Save The Internet! Save The Internet!
Comments (3)If only we in this sunny island had the same amount of political awareness huh.
Unfortunately this battle is being fought in the land of the free, or less free as of now, or the united states of whatever.
I hope everyone spreads the message, especially in the us of a.
I hope the internet stays free, and democratic.
powered by performancing firefox
prison break
Work has been getting better, and i’m slowly settling into my current workplace. The work has definitely been more interesting, just gotta give everything more time. One does not grow into a new role just like that *snaps fingers*
I have also hopped onto the Prison Break bandwagon!
A tad late, but better late than never. =)
And regarding the other prison news,
of our beloved csj.
He has issued statement regarding what happened while he was in prison.
I really admire his guts. Respect man.
Here is his statement. Do read it.
The world is a dodgy place.
powered by performancing firefox
Remember, remember
Caught up with some of the csj news, and how his health issues have been cast into a pretty trivial light by the mainstream media. Again, some have pointed out the obvious slant in reporting, to the point of being inaccurate.
Bearing in mind the health issues that have been affecting the recent bunch of people who have been jailed, this video does trigger certain thoughts yeah?
the short clip that talks about “fixing” and “buying”
Do check out yawningbread for a pretty good writeup regarding the place that blogs hopefully will take up in the writing of Singapore’s popular history.
Power to the blogs! =)
I’m still going to be on a sort of hiatus, thanks to a certain job situation that i’m still facing. Oh well, the unsettling time when starting out on one’s career. So yeah, i’m not going to talk about it, but I have full faith that God will lead me to the right job for me in due time. In His time, in His time.
In other news, I’m disappointed that Kerzner didn’t win the bid for the sentosa casino IR. The Atlantis inspired design would have made sentosa look pretty stunning. Now, we’re going to be left with a pretty boring-fuddy-duddy-uninspirational design for the sentosa IR. Oh well, got to see how that development plays out. I hope that at the very least, the Universal Theme park would be awesome. Coz, if the theme park sucks, then they might very well face a slow and painful death into obscurity.
At least the Vegas Sands one shows a lot of promise, now depending on the execution and implementation.
powered by performancing firefox
for all the geeks
For the gamers out there (although i’m not a gamer anymore)…
Taken from goopymart’s flickr page (teh internets).
Like i tell my friends, i think that singapore is at a crossroad at this point in time, and the next couple of years will be very interesting (or unsettling, or frightening, depending on one’s point of view). i’m counting (or rather optimistically hoping) for changes. Big changes hopefully in this sunny island of our’s. With the new generations coming into prominence, and the slow fading away of the old guard, things are probably going to change. Rock the boat i say. Rock it hard, and hopefully this will expose all the cracks and holes in the boat. Pasting band-aids over cracks and plugging up holes with blu-tack are just going to last for a while and keep the boat from sinking for the short term. The moment a storm comes… wham. Down goes the boat.
I think with the episodes and occurances in the last couple of months, our little dayung sampan has begun showing cracks and holes. Strains that have been building up over the years. Blutacks that have begun loosing their effectiveness, bandaids that have not been able to hold off the ensuing battering of the waves.
Well, back to the issue of the minimum wage.
how to fight?
How appropriate that picture above is on hindsight. haha
If we are not careful, we’ll just be pwned. *sigh*
I have some thoughts and opinions on this issue, but those are very lengthy posts i’ll save for another time when i do not have to wake up early for work the next day. For now, i’ll just post a list of keywords and random quick-jot kinda thoughts.
You pay peanuts you get monkeys.
(of course by peanuts here i don’t mean 200grand peanuts, but the 5 cents kind) =p
“Here’s what I think: Cheaper is the last refuge of the person who’s
not a very good marketer. Cheaper is easy and cheaper is fast and
cheaper is linear and cheaper is easy to do properly, at least at
first. But cheaper doesn’t spread the word (unless you are much
cheaper, but to be much cheaper, you need to be organized from the
ground up, like Walmart or JetBlue, to be cheaper). They are, you’re
not.Cheaper is a short term hit, not a long term advantage. Cheaper
doesn’t create loyalty, because the other guy can always figure out how
to be cheaper still, at least in the short run.Even free isn’t cheap enough to win in the long run. Not if other people can figure out how to match what you’ve got.
So, if you can’t be cheaper, be better.”
Pay as a motivating factor.
Pay is an indication of one’s value. So by paying someone $7 an hour, you are in effect telling them that the work they are doing is just worth $7 an hour. Of course this would be different if it’s a brand name firm’s experience one is after, then the intrinsic value of the added value to one’s CV has to be taken into account. This is also one of the reasons i believe, that singapore’s service is all too often just atrocious. The salespeople are not paid enough to be proud of their jobs. Those who do a good job anyway just so happen to be very internally driven i think. How one is rewarded is also a key factor. Commissions are not the only or best way to reward salespeople. I’m sure there are more and better ways, that take into account the real value that a salesperson brings to the table.
The tyranny of the clever and capable…
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, as to the views of certain people up there.
If a country is run more like a corporate, and a ruthless corporate at that which does not really care that much about the welfare and happiness of its employees, and is ultimately concerned with its bottomline, its profit margin, its shareholders, and the rewards that the management gets… well… you get the picture. If a company’s philosophy is such, then don’t expect the workers in the production line to be treated very well or rewarded very well. As far as possible, management would want to keep every worker sufficiently contented and blinded from the realities of things, that they are in fact getting pathetic wages for the things that they do, and would pay management as much as possible at the expense of the workers. Now, doesn’t that sound a tad familiar?
Yup, those were just some thoughts…
powered by performancing firefox
The art of surfing
I am very happy with Firefox 2.0
For those who have not yet made the move to Mozilla’s Firefox, what are you waiting for?
5 Reasons to switch over to Firefox2.0
1) It has not crashed on my yet, unlike IE.
2) It is way more user friendly, and a gazillion times better than IE in every way.
3) Every other tech-geek is already using it.
4) Tabbed browsing is the way to go
5) The Add-Ons, Extensions, Themes are just fabulous!
One of my favourite addons, which I am using as i type out this blog entry, is performancing.
Awesome add-on, and definitely very very useful for all bloggers out there.
Every blogging tool that makes one’s life simpler is integrated into performancing. Editing past entries, posting new entries, quoting, integrating links into posts. Ahh, it’s all so easy now.
What took me so long to discover performancing?
powered by performancing firefox
Discounts! Discounts!
Enjoy people!!
And the source of all these vouchers is the Borders Win a Bookcase game.
I think this is a pretty smart marketing gimmick from Borders.
Well done guys.
Me heart borders.
Jobs on dreams
Was surfing through blogs and rather randomly going through the labyrinth of links that are present in the blogosphere and all around the web.
Chanced upon this speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford’s commencement.
Quite inspirational, and reinforces what we know in our hearts; to listen to our hearts and to follow our passions. I am still in the process of figuring these issues out, and to try to better decipher what my heart is telling me, and how my head is messing with my heart sometimes too. All too often, we are told by our parents that our heads are the ones we should always listen to, to be rational, to think things through very carefully and weigh all factors carefully.
However, how often are the big success stories the result of careful deliberation and well thought out planning? Of course, to clarify, it definitely does happen and i’m sure it happens to a good percentage of success stories. But somehow, the more groundbreaking successes that are on the top of my mind somehow come from the cases where it was a case of guts and listening to one’s heart. A little impulsive and too gutsy for most of us to stomach. But that’s what differentiates these trailblazers from the rest of the ordinary people i suppose? Google, Virgin, youtube, Apple, etc. I am quite sure the list goes on.
Of course don’t take what I say as fact, and i am more than ready to stand corrected. But off the cuff, from the top of my head which is rather sleepy and thus not too coherent now, I think passion and following one’s heart is oh so important.
Oh, this is an interesting piece of information.
It’s regarding the issue of wages in Singapore.
Are we well paid over in Singapore?
Are we being paid commensurate with our productivity and efforts?
Why are so many being left behind?
Professionals being underpaid too?
I actually think the whole employment situation in Singapore is much more complex than meets the eye. And of course the gahmen knows it too.
Tacking the challenges, however, would be a tricky thing.
Many many forces at work… How to reconcile them all?
Perhaps I will post my detailed thoughts on this topic another time.
Time to sleep.
And I shall leave you all with some music to check out.
Check out this new band My Only Danger.
Power Trio.
If you are into progressive rock and blazing guitar solos, then their stuff should be rather appealing to you. Quite interesting way that they have incorporated the singing and rather poppish melodies into their music, while at the same time playing extended guitar soloes that have neoclassical and prog influences, and just about a good dose of drumming chops and double pedals. Pretty good stuff, but not particularly mindblowing.
And for music to go to sleep to, as Fuzz likes to describe LWD’s music, do check out their tracks on their myspace.
Drift into a deep sleep with sounds of Life without dreams.
Nights world.
if you ain’t first, you’re last
Just caught Talladega Nights: The ballad of Ricky Bobby yesterday.
Like dakai says, Will Ferrell is the Stephen Chow of hollywood, and his gags are simply hilarious. And having Sasha Baron Cohen in this movie was pure genius. Just loved his exaggerated french accent.
Oh! Also finally recalled which show Leslie Bibbs (The hot golddigger in this movie) starred in while talking to chris just now. It was this show called “Popular” which aired quite some time back, at a weird rather -off- timing too. It didn’t last longer than a season, although I really liked it at that point in time. One of my earlier brushes with chick flicks. Hah
Do go catch Talladega Nights! 2 Thumbs up!
Oh, i think there’s a new Ben Sherman store in town.
Was across the road from Paragon today, and saw a Ben Sherman signboard.
Haven’t seen that before, so it should be new, or perhaps I just have not checked out town that much recently.
GAP is also coming to town, not that I am really that into GAP. But it would definitely be nice having another place to shop. Man, if only Urban Outfitters would open a store here.
Have also seen some stuff i like at the Mooks store at Heeren, which is currently having a sale by the way. Just not too high on cash now, so will put off my shopping till I have more cash to spend.
Smallville season 6 has started!
And while looking for the picture of Talladega nights to post up, I stumbled upon the poster for one of my favourite movies. It’s one of the first teenybopper flicks which successfully re-interpreted and adapted old plays for the big screen. Loved the soundtrack, and just for the record, i was a teen when I caught this movie anyway. So it was especially relevant at that time, just ohsocool, and will always bring back sweet memories. =)
I hate the way you talk to me
And the way you cut your hair.
I hate the way you drive my car.
I hate it when you stare.
I hate your big dumb combat boots
And the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me sick…
It even makes me rhyme.
I hate the way you’re always right.
I hate it when you lie.
I hate it when you make me laugh…
Even worse when you make me cry.
I hate it that you’re not around
And the fact that you didn’t call.
But mostly I hate the way
I don’t hate you…
Not even close, not even a little bit, not any at all.
Ahh, memories.
Those JC days.
Slacking, zaoing school, jamming, being poseurs.
Insecurities, fitting in, wanting to stand out.
Other movies like Varsity Blues too…
Rings a bell?
Thought this would lighten the mood of my blog.
Been a little too serious and political of late,
time for a change of mood,
at least for a while. =)
Also happened to see Murakami’s book on display at Kinokuniya while purchasing modern drummer and GQ today. Norwegian Wood. Hmm, looks like a pretty interesting book. Anyone’s read it yet? Good?
Recently, I just rediscovered The Verve.
After first listening to it when I was in secondary school, and not having listened to it in ages, and somehow rediscovering it again recently…
Wow.
How some things just grow on you, and especially after one’s music taste has grown more mature and more eclectic over the years. Especially over this past year, thanks in large part to my bandmates who have been educating me on many other genres and bands.
Really love their music now, and it’s gonna be playing in my itunes and CD player for the next couple of days.
Was with Marv, Merv, Dionne and Fuzz the other day in HMV, and chanced upon Verve’s (Earlier name of The Verve) CD – A Storm in Heaven for 10bucks. Marv and Fuzz told me to get it, and it was a really good recommendation from them! Great album.
Ok, gotta get some rest before i wake up a zombie tomorrow and totally zone out at work,
Nights world.
1 step forward, 2 steps back
A large proportion of people are just going about their lives, pursuing that elusive million dollars, that big house, that nice car, etc. All in the hope to live the singapore dream. But at the end of the day, what do we see all around us? Parents stressed out, adults hating their jobs and being stuck in a rut, parents taking that stress out on each other and their kids, kids in turn feeling stressed and exasperated, killed dreams, killed aspirations, constant rhetoric to be realistic/be quiet/do as you’re told/follow the crowd/don’t go against the system/study hard and get a good job/be a productive citizen, kids being told from a young age that they must study-harder-get-as-many-As-as-possible-get-a-good-job-etc, civil servants who are disillusioned, “highflyers” getting fastracked on the road to power and prosperity by virtue of their mugging prowess in exams when they were barely 20yearsold, a climate of fear, people all thinking alike, all too many people who are just terrified of change.
And what is it with this whole obsession with experience and track record?
Sometimes, i think a stellar track record could have more dangers than we realise. There is always the ego factor, self-confidence, and an over-belief in one’s own ability. How often have we seen the big boys fall to the lesser and more inexperienced newbie?
All too often i think.
And I am sure that the commonly quoted disclaimer was not put there for no reason.
Past performance is no indication of future success.
Repeat after me:
Past performance is no indication of future success.
Ok, I might have taken some liberties in the phrasing of that disclaimer. But the idea is there, and it is very often seen in prospectuses of funds and investments.
And this post by Martyn See shows how people can change.
Of course many of us from this internet generation were not born at the time when the speech was made, which was during the turbulent 1960s when Singapore separated from Malaysia. I wonder why our parents do not remember how things have changed when they probably were around to witness the political upheaval and cultural happenings during that time. During the time when Bugis street was buzzing and alive, when rock and pop music was big in singapore, when there was a whole lot of political activity.
But what has happened now?
That same post compares and contrasts many of the changes along the years, as the ruling party has consolidated its power and almost crushed all opposition.
But the pressure is on.
Things are changing very rapidly, and the newer generation has already tuned out of the constant medianoise reporting the same old staid and skewed view.
And like another blog has said, the people are unhappy, and as much as there is talk about crossing the sacred OB markers, the powers that be have to be aware and be afraid, that they are at a large risk of crossing the people’s OB markers. One can only take so much stifling and being pressed down by a large unrelenting hand. Take it too far, and the consequences could be fire. And that overall unhappiness and disillusionment is building up. Things are very much akin to a pressure cooker. The younger generation is willing to take more risks at the expense of material pursuits.
So, what will things be like in 5 years?
Things could very well be the same.
But there is hope.
And I certainly hope for a big change.
A change in mindsets.
A change in social climate.
Isn’t it about time that the people owned the country rather than the other way around?
we not stupid
Every singaporean should read this. Enlightening, and sheds some light too
It does bring to fore certain issues in singapore which the average man on the street does not think too much about. We are all so busy going about our lives and trying to make more and more money, to the extent that we do not think about why we are struggling so hard to make money. Do not believe all the news that the employment situation is so great and all. The truth is on the street and for all the jobseekers to see. Fresh grads are having problems finding a decent job. Decent meaning a job that is meaningful and at least would put the graduate in a position to learn in the job and contributes to one’s career progression.
Too tired to blog more right now. I need my sleep.
For those who only read the ST, here is a letter from the brave ones.
The ones who braved the rain and sun to stand up for their beliefs.
I take my hats off to you all.
The Letter Here.
Some more articles taken from the same place coming up:
And the best part…
These are truly hilarious quotes from the geniuses with the huge paychecks.
And with such statements, doesn’t it make you wonder how they are still able to justify those million dollar salaries?
Amazing, simply amazing.
I personally love the bartop dancing quotation the most.
*rotfl*
And to end on a more sombre note.
This article just makes one sad, and definitely incensed me.
Justice. Equality. Transparency. Fairness.
To build a democratic society.
Integrity.
Rhetoric?
Every singapore.
Yes.
Every singaporean, should really start reading around the blogs, following the links, the links of the links, and so on. Of course, keep an open mind and critical mind as many blogs have their own slants and biases. But, at least they represent people’s true opinions. Unadulterated, but held back of course so that unseen lines are not crossed. But wouldn’t it be a more balanced view one would have after reading all these news sources and articles from everywhere around the world, and what others living in this sunny island have to say? What people in the heat of the action have to say?
So, spread the word.
May this be the start of something.
A spark that sets off a forest fire.
Let our souls be stirred, and let us not stand for this.
This glorification of oneself to be above everyone else.
Such that one can do simply as one pleases.
At the expense of millions others.
Please. Read. Read. Read. Read!
I think your views would change after the reads.
Enlightening and entertaining.
My faith in the local media has waned to such an extent, it’s non-existent.
ruff thoughts and what nots 