lil` bit

#58

2009-10-01T10:24:00.002+08:00

Milgram and stanford prison are SICK

edit: Seems like the strip search prank call scam is just as sick

#57

2009-10-01T10:06:00.001+08:00

HEYHEYHEY.

School is such a pain, especially DMPEL14. THE PAIN.

I'm bored. Raahh ):

#56

2009-04-20T20:42:00.002+08:00

Therez0r. I'm already at 56.
I dedicate this blog post to the ever so eminent rise in confiscation cases.
Surely, people must have seen items getting confiscated from students by teachers in most schools.
Some of us might even have gotten our items confiscated.
But, have we ever thought to think of the rationale behind the confiscation?

As i follow through with the process of confiscation, it seems to draw closer and closer to robbing.

Striking similarities:
In both cases, the confiscate-tee and the steal-ee both don't want their stuff to be koped
In both cases, the koping is done by an authority figure.
In both cases, the koped items don't get returned easily. Unless, of course, bigger authority comes in: cue parents/police.

Now, one may argue that confiscation is not stealing, just by the fact that the teachers set the "laws", and the robbers break the "laws". However, a problem arises when these robbers create their own "laws" just like the teachers. Stealing is yet again similar to confiscation.

Another possible counter argument that the school is the teachers' "territory". But the same problem arises when robbers call a certain area their "territory" as well.

Stealing is bad.
Confiscation?

*wooh cliffhanger*

#55.

2009-04-13T20:47:00.002+08:00

KFC post. mm.

Short story : i takeaway-ed some hotdog from mos burger. Moved it to kfc, where my friends were. Ate it, in front of friends, including a muslim. Kfc manager comes to me and threatens to "pass on the fine" of a halal restaurant having non-halal food consumed in premises, jibes my school, takes down my particulars, and claims to want to report to my school.
Just when i thought my life couldn't get more boring.
Interested? Read on.

I was happily munching on my hot dog. 4 of my friends had bought food from kfc, and occupied the seats. Seeing that i won't affect anyone if i just took the vacant seat next to theirs, i sat down and joined in the camaraderie. Manager comes to me, tells me that i can't consume mos food on the premises, and i told him. "I am stopping", preparing to clear up and leave. He repeats himself, as if i hadn't heard him. Following his example, i repeat myself too. "I am stopping". This goes on for about 20 seconds before he proclaimed. "Don't argue with me." Totally shocked at the notion that i was arguing when i was actually following his requests, i just kept silent. He goes on in a long ramble to talk about how non-halal food shouldnt be consumed in halal premises, and threatens to "pass" on the $5000 fine punishment to me, conveniently forgetting the fact that i was absolutely unaware of that rule, i was preparing to leave, and there were no signs to tell me that. igdinant, i tried to argue, but to no avail. That man doesn't listen to reason and returns my statements with 10logic-jump statements, which i couldn't follow. Not wanting to create a fuss, i agreed to giving him my particulars, and then leave the premises to finish my food.

Well, clearly i do seem at fault, having done the wrong thing. But what really pissed me off was the way that he seemed to react to my school name. "woah, raffles some more." Tempted, but quelling the rising rage in my blood, i took the blatant jibe of my school quitely, then left the compound to finish my food.

What the hell was wrong with that man? this affair could have been settled much more easily had he just informed me, and i had walked away. but no, he had to make a jibe at my school. he had to threaten me. He had made his point. i was leaving.

Another issue pops up strikingly to me. How can people call rafflesians elitists, when they themselves are guilty of discrimination? how does my school reflect my behaviour? any student from any school could have made the honest mistake. but "woah, raffles some more." Complete blatant jibe of sourness.

I could rant on for days, but whats the point in that?

-considering writting complaint to kfc/stomp-

#55 // overdue thing

2009-02-08T23:07:00.002+08:00

In response to :
Adults favour ban, youths oppose it (7th Feb 2009)

This article is horribly ridiculous. I quote: "Coral Secondary School forbids any student in uniform from entering the White Sands shopping mall in Pasir Ris."

'Trust and discipline go hand in hand. Giving too much trust at an early age leads to a lot of negative consequences,' declared one adult writer, who advocated strict controls on teenagers.

Sure sure sure, if you trust the teenagers, these youths from 13-16years of age, to walk around in malls and eat and buy stuff, ITS TOO MUCH TRUST YA. LOCK THEM ALL UP AT HOMES. THEY WILL STEAL PEOPLE'S FOOD FROM THE TABLES! IF YOU TRUST THEM NOT TO STEAL FROM OTHER PEOPLE, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES!!!

#54.. if my counter is still working.

2009-01-29T15:04:00.003+08:00

Comment on "comment on "No space, no soccer" (The New Paper, 19 Jan)" (The New Paper, 29 Jan) [wooh this is so cool!]

This article is a major LOL on epic proportions.

The commentary states a few points:

1) It is utterly ridicuous (i think the word was shocking) that RI [thats my school! wooh] *attempts to silence serious examination of its reluctance to offer socer as a CCA* [ which actually means answer ] by answering that it has no space to offer soccer [which is true].
-Without any substantiation or answer for this. This goes to show that he expects RI to offer soccer in classrooms or void decks, which are the only spaces not occupied in the afternoon.

2) RI is looking at offering wushu and softball (dont we already have softball?) but SOCCER IS NOT TOP PRIORITY! HAX! OMG! HERESY! HOW?! I think his actual point was : "I don't know why they think they are expected to offer all the sports that are under the umbrella of Singapore school sports council". I suppose he feels that soccer is the only sport that every school should have and for every school to specialise in soccer, i mean, " soccer is the most loved, most played and most watched sport in the world!".
What this guy clearly doesnt see is that other sports should not be scrapped or should not be stripped of a training location just to let a new cca come up. I mean, rugby doesnt use the field ya, they train in void decks.

3) Schools can encourage, interest[sic], and develop potential talent to gravitate towards playing for school, club and country. The FAS is trying its level best to raise the standard of soccer in this country to match or surpass the standards of soccer in other countries in the region. Therefore, each and every school in the whole singapore has to support this cause, and forgo other sports such as rugby, wushu, softball, track...... i mean, how can they be as important as soccer!!!! zomg!

4) FAS requires schools to support it. Raffles institution is a "elite, affluent school." Raffles Institution "refuses to consider the contributions it can make to soccer in Singapore." This is a BAD EXAMPLE to, you know, less prestegious and (less funded?)o.0 schools. I mean, its RI, whose students excel in studies, swimming, rugby, tennis... etc... even IF it means giving one of those sports the kick to allow soccer to be a huuuge CCA in RI, its not a great loss to singapore rugby, singapore swimming, singapore tennis...

5) The kids love them game. Give them a break. I mean, its not like they can pursue their own interests outside of school. I mean, its not like they can play soccer among themselves during reccess! It's not like they can organise soccer sessions among their peers! ITS ALL BANNED YA.

Other few points to take note of:
1) "Less prestegious and less funded schools will always aspire to become the next "Raffles Institution". I mean, RI doesnt offer soccer as a CCA, so every other school should uh drop soccer too. I mean, RI has to be right, the students do produce results....

2) RI does not consider suggestions made by the public ya. The "higher-ups" are just enclosed in their own personal space, and are too result-orientated and arrogant to listen to other organisations.

TT. Logic epic win.

P.S. : Winquote of the day : You understand that success is not the end, it is only part of the journey. You are part of the priveledged ones.

P.P.S: winquote of the day 2: Your stock fell to a penny a share so i bought 51% of the company. I'll double my invesment just by firing you. Thanks for not being totally worthless.

#53

2008-11-30T18:51:00.002+08:00

zzomg holidays are halfway through.

#52

2008-11-04T17:13:00.001+08:00

It was my birthday today. I was really happy, but i think i should be dissappointed.
Quote:
Hello pandaeyes,

We at Smogon Community would like to wish you a happy birthday today!

AWESOME. :D

#51

2008-11-02T20:30:00.002+08:00

Today had been a really really long day.
Or so it seemed.
Been thinking and thinking.

Its quite amazing how people (like me) dont really like school, but when, when you think about it deeper and deeper, school is really really one of the bestest times that would happen to everyone.

I like school. In fact, I'ld want to stay in a school forever. Its really amazing and wonderful. The friends, the teachers, the feeling of studying together with everyone else, of learning new things, unknown to you, of dread before every monday, of relief and happiness every friday, of adrenaline every exam period... ~~most importantly, theres the holidays~~

I keep thinking and thinking, and its not like life would be better any time else in our lives, but in school. Carefree... curious...

I want to keep the memories of school all to my heart. I never want to leave school.

Sometimes its really inexplicable. I was convinced 50 would have been my last post. But i realised i couldnt talk to any one when i really wanted to, couldnt start that msn convo, dial that number ~~or select that contact~~ . So here it is. random snippet #51.

I couldnt help but feel sad, when i realised i'ld only have maybe a year left with my friends, all my great friends i've had. After that, we'ld be left with nothing but those memories. I really really want to make more of those memories, before it becomes too late.

#50`

2008-10-26T22:32:00.004+08:00

I feel like closing this blog on a nice number: 50. ~~also because blog assignments are over!!!~~
After these 50 posts
(and 3 years in RI),
i have come to a stunning but not surprising revelation.
RI SUCKS.
ZZZZ HCI HAS HOLIDAYS 11 DAYS BEFORE US. 11 DAYS. 11 DAYS. 264 HOURS!!!!
bleh.
We also appear to have the most school days, most tedious ccas, most screwed up politics, longest school history..... ~~we also have russell wong~~

Holidays seem to be too kind on school-going-students. It creates this epic void in all students, who now have an average of 60 more hours a week to spend, and more hours of sleep than we need, only to be filled by Travels, more School, No-life playing around, going to the library everyday, part time work....

Students in singapore(especially those in better schools) seem to be unable to understand the meaning or leisure, or rest. a higher "high" is felt when playing in secret during exam period, as compared to in the open, with no exams or any care in the world anyway. They have to DO something MEANINGFUL.

I guess the same could be said for retirees. After a life of 9-5 office-hour-ing, hard work, overtime, working for a paycheck, rushing for a mortgage payment, paying overdue fines, gossiping, fearing retrenchment.... you end up with... nothing. all but a small amount of money which is a harsh reality of how much time you have left in life, (the money's enough), wrinkled skin, bald/balding head, a spouse who does nothing as well, (grand)children.... Its not really a very appealing future is it?

Well, thats for the poor/middle-class. For the rich, its a different story.
After a life of stock falls and rises enough to trigger two hundred heart attacks, block and unblock all your conorary arteries, and make even the most un-seasickable person seasick, you end up with money that you can actually drown in, a wig, false teeth, a spouse 50 years younger than you are, infants, arthritis, rhuematism, quintiple bypass surgeries... and children less than 10 years old fighting for your stock, which you're probably going to give to charity anyway. then you close your eyes and feel nothing. really appealing future ya.

What is the point then, of living life as it is? I dont have the answer to that. The most, or only thing you could do, in your whole life, is touch, teach, and make that difference, that sets you apart from the run-of-the-mail-oh-i-just-died-without-doing-anything-people. Touch hearts, Teach those with a lust for knowledge, Make a difference in the lives of those deserving, but deprived of happiness. ~~and have children while doing all that~~.

Or maybe its to be a christian, walk a upright, blessed life, in God's statutes and doing as he had commanded, touching the hearts of yourself, of those around you, and of your descendants.

Life's over in a snap of a finger. the only logical thing to do, is to make that difference, and end up in heaven, with everlasting life and overflowing blessings.

Amen.

~~waiiit, there isnt another blog assignment in sec4 right?~~

#49

2008-10-20T13:00:00.001+08:00

EoYs are OVER! (looks around)
~~Damn, no one to suan~~

Somehow i feel like i should have revised more. but i really cant care now. ITZ DOTAZ TIMEZ.

#48

2008-10-15T14:06:00.002+08:00

~~Singapore isnt just filled with hypocrites(me), brainless people(me), and whiners(me again), its also filled with total retards that actually think they are correct!(me)~~
theNewpaper like, monday just ran an article about this dude who got fined $200 for sleeping 15 minutes in a park. (i think some potong pasir thing). the reason behind the fine was "depriving real, geniune park users from seats" which is quite ><, but makes sense. the finEE ( for lack of a better word) complained, saying "gosh, i sleep in pasir ris park too but i was never fined"
what really astounded me, was the fact that today, like 2 days after the article, no less than 10 letters came from the public into theNewpaper, bashing NParks(the fineR) for the fine, and supporting the finee. (which is good, no doubt, social cohesion...) well, so i went on to read the letters. singaporeans are really really weird.
Its quite amazing, how out of those 10 odd letters, only one or two really made any sense. those rare snippets of wisdom went "too harsh, warning better", which is quite true, and thats also what i believe.
the bulk of the letters went like this "gosh its so unreasonable to fine him for a rule he didnt even know gosh NO SIGN!" and "omgg fine here fine there lets fine people for camping in the beaches too!" and "instead of fining people(for breaking their rules), NParks(a no profit organisation) should use their (what) resources, time (gosh we have too much to spare) and energy to think of ways to prevent park visitors from committing the things they are not supposed to do." and "fines are bad for singapore's image."
after i go HAHAWHATTHEHECK, lemme comment on how ridiculous these comments are.

HAHAWHATTHEHECK.

anyway.
first one: "gosh its so unreasonable to fine him for a rule he didnt even know gosh NO SIGN!"
CLASSIC. the original person had his sentence around the "no sign" bit. so imma laughing at it first. there isnt a sign that says "no raping of innocent girls ( or boys for that matter)" anywhere in singapore. does it automatically mean that it is not reasonable to punish people who rape innocent boys and girls?
now lets look at the "he didnt even know" bit. how is that NPark's problem? the rules and regulations are definately easy to find. maybe 2 minutes on the computer. its as easy as watching the weather report. isnt it the owness of the park users to read these rules, and follow them? saying that he shouldnt be fined just because he didnt know the rule is as ridiculous as blaming the sky for raining even though the weather report 3 days before gave you ample notice. by the same line of reasoning, its not NPark's problem if you dont know the rules or not. the rules are there, easily accessable. you broke the rules. how unreasonable is it for you to be punished?

"omgg fine here fine there lets fine people for camping in the beaches too!"
dude, its not against the rules to camp on the beach, but it apparently is against the rules to sleep on the bench. fining is a punishment, a deterant. it is nessesary to uphold rules.

"instead of fining people(for breaking their rules), NParks(a no profit organisation) should use their (what) resources, time (gosh we have too much to spare) and energy to think of ways to prevent park visitors from committing the things they are not supposed to do."
OH. MY.FREAKING. GOD.
this guy is saying that instead of punishing offenders for breaking the rules, the people who are setting the rules should try to accomadate them by using their TIME and ENERGY and RESOURCES.... that just makes no sense. "lets kill everyone first, to prevent possible murderers from committing the crimes they shouldnt commit".

"fines are bad for singapore's image."
so sleeping on the benches, taking up the space of like 4 geniune park owners from actually sitting down and resting, is good for singapore's image now?
another possible intepretation:
fines are bad. lets abolish fines. i am certain that without detterance and measures against offenders, we will have a wonderful image. (makes sense, but only if the people looking at your image are drug lords or something)

another thing that those people seem to think is that "gosh, sleeping on the park bench, taking up the seats of 4 other people who want to sit, airing your legs, and looking uncouth, is RESTING. the purpose of parks is to provide space for people to rest."
>< just stupid.

all that being said, i still think $200 for a first offence is really harsh, and a warning letter would suffice.

another interesting article: people in malaysia are buying specs that look like sarah palin's because "its something worn by a powerful person. it gives them satisfaction"
HAHA some people are just weird.

just a capitalist thought : stock prices falling cause stock prices to fall, until the point where everyone thinks that its super low and worth it, then the stock prices keep rising. finally, you wait for the bubble to burst again.
i think the whole concept is just ridiculous. now, there are RECORD GAINS, immediately after record losses. ridiculous bullshit...

#47

2008-10-14T19:45:00.001+08:00

To those in (insert random school here),
We're hating you already.

#46

2008-10-14T18:47:00.000+08:00

roffle

#45

2008-10-13T21:05:00.003+08:00

rofl its exams.
loads of people have already mugged for months weeks and days, and are really stressed.
there's a good reason for that. its the EoY. 40% of roflyearendmarks.
anyway...
there's this old chinese saying.
its a really meaningful one
"ling shi bao fuo jiao.... something something"
it means that roffle if you do stuff last minute. it isnt going to work.
I dont subscribe to chinese believes.

Its time. Imma going. and owning.
EDIT: I went, and didn't do much mugging.

I feel that now, nothing really is impossible. My gpa jumped up from sec2 to sec3. i rock.
Lets go for PriDe, and win.

#44

2008-10-10T13:42:00.001+08:00

it seems that my previous post got mistaken to be my blog assignment post, 50 years overdue >.

no wonder la so lag >< 12 icons at toolbar...

EDIT: rofl

#43

2008-10-08T17:43:00.005+08:00

I'm supposed to be doing my work and start studying but i'm not.

But.

I'm lolling@ the foreign worker dormitory thing.

Someone from serangoon gardens are actually are writing in going : "I'm upset with the plan .. despite some residents having expressed their unhappiness about the issue...I believe it (Singapore) is not that small that there is absolutely no other suitable place than this neighbourhood. ... today in Serangoon Gardens, tomorrow Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh ... By letting more workers come in Singapore, the government bodies should be responsible for housing them in a suitable area, and not dump them in a neighbourhood like this ... we and the workers have different cultures and living habits. Do you really think we all can get along together? ... People will get bored enclosed in one place. And what if they loiter around in the vicinity? ... property prices will definately drop and be affected by 20 to 30 percent. Who wants to buy property near a workers' domitory? And who is going to compensate the residents for their loses?"

This is a really really ugly reflection of the attitude of singaporean citizens. Not only that, the whole argument is littered with selfish assumptions and totally fail reasoning. So I'm going to rebutt these premises one by one.

Firstly, this thing about
"I'm upset with the plan being implemented .. despite some residents having expressed their unhappiness about the issue"
Wha? This person actually seriously believes that some residents saying THIS IS BS without actually having proper reasons is actually going to change something.

Lets move on to
"I believe it (Singapore) is not that small that there is absolutely no other suitable place than this neighbourhood. ... today in Serangoon Gardens, tomorrow Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Clementi..."
Uh huh... the writer clearly has no idea how constrained land space in singapore actually is. Lets uhm stuff them in... the water catchment areas? nature reserves?
Singapore is divided into several main areas, recreation(parks, beaches...), city(business districts, banking areas, (shenton way, the like)), government(airports, high court ministries), nature reserves + water catchments(reservoirs, Bukit timah hill...) and.... residential.
So, naturally, the "suitable place" will have to be referring to the residential areas, since the other areas cant be touched.
Now notice that the writer seems to be citing examples of (slightly more) developed residential areas of singapore, and refrains from giving more "ulu" places, such as tuas, yio chu kang? This also slightly changes the meaning of the phrase "suitable place". The author is indirectly ( on purpose or not) suggesting that the foreign workers get housed in less developed residential areas - Which, in turn, means that those areas get less developed ~~(dont flame for this bit)~~. There's also the small problem of residents in those areas having certain, uhm, "expressions of unhappiness"
So basically, this is a void point, since there is no such "suitable place".

"By letting more workers come in Singapore, the government bodies should be responsible for housing them in a suitable area, and not dump them in a neighbourhood like this"
OH MY !@#$!@#$.
Nice one, push all the responsibilities to the government. Keep up the good work.

"we and the workers have different cultures and living habits. Do you really think we all can get along together?"
This is the part where it starts getting uglier. different cultures and living habits indeed. What do you think these people are, theives by culture and unhygenic(living habits)?
Granted, different races. but arent singaporeans supposed to get along well with people of other races?
This loser (after rephrasing) is actually saying : OMG THEY DIFFERENT FROM US WE DONT LIKE THEM WE WONT GET ALONG.
EXCUSE ME?
The only way for foreign workers and locals to not get along is for these locals to not want to get along. Unless you want to admit you habitually practice discrimination, it is unwise to say you can't get along with them.

People will get bored enclosed in one place. And what if they loiter around in the vicinity"?
This stays ugly. basically this loser is saying ROFL THEY WORK, THEY SHOP, THEY EAT, THEY SLEEP, JUST LIKE US. HOWEVER, THEY SHOULD STICK TO WHERE THEY ARE AND NOT WANDER OUT. (contextually >>> the word "enclosed")
another worse intepretation would be THEY LOITER AND MIGHT STEAL WHILE LOCALS ARE IMMUNE TO BEING BORED AND LOITERING.
I dont even want to go into the implications of this.

" property prices will definately drop and be affected by 20 to 30 percent. Who wants to buy property near a workers' domitory?"
WHAT THE HELL.
Singaporeans better not dislike properties near foreign worker domitories. This is beyond ugly. not just the 20-30 percent bit (utterly overexxagerated imo, prices might drop by 1%?). Even if the domitories are set up, WHAT IMPACT does this do to the residents or buyers? Unless you are saying having a foreign worker for a neighbour is worse than having a local (by the way, this would mean that you are racist), there is no impact at all.
This guy saying "DEFINATELY" just makes it worse.
OUR IDEALS!!!

And who is going to compensate the residents for their loses?"
Singaporeans are spoonfed by PAP :P

On a last note, this is the singaporean pledge:
We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people. Regardless of race, language, or religion to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve, happiness, prosperity, and progress for our nation.

This is plain ugly IMO

EDIT: lol the next day someone wrote a reply to the paper. (s)he wrote her letter in the same vein as mine, just a bit more polite. it seems that 'sg is not full of hysterical hacks! woooooh! (his/her surname was balakrishnan, same as that MP, so i have no idea if its just more propoganda)

#42

2008-10-07T20:56:00.000+08:00

Just throw your head back and laugh while you can.

#41

2008-10-06T18:01:00.001+08:00

Apparently there are more severe injuries to cheerleaders than there are to professional american footballers.
I think thats just disturbing.

#40

2008-10-02T00:08:00.002+08:00

Gosh, I'm at 40 already?

DMP has been mostly a blast. I kind of regret taking that many modules. (especially the philo/physics ones, really unenjoyable).

By the way, its children's day. Happy children's day to all those ~~less-childlike than me~~ children!

I went to see the news today. There was this segment about some NSman dying doing 7 chinups. SEE I SHOULDNT DO CHINUPS I WILL DIE. Anyway, the really retarded thing was that they started questioning MINDEF about WHY that guy was in training, even though he had a MC for HAMSTRING INJURY. wow, like that had anything to do with death

really weird

Sapience hurts

gang tomorrow

#39

2008-09-29T19:32:00.002+08:00

rofl

EDIT: rofl again

#38

2008-09-29T15:43:00.000+08:00

You know what,

whatever.

#37

2008-09-28T01:31:00.000+08:00

bC. PandaEyes says:
i am hot
smarterchild@hotmail.com says:
I don't know how to answer that.
bC. PandaEyes says:
i am cold
smarterchild@hotmail.com says:
I don't know how to answer that.
bC. PandaEyes says:
i am awesome
smarterchild@hotmail.com says:
I don't understand this fully enough to say anything smart about it...
bC. PandaEyes says:
i am wise
smarterchild@hotmail.com says:
That's interesting that you should say that, but I don't think I can answer.
bC. PandaEyes says:
i am imba
smarterchild@hotmail.com says:
Would you like me to call you Imba?

bots are awesome

#36

2008-09-27T22:21:00.000+08:00

I just checked my facebook account in the past week
and this is what i saw, after i did a few things:

You have ignored 301 application requests.

DAmn, shoulda gotten a photo

#35

2008-09-22T19:31:00.002+08:00

So its the worst economical crisis since the great depression.
So people are dying of milk melatin poisoning.
So its the 21st century. mmm.

oh, what i will do for a chance to be in a more awesome world

#34

2008-09-21T23:35:00.004+08:00

Mark Leung is SO COOL.

So is S Club 7

EDIT: So is SNL

EDIT 2: So is this one...

Good luck AGAIN for eoys

#33

2008-09-17T21:56:00.001+08:00

roflrofl.
Good Luck for EOYs everyone. :D

#32

2008-09-07T00:23:00.001+08:00

I've been thinking.

#31

2008-08-29T00:29:00.002+08:00

Sources:
Four-way push to raise Singapore's birth rate
Section: Home
By: LI XUEYING
Publication: The Straits Times 22/07/2008
Page: H5
and
Tackle the problem, not the symptoms
Section: Forum
Publication: The Straits Times 20/08/2008
Page: A23
SO ARE YOU THEIR MR RIGHT?
Section: News
By: MAUREEN KOH, CRYSTAL CHAN
Publication: The New Paper 24/08/2008

Above are three sources. The 1st source is an article describing the new measures the government has decided to implement on the issue of the falling birthrate, the 2nd is a forum response, and the third source is a analysis on the failure of most romance attempts.

The issue of the low birthrate in Singapore is not a completely new problem. Instead, it is an issue that has been raised time and time again, especially over the past few years by our Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Long. I feel that this issue is a very serious one, as it directly affects the amount of local talent Singapore will have, and the amount of population Singapore will have. This in turn indirectly affects the economy and overall well being of the nation. Thus, I feel that I should discuss this topic today.

The first article talks about the measures that they have taken to boost the birth rate of Singaporeans, namely, to improve on the practical issues, such as childcare services, baby bonuses, and greater financial support, as well as encouraging marriage and dating services.

The second article talks about how handing out incentives do not stem the root problem, which is the change of mindset in singles, that married life is not as fulfilling as economic success and independence, which thus discourages singles from getting married and having children.

The third article tells us about how Singaporean females feel that Singaporean males are not chivalrous enough, and have high expectations. This in turn reduces the frequency of successful relationships, and lowers the birth rate.

Personally, I feel relieved that the government have indeed identified this problem, and have taken up many new policies that would potentially help increase the birth rate. However, I agree with the second article’s point, that although monetary benefits may help in increasing the birth rate, by helping those families who are not able to support the children, the main root of the problem, which is “female empowerment” and the notion that females no longer need to stay at home and take care of the children, is still left unsolved.

If the mindset is still not changed, the birth rate will never improve drastically, leaving the issue unresolved. This would directly affect Singapore and its population. Thus, I feel that the Singapore government should be more proactive, and solve the issue at hand.

#30

2008-08-13T20:21:00.002+08:00

Bleh, 30th post. The first post i will talk about my APR yay. My Results FAIL. SO.BAD. TT. 3.33, missed next grade band by 1 mark, for 4 subjects. Then the other two subjects
missed by two. Need to buck up for my EOYs or i will just die, seriously.

On the other hand.
30th post huurah.
This is getting boring
~

#29

2008-08-10T23:30:00.002+08:00

Wooh. It's Sunday. And tommorow no sch or smth, so Im really happy.
Yesterday was national day. Don't screw me over the lack of national spirit, but I couldn't give a damn really. Quite retarded. was really angry at the 08/08/08 OMGG connect singapore.
Really didn't understand why I even had to go.
First aid, for the sick and the suffering.
Well, those students don't look like sick and suffering to me.
If anything, we are needed for the organisers. They are the real ones that are sick.
That event was quite fail really. Dunno who the higher up was. Everything was in a mess, and totally miscommunicate. Maybe never recce enough. Even worse than our events la can, don't believe it. 3 hours of my life TT. MY DOTA TIME TT. well, whats done is done.
I have no idea what my homework is.
Frankly, i dont give a damn.
I shall pon tommorow's stuff, if i oversleep.
~

#28

2008-08-02T19:14:00.002+08:00

Today's Saturday.
Thursday was school as normal. Quite boring. After school, though, was a different story. I went to KFC, quite normal. Sitting near the BG, when suddenly, two policemen came, and started questioning the BG.
"Why are you taking photo graphs of students?"
"Oh, no, not all students, only RI students, because I'm doing a survey of their behaviour out of school, and on orchard road"
....
Quite bullshit.
I hope he gets convicted for paedoing sometime soon. really irritating
~
Friday was awesome.
Firstly, its friday. Secondly, there was the coolio omg lets go to SP. which was cool, since we had some lol lessons and also cleaned coins. Sheng Wei still bugging me for photos. meh.
~
Today fialed
Morning was the fail mummy movie, super boring la.
Afternoon was the fail maths DMP, even more boring.
Worst thing, i reached home at 5.30...
Should do my work soon, but i dont care.
~

#27

2008-07-29T21:03:00.001+08:00

At least, I think this is #27.
Chinese yesterday. stupid failure of a teacher set all the writing words on one ke. which i didnt study. all wrong. then summary no time finish. bleh.
I GOT MY 200 dollars back! in a cheque :/. Thanks Mr.Cheng-Dude
Whahaha Bishan aircon platform is OPEN! and thats the platform i use to go home : D.
I wasn't that sad yesterday. I slept at 8pm though. woke up at 6am, didnt do ANY homework. Im dying now.
Chinese second submission due on thurs.
OBA on thurs
CHINESE FILE ON NEXT TUES.
Dental next tues, and i havent worn rubber bands AT ALL.
Hectic.
I want to run AWAY.
~

#26

2008-07-26T00:54:00.000+08:00

I bought a book today.
Its called the book of humour.
Its really funny.
~

#25

2008-07-25T03:55:00.004+08:00

quarter-centurial post. if theres such a word. First time i woke up at 2am to ~~play~~ do work. slept at 8pm o.0
been ~~playing dota~~ doing work from 2.30 to now.
Off to ~~start~~ finish up on my reflections
EDIT: its now 4am
~

#24

2008-07-23T21:23:00.001+08:00

BioBioBioDissection.
So Fun =D
Even though it smelt really really bad. we totally slaughtered the fish
I cut a cross section of it.
Looked disgusting
But its fun cos its dissection
Luckily I was wearing gloves =P
Bleh.
~

#23

2008-07-21T22:07:00.003+08:00

Wragh. I'm at number 23 already.
Life.As.Normal.
Congratz to CAC, for their 2nd runners up position. Sad, though, considering the circumstances.
IPC today, quite proud of certain sec1s and sec2s. I'm going to train them soon ^^
Bleh. Loads of work.
No time to DotA.
Potm- funny hero
Sven- Imba hero
~

edit: Sec3s make me the most proud =D

#22

2008-07-15T00:52:00.002+08:00

My blogskin screwed itself up somehow.
Well, on to my blog post for yesterday (hooray!).
FA duty for the Asia Pacific Conference of Giftedness.?
Morning was... zzz, 5 hr stoning session.
Afternoon led me to notice one really cool group of people.
Asia Pacific's gifted.
They really seem gifted to me.
*Hey, i need to take a photo of 300 people. Well, lets do it all at the same time. Oops, the angle is wrong. i need to take it from the middle of a busy road. hmm... car, car, car, 80kmph, 80kmph, 80kmph. No danger to me, im gifted!*
*Immediately walks into the middle of the road, sticks a hand out, completely blocks the traffic in one of the roads closest to the busiest road in singapore, all that to take a photo.* (He did it two times).
Genius, Genius.
RI isn't the only massjaywalk organisation. Asia Pacific's gifted, apparently, are too.
Genius, gifted.
The city tour was fantastic as well. We alighted at old supreme court (smwhere at CityHall, damn close to funan T.T), walked all the way to (insert random place here). I do know for a fact that we ended the walking bit about 100m away from the starting spot, and we went in one whole circle. Whatever happened to a straight line being the shortest distance between two distinct points? Oh well, Asia Pacific's gifted also seem to dislike listening to tourguides who speak in immaculate singlish.
*heh,heh,heh, i think im funny, heh, heh, heh.* << Fail guide.
*Lets go buy icecream! whooo! * << dao-ing gifted
Also noticed that walking speed of Asia-Pacific's gifted is half that of the tour guide.
After the failtour, we went to Sentosa, completely fail-ly. Due to lack of itinery, we had free and easy. (Don't wander too far, at most go to *insert fail place here*)
I scoff at the idea of giftedness.
Food was edible.
Song at the sea was quite awesome, credits for special effects. Sadly, it wasnt done by the gifted. Those are regular singaporean grads, choreograph of a lifetime.
I survived.
After sentosa got dismissed and blarblar.
Stoned at vivo for an hour or so.
Seems that i have to be at school 6 hours from now.
~

#21

2008-07-13T16:33:00.003+08:00

Number 21. Genius.
These few days have been a whirlwind. Lets keep it as that.
I've come out of it fine. And possibly smarter. =D
I still maintain that some people are scary.
I still maintain that some people are mean.
I still maintain that I am a hypocrite.
And I still maintain that ....
In all cases,
Sheng Yang is perverted.
~

#20

2008-07-09T21:45:00.002+08:00

Live life as it is yeah,
Everything else just doesnt compare.
~
4 years in a boys school makes you perverted and wrong.
I'm the counter-example.

#19

2008-07-08T19:55:00.003+08:00

Just want to archive my life. My life is pathetic as of now. The only thing that comes close to cheer me up is making my own awesome com(sometime from now) and completely owning everybody in DotA, 'cos thats something I might actually own in. =D

#18

2008-07-06T21:43:00.001+08:00

Wragh. 18th post already. reaching my 20th-post-landmark thing. HOORAH.
Update on my life: Its normal.
Cool hols are coming, too bad i have to go back to school, probably every frigging day. gah.
ph3ar big bad wolf wahahhaa...
~

#17

2008-07-02T19:50:00.000+08:00

Today got some cool lecture, by Vivian Balakrishnan dude. Quite boring. but fun watching him totally pwn the people who ask questions. "have you ever been persecuted?" "not legally."
soddy life.
Sheng Yang is perverted.
~

#16

2008-07-02T01:47:00.003+08:00

This is a update. well, first time i stayed till almost two to do work only. HA!
Still cynical.
Still sian
Still a hypocrite.
Cant be bothered
Still think weaver is awesome.
Lets all challenge convention.
arh~

#15

2008-06-30T23:15:00.002+08:00

I have come to the realisation that some people are scary. Like, seriously, seriously scary.
Totally out of the world.
~

#14

2008-06-28T19:12:00.002+08:00

This post is titled : The advantages of being freaking awesome.
As the title suggests, I will be focusing on The advantages of being freaking awesome(i.e me) in this post.
Lets first define my term, Freaking Awesome.
Freaking Awesome. adj.
1. Zheyi
Anyway, being freaking awesome does have its advantages.
Firstly, you get ignored for being freaking awesome, as everyone else is jealous.
Secondly, you get noticed for being freaking awesome. (who doesnt notice freaking awesomeness).
Thirdly, you actually know how to spell stuff.
Fourthly, you can sleep in class and no one really cares.
Fifthly, you can blog and no one will care too.
Sixthly, when you make a list, it doesnt stop.
Seventhly, you understand that humans do lie.
Eighthly, you actually bother about punctuation.
Ninthly, you are ignorant about when to stop, and hence, blissful.
Tenthly, you can waste the time of the readers, and they wont blame you.
Eleventhly, you can slack the whole day, since you can finish homework in 10 minutes anyway
I do not know how to spell the next term so I shall stop here.
~

#13

2008-06-25T20:37:00.002+08:00

I'm trying to blog for the first time in like forever. The first post that's actually about me. Yay me!
(master of self-consoling here). So its wednesday. School as normal, RE there, now i'm here, super bored and quite sad.
Yesterday... school as normal as well.
Monday... school as normal as well.
school.as.normal.
I hate school.

#12

2008-06-24T21:48:00.000+08:00

I hereby declare that punctuality is overated. still.

#11

2008-06-23T21:05:00.002+08:00

Lets plan for my future. xD. Reader's Digest says that "the internet is your new resume". Here's my resume. Im 14, totally awesome. i have about 400 degrees. totally pwnz all the doctors with like 4 degrees each. Yay. I rock. Future job, Future boss, here i come! =D

#10

2008-05-30T22:55:00.003+08:00

Whooo, its number 10! Joy! its a new landmark! A NEW MILESTONE
Now, on to my EL blog requirement.
Democracy.

Democracy is basically a system, where, unlike other systems, the common populace will get to select their leader to decide for them, even though they might not agree with them in the first place. Besides being totally warped, time consuming, and pretty much a farce, it is however the best way to maintain order and stability in any country, due to other methods and systems being much worse.
Democracy is often associated with the tagline "power to the people", where actually it works on the basis of "power to the majority". Democracy works on the wonderful long and tedious process otherwise known as the most "fair" elections, where the majority basically quash the minority in all decisions. The electorate candidates, during the elections itself, will show the majority the “nice” side of himself or herself, and will also promise to do things that the public were discontent with, which is dangerously one sided. As each term is usually 4 years or longer, during which the leadership position cannot be challenged, leaving the state itself in peril.
Even though this is a major flaw in the democratic system, the system itself also has many merits, such as the power to keep the major populace satisfied, and stop revolts, since the term is not lifelong, and the term would come to an end after an average of 4 years. Compare this to, say, dictatorship. The dictator decides everything, and there is no parliament, where certain representatives will discuss about the current problems in the laws and finally, after much debate and deliberation, come up with a consensus, a compromise solution, that would solve the issue at hand. The judiciary is also there; to make sure new laws do not contradict the constitution of the state, so as to ensure that the foundations of the country stay untouched, keeping the state ultimately stable and less problematic.
All in all, I believe that the system of democracy as a whole, as it is in Singapore, is a very stable system whereby the common populace stays satisfied, and the country, on the whole, prospers economically, with not many social issues.

#9

2008-05-14T19:58:00.000+08:00

Yuck to ugly new skin. New skin, New beginnings. Lets start this new skin with a new post as well. Im bored. and procrastinating. I'm still a hypocrite. yes, thats about it.

#8

2008-05-13T23:30:00.001+08:00

Just a thank you post. In an attempt to show that i am actually TRYING TO DO MY WORK I UPDATING THE BLOG ^^.
Thanks to the 40-odd people who did my survey on chinese tea, including those that are friends- of friends- of- friends and what not. Great help :D

So muted... blogs kinda suck this way.

#7

2008-05-11T22:17:00.003+08:00

It inching closer to my 10th post. hurray hurrah.
Here's a quick one, since i realise i've not posted the mandatory post on how being "nice" actually somehow supports darwinism. Kind of warped.
According to the article, whether or not animals will help other animals can be expressed in the mathematical equation. (Joy, Joy. The wonders of the language of mathematics). It says that you'll only help another induvidual if the (relationship of you and that individual you are helping. wonderful, its an unknown!)X(usefulness, somehow expressed as a number) is greater than (cost, also somehow expressed as a number).
Thats another cooler way of saying: "Ill help you if it benefits ME more in general".
I ... dont agree with darwinism and whasisname. But thats just me. I am nice and therefore i help everyone. nothing about self beneficial. there. My counter example.
On a side note, i really believe that voice recorders > blogs, since all blog posts come out somewhat muted.
Another side note: http://anonymous-stranger-diary.blogspot.com/ Chentian ftw.

#6

2008-04-26T17:52:00.002+08:00

I'm only blogging because some things have cropped up in my life, which basically made me think. much. much. more.
Respect. What is respect? Respect? Deserved respect, or forced respect? How can forced respect still be respect? I dont really get it.
This is really some small thing, but someone made a personal insult. and it kinda hurt. usually i take it in my stride, but that hurt quite bad. dunno why. best of all, im supposed to respect that guy. But my principles (lol) dictate that i only respect people who deserve it. and those who make personal insults just making personal insults, dont deserve my respect, under my principles.
>< im busy now and i wanted to continue but still. so zzz

#5

2008-03-18T00:44:00.002+08:00

Times like this I want to post.
I still do not understand how I myself work. Every single time I walk home from school, every single free period I have in school, I think hard. About life. And all that's in it. And all I have to say about it. Yet, every single time I reach home, and have nothing better to do, I cannot think of any of the things I had wanted to say.
weird.
Just posting because I feel like I have to. I am following a trend, and being the hypocrite I am.
Great. Now I can talk about helplessness, hopelessness, and defiance. Three terms which come up many times. In my thoughts, at least.
Or maybe I shalnt share. Its laughable, and will not make any sense. To you, To me, To anyone.
More about life.
FACom on November the 15th, 2008. Its confirmed. Perfect. 9 months to train the sec2s to the standard of a "RI team". And the last three months are EOY period.
Terrified.
Frightened.
and Helpless.
Defiant.
and Hopeless.
(8 paragraphs up: See what I mean? =/)
I have this tiny little thing to say about multi culturalism though, before I forget. Singapore. A Multicultural nation. How much of that is really true? I tend to think that it is. Assuming multiculural means that different cultures co-exist with each other, that is. Long way to go, though, imo.
Another Snippet about parents. and stress. They are almost symbiotic. Parental pressure = stress. No parental pressure = no stress. Are they one at the same? or is that just my wishful thinking? Do people, not suffering from parental pressure, suffer from stress, just studying in RI? I really don't know.
Another tiny thing. I dont know why, but sec3 is ominous. for me. a tough RE, a tough coreCCA, a tough competition training, and conservative parents. One helluva kick. FUN FUN FUN.
not.

*slide ninja slide ftw! : D

#4

2008-03-07T23:17:00.002+08:00

Source
Singaporeans. Why are they all so grumbly, kicking up a fuss over every small thing?
Above is a link to the iht, to an article about the recent (april 2007) raise in all minister's salaries, by about 60% each, and certain citizen's views on the raise.
Personally, I tend to agree more with the citizen's views. I quote: "To see a potential prime minister as no different from a potential top lawyer, and likely to be enticed by the same stupendous salary, would be to blur the lines between two very different domains.", in response to the government and minister mentor's main viewpoint on the issue. I quote " "A top lawyer, which I could easily have become, today earns 4 million Singapore dollars. And he doesn't have to carry this responsibility. All he's got to do is advise his client. Win or lose, that's the client's loss or gain." and "We don't want pay to be the reason for people to join us. But we also don't want pay to be the reason for them not to join us, or to leave after joining us."
However, I still do feel that though the reasons given for the raise are inadequete, the whole issue need not be looked upon that seriously. Singaporeans tend to be very paranoid over matters concerning money. Anything that affects money will be under close scrutiny by the citizens themselves. Any form of corruption, once found, will be sensationalised and be blown up, into a huge matter, such as this issue, or the recent NKF scandal. The singaporean government, I feel, should not be held responsible for every single little decision they make. Economic growth has been stable, and on the rise. Singaporean security is also going up, crime rates are going down, transport is getting more efficient, and the unemployed rate is at a new low. All is fine in the day-to-day activities of Singapore. We have the government to thank for this. The singaporean government is very efficient, and is doing quite a good job in running the country.
The ministers, all being human, definately will want the monetary benefits of doing their job well. On account of their work ethic and efficiency alone, I feel that they deserve the raise, and I also feel that we, as Singapore citizens, should trust the government in their decisions.

#3

2008-03-06T19:48:00.003+08:00

If my previous things proved anything to you, its probably that i actually can think right?
Surprise surprise?
surprise to me too. 616 words, all in 10 minutes. My, my. I AM getting better at this, aint' I?
Which reminds me to ask myself why I am continuing my previous post in a new post anyway, besides the fact that i would probably delete my post if i could.
currently obssessed with a show. and i hate channel 8 for it. WHY 3 days a week only? make it like everyday, or 5 days at least ):
I feel hypocritical. Hypocritical. To me, thats a succint description of the society, the community, the country, and the world. All of us, however minor our problem is, is a hypocrite. Including me of course, and i hate myself for it. An easy example would be non-rafflesians calling Rafflesians, or rather, students studying in a school in singapore, elitist. What the hell? besides the totally fallacious backing of that statement (i.e EXAMPLES of "elitist rafflesians", more specifically, less than 5), and that horrendous stereotype, it actually will breed a rather malicious cycle. Isolating yourself from a group you term elitist, will only make them feel isolated, and out-of-the-circle. Which, usually, is intepreted as being elitist. Now only if some people stopped to think. Arent those who called the "elitist" "elitist" more of a "elitist" than those "elitist"s actually are? ( dont bother if you cant understand this statement, i cant too (: )
I shall move on. My previous paragraph, as you can see, is completely about critisising the "non-elitist", calling THEM "elitist"s in my conclusion, which is wonderfully hypocritical, at least in MY defination of it. and those are my actual thoughts, and even though i know that i am hypocritical, i cant say otherwise, that those arent my thoughts. I hate myself for this. And i would like to think that there are others out there, just like me. Those who "wallow" in "self-thought". lol.
TATA FOR NOW/ TOODLES/ TTYL/ CYA/ BBYEE/ BYE! / HAVE A NICE DAY LOL.

my thoughts. as of now. abit more now than just now, but still just now.

#2

2008-03-06T19:29:00.002+08:00

Now rushing posts, spamming posts as I actually have the time to do so now. Not so sure about tommorow. My graded post is about Teenage and Social issues, to comment on a article or whatnot. Will do it. Sooner or later.
On second thoughts, blogs actually are an archive of your thoughts, innit? you write down what you think, and 50 years later, you realise how hideously stupid you were. With the rest of the world able to read about how dumb you actually were. Every Single Person. Each and everyone of them will probably read and laugh. If it was stupid of course. However, you never know. You might be going thru something really famous now, and who knows? Baam, and you're the next Anne Frank, albeit a weblog being very convienient for plagarism. Much more than a diary. So someone else may be famous, after writing whatever you have written like 50 years before. terrifying prospect, ain't it?
So far, the only practical use i can think for my blog now, is to record down exactly HOW much I hate life, or how much I actually love life.
Do you ever get a feeling when you think you are reading someone else's writing when you read your own? Probably happens 'coz you're so concerned about your outward-ness and how you appear to other people that you become a different person, different from who you actually are, like, deep down inside. Of course, maybe its just that you feel different and think different when you are at home, and when you are angst-ing in school. That actually happens to me, and i dont think, or rather i hope i am not, both of the possible mindsets i might have. Which means i probably shouldn't write it here, for everyone to view, now, or 50 years from now. Dont really want to be admitted to IMH for uhh split personality syndrome.
Carry-ing on with my rambling, and back to my previous point, which i did not make clear. Reading on things you wrote in a different stage of your lives does not FEEL like you. instead, you are almost reading someone else's words, even though you know that they are your very own. Somehow things that were important to you before aren't so important now. Somehow things that were funny aren't so funny now. thats terrifying.
Maybe its growing up and gaining maturity, maybe its split personality disorder, or maybe its just life, which i cant seem to understand.
Everyone is going to die sooner or later. Everyone knows that. Everyone wants an education, have a good career, make money, marry, have kids, and be in the pink of health, for as long as possible, even though they know that its only temporary. maybe 50 years down the line, i would cease to exist. but heck, i shall amass huge amounts of imaginary property for future generations, even though they would die to, and all they would do is amass huge amounts of imaginary property for their future generations, and it goes on. till OMEGA. makes it kind of pointless, doesnt it. at least thats my opinion. and i dont really care if you agree, if you somehow actually read my blog. Dont bother leaving a comment as well, i wont really care. 'll be too busy thinking and thinking and thinking more. at least UNDERSTAND something before i go. maybe even make a difference.
Wow, i bet if I read what i just wrote, 'll be disgusted and really not believe i wrote it. So i shaln't re-read my ramblings.
These are my thoughts, unabridged. as of now, or rather, just now, at least.

#1

2008-02-14T21:06:00.002+08:00

Finally gave up on making a proper blog with a proper blogskin and a proper tagboard and a proper profile. Settled for this Minima Stretch. Clear, plain, and not-so-nice.
Blogs are... useful, if, and only if, you can be bothered to update them. I do have this sudden impulse to blog sometime or another, but being the absent-minded blur-ie, not-so-hardworking and totally too preoccupied with DotA me, thats not really going to happen, innit?
Now been 1 month since i last updated this thing. In reality, I try to update it every day, just that blogger hates me and the pink skins I find on the net. Every edit gives me an error message, about not properly "pharsed" or something. Totally retarded.
Will post something later.

-edit- : correct me if i'm wrong(actually, DONT), but blogs ARE a place for you to rant, ramble, and vent your frustrations, right? *unsure* cough.