. Once powered on, it will prompt you for activation or renewal. I contacted the seller to activate the box for me. Yes, it's via subscription and the 1st year subscription is included in the package. The chap was online and it only took a 5 mins wait to get it activated. Renewal is on offer at $100 SGD at the moment but according to the site, the usual price should be $140. My advice is to just use it till it expires and renew afterwards. Yes it might be more expensive later but what if they go bust? So ignore the subscription till it ends. Wireless however was a pain in the ass for me. 1st was the USB port issue which I managed to solved quickly. Then I couldn't connect to my WPA enabled Wifi even after I entered my passphrase correctly numerous time. I thought it was due to the port but it could detect my home's SSID so I guess its the encryption portion. In the end. I created another SSID with no WPS and serve as a single guest account on my router and it worked fine after that. Not exactly secure but at least it works for the moment.
IPTV is relatively new. Content providers are still willing to provide content to these newcomers as they still pay their license fee and yes, it's legal. Beware if there are no subscription fees at all. But data carriers like Starhub and Singtel might easily sabotage these newcomers by putting a QOS on such servers. Not likely to happen in Thailand but not too sure about SG. If lotsa people buy this box then we might see it happen.
Overall conclusion is if you want EPL/Soccer, HBO, Discovery Channels and other major news English channel, this box has it all. Video Quality is great. Installation is a hassle for Wi-fi (for me) but otherwise not a major issue. Would I recommend it? Yes I would if you really enjoy watching cable TV and do not want to pay too much for all the channels. Especially the sports one. But not highly recommend it as the initial cost of getting the box is high. Even worse is that the box and remote is pretty cheaply build externally and whether it will last more than 3 or 4 years is an issue. If the entry price is not more than $300 then I would highly recommend it.
A short trip back - 2014
The long break for schools in Thailand starts from March till the 1st week of May. That is for the majority of public schools in Thailand. I took the family back to Singapore to visit my sis and mum again. We hit the road on 29th March and returned on the 7th.
This trip to SG was mostly unplanned. Plainly just to let the kids to spend some quality time with grandma and aunt. The road trip started with a Sam Law (Tuk Tuk) trip to the Maesai bus station. From there, we took the bus to Chiang Mai. Then we switched to a Sawng Tiao (Red Pickup truck taxi) to the airport and flew out via Silkair. It was hectic but actually quite fun as the kids get to try different sorts of transport in a single day. Over in SG, we spent most of the time at their aunt's home. We did however, revisited the Sentosa Watercove Park and Jurong Bird Park.
This round, we flew out from Chiang Mai instead of Bangkok like last year and due to financial constrains. We didn't even stay in Chiang Mai when we returned from Singapore. Normally, we would stay a few days either in Bangkok or Chiang Mai after our return from Singapore but we didn't. We just took a taxi straight back to Maesai and actually for this trip, we aren't as tired as it used to be.
It might be due to the kids are older so its now as daunting as it used to be.
This trip to SG was mostly unplanned. Plainly just to let the kids to spend some quality time with grandma and aunt. The road trip started with a Sam Law (Tuk Tuk) trip to the Maesai bus station. From there, we took the bus to Chiang Mai. Then we switched to a Sawng Tiao (Red Pickup truck taxi) to the airport and flew out via Silkair. It was hectic but actually quite fun as the kids get to try different sorts of transport in a single day. Over in SG, we spent most of the time at their aunt's home. We did however, revisited the Sentosa Watercove Park and Jurong Bird Park.
My sister also took some leave from her busy work schedule and brought the kids to a toy store and they bought another set of LEGOs. So they are pretty occupied at her flat.
Overall, I didn't get to meet up with friends on this journey. I will be returning to SG again in early July. Reason? Bloody reservist again.
Seasons - 4 sunsets with different moods.
I think I had not posted any photography related posts for quite some time. The main reason is that I had not much of ideas lately and I can't find any outstanding photos to share with lately. I had an artistic inspiration recently and here is the result.
The idea was to shoot a particular sunset with multiple shots and see if I could photoshopped later to have totally different moods and feelings.
Here are the 4 shots. You can click on them to see a bigger version. The 4 shots are titled
Spring - 春
Summer - 夏
Autumn - 秋
Winter - 冬
Which one do your prefer? And yes, all shots were taken on the same day at a slightly different location. I took some time to scout around my area.
The idea was to shoot a particular sunset with multiple shots and see if I could photoshopped later to have totally different moods and feelings.
Here are the 4 shots. You can click on them to see a bigger version. The 4 shots are titled
Spring - 春
Summer - 夏
Autumn - 秋
Winter - 冬
I saw this coming almost 8 years ago.
I woke up this morning and was reading the news online when I saw this on BBC.
Singapore has topped 131 cities globally to become the world's most expensive city to live in 2014, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26412821
I'm not surprised at this announcement at all but I just recalled the time when my girl was just born in 2006. I was thinking about the option I can provide for my girl and my wife if I was to choose to bring them back to Singapore. I guess I made the correct decision then. Again, I'm not dissing Singapore being expensive or whatsoever. To certain people (those rich ones :P), it's still a fantastic city to be in. And I would easily choose Singapore over Bangkok if it's the only choices I can make.
Frankly if I was to bring them back to Singapore then, Boy boy won't be around as I sincerely don't think I can afford to have another kid as a sole bread winner. Missus can't speak English and it will be tough for her to get a job which means our income will be limited.
In short, wages have been stagnant since 2000 while the city moved on at a ridiculous pace without allowing us, the majority middle income group to catch up. And this to me, is not growth of a country but a perversion of growth and wealth among the top earners/leaders in the country. What's even worst then this is the majority of Singaporeans still have not waken up from their dream that it's not the fault of gahment policies. Sad.
Singapore has topped 131 cities globally to become the world's most expensive city to live in 2014, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26412821
I'm not surprised at this announcement at all but I just recalled the time when my girl was just born in 2006. I was thinking about the option I can provide for my girl and my wife if I was to choose to bring them back to Singapore. I guess I made the correct decision then. Again, I'm not dissing Singapore being expensive or whatsoever. To certain people (those rich ones :P), it's still a fantastic city to be in. And I would easily choose Singapore over Bangkok if it's the only choices I can make.
Frankly if I was to bring them back to Singapore then, Boy boy won't be around as I sincerely don't think I can afford to have another kid as a sole bread winner. Missus can't speak English and it will be tough for her to get a job which means our income will be limited.
In short, wages have been stagnant since 2000 while the city moved on at a ridiculous pace without allowing us, the majority middle income group to catch up. And this to me, is not growth of a country but a perversion of growth and wealth among the top earners/leaders in the country. What's even worst then this is the majority of Singaporeans still have not waken up from their dream that it's not the fault of gahment policies. Sad.
Dream Camera? - Sony A7R
Enough about meself. This post is about another camera (Yes, camera again... booorrrinng) that I recently accquired while I was back in Singapore. The new Full -frame (35mm) Sony Alpha 7 R. I got it at a special price from James of Lobangking.com.
The camera was released in late 2013 and I knew I would replacing it with my Nex-7. I want Full Frame. Period. I am so used to taking film and getting the FOV of a true 35mm lens while I am shooting so it was a no brainer. My initial choice was the normal 7 version. Not the R version as I think 24Mp should be more than enough for me. But when I learnt about the price of A7R that I would be paying for. I jumped for it. 36MP is nothing much but NO AA filter. That I am interested.
I have worked with digital medium format files before and all of them do not have an AA filter on their sensors. The files are sharp and crisp and very very malleable for post processing. My conclusion comes to the same after shooting with my A7R for a month. It's image quality is good, very very close and to me personally, surpassed MF film in resolutions and details. Some may argue that MF film can resolve better if I use drum scan. Maybe? But I have no luxuries of drum scanning in Thailand so I guess for me, this little camera is an ultimate landscape camera for me. For shooting portraits of my family, it's a bit sharp and I need to reduce the sharpness in LR before printing them. All the pores and scars can come out especially if I used the 135mm Sonnar.
There are some nitpicks of course. Battery life sucks, Loud thunderous shutter. These I can live with as I am not that trigger happy and I have enough spare batteries around. Shutter is not a major concern, I am used to loud mirror slaps of my Hassy last time and I don't really shoot in quiet places. The major dislike is there is no in built image stabalizer (AS) like the Olympus and the old Alpha DSLR used to have. I am so used to AS on my a900 so I found a lot of shaky shots on my A7R. Still usable but it just could be better.
Dream camera? Not really but quite close ... almost there.. :)
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