Singapore Cable Car



as usual, trying to catch something for the very first/last time before it's gone.. See Singapore's cable car rides to close for S$36m overhaul... took a glass-bottomed one... not bad for $21.90 return... :) hope the new one is even better and doesn't take away the simple charm of the current one..

Singapore Street Cat



i know you're saying: "how can this possibly be a street cat?? it's so pretty!!"

i think so too.

Singapore Lights Timelapse

Singapore Lights Timelapse from Weehan Yeo on Vimeo.

really well done! this is the kind of stuff that makes people have that aching feeling of affection for the country.... frankly, i could hardly understand this year's NDP song... they should go back to the KISS principle... such as in this (by now) well-known unofficial 2009 NDP song.

Total Solar Eclipse of July 22 2009!!

this was what i caught on TV this morning LIVE~! you can hear how excited the Chinese were.. watch it.. it's worth watching till the end... :)



REALLY AMAZING!!

here are other pretty pictures i found online..


Information: A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses. Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra. This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds.

The Grass Mud Horses Come Avisiting



According to the web:The grass-mud horse lives in the Malegebi Desert, where it fights its mortal enemy, the river crab. The animals are fairly easy to take care of — according to an online guide to raising grass mud horses, they should flourish so long as they are not fed Sanlu Milk.

Burma VJ



Official website: http://www.burmavj.com/

What a privilege to have had a chance to see this in Singapore just two days ago!! Eyes that were closed are now open! Courage that leaves you breathless.. juxtaposed against cruelty that leaves you speechless... Nonetheless, and most unfortunately, I hear that the powers that be will definitely not be allowing a commercial release of this documentary in Singapore....:( .... yes, despite the close ties that we have with Myanmar...such as this...

"Burma VJ" (NR): An award-winning documentary offering a rare inside look at the 2007 uprising in Myanmar. The footage was shot by 30 anonymous and underground video journalists who risked their lives to document the clashes with the military and undercover police. Armed with small handy cams undercover Video Journalists in Burma keep up the flow of news from their closed country. Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, acclaimed director Anders Ostergaard, brings us close to the video journalists who deliver the footage. Though risking torture and life in jail, courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country. The Burma VJs stop at nothing to make their reportages from the streets of Rangoon.

Read interview with director Anders Østergaard.. we actually had a video conferenced Q&A with him after the show! Quite cool..

Limited Edition Grass Mud Horses (with mama making yummy dumplings in the background)



this is what you find when u google "political reforms china"....hahhaa... see link... btw, these little alpacas even come with their individual birth certs!! they are too cute.. i couldn't resist buying them...

btw, that's my mum wrapping bakchang in the background.. ya, i know it is after the Dumpling Festival but she's perfecting her skills so.... haha.. she practices hard i can assure you... and the dumplings she makes are the best in the world!

for the background about these cute creatures, click here .... and this is the youtube video that started it all...

The World... lest we forget...

Surprising new things that I learnt....

1. Performance-related pay doesn’t encourage performance [read]
   
   
2. Dr Thio Li-Ann, 41, an ex-Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) (aka daughter of "I'm on Page 73") will be teaching ‘Human Rights Law in Asia’ during NYU’s Fall 09 Semester under the faculty’s Global Visiting Professor of Law programme. [read]


3. Our best ever NMP Siew Kum Hong fails to get a second term in Parliament!!! [read] ... @$%#$%_)&*&*^ .... needless to say, it's a huge loss to all of us, every single one of us in poco punto rojo Singapore, not just the ones who really enjoy and appreciate the good debate he has finally brought into Parliament, and for raising those issues that are truly important but which many have thus far feared to raise.... even the people who may not agree with him 100%... i'm sure deep in their hearts, they know he's worth all the respect we can give him... look at what and how often he actually spoke as compared to the others! Indeed, here was someone who really cared for the people around him... Thank you Mr Siew for what you've done for us and for civil society!! We'll miss hearing your views in Parliament!... as someone said "Thank you for speaking up on the issues that Singapore has always been afraid to confront. Equality has always been a hard goal to achieve because of certain lobby groups, yet you have not bowed to them under their pressure." .... so very true.... I salute you, Mr Siew!
   
   
4. And in his place we have new NMPs like this Calvin Cheng who writes like this!!! - [read]... Such a disappointing and immature and defensive and meaningless response to an entirely valid argument/question brought up by Mr P N Balji [read] !!!! (Mr Balji had asked Calvin Cheng why the latter had mentioned joining Young PAP "out of curiosity" and then "cutting off links only after Today had highlighted it"... you SO need to read the Calvin guy's response... it's almost hilarious! here is a "so-called" Oxford grad! gulp! does this spell the end of meaningful debate in Parliament?? I don't know.. but maybe it's time i dig out my spongebob squarepants dvd and rewatch it instead....
   


5. Marital rape is actually still legal in Singapore in most cases!! Gulp! What kind of society do we live in?? [read] - Quoting the law: "Marital immunity will now not apply where divorce or separation proceedings have been commenced or completed, or where the wife has applied for or obtained an injunction or protection order against the husband."... in other words, in all other cases, it is still accepted that a husband is legally incapable of raping his wife... Regardless of whether or not she consents to sex, regardless of whether or not he forces himself upon her, it is simply impossible in law for a husband to rape his wife.... If you don't agree to this and want to petition for a complete repeal of this archaic law, click here!
   
   
6. Praise could result in less motivated and highly dependent kids! Warning to all parents!! [read]


7. Spinach, Pear and Pitted Prunes taste great juiced or blended and its great for detoxing... it's a must try!


8. Watermelon, Cucumber and Cranberries taste great together too! very refreshing and full of nutrition!


9. And in case you haven't tried... Myojo Chicken Abalone instant noodles taste fantastic with two slices of cheese (any kind, even cheapo Kraft Cheddar!) melted on top... yum yum..

actually, i've learnt a lot more things recently but these are just some things that are top of my mind now as i'm typing... remind me if i've spoken to you about them recently... will update list later as i go along...

The Power of Youtube



Description:
"In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world."

Two lessons I learn:
1. There is always a more creative way to get even and to seek fairness if we are mistreated
2. Never walk away from your unhappy customers without dealing with their problems.. because with the internet revolution and all, it's no just 3000 people who will hear about it.. it could be 3 million!!

hahaha...

read the whole story

National Day Parade 2009 Rehearsal @ Marina


a much smaller crowd, less singing of those familiar and heartwarming songs folks of my generation grew up with, less of my favourite item - the military police throwing their bayonets with superb precision, fewer RSAF fighter planes in the flypast (maybe cos it's just the rehearsals)...replaced with more fancy technology, and more silly storylines, confusing choreography and also more hideous and meaningless costumes... and worst of all, my fave singa the courtesy lion has been ridiculed, making a comic appearance as the lion sang nila utama spotted when he first arrived on singapore's shores... (see singa without pants as he was in the past vs. now)

i even saw singa just this afternoon, opposite funan centre, warning singaporeans and tourists alike to "wear a mask if they are coughing or have a cold"...



WILL TODAY'S KIDS REMEMBER WHAT THIS FRIENDLY MASCOT STANDS FOR IN THE FUTURE??

Talk about brand destruction! and at this time when there is an even greater need and urgency (with the falling standards of manners and etiquette) for all of us to educate the current generation of youngsters on what it means to be courteous...

sigh! and they do that to our favourite character?? who else will they assassinate next??

Goodbye Michael Jackson!

Thank you for being such an inspiration! You made me glad I lived in this era! :")

Comfortable myths

“There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably, some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he does not dare face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not real, he becomes furious when they are disputed.”
Bertrand Russell, Human Society in Ethics and Politics